There were few things that could truly shake Hamato Regina. Her elder sister being asleep for three weeks straight, without waking even when in heat, or to eat or use the toilet, was most certainly at the top of that list. It hadn’t bothered her too much at first, being at August’s family home while they regrouped and collected themselves had helped. It wasn’t until the fourth day of Leandra’s coma that the remaining team members began to really worry. August and Casey had never seen the turtles during the cold winter months. They didn’t know what to think. They barely knew anything about their seasonal changes—that was a blunt and rather sleepy conversation, but the two “humans” needed to know if they were going to be providing for the four reptilians—let alone their more… personal needs when certain times rolled around. They were hardly prepared to handle the turtles that weren’t comatose, even less so for the one that was!

Everyone knew that most of Lea’s recovery would be spent sleeping in the warm water of the tub, that was certain… But no told her she’d be sleeping on the ancient bathroom floor for nearly a month, with only trips down to the kitchen for a quick snack when that time rolled around and some time on the porcelain throne right after. No one told Regina that, while she and her younger sisters sleepily shuffled about at the end of the week, her Fearless Leader would be comatose in a frickin’ bathtub! Even after an hour and a half of shaking and yelling, all the poor turtle did was sleep.

“Hey, Gina.”

The sleepy mutant turned to the washroom door behind her. “Hey, Case.” she mumbled miserably.

Casey was wrapped up in aphgan, holding something that smelled… ooh, yummy…

“Aye,” Regina whined, “gimme some of that, ya’ selfish witch!” With renewed energy, and spite, she jumped to the threshold and snatched the cup of steaming goodness right out of her bestie’s hands, inhaling a delicious puff of her favorite scent: ramen noodles—the beef flavored kind, not the chicken or shrimp crap. The hum she emitted was not unexpected to the human, though the way the brutish turtle was with salty foods was still amusing. Casey merely shook her head, a smile playing on her red lips.

“Anythin’ new?” she asked, coming up behind the blonde.

“No.” Gina stated resentfully. “Leanne hasn’t moved an inch since we got here—least not while I’ve been awake… the cold doesn’t help.” the mutant twirled a forkful of noodles and gazed miserably at the leader while she ate. “I wish she would just wake up already.”

“We all do, Gin.” Casey plopped down beside the tub. “We just gotta try and keep it together, for everyone’s sake.” After a glance at the blonde’s mournful eyes, she added, “Give Lea some time, she’ll wake up when she’s ready.”

“Yeah,” the kunoichi said around a mouthful, “I guess you’re right.”

Casey stayed with her friend until the cup was empty.

“Sorry fer stealin’ your foo…” Regina yawned. “I haven’t had ‘n actual meal in days.”

Casey took the cup and silverware from the green hands with a laugh, saying something along the lines of “no sweat” on her way out, though Regina wasn’t sure if she’d heard correctly.

At the threshold, as her mutant bestie climbed back into her makeshift bed, Casey stopped to consider the teen for a moment—something she found herself doing a lot recently. There was an obvious fire in the reptile’s electric eyes, always burning and always alive. However, the flame seemed more subdued than ever, seemed to be holding on by its little finger.

Every bit of Regina seemed to be dwindling now that she really thought about it. Her thighs, while always a thicker girl, were more squish than muscle; her arms were thinner, softer; her lower plastron bulged with the slightest of pudge. It was sad, to be honest, seeing the ever powerful Hamato Regina so out of shape, knowing how foreign her body must feel. The mutant hated being out of shape.

“Take a pic’ure; lasts lon’er.”

Casey snapped her attention back to those green orbs. They looked softer when it was just the two of them. More inviting…

Before either of them knew it, the vigilante was hovering above her friend, their foreheads thumped together gently. Quiet words of comfort were shared and hands tangled in messy hair as they held each other.

“I love you…”

Casey blushed, though she wasn’t sure why. “Aw… I love ya’ too, Giny.”

“Don’ call me tha’!” Regina growled, shoving away the human.

“Gina, why—!”

“Just don’t!" she snarled, hissing lowly.

Case stood up slowly, wiping the wetness off her cheeks. When had she started crying? It didn’t matter.

“Ya’ know, Regina,” she began, “I get you miss Lea—believe me, I do—but I’m still here! I’m at least trying!"

“Casey,” the turtle gaped, “I—”

1

“Guys! Look at that! He’s the most handsome boy I’ve ever seen!” Daniela cried dreamily, leaning over the edge of the rooftop. She sighed, her heart doing a funny bud-ump-bad-ump as she shivered in the cool air.

Regina, however, was not impressed. The hot-headed teen cocked her head at her younger sister, running a hand through her golden locks in exasperation. “Isn’t he the only boy you’ve ever seen?” she asked, cocking her hip.

The genius’s face fell, her red-brown eyes turning heaven-ward with huff. “My point still stands!” she exclaimed.

2

“I’ve seen better with sword,” the ninja in front of her sassed, his amber eyes shining in the moonlight.

“But not,” Leandra began, drawing her weapon’s twin, “with two.”

3

Danny gaped at the two girls in horror, a daunting thought coming to the forefront of her mind. With wide eyes and a shaky inhale, she blew it: “You guys do realize that now there are two Reginas!?” she cried.

4

Regina clutched a fistful of her hair, tears prickling her electric eyes, before she shrieked at her sister. “You almost killed Rochelle!”

5

“Oh, come on!” Michela groaned on top of the dumpster. “She’s a pussy-cat!” she exclaimed, jumping down behind her immediate elder sister. “Who likes to grab you by the face and shake you like a rag-doll!” she laughed.

