The Adventures of Azure Turtle

One Fateful Day

Chapter 7: "Sweet Dreams"

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.

I opened the door and was met with a wall of cold, damp air. The stench outside was just as disgusting as the first time I experienced it. I took one last look at my surroundings. "I guess this is good bye," I whispered. Just as I was about to hobble out of the turtles’ home, a familiar voice rang out from the direction of the dojo.

"Man, twenty years as a ninja and you’d think I’d remember to bring both of my nunchucks to practice…" Michaelangelo walked into the living room and froze when he saw me standing in front of the open door. "Hey…what’re you doing?" He wore a shocked expression on his face.

I lowered my head in shame and stared at the concrete floor. "I…I’m sorry, Michaelangelo. But I’ve come to a decision…I can’t stay here with all of you."

Michaelangelo’s expression changed from shocked to hurt. "But why would you want to leave? I thought you liked us…" his voice trailed off.

I looked up and found it difficult to meet his gaze. "I do like all of you, but if I were to stay with you, I’d just get into the way of things."

"That’s not true," he replied. He quickly walked over to me, and took me by the arm. "C’mon, you shouldn’t be standing on that leg," he helped me limp towards the couch. I sat down and placed my cloak on the coffee table. Michaelangelo took a seat next to me.

"Listen, Azure," he started, "there’s no reason for you to leave us. We want you to stay here."

"I know…but how can you say that when we barely know each other?" I asked.

"That’s exactly why you should stay. Then we can get to know you, and you can get to know us," he smiled.

"But I feel guilty about suddenly barging into your home, and changing your daily routines," I said quietly.

"Don’t worry about it," Michaelangelo reassured me. "Our daily routines were starting to get boring anyway. It’ll be nice to have someone new around here." He winked.

"But…"

"Look, I’m not going to force you to stay here with us if it makes you that uncomfortable," Michaelangelo looked me in the eyes. "At least listen to Master Splinter’s request and live with us until you fully recover from your wounds. Don’t you owe us a little bit for helping you out?"

I sighed. Michaelangelo had a point, and I didn’t want to be rude. Sal always taught me to be well mannered, to return any kind favors. "Okay, I’ll respect his wish," I replied.

"Great!" Michaelangelo exclaimed. "You won’t regret it. I promise." He gave me a nod then stood up, grabbing his nunchuck on the coffee table. Michaelangelo paused for a moment, glancing at the television. "Hey, I bet this will keep you occupied for a few hours." He walked over to the TV and picked up the remote control, which was sitting on top. "Now don’t try to leave again, or I’ll come looking for you." Michaelangelo gave me a wink before dropping the remote into my open hands. "I better get going before Master Splinter thinks that I ditched practice. See you in a bit."

I sat there in silence for a few minutes after Michaelangelo had left. "I honestly hope I won’t regret staying here for a while," I whispered to myself. Letting out a sigh, I figured that I might as well watch some television. There really wasn’t anything else I could do. I turned it on and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the turtles had cable. I was astonished, especially since Sal and I had cable for only a short amount of time. Sal had to drop the service so we’d have more money for the bills. I had no idea how the turtles could afford cable, or how they could get it while living in the sewers. Nonetheless, I was quickly absorbed by all of the different channels. I was amazed as I watched two great chefs go head to head in a cook-off just to find out whose cuisine reigned supreme. I laughed ‘til there were tears in my eyes as I watched old re-runs of SNL. I cheered as spandex-wearing warriors battled each other to gain the honor of being the world wrestling heavyweight champion. When the mighty Stone Cold Steve Austin lost to the legendary Triple H, I decided to change the channel. I ended up watching a show called "Junkyard Wars." I was in awe at how people could take machines apart, then put them back together to create completely different machines.

"Ah, this is much better than watching pro-wrestling." A voice to my left made jump. I was surprised to see Leonardo sitting there, grinning and holding a glass of water. I didn’t even notice him join me, and I wondered how long he had been sitting there.

"Hey dude, I think wrestling a lot more interesting than all of that machinery stuff." I turned around and discovered that Michaelangelo was busily working on something in the kitchen.

"I can’t believe you’d say that, Mikey! Especially with the mess we got into at IGW." My eyes wandered and saw Donatello sitting at the kitchen table, reading a newspaper. The only turtle missing was Raphael, and Master Splinter was nowhere to be seen as well.

