A Dark History

April reached the security of her home without incident. As she got out of the van, and ran to her front door she fumbled for her key in the small handbag cursing the darkness for inappropriate vision. She found it and shoved it into the lock.

Something caught her vision from the corner of her eye....

She stopped and turned. The darkness betrayed nothing around her, she was alone. Yet, she had learned from her Ninjutsu lessons that all was not always what it seemed.

She called out into the foreboding darkness. No response.

She turned to her door and finished unlocking it. A person or thing grabbed her from behind, gagging her mouth and pinning her to the porch with a swift sudden gesture without noise.

April quickly scanned the assailant, her right hand reaching for the nunchaku she kept hidden in her bag. He was dressed in black, a ninja's outfit she ascertained immediately. She pulled out the nunchaku in a fluid motion from her handbag, but he reacted more quickly than she - and grabbed the weapon from her grasp before she had enough time to defend. Then he closed the chain of the weapon around her small throat.

April gasped for breath as her knees buckled. She fell to the floor and her assailant dropped with her, the nunchaku still squeezed tightly around her throat. Her face paled, and her eyes blurred with tears. Unable to react in the face of a certain death she could only manage a few choked words for help. Her eyes picked out more blurred figures emerging from the darkness.

Then she became unconscious.

Her assailant viciously grinned beneath his black mask and then rose from the ground. He raised his foot to deliver one final blow to the back of her neck.

Before he struck her, another figure emerged from tarknarkness, arms outstretched.

His sudden arrival, totally surprised the Ninja who were more used to delivering silent surprises themselves. They knew from the moment he was there he was a superior Ninja than them. He sauntered into their circle, breaking it instantly. April's assailant faced him, viciousness bristling from him like static.

"Ninja warriors" The new arrival addressed the ninja's in front of him.

He was dressed in black, but that could not disguise the aura that surrounded him like the plague that could destroy all that it comes into contact with. He moved between the vicious Ninja threatening the reporter, like a barrier and continued to address the ninja's comrades.

"I too am Ninja. We can learn from each other. First I demand to know why you take the life of the reporter" The stranger asked, his voice deep and sure.

"Who are you? How dare you demand to know our business." The vicious one snarled, his voice rising.

"I am Ninja, I am a Student of Hamato Yoshi's Principals in Ninjutsu and the Eastern Martial Arts." The stranger answered without hesitation, glancing at the sunken figure of April.

"I am Janaek Oseeb Master Ninja of Oroku Saki's Principals of Ninjutsu" The vicious one said with pride. "She threatens our Ninja clan, and we must destroy her."

"Really?" The stranger said, glancing again at the sunken figure of April. A tone of mockery crept his his voice as he continued "This woman is not experienced in the Martial Arts and you consider her a threat. Did she hold a gun to your head and say 'Stick 'em Up!'?"

The vicious one was visibly struck by these words. He backed away from the stranger.
"You take her side?" He asked, and waited for a response.

The stranger remove his black disguise and the Ninja gasped as they saw the greonstonster before them.

The creature looked at the fallen nunchaku below him, it looked degraded and broken, unable to defend its owner. Then he hooked the chain onto his toe, with a swift, steady movement, then flicked the weapon to his hand. The chain glistened in the single light of a lamp post which distracted the snarling Ninja for one second.

A single red bandanna flapped uncaringly in the slight breeze as the monster stepped forward, the nunchaku within his hands. Thnja nja surrounded the green creature, unsure of what to do in such a situation - and in a single instant they had betrayed all of their training through a moment of fear. The green creature knew the battle was over before it had began and raised its arms to plead with the Ninja.

It was too late.

They rushed towards it as one force, and the creature was forced to apply the most deadly techniques to survive. One false move would bring death to itself and the reporter who was totally helpless beneath it. The creature lashed out with its right fist, felling the vicious Ninja in a single strike. A roundhouse kick threw another Ninja from it as the creature moved from Ninja to Ninja felling them all. The Ninja gang grew careless in their fear and anger and the creature had soon defeated them all.

Then it quickly knelt beside the reporter, her eyes fluttered and she tried to see the gallant stranger who had rescued her. Her eyes were raw and tired, she could not see him. She asked him in a small voice "Who are you?"

