_______________
ʜᴀᴍᴀᴛᴏ, ʏᴏsʜɪ.
_______________

     𝕋ℍ𝔼 three of us sat around the pit in silence. "The three of us" meaning the only humans in this lair currently: April, Casey, and myself. Some random episode from the previous show the turtles were watching was playing on the old television.

It was colorful and obviously from the 80s'. If the fact that it was on VHS was not a dead enough giveaway, then its pure content was. However, this television was unable to receive actual satellite apart from the news station and it was so old that it was unable to receive Netflix or even DVDs. I felt bad for the turtles, they probably had not even seen 21st-century television.

Okay, maybe that was a stretch but still...

Casey whistled as he casually laid back on the couch, tossing a ball in the air and catching it. April was fidgeting, her eyes sometimes turning to look at me before she would suddenly look away. I was the only one watching this trash show, my nose scrunched in obvious disdain.

The turtles themselves were currently in the dojo talking to the apparent Master who was accordingly a giant mutant rat named "Splinter". I pursed my lips at that information when they told me.

If I listened closely, I could just make out their voices drifting from the dojo. It was mostly Leo explaining to his father along with the other three chiming in at some points. I did not bother to mention the fact that I could nearly hear them to April or Casey as it was obvious they could not hear the group at all.

It was another oddity that I could simply put down on the list.

"You think they get porn on this thing?" Casey finally broke the silence, sitting up.

April whipped around to look at him so fast, her nose scrunched.

"I don't know—don't ask them that!" She harshly said as I turned to him.

"But I was wondering the same thing," I said as Casey pointed to me dramatically, as though saying "see!" to April.

I was still curious after whole "tasing Leo's man parts incident."

"What do you think their dongs look like?" Casey flicked his fingers while making an odd popping noise with his mouth. "Do you think they get horny ever?"

"That's true," I rubbed my chin, "you should ask Raphael later!"

"And get my ass kicked? No way!" Casey scoffed while shaking his arms in an X-motion.

April shook her head at us, "Oh my God, you guys, please stop,"

Casey and I both ended up laughing, and April's lips tilted as though she wanted to smile but was simply not letting herself.

"Look, we're sorry for not telling you about this, but please understand it was not our secret to tell," April finally said, taking a deep breath while looking at me.

Casey cast me a similar expression.

"Yeah, we honestly wanted to tell you, but the turtles are super secretive and protective over who does and doesn't know about their existence," he explained.

As much as I hated being kept in the dark, it was also not my friend's place to tell me.

"I understand, don't worry," I gave a ghost of a smile that caused their shoulders to sag with relief.

"But I do need to ask how you guys ended up finding out about this?"

Casey shrugged, "I only found out a few weeks ago, I met Raphael one day on the streets and we fought before I followed him to the sewers and found this place," he explained causing me to quirk a brow.

"You fought Raphael? Why?" I snickered as Casey pouted.

"Why did you fight Leo?" He shot back.

I shrugged, suddenly bringing my feet from the floor and resting them on his lap earning a groan.

"Good point," I crossed my jean covered legs one over the other, "how 'bout you, O'Neil?"

April smiled, "I've known them for a lot longer, just over a year actually. My dad was kidnapped by these aliens called the Kraang, you see..."

"Aliens? The Kraang?" I quirked a brow, sitting a little straighter and much more interested.

The name of the Kraang sent something stirring deep within me. I was not able to place a finger on this emotion, and I had no clue what it meant, but it sent my head reeling for some reason. It was as though something was forcibly trying to claw its way up.

Almost as though an extremely old memory was trying to resurface. I suddenly became scared, because never had I felt like this. There was never a time where a single memory was trying to breathe this bad, and with it came the familiar feeling of a panic attack.

This was possibly the worst time and place to have a panic attack.

I growled silently, forcing myself to calm down. Instead of pursuing the feeling (no matter how bad I wanted to, no matter how bad I wanted my memories back), I shot it down. I allowed my amnesia to run rampant and went along with my brain's unconscious desire to simply forget and shut it out.

