- Chapter 73 -

The Lesson

Game nights were a rarity in the Hamato Household, especially with various bans on different games. Card games were a no-go, and everyone collectively agreed never to bring up Uno ever again after what became known as "the Card-pocalypse". Ironically, the game of Monopoly was not on the ever-growing ban list, but from the veins popping across Donatello's forehead, that wouldn't last.

"Marvin Gardens, with a Hotel," Mikey noted. "That will be 1200 if you please."

Donnie grumbled, passing him the money. "How is this fair? How is Mikey winning?!"

"Don't you dare complain!" Raph snapped. "I've ended up in jail five times!"

"Not a surprise," Vee deadpanned.

"I'm just as surprised," Kagome remarked. "Apparently, Mom's skill at making money didn't rub off on me."

"Ooh, community chest!" Hisako snagged a card. "Yes! Nearest Railroad! And that completes my set!"

"Hey Karai, you doing alright?" Leo asked. "You've already lost a few properties."

Karai shrugged. "As someone who has never played games before, I'm just having fun. Also, I'm just counting down the turns until Donnie lands on Boardwalk. Instant bankruptcy."

Sure enough, in the very next turn, Donnie landed on Boardwalk. He choked, his face turning beet-red as he clutched at his chest as if having a heart attack before eerily calming down.

"Well…" he began in a level tone, "I just lost to Mikey. Will you excuse me for a minute?"

He retracted his head and limbs into his shell, screaming loudly and incoherently for several seconds. Kagome reached over, gently patting the shell.

"There, there."

Mikey happily took all of Donnie's properties and money, grinning. "Just call me the Overlord of the Gauntlet."

Donnie slowly poked out, rubbing his temples and making an effort to compose himself. Just as he did, angry footsteps echoed through the lair, followed by loud shouting. It was April and Casey, the former mad as a hornet.

"Seriously!" April ranted. "That has to be the dumbest thing in the history of dumbest things anybody could ever do! What were you thinking?!"

"That I'm glad you grabbed a Wiffle bat before beating the crap out of me," Casey deadpanned, rubbing the back of his head with a wince. "Sheesh…"

"No! I mean, why did you jump me behind Dad's shop?!"

"You asked me to, remember?"

April blinked. "What?!"

"You were braggin' about your ninja fighting skills and I said, 'I oughta sneak up on you some time and test how good you are.' And you said, 'That sounded like an interesting idea.'"

"I was being sarcastic! I didn't think you'd actually-" April paused, sighing. "Wait, what am I saying? You're Casey Jones. Of course you'd think that was a good idea."

"Hey, guys," Raph waved, getting their attention. "We'd offer to let you join us at game night, but you look pretty damn miserable already."

April just flopped onto the couch, looking annoyed. "I really thought I was getting somewhere in my training with Master Splinter and Kasumi. But Casey caught me totally by surprise and got a few good hits in before I could defend myself. I should've heard him coming. You guys would have. Hell, Hisako would've sensed him a mile away."

"Hisako's also had a lifetime to get used to her powers," Vee pointed out. "You've barely had yours for a year."

"It takes a lot of practice," Donnie chimed in.

"Dad and Kasumi spent a lot of time training us to be aware of our surroundings at all times," Leo added. "After a while though, if you've studied hard enough, you get a sixth sense for it."

April thought before perking. "Maybe you guys could lend a hand?"

The Turtles and Kagome exchanged looks before simultaneously declaring, "No way!"

"Wait, what?" Hisako questioned. "I can sense the story behind that all-out refusal. C'mon, spill."

"Yeah, why not?" April raised an eyebrow. "I'm a quick learner, guys."

"It's not you, April," Vee clarified. "It's us."

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "Last time we tried to play sensei, well... let's just say it didn't work out too well."

"We thought we could teach this kid when we were just kids ourselves," Raph added.

Hisako tilted her head quizzically. "I don't remember this."

"You wouldn't," Kagome said. "It was two years before we found you." She stood up. "I'll go make some hot cocoa."

"Ooh, cocoa," Hisako smiled. "Long one, eh?"

"Yep," Kagome nodded. "How many with marshmallows?"

Mikey, Vee, and Hisako all raised their hands, as did April and Casey.

-X-

Sometime later, everyone gathered with their cocoa, the game long forgotten.

"We were all around eight, maybe nine at the time," Kagome recalled. "Surface time was absolutely forbidden for the Turtles."

