"Boys! Hurry! We will want to be there for the festivities!" Splinter called out, waiting by the lair entrance.
"Don't worry Sensei," Michelangelo called out. "I wouldn't want to be late my own party! You can bet they'll be a whole ceremony just for me, the Battle Nexus Champion!"
Donnie rolled his eyes, "Previous Battle Nexus champion. Leo's the reigning champ for the last two tournaments, remember?"
Raph walked up, "And you were only champion on a technicality anyways, numb nuts. So what's this Battle Nexus anniversary for? How long been going on?"
"Well, they don't count years in the same way we do, Raph, but if you convert a mega-qua-" Donnie started to explain.
"Nah, save it. It's important, and it's a big party. 's'all that mattas."
As soon as Leo walked up, they exited the lair, and prepared to draw the portal that would lead them to the battle nexus.
"Leo you might not be champ this year, what with the Ancient One and Sensei competing!" Mikey teased his elder brother.
"We are all more evenly matched than you realize Michelangelo. You are no longer teenagers, but men, and all of your skills have increased greatly these last few years."
"Some of us still act like teenagers," Donnie looked pointedly at Mikey.
"No, some of us are just fun!"
"Here we are," Leo said, as he started to draw the portal symbols on an alleyway wall. Splinter began chanting, and soon all five were in the Battle Nexus world.
"I swear, every time we do this it seems we end up further away from the city," Raph complained.
"It's not like it matters anyways, after the qualifying round Gyoji transports us," Leo said.
As if on cue, the mystic referee appeared, and out of another portal appeared several large alien creatures, which the turtles had dispatched in mere minutes.
"Welcome Splinter! And turtles! It is good to see you all again for this momentous occasion! The anniversary festivities are already beginning!"
"It's good to see you too, Gyoji." Leo replied, giving him a slight bow.
"Has the Ancient One arrived?" Splinter inquired.
"Oh yes, he just finished his qualifying match and is in the city now, with his guests."
"Excellent!"
Once they had been transported to the Daimyo's palace and settled in their accommodations, Splinter had gathered them around the table.
"My sons, before you go out exploring, I would like to speak to all of you."
"What is it, father?" Leo asked.
"Nothing much really," Splinter sat back, casually, adopting a tone far too casual. The boys grew suspicious. "I just wanted to let you know that the Ancient One's guests-"
In that moment, they heard a knock at the door. Raph answered.
"Ancient One. Hey."
"Hello Raphael!" He exclaimed as he burst through the door, joining his friends at the table. "I am so happy to see you all! How was your journey?"
"It was well, old friend." Splinter replied. "And how are your grand-daughters?"
"Grand-daughters?" Mikey asked, confused.
"They are well!" the Ancient One turned to Mikey, "Adopted grand-daughters. I brought them with me. They don't fight, but I enjoy having an entourage of cheer-leaders!" The Ancient One and Splinter laughed.
"As you can tell, they cook very well for me," everyone giggled at the Ancient One's comment. "You all look so grown this year, but I haven't seen you since you were teenagers, boys. Well not boys really anymore, men now."
"I guess," Donnie replied.
"We will have you all over for a meal together, tomorrow perhaps?" Splinter eyed his friend mysteriously.
"Oh yes!" He turned to the turtles. "They are around your age. I'm sure you will all get along just fine."
"How many do you have?" Leo asked, before side-eyeing Raph.
"Four. Oh! Splinter-san, I brought you a little gift!"
"That is most generous, old friend." The Ancient on took out a small parcel filled with sakura mochi and another small pot filled with shincha.
"Woah," Leo said as he took stock of the presents.
"Ancient One! This is too nice a gift!"
"Nonsense! Here! Try! Splinter-san and I can enjoy some tea while we wait for the match."
Each person took some mochi while Leo boiled tea for his father.
"Fuc-" Raph started to say, but stopped himself as Leo coughed to cover up his profanity.
