Chapter 8. The Catalyst

A/N: Once again, sorry to take so long with this story. SO STRESSED! Working on almost twenty different pieces of writing right now, both updates to other stories and new fanfictions I've thought of out of the blue. It's so rough, because I also have to finish the third semester for my associate's degree. Very hard!

Things are about to get a little rough here. I've been building up to this confrontation since chapter 2, so hope you like it. Also, I plan to add a few OC character soon, so if anyone would like to volunteer any names or possible personality traits, I welcome any and all suggestions. They will be important in the take down of the Kraang.

…

Given the number of anxieties and problems Leonardo was juggling in his life these days, you'd assume he'd be more prepared in the event where the shit hit the fan. That he would take into account all the things that could go wrong and have a solution to put a stop to it or fix it like any good leader should.

Yet, somehow, he wasn't, and he didn't.

The day had started as regularly as it had since April came to live with them. Since the gift from Mikey and the chance to shed the Kraang's effect on her just a little bit, the redhead had been a little more open to them. Well, compared to how she had been before, she was more open. She now watched Space Heroes with them, didn't need much prompting to eat and generally went along with whatever Mikey wanted to do, whether it was messing with Donnie's inventions behind his back (she always took the blame and offered to fix them, which Donnie accepted with a swooning smile) or mess with Raph a little (Leo had only found that out when he noticed April subtly switching his sais for chopsticks).

It was starting to become the norm, having her here. Eventually, you stopped focusing on where April came from as well as why she was here and started seeing her for who she was. And she was smart, beautiful and a little lost. So it made sense for her to become friends with the turtles because it was a hero's duty to help the damsels in distress.

Nowadays, there were times where the girl would twitch her lips at their antics, but they were rare, and never resulted in a genuine smile. But, things were still peaceful in their home, as everyone had no real problem with April living with them. Except for Raphael.

And by the time they had realized the implications of such animosity towards their guest would be, it was too late.

…

Raph generally didn't panic. He had little bouts of fear that was quickly dispelled, but he has never actively panicked. The only thing that would ever really scare him was the threat against his brothers, but that was immediately dealt with. And of course, the well-being of his pet turtle, Spike.

Since he was about ten years old and had found Spike in the sewers, he had always taken care of him. He was his sole confidant, a brother he didn't share with Leo or the others. The unmutant version of himself was someone he held in high regards and very much cared for.

So when he could find him after he had woken up that morning, he immediately became frantic. Throughout meals, training and the free time they had, the red-masked turtle searched for his little friend, barely hearing that April hadn't come out of the lab all day. (Donnie gave her permission when she had requested more books). He could scarcely drag himself away to go on patrol, heavily distracted on the trip. It was after he had almost fallen off a building that Leo advised (ordered) they go back to the lair and for Raph to find Spike.

After tearing apart the pit and kitchen in desperation, hours after everyone had gone to bed, Raph was basically at the end of his rope. Had he run away? Nah, he had years to do that. Could Spike be hurt somewhere? There's been no lessening of the leaves Raph had left out to lure the smaller turtle out, so maybe he was too weak to find him. Oh, what if he never saw Spike again? Raph could feel himself fall to his knees, pressing despair filling his stomach. He could almost hear the sound of him crunching leaves now the way he—

Raph blinked. Wait. He really could hear the sound of leaves being eaten, the way Spike always did. And it was coming from Donnie's lab. Moving to his feet and rushing to the lab, Raph ran in to see an unusual sight.

Spike was nestled on a rolled up scarf, comfortably being fed leaves by none other than April O'Neil, who looked much more animated than Raph or any of the other turtles had ever seen her with a small and warm smile on her face. The two occupants of the room looked up at his abrupt entrance, surprise clear on their faces.

Not caring about anything but the sweet relief he felt, Raph moved forward, grabbing his turtle and delicately nudging him against his face. "Spike! Oh, I was so worried, what—" Stopping suddenly as he realized something, Raph set Spike down and turned to face the redhead with dark suspicion on his face. "What are you doing with him?"

April's face was back to being closed, only answering, "I was feeding him. You saw that."

Barely stopping himself from grabbing a sai and attacking, Raph growled, "Who the heck gave you permission to touch my turtle? Whoever said you could look at my turtle?"

