The Adventures of Azure Turtle

One Fateful Day

Chapter 6: A Turtle’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 Eastmen, 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: Hi everyone! I just want to make a quick note regarding this chapter. Mutagen is going to be a topic of conversation, and since this story takes place in a general TMNT “universe,” I’ve decided to base most of the conversation on the second Ninja Turtles movie. Once again, I changed a few facts, so that it would fit perfectly with this story. I hope I don’t offend anyone with this =) Thanks for reading! >>

“Sal told me that it was a gloomy morning when he found me lying unconscious in the sand. He had been walking along the shores, trying to determine when the next storm would hit. Instead of finding any answers, he found me. Even with all his years of experience as a man of the sea, he had never encountered a strange creature like myself. Perhaps it was out of curiosity that he picked up my tiny form, wrapped me up in his cloak, and took me home. He spent weeks watching over me, nursing me back to health. Sal later told me that he estimated my age to be around two years old, since I resembled a toddler. He was startled at the fact that I was so humanoid, yet I had the distinct characteristics of a turtle. I’m pretty sure that Sal was going to keep me as a pet at first, until he realized that I was far more intelligent than a regular turtle. When I started talking just a few months after I regained my health, Sal nearly had a heart attack. From then on, he stopped treating my like a pet and began treating me like his son. Sal named me ‘Azure,’ because my skin color reminded him of the ocean that he loved so much. Y’see, he was a sailor for the Baroness, a large fishing boat. Sal spent more time at sea then he did on land. He always told me that he dreamed of seeing the ocean as a young boy, and when his chance finally came, he wasn’t disappointed. One day, I asked him why he loved the ocean so much. He told me: ‘It’s beautiful. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The way the sunlight dances on the dark blue waters on a calm day, the way the waves gently rock the boat back and forth, the way the breeze always carries that wonderful, salty scent … Y’know son, there’s always beauty in the world around us. If you look hard enough, you’ll never fail to see it.’” I smiled upon remembering Sal’s expression when he gave me that description. I had never been too fond of the ocean, especially since I almost drowned in it. But I always tried to see the beauty that my father saw in the ocean. Sometimes, I got really close to seeing it. Sometimes.

After a slight pause, I continued. “Sal raised me single-handedly, teaching me everything about life outside of our apartment. He spent a lot of money on books, and he did his best to educate me in the ways of reading, writing, and arithmetic. During my time with him, he never questioned my existence. I always asked him why I was different from everyone else … why I was a freak. But he’d always respond with the same thing: ‘You’re not a freak! Never say such a thing. You’re special. Don’t worry, m’boy, nature never creates something without a true purpose.’ To this day, I still haven’t found my purpose in life …”

I paused, tears welling up behind my eyes. I stammered as I tried to continue my life’s story. “A-and th-then …”

“Take your time, child,” Splinter spoke to me in a soothing voice. I looked up and caught his gaze. His eyes were full of kindness and understanding. “I know how hard it is to relive such painful memories. But I believe Sal was correct.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Splinter gave me a slight smile. “Sal was correct in saying that you do indeed have a purpose in life. Perhaps that purpose is not so obvious to you right now, but you will eventually discover that purpose. You must not give up hope. Once hope is lost, all is lost.”

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, unable to think of a response to Splinter’s insight. I had been searching for a purpose all my life, and I was just about to give up hope. Splinter’s words, however, gave me some encouragement. I ended up nodding to acknowledge his wisdom.

“You may continue whenever you feel comfortable to do so,” Splinter said, softly.

I glanced at the other turtles. I didn’t hear a word from them since I started revealing my life story. I noticed that Donatello was staring intently at the pile of blue berry muffins in the middle of the table. He was lost in thought. Leonardo was stroking his chin, staring at the wall. Michealangelo was fidgeting with his mask, and Raphael was examining one of his sais. They were all lost in thought.

“Okay …” I broke the silence. Everyone’s attention suddenly snapped back to me. I began to get a little nervous; I wasn’t used to having so many people focused on me. Trying to ignore the knot that had formed in my stomach, I continued with my tale. “Sal and I had always tried to figure out how I came to be. I have very faint memories of being around test tubes containing oddly colored fluids. Sal believed that I was probably in a laboratory for the first few years of my life. I was probably an experiment gone wrong, and I told my father this. He didn’t deny the possibility, but he always reminded me to be thankful that I somehow escaped and that I was given a second chance at life.”