"Sorry Sensei, Ancient One. It's just that they're really good."
"Yeah! Where'd you get these?" Mikey asked enthusiastically as he reached for another.
"One of my grand daughters made them."
Leo set the tea down, and Splinter and the Ancient One retreated to the terrace to talk.
"Have fun with the festivities boys! I will see you tonight for the first round!" Splinter called out to them, encouraging them to leave the apartment so the Ancient One and him could talk.
The four turtles shrugged, and made their way out to the city streets.
"Leo, did you know he had family? You trained with him." Donnie asked.
"I honestly had no idea. The whole thing seems really fishy, like they're hiding something."
"Yeah right? Like Splinter had this tone of voice that was just, off. Like he was excited but..." Mikey started.
"Smug?" Raph finished.
"Yeah!"
"Like he knows something we don't, and he's having fun with it. Him and the Ancient One." Donnie added.
"Maybe they're just smug because they're sure one of them will win?" Mikey offered.
"No, they don't care about the championship that much," said Leo.
"Well there's only one way to find out!" Raph said.
"Or, we can get some more of this awesome food before the fight! Oh look at that!" Mikey wandered off, and the rest rolled their eyes.
"I'm going to go for a walk, find someplace to meditate," Leo said.
"I think I'll just take a look around here," said Donnie.
"I'll stay with ya Don," Raph added, as they all went their separate ways.
Mikey had followed his nose to a stall with unknown meats roasting on sticks, when he noticed a petite woman in the stall next to him with shoulder length blonde hair. She was wearing very form fitting jeans and some sort of floral blouse. She stood to about his shoulder, and was slender. She had her back turned, and he could hear her asking the vendor what he was selling.
"I'll take five, thank you," she said in a voice that could be best characterized as honey sweet. Mikey pretended to be looking at the various meats, but was doing a poor job of being subtle.
It was when she reached out her hand to pay the vendor, that Mikey knocked over one of the displays of meat pies.
Three slender green fingers.
"Sorry dude! I'm so sorry I'll clean this up! Ah-" Mikey froze when the woman turned to look at him.
She had a turtle face. Light green skin, freckles, hazel eyes. Hazel eyes that kept getting wider the longer she stared at him.
"Clean this up!" The vendor yelled at Mikey, snapping him from his trance. The woman reached down to help him.
"No no it's ok! I've got it!" Mikey scrambled to clean up, then handed the vendor some money for his troubles.
"I'm Mikey."
"Nora," she said quietly, eyes still wide.
"So-" they both started at the same time. Both giggled.
"Maybe we should go somewhere else?" Mikey shrugged, grimacing at the angry vendor.
"Sure."
Mikey started walking. "You aren't the Ancient One's grand-daughter, are you?"
"I might be. And are you his friend Splinter's son?"
"One of them, yeah. He didn't say, well he never mentioned-" Mikey wasn't sure how to say this. "Well he never mentioned you're a TURTLE!" He blurted out, then immediately covered his mouth. Nora giggled.
"Wait, are you a turtle? You don't exactly have a shell."
"Yes well, it's a bit complicated but I am supposed to be a turtle, thing, I guess. That old fat -" Nora stopped herself, "well, he never said anything either. Is that why he's been acting so weird for the last two weeks?"
"My dad's been acting super strange too!" He motioned for her to sit down on a bench.
"I have like, so many questions." She said animatedly.
"Me too! Uh, you first?"
Mikey didn't know what to do, or say. Her face was like theirs, but more slender, and she had long eyelashes. And hair, beautiful blonde hair. And so they rapid-fire questioned each other, getting continuously more excited and animated. Any nervousness they may have felt was long gone the more they talked. Nora was outgoing and bubbly, and quickly peppered him with questions just as fast as he did.
"Ok ok so, you have three brothers? And I have three sisters? Doesn't that seem coincidental?" She asked him, with a hint of side eye.
"Yeah, seems weird. Are you sure you're real?" He asked, poking her gently in the arm. She laughed, and Mikey was hooked.