"Oh c'mon, Kagome. That's no way to tell a story. Here, let me do it," Mikey put on a more dramatic voice. "It was a dark and stormy night, in a galaxy far, far away-"

Raph whacked him upside the head. "First off, it wasn't storming, and second, it was the middle of the day, shell for brains."

"What?" Mikey asked. "I can't be dramatic?"

Kagome gave him a deadpan look. "May I go on?"

Mikey motioned for her to do so. "Knock yourself out."

"Thank you," Kagome cleared her throat. "Mom was on a business trip, and she'd left me down in the sewers with these guys…"

Flashback

A young Kagome, around nine years old, and the eight-year-old Turtle Tots all happily ran around the sewers, laughing and playing. At various points, Splinter approached them, warning them, whether training, playing, or eating, not to go to the surface. Eventually, he took Leo and Kagome aside to talk to them.

"As the oldest, I leave this to you two," he said sternly. "Watch over your siblings, and make sure they do not leave the sewers."

Leo bowed respectfully to his father, though Kagome was more hesitant to do so as they went back to the others.

"Of course, as a little kid used to being topside and in the sun, I quickly got bored just running around the lair," Kagome recalled.

"We'd been warned. We knew what we were not supposed to be doing," Leo added. "So, when Kagome declared-"

"I'm bored!" Kagome exclaimed before smiling at the Turtles. "Wanna go play in the park?"

"- We were instantly on board."

The six walked through the tunnels, Mikey practically bouncing on his heels.

"I can't wait to see the sun!" he exclaimed. "Is it really bigger than the whole planet? Is it true that if you stare at it, you go blind?"

As they headed for the manhole, some of them were more nervous than others.

"Didn't Dad say never to go to the surface?" Vee recalled.

Kagome smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Vee. We'll be there and back before he even knows we're gone."

"So, we went topside," Raph said. "As soon as we could get the lid off."

It took the six together to move the manhole cover, but eventually, they emerged into a back alley. Graffiti lined the brick walls of the buildings and trash was strewn throughout the alley.

"Man, all this open space…" Leo managed.

"Dad and Kasumi have been holding out on us." Raph let out. "Up here, it's…"

Donnie teared up. "Beautiful…"

Mikey was staring up at the sky, gasping in awe at the sun. At least until Donnie pulled on his mask.

"Don't stare at it, shell for brains," he admonished.

"Guys, this is a back alley," Kagome told them. "If you want real beauty, wait til we get to the park."

As they went, Mikey sniffed the air. "What is that weird smell?"

Kagome giggled. "That would be fresh air, Mikey."

The other Turtle Tots sniffed around for a moment or two.

"No mildew… no mold…" Vee perked. "It's actually kinda nice."

"Of course, what we didn't know was that just around the corner was destiny," Mikey noted. "Well... actually, just this kid who needed help."

They perked as they heard a crash, followed by a pained grunt.

"Someone's coming!" Kagome exclaimed. "Hide!"

They ducked behind/under a dumpster as a boy around their age got up, running by. He was backed into an alley, a group of bullies crowding in on him.

"What's the matter, Arnie ?" the leader taunted. "Too chicken to fight back? Why don't you call your mommy to come to help you?"

"I'm not lookin' for any trouble, Danny," Arnie spat at the leader.

"Too bad." Danny grabbed Arnie by the front of his shirt, hoisting him into the air. "We don't need your kind around our park. So stay away if you know what's good for you."

"Those creeps…" Raph growled. "We oughta do something!"

"We can't be seen!" Donnie objected. "What can we do?"

"I'll distract 'em," Kagome decided. "You guys handle the rest."

With that, she stepped out from behind the dumpster, getting their attention. "I have a better idea. You put the kid down, and I won't kick your collective butts."

The bullies looked her over, an unassuming little girl in glasses wearing an unzipped gray hoodie with her hair in long pigtails, and snorted.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said." She dramatically removed her glasses, glaring at them with her own eyes. "Leave him alone and get outta here... or I'll show you just how much I hate stinking, spineless bullies like you."

"Wait a sec!" Casey suddenly cut in. "You used to wear glasses?"

"Yeah, a long time ago," Kagome answered. "I switched to contacts about a month before Hisako came to join us. Anyway…"

Danny just sneered. "I'm not scared of a stupid little girl."

"You will be."