"I didn’t think it was that bad," Michaelangelo continued preparing something. He looked up and saw me staring at him. He smirked. "Don’t worry, lil’ dude! Lunch is gonna be ready in just a few minutes. Sorry to keep you waiting, but our great leader thought we were getting rusty." Michaelangelo stuck his tongue out at Leonardo. The blue-clad turtle shook his head in response.

"We’ve got to stay sharp, Mike. You never know when we’re going to encounter the Foot Clan."

"Ya ya, I know," Mike smiled. I finally figured out that he was making sandwiches. I didn’t realize how much time passed by, and a low grumbling in my stomach informed me on how hungry I was. It must’ve been late in the afternoon, but I couldn’t see the clock from where I was sitting.

Turning to Leonardo, I decided to ask him about this "IGW" incident they were talking about. "What’s…IGW?"

"IGW stands for Inter-Galactic Wrestling," he responded. My eyes bulged out in disbelief. "It’s a long story," Leonardo chuckled.

"One I’d rather not remember," Donatello spoke from behind his newspaper.

It was obvious that I wasn’t going to hear about this story today, so I decided to drop the subject. "So…um…how are you able to get cable?" I shyly asked.

Leonardo shrugged. "That’s your cue, Donny."

Donatello looked up from his newspaper with a grin. "Well, it’s quite simple, really. Using that little black box you see on top of the T.V. and a bit of wire, I’m able to tap into a satellite dish that provides cable for an apartment complex. The complex is located about half a block from here."

"Just a ‘bit of wire’? Don, are you kidding me? We had to scrounge the junkyards for weeks just to find enough wire to connect us to that satellite dish," Michaelangelo frowned.

"I was perfectly content without cable," Donatello gave his newspaper a little shake, "but the rest of you guys wouldn’t let me sleep until I figured out a way to get it."

Michaelangelo blinked a few times. "Oh ya…heh…I almost forgot about that."

"Uh huh." Donatello rolled his eyes in response.

"Sal and I had cable for a short while, but he had to cut the service so we could have enough money to pay all the bills," I said quietly.

"Hey, don’t worry about it, lil’ dude!" Michaelangelo piped up. "We’re getting cable for free, thanks to Donny. So go ahead, relax and watch whatever you like!"

I nodded and gave him a smile. I decided to keep the channel on "Junkyard Wars," since Leonardo’s attention seemed to be captured by the show. I watched as a small team of people ran about in flurry, trying to convert a car into a boat. "Fascinating," Leonardo muttered and took a sip of his water.

A few moments later, a voice rang out and broke the silence. "Lunch is ready!" Michaelangelo bellowed.

Donatello set his newspaper aside, and Leonardo stood up from the couch, stretching. He turned to me and offered his hand. Feeling a little shy and uncertain, I stared at his hand for a few seconds before finally placing my hand in his. He helped me to my feet and guided me to the kitchen table. Michaelangelo had placed six plates on the table, but only five had sandwhiches on them. I was a bit puzzled, but I disregarded the thought. I was hungry, and the sandwhich in front of me looked absolutely delicious. It was about a foot long, sliced in half and stuffed with vegetables, cheese, and turkey. I looked up as I heard something make a small "clunk" near my plate. Donatello was placing cans of Mountain Dew next to all of the plates occupied by sandwiches. Everyone settled down and got ready to eat, when Raphael came walking out of the hallway.

"Finally, some grub! I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!" Raphael proclaimed, as he took his seat at the table. He picked up his sandwich and examined it before taking a bite. His eyes lit up as he swallowed. "This is pretty good. What’d you put it in, Mikey?"

Michaelangelo smiled at the compliment. "Turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, red onions, swiss cheese, a little pesto, and some cranberries. All placed between two slices of sourdough."

All of us stopped eating for a moment and stared at the smiling turtle.

"Cranberries?" Leonardo addressed what was going through all of our minds.

"Sure. It adds an interesting contrast to the other ingredients, don’tcha think?" Michaelangelo continued to smile.

Raphael shrugged. "Whatever…as long as it’s good! And this, Mikey ol’ pal, is good. Hell, it’s a lot better than that tofu stuff Leon tried cooking with." Leonardo frowned at the comment, while the other three turtles got a good laugh at his expense.

I was amazed at how Raphael changed his mood within a few hours. Practice must have let him blow off some steam because he seemed rather cheerful. I took another bite of my sandwich and noticed how the cranberries added a tangy flavor to the mix. Michaelangelo was right. "He must do most of the cooking," I thought.

