(Theme song)

♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ​​​​​​♫
♫ Heroes in the shadows ♫
♫ Ninja power! ♫

♫ Here we go! It's the lean, skilled, ninja team ♫
♫ On the scene, cool teens doing ninja things ♫
♫ So extreme, out the sewers like laser beams ♫
♫ Get rocked with the pizza kings and queen ♫
♫ Can't stop these dudes and dudette ♫
♫ The secret of the ooze made the chosen few ♫
♫ Emerge from the shadows to make their move ♫
♫ The good guys win, and the bad guys lose ♫

♫ Leonardo's the leader in blue, ♫
♫ Does anything it takes to get his ninjas through ♫
♫ Donatello is a fellow, has a way with machines ♫
♫ Raphael has the most attitude on the team ♫
♫ Cleopatra, she's a special girl, ♫
♫ Does anything to protect everyone she loves ♫
♫ Michelangelo, he's one of a kind, ♫
♫ And you know just where to find him when it's party time ♫
♫ Master Splinter taught them every single skill they need ♫
♫ To be one lean, mean, skilled incredible team ♫

♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team​​​​​​​ ♫
♫ Teenage Mutant Ninja Team ♫
♫ Heroes in the shadows ♫
♫ Ninja power! ♫

(-)

Cleo's POV:
It's a good thing April was able to get me some clothes from the mall, so I don't have to wear my uniform when I'm at the streets in the public, or else I would've looked suspicious or something. I'm wearing clothes that's perfect for me; a black leather jacket, white short sleeved shirt with a cherry blossoms tree branch and butterflies, blue pants with a black leather belt to hold it up, and black and white knee-high converse.

On my left wrist is a silver cross bracelet, I've had it since I was a baby, even father doesn't know how I got it, all he told me was that the bracelet was with me the night he found me, so I've always worn the bracelet for years, hoping that maybe someday, I might find the answers I need to where and how I got the bracelet, along with why I was abandoned in that alley in the first place.

But I swear, if I didn't know any better, I'd say I was being stalked by my own brothers. Of course, I knew they were there and exactly where they were hiding, but it was still creepy. And ridiculous. April seemed to be on my side, because she suddenly stopped walking and turned. "You guys wanna speed it up a little?" she said irritably. "Yeah," I folded my arms. "The streets are completely blank. You don't have to slow us down cause you're paranoid."

"Are you guys saying turtles are slow?" Donnie accused, peeking his head out from behind the ticket booth of the theater we were passing. "That's a hurtful stereotype," Mikey said, sounding offended, he and Raph poking their heads out from the other side of the ticket booth. "C'mon, Mikey," I said sweetly. "You know I didn't mean that. But, come on, the streets are completely empty. The least you guys could do is speed up."

"Trust us, girls," Leo said, hiding behind a wall outside the theater. "We are better off keeping a low profile. We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist." I shrugged. "He does have a point." "Sorry," April apologized. "I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change." "What are you talkin' about?" Raph asked. "We go out all the time."

"Yeah, but tonight, you're gonna do something besides hitting people." "Aww..." Raph whined. "Come on, Raph," I walked over and patted his shoulder. "Give it a chance. It might be fun." "Yeah, don't worry," said April. "You're gonna love this noodle place I found." "And you're sure we'll be welcomed?" Donnie asked nervously, drumming his fingers. April nodded. "Oh, yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like. He's blind!"

"Awesome!" said Mikey and then yelped when Raph smacked his head. "I mean... for us, obviously." I rolled my eyes. We were all able to arrive at the noodle shop soon without any issues. The second we got there, however, that's when things started to change. There appeared to be some kind of commotion going on. Loud crashes and bangs could be heard from outside, and several silhouettes were moving across the windows.

"Oh, no!" April cried. She ran forward towards the shop, and we all followed her. We stopped when we reached the window. "Who're those creeps?" Donnie asked. "The Purple Dragons," April said, sounding disgusted. "They think they own the streets around here." I peered through the window to look inside. There were three dudes inside; a really big, bulky on, a really skinny one with a goatee, and a tall one with a mustache.