Thankfully, it worked, the feelings faded and with it so did the panic attack. As much as I wanted the memory, I was not going to deal with a panic attack now. This was not the right time.

"Yeah," April bit her lip, "so they're these brain/robot aliens from another dimension, they're the reason we have mutants—including the turtles, but they'll tell you when they come out," she explained.

I nodded slowly, allowing it to sink in.

"Ah, so I'm assuming this also has to do with the rat master or whatever?"

"Yeah, Master Splinter, the turtle's father, and their sensei—he is super cool," April explained before Casey piped up.

"Even if he is a giant rat," he shivered as April shook her head.

"You and your fear of rats, we literally live in New York, the city of rats," I scoffed as Casey only rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," April caught our attention again, "so the turtles rescued me and we spent a whole bunch of months together trying to rescue my dad. Which they did, and I will never be able to repay them for that," the story was all over the place, leading me to believe that she and these mutants had been through a hella lot.

It was pretty hard to keep up with honestly.

"You have repaid us enough, April, just by staying by our side," a heavily Japanese-accented voice spoke gaining our attention.

I poked my head up, my eyes widening at the sight of a large talking humanoid rat. He was dressed in a red kimono, his eyes friendly and warm. His disposition was that of a kind man, the being looking all around nice. Cuddly even.

"This is Master Splinter, Andi," Casey explained as the rat fully came into the room followed by the four turtles.

My eyes met with Leonardo who was already staring at me. His eyes widened upon contact and I watched as his cheeks turned pink once more. He was suddenly hit over the back of the head by an unamused Raphael, the blue leader turning to look at his brother in confusion. Raphael only shook his head causing Leo's shoulders to fall in understanding at whatever it is his brother meant.

I was already confused enough but chose to look away from the exchange that I could not even hope to understand. My attention was brought back to Master Splinter who took a few steps forward.

"My sons have informed me of the situation, any friend deemed trustworthy by April is a friend of ours," he bowed his head slightly.

I could not help but immediately respect the rat master. He looked like a legit dude.

"Hey, what about me?" Casey practically sobbed.

Everyone ignored him.

"In which case, may I ask exactly who the Kraang are and how they fit into well..." I paused, looking at each of them trying to decide how to word it, "...this?"

The rat master stroked his beard in a wise manner, humming in reply.

"But, of course, my actual name is Hamato, Yoshi."

Yoshi, that was one hell of a name.

"And like you, April, and Casey: I was once human. After moving to New York from my home in Japan, I decided to buy four baby turtles. However, upon leaving the pet store, I came across some rather odd men. I followed the men only for them to attack, but I fought back. In our fight, a mysterious substance, the ooze, got onto myself and the turtles. The turtles, having last touched the people in the pet store, mutated into humanoid beings. I, having touched a rat in the alley, mutated into this very being."

"I raised the turtles from that moment on, we made our home in the sewers and I have trained them in the art of ninjutsu. My sons protect the city from the Kraang as well as my archenemy, the Shredder's clan." The wise rat finished.

I knew my face must have looked as confused as I felt. What the actual fuck? Who was the Shredder, and I still did not know who the Kraang were?

"The Kraang, dudette," I yelped as Mikey suddenly appeared next to me, wrapping a large green arm over my shoulder, "they're the mysterious men who were carrying the ooze—brain aliens from Dimension X!"

"Oh, and the Footclan are ninjas—" Donatello stopped talking upon Raphael suddenly slapping a hand over his mouth.

"I think she gets the point genius, now we're just confusing her more," he motioned to me.

Well, he wasn't lying.

My eyes widened upon Leonardo walking up to me, his hands held up in a calming motion. His green face was twisted in an extra friendly look as he shoved Raph out of the way and stopped a few inches away from my body.

"I know it's all a little overwhelming but we promise to do everything in our power," he took a dramatic intake of breath as I simply stared at the blue bandana turtle, "to make you feel very welcome!"

