The Real Metalhead

Chapter 2

We knew better than to exit or enter the manholes from directly next to our lair. Last time that happened, a curious kid followed one of us in and ended up psyching out at the sight of Splinter. (I'll bet you can guess who that was) Eventually that kid started coming on missions with us and became an asset to the team. It was his fault for discovering our lair (Raph's fault for leading him there) and for staying longer than he should've.

But who can blame him? The life of a ninja is exciting but at the same time, rough. It stealthily creeps its way through every aspect of your everyday life until it's literally all you know. That's how it was for the four of us for around 17 years. Hours of extensive training and labor, whacking each other with sticks, swinging the occasional sword or nunchuck and twirling sais like you were apart of a delicate dance routine. Casey never received any official training from Splinter like us or April, but he knows his way around a hockey stick; I should know, the kid and I used to train a lot when he was younger.

I watched my brothers as we darted left and right, hopping from side to side of the sewers, jumping the occasional puddle. I looked to Leo first, as he was head of the team, leading us towards the open drainage system, a loud and thunderous roar of water coming from it.

Leonardo hasn't changed all that much. Sure, he gained a few inches and some muscle, but he didn't exactly look much older. Then again, he looked like he was 19 years old when he was 15. His knee never fully healed and he has a few battle scars from his fateful match with the Shredder, but the pain hasn't caused him too much trouble in the recent years. He'd been practicing with other weapons, you could tell by the way he stood, handling his sword. His most recent addition to his skill-set was the Bo Staff, more specifically, my Bo Staff, and was trying to go back to being used to his katanas over my staff. Leonardo still went by Leo but only by Raphael and Michelangelo. I mainly called him Leonardo, like Splinter did, but Leo occasionally slipped. Not like that was a problem to him, he seemed to like it when I called him Leo, even though he knows that I know he prefers his full name.

Raphael... well, he basically got larger? Buffer, I mean. After the defeat of the Kraang and sending them fleeing back to outer space, he didn't have much else to do but work out and get ripped, if that's even possible considering how macho he was before. He stuck with his sais most of the time, occasionally calling them salad tongs in memory of Spider Bites and their history together. We managed to return him back to his original, human state and, even though he was still a bitter, lonely man, he thanked us and made sure he was on good terms with Raphael. He still occasionally talked with Casey too, but Casey had his own problems to worry about.

I grew a lot taller in the last four years. I don't know why though. Turtles, even mutant ones, shouldn't grow to be as tall as me. I'm nearly 6 feet and 3 inches tall now. That's too tall if you ask me. I'd rather be Leonardo or Raph's height, but you know, DNA and whatever. I started wearing goggles over my mask, though, they're more like glasses because my eyesight went down the drain after our last battle with the Shredder. (Yep, he's still out there!) I've really mellowed out though, if I do say so myself. I spend a lot more time with my lab equipment since April and Casey stopped visiting years ago.

The one of us who I think has really changed, improved, matured, grown up, whatever you want to call it, would have to be Michelangelo. After moving to April's farmhouse, he really took initiative and did his best to keep himself together so we didn't have to worry as much about him as we had Leonardo. Mikey took on more responsibility than he should have at his age, considering he was the baby of the family, and ended his childhood far too fast. Now, though, he really came in handy in a pinch, thinking on his feet, or not thinking at all, to protect us. Even if he sometimes acts like a total doofus, he deserves that right because he had the least amount of time to be a kid. He's still hyper and energetic, occasionally shy, only now he knows when to be serious and when he can goof off.