They were completely wrecking the place. They were throwing pans and breaking glass decorations. The goatee man smirked, tapping the shoulder of an old, Chinese man wearing a white hat, who could only be Mr. Murakami. The old man turned towards the gang member, holding a wooden cutting board by the handle. Then he snapped the board out, and smacked goatee man back. He grasped throat, gasping for air as his two buddies laughed at him. Goatee growled, and charged at Murakami. He backhanded the man, and the poor guy fell to the ground.

"Not cool," I snarled. "So much for not hitting people tonight," said Leo. Raph smirked. "Oh well!" Then, taking a few steps back, we all charged forward and burst through the door. "Booyakasha!" Mikey shouted. The three Dragons turned to face us, and each had the same shocked expression on their faces as they caught site of the boys. "Alright, let him go," Leo told them. "You don't want any trouble."

"We, on the other hand, do!" Raph growled. "You should listen to him," I told the dude seriously. "He loves hitting things, and he doesn't need a reason to." "Whoa, those guys were serious!" Goatee told his buddies. "They really are giant turtles!" I froze. These dudes knew about my bros? How? "You've heard of us?" Mikey beamed at us. "Dudes, we're famous!" "That's bad!" Donnie snapped. "Oh... right."

"Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours!" said Goatee. "So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from? And you!" he pointed at me. "You better run back home to your mommy." I glared at him. "Actually, we're freshwater turtles," Donnie corrected in his nerdy, scientific voice. "I suspect we're derived from the diamondback terrapin, but it's possible we're a common body-" "Get 'em!" Goatee shouted.

At once, the man with the mustache picked up a hammer and charged across the counter towards Leo. Leo ducked in time to miss the blow. The man jumped and swung again, but missed. At that moment, Mikey jumped onto Leo's shell and kicked Mustache in the chest. The younger turtle spun in the air and aimed another kick to the guy's torso, causing him to slam into the opposite wall.

I saw movement out the corner of my eye, and I jumped out of the way in time to miss the large cutting knife Goatee had aimed for my face. "Ah-ah," I taunted. "That's strike one." Goatee growled and ran at me, knife held in the air. He swung down and I jumped up at the last minute, shooting over him and landed behind him. "Strike two..." Goatee ran at me and tried to swing the knife down at me.

But I crouched down and shot my let up, kicking the guy in the face. He shot backward and landed on the floor, the knife flying out of his hand. "Strike three! You're out!" I shouted. I laughed in his face as he sat up, glaring daggers at me. A second later, a few real daggers started flying at me. I yelped as I shifted back and forth, ducking and even jumping up to avoid being hit. Goatee stood up and reached for a butcher knife on the counter. I crouched down, ready to fight. That's when Leo stepped in.

The blue-banded leader shot forward and kicked Goatee in the chest. He stumbled back behind the counter, and Leo followed him. They stood there, and stared at each other for a moment. Then Goatee swung the butcher knife at Leo, but Leo simply smacked the weapon out of his hand. He then delivered two blows to the guy's chest before swinging his leg up and kicking the guy back onto the counter. Leo jumped onto the counter and grabbed the guy by his black vest, holding him up against the wall. Leo reared his fist back, ready for a punch. The Purple Dragon flinched, closing his eyes. Leo blinked, and stared at him for a few moments. Then... he released him. 

"Get outta here," Leo growled. Goatee snorted and pushed passed Leo. He jumped off the counter and went to help his buddies up. "C'mon, let's go!" The two nodded and ran out of the shop. Goatee glared at Leo. "This ain't over, Greenie!" And with that, he left. "Greenie? Really?" Donnie incredulously as Leo jumped down from the counter. "I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that." "He'd need a brain to have brain cells, Donnie," I said seriously. Donnie chuckled. "You just let him go?" Raph shouted, and I whipped around. "What the heck was that?!" "They weren't exactly a threat," Leo said. "They'd had enough."

"Dude!" Raph yelled. "They were beating up a blind guy! There's no enough! Now they'll think we're wimps, and we don't have the guts to finish the job!" "Raph, stop it!" I said sharply. Raph turned away from me, folding his arms. Leo glanced at the ground, looking disappointed. Before I could say anything, April came back in, leading Mr. Murakami.

"Wow! That was great, you guys!" "Thanks, April!" Donnie beamed. "Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool? Heheh... I bet it looked cool...!" "The coolest!" April said, smiling widely. Donnie's smiled suddenly fell. "You didn't see it, did yah?" he asked bluntly. "No, I did not." I snorted slightly, but otherwise kept quiet out of respect for my brother. "My friends," Mr. Murakami said in an old, gentle voice. "I am indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal; free of charge." "I think we can allow that," Raph said, grinning.