Raphael stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest, staring his brother down with a "really" expression.

I could not help but find the way Leonardo was staring at me with an expectant and hopeful look slightly adorable. His blue eyes had gotten even wider and it made him appear younger than he really was.

Actually, that was a good question...

"How old are you guys?" I tilted my head.

"Oh, we're—" Leo yelled as Mikey shoved him out of the way and answered for him.

"All of us are sixteen, dawg!" He cheered.

"Yeah, but I'm technically the oldest..."

"No one cares, Leo," Raph rolled his eyes as Leo looked at him angrily.

He looked more like a pissed off puppy than anything though. It made me snicker internally.

"Very well, it was nice meeting you, Andi," I nodded toward Master Splinter, who had his arms folded behind his back, "I am going to go finish my meditation session now," and with that he had left, disappearing back into the dojo.

Shrugging, I sat back down on the couch with a loud yawn drawing a few eyes my way.

"Oh, Andi!" I looked to Leonardo who had said my name with a certain amount of eagerness. "Are you tired? You can take a nap in my room if you want, we won't bother you," he reassured quickly, obviously trying to come across as polite.

He smiled shyly, almost nervous in my opinion, but his eyes still glowed happily. I gave the turtle a small smile back, about to reject his offer until Donnie suddenly stepped in front of Leo with his attention on O'Neil.

Leo seemed to throw his hands in the air from behind Donnie, and I vaguely heard him groan in annoyance.

"April, are you staying for dinner?" Donnie questioned hopefully.

"Sure, what're you having?" April asked before laughing to herself. "Kidding, I'm assuming it's—"

"Pizza!" Mikey cheered before Leo shoved his way through both him and Donnie.

"The invitation is obviously extended to you as well, Andi," he tossed a genuine smile in my direction.

"Oh, uhm," I scratched the back of my neck, "thank you, honestly, but I'm not actually a fan of pizza..."

"WHAT!" All of the turtles practically screamed, especially Mikey who looked absolutely distraught.

"And I am pretty beat, plus my mother is expecting me home..." I paused, looking to my phone before my eyes widened at the time, "fifteen minutes ago... shoot,"

I stood up quickly as Casey kicked back casually.

"Is anyone going to extend that invitation to me!" He sounded offended, but the only reply he got was Raph choosing to sit on him earning a squeak from the teen boy.

"Ow! Get off me, you stupid reptile!"

"What was that?" Raph snickers while pulling out a comic book, a smirk plastered across his face.

"Oh, well, we don't have to eat pizza..." Leo tried only for Mikey to knock him away.

"No, dude, not the pizza!"

Leo glared at Mikey, about to make some snarky reply before I cut them off. As much as I wanted to watch the exchange, I had bigger issues. I had to get home soon before my mother called the whole CIA for a manhunt.

My mother was normally home late at night, so most of the time I did not need to worry about her beating me there. However, on nights like this where she was off earlier than usual, I had to get back on time otherwise risk a grounding.

My mother was not too strict most of the time, but on matters such as this, she was. She claimed it was because the last time that I was late, I ended up getting into a car accident that nearly cost me my life. However, rather than costing me my life, it only cost me my memories.

"Sorry, guys, I need to go, see you tomorrow morning, Casey. Later, O'Neil!" I started walking off before pointing to the turtles. "See you guys around!"

"Bu-Bye, Andi!" Mikey happily waved.

"Tell Whitney I said hi!" Casey hollered from beneath Raphael.

"She's probably just going to tell me to tell you not to make her kick your ass, Jones!"

"Well tell her that I'll be looking forward to it!"

"You have issues, bro," Raphael momentarily looked away from his comic, his sharp green eyes staring down at Casey.

I barely got to the turnstiles before Leonardo suddenly leaped over me and landed directly in front of me. Not expecting that, I jumped back slightly only to be awarded with Leo's smiling face.

"He is such a loser," I vaguely heard Raphael say, and Casey sniggered with him in the background.

I wanted to turn around and punch both of them but decided not to even acknowledge them. Instead, I remained focused on the turtle in front of me.

