Things Change

Prologue: Lea?

Donatello being one with a scientific mind, had always been curious about his family's true genetics. Ever since the four turtles could utter a word, their own science had been a topic of great distress and anger. After all, they were four teenage mutants that had no idea of their background.

It was originally thought that Leonardo was eldest, followed by, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Then again, it was also thought they were blood related, but that turned out to be an untrue statement as well. It turned out Raphael was actually the eldest, followed by, Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.

Ever since he regrettably revealed the truth, the four turtles had been on thin ice with one another. Especially Leonardo and Raphael. The red cladded turtle took every opportunity to rub it in the latter's face that he was in fact the eldest, much to the displeasure of the blue cladded turtle.

But when Donnie went through their bloodwork again, he was extremely surprised by another finding. One that was much more drastic.

The purple cladded turtle had been going through the charts for days, still hoping to find an error, if he was going to break the news to his brother, he'd better be sure of it or he would pay dearly. Leonardo armed with twin ninjaken, against himself with only a stick as defense, was not something he wished to happen.

"Leo, I need you to come to the lab, I really need to talk to you." Donnie said, looking at the floor and playing with his fingers. "Please."

Leonardo raised an eye ridge, but sighed, neatly placing his comic book into the coffee table. Once in the lab Leo had taken a seat and was curiously looking at Donnie's many unfinished inventions and tools.

Finally Donnie cleared his throat. "Leo have your ever felt something wasn't right?"

"We are the result of an accident induced by an alien mutagen; of course I know something is bound not to be right." The blue cladded turtle calmly replied. "Donnie?" Leonardo looked at Don's distraught face and decided to end his pain.Don, please, come straight to the point. "I am a big boy I can handle things"

Donatello broke in a nervous giggle. "Yes sure, big boy"

"Donatello!" Leo snapped trying to make his brother talk straight.

"Well, about the big boy part?" Donatello replied. "You know we are different from humans, right?"

"Really?" Leonardo says sarcastically rubbing his chin in thought. "What gave you the first hint, the green skin or the shell?"

"Well, when master Splinter found us..." The purple cladded turtle gulped nervously. "He really did not know much about turtles, for which we cannot blame him because he was a master of ninjutsu not a reptilian biologist and even them have some troubles with the traits in young reptilians, I mean for snakes they basically have to surgically verify and-"

"Donatello!" Leonardo said again in an angry tone interrupting his brother's monologue.

"Well basically you are not a..." Donatello choked on his own words. "Er, have you ever considered changing your mask to another color? I don't know maybe a pastel color? A p-pi-pi-pink one?"

Leo looked at Donnie's mask. Maybe his brother wanted to trade his purple bandanna for a blue one? He was fine either way; though if he had a choice he would go for a black one, midnight black seem cooler and a lot easier to get than the blue color one. He even had talked to Master Splinter about it, who had adamantly refused.

The blue cladded turtle finally voiced his thoughts. "You can try and change your mask color, but I must warn you I have not been very successful in my quest for a black one, I guess master Splinter still has trouble distinguishing us without the color reference." He smiled pointing at his own blue mask.

At his point Donnie was gawking. How had his brother not gotten the clues he was dropping? Perhaps their fearless leader was in denial. "Leo, you really don't get it." He let out another nervous laugh. "You were different from the rest of us from the beginning..."

"Different species?" Leo replies with a shrug. "That would explain a few things."

"Almost right, but no, what I mean...is you were..." Donatello gulped for the billionth time in five minutes. "I mean you are the same species as us but unlike us you are.....female." Another awakes laugh, man, he was being repetive. "Maybe we should call you Lea?"

Leonardo's cheeks flared red hot and his lips parted ever so slightly. "You're kidding, right? T-that can't be right...I mean..." His, well, her cheeks turned even more red in embarrassment. "I-I've got to, um....bye-!" Before Donatello could yell after her, she was gone.

"Whatever you say." He said, embarrassed to notice how femine she truly was. "Bye-Lea?"