"He was resting on my stomach when I woke up this morning. I didn't know—"

And that when the red-masked turtle exploded. "I don't care! You had no right to take him. And you especially had no right to keep him with you and not tell me!"

Here the redhead's face hardened, making her look slightly scary, but Raph was too far gone to care. "I didn't know he belonged to you. And I was given permission to treat this house like it's my own."

The turtle snorted harshly, "Yeah, well just because the others want to be clueless and stupid, doesn't mean I'm going to be. So consider that permission revoked by me, got it sweetcheeks?"

"You call your brothers stupid," April observed quietly. "Why? For trusting me? For treating me nicely?"

"You bet I think they're stupid! We found you in a Kraang prison, and they seem to be under the erroneous impression that you're a victim. That you're harmless. Well I know, and you know what you are, and it ain't no victim."

"Oh? Then what am I, Raphael? Please enlighten me." Came April's cold challenge. Raph was more than eager to reply it. "You're a Kraang tool. A weapon. Something deadly and poisonous, meant to help take down the human race. That's even the only reason my brothers decided to let you stay so the Kraang won't get you. They seem to pity you, so they're willing to burden themselves with keeping you in the lair, with welcoming you into our lives so that you can't destroy the earth. You're a convenience to them and us, and this will never be your home, just like you'll never be a part of this family. And that's never going change."

And then the red-masked mutant left with his little turtle, not realizing the damage he had caused or the stiff posture of the April O'Neil. Or, for the first time since she had begun living with them, her expression was that was intense anger.

…

The next morning found Mikey up early, yawning widely as he dazedly made his way to the living room. "Morning, April." He called absentmindedly, walking past the living pit to the kitchen, rummaging the refrigerator and cabinets to find ingredients. "Hey, want to try pancakes today? They're like the waffles, except not as hard and a lot easier to make if you ask me. So, what do you say, girl?"

When there was no answer after a few moments, Mikey looked to the couch in confusion, surprised to see the blankets were still up. The redhead was usually up before any of them, always sporting those bags under her eyes like she hadn't slept in days.

"April? Pancakes?" There was still no reply. Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Mikey walked to the bundle of sheets, reaching out a tentative hand to the girl. "Hey, wake up, April, come on!" The orange-masked turtle was surprised to feel light sheets and a pillow under the blankets. "April…"

Leo was peacefully dozing in his bed when his door busted open. The sudden noise shocked the turtle so much he rolled off the bed, landing hard on the floor. Looking up while trying to catch his breath, Leo was surprised to see Mikey looking very worried. "Mikey, what—"

"Leo, April's gone!" That got Leo to be more active and wide awake.

…

"Where is she?!" Leo demanded somewhat frantically. Everyone had come to meet in the pit, even Splinter, who was standing in the doorway of the dojo. Donnie was pacing, Mikey was sitting and looking worried, while Raph had his arms crossed and avoiding making eye contact.

"I don't know! The last time I saw her was when we went on patrol." The four all remembered when the redhead came to see them off before rushing back to the lab. Rather than disturb her, the boys decided to let her be for the day. "And her clothes, bag and that book she was reading are all missing!"

"So she… left?!" Donnie said, looking betrayed. "But… why? If there were ever a time she would leave, it would have been within the two weeks she was staying here. April had no real reason to trust us then. So why now, when she was just getting used to us?"

"Do you think the Kraang found her again? Could they have snuck in and taken her?" Donnie shook his head at their leader's question. "Unlikely. Why take her stuff too? Besides, there would at least be signs of a struggle because even if her home had been with them, I pretty sure she liked staying with us more. At least," here Donnie looked contrite and disappointed, "I thought she did."

"Oh, oh! Maybe some mutant showed up, and in order to save us, she went all fighter girl on them and grabbed her stuff so we wouldn't suspect how much she loves us. You know, the way Raph always does when—" And here Raph, who had been silently listening to the chatter and progressively growing more and more frustrated, exploded.

"Okay, first of all, that little gingersnap is nothing like me. Second, she left because I told her to." The brothers turned to her with identical looks of disbelief.

"W-Why would you do that?!" Donnie asked in shock. Raph snorted harshly, "Because unlike you little bleeding-hearts, who are under some asinine impression that she's this sweet and innocent victim, I know the truth. She's a weapon, a tool for them, and us pretending it's anything else for us will just make us forget why we're doing any of this. This is war, and she is someone we were keeping as a convenience so the Kraang wouldn't have her. And I was more than happy to set the record straight for her."