Holy shit holy shit holy shit replayed over and over in his mind.
"So you are fighting tonight?"
"Babe, you're looking at a battle nexus champion," Mikey winked at her.
"Wait really! That is so cool! And we'll see all your brothers there?"
"Well yeah, but honestly they're not nearly as great as me," Mikey teased her.
"Well of course not, but I was just thinking -" she trailed off.
"Yeah?"
"I won't tell my sisters about you, and it'll be a massive surprise tonight! Oh my god their faces -"
"That's an AWESOME idea! And, it'll totally throw my bros for a loop." Mikey wiggled his eyebrows at her, "Psychological warfare, if you will."
Nora laughed. "Ok, this is such a good idea. Mikey, I'm so glad to have met you! I have to go now, otherwise they'll be wondering where I am, but I'll see you tonight ok? Good luck!"
"Wait!" he called out to her, "Do you want me to walk you home?"
"You don't think they'll see you?"
"Ninja, remember? But I won't get too close, promise!"
"Ok sure!" She said with a huge smile. As he walked next to her, she ducked her head, suddenly unsure of what to say. To find out this information with no warning whatsoever was completely overwhelming.
Mikey, to his credit, could sense that it may have all started to hit her.
"This is a lot, huh?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah, definitely. Sorry I'm being quiet, it's a lot to think about."
"No I understand. I hope I wasn't too overwhelming for you, I can be pretty outgoing."
"Not at all! I can be too, so I hope I didn't talk too much!"
"Not at all! Maybe we can talk again soon? After the match?"
"I would really like that. It's just up here." She stopped walking, and turned her head up to him.
"Maybe I could text you after?" Mikey boldly asked.
"Yes! I mean, sure," Nora chastised herself for answering too enthusiastically. She handed him her phone as he put his number in.
"Ok well, um, last thing I wanted to say..." Mikey trailed off. She looked at him expectantly. "You'rereallypretty." He breathed out. "Anyways see you later angelcakes!" He said as he darted quickly into the shadows.
Nora stared off into where he disappeared shocked, but bit her lip as a huge smile and blush spread across her face. She didn't know it, but Mikey had seen it and stayed around it make sure she got in ok.
She shook her head before entering their apartment.
The sun had gone down, but the battle nexus arena was well lit, and the stand were full of cheering crowds. Three young mutant women took their seats.
"Where's Nora?" The eldest asked.
"Getting more snacks, of course," another with chestnut colored hair and blue eyes answered.
"I hope sofu wins!" Another with almost black hair and even darker eyes answered.
Mikey's phone vibrated while they were entering the arena through a tunnel. He discreetly looked at his phone.
Nora: Good luck, former champion! ;) You'll be amazing!
Nora: We're sitting just below and to our left of where the Daimyo sits!
Mikey tried his best to hide his smile, but instead grinned devilishly as an idea just popped into his head.
They neared the tunnel entrance, and Mikey spotted exactly where they were.
"Bros, before we impress the crowd, I gotta say something."
"What could be so important this instant, Mikey?" Donnie asked, rolling his eyes.
"Ok so, do you remember when we were like 14 and we had that old party wagon that we painted a green turtle girl on?"
"Is this going anywhere Mikey? Or are ya just bein' a dumbass?" Raph asked.
"Ok well, here's the thing, like she was a turtle, but didn't have a shell and had hair, and was a complete babe?"
"Mikey, please, no pranks or jokes or -" Leo warned.
"This has a point! Just, look over to below where the Daimyo is sitting. BUT BE SUBTLE PLEASE."
They all groaned, rolled their eyes, and glanced. And freaked out.
Leo choked on his own spit. Donnie yelped. Raph growled at Mikey.
"Mikey, I don't know what you've been up to, but I am going to beat the shit outta -"
"IT'STHEANCIENTONESGRAND-DAUGHTERS!" Mikey rushed out before Raph could punch him. "I SWEAR!"
