The Adventures of Azure Turtle

One Fateful Day

Chapter 5: A Rat’s Tale

By Azure Turtle

Disclaimer: Azure is my own created character. Please do not use him without my permission. All TMNT characters belong to Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman, and Mirage Publishing.

I’m just a fan who wants to express my enthusiasm for the TMNT through fanfics. Please don’t hurt me.

<<Author’s Note: I just want to let everyone know that this chapter contains the origin story of the TMNT. *ignores all the groans* Yes, I know, you’ve heard it before, but it must be told again for Azure’s sake, and for the sake of at least three of my readers who have no real idea about the TMNT =) Also, my story takes place in a generalized TMNT “universe,” so the origin story will contain elements from the Mirage comics and the movies, with a little bit of my own opinions thrown in. If you’re still reading this, than you must really like me =P The story’s down below. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks!>>

I was on the verge of tears as I stared at the giant rat that stood before me. I had always been scared of rats, ever since I was bitten by one at the age of six. Sal almost had a nervous break down when he found out that a rat bit me while I was helping him take out the trash. He kept proclaiming that I could be infected with rabies. Being only a kid at the time, I had no idea what he was blabbering about. I was too busy crying. Sal watched me like a hawk the next few days, making sure that I didn’t display any of the frightening symptoms. Luckily, the rat wasn’t infected with rabies, and the bite slowly healed. The mental anguish it left behind, however, did not heal. I had nightmares ever since that horrible night. Most of them ended with me being gobbled up by a humungous rat. A voice disturbed me from my thoughts and I jumped slightly.

“Hey, calm down, lil’ dude! No one’s gonna hurt you.” It was Michaelangelo. He was now standing behind me, with a hand gripping my shoulder reassuringly. I didn’t even notice that he had gotten up from the table. I was too busy screaming for my life. The other turtles were in absolute shock over my sudden outburst. They remained in their seats, eyes wide with surprise. They just sat there, gawking.

“Please, calm yourself. I shall not harm you,” the rat spoke to me in a calm, and patient manner. He seemed slightly disturbed by my shouting, but his eyes danced with amusement. I was still very afraid of him, and when he approached me once more, I ran behind Michaelangelo and held on to his shell.

“Azure, don’t be scared. He’s our Sensei,” Leonardo said gently. He got up from his seat and stood next to the rat. I cautiously peeked out from behind Michaelangelo. “Master Splinter, that’s Azure, the blue mutant turtle we’ve been telling you about.” Leonardo pointed at me then proceeded to scratch his head. “But I don’t know what got into him … he was fine earlier.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that … I’ve always been scared of rats,” I stumbled over my own words. I felt petrified.

“Geez, this kid’s pathetic,” Raphael muttered. Splinter gave him a stern look, and the turtle’s gaze quickly fell on his half-eaten muffin.

I continued to hold on to Michaelangelo’s shell for dear life, but the orange-masked turtle turned around and gave me a grin. “C’mon now, why are you so scared?” He pushed me gently towards Splinter. I stood before him, still slightly trembling. The rat smiled.

“I assure you, I have no intentions of hurting you.” His voice was old, but it carried the aura of a father. He held out his hand in a friendly gesture. I looked at it, unsure at first, but Splinter continued to give me a reassuring smile. I reluctantly shook hands with him.

“I’m so sorry. It ...” I thought hard about the manners Sal had taught me. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Splinter.” The turtles gave me another odd look, as if I had done something wrong. “Er … Sensei?” I tried to correct myself.

The old rat chuckled. “You may call me either of those names. My sons call me Sensei, or Master Splinter, as a sign of respect.”

“Sons?” I looked at each of the other turtles. “But …”

“I know,” Splinter spoke, holding up his hand as if to stop me from speaking. He was probably worried that I’d faint or do something to that affect. “You wish to know how I can call these four turtles my sons when I myself, am a rat?”

I slowly nodded. I was in awe at how quickly the rat answered my question before it had the chance to escape my lips. I was still afraid of him, but Michaelangelo snapped me out of my daze by guiding me back to my seat. I came to the sudden realization that I was about half a foot shorter than the other turtles. Not to mention that fact that I was also really scrawny compared to them. I wondered why they were so fit after living in the sewers all their lives. I felt very out of place. Michaelangelo and Leonardo returned to their respective seats, as Splinter sat down at the head of the table.

“Perhaps if I told you our story, you will tell us yours?” Splinter asked me, folding his hands in front of him.

“Okay,” I quietly answered, still unsure of what the rat was going to tell me. I certainly had a lot of questions swimming about in my mind, ever since I heard the turtles talk while I was half-conscious. I shifted my weight uncomfortably. Splinter must have taken this as a sign that I was ready to listen to his tale.