There was a long moment where the three brothers could only stare at the red-masked turtle with similar expressions of horror and disappointment. "Wow, Raph. I knew you were a jerk. I just didn't realize how big of a jerk you are." Donnie said lowly.

Raph growled, "No one asked for your opinion, Pointdexter. And I don't care what you guys think, I did the right thing. Now she's out of our lives, and we don't have to know or care where she went."

"So, in your book, yelling at a girl, who's been trapped her whole life by malicious alien creeps who turned her into a living weapon, about how she's not wanted and her leaving as a result of that when you know she has nowhere else to go and has no idea what New York City is like, is a victory?" Leo questioned incredulously.

"Hey, that wasn't what hap—" But here, Leo exploded, "That's exactly what happened! You hurt someone whose just as much a victim in this whole thing as the other mutants, and you practically kicked her out! You never stop to think how your words could hurt or whether what you say is even justified. You just feel, and you act. And that's what makes you the biggest ass out of all of us. And you can treat us that way, you can even treat Splinter that way, but if you ever treat a friend like that again and I'll kick your butt so hard, you'll have to use your hands to sit!"

All three brothers looked at their oldest brother in shock, stunned silent at their leader's uncharacteristic exclamation. Especially Raph, who could think of nothing to say after that monologue.

"Now if you excuse me, I have to think so I can find an effective way to clean up your mess. Again!" And then he stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him. There was a deafening silence after that.

"Wow, Raph, you've finally accomplished the impossible. You made Leo loose his cool. Congratulations, bro." Mikey didn't sound very happy as he moved to his room as well. Raph turned to Donnie who was simply staring at him as though he was looking for something.

"What? Nothing to yell at me too?" Raph demanded, unwilling to show how deeply the words had cut or how much he was starting to seriously doubt if his course of actions towards April had been right after all. The smartest of the brothers just shook his head and went to his lab.

Huffing to himself, the red-masked turtle turned to see Master Splinter standing outside the dojo, eyebrows raised and casually stroking his bread. It was obvious he had heard everything that had been said between the four brothers. Raph couldn't help the shame that filled his stomach at the look his father was shooting him. "Sensei, I—"

But rather than listen to anything Rapheal had to say, the rat silently turned and walked away, the sound of his cane continuously hitting the ground reminding the red-masked turtle just how alone he was now.

…

April couldn't say living with the Kraang as her caretakers was all that pleasant in the least. Her days were generally full of experiments of the painful and intrusive nature, and long hours of entertaining herself while stuck in an empty room with nothing in it. Boring at best, unbearable at times. However, she at least knew what her purpose there had been.

The alien brains had always made it abundantly clear that she was a means to an end, a tool that they would use how they saw fit. That she wasn't allow to laugh, to cry, to feel in anyway unless they approved of it. And while it had been tiring living like that, she never had a reason to think it wasn't a normal way of living. As far as she could tell, her upbringing was a way of life, and no one had ever refuted that conclusion she had come to.

And then she had been kidnapped. By four ninja turtles who had scared her at first but then offered her a home and a life where she had TV and reading. Where she could cook her own meals and wear her own clothes. Where she had people that smiled at her for no reason other than because she had walked into the room. And after living that way for two months, she hd felt like she could trust them to see her as more than a tool. They were aware she was a living and feeling person and that she had her own likes and deserved to be happy.

And she was happy. Maybe still a little weary and uncomfortable, but between Donnie's shyness, Mikey's friendliness and Leo's politeness, April had felt like she had become a part of a family, albeit reluctantly. Even Splinter, while keeping his distance, took the time to smile at her in the mornings she was up before the turtle brothers were.

The only person who had never seem to give her a chance was Raph. That turtle was always glowering at her, like she had spat in his face or destroyed his most prized possession. She had never understood it, although she had been relieved to have it in her life in her new home. As weird as it would sound to anyone else, his treatment had been the reason she felt so comfortable with the other turtles. He had been like the Kraang and the other people that visited, and that had made her less suspicious of the other members of this strange group.