Leo turned to face him. "Explain. Fast."
"I met the blonde today when I was getting a snack - dibs on the blonde by the way - and her name is Nora and she's really real so, you know -"
The gong rang, signaling all the contestants to enter the arena.
"Oh also," Mikey grinned, "Don't forget to focus! Don't wanna screw this one up!" Mikey bounded out into the cheering crowd.
"The fuck?" Donnie look at his other brothers.
"I'm gonna kill him," Raph growled.
"I don't think it's a prank," Donnie retorted back. "He's being serious."
"Yeah? And I'm gonna kill him anyways, for waiting until the last minute to say somethin'."
Leo just walked ahead, silent, trying not the let the shock show on his face. He avoided looking at their section again, or his brothers. This was unbelievable, shocking really, but he couldn't afford to let it affect him. Well, he definitely didn't want to let it affect him now. His shoulders relaxed when he saw Usagi, and smiled at his old friend.
"Leonardo!" The rabbit called out, waving him over.
"Usagi! It's good to see you!"
"This is much more of a spectacle than usual huh?" Usagi laughed.
"Well, we'll have to give them a bit of showmanship then, huh?" Leo replied, smirking.
"It's only fitting!" The rabbit replied.
An announcer cut them off.
Ladies and Gentleman, beings from across the multi-verse, welcome to the Xargon Anniversary of the Battle Nexus! This year, we are doubling the amount of contestants AND! We have invited every former champion still with us to compete!
The crowd cheered.
"This is so exciting! Nora, who are you waving at?" The eldest, Layla, asked.
"My new friend! Splinter's son Mikey!" Nora replied innocently.
"Huh?" The second eldest and Layla's twin, Mina, replied before looking over. Her eyes got wide, but she kept her composure, "whatthefuck whatthefuck, Layla?"
Her sister had glanced, looked away, and pretended like she didn't see anything. "I saw."
"Nora, you better fucking explain right this instant. What the hell is going on?" Nora's twin, Talia, said matter-of-factly as she stared straight ahead at other, non-turtle, contestants.
"I met Mikey today, and he's really sweet! And he has three brothers! And they're all competing!"
The three girls discreetly glanced around the arena casually, doing their best to act as if nothing was amiss.
"I never got a chance to meet his brothers, but they're cute right? Well to be honest I think Mikey is pretty hot, and he's got these big blue eyes and freckles and -" Nora tried to sound as nonchalant about the situation as she possibly could, but it was difficult because she was so excited.
"Nora, please, is this some kind of sick joke?" Layla asked.
"No!" She turned to look at her sisters, tone serious. "Look I know this seems so unrealistic and overwhelming, but I promise it's not a joke."
The three sisters nodded. Layla sighed and sipped her tea, blue eyes scanning the arena for her sofu.
"Layla, I'm freaking out," Talia whispered to her. "Do I look like I'm freaking out?"
"No, do I?"
"No. But you always look calm. So like, what do we do?"
"I don't know, watch? I mean, at least we can be distracted by all the fighting. Didn't sofu say that Splinter and two of his sons were champions?"
"Yeah," Mina said, her eyes resting for a brief moment on a red clad turtle with muscles so bulging she could see them from here. She blushed.
"Look! One's talking to sofu! He's tall!" Talia whispered, as a purple clad turtle smiled at the Ancient One, exchanging pleasantries.
"Mikey is like, 6 feet tall, but it looks like he's the shortest! But that's still tall!" Nora added excitedly.
"And clearly they work out," whispered Mina, face reddening.
"Jesus Christ, that one looks like a body builder. He looks kinda scary," Talia said.
"Scary? I disagree." Mina said. She looked over at her older sister, who was clearly trying very hard not to look in the direction of a tall blue clad turtle who was talking to a...rabbit, of all things. Mina smirked to herself. Her sister was pretty stoic, but she couldn't hide her feelings from her twin.