She then stepped into the darkness of the alley as Danny's cronies went after her. What the unfortunate kids didn't see was five sets of white eyes glaring at them. Once the bullies got close enough, the Turtles grabbed them all, making short work of them. Only a few hits in and all of them were thrown back out of the alley, bruised, and in some cases, pantsed. Arnie looked on in awe as Kagome casually exited the shadows, replacing and adjusting her glasses as Danny loomed up behind her.

"Hey, look out-!" Arnie began, but his warning was unnecessary. Just as Danny lunged at her, Kagome, without even turning around, stopped him cold with a casual backhand to the face.

"You done?" she asked. "Or does this 'stupid little girl' need to slap you around some more?"

Danny and his goons slowly got up, wincing before glaring at Arnie.

"Next time, you pay the toll if you wanna use the street," he spat. "C'mon, we're outta here."

They ran off as Kagome turned to Arnie, her face softening.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah… thanks," Arnie took her offered hand up. "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you around this part of town."

"I'm no one important," Kagome replied. "Just consider me… a friend."

"Right…" Arnie shrugged. "Well whatever, thanks for helping. Danny's a real pain in the butt. Thinks he owns this street cause his big bros in this stupid gang." His fists clenched. "I hate gangs…"

Kagome looked over him in sympathy. "You shouldn't let creeps like him push you around like that."

"It's no biggie. I'll heal."

"Still, you should try to fight back," Kagome insisted. "Bullies tend to back down when their targets don't just roll over." A moment passed before she got an idea. "You saw what I did there. My folks insisted on me and a friend of mine studying martial arts so we could defend ourselves. We could give you a few pointers."

At hearing the word "friend", all of the Turtles began to stiffen.

"A friend, huh?" Arnie asked. "I don't suppose they'd be willing to teach me a thing or two?"

Kagome paused. "I'll… talk to them about it. Meet me back here in an hour, okay?"

-X-

Sometime later, in the alley where they first emerged, Kagome and the Turtle Tots discussed her plan.

"This is a bad idea," Donnie insisted. "We're gonna get caught."

"Also, friend? Singular?" Vee asked. "How are we gonna pull this off?"

"I snagged these from the Goodwill donation bin on our way back," Kagome held out an outfit consisting of a red baseball cap, a long-sleeved yellow hoodie under a black vest, baggy jeans, and blue sneakers. "You five take turns wearing this disguise, and we teach the kid everything we know."

"Need I remind you I'm a girl?" Vee pointed out. "He'll know something's up."

"Just disguise your voice," Mikey offered.

"That, and the hat's big enough for you to stuff your hair in," Kagome added.

A moment passed before Leo stepped forward, taking the disguise. "Count me in."

"Sounds like fun to me," Raph mused.

"Agreed." Mikey grinned.

Vee held up her hands. "Nope. Count me out of this."

"Your choice," Kagome shrugged. "But no snitching."

"Fine," Vee replied. "But you know Dad's gonna find out on his own eventually."

"So yeah, we decided to train the kid so he wouldn't need little green guardian angels all the time," Donnie remarked.

"We thought we already knew everything there was to know about ninjutsu, so how hard could teaching be?" added Leo.

"And it had to be better than being stuck in the sewers, doing nothin'." Raph chimed in.

On a rooftop, Leo and Arnie were sitting across from each other, each in the lotus position. As Leo spoke, Arnie struggled to keep his legs crossed.

"First of all, you have to be serious about wanting to change things. You have to feel the power and connect with the power. Find your inner core, your honor, your true heart. Have you found it yet?"

"I don't think so," Arnie cringed. "Uh, little dude... I can't feel my legs."

"That's a good thing," Leo replied. "Stay focused and breathe and you'll find your true strength."

"I think my strength would be easier to find if I could feel my legs…"

-X-

Down in the lair, Donnie and Mikey sparred, Splinter watching over them as Raph and Kagome sat on the couch watching TV. Between them was a giant green Build-A-Bear frog wearing a blue bandanna to crudely resemble Leo from the back. Vee glanced over at the frog, rolling her eyes as she went back to reading her book.

"C'mon, Leo, where are you?" Kagome whispered.

"That is enough for now," Splinter said. "You may rest. It is Leonardo's turn to train."

Raph and Kagome stiffened, exchanging panicked looks at that.

"But, Master Splinter, we wanna keep practicing!" Mikey objected. "Leo doesn't mind, right?" "Uh, wave if it's okay, Leo," Donnie chimed in.