The creature gazed upon her face, memorising her details in the dim light, looking at the wounds and assessing her condition immediately.

The creature picked her up as gently as it possibly could. She was still murmuring, and the creature could see dim shapes approaching from the distant. More Ninja. It looked about itself for an escape route for it dared not endanger the reporter any more. The manhole cover was the only possible escape route, and the red bandanna creature slid off the cover and in an instant it was gone into the murky depths.

The creature held the reporter close to its breast which was warm and comforting. April felt safe, yet she also felt fear. Where was this stranger taking her?

April tried to open her eyes, but the pain was too intense and made her eyes constantly water. She again asked the name of her saviour, but he said not a word. She cried out in frustration, she was totally helpless and dependent on him, yet he was talking to her now. He was whispering reassurances to her, trying to quiet her. She could not make most of his words out, and this made her cry more. In desperation she asked his name again and distinctly heard his ensuing answer like a blade in the dark catching the light. Raphael.

The name quieted her considerably. She was thinking of Renaissance, and the paintings and the times as a child she had been to galleries where the greatest Renaissance painters masterpieces had been housed. She had loved the vivid colours and the people. Her eyes had been so wide when there, and her mother had been delighted with her curiosity and love of artwork. When she had entered her teen years, her mother had sent her to an evening art class each night until she could sketch and paint with creativity. Her mother, believing her capable of fame through her brilliant sketches had died when she was five of breast cancer.

April moaned, long and fatigued. She could see light and figures above her but their shapes only. She reached out to them and one grasped her hand tightly and sat beside her. The hand felt like a claw, with long fingernails and furry skin.

Raphael looked around his 'Lair' at the others before him as they took charge of the casualty. There were two others, like himself in the 'room' - one was wearing a blue bandanna around his arm, and the other an orange bandanna. They were obviously muscular, male and reptilian, just as Raphael was.

The blue-bandanna Turtle glanced at Raphael, making him feel uneasy for an instant and then shook his head with a slow and graceful motion. The orange-bandanna Turtle did the same, but in a more casual and youthful way, and Rel lel looked at the floor in disgrace.

The last was a large rodent, about 4ft high. His fingernails were like long claws yet his face showed compassion and trust and betrayed intelligence. His features were old and his fur was grey, but he looked kind and wise.

The rodent turned to Raphael "Why?" he asked in a gentle manner, scanning the Turtles features for information as Raphael struggled to find the appropriate answer.

"She was attacked by Ninja, Master Splinter" Raphael answered, unable to say anything else than the truth due to his Master's wise eyes exploring even the Turtle's soul.

The Turtle with the blue bandanna laid a hand on Raphael's shoulder, unafraid like most people of this physical gesture of intimacy so uncommon with the image of the 'tough Martial Artist'.

Raphael turned to his brother, his twin and found himself staring at a mirror image. The only difference in appearance was their coloured bandanna's, yet there was a more intense difference in personality between them.

"Leonardo, I couldn't do anything else" Raphael explained, anger clouding his voice for one moment.

Leonardo looked at the other, the orange bandanna clad Turtle and smiled at Raphael.

"It's OK Raph. Any of us would have done the same." Leonardo's voice was soft and gentle. It had a deep edge to it, a commanding edge which was his most useful asset. His eyes were uncommonly bright and as blue as the bandanna he wore around his arm. His facial expression was of harmony and contentment, but had no idleness sown into his most perfect features. His whole aura felt disciplined and secure, his was the reason he was the most popular of his brothers - and was practically worshipped by Michaelangelo.

Michaelangelo was oranorange bandanna le, le, standing the least tall among the Turtles at only 5ft. His whole adoration of Leonardo stemmed fromly cly childhood when Leonardo had been the mature and educated perfectionist which had so irritated Raphael. At only eighteen years of age, each Turtle had his own personality and maturity, even though they were teenagers.