I had to stop again. It was so painful talking about the father I had lost. It had been a more than a month since his passing, but the memories of him were still fresh in my mind. The memories were like a double-edged sword. They brought me happiness, but they also tortured me to no end, reminding me of the one person who ever truly cared for me.

“You don’t need to keep going if it’s too hard for you, Azure,” Donatello said in such a soft tone that it was almost a whisper.

“N-no, I have to. I made a deal with all of you, and I will keep my end of the pact,” I locked eyes with Raphael. “And I’ll finish my story, so that there will no longer be any doubts.” Raphael looked a bit surprised at my sudden burst of bravery. It was the first time that I ever stood up for myself against him. His eyes narrowed, and it looked like he was about to make a rude comment, but he stopped. Raphael’s eyes softened.

“Okay, kid. Go on, you’ve got our undivided attention,” Raphael declared, gesturing with his hand. I was shocked at the tone of his voice. There was no harshness or anger in it at all. It would take me weeks before I figured out that Raphael wasn’t always the brooding, angry type.

I took a sip of my cocoa, which was slowly losing all of its warmth. Then I looked up at my captivated audience once again. “I lived with Sal all my life. He passed away about a month ago … it was just a week after my sixteenth birthday.” I took a deep breath as the knot in my stomach tightened. “After his death, the apartment we lived in was sold to a married couple and their little kid. I had nowhere to go, since Sal never told a soul about my existence. He didn’t have a family. Sal ran away when he was just a teenager … he told me that his father was always drunk and that his mother was never home. He was their only child.” I paused again, slowly running my finger around the edge of my cup of cocoa.

“Before I left our apartment for good, I made sure to take my cloak with me. It was a birthday gift from Sal, and it helped to conceal my features during the day. He felt terrible that I was confined to our apartment, and he wanted me to get out more and experience the city. Unfortunately, the experience Sal was talking about wasn’t the experience I received. I lived on the streets for weeks, eating whatever I could find in the trashcans. It was during this time that I heard rumors about a strange gang who dressed up in giant turtle costumes.”

“That’s gotta be us!” Michaelangelo suddenly piped up. I laughed, and surprisingly, the knot in my stomach loosened up.

“Mikey, please let him finish!” Leonardo admonished him with a sigh. “You never let anyone finish their story without interrupting …”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Michaelangelo grinned at me. “I think it’s turning into a bad habit.”

“No, it’s okay,” I chuckled. “I’m glad that you’re willing to listen … I’m glad that you’re all willing to listen. It’s been so long since I’ve spoken to anyone who seemed to care. Thank you. It means a lot to me.” I received smiles from everyone at the table, except, of course, for Raphael. His expression was unreadable, but at least he wasn’t frowning.

“We are here for you, child,” Splinter spoke up from the head of the table. “It is best to free your emotions rather than allowing them to eat away at you.”

I grinned. The rat was starting to sound a lot like Sal, always dropping jewels of wisdom whenever the opportunity presented itself. “When I heard those rumors,” I started up again, “I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know whether I should believe them or disregard them. I started to ask around until I met up with a prostitute who claimed that the gang didn’t wear costumes. She believed that they were actual giant turtles that lived in the sewers. That’s when I decided to find out for myself. I always thought I was alone in the world, being the only humanoid turtle around. It was my sense of loss and loneliness that drove me to the sewers, searching for all of you. And that’s also when I ran into the Foot Soldier … the rest, as some like to say, is history.” I took another sip of my cocoa. It was luke warm. The room became silent once again, as everyone let my story seep into their minds.

“I am very sorry to hear about Sal and all of the suffering you have experienced,” Splinter broke the silence. “Our condolences are with you.” The four turtles nodded in agreement.

I gave everyone a weak smile. “Thank you.” The room fell silent again for a few moments.

This time, Donatello was the one to break the silence. “So, you have no concrete idea about how you mutated?”

I shook my head. “Not a clue. I don’t even know how I ended up in the ocean.”