"What is your favorite dish?" the old man asked. "PIZZA!" me and my bros yelled in unison. April laughed, and Murakami nodded. Within the next few minutes, Mr. Murakami was behind the counter with me and my four hungry bros watching. I was extremely impressed, to say the least. He moved and worked with incredible grace and effort for a blind guy. "Mr. Murakami-san, that was awesome!" Donnie exclaimed. "You're like a ninja, but for food!" Mikey said, beaming. A few seconds later, five wooden trays were laid out in front of us, all of which carried several large dumplings. "Pizza Gyoza!" Mr. Murakami said proudly. 

"Pizza Gyoza?" April asked, confused. I stared down at the dumplings placed before me as I picked up my chopsticks. I poked one curiously. I looked over to see my bros were all staring at them as well. But after a second, we all picked up a dumpling and ate it. The second I popped it into my mouth it felt like my face exploded. I thought my eyeballs had popped out of my head and onto the counter. "Sweet Mother of Holiness!" I exclaimed. "It's like I got a one-way ticket to Flavor-ville!" said Donnie.

"This is really good too, you know," April said, holding up her bowl of noodles. We all stared at her. Then I snorted as I went back to my dumplings, and so did the others. "Uh, Murakami-san," Leo said after a few minutes. "Does the Purple Dragons come around a lot?" "Yes," the old chef sighed solemnly. "They demand protection money, but I refuse to pay. They will surely return." "Well, they wouldn't if somebody hadn't wimped out!" Raph said, glaring at his brother.

I looked over at Leo, expecting him to retaliate. But he didn't. He just sat there, looking ashamed. Suddenly, I glanced over in time to see Mikey snatch the last three remaining dumplings off of Leo's tray. Leo sat up and stared at his tray, looking surprised. He snapped his head to his younger brother, now looking ticked. But Mikey just chewed in the dumplings, smiling.

(-)

"Don't you ever watch anything else?" Donnie asked me as he shifted in the beanbag chair. "Does Leo like watching anything else besides 'Space Heroes'?" I asked smartly. That shut Donnie up. I grinned at his blank expression and turned back to my episode of 'Impractical Jokers.' From behind me, I could still hear Leo punching the dummy. I glanced over, seeing him as he delivered hit after hit, each blow becoming more powerful than the last. "Whoa whoa, Leo!" Raph stood out from behind the dummy. "I think he's had enough, you better let him go." 

Leo rolled his eyes. "I get it. You're making fun of me for not mercilessly pummeling a helpless man!" "Yes, I am!" Raph pointed at Leo's plastron. "You showed weakness! Those guys only understand one language..." "Chinese?" Mikey guessed, looking up from his comic. Raph jumped up into the air and landed in front of Mikey. "No! Fists!" "... What about feet?" Mikey grinned as he lifted his foot into the air. Raph groaned. "They understand feet..."

"That would make them bilingual," Donnie pointed out. I raised my brow. "I don't even know what that means..." Raph gave a shout of frustration. "The point is, we can't go soft on 'em!" "To show mercy is not soft," we heard father say, and we turned to look at him. "It is a sign of true strength." "But, Sensei, they're criminals!" Raph stressed. "This is war!" "A daimyo of the sixteenth century once said, "In times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion"." Raph glanced at the ground, and muttered. "I'm guessing that guy lost a lot of wars..." Father narrowed his eyes. Then he took his cane and swung it down, aiming for Raph's head. Raph gasped. But the stick stopped within a centimeter of his face.

"You see?" Father asked. "Mercy." He swung his cane again, this time smacking Raph's arm. "Ow!" Raph sighed as he rubbed his arm. "Okay, look... Compassion is great, but the Purple Dragons are not gonna leave Murakami alone." "So, we'll track down the Dragons and make sure they got the message," said Leo. "And if they didn't, we'll send them one," he punched a fist into his palm. "Special delivery!" I snorted with laughter as Raph stared, eyebrows raised. "Was that supposed to sound tough, or... stupid?" "How're gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anybody?" "What about April?" I asked. At once the guys looked at each other, grins on their faces.