Raphael was the least liked among his brothers, and with reason. He was a loner and an outsider who could never communicats fes feelings so openly like Michaelangelo or physically like Leonardo. He preferred all his time to himself and lived like a hermit, constantly on his own. His deep and brooding nature irritated Leonardo who believed they should have more communication and this in turn irritated Raphael. A great gulf was between these two brothers, only held together by the fact that they were each other's only companions. For all their misunderstandings of each other, they had a very special relationship which perhaps exceeded the others'. They were bound by a feeling of separateness and estrangement to each other.

Michaelangelo being the youngest, was extremely spoilt. His youthful ways were laughed at by Splinter and his childish tempers were never taken seriously. His bond with his brother, Leonardo angered Raphael who secretly envied the love and adoration for Leonardo. He would be constantly copying Leonardo's ways and movements, and would constantly be at his side.

A passage door in the murky sewer opened as yet another reptile emerged, this time wearing a purple bandanna around his arm. His name was Donatello, and even though a human female was amidst his brothers and Master - he didn't take much notice. Donatello was a deep-thinker and concentrated on science studies which greatly intrigued him. As a scientist, he was enthralled by questions regarding the physical world. He was entranced with quantum physics, cloning and mutations - the latter obsessed him more than the others. He was constantly trying to discover more about himself and his brothers, and Michaelangelo was often the unwilling guinea pig of many scientific tests.

None of these hurt Michaelangelo, yet they were designed to gauge his reactions to situations. He was more interested in his brothers feelings and emotions generally than with their anatomy, but he had a very logical mind which screamed for answers.

He watched his brothers and Splinter crowd around the sightless April, and grunted.

"Donatello!" his Master called as a pillow was placed beneath April's head. "Come over here and help!"

Donatello obeyed with a lazy stride over to the couch where Splinter held April's hand still. Splinter gave Donatello April's hand as he moved off the sofa to bring some water for their guest.
Donatello looked at the hand within his own -a delicate nail-varnished five-fingered hand. He sat beside the reporter and brushed his large four-fingered green hand along her cheekbone hearing her sigh as his cool, cold-blooded hand moved to her forehead. It worked better than any cooling rag, and April's vision began to clear slightly.

April saw Donatello, his green bulky reptilian figure, his grey eyes and smiling reassuring mouth - and screamed. Splinter whirled around from what he'd been doing, and raced to her side. Her face was a perfect expression of fear as she promptly fainted once again.

Splinter reached the sofa, and pulled Donatello aside. Her mouth was twisted with her fear, and her eyes were wet with tears. Beads of sweat had begun to form on her forehead.
Splinter knelt beside her, ushering away the laid-back Donatello who swiftly made use of this opportunity to leave the room for his bedroom, where he could read some of his educational books.

Leonardo poured some water into a large bowl he had obtained from the kitchen. The kitchen and lounge were interwoven, as the largest room in the sewer hideout was a gym or 'Training Room' as the Turtles called it. Life was basic for them all, and the only luxury allowed was the television. It was located in the Centre of the lounge by the wall. The couch, where April was lying was facing the television.

April's eyes began to flutter, as she tried to regain consciousness. Splinter, now extremely cautious of what her reaction would be like sat with her, waving away Leonardo, Raphael and Michaelangelo as her eyes opened. Seeing only the blurred figure of Splinter relaxed her slightly, until her vision cleared again.

April looked at the rat, her worst nightmare, and screamed and screamed until she was breathless. Splinter stayed where he was, very still. The other three Turtles didn't move. April began to cry, and sweat formed upon her brow. Her eyes were wide-open and filled with tears. Splinter took a rag from the bowl of luke-warm water that Leonardo had filled and wiped her brow.

April was too tired to scream again, her voice had choked her and she stared warily at the rat that had frightened her so much. She began to feel a tingle, still very much afraid yet curiosity was beginning to overwhelm her. She reached out with her left hand and touched the rat's face, ready to draw back her hand if there was any sign he would bite her. Yet he was very calm and still, and his calmness began to affect her. She sighed and felt his left ear, which was quite long and had a furry, fuzzy bit of hair at the very end. She raised herself up and looked directly into his eyes, very kind eyes that hadn't a hint of malice.

Then she looked around herself, her eyes as wide at the three turtles who hadn't moved. Splinter took her by the shoulders and raised her into a sitting position on the couch. Then Raphael drew forward and sat on her right. She looked at him for an instant and then saw Leonardo do the same, except he sat at her left. They were not sitting on the couch, but on the floor at a respectable distance away from the terrified woman.