“Hmm …” Donatello cupped his chin with one of his hands.

“What’s on your mind, Donny?” Michaelangelo asked.

“Well, I was thinking that maybe the same company responsible for our mutation could have been responsible for Azure’s mutation,” Donatello replied.

“You mean T.G.R.I.?” Leonardo arched an eye ridge.

Donatello nodded. “Exactly. But you said that you’re sixteen, right?” he turned to me.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I nodded in response to Donatello’s question.

“And we came in contact with the mutagen twenty years ago,” Donatello stated. “That means we were mutated four years before Azure, but T.G.R.I. went under a couple of years after we came in contact with the stuff.”

“T.G.R.I.? What’s that?” I asked.

“T.G.R.I. stands for Techno Global Research Institute,” Donatello explained. “They were a group of scientists who conducted research on chemicals and their effect on the environment. The company thrived on government grants, until their funding was pulled after the government discovered that T.G.R.I. was disposing toxic waste in a hazardous manner. That company created something called ‘mutagen,’ or as we commonly refer to it, ‘ooze.’ The mutagen was originally created as a form of protection against radiation. It never went past its testing period. A canister of the stuff somehow ended up in the sewers, with us swimming around in it. That’s what transformed us into mutants.”

I couldn’t believe it. “So it was T.G.R.I.’s experimenting that caused you all to be what you are today.”

“Precisely,” said Donatello. “Which is why I’m confused about your mutation. Your skin color is completely different from ours. If you were exposed to the same ooze that mutated us, then your skin should be green. Also, after T.G.R.I. ceased to exist, all of the mutagen was supposedly destroyed.”

“Maybe a canister survived somehow?” Michaelangelo suggested.

“Perhaps. But that seems rather unlikely.” Donatello’s brow furrowed in contemplation. “The government swarmed all over T.G.R.I.’s base of operations once they found out about the toxic waste. Then again, the government could have saved a canister for their own research purposes, or …”

“Or what?” Michaelangelo was getting impatient with Donatello’s explanation.

“Or a rival company might have stolen a canister. Since Azure washed up on the beach, we can’t be too sure about where he originally came from, so we have no idea where the research institute could possibly be located. He could very well be from New York. Heck, he could have come from any of the eastern states. Maybe even from another country, like Cuba or Canada.” He turned to me. “You don’t happen to remember hearing any names of people or places, do you?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t remember very much.”

“It’s okay … not too many people remember their first two years of childhood,” Donatello gave me a reassuring smile.

“Does that mean I’ll never find out how I mutated?” I looked at each of them, hoping to find an answer.

“You never know,” Leonardo answered. “We had no idea how we mutated until we were about eighteen.”

My shoulders slumped and my head hung sadly.

“Do not be saddened, child,” Splinter spoke to me. “The path life traveled to make you what you are does not matter. The important thing is that you are alive and well.”

I smiled at Splinter’s words. I couldn’t believe that he was the same rat I screamed bloody murder at just a few hours ago.

“Perhaps you will discover your origins,” Splinter continued, “and perhaps you will not. Do not dwell on the subject for too long, child. Instead, live life to the fullest, for it is a gift that we only receive once.”

I understood completely. Splinter was right, but I didn’t know what to do with my life. Sal, my only family, was gone. There was no one I could turn to. Splinter must have sensed my agony.

“Is there something that troubles you?” the old rat gently asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “I don’t know where to go from here. I’ve got no home or family.”

“Hey!” Michaelangelo shouted, causing me to jump. “Why don’t you stay with us?” he gave me a giant grin.

“I wouldn’t want to trouble all of you any further. You’ve all been very kind, but I don’t think I should stay here …”

“Why not?” Michaelangelo looked slightly disappointed. “You were looking for us, weren’t you?”

“Well …” I hesitated. “Yes.”

“Then congratulations! You found us!” Michaelangelo proclaimed. “So why would you want to leave so quickly? I mean, you just got here. And the Foot Clan is always prowling the streets and the sewers.”

“Michaelangelo has a point,” Leonardo joined in. “You might get attacked again.”

“I’ll be extra careful this time around,” I said. “I did live on the streets by myself for a while.”

