Imaginary Friend

Training

"One more time!"

Three groans could be heard ringing around the dojo. The turtles had been doing simple katas and fighting techniques, their master teaching them both individually and in groups. 

Mikey had to admit, training was really cool! You learned how to jump and dodge, and kick and punch, and a really neat trick called 'disappearing in the shadows', but he hadn't mastered it yet. Raph was the most advanced out of al of them, and it made sense, since he had been training since long before Mikey was born, and now, with 13 years of age, he showed a promising future as a ninja and sai wielder. Donnie, too. His immediate older brother preferred doing weird mathematical equations and chemistry stuff than fighting, but the 11 year old was really good with his bo staff too. Mikey himself was not bad with his nunchucks, and he could jump really high and was really fast, but he got distracted too easily, as master Splinter said. 

Training was cool, but it started being un-cool after 3 hours of training. Three whole hours! Mikey could barely stand to be quiet and listen for 3 minutes, how could he resist three hours? The 9 year old was already tired, sweaty, and bored out of his mind, and he was only still up because he kept baiting himself with the promise of video games after training. A promise that, with Splinter's latest order, looked to be fading more and more. He sighed loudly, melodramatically, hoping for his sensei to be touched by his puppy eyes and to let them rest, but no such luck. The only response he got was a 'shush Mikey' from his final and eldest brother, Leonardo.

Leonardo had grown up in pace with them, and now, since Mikey knew they all were 2 years older than the other, he placed Leo in the age of 15. Just the proper age to 'lead the Hamato clan', as master Splinter put it. The thought made him frown. He said that, but the old rat had still named Raph leader of the team, and not Leo, in spite of the latter's obviously better skills. Mikey had tried to make him understand, and tried suggesting Leo for the spot, but he had only received concerned (?) glances and a mocking laugh from Raph. Sensei hadn't said anything, and had just left with a deep crease in his brow. Mikey had been a little mad that day, despite Leo assuring him that it was fine, and that he couldn't be a good leader anyway, because they couldn't see him. That wasn't true! Just because Mikey was the only one who could see him didn't mean he would be bad at it! Or that he wasn't real either. The thought never failed to make his blood boil. He knew Leo was different. His family couldn't see him, or touch him, or hear him or talk to him, but Mikey could. His brother was weird and different, but he was real. And he wouldn't hear anything else.

Besides, Leo was the best for the leader spot because Raph, as much as Mikey loved him, was arrogant and sometimes mean and Leo was never mean. And he knew how to make plans quickly, like when the two of them played knights, besides being really smart and brave and strong and–well, he could go on and on about Leo's skills, but the point was that he was better than Raph. At least to be the leader. And he had told Raph so, and Raph got mad but Mikey didn't back down.

And even now, looking at Leo effortlessly replicating the move master Splinter taught them, katanas turning into a blur in the air, Mikey could only be left to ask himself why he wasn't the leader.

Speaking of katanas. Everyone had been given their real weapons a few months back. They stopped training with the wooden sais and the plush bo staff, and moved on to real, combat, metal, cool weapons, like Mikey's nunchucks. And that day Leo was a little off, and Mikey had asked what was wrong, and Leo had said he was a bit sad he didn't have a weapon, and then he had brushed it off and smiled, but Mikey was left thinking about it. And then he had gone to sleep after practice and thought about how nice would it be for Leo to have his own weapons, because Leo loved practicing and training more than anything else, maybe because imitating master Splinter made him feel more...seen, more useful, somehow. So Mikey had pressed his eyes together tight and wished and wished with all his might, despite having no idea what Leo would like and despite not having a wishing star like the books said. And then the day after, Leo had woken him up excitedly, bouncing in his bed, and Mikey was wide awake because what made Leo so happy? And then–and then. Leo had showed him the coolest, most radical weapons ever. Twin katanas, shiny and new. The two were flabbergasted, and had no idea how they appeared, but Mikey saw the smile on his brother's face and he didn't mind so much.