Michaelangelo sat by Leonardo on the left and they waited for April to speak, the kind and gentle rat who had her within his arms, and the three turtles by the couch.

"Who or what are you all?" April asked, her voice still tearful.

Splinter held her arm reassuringly as he introduced the three turtles to her and himself, but when he mentioned Raphael's name, she looked faintly surprised.

"So you were the one who saved me tho those Ninja?" April said, looking directly at Raphael. Raphael said nothing but nodded his answer to her and looked at Splinter.

"You know about Ninjas?" Splinter asked, his whole posture relaxed and calm.

April drew her eyes away from Raphaellooklook at Splinter again. What a truly deep and beautiful voice he had, very, very serene.

"Only the clothing. I knew what jumped me." April answered. "I'm also at Martial Arts night class, and we're studyinnjutnjutsu at the moment".

Splinter smiled casually and took her hand, which was shaking less.

"I think we have a fellow Ninja here, my students." He affirmed, turning towards the three turtles. They smiled reassuringly at April.

"I wondered where you got the 'chuck from." Raphael said, snapping his fingers as if he had worked out the answer to an enormous question that he had been searching for the answer to for ages.

"You use nunchuks?" Michaelangelo asked excitedly, moving a little towards the reporter. April started, and moved back into the couch. Michaelangelo moved back disappointed beside Leonardo.

"Not really." April smiled for the first time. "I thought they looked quite good and that if I were to be attacked, when they saw the nunchuks they'd run. They got the better of me this time though, didn't they?"

"You mean the attackers?" Leonardo asked, shocking April with his clear, deep voice. "That was an unfair contest. Those men that attacked you tonight have been training in the Martial Arts since they were three or four years of age. To test your skill would require another of equal skill, not a street fight with Ninja's like that. I train with my brothers, who are of equal strength. Master Splinter gauges our ability through our sparring together."

"True." April sighed. "But tonight, he fought them, and he won!" April pointed towards Raphael, her confidence soaring now the Mutant animals had began to talk.

"Raphael has been training since birth" Splinter said "Tonight he did what he has been trained to do all his life. That is all. All of the turtles here have been trained in Ninjutsu all their lives. If they weren't getting good at it by now, I'd be very worried" Splinter smiled, and April laughed.

"You mean there's more of you down here?" She asked, her mind opening with the possibilities of what this could mean.

"I have another student, Donatello, who is in his room studying. I will introduce you to him later" Splinter said.

"Wow!" April exclaimed, dropping her head in her hands suddenly. "I can't believe this is happening"

"I know" Splinter said reassuringly. "You don't have to believe it as yet. The truth will sink in far too quickly, anyway".


XXX --- TMNT --- XXX


April stayed for two hours, chatting with Leonardo - whom she was infinitely impressed with his soft and gentle ways, she enjoyed joking with Michaelangelo - whom she found irresistibly charming, she loved listening to the wise and calm reasoning of Splinter (even though he was trying to get her not to feature a story about them) and thanking Raphael again and again for his support during the Ninja attack. She even glimpsed Donatello for a few short moments, but he was shy and retired to his room soon enough.

"Donny is not normally as shy" Leonardo assured. "But remember, we've never seen a woman before. Except on TV, you're the first one we'ver ver seen or spoken to. You're like a star to us because we've also seen you on TV!"

"Yeah!" Michaelangelo agreed. "We love you!"

April blushed and Splinter laughed, the three turtles joined in laughing heartily.

"Now, my turtles it is time for you to see April home" Splinter said, his voice becoming authoritative and instructive. April rose instinctively, as if she had no power to disagree with the wise voice that was commanding her.

Splinter waved to her, and she waved back feeling more at ease with a species of half human animals she had never before known existed.

The turtles were masters of the sewer environment, and within twenty minutes of roaming the city sewer tunnels April was safely outside her apartment building door. She watched Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael talking merrily amongst themselves and felt a loyalty already that would ensure she would never print a story about them.

They said simply "Goodnight April!" and walked to the nearest manhole cover and disappeared.