“If you insist on going, then at least stay until your wounds fully heal.” Donatello looked at me with some concern.

“Hey, if the kid wants to leave, let him leave,” Raph spoke up after being silent for so long.

“Raph!” Leonardo glared at him. “Don’t tell me that you still think Azure is untrustworthy?”

“Nah, I think the kid’s telling the truth. I’m just sayin’ … if he doesn’t want to stay here, you guys shouldn’t force him to.”

Everyone turned to look at me. I suddenly felt very out of place.

“That is enough arguing,” Splinter folded his arms across his chest. “It is Azure’s decision on whether or not he will stay with us. But as of now, I do not think he has much of a choice.” He turned to me. “Donatello is correct; you have not fully recuperated from your encounter with the Foot Soldier. I ask you to stay with us for at least the next few days. Then you can decide whether or not you would like to stay with us longer. Remember, you are most welcomed here.” Splinter turned his attention to the other four turtles. “I believe we are two hours late for practice.” Everyone groaned, except for Leonardo. Splinter stood up from the table and walked towards the hallway of doors. He turned to face us. “My students, please join me in the dojo in five minutes,” he said. Then he looked over at me. “Azure, you can come join us and watch, if you like.”

“Is it okay if I just stay out here? I … I have a lot of things on my mind,” I responded.

“Very well, child. Make yourself at home. We should be done in a few hours. If you change your mind, feel free to join us.” With that, Splinter disappeared into one of the doors.

“I can’t believe it! We’re two hours late!” Leonardo exclaimed. “What are we waiting around for? Come on, everyone. Let’s go!” Leonardo got up from the table and ran to the dojo.

“Heh … if you stay here, kid, you’ll have to deal with that everyday.” Raphael frowned and pointed in the direction that Leonardo ran off to.

“Oh, don’t worry about Leo,” Michaelangelo smiled. “He just wants us to be in the best shape possible.”

“Humph. Whatever.” Raphael got up and headed towards the dojo.

“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Michaelangelo asked, as he stood up from the table. “I’ll beat up Raph for ya!” He gave me a big smile.

I chuckled. “No, it’s okay. Thanks for the offer, though.” I returned the smile.

“All right then. Feel free to relax on the couch and watch some TV.” Michaelangelo gave me a nod before going to the dojo.

I noticed that Donatello was missing. I assumed that he joined the others in the dojo, but he suddenly appeared in front of me, holding a familiar looking piece of brown cloth.

“Here, this is yours,” Donatello said, offering the brown cloth to me. “I washed it, so it’s clean.”

“My cloak! Thank you …” I took my cloak from Donatello and hugged it against my chest.

“I thought that would cheer you up a bit,” Donatello smiled. “Now I’ve gotta hurry up, or Leo’s gonna have a fit. You sure you’ll be okay out here by yourself?” He looked at me with some worry.

“Ya, I’ll be fine,” I nodded.

“Okay. Don’t hesitate to call one of us if you need anything.” he grinned then left for practice.

I sat in the kitchen by myself, looking around and gently holding my cloak close to my heart. “What should I do?” I whispered. “Should I stay here? I finally found others like me, but I don’t know if I belong here. They’re such a wonderful family … I’d just get in the way.” I sighed. Then I noticed the door that Leonardo had used to enter their home. I glanced towards the dojo, as I heard several bangs and clangs. Practice had apparently started.

I got up from the table and slowly approached the door. My right leg was very sore, but I managed to walk on it without too much trouble. I didn’t realize how injured I was since Michaelangelo helped me walk around earlier. Now I knew that I was still hurt.

I arrived in front of the door, and I stared intently at the doorknob. If I stayed any longer, I would end up staying forever, since the thought of a new family was too wonderful to ignore. But I didn’t know how they would react to my presence in the long run, or how I would react to suddenly living with four turtles and a rat. If I were to leave, it would have to be now. I reached out to touch the brass doorknob. It was cold and smooth. “Now’s my only chance to leave here … I guess I’ve got to take it. I’m so sorry for leaving you all after the kindness you have shown me, but I’m just not comfortable barging into your family,” I whispered. “It’s time for me to go …” I took a deep breath and slowly turned the doorknob.