I noticed that everyone had fallen silent, focusing on the food and soda. I looked at the sixth plate that sat at the head of the table, sandwich-less. Suddenly, I mustered up a bit of courage and decided to end the silence with a question. "Where is Spli…I mean, Master Splinter?"

"He’s probably meditating," Donatello answered. "Don’t worry about Sensei. He’ll eat when he gets hungry."

"Ya, and he doesn’t like sandwiches," Michaelangelo added.

"So what is he going to eat for lunch?" I asked.

"Hmm…sushi, most likely," Leonardo responded.

I was amazed that this odd family would have ingredients to make sushi. "You must have a lot of food to be able to make all kinds of different dishes." I looked at each of the four turtles.

"Nah…we don’t normally have this much food," Raphael spoke up. "Don and Leo recently went grocery shopping, so that’s why we’ve got a lot of grub lying around. And Mikey hasn’t had the chance to eat all of the food yet, so we’re still good to go for the rest of the week."

Now it was Michaelangelo’s turn to frown. "I don’t eat all of the food!" he protested.

"You eat most of it," Raphael snorted, "leaving me and Donny stuck with Leo’s bucket of tofu."

"I honestly don’t see what’s so wrong with eating tofu…" Leonardo scratched his head in thought.

Donatello sighed as the three began bickering about the food. "Can’t you guys talk about something else? I’m trying to enjoy my meal here."

I stifled my laughter as best as I could. Now I was compelled to stay with them even more. We finished eating our meals a little later, with some small talk passing between the four turtles. I stayed quiet throughout, listening to their conversations. Donatello mentioned how much work the van still needed, and Raphael spoke about hanging out with someone named Casey. Then Michealangelo talked about someone named April not visiting them in a while. Leonardo told him not to worry because April was probably busy with her recent promotion at the news station. I was rather amazed that the turtles had friends. Up until that moment, I thought that the turtles only had enemies. Curiosity was getting the better of me, and I had the sudden urge to meet their friends. "What kind of people would willingly accept our kind?" I pondered. Sure, Sal loved me like a son, but I thought he was one of a kind. I had no idea that there would be other humans out there willing to accept our existence. I always believed that freaks like me would never be understood by the outside world. Kind of like how Frankenstein was treated. My thoughts were interrupted by a groan.

"Hoo boy, I’m stuffed." Raphael happily patted his stomach.

"Hey, so anyone have any ideas on how we should spend the rest of the day?" Donatello asked.

"I know!" Michealangelo perked up. "How about a game of Trivial Pursuit?"
"Again?" Raphael frowned. "But we always lose to Don."

"Ya, but what if today is the day one of us beats him? Besides, we’ve got a new player." Michaelangelo turned to me and grinned. "What d’ya say, lil’ dude? You up for a friendly game of Trivial Pursuit?"

"Um…I’ve never played that game," I sheepishly smiled.

"Then we’ll teach you. It’s not complicated at all. You just gotta know a bunch of useless info. like Donny does." Michaelangelo laughed.

"You never know when that useless information will become useful," Donatello defended himself.

"Okay, then it’s settled. We’ll challenge Don for his title of Master of Trivial Pursuit," said Leonardo. "I’ll clean up the dishes. Mikey, why don’t you get the game so you can all start setting it up?"

"Yes sir!" Michealangelo gave a mock salute before running back towards the hallway.

Leonardo cleared the table except for the plate that belonged to Master Splinter. A few moments later, Michaelangelo returned, and put the box down before us. He opened the box, and each of the turtles claimed the game piece that reflected their mask color. I ended up choosing green, and we placed our pieces on the board. Michealangelo announced that I should go first, since it was my first time playing. I rolled the dice, and moved my piece the respective number of spaces.

"Entertainment!" Michealangelo exclaimed. He pulled out a card from one of the small boxes, and began to read the question about entertainment. "What popular cartoon show started out as a few small shorts in the Tracy Ulman show?" Michaelangelo turned to me.

"Um…" I searched my brain for an answer, and found it. My eyes lit up. "The Simpsons!" I answered fervently.
Michaelangelo turned over the card and smirked. "Woah, looks like he was right, dudes."

"Heh heh…the kid is gonna give you a run for your money, Don." Raph smiled smugly.

"We’ll see about that," Donatello winked at me.

"But…I was just lucky that I read that somewhere…" I nervously said.

"Hey, don’t worry about it, Azure," Leonardo assured me. "Don won’t hold a grudge against you if you manage to beat him."
"Ya, he’ll just cry," Raphael responded, and the three turtles laughed at Donatello.