(-)

"April said this was the place," said Leo. In my uniform again, I kneeled down, looking closely at the old tattoo shop. "Probably in there getting some more ink." "Cool...! Can we get tattoos?" Mike asked. "I wanna get one of my face on my face. It'll be like I'm wearing a mask, and the mask is me!" I giggled as he struck a victorious pose, a boyish grin on his face. The other three stared at him, not saying anything. "I just blew your minds, right?" he said, smirking.

"I'll admit it," I shrugged. "I wouldn't mind getting a tattoo someday." "You know they use needles for that," said Donnie. "Oh! Really?" I said sarcastically. "I had no idea!" "Can it, dorks!" Raph snapped. "There he is!" I looked down to see Goatee walking out of the shop. He smirked as he turned onto the sidewalk, walking with a kind of swagger only a gangster like him could have. "Let's go," Leo whispered.

With that we proceeded to running across the rooftops, following the Dragon's every move. After a few minutes he appeared to have ended up at an abandoned building. A small garage-looking door opened, and he walked inside. "What's the plan now?" I whispered. "I say we go in and start busting heads," Raph said, withdrawing his sais. "Leo?" I asked. Leo nodded. "Let's bust some heads." I grinned. "Alright then." I pulled out my kamas as the others drew out their own weapons. Leo leaped forward, and so did we. 

Crash! We smashed through the old window and shot into the building. We all rolled out onto the floor and came to a defensive stance. "Freeze, dirtbags!" Leo shouted. Then two figures stepped out from behind Goatee, and I gasped. It was Bradford! And his afro buddy! "Wuh-oh..." Leo muttered. "I think we can find them ourselves," the afro dude said to Goatee. "Oh, man, this is awkward," said Mikey. "It's Chris Bradford, my ex-friend. And... that other guy."

"The name is Xever," the afro dude said. "So, you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells... with these!" And he withdrew from his pocket two small, but dangerous looking butterfly knives. I glared as I gripped my kamas. "Nobody threatens my brothers!" All three of the Purple Dragons suddenly charged. Me and the guys ran forward, arms at our sides. I slide down between Goatee and Mustache, holding the wooden ends of my kamas out. They slammed into the dude's ankles, and they both got knocked to the ground. 

I quickly stood up and held my kamas out. From the corner of my eye, I can see Donnie fighting Bradford alone. Instantly, I turned and ran over to help him. Donnie spun his staff on his back, and then grabbed it. He swung down at Bradford, but the older ninja just jumped out of the way. Donnie meant to take another swing at him, but Bradford dodged, and then raised his elbow and knocked Donnie to the ground.

"Hey!" Bradford whipped his head around just as I jumped at him. I hit his jaw with the end of my kama, and he yelled. I landed on the other side of him, sliding to a stop. He gripped his jaw as he glared at me, and I glared back. We charged at each other at the same time, him raising his fists as I raised my kamas. He swung his right fist at me, but I jumped out of the way. I swung my kamas up at him, aiming for his face and torso.

But he blocked all of my hits. I swung my left kama forward to hit him, but he grabbed my wrist. A second later he threw me out, and I fell over the railing. I managed to grab onto the railing to keep from falling. I glanced down below to make sure nothing was in my way, and I let go of the railing. I landed on the lower level on my feet. I barley had enough time to steady myself before I heard running footsteps from behind me.

I turned around and lifted my kama in time to stop and oncoming butterfly knife from impaling me. I looked up, and I saw Xever's smirking face in front of me. "Why, hello pretty girl," he growled. "Long time no see." I grunted as I pushed him back. He slide back, that smirk still on his face as he held his knives out. I held up my kamas, ready to fight him. Suddenly, there came several loud crashing sounds. I looked up, and to my horror, I saw Foot soldiers bursting through the walls.

"Ninjas, fall back!" Leo yelled. "We're giving up? Again?" Raph yelled. "Are you kidding me?" "Yes!" Leo snapped. "It's all part of my hilarious 'let's all live' routine!" I bent my head as I dodged a couple of flying shurikens. I sheathed my kamas and followed my brothers as they jumped out of the window we had broken before. I was behind enough to hear Xever yell at us. "Hey! Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!"

