Voici la traduction en anglais, sans modifier le contenu :
April and the Ninja Turtles
Leonardo felt light-hearted this morning. He had quietly eaten breakfast early with his sensei while reading the local newspaper of the base. It was very interesting! There was information about underground agriculture, energy consumption levels which were at their best, decisions voted on by the residents regarding new regulations, and a crime rate that was very satisfactory. Unlike the surface, there didn't seem to be any filtering of information. Good news or bad news, everything was shared with the residents.
Walking calmly through the streets, the blue-masked turtle entered the main elevator to head to the hospital. He was going to see Karai, as he did every morning. It had become a habit, his duty. He remained convinced that it was his fault she had nearly died, having nightmares almost every night about what had happened...
But seeing her in good shape in her room gave him hope again, and perhaps she would help them defeat Shredder. She would be a great asset; she knew the fortress they were targeting. The problem he faced was that if he revealed the plan to her and she managed to escape, he could jeopardize not only the mission but also his family. After all, they were the ones on the front line for the infiltration.
He arrived in front of the door guarded by two soldiers dressed in red, greeting them before entering.
"Argh!" Karai shouted as she threw a cup in his direction. Like every morning, he dodged it.
"Good morning, how are you feeling today?" he asked kindly as he picked up the plastic cup and placed it on a table, offering her a warm smile.
Karai glared at him, her black eyes shooting murderous daggers.
"If I weren't tied to this bed, I would have jumped on you, ripped your eyes out of their sockets, and shoved them down your throat so you could watch my teeth tear them apart." she spat venomously, her messy black hair partially covering her face.
"I would say... in good shape. And very imaginative." Leonardo replied, looking at her with wide eyes before writing something in the medical notebook. It was the doctor she had almost killed who had asked him to take notes on her behavior in order to observe any potential changes, he had said.
Karai blew the annoying strands of hair away from her eyes without ever taking her gaze off him, as if she were about to leap at him and carry out what she had threatened earlier. But Leonardo was no longer intimidated. It had become a habit, part of his daily life. Sometimes she insulted him, sometimes she said nothing at all. But he preferred seeing her conscious and capable of uttering threats rather than lying in an induced coma...
He took a chair and sat near the bed, at a safe distance of course, then folded his hands on his knees.
"I am aware that it is not easy for you to be held prisoner, and I don't like doing this. But I still hope we can find some common ground." he said seriously while maintaining a friendly smile. The Asian woman tilted her head to the side, frowning.
"We... we want to stop Shredder. And I remain convinced that deep down, that's what you want too after what he did to you." the leader continued, looking at her with empathy.
"What he did to me?" she repeated through clenched teeth.
"You think you know everything about everything, but you know absolutely nothing." she replied, leaning as far toward him as possible, tugging at the handcuffs that secured her right wrist to the bed.
"My master did what he had to do. I was weak. I didn't deserve to live." Karai paused when Leonardo's smile disappeared. "But you..." she growled, narrowing her eyes, hatred burning in her gaze.
"You broke our traditions by saving me. You stole my honor!" she said before spitting at his feet.
Leonardo lowered his eyes to the floor before quickly standing from his chair, outraged by her words.
"You think it's honorable to die because you're weak?" How could she be so blind? Her master was a monster who had used her as a shield, as if she were worth nothing.
Karai looked away, as though his response had unsettled her.
"No master worthy of the name sacrifices his disciples to save his own life. Disciples are the future; they learn and put the Sensei's art into practice. Shredder is not a Sensei, he's a tyrant, and you've fallen into his trap." Leo revealed seriously, hoping to open her eyes.
She was nothing more than a victim blinded by years of barbaric and violent training. Maybe if he showed her something different, she would understand that there was more to life than violence?
"You know nothing about him." the black-haired human repeated, looking away.
"That's true. Then tell me more. Talk to me about him. I want to know why he acted like that, if there can be any reason for it." he asked as he sat down again to listen attentively.
Karai rolled her tongue around in her mouth several times without looking at him, turning her head completely away.
"Very well, I see." Leo sighed in defeat.
