Remember. [TMNT 2012]

Chapter 15; Elizabetta

Song: Sixteen - Real Friends

I sit in Donatello's lab. The purple-clad turtle fixes up the cut on my hand while Michelangelo talks about a comic he read.

"... And then the Squirrelanoids came out of nowhere, plucking the team off one by one until there was only one dude left!"

I give him a look that suggests he has gone mad. "And why did you read that? It sounds disturbing."

"It's even more disturbing when you've actually lived it," Donatello puts in. "That could have easily been one of the strangest missions we've ever had."

"But you guys didn't get picked off, because you all are still alive," I comment. I'm not sure if Donatello is pulling my leg or not. There's no way something out of a comic book can come true.

"Only because Mikey had a stroke of genius and saved us," Donatello answers, and I am even more certain he's not telling the truth.

The purple-clad turtle releases my hand. It's wrapped in several strips of white cloth. "There ya go! How did you get that cut, anyway?" he asks as he rolls his chair back to his desk to clean up.

"Oh, you know, just grabbed the wrong end of my dagger by mistake," I say. I don't bother telling them the whole truth. Somehow, it feels wrong to. I also have a gut feeling that Leonardo doesn't want them to know about our late-night training session.

"Look!" Michelangelo holds out his hands to show me he has similar cloth wrapped around his hands. "Hey, D! You should put another bandage on her other hand so she matches us!"

"Mikey, I have better things to do than to decorate her hands with important supplies," Donatello replies as he goes back to messing with his memory gadget.

"Fine, then I will!" Michelangelo snatches a roll of the white bandages off of the desk. He cuts off a long strip and wraps it around my other hand. He finishes and gives me a triumphant grin. "Aw, yeah! You're one of us now!"

I laugh as he touches his hands to mine dramatically. "Beautiful," I say.

"Mikey!" Donatello glares at his little brother. "Stop wasting the first-aid stock! We might need those for a real emergency one day."

"Relax, dude, I'm done with it anyway," Michelangelo responds casually as he tosses the cloth back onto the desk. "Come on," the orange-clad turtle adds as he pulls me to my feet. "Let's go show the other guys!"

I smile and follow him out of Donatello's lab, calling a 'thank you' over my shoulder. The techy-turtle is too engrossed in his machine to reply.

As soon as we're out of the laboratory, Michelangelo and I walk right by Leonardo. Michelangelo grabs his brother's arm to stop him, his own face ecstatic.

"Look at Lizzy's hands!" he exclaims gleefully. "They're just like ninjas!"

Leonardo looks down at my hands and smiles slightly. "That's great, Mikey."  He seems stiff. I assume it's because Michelangelo has no idea we trained behind his back.  I share his misgivings; it feels weird to keep it from the happy little turtle.

"I know right! It was my idea." Michelangelo puts his hands on the sides of his shell and lifts his head proudly.

Leonardo and I exchange amused glances. "It was all him," I agree with a shrug.

"Where's Raph?" Michelangelo asks the blue-clad turtle. "I wanna show him her hands!"

I really do not like that idea. The thought of showing Raphael something goofy makes me feel self-conscious. But I know I don't have a choice, unless I'm willing to upset Michelangelo.

"I haven't seen him," Leonardo replies. "He's probably still asleep."

"I'll wake him up!" Michelangelo darts away without another word.

"Wait! Mikey, don't-" Leonardo stops and shakes his head when he realizes he's too late. "He's gonna regret that."

We stand there in a short silence. Taking advantage of being alone with him, I decide to ask the turtle a question I can't ask with Michelangelo around.

"When's our next training session?" I look up at Leonardo hopefully.

His blue eyes sparkle with surprise. "You mean you want to practice with me again?" He makes it sound like it's a life or death situation. Well, it was last time, but that won't happen again... Right?

"Of course!" I reply happily. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I just thought I scared you too much," Leonardo confesses, scratching the back of his head. "I'm still sorry about that, by the way." His cheeks turn a light pink color.

I don't understand how an accident can embarrass him so much. "You can make it up to me by giving me another lesson," I tell him, a playful tone to my voice.

Leonardo picks up on it and nods. "Tonight, then. Be prepared."

"Right," I say happily.

As soon as we begin to part ways, Michelangelo runs toward us. He screams, "DUDE AND DUDETTE! HELP!" Right behind him is Raphael, his face fixed into a scowl and his sais in his hands.

"MIKEY! I'M GOING TO END YOU!"

They run in circles around us. Leonardo has an overly-annoyed expression on his face. He looks like he might kill them himself.

Leonardo seems to wait a few moments in case it solves itself. When it doesn't, he reaches out and nabs Michelangelo by the tails of his bandana. He holds the turtle up in the air.

"What happened?" the blue-clad turtle asks them.

Raphael speaks up first. "This idiot dumped water all over me while I was sleeping!" Only then do I realize that he is soaked to the core and dripping. "I'm going to feed him to the fishes," he snarls, barely restraining himself from pouncing on his younger brother.

"I was only trying to wake you up so I could show you something cool!" Michelangelo yelps, still dangling in the air by his bandana.

"What is it, then?" Raphael asks, his annoyance foaming at his lips.

Michelangelo points to my hands. "Her hands look like ours now," he says. His eyes are wide with fear instead of pride when he talks about them.

Raphael stares at my hands for a long time. Finally, he turns his piercing green gaze back on Michelangelo.

"Let me get this straight," he begins. "You woke me up with water so you could show me her hands are covered in cloth?"

"Not just any cloth, Raph!" Michelangelo squeaks, holding up a hand as an example. "Our cloth!"

Raphael clenches his fists tightly around his sais. "The next time you see pizza, you're gonna be the toppings on it!" He growls and launches himself at the orange-clad turtle.

Without really thinking about it, I grab one of Raphael's arms to hold him back. I tug against his biceps, successfully preventing him from advancing on Michelangelo, though I don't know how I manage it. I flinch when he turns his furious green eyes on me.

"That's enough, Raph." Leonardo sets Michelangelo down on the side his attempted murderer isn't on. "Go dry off and get ready for training. Mikey, you go get Donnie and warm up."

Even though we aren't close, I know Leonardo well enough to see what he is doing. He is putting Donatello with their younger brother to make sure Michelangelo has back up if Raphael goes after him again. It's a clever plan, honestly. I wonder if he comes up with ideas like that often.

Michelangelo disappears into Donatello's laboratory. Raphael casts me a look unmistakably full of resentment before leaving the room.  I'm probably going to pay for my interference later.

"I'd better beat them to the dojo." Leonardo gives me a polite nod and heads off as well.