(-)

The lair was oddly quiet when we got home. I was sitting on the couch with my legs crossed next to Mikey, who was laying on his stomach, tracing circles into the ground with his finger. Leo sat on the ledge of the pit while Donnie sat on the cushions, looking up at the ceiling. Both of them looked as miserable as me and Mikey did. "Man, could that fight have been any more embarrassing?" Raph snapped, punching the dummy at the last word. "Sure," Mikey looked up. "We could've been hit in the face with pies." Raph growled at his younger brother, and I sighed. 

"It's called fighting smart, Raph," Leo sighed, standing up. "The Purple Dragons have Bradford and Xever on their side now! Last time we barely beat those guys!" "He's got a point, Raph," I said, looking up at the hot-headed turtle. "Last time we were at least a little prepared for them. But we didn't even know they were gonna be in that building tonight. We wouldn't have stood a chance if we had stayed." "Yeah, because they're willing to fight to the finish!" Raph stomped over to Leo. "The only way to beat them is to be just as ruthless as they are!"

"Raphael..." Father's voice sounded loudly as he entered the room. "This Xever can cross lines that you won't. This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him strong." "But Xever wins fights!" said Raph. "Isn't that what matters? And he never shows anyone mercy!" Raph folded his arms, and Leo slumped, looking depressed. I sighed. "Great, now what?" 

It was obvious that this night wasn't gonna get any better. What could I do? How could I make my bros feel better. And then it hit me. "Cleo, what're you doing?" I ignored Mikey as I ran to the other side of the pit. "Going somewhere, Cleopatra?" Father asked. "Just going for a walk," I said quickly. "Need to clear my head. I'll be back in 20 minutes." "Where are you going?" Mikey asked again, sounding despite to know the answer. But I just smiled at him, and I ran through the coin eaters.

(-)

"Man, I hope he's still opened," I thought hopefully. I was currently out in the street, on my way to Murakami's. I was hoping that he was still open so that I could order a few Pizza Gyoza's for the guys. Hopefully, that would cheer them up. I finally reached the noodle shop. The sigh said, 'Open.' "Yes!" I said, fist pumping. I pushed the door opened, and slowly went through. The second I walked in; however, I froze. The shop was a complete mess. Broken bowls and plates scattered the floor, and there was a puddle of spilled soup on the counter.

Suddenly, from the back, I heard loud shuffling. My eyes narrowed. I slowly leaned down and withdrew my tessen from the holster on my belt. I quietly started to walk around the counter and towards the back. The sounds got louder and louder, and I opened my tessen. Then the sound of an old man's yell issued from behind the curtain. Murakami! Without hesitating I lunged forward, somersaulting through the curtain and rolling back up into a stance. The Purple Dragons were standing there, holding Murakami, who appeared to be tied up and gagged. 

I instantly I reared my hand back and threw it forward. It went for the bulky one's face. He ducked, but he was distracted enough for me to run up to him. I jumped up and snap-kicked him in the face. He stumbled back several feet before falling on the ground. I ran forward and snatched my tessen off the ground. The other two both ran at me, fists raised. At the last second, I jumped up, and the two idiots ended up smacking into each other.

I jumped down and ran over to Murakami. I raised my hand and took the gag off of his mouth. "Don't worry, Murakami-san. I'll have you-" "It's a trap!" Before I could register what he had said, I felt someone grab my wrist and pull it back. I winced and whipped my head around. It was Xever. "You're early, pretty," he commented. "No matter." I growled and used my other arm to elbow him in the gut. He grunted and let go of my arm. The second I was free I spun around and kicked him in the chest. He slid back but stayed up. I flung my tessen at him, but he dodged it, and the weapon got embedded into the wall. 

"Drop your weapon," I heard Bradford demanded. "Or the old man gets it." I whipped my head around. Bradford was standing there, manhandling Murakami by his collar. He glared at me, and I glared back. We continued to stare at each other for a few moments. After a moment, I sighed. "Fine..." I undid the strap that held my kamas, and set them on the ground as well. "Good news, Bradford," Xever grabbed my arm. "It seems we have another reason for the turtles to stick around."