He stood up, putting the chair back where he had taken it from before heading toward the door. He cast one last glance at her before leaving. It was always like this; as soon as he asked her for explanations, she shut herself off and it became impossible to continue the conversation. It was frustrating, but he respected her decision. If she didn't want to talk to him, she couldn't help them. It was a sad realization.
Leonardo left the main elevator and headed toward Mutant Town, filled with disappointment. He had truly thought he could change her mind.
Walking slowly, with no real destination, he stopped when he thought he saw a butterfly pass in front of him. A butterfly underground? Confused, he searched for the insect and spotted it on the street across from him. He quickened his pace to catch up with it before something else drew his attention to his left, on the other side of the road. There was a metal archway with the words: Nature Park. He hadn't known there was one here, and his curiosity grew even stronger. Looking left and right before crossing, he failed to notice the blue butterfly following him. He headed toward the metal gates, which were closed and secured with a rusty padlock. Disappointed by this discovery, he still couldn't help peering through the bars. Beyond them stood fruit trees, flowers, and grass. It looked more like a private garden than a park, and it certainly didn't seem maintained, as evidenced by the weeds.
Letting go of the bars and stepping back, he turned away to continue on his path. But...he stopped. He couldn't bring himself to leave without exploring it. He felt as though something was urging him to go inside. Making sure nobody was watching, he took a running start and launched himself toward the gate, climbing it amid a tremendous racket. He quickly swung over the top and jumped down on the other side. He landed gracefully before straightening up and dusting off his pants. Then he lifted his blue eyes toward the secret garden spread before him. His mouth slightly open in admiration, his gaze drifted across every plant and every flower before moving to the tall trees. How had he never noticed this place before?
He slowly turned around, a small smile of wonder at the corners of his lips, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. It smelled like spring. On the surface, he had never set foot in a place like this, except for the time they had chased Jaws, the alligator man, through Central Park, but this was different. He continued walking, careful not to trip over the branches cluttering the path. He pushed aside the leaves of towering plants until he arrived in a clearing. A field of grass, colored with various flowers, and... someone crouching at its center with their back turned to him.
Leonardo froze as he observed the person, hiding behind the plants so he wouldn't be noticed. After all, he wasn't supposed to be here! Silent and discreet, he studied the young woman with curly chestnut hair in detail. She wore a straw hat to shield herself from the city's artificial UV rays shining from the ceiling overhead, diligently pulling weeds from a flower bed. She wore gloves to protect her hands, a pale pink top, and denim shorts slightly stained with dirt. But what caught Leonardo's attention was her large pink amphibian tail, shimmering as it slowly swayed while she remained focused on her task. Absorbed in his observation, he leaned slightly forward and accidentally stepped on a branch in the process.
Immediately, the young woman spun around with a start, looking around her.
"Who's there?" she asked softly, apprehension in her voice. Nobody usually took any interest in this place. Sighing in defeat, Leonardo stepped out of his hiding spot. It was the height of irony—he was a trained ninja and had managed to get caught in such a stupid way?
"Ah... um, sorry, I didn't mean to..." he stammered as he slowly approached, searching for an excuse to explain his presence. But he stopped when the mutant stood up to face him and looked at him curiously. In her hazel eyes, there was neither fear nor judgment. She had three gills on each side of her head, the same color as her tail—a half-axolotl human.
"Jumping over the fence?" she asked ironically with a slight smile, placing one hand on her hip.
"Hehe..." he laughed sheepishly in response, scratching the back of his neck, a little embarrassed to look like a delinquent.
"I understand your desire to discover this place." the woman added as she looked around them with wonder, a smile spreading across her lips.
Leo did the same, noticing an old bridge with a small stream flowing beneath it. Several butterflies fluttered among the flowers, along with bees and various insects, making this magical place feel so alive.
"How is it possible for a place like this to exist... here?" he asked, captivated by the beauty of the wild garden.
"Harold used to take care of this place. He was the city's gardener; he knew exactly how to handle plants." she replied with a sad smile, lowering her eyes toward a blue butterfly flying in front of her.