It wasn’t until Daniela’s furious gaze landed upon her that Michela shut up.

6

“We have better than bread, Petrina!” Michelangela called.

“You do?”

“Behold—” the kunoichi lifted a pizza box in front of the bird mutant—“pizza crust!” she said, opening it up.

7

“I’m Marko Gecko.” the clay and merigold colored mutant said, pointing a “suction-cupped” thumb at herself. Her grey eyes sparkling.

8

Regina gazed dazedly at the tall man in front of her. G’Throkka, or as she had dubbed him Sandro, was over six feet tall (an entire foot more than her) and must’ve weighed at least one-hundred and eighty pounds!

That’s one-hundred and eighty pounds of pure muscle, right there. She thought, swaying as he released her from his grip (those tails are useful!).

“My nose,” Regina said pensively, “will be ready.”

9

Lea looked at her human friend excitedly. What should she tell him first?

“Well, he’s really cool—” a series of excited nods came from the redheaded human in front of her—“he’s also a martial artist—” nod-nod-nod—“and, uh…” Lea hesitated, covering her mouth slightly and turning her head to the side—“He’s in the Foot Clan.”

…

A loud, ringing smack sounded as the kunoichi’s face was violently shoved the other way. August had… had… smacked her with a magazine!

“Ow!” she whined.

“Are you crazy?” he hissed furiously, bright blue eyes glaring daggers at her.

“August, he’s different!” Lea insisted. “He’s—”

“In the Foot Clan.”

“Well, yeah, but he’s—”

“In the Foot Clan!"

“Look,” Leanne started, “I know I shouldn’t be hanging out with him—”

“Yeah,” August said through his teeth, “Ya’ wanna know why? ‘Cause he’s in the Foot Clan!”

“April, she’s fun, and I’m tired of being the responsible one.” she whined. “When do I get to have fun?” she croaked.

10

“Then who’s this little lady hitchin’ a ride on your shell?” Mica giggled.

11

"Onegaishimasu." the elderst purred, her eyes glittering mischievously.

“Whatever you say.”

1

“Thank you, young turtle,” she said softly, gazing fondly at the light green mutant balancing against her knee. Yoshi had been caring for the small female turtles for a month and yet… she was the only one who had a name. That had to change. Making her way over to the box of books she had collected, Yoshi selected her favorite: History of Renaissance Art.

“When I was a child, I wanted to be an artist.”

As the four baby reptiles scampered over to her, the mutant rat knelt, her long tail giving a startled twitch as the Smart One tripped over the little one with freckles. “If you were to become young men one day,” she began, opening the hardcover to two very particular pages, “I would name you after them. But since you are not…”

Four scaled bodies plopped onto the corners, each covering a single artist. Eight black eyes gazed up at her and Smart One cooed.

“Since you are not, I shall give each of you different names.” Yoshi stated confidently. “Leandra—” a clawed finger pointed to the calm turtle—“Regina—” the emerald ball of fire—“Daniela—” to Smart One— “and Michelangela.” Finally to the smallest of the bunch. “May you be as swift as a lioness, as powerful as a queen, remember to let only those you love to judge you, and may you be completely different from all others.”

“Perhaps you will become something great.”

2

The plumper of the four giggled and swung a three-fingered fist out, humming happily  once her protector’s hand landed atop her scaled head.

“You are alright, little Regina.” Yoshi stated calmly. “Still full of fury, I see.”

3

“I used to wonder if I had the discipline and if I was caring enough to be a proper mother…

“…for any family…

“In the darkest part of our journey, I wondered if I would have another chance to be both. I wanted to be both!”

4

“Finally, in this isolated, secret chamber, we were safe.” Yoshi opened her eyes to the four young girls in front of her.

Leandra’s now midnight colored eyes gazed at her, her dry, wavy dark brown hair tied into a little ponytail with a silky sapphire blue ribbon. Beside her was Regina, her harlequin orbs wide with interest and her slightly curled golden hair braided with a small scarlet ribbon. Daniela was beside her immediate older sister (something that had been established several months prior), sedona eyes wide with awe as she stared at her mother’s face, her straight ebony locks pulled up in a ballerina bun with a violet strip. Lastly, Michelangela, Yoshi’s youngest, with her sparkling electric blue eyes, decorated with tiger orange face paint spotted around them, her thick carrot colored curls bunched around her plump face.

“And that,” Yoshi—who was now called Mother, Sensei and Okusan—began, “is how our first great adventure led us home.”

5

“So, Sensei, now that we’re fifteen, I think we’re finally ready to go to the surface, don’t you?”

She knew the question was bound to come sooner or later and had meditated on the answer many times before, though she’d expected it to come out of Regina’s mouth rather than Leandra’s. “Yes.” Yoshi stated simply. She watched her teenagers cheer before continuing, “And no.”

The kitchen was filled with unheated protests (“I hate when she does that!”).

“You have grown powerful buy you are still young.” Yoshi stood and began making her way to the wall across from the counter. “You lack the maturity to use your skills wisely.”

“So, Sensei,” Daniela began, “isn’t that just ‘no’?”

“Yes…”

“…and no. Wisdom comes from experience and experience comes from making mistakes.”

“Aha!” the sedona eyed terrapin began rubbing her chin. “So in order for us to gain the wisdom, we have to make the mistakes! So we can go!”

“No.”

“…and ‘yes’?”

"NO!"

“Sensei,” Leandra spoke up, “we know trying to protect us… but we can’t spend our whole lives hiding down here.”

…

…