(-)

Raph's POV:
Cleo's been gone for a while now. She probably should've been back by now, but I wasn't too worried. She's a freakin' kunoichi, for crying out loud! Why should I be worried? Leo didn't seem to be feeling the same way, though. "It's been over 20 minutes," Leo said. "Cleo should be back by now." "Relax, Leo," I told him, not looking up from my comic. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

Leo shook his head. "But she would've called if that happened. I don't like this..." I groaned as I set my comic on the couch. "Look, don't get your kneepads in a twist. I'll just call her, 'kay?" Leo sighed and nodded. I smirked as I pulled out my T-Phone and looked through my contacts. A picture of Cleo smiling and a peace sign on her right hand at the camera came up, and I clicked on it. I held the phone to my ear, and waited... 

"Heyah, this is Cleo. Leave a message and I'll get back to yah. Beep! Hehe."

I lowered the phone and hung up. I could feel my smirk falling, and I looked up at Leo. "Well?" "She didn't answer." Leo stared at me, eyes widening. Then he looked over at Mikey, who was slouching in the beanbag chair. "Mikey, can you call her?" "Already on it." We turned to him as he put his phone to his ear. A second later his face fell. "Nothing!" "Alright, that's it!" Leo then took out his own phone and started dialing Cleo's number. "Guys!" Donnie came running in from his lab. "April just called. She says we need to get to Murakami's now! It's urgent!"

Leo let out a frustrated groan and he shoved his phone into his belt. "She's still not answering!" "Who?" Donnie asked. "Cleo," said Mikey. "She hasn't gotten back yet." Donnie rubbed his chin for a moment. "... Did she ever say where she was going?" We all shook our heads. I couldn't help but start to feel worried. Why wouldn't Cleo answer her phone? "Alright, here's the plan," Leo said. "We'll meet April at Murakami's, find out what's wrong, and then we'll look for Cleo. Okay?" The other two agreed, and I nodded. "Let's go!" Why wouldn't she answer her phone...?

(-)

Within no time we arrived at the noodle shop. April was there, pacing by the entrance. We all jumped off the roof and ran towards her. "April, what's wrong?" Leo asked. "It's Murakami!" April pushed the door open. We walked in, and we saw the place was in a completely mess. "Someone took him," said April. "And left this..." She gestured to the wall, where there was a note pinned to the wall by a butterfly knife. "Sweet! Free knife!" Mikey said happily. Donnie rolled his eyes. "The note, dummy!" Mikey faltered, and I folded my arms. Donnie took the note down and read it aloud. "No more running. If you want the old man and the girl meet us out on the roof of the fortune cookie factory."

I snapped my head up. What? "Let me see that!" I snatched the note from Donnie's hands and read it over. If you want the old man and the girl... What did that mean? "And guys..." April said quietly. "That's not all they left..." We all looked over as April pointed to the opposite wall. I looked over and saw something black embedded in the wall. It was Cleo's tessen.

Instantly I ran over to the wall, and the others followed. I reached up and yanked the iron fan out of the wall. There was no mistaking it. "They got Cleo...?" Mikey asked fearfully. I growled furiously as I shoved the tessen into my belt, and I ripped up the note. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I turned to the others. "Let's bust in there and save Cleo and Murakami!" 

"Not so fast!" Leo told me. "Think, Raphael." "There's two words that don't usually go together," Donnie said, a smirk on his face. "This is obviously a trap," Leo continued. I clenched my fists. "Well, what choice do we have? I mean, they got Cleo for crying out loud!" "You don't think I know that?!" Leo snapped, then he took a deep breath.

"... Maybe we do need to think more like Xever." "But Master Splinter said-" Donnie started. "I know! But Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. And he crossed it even more by taking Cleo. He's gotta learn that we can cross the line, too," Leo folded his arms. "No more Mr. Nice Turtle." "Yes!" I punched my fist into my hand. "I never liked Mr. Nice Turtle!"

(-)

Cleo's POV:
"This is so embarrassing," I thought bitterly. I looked over at Xever, who was standing on top of one of the building beams; the same one that Murakami was hanging by a rope from. I, on the other hand, was in a slightly safer spot and sitting on the roof of the building. But I still had my wrists tied behind my back, so it wasn't exactly much better. Suddenly, on the other side of the roof, I saw several, green figures climbing up. It was the guys! But what was strange was that they appeared to be carrying a large trash can with them. What was stranger was that it was chained up and noises were coming from it. 