"Don’t get cocky, guys. We’ve only started. By the time this game is over, I won’t be the one crying," Donatello grinned.

"Okay," Michealangelo started up again, "if you ever land on one of these six squares," he pointed to each of the spread out squares, "and answer the question correctly, you’ll get one of these little ‘pie slices’ to go into your game piece. Once you’ve collected all six ‘pie slices,’ then you’ve won the game. Not too hard, right?" He smiled at me.

"I guess…" I said meekly.

"Good. Now it’s my turn!" Michaelangelo picked up the dice. "Let’s get ready to rumble!"

The game continued, with questions be asked and answered all around. Master Splinter joined us at the table during the game to eat his meal of sushi. He sat at the head of the table and watched us play as he ate, smiling with amusement whenever one of us would give a wrong answer. The game lasted a lot longer than I imagined. Halfway through, Michaelangelo claimed that he got a "major case of the munchies" and ended up ordering a few pizzas. There was a short intercession as Raphael and Michaelangelo left to pick up the food. When they returned, we continued the game while eating the two large pizzas they brought back. I found it fascinating how the pizzas had the strangest toppings on them: eggplant, marshmellows, apples, and a bunch of other odd foods. I didn’t complain, since the pizza ended up being our dinner.

The "friendly" game of Trivial Pursuit was dangerously close to finishing, and Donatello was in the lead with five ‘pie slices’ in his game piece. I was tied with Leonardo at four. Michealangelo and Raphael were also tied, each with three ‘pie slices.’ The game turned very competitive at this point, and I was amused at how seriously each of the turtles took this game. Donatello was hell-bent on retaining his undefeated streak, while the other three were determined to bring him down. Five minutes later, it was over. Donatello was the victor, defeating the rest of us after gaining the prized brown ‘pie slice.’

"Man, this was one of the closest games yet." Michealangelo leaned back on his chair and sighed.

"Azure and I were so close to beating you, Don," Leonardo smirked. "We had you running around the board like a scared squirrel."

"Me? The Master of Trivial Pursuit, scared? I don’t think so, Leo." Donatello wore a giant grin on his face.

"Hmph…how the hell does Don beat us every time we play this game? Maybe he’s cheating." Raphael was obviously disappointed in how the game ended.

"I’m not cheating. I’m just using all of that ‘useless info.’ I’ve got stored in my brain." Donatello pointed at his noggin.

Master Splinter laughed. "Do not worry, my sons. Donatello will eventually have to relinquish his title. Nothing ever remains the same for very long."

"Aw man, I can’t believe you’re against me too, Sensei!" Donatello frowned while everyone else laughed.

We all helped in putting the game away, and everyone seemed to be in a cheery mood. When we finished, Leonardo carried the box back to his room and returned shortly.

"I believe it is time for bed," Master Splinter sighed as he stood up from the table. "I expect you all to be on time for practice tomorrow." He turned to me. "I am sure that one of my sons will allow you to sleep in his room, but I will let them decide." Master Splinter looked over at the four turtles, and seeing none of them object, he smiled and turned back to me. "Goodnight, Azure. I hope you find your stay with us to be enjoyable."

"Thank you. I’m sure it will be," I responded and bowed my head.

The old rat chuckled. "Very well. Good night, my sons." Master Splinter retired to his room as everyone wished him a "good night."

"Okay, so who’s gonna give up their room for the kid?" Raphael spoke up after Master Splinter had left the living room.

"He’s been staying in my room ever since we found him, so I wouldn’t mind if he continued to do so," said Michealangelo. "I’ll just sleep on the couch again."

"Oh no, I wouldn’t want you to do that again," I said quietly. "I’ll sleep on the couch this time. I’ve already kept you out of your room for a few days."

"No way, lil’ dude! You’re a guest in our home." Michealangelo shook his head.

"Really, I don’t mind," I responded. "Besides, my leg is killing me, and the couch is closer than your room."

Michealangelo looked at Leonardo for an answer. Leonardo shrugged. "If he really wants to sleep on the couch, then we should let him."

"Okay…but if you change your mind, feel free to yell for me," Michealangelo grinned at me.

"Well, now that this issue’s settled, I’m turning in. I’ll see you guys in the morning." Raphael went to his room and shut the door.

Donatello yawned and stretched his arms into the air. "Yep, I’m tired too. Kicking your butts in Trivial Pursuit took a lot of brain power," he laughed.