"Just wanted to remind you not to tell anyone of our existence," he quickly said, his eyes wide as he bit his bottom lip.

I placed a hand on my hip, giving the turtle an odd look in reply. I thought we already went over that—like 20 times.

"Got it, is that all?" I asked when he did not move.

He stuttered for a second, blushing brightly before clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck.

"Actually, I wanted to know if I could walk you home, the streets can be dangerous at this time of night..."

I smiled in reply, grateful for his kindness, but he did not need to do that. Before I could even hope to reply, Raphael and Casey's voices drifted over.

"Didn't she like kick your ass though?! Wouldn't she just be protecting you, bro?" Casey questioned as Raph howled with laughter.

Leo's face turned red from anger and he glared harshly at the two. If looks could kill, they would be seven feet under.

Donnie was also laughing, April looked like she felt bad for Leo and was glaring at the two, and Mikey—well, Mikey was on the phone with the pizza man.

"Oh, that's okay, Leonardo," I rested my hands behind my back, "I don't want to waste your time or anything—"

"My time has no limits when it comes to you!"

My face must have appeared as taken aback as I felt—there was no way I heard him right.

"What?"

"I mean, it's no trouble, really!" He coughed, unable to meet my stare and looking really embarrassed.

"Oh, well, seriously—plus, I know that your dinner is coming so..."

"At least let me walk you through the sewers, it's really easy to get lost down here, and I'll just show you the fastest way to get to your streets," he explained.

I mean, he made a good point. I had to get home quickly, and the last thing I needed was to get lost down here.

"Alrighty, sounds good," I smiled before moving past Leo.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could have sworn I saw him fist bump the air. However, when I turned around, I was met with Leo coughing awkwardly into his fist.

"Well, let's go then," he quickly scurried forward, the both of us pushing through the turnstiles and making our way through the tracks and deeper into the sewers.

Thankfully, because the turtle's lair was a little bit beyond the sewers, it did not smell too gnarly.

We walked for a few minutes in silence, other than me telling Leo the roads that would lead closest to my apartment complex. I mentally reminded myself to remove my shoes before I went inside.

After a few minutes of Leo stealing glances at me that he obviously thought I would not notice, he finally decided to break the silence, "So Hawaii?"

I was surprised.

"Excuse me?" I reeled causing Leo to look a little more nervous.

"I mean, it's just because you look Hawaiian, or appear Hawaiian in ethnicity... Oh God, that sounded racist, I am so sorry, Andi—please don't be offended!" I cut off Leo's panicked rambling with a short laugh.

He was so dorky it was cute.

"You are fine, don't sweat it," I nudged his (very muscular) shoulder, "and yes, I am Polynesian,"

Not that I remembered it, but I was born in Hawaii. In Honolulu, O'ahu, at Fort Shafter Army base in particular. My poor mother had attended my father's funeral, which was held on his home island just two days before I was born.

He died serving in Iraq, but Fort Shafter was the base that he normally was based at before he was shipped to Iraq. It was why my mother was able to have me on military grounds.

According to my mother, before we moved to New York, I had grown up in Hawaii. Up until three years ago, when I was thirteen. She even went as far as to tell me that I had been a surfer, but for some reason she never let me try it. Not that I could, the waves at the New York beach were a joke.

"I was born in Honolulu,"

Leonardo was staring at me, but I was considering just what I planned to tell this teenage mutant.

"At a military base, in fact," I explained, "my mom and I moved here just over three years ago,"

Leo was silent for a moment before asking in an almost hesitant voice, "and your father?"

I smiled, albeit it was a bit sad. Though, I cannot say I was the least bit sad as I explained it to him. It was hard to mourn someone who died before you were born, and even harder to mourn over a memory of someone you cannot remember.

"He died serving in Iraq before I was born, it's the reason I was born on that military base,"

"Oh my Gosh, I am so sorry!" Leonardo panicked, staring at me frantically.