"Guys!" "Cleo!" Mikey cried. Xever stepped down from the beam and walked along the roof, a smirk on his face. "We're here, Xever!" Leo stepped up. "Now let our sister and the noodle-man go!" "Sorry," said Xever. "But there's been a change of plans." Suddenly, many Foot soldiers jumped up out of nowhere and landed near the turtles, all wielding different kinds of ninja weapons.

"Actually, there's been another change of plans," Leo said, smirking as well. I raised my brow. Before I could even think of asking, Donnie and Mikey lifted the large can up, and to my surprise, it revealed Bradford. Not only that, but he was also tied up and had tape across his mouth. "I love it when a change of plans comes together," said Donnie. "You let Cleo and our friend go," said Leo. "And we'll let your friend go." I stared in surprise. This wasn't like the guys. Since when did they start kidnapping people? Then, Xever laughed. "He's not my friend!" 

The boys' grins instantly faded. It was clear that they didn't expect that. Xever then walked back to the wooden beam and took out one of his butterfly knives. He then kneeled down and began to cut the rope Murakami was hanging off of. "Guys...!" I called warningly. Raph then grabbed Bradford and leaned him threatening over the ledge. "Uh... W-we're not kidding!" Leo said, but he sounded less confident this time. "Okay? Stop, or we'll toss him!"

Xever shrugged. "Go ahead! He'll save me the trouble," he stood up. "In fact..." He suddenly jumped back onto the roof, landing next to me. He bent over and grabbed the back of my head, lifting the knife up to my chin. "No!" I heard Donnie yell. Taking my eyes off the knife I looked up at Leo, and there was fear in his eyes. He gulped and glanced back at his younger brother. "Uh, Raph...?"

Raph turned his head to glare at Bradford. For a moment it looked like he was going to toss him. But then... "Aw, crud..." Grudgingly, Raph threw Bradford back onto the roof. Xever stood up, chuckling. "That's what I thought," he pointed at the guys. "Attack!" The Foot soldiers then charged at the boys. The turtles withdrew their weapons and charged back. "Dang it!" I muttered. "Now what?"

As I watched the boys all fight off the Foot soldiers, I tried to think of a way to get free. Suddenly, Raph kicked a few Foots out of the way and landed in front of me. "Need a hand?" he asked, smirking. I groaned. "I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I?" "Probably not." Raph quickly kneeled down behind me and used his sai to cut through the binds. Snap! The ropes fell and I rubbed my wrists. "Thanks." "No prob," Raph reached behind him and took something out of his belt. "I'm guessing you need this." It was my tessen. I quickly took it from Raph's hand and opened it. It was still in perfect condition. 

"Thanks, dude," I said, and we bumped fists. At once I stood up, and I ran into the battle. Two Foot ninjas came running at me. They both swung their swords down at me, but I jumped up, and somersaulted over them. I landed behind them and kicked the one on the left in the back. He went down, but his buddy turned and charged at me. He swung his sword left and right, and I dodged both blows. He swung his blade down at me, and I blocked it with my fan. I raised my fist and punched his arm, and I kicked him back, making him knock over another one.

I backed up a little bit, and I ended up in a huddle with the others. There were Foot soldiers surrounding us from all sides. I looked up, and I saw that Bradford had managed to get free, and was standing in front of us. "Alright," he said. "Let's settle the score, pond scum!" "We're the ones who didn't wanna throw yah off the roof!" Donnie said irritably. Bradford lunged forward, and we scattered. I lunged out at a Foot ninja and used the closed end of my tessen on his head. He stumbled, and I swept my leg under him, causing him to fall. Staying low, I flung my tessen outward at the small group of ninjas that were coming my way. 

They all ducked, but I ran up to them and kicked them each in the face. They all fell to the ground, and I reached up to grab my tessen as it came back to me. "Raph!" I heard Leo shout. I whipped my head around. Raph was lying on the ground, looking unconscious. I looked up in time to see both Xever and Bradford hit Leo so hard that he flew back and slammed into the base of the water tower, where both Donnie and Mikey lay, both looking unconscious.

I yelled as I ran towards Bradford, holding my tessen at the ready. I swung it up at his face, and he moved out of the way. I aimed a kick at his side, but he grabbed my leg. Xever came up and raised his knee up, and it connected with my face. Stars appeared in front of me, and Bradford then threw me back, and I landed in the pile on top of Mikey and Donnie. I flopped off of the boys and onto the surface of the roof. My face was thumb and my nose felt sore.