Raph picked up the frog's arm, waving it. Splinter's eyes narrowed before he began walking in that direction.

"Uh... Uh…" Mikey and Donnie quickly grappled. "Is this right, Dad?"

"What about this leaping over the leg sweep?" Donnie added. "I think I'm getting better."

"I said enough practice," Splinter said sternly. "It is Leonardo's turn."

Wracking her brain for a solution, Kagome jumped to her feet, snatching up an old baseball cap Mikey had gotten for their last Mutation Day.

"Uh, hey Splinter!" she exclaimed, getting the rat's attention. "I've been working on my latest dance and wanna show it to you. Check this out!"

Using an umbrella as a cane, she sprang into a vaudeville-style soft shoe routine, Raph clapping along. Splinter's eyes narrowed at that, crossing his arms in suspicion.

"What are you hiding?"

"Hiding?" Kagome asked, trying to play it cool. "No, I'm not hiding anything. What makes you think that?" She let out a nervous giggle.

Splinter gently nudged her aside. Vee was counting down under her breath as he approached the frog, Raph curling up into a ball as Kagome was sweating bullets.

"Oh, man…" Mikey let out. "It's all over. We're so grounded!"

Splinter reached over the couch... only to grab Leo himself, who had managed to get in and swap places with the frog just in time.

"Oh!" Leo yawned, acting as if he had just woken up. "Sorry, Dad. I dozed off. What's up?"

"...It is your turn to spar with Raphael."

"Got it. C'mon, Raph!"

He hopped over the couch, heading for the dojo. Splinter turned to watch him, and everyone basically collapsed on the couch. As Splinter and Raph followed, Mikey slowly inched backward before dashing off, scooping up the disguise as he did.

-X-

Pulling on the last of the disguise, Mikey headed to where Arnie was still meditating.

"Now, the student has become the master…" he mused with glee before approaching Arnie. "Ready for more learning?"

"Well, I've been trying to be serious and breathe and stuff to find my inner strength, as you said, but it kinda makes my head hurt," Arnie replied. "And I still can't feel my legs."

"Well, then let's try something easier, shall we?" Arnie nodded in agreement, shakingly standing up. "Being serious and having inner strength is all well and good, but you need the right attitude for this kinda stuff. And part of having a winning attitude is having a cool battle cry. A heroic superhero kind of battle cry, like in the comic books." He tapped his chin before snapping his fingers. "I got it! Gorogoro-sama!"

Arnie blinked in confusion. "Go-ro-ro bo... whata?"

"Gorogoro-sama! It means Mr. Thunder! It's perfect for you!" Mikey darted around the roof throwing punches at the air. "If you yell out gorogoro-sama while charging into battle, your foes will flee like cowards before you!"

"Really?"

"Absolutely! C'mon, let's try it!"

They headed down the fire escape, going back to where Danny and his goons were playing hockey.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Arnie asked.

"Of course!" Mikey declared. "Remember, gorogoro-sama. Now, go get 'em!"

Arnie clenched his fists and walked resolutely forward. Mikey watched with a smile on his face. "Goro Gorbolo-ama!" he declared, utterly mangling the word.

The bullies stopped their playing, looking at Arnie like he was crazy before smirking and running at him. Mikey's face slowly fell as the fists started to fly, and before long, he was cringing and watching through his fingers as Arnie was pummeled.

"Maybe I didn't give him the right name…"

"Gorogoro-sama?" Hisako deadpanned. "Jeez, Mikey. Did you seriously think a weird word would suddenly make Arnie stronger?"

"It worked for Billy Batson," Mikey pointed out.

"We don't live in a comic book, Mikey," Raph said. "Or a TV show."

"I was eight, okay?! Cut me some slack!"

-X-

Sometime later, Donnie arrived to swap places with Mikey.

"How's it going?" the purple turtle asked.

"Uh... great?" Mikey replied.

"Good, because I've got something really special planned for him. He's gonna love it."

Donnie and Arnie sat on wooden crates with a chess board on a box between them.

"It's important to really think your actions through," Donnie explained. "It's all like a game of chess. You have to be thinking three to four moves ahead of your adversary. Planning, knowing what's coming."

Arnie just stared at the board, unsure what to do. Donnie drummed his fingers, waiting for him to make a move. Before long, a pigeon landed on his hat, which he shooed off before standing up.