"Oh! No, no, no! Don't worry, I don't remember anything about him," I reassured him as he looked at me sadly.

"Doesn't mean it does not hurt," he finally settled with saying, patting my shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

I gave him a grateful smile. We walked in silence for another minute before he spoke again.

"Must've been beautiful over there then?" He said though it sounded more like a question. "I've never left the city, so I wouldn't know,"

As much as I wish that I could remember Hawaii for myself, all I had was my mother's descriptions to go off of.

"It is," I started, thinking of the picture that my mother drew for me, "the sunsets and sunrises there are unbeatable—the sky turns into an array of warm colors like you would never believe," I let out a small laugh just imagining it.

"And the mountains, the way the sun hits off of them," but somewhere along the way, I could not help but realize that perhaps I was not talking about Hawaii.

And instantly, I was hit with a picture. A gorgeous picture that people would pay billions just witness one time. A picturesque sight that the greatest artists in history would kill to paint.

A sky made of purple, pink, and orange—lit by three glowing suns and at night, five different moons each set in their own direction with their own time would make the place glow. Trees with leaves of pure gold and grass that was blue. An ocean with only the most curious of animals to inhabit it. Clouds of the most wondrous of colors that protect what lie on the surface below.

Every sunrise, the mountains would shimmer and sing. There were multiple cities and villages, but one, in particular, would always stick out. A city with floating golden buildings during the day, but at the night, the gold would fade for bright white lights. And beyond each building, beyond the mountains, and the forests—there stood a great palace.

A place bigger than anything most could imagine, a place that could only be reminded of Mount Olympus.

Everything about this made-up place was beautiful, and I suddenly wondered where and why that came to my mind. This was definitely not Hawaii.

I shook my head, coming back to the moment and catching sight of Leo staring at me with admiration. I could not remember exactly what I told him about "Hawaii" but I hoped it was not anything that I just imagined.

"Wow! Is Hawaii really like that?" He sounded far more excited and based on the sparkle in his eye, I had a feeling that my description may have been a little over the top.

I pursed my lips in thought, trying to recall what the hell I just said, but I simply could not remember. Mentally, I cursed. Of course, this mutant turtle who lives in the sewers and has never left New York would be more than willing to believe me. He did not know any better.

However, instead of fixing my mistake, I gave him a smile and laughed nervously.

"Of course, that is exactly what Hawaii is like..." I could hear the waver in my own voice, but thankfully, Leo was so amazed that he did not appear to pick up on it.

Instead, he looked forward and breathed in amazement, "Woah, I hope I can go someday," he smiled.

"Me too," I muttered before Leo asked me something else.

"So, do you really not like pizza? Or were you just saying that to get out?" He said the last part a bit sadly.

Feeling bad, I quickly shook my head. "No, I really don't like pizza—Mexican food is more my style, ever been to Sí Señorita?"

"Can't say I have," he said just as we stopped by a small ladder which led to a manhole covering. He blushed and looked to me sheepishly, "but we should, uhm, get it sometime—together, just you and me, and uhm..." he was nervously trailing off.

I stared at him in confusion, why was he so nervous? All he was asking was to get some food...

I shrugged, "sounds good to me!" I chirped, hopping up on the ladder, "I'll bring some to the lair next time I come, see ya, Leonardo!"

"Oh, let me help you with that," he was motioning to the manhole covering, but stopped himself short seeing as I easily pushed it out of place, "huh?" He finally got out.

"Don't worry, Leonardo, I—"

"You can just call me Leo," he tried as I started climbing out of the sewers.

Upon reaching the surface, I took in a deep breath of fresh air. Stretching, I tilted my head into the hole with a large grin.

"Eh, I like Leonardo better, makes you sound even cooler!" I started pushing the covering back in place.

"Yo-You think I'm cool?" He sounded hopeful and I quirked a brow at that.

"Well, sure! How could you not be? See you around!" He was unable to get another word in as I closed the covering and started on my journey to my apartment complex that was a few buildings down.

Well, what a damn day.