I lifted a hand to my nose, and I heard a deep chuckle, and I looked up to see Xever and Bradford standing in front of us. "See, Bradford? That is how you catch turtles. And next..." Xever took out his knife. "I'll show you how to fillet them." I gulped. "God, help us..." "You'd never have caught them without me, and you know it!" Bradford argued. Xever laughed. "Oh, yes! What would we have done without your brave leadership from inside the trash can?"

As the two continued arguing, there was a loud shling, and I looked up. Leo's katana had been thrown and embedded itself into the ground. Leo and I both looked up, me craning my next to see. Goatee, the Purple Dragon's leader, was standing there, arms crossed. I didn't have to ask to know that he had given us the sword. From the corner of my eye, I saw Leo grin a little.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Xever said when he and Bradford were finally done arguing. "It's time to cut these turtles into little pieces. Maybe I'll even start with their little friend..." Suddenly, Leo stood up, katana in his hand. "I don't think so!" He then jumped up and sliced the supporter beams of the water tower. The tower suddenly collapsed, smashed, and the water came out in a large wave. It washed away all of the ninjas, along with Xever and Bradford.

Mikey stood up and extracted his kusarigama chain. He charged forward and jumped over to the wooden beam Murakami had been tied to. Me and the other three ran forward and looked over the edge. "I got him!" Mikey yelled, holding the hold man with one arm. "Oh, thank goodness!" I put a hand over my heart. "Way to go, bro!" "Nice save, Mikey!" said Leo. "Don't look down, Murakami-san!" Mikey told the old man. "Or, um... listen down." As we all began to pull on the chain to pull Mikey up, I noticed Leo looking over at something. I turned my head and saw Goatee staring at us from the opposite side of the roof. He turned and bolted. I could see Leo smiling.

(-)

"Accept this token of my gratitude," Mr. Murakami held up a large package. "Pizza Gyoza!" "Sweet!" I exclaimed. "Awesome!" Donnie took the package. "Thanks, Murakami-san!" "You're welcome... Turtle-san..." We all bowed our heads, then we realized what he had said. "Wait, how did you...?" Donnie trailed off. "I do have other senses," Murakami explained. "Touch, smell..." We all looked at each other. 

Mikey lifted his arm to sniff himself and winced before lowering it quickly. "I have a feeling," the old man seemed to gesture to me. "That you are not a turtle, yes?" I nodded. "Yeah," I paused. "You're not... scared of my brothers?" I asked unsurely. "You saved my life!" Murakami smiled. "Who am I to complain?" Mikey quickly stepped forward towards Murakami. A second later he pounced and gave him a hug. I giggled as Murakami smiled.

(-)

Ahh... nothing like eating hot Pizza Gyoza's in the lair to end the night right. "Just try one!" Donnie urged April. "Sometimes things that don't seem like they go together actually make a great couple- I mean, food!" I snorted, nearly choking on my dumpling. "Fine..." April sighed. Donnie fed her the dumpling, and she chewed it for a moment. Then she stared. "Wow! These are amazing!" Donnie beamed, looking proud of himself.

Suddenly, April snatched his plate and started eating his dumplings. Donnie gapped at her. I giggled. "Here, bud." I picked up about three of my own dumplings and handed them to him. He grinned and thanked me as he took them. "You all showed your strength today," Father said proudly. Raph shrugged. "Yeah, but we almost got beaten." "Your strength was mercy," Father said seriously. "That is why the Purple Dragon helped you."

Father sipped on his tea, and Raph glanced at the ground, thinking. Leo then leaned in towards him, a smirk on his face. "Well, say it," he said smugly. "Okay, okay... you were right." I gasped. "Did I just hear Raph admit he was wrong?!" Raph frowned at me. I giggled as Leo put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"See, that wasn't so-" "Your wimpiness might not be totally useless." I stared as Raph smirked at Leo. Leo gapped, but a second later he smirked, too. "Oh! I'll show you who's wimpy! No mercy!" And suddenly, Leo pounced onto Raph, wrestling him to the ground. As the boys started to wrestle, I rolled my eyes, and continued eating my delicious dumplings.