“I believe it all started almost twenty years ago. I was the pet of a man named Hamato Yoshi. My master was well trained in the art of ninjitsu, and he was one of the finest warriors of the Foot Clan, a group of men trained to be ninjas. I imitated his moves whenever he practiced, and I slowly became a master in ninjitsu myself. However, our lives changed when my master’s rival, Oroku Nagi, competed with my master Yoshi for the attention of a beautiful woman named Tang Shen. Her heart went to my master Yoshi, leaving Oroku Nagi very bitter and very angry. One day, Yoshi found Nagi beating Tang Shen, proclaiming that he would kill her if she did not love him in return. In a fit of rage, my master attacked Nagi, accidentally killing him in the process. It was a disgrace to kill a fellow clansman, so Yoshi fled from Japan to start anew in New York City. We lived happily for a couple of years before Oroku Saki, the younger brother of Nagi, came to New York and discovered our home. Saki had gained power in the Foot Clan, and he was chosen to lead the New York branch. He accepted the position, and used it to find my master and avenge his brother.”

“While my master was out making a living, Saki broke into our home and murdered Tang Shen. Yoshi returned home to see his beautiful wife dead and her murderer still lurking in the shadows. He leapt forward and attacked my master. During the skirmish, my cage was knocked to the ground, and I was able to escape. My master was slain moments later, but I attacked Saki in a fit of rage, severely scratching his face. He threw me to the ground, and cut off my right ear with his sword. Then, Saki was gone, and I no longer had anyone to call family. I ended up living in the sewers of New York, eating scraps of food that washed down from the streets.”

Splinter paused, allowing me to take in all of this information. He must have noticed that I had a question dwelling in my mind because he opened one of his hands and gestured towards me. “Do you have something you wish to ask me?”

“Well … yes.” Splinter motioned for me to continue. “You were once a pet rat?” I somewhat cringed at the idea of having a pet rat, but I quickly let the feeling pass. “Then how did you become what you are now?”

Splinter nodded in response. “I was a normal rat at one point in my life. How I became what I am today is part of the second half of my story.”

“I see …” Splinter raised an eyebrow at me. This rat was reading me like a book. He seemed to know whenever I had a question. “But how did you learn ninjitsu, then? I didn’t know ‘normal’ rats could learn such a thing.”

Splinter gave me a smile that hinted towards his vast knowledge. “Rats are much wiser than humans would like to believe so.”

Satisfied with the answer, I nodded and asked him to continue his tale. I was intrigued by everything he had told me up to this point. “A pet rat learning ninjitsu? The Foot Clan? Ninjas? How bizarre,” I thought.

“One day, while I was out scavenging for food, I happened to come across a broken glass bowl and four baby turtles,” Splinter spoke, a happy gleam came into his eyes as he remembered that moment.

“Oh! This is the best part!” Michaelangelo piped up, with a giant lopsided grin.

“Mike! Would you let Sensei finish?” Leonardo folded his arms and shot Michaelangelo a warning look.

“Sorry … but I just love it when Master Splinter tells this story!” Michealangelo placed his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. He looked at Splinter with child-like anticipation, and Splinter merely smiled at Michaelangelo’s enthusisasm.

Splinter cleared his throat before continuing. “The four baby turtles I had found were all swimming in a strange, green substance. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly gathered them up, and cleaned off as much of the ‘ooze’ as I could. I placed them in a coffee can for the night. The next morning, I awoke to an unexpected surprise. They had almost doubled in size! I realized at that moment, that I too, began growing. Not just in size, but in mind as well. Days past, and the turtles continued to grow. They began to walk on two feet, and they imitated me whenever I practiced ninjitsu. The greatest surprise came to me when one of them spoke.”

Now I couldn’t resist interrupting Splinter. “What did he say?”

Splinter stopped, and looked up at me. “He said my name, Splinter.”

“Cool!” I exclaimed, but then I became a bit puzzled. “How did he know your name?”

Splinter chuckled. “I spoke to them every night before they went to sleep. I was not very good with English then, so I said any words that came to mind. One of those words was my name, Splinter.”

“Wait, so you were able to speak during that time?” I asked. The old rat nodded.

“The ‘ooze’ had affected my intelligence and magnified it. Before I came into contact with it, I could already understand Japanese because my master always spoke to me in his native tongue. I picked up a few English words whenever Yoshi turned the TV or radio on, but I did not know that language very well. The ooze I came in contact with gave me the ability to speak and the ability to learn at a much faster rate.”

“Learn?” I didn’t know what he meant by that.

“Yes,” Splinter responded. “I found an old text book in the sewers that children must have used to learn the alphabet. I was able to gain the knowledge of reading and writing from that book.”

“Oh …” I tried to let all of this information seep into my brain. “Please, continue,” I encouraged the rat.

He smiled, amused by my curiosity. I was so fascinated by Splinter’s tale that I forgot to be afraid of him. “After the turtles spoke their first word,” he started once again, “more words began to follow. Soon, I knew that I had to find names for them. While I was searching the sewers for food and other useful items, I came across an old art book about the Renaissance. I brought it back with me, and I ended up naming each of my sons after a famous Renaissance artist. Once they had names, I began giving them formal lessons in ninjitsu, so that they would be trained to defend themselves from a world that may not accept them, as well as avenge the death of my master Hamato Yoshi and his wife Teng Shen.”