"...Well, it might take a little more time. I guess. I'll be right back." He rounded the corner, passing the disguise to Raph. "Good luck."

Raph approached the board, took one look at the game, and rolled his eyes.

"Right, clearly this ain't doin' it for you. Let's try something else." Arnie stood up at that. "The first and most important lesson is, never think. Never! Just act and react and always attack!"

Arnie rubbed his forehead in annoyance. "I sure wish you'd make up your mind. 'Be serious. Use your battle cry. Think it through. Never think.' I don't get it!"

"What you need is a weapon. It's all about the weapon. We gotta find you some kind of weapon," After a quick look around, Raph picked up the chess pieces. "These'll do nicely."

Raph led Arnie over to where he'd lined empty cans up along the ledge of the roof. Raph threw several chess pieces at once and knocked over all five cans.

"Alright, now you try."

Arnie looked over at five more cans, then threw the chess pieces. He clipped two, but they didn't fall.

"Hmmm…" Raph crossed his arms in thought. "Maybe you just need a better target. Let's see how you do in combat."

He led him back to the bullies. "Now, remember, focus on your weapons. It's all about the weapons."

Arnie flung the chess pieces. All of them bounced off the street, far short of their intended targets. The bullies rolled over to Arnie. Raph grimaced at the sounds of fists thumping and pained groans. He ducked back into the alley.

"Yeah... maybe we need to work on the kid's aim a little. Or find him a different weapon."

"I'm surprised this Arnie kid didn't just up and ditch you guys," Hisako remarked. "You were horrible teachers."

"Oh, it gets worse," Vee told her.

"How?"

"...I got bored."

-X-

Down in the lair, Splinter was looking around. "Where is Raphael?"

"Uh…" Leo perked. "He's in the shower?"

"Yeah, yeah!" his brothers and Kagome agreed. "He's in the shower!"

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "You five have been acting very strangely of late."

"Hang on," Leo stood up, the others following suit. "We'll go get him."

They headed off, finding Raph in the middle of tiptoeing back in.

"Oh, thank God... " Kagome snatched up a bucket of water. "Sorry about this, Raphie."

She promptly dumped it over the red turtle's head.

"What the-?!" Raph sputtered before seeing Splinter approach and catching on. "I just got outta the shower."

"Do you always shower with your mask on?" Splinter asked.

"Yeah. It saves on laundry. What can I say?"

Splinter's eyes narrowed, but he walked off.

"Right…" Vee marked her place in the book before snapping it shut. "Okay, you ding dongs, this has gone on long enough. Don't you think you've taught him enough?"

"Well, I did my best to teach him inner strength," Leo added. "Mikey?"

"Having the right attitude. Like a cool battle cry."

"I opted for strategy," Donnie added.

"I went for fighting without thinking," Raph included.

"All that's left is me passing on my lesson," said Kagome.

"Hold up," Vee cut in. "What about individuality? Making your mark? Because it sounds to me like you're all just trying to make Arnie like you."

They shifted around awkwardly. Vee sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Right... my hand has been forced. Gimme the clothes."

All of them looked up.

"Vee, are you-?" Leo began.

"Just give me the clothes before I change my mind. Clearly, you four have no idea what the flip you're doing. And yeah, it's better than sitting around the lair with my thumb up my nose."

Mikey looked at his thumbs. "How'd you get it to-?"

"Just shut up," Vee snapped.

-X-

Later on, Vee stuffed her hair into the hat and hood, making her way over to Arnie.

"I've been thinking," she said, putting on a deep, boyish contralto to hide her gender. "The problem is I've been giving you ideas on what I'd do in different situations. What you need is your own style."

"My own style?" Arnie asked.

"Exactly. All that stuff about inner strength, strategy, and all that nonsense, it isn't you. What you need is to find what works for you. Work on making your mark, and standing out as an individual. Know what I mean?"

Arnie looked at her, and for the first time since this mess started, there was clarity in his eyes.

-X-

"At long last, it was my turn," Kagome remarked.

Kagome stood away from Arnie, stretching her arms and legs out.

"Okay," she began. "My buddy taught you everything he knows. Now for some of what I know. You know how to dance?"

"Wait, what?" Arnie questioned. "Dance? I look like a ballerina to you?"

"I'm more into hip-hop dancing myself, but just hear me out. Learning how to dance will make your movements more fluid, and let you dodge and evade better. As they say, the best offense is a good defense."

