Two More Turtles (TMNT Book 1)

And The Leader Is...

Sensei was meeting us when we got there. She was leaning on a wall and looking at us expectantly. “So? How’d it go?”

“I saw a brain!” Naomi announced.

“Drop it.” I muttered. “We found a dead robot.”

“Robot?” Sensei asked.

“Yeah.”

“Strange. And unusual. Did you bring it along?”

“No.” I answered, dropping my head. “I dropped it because it was too heavy and Naomi started screaming.”

“I don’t scream…” Naomi said defensively from over in the main room. I didn’t even see her walk over there…

“I heard you.” I said.

“That wasn’t me.”

Silence…

“Well, night,  Sensei!” Naomi called out, going elsewhere.

We watched her go when Sensei looked at me.

“What?” I asked.

“I think we need a leader out of you two.” she replied.

“Why? I think it’s obvious.”

“Perhaps, but I think Naomi should.”

“I was thinking that too. I think I would be… Wait, Naomi?!” I exclaimed. “But, why? She gets into everything she’s not supposed to!”

“Yes,” Mii-wa said. “But she has potential to become something like you if she had some responsibility.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked.

“No, I‘m not, Mikito.”

More silence…

“Did I hear what I thought I heard?” Naomi called from where she was at. Her head popped out from behind a corner.

“Yes, Naomi, you’re going to be the leader of you two.” Sensei explained.

Now Naomi was silent. Creepy…

“Naomi!” I called out to her. She looked at me. “Let’s fight.”

She grinned and ran to the dojo, grabbing her staff from her shell. I followed her, unsheathing both swords. I was serious this time. I wasn’t going to loose.

I entered the dojo and Naomi was nowhere to be seen. I stepped in farther, circling around to see if I could see her move at all. Movement to my right made me jump over, slashing out, but hitting nothing.

“Yah!” Naomi shouted behind me, whacking me in the back with that metal staff of hers.

“Ow!” I growled. “That hurt!”

“You told me to fight.” she pointed out, twirling her staff unentertaining in the middle of the room. I ran at her, slashing out with both swords, making them cross outward from an X. Naomi jumped up, used her hand to propel herself behind me, using my head!

Turning on her, I yelled and stabbed at her, which she blocked with her staff. I slashed my other sword toward her and she used the other end of her staff to block it. Then she stepped back and kicked out, tripping me. Quickly, I rolled backward and used my swords to jump back up.

“Nice.” Naomi commented, still where she was.

“Aw, shut it.” I sighed. “why aren’t you taking this seriously?”

“I am.” she said. “You just don’t know it.”

“What?” I asked as I heard an unhealthy sound coming from my swords. My left one had a dent in it and the right one a scratch.

I look up and Naomi had her small knife coming from her staff. “You missed a spot on your shell.”

I looked down and saw the strap that held my double-swords slashed and hanging by a thread. Looking back at Naomi, she was gone.

She’s changed by that one minute talk…