"We’ll never here the end of this," Michealangelo groaned. "Now go on, get out of here before we challenge you to a rematch!"

"All right, all right!" Donatello exclaimed. "Good night, guys." Donatello waved to us before leaving the room.

"Are you sure you’ll be okay sleeping in the living room?" Leonardo gave me a worried look.

I nodded. "Ya, I’ll be fine."

"Okay then. Goodnight, you two." Leonardo smiled at Michealangelo and I before heading back to his room.

"Stay right here, lil’ dude, and I’ll be back in a sec." Michealangelo disappeared for a few moments, then returned with an armful of blankets and pillows. He placed them on the couch and helped me walk over to it. I lied down and realized how comfortable the old beat-up couch was. It wasn’t bad at all. I tossed and turned a bit until I was happy with my position, then Michealangelo draped the blanket over me. He leaned over the back of the couch and looked down at me, smiling. "I’m sure you’ll love it here. We’re a good bunch."

His eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey, if you’re staying with us, that makes you one of the family! I’ve always wanted a little brother!" Michealangelo gave me a giant, lopsided grin. "Hold on, I’ve got something else you should have with you before you sleep." Michealangelo ran back towards his room and came back a few moments later. He was carrying something, but I couldn’t make it out. "Here, keep this guy around you." Michealangelo handed me a one-eyed teddy bear. It was the same teddy bear I saw in his room when I first woke up. The little bear was worn-out, but he smiled at me as if he had the strength of a hundred men. "His name’s Chet. He always kept me company when I was younger," Michaelangelo said, his eyes glistening with happy memories. "He’ll watch over you while you sleep."

I was utterly speechless at Michealangelo’s actions. First, he accepted me into his family, and now he was letting one of his prized possessions stay with me. "Okay…" I hugged the teddy bear and smiled at Michealangelo. "Thank you so much…for everything."

"Hey, no sweat! Would you like me to turn the lights off?" He leaned over the back of the couch again, waiting for my answer.

"Yes, please," I responded.

Michealangelo walked over and hit the light switch next to the TV. The place became dark, but there was a little night light in the kitchen, which cast a dim glow over the room.

"Do you want me to turn off the night light, too?" Michealangelo asked.

"No, that’s okay. But…why do you have a night light in the kitchen?" I asked, a little confused.

"Oh…that." Michealangelo chuckled. "I leave that there in case any of us get hungry in the middle of the night. I’m usually the only one who ever uses it."

"Okay," I laughed.

"So, do you need anything else?"

"No, I’m fine now. Thanks again."

"No prob." Michealangelo approached me again and patted me softly on the head. "Sweet dreams, lil’ bro." He gave me a gentle smile, then retired to his room.

I was dumbfounded. I picked up the teddy bear and looked into his blue button eye. "Did you hear that, Chet? He called me ‘lil bro’!" I whispered in awe. "I can’t believe it…Michealangelo already thinks of me as a brother. I…I’ve never had any brothers…" I sighed, and a tiny smile formed on the corner of my lips. " ‘Lil bro’…I like the sound of that." I cuddled Chet under my chin and sighed. "Maybe I’ll stay here after all. A new family…"

Slowly, darkness crept over me. My old friend had returned once again. I remember when it used to haunt me, but now, I was no longer afraid of it. At one point, I loathed the darkness because of the discovery I was terrified of making. But I found what I had been searching for all these months: freaks…no, people, just like me…people who could accept me for what I am. Sal may be gone, but I would always carry him in my heart. And now, I wasn’t alone any more. I had found a new family, a new home.

I hugged Chet closer to my body. I had been through a lot during the past few months: sorrow, anguish, uncertainty, pain. But finally, things were starting to look up for me. I silently thanked Saint Micheal for hearing my prayers.

The darkness beckoned me to follow it, and I willingly gave it my hand. We flew high above the mountains, across the galaxy full of sparkling stars and whirling planets. We arrived at a place I was familiar with, a place that I had been terrified of before, but this time my old friend was with me. He led me past Sleep and Slumber, past Fright and Nightmares, and into the land of Dreams. I slowly melted away, feeling no more pain and suffering…only pure happiness remained.

--The End--

<< Author’s Note: Wow, so it’s finally finished. My first major fanfic is done! What an awesome feeling! I just want to thank all of you for reading, and I want to especially thank everyone who left me feedback, whether it was good or bad. So, should I write more? I’ve got another Adventure currently in the works. Azure isn’t quite out of trouble just yet. =) Thanks again, everyone! >>