“So that’s why they carry weapons,” I pondered silently. “They’re ninjas!!”

“I assume that you have already guessed the conclusion to my story, but I shall emphasize it nonetheless. The turtles in my story are these turtles you see before you,” Splinter finished.

“No way! How weird,” I said slowly, looking at each of the turtles.

“Hmph. I don’t think you should be calling us weird, kid. You look just like us, except for your skin color. Now that’s weird,” Raphael spoke up with an evil grin on his face.

“That’s not what I meant!” I frantically pleaded to everyone at the table.

“Raphael, enough,” Splinter admonished him. Raphael muttered a quick apology but continued to glare at me.

Splinter sighed then turned his attention back to me. “I know that it is difficult to absorb such a long story. If you have any questions, now would be a good time to ask them.”

All heads turned to look at me. I stayed silent for a few moments, gathering my thoughts and thinking of any unanswered questions. “Okay … so where is this Oroku Saki now?”

“He is now known as the Shredder,” Splinter answered softly, “and he still remains as the leader of the New York Foot Clan. We do not know his current whereabouts.”

“We’ve fought many battles with him and his Foot Soldiers, and we continue to fight them to this day,” Leonardo added, sadly.

“Foot Soldier? That sounds familiar to me …”

“It should, lil’ dude!” Michaelangelo said, leaning back on his chair. “You were attacked by one.”

“So the person who attacked me in the sewers was a Foot Soldier? Why would he attack me?” I wondered.

“It was probably a case of mistaken identity,” Donatello explained. “The Foot Soldier thought you were one of us, so he attacked you.”

“I see …” I lowered my head sadly, and inspected the bandages that were still wrapped around my arms.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, lil’ dude! Mikey was there to save the day!” Michaelangelo cheerfully exclaimed.

I gasped and took a good look at the grinning turtle before me. “That was you? Thank you so much. I owe you my life … but I’m very sorry.”

Michaelangelo’s eyes grew wide in confusion. “Huh? Sorry for what?”

“Um … for calling you ‘Saint Michael.’ My vision was blurry, and I thought you were the guardian angel, Saint Michael. I’m sorry …”

“What! No way, you don’t have to apologize for something like that!” Michaelangelo chuckled. “It is kinda ironic though, isn’t it? Our names are pretty similar.”

“And that’s where the similarity ends. You’re no where near being a saint,” Rapheal took a jab at Michaelangelo’s pride.

“Heh, I’m closer to being a saint than you’ll ever be, Raph,” Michealangelo responded with a smirk. He turned back to me. “Tell you what, lil’ dude … If you ever get into trouble again, I’ll gladly reprise my role as your guardian angel,” he said with a gentle smile.

I was in complete shock. Sal was the last person who genuinely cared about me, and now someone offered to look after me. I felt tears start to well up behind my eyes. “But … you don’t even know me,” I whispered.

“It doesn’t matter,” Michealangelo straightened up. “You’re one of us. We turtles need to stick together!” he exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table for emphasis. I looked up at the others to see their reactions to Michaelangelo’s statement, and to my surprise, everyone except Raphael was smiling and nodding in agreement. Raphael still had somewhat of a sour look on his face, but it had softened considerably after hearing Michealangelo’s enthusiastic answer.

“Thank you, all of you … but I thought I wasn’t supposed to be trusted?” I turned to Leonardo.

“We didn’t know what to make of you at first. We just took extra caution in case you worked for the Shredder, but I don’t think we need to worry about that any more,” he glanced at Splinter, hoping to get reassurance.

“Yes, Leonardo is right,” Splinter said, slowly turning his gaze to me. “I sense no evil coming from you, child. You have a pure heart, and your intentions are good.”

“Woohoo! I knew he wasn’t bad!” Michaelangelo clapped his hands together in delight.

“Now just a second,” Raphael interrupted Michaelangelo’s celebrating. “How could you all jump to such conclusions?” He eyed Leonardo with a sudden fierceness. “I can’t believe you’re going along with this, Sensei.”

“Raphael, I am not going along with anything. I am simply telling you what I sense,” Splinter explained in a soft tone.

“Ya, well, with all do respect, Master Splinter, I ain’t buying any of it until the kid proves himself,” Raphael turned to me, his expression determined and unmoving. “Master Splinter told you our story, now you have to live up to your end of the bargain and tell us yours.”

I gulped, afraid of the flame that burned in Raphael’s eyes. “Raphael, please do not be so rude,” Splinter spoke in a harsh tone. Raphael grunted and folded his arms, still not taking his eyes off of me. “My son does bring up a good point, however,” Splinter continued with a sigh, “you have yet to tell us anything about yourself or how you came to be in the sewers.”

“I guess the spot light’s on you now, Azure,” Donatello spoke up, a kind look in his eyes. He was trying to break the tension a little bit after being so silent.

I smiled and nodded in response. Taking a deep breath, I prepared to tell my own tale. “I guess my story starts at the beach, where Sal found me …”