RWBY: TMNT

Chapter XII

The turtles opened the entrance to the lair.

Leonardo and Donatello scanned the lair for Splinter. There was no sign of him.

"I don't see him," Leo whispered. "Donnie?"

"I'm not seeing him either," Donatello said.

"So he's not here!" Michelangelo said, pushing past Leo and Donnie.

Everyone else shushed him.

"Alright," Leo said, stepping in front of Mike, "fall in, quietly!"

The turtles crept through the lair, making their way down the stairs, and to the dojo.

"Guys," Mike whispered, "think about this for a moment... we just talked... to a girl!"

The turtles shushed him.

"If Master Splinter catches us, he's going to send us back to the Ha'shi!" Leo hissed, turning around to set his ninjatōs in place on the wall.

"I ain't goin' back to the Ha'shi," Raphael whispered, putting his sais in place.

"Man, every time we're in the Ha'shi, it's your fault!" Mike said.

"Well," Raph grumbled, "you won't have to worry 'bout me draggin' you down soon."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mike asked.

"I'm goin' alone," Raph whispered, "first chance I get."

"How we gonna finish our Non-Descript Winter Holiday Hip Hop Album, bro? You're the hype man!"

Leo shushed Mike, but Mike shushed him back. Raph turned to Mike to shush him, while Donnie shushed him from the other side. Mike shushed at Raph, sending spit into his eye, and Raph quickly turned around to shush Leo, before turning back to see Mike shushing Donnie. He turned Mike around to shush at him, before shoving him aside to shush Donnie.

Leo pulled Raph back. "Shh! He's not going anywhere! We all stick together!"

"Sorry I got spit in your eye, bro," Mike whispered to Raph.

"Uh... guys?" Donnie said.

The others turned to Donnie, seeing him looking behind them with a frightened expression. When they saw a light hit the wall, they immediately felt the same fear as they realized what was happening.

Splinter stared at the turtles from behind, and shot out his tail, swiping Leo under his feet.

"Where have you been?!" he ordered.

"We were, uh..." Raph started, only for Splinter to wrap his tail around his neck, before dropping him to the ground.

"I forgot to soak my retainer!" Donnie said, trying to run away, only for Splinter to swipe his tail under his feet.

"Mikey's sleep-walking!" Splinter turned to see Mike pretending to sleep-walk his way to his room. "Mikey's sleeping! And walking! He's totally innocent!"

Splinter knocked Mike off his feet using his tail, more enraged than ever before.

"Enough!" he yelled. "You disobeyed a direct order! Why did you go above ground?! What happened?!"

None of the turtles answered. Not even Leonardo, though there was a clear look of shame as he kept his mouth shut.

"Fine," Splinter said. "If that's how it's going to be... to the Ha'shi!"

The turtles immediately groaned in frustration...