The first 32 contestants will now fight!
Leonardo faced a creature three times his size, purple, a gaping maw of razor sharp teeth in the middle of it's chest. Layla noticed that he seemed completely unfazed by his opponent, and he exuded confidence as he calmly drew his swords.
Raph had been grouped with the second 32 contestants. Mina saw him on the sidelines, laughing with a large dinosaur being. They clearly knew each other.
"Oh my god, it's a dinosaur." She whispered to Talia, who promptly whipped her head around to look.
"No fucking way. I was so not prepared for today! Why didn't sofu say anything?" She complained. The purple clad turtle came up next to him to talk. They both looked on at the fights, never once glancing their way.
"Oh look! Mikey is fighting!" Nora squealed, urging her sisters to watch with her. Layla glanced his way, then back to the blue clad turtle, who already had the upper hand. Something about him drew her attention, but she was embarrassed that she was staring.
It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't even look to see if grandfather was fighting. He was, and so she turned to her sisters "Sofu's fighting that guy!"
"Where?" They asked simultaneously, clearly not paying attention to their grandfather either.
The crowd roared as the fights finished. Once the barriers went down, Leo and Mikey walked toward each other, smiling.
The Ancient One waved at his grand-daughters, who waved back.
Mikey also waved, and Leo glanced up as he did so, accidentally catching the gaze of a dark haired blue-eyed girl. Her eyes got wide for a brief moment before she looked away, smiling softly.
Fuck, he thought to himself, glancing away quickly. She's so beautiful.
He casually took another look as he was walking to the sidelines, taking the second to notice how her long hair gently moved in the breeze, and how flushed her cheeks were as she stared at the tea in her hands.
Usagi walked up to him. "Good fight?"
"Yeah. You?" He turned his full attention to his friend again, as his two brothers prepared to fight. The two discussed the fights as they played out before them. Leo found it difficult to refrain from stealing another look, and tried his best to appear unbothered.
"You seem slightly distracted, good thing there are no further fights tonight, Leonardo. What is stealing your focus?"
"That obvious?" He smirked at his friend, but Usagi knew the ninja well enough to tell something made him nervous.
"No. I just know you well, my friend. It wouldn't happen to be because of those pretty turtle girls, would it?"
Leo choked for the second time that night.
"I see." Usagi grinned. "You know them?"
"Uh, no actually. They're the Ancient One's grand-daughters, but we've never met them. Well Mikey did, and he told us about it as we were walking in -"
"To throw you off. Didn't work I see." Usagi smirked at him.
"Right. Anyways -"
"The blue eyed one with the dark brown hair. On the far left. You keep looking at her." Usagi said casually as he continued to survey the fights. "I saw her this morning in the market. She's very beautiful," he elbowed his friend, "I can see why you keep looking at her."
"Usagi-" Leo laughed, looking down because he could feel his face turning red.
"You may have some competition though, because she got, how would you say it? Uh, hit on, by every vendor she stopped at. Their customers too," Usagi winked at his friend. Just then the Ancient One walked up.
"Leonardo! Very well fought. You are a master."
"I'm only skilled because of you and Master Splinter," they bowed to each other.
"If you don't mind, Usagi, I would like to steal Leonardo for a moment," Usagi bowed. "Walk with me, kumquat." the Ancient One gestured to Leo.
"You saw my grand-daughters, yes? Sitting over by-"
Leo's eyes went wide, and he was thankful they were walking away from where the girls were sitting. "Um," he cleared his throat nervously, "yeah. It's um-"
"Surprising?" The Ancient One giggled. "You handled it well, but I feel bad, I should have introduced you much sooner. That was an unfair distraction."
"It's ok." Leo's mouth was dry, he didn't know what to say.
They walked towards Splinter.
"I will see you tonight, kumquat!" Leo looked confused as he turned back to his father. The Ancient One walked off into the dispersing crowd of warriors.
"Father? I -"
"Let's go home and chat with all of your brothers."