"And I'm gonna learn that… by dancing." Arnie facepalmed. "Danny is going to rip me a new one."

"Just try it. Follow me closely and do exactly what I do. Ready?"

Arnie motioned for her to go on, and Kagome proceeded to demonstrate multiple hip-hop dance moves, including breakdancing, popping, and locking. Arnie stared at her, looking completely lost.

"There is no way I can do half of that."

"We'll start small. Practice makes perfect."

"Alright…" Arnie gave it a try, but his moves were jerky and uncoordinated. He ended up falling on his face about halfway through.

"Ooooh…" Kagome winced. "As I said, practice makes perfect. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Finally, the moment of truth came," Leo recalled. "But we'd made a fatal error."

Leo was back in the disguise, Kagome by his side as the other Turtle Tots hid nearby "Okay, now it's time to try out what you've learned to face your enemies." Leo declared. "But you already made me face them twice and they creamed me both times." Arnie pointed out.

"Uh, I did?" Leo shook his head. "Well, just try it again using everything you've learned."

"Ugh..." Arnie sighed. "I'm gonna get beaten up again… I can already tell."

"Have faith in yourself," Leo insisted, pushing Arnie toward the alley and stepping back. The others peeked out of the alley.

"So, do you think he learned anything?" Mikey asked.

"I hope so," Leo replied. "I mean, you taught him basic self-defense, right, Mikey? How to punch and kick, and I covered inner strength."

"I didn't teach him any fighting skills," Mikey replied. "I thought Raph was gonna."

"I didn't," Raph said. "Donnie, did you?"

Donnie stiffened. "Oops…"

Vee slowly turned to them, utterly flabbergasted. "I'm sorry... are you telling me that this entire time, not one of you thought to teach this kid how to actually fight ?"

"Well…" Kagome tittered nervously, twiddling her fingers. "I mean, when you put it like that , then—"

As if on cue, they heard a mangled cry of "Go-sumo-gowa!", followed by the sound of Arnie once again getting his butt handed to him. Vee sighed.

"I'm surrounded by idiots…"

"Hey, you didn't teach him anything either!" Raph shot back.

"Because I assumed you guys already had!" Vee rubbed her forehead. "I'm going home."

-X-

They creep down to the lair, looking left and right. It was dark and quiet.

"Okay, starting tomorrow, we're gonna start over, but this time with the real basics," Leo whispered. "For now, let's get some sleep."

As they were about to make for their rooms, a light flickered on. All six froze, right before a long rat tail tripped Leo to the ground. They spun around, finding themselves faced with an incredibly angry Splinter.

"Where have you been?!" the rat ninja demanded.

"W-we weren't-" Raph managed before getting Splinter's tail around his neck, bodily lifted into the air before getting dropped.

"Uh... I forgot to soak my retainer!" Donnie tried to take off running before getting tripped as well "I'm totally sleepwalking!" Mikey walked around with his eyes closed, arms outstretched. "Look, Mikey's sleeping, and walking! He's totally innocent!" That just got him tripped up as well.

"Uh…" Vee grinned sheepishly. "Meow?" She was promptly tail-whipped to the ground.

"Um, uh…" Kagome took a step back. "I left the water running at home. Gotta run!"

She turns, only to run into and bounce off someone. She looked up, seeing Kasumi standing there with her arms crossed, looking at her in disapproval. Immediately, she screamed. "Mom! I... I thought you were-"

"Extremely disappointed in you, young lady," Kasumi said sternly. "Do you have any idea how reckless and dangerous this little stunt of yours was?!"

"You disobeyed a direct order!" Splinter yelled. "I told you repeatedly not to go above ground! What happened?!"

"Kagome wanted to play in the park," Mikey hastily explained, "then there was this boy, and we were teaching him-!"

"You let yourself be seen ?!" Splinter screamed.

"We were in disguise!" Leo clarified. "And we went one at a time!"

"We've been teaching!" Raph added.

"Like you, but not as good as you." Vee chimed in.

"Y'know, trying to follow in your footsteps." Donnie included.

"There was this kid getting bullied-" Kagome began.

"Enough!" Kasumi snapped, silencing them. "Kagome, we're going home. Yoshi, I'll leave your children to you while I discipline mine."

Splinter shook his head in disappointment. "Clearly our warnings of the dangers of the surface were not clear enough. It is time to rectify that mistake."

