TMNT: Secrets of the Sewers

The First of Many

There were very few things the Hamato siblings enjoyed more than a nightly training run across the rooftops of New York City. From getting up out of the sewers, to the adrenaline of the chase, to the open air of the night sky, there were some many things to enjoy about these 'midnight runs'. Really it was the best thing about being a ninja turtle. On this particular night, the turtles were just coming to the end of the training part of their evening, Hisako stretching and taking in the night air for the umpteenth time that evening.

"Gotta say guys," she remarked, coming out of a particularly long stretch. "I never thought I'd be so happy to return to training."

The turtles all shared a smile, remembering how Hisako had practically begged Master Splinter to let her join them on their training run. Mikey was practically convinced that she used a 'Jedi mind trick' to get her way. However, that had been quickly shot down by Leo's counterargument that 'only the weak willed could be influenced like that'.

"So what now guys?" Raph asked. "Because I think I speak for all of us when I say that I don't want to head in just yet."

Mikey's stomach let out a loud grumble, much to everyone's amusement.

"I think that answers that question." Leo chuckled.

"Last one to Mario Brothers hatched from a rotten egg!" Hisako suddenly shouted.

Before anyone could react, Hisako had shot across the rooftop, already jumping onto the next building. The brothers all watched her go, then grinned in a combination of exhilaration and determination. Competitions like this were commonplace nowadays, especially with Hisako's self-confidence on the rise. However, while they were willing to let her enjoy her victories, she would have to earn them.

"You heard her, guys." Leo announced.

One by one, each of the turtles took off, taking their own shortcuts in an attempt to pass up their sister.

Donnie took to the power lines, using his Bo staff to glide across them like a zip line. When he ran out of those, he swung along the various clothes lines that ran across the rooftops. He calculated that his increased speed would aid him in traversing the vast city in less time than it would take to run.

Mikey leapt down from one lower rooftop to another until he was near street level. He then leapt onto the roof of a large semi-truck and proceeded to ride that down the highway.

"Hey I think I invented truck surfing." Mikey proclaimed, riding the vehicle.

Raph barreled across the rooftops, making a beeline for the pizzeria. He knocked aside various rooftop furniture and clothes lines that blocked his path, refusing to let Hisako beat him.

"If she wins, she's gonna rub it in all our faces all night!" he growled. "No way am I gonna let that happen."

Leo made his way to street level and started jumping from lamppost to lamppost. He kept mostly undeterred from his goal, that is, until he saw something that made him stop dead in his tracks. In a garage on a mostly empty street, a familiar head of pink hair was bent over a motor bike.

"Wait a second." he muttered. "Was that-?"

He backed up, perching on one of the lamps and peering down at the small garage that had its doors wide open. Right in the middle of the garage was Karai, her pink hair tied up in a messy bun with several strands of it hanging in her face. She was wearing an oil-stained jumpsuit, a bandanna, and her face was covered in grime, but there was no denying it was her.

Seeing Karai again made Leo's heart skip a few beats as he was reminded of the fun the two had last time. It seemed he hadn't forgotten about her after all.