April had had hopes she would gain his friendship as time passed (or at least be eventually seen as someone worth being friendly to), but she could now see that would never happen. And so she had to go. At the moment she was dressed in Mikey's gift, a black shoulder bag with her limited things hanging across her body and wearing her black books. She had used a rubber band to tie her hair up into a high ponytail and was now standing before a manhole to the world above.

Finding it hadn't been easy, but since she wasn't being hunted down by any person (or mutant turtle), she had found it a lot sooner than the last time she fled into the sewers. She could see the daylight flooding through the cover and tried to slow her breathing down as she prepared to do this.

Living in an enclosed building all her life, she had never actually seen day or night for herself. Books couldn't give her an accurate illustration and it's not like the Kranng or any scientists would tell her if she asked. So this was her chance. To see the world for herself. To finally see what every other normal citizen witnessed every day.

Taking a moment to breathe deeply and relax her body tension and expression, the girl climbed the ladder to the manhole cover, hesitating for just a moment before she pushed at it and climbed out to the world above.

At first, the light was too bright. She couldn't see where she was or anything because the light was overpowering her vision (not that she would know where she was even if she could see). It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, although they still very much hurt from witnessing such a strong sensation for the first time in her life.

It was probably the sun above. She knew from her books to never look directly up at it, as it could spoil your vision permanently. She could tell from the fact that the area she was in was secluded that she was in a place called an "alley". And then she saw the city. The blue sky with the fluffy, white clouds in it. The people that were walking in front of her and chatting, completely unaware of the fact that April was there.

She looked up at the sky, face still expressionless as one thought passed through her head.

So this is what Mikey meant when he said New York was beautiful…

…

Waiting till the night came was a huge drag for the turtles. Mikey had wanted to start looking immediately, and Donnie had been inclined to agree with him, but Splinter had to talk that idea down. Regrettably, if the slight frown on his face was any indication. So the four waited in the main living pit, impatient to get out and find April.

Raph was on probation and currently being subjected to the silent treatment unless it had to do with their current mission. His own version of apologies hadn't worked and not even Mikey was willing to smile at him or even play a prank. Not liking feeling the full force of his brothers' exasperation, the red-masked turtle had stay locked in his room with his pet turtle, Spike, unable to deduce how things ended up like this.

Why the heck were they sticking up for the little gingersnap anyway? She could be pure evil, for crying out loud! Yet, they were all acting like he had personally taken away something they loved and gotten rid of it for good. Ridiculous.

Although… isn't that exactly what he had done? He had seen Spike with April and had taken the opportunity to spit out every hurt thing he had thought since she had shown up. He hadn't really cared how she felt after his little dressing down, he had simply wanted her to hurt. For putting his family in this position. For just coming into their lives with no regard to what the impact of her presence here would be.

And then she just left? I mean, who does that?! Didn't she see that the others were getting used to here. Didn't she see how Leo made time to watch Space Heroes with her, even if she didn't seem to get the show at all? Didn't she see the way Donnie can't take her eyes off her some days and would always shower her with books and other interesting things to get her attention? Did she know how Mikey looked when she was around, like Christmas came early or something?

And then she just left. Like none of that mattered to her.

But… was that really her fault? He was hostile to her from the beginning. He had never really given her a chance, despite both Leo and Splinter's request to do so. And everyone else had. Enough so that they all saw a friend where he saw a liability.

Raph was aware of how difficult he could be, despite pretending to be perfect. He was short-tempered, too much of a loner, had a tendency to overreact… well, you get the point. But one thing he will say in favor of himself was that he always strived to fix his mistakes.

Even if his brothers never talked to him again and his father was seriously considering disowning him, he would do what he would have to in order to fix his mistakes. Meaning he would find April O' Neil and he would make it known that he was regretting his actions and how sorry he was.

By the time the night rolled in, he was resolute. He had his mission, not just to fix the mistake he made with the girl, but with his brothers as well. So, he was going to work as hard as ever to do what he had to in order to set things right. Just like a good friend and brother should.

…

April was pretty sure she was lost. But, since she didn't really know any of the streets or places of New York, she should probably say she was still lost.

The first few hours of being out in the open had been spent looking around at the sights of the city around her. She had observed so many shops and people of all colors and ages idling by on the streets. It was unlike anything she had ever seen for herself. It almost made her feel… content. It was nice to finally be in a normal environment with no aliens, no test and no mutants.