"It was my idea!" Kagome exclaimed. "I'm the one who took them up! And that boy, we can't just abandon him-"

"You are not ready to teach!" Kasumi cut in. "You could do more damage than good."

"Whoever this boy is, he must find his own path, as you must find yours," Splinter added.

With that, Kasumi took Kagome's hand and led her out of the lair while the Turtles were escorted to the Hashi, all six with their heads down.

Flashback Over

"I ended up grounded for the rest of the summer," Kagome added.

"And Dad was royally pissed off," Leo recalled. "We must've spent seventy-eight hours straight in the Hashi after that."

"Wow…" Vee let out. "I am so glad I missed this misadventure."

As this went on, Casey was scrutinizing Kagome, rubbing his chin.

"Hey Kagome," he began, "do you still have your old glasses?"

"I do, actually," Raph explained. "I hold onto them in case her contacts fall out."

"Mind putting them on for me?"

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Uh… okay?"

Raph handed her a pair of square-lensed rimless glasses, which she put on. The effect was instantaneous, Casey letting out a gasp.

"I knew it! Ninja Pigtails!"

Kagome perked. "Hey, that's what Arnie called me a few times that day."

"Wait a damn minute…" Raph realized. "Arnie… Casey's first name is..."

Realization dawned, the Turtles and Kagome slowly looking up at Casey as if seeing him for the first time.

"Yeah, that was me," Casey confirmed. "That was before I started going by my middle name. Man, that day was one of the trippiest days of my life."

"Holy shit, dude…" Vee let out.

"Okay, I gotta know," Mikey said. "How did wimpy Arnie become you?"

"Well…"

Flashback

Arnie headed back home, looking forlorn.

"I'll just have to tell that kid in the red hat that training isn't working," he muttered. "Guess I just don't have what it takes."

"Hey, geek-boy, doin' a little reading?"

Arnie perked, seeing Danny's gang hassling a boy around his age, snatching a book out of his hand and dangling it overhead.

"Give it back!" the boy demanded.

"What're you gonna do about it?" Danny taunted.

Something in Arnie snapped at that. He ran over, spinning Danny around before laying him out flat with a punch in the face. One bully came running in with a hockey stick, but Arnie ducked, causing him to hit one of his friends before spinning around and yanking the stick out of his hand, punching him out before using the stick to trip up another bully. Before long, they were sent running. One angry glare from Arnie sent Danny running off as well.

"That's right! You better run!" Arnie shouted. "You bullies better watch it, 'cause Arnold Casey Jones ain't lettin' you push nobody around no more! Goorah… goorah… goongala!" He raised his stick triumphantly. "Goongala! GOONGALA!"

Flashback Over

"I ended up using a little bit of everything," Casey explained. "I believed in myself, giving me inner strength, I made my own battle cry, I used a bit of strategy to throw Danny off, and from there, I just let my instincts take over. In the end, I had a style all my own."

"So we did do something right that day," Leo realized.

"Oh no, you were the worst teachers I have ever had," Casey said bluntly. "Seriously, don't teach. At least not like that."

"But still, we accomplished what we set out to do in the first place," Kagome pointed out. "It was tough slaying, but in the end, you stood up for yourself."

Casey mulled on that. "I guess you did."

"Yeah…" April decided. "After hearing that tale, I think I'm just gonna stick to Splinter and Kasumi's lessons."

"Yeah, probably for the best." Leo agreed. "I mean, we made Casey."

"Hey!" Casey objected, everyone sharing a laugh.

"Okay, story time is over," Donnie decided. "Now that you two are here, wanna join in for game night?"

Casey shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"I can get behind that," April agreed.

"Awesome!" Donnie declared. "We'll start from the beginning, meaning the previous game is void."

"Cheater," Mikey deadpanned. "You just don't wanna admit you lost."

Donnie shot him a look. "Just pick out your pieces and zip it."

Everyone shared a laugh at that, enjoying their peaceful game night.

Author's Note:

So yeah. Adaptation of the 2003 episode of the same name, only here, the Hamato sibs and Casey find out who was who.

As for Kagome wearing glasses, that's based on artwork made by her creator on Deviantart that depicted her as she would have appeared in the 1987 show.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Danny - Matt Levin (Cash in Ben 10: Alien Force/Ultimate Alien, Arren from Tales of Earthsea, Numbuh 60 from Codename: Kids Next Door)

Please R&R. Until next time!