But she hadn't really paid attention to the time or where she was going, so it surprised her when she left a small shop full of books only to find the sky was now dark and the streets were mostly empty. She was just trying to decide whether to go left or right when she heard a scuffle happening nearby. Moving quietly to the alley next to the bookstore, she stuck her head in to see three men dressed in black and purple harassing a man with small circle glasses and a cook's outfit.

"Don't make me ask you again, old man," One particularly small one asked as he loomed over the elder, "Give us all the money and groceries you've got, and we won't break every bone in your body." April could see there were two brown bags in the assaulted man's hand, probably holding what the gang wanted.

The man seemed steady despite his current situation, resolute as he said firmly, "No." The three men shared a malicious chuckle at the man's resistance. "Big mistake, old man…"

April didn't think. She knew the man was about to be attacked and get his hard earned money and food stolen by the three bullies. She couldn't stay hidden when he needed help. She stepped out, shouting loudly, "Hey!"

The four men all turned to look at her, the three men looking relieved once they saw it was just a girl. "Well hey there, cutie. What do you want?" The leader of them spoke while the other giggled around him. April ignored his question, voice firm, "Leave him alone."

They all were even more amused at that, sharing another laugh. "And whose gonna make us, girlie? You?"

The red-head didn't answer. There was nothing more to say. Swift action would need to be taken. She got into a position even an amateur would recognize as a fighting stance. Made evident by the fact the three harassers figured it out.

"Hey, no one wants a fight with you, sweetheart. But if you're going to be difficult," The leader turned his head towards his two bigger comrades, "Get her!"

One of the buffed man rushed at her, fist thrush out. April grabbed his arm, kneed him in the stomach and roundhouse kicked him back into the wall. The other two men could only stare wide-eyed at their fallen teammate. "Uh, whatever. We'll still take you down." He nodded to the other much stronger guy who lunged at her with the same reckless air as his other friend. She kicked out her leg to stop his movement, then punched him so he would be slightly unbalanced. Then she punched him in the stomach, sending him groaning to the ground. She stood back up to face the last goon with a neutral expression on her face, while the man was putting forth a lot of bravado that was clearly forced.

"Fine, I'll take care of you myself." He declared as he pulled out a machete from the back of his ripped jeans, running at her with the weapon, ready to swing at her. She simply ducked herself back till her upper body was at a ninety degree angle, missing the weapon by a lot of inches, before she righted herself up, grabbed the man by the lapel of his vest and smashed her head to his face. He moaned as he fell to the floor, down for the count. She only spared the men one last look before she grabbed her bag and moved to the elderly man that was huddled against the wall.

"Are you alright, sir?" She asked in a monotone voice. The man turned his head to face her, expression showing relief. "I am fine, miss. I can only assume you're the one who came to my rescue. Thank you very much. I would have handled it myself, but I'm blind and could only focus on securing my food."

The redhead studied him, finally realizing why he had such covered sunglasses. "Happy to help. I should get going now. Goodbye." She was about to move past him when his arm shot out, stopping her in her tracks. Her first instinct was to attack, but when she saw how earnest the man looked, she could feel herself relax. This man meant her no harm.

"Wait, miss. You saved me just now. The least I can do is repay you. My restaurant isn't far from here. How about a free meal, on the house?" Just as April was about to decline, due to not knowing for sure if she could trust the man, her stomach started growling quite ferociously. The man's face twisted into a victorious expression. "How about you take one bag of groceries and we can walk to my shop together. I am Mr. Murokami, by the way."

Taking the brown bag of food, April began waking beside the man, saying softly, "And my name is April."

…

Well, here it is, chapter 8. Hope you liked April beating up the Purple Dragons and her meeting with the blind chef that will eventually be a friend of all the turtles. I always wondered how April and him met, so this is my own version. Also, Raph's a jerk, isn't he? Don't worry, he redeems himself, and soon April will be back with the turtles and their rat master. For now, I hoped you enjoyed this addition.

Next up will be the introduction of Karai to this story, as well as the connection between April and Shedder. Until then, read my other stories when you can. I will finally be posting chapter three of my Miraculous fanfic Liar Liar, which I have been neglecting because honestly it was a bit hard to write. I apologize for that.

I also recently posted a Henry Danger, RWBY and a few other stories, including a one-shot for Welcome to the Wayne and American Dragon: Jake Long. Check it out, as I could really use more feedback for those stories.