She followed it with her gaze until it landed on the mutant turtle's head, making her laugh. He froze like a statue so as not to scare the insect away, crossing his eyes upward in an attempt to see it. He began to blush, no longer knowing what to do until it finally flew off toward other flowers.
"My name is Chloé." the mutant introduced herself, removing her glove and extending her hand with a kind smile.
"Leonardo." he replied, doing the same as their hands briefly shook. He stared at her for a few seconds with a smile, lost in her mysterious gaze.
"Um! So... you're the one taking care of this garden now? All by yourself?" he asked after clearing his throat.
"Yep." she affirmed with a nod. "I don't know much about gardening, but... I have an amazing tool!" she said, pulling a book from a bag resting near her feet. "And I have my determination too!" she added comically, flexing her arms.
"Then I have nothing to worry about." he replied, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't want to see this place disappear now that I've discovered it."
"I agree. I think this garden is..." Chloé began, searching for the exact word.
"Magical." they said in unison.
They looked at each other in surprise before laughing softly. Yes, magical was the right word. Leonardo ultimately decided he would go home later. He wanted to help bring life back to this place that deserved to exist, even if it was underground. With Chloé and the advice she had gathered from her book, they had the opportunity to make this dream come true—perhaps a futile dream, but an important one in their eyes.
April sighed once again, lost in thought.
Donatello called softly, lifting his head from his soldering iron. The magnifying goggles comically enlarged his golden eyes.
"Oh, sorry!" she apologized, handing him the pliers he had asked for.
"You don't seem okay. Want to talk about it?" he asked while leaning over the highly complex electronic system he was working on.
April was sitting on the desk beside him, her shoulders tense after his question and her feet dangling in the air. She didn't really want to burden him with her troubles. She would have liked to help him with his work, but ever since drugs had entered her system, her hands trembled whenever she focused on something delicate. Thanks, Angel. Donnie had noticed how badly she wanted to help, so he hadn't found a better solution than making her his assistant.
"No, I'm fine..." she lied with a forced smile.
"I'll remind you that you really don't know how to lie." he immediately retorted with a touch of humor. A small smile appeared on his focused face when she pretended to be offended.
"I feel so useless." she replied with a loud sigh, staring at the ceiling.
"You're all doing such cool things... Raph helps in the cafeteria, Mikey started a club, Leo is restoring a garden, and you are literally creating our entire communication system for the mission. And what about me? I don't do anything except organize terrible dates..." She lowered her head toward her clasped hands resting on her thighs, completely demoralized.
"You're not useless. And you didn't organize terrible dates, it was just... not the right theme?" Donnie justified awkwardly with an embarrassed shrug as he remembered that moment.
"You're very intelligent, and you have a lot of qualities in many different areas." he stated while leaning a little closer to his electronic system, a thin trail of smoke rising from the soldering iron.
"I acquired all this knowledge to be like my father. But ever since I saw..." she said before stopping mid-sentence, a shiver of horror running through her at the memory of the images she had seen of them, mutilated and abused.
Her gaze automatically drifted toward him, particularly to the purple cloth wrapped around his left arm that he used to conceal his scars. She quickly looked away in shame, running a hand over her arm in an attempt to compose herself, a knot forming in her stomach. Ever since she had watched the videotapes from Stockman's laboratory, she couldn't stop questioning herself.
Did she really deserve her place at their side after what her father had done to them?
"Anyway. I'd like to gain new knowledge that would be useful for this place. I want to bring something new." she explained before looking back at him.
He didn't seem to be listening, too focused on what he was doing... The tip of his tongue stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he stared intently at his circuit board, making the redhead smile at the adorable expression. But suddenly, the circuit crackled and a small flame burst out, making both of them jump.
"HOLY SHIT!" April shouted, grabbing a damp cloth and throwing it onto the desk to smother the fire before things became dramatic.
"Phew... I need a break." Donnie sighed tiredly as he slumped into his chair, removing his magnifying goggles and rubbing his weary eyes.
"Something new, huh? Maybe you should think about becoming a firefighter! I've noticed you have a special connection with fire." he joked, obviously referring to the fire at the T.C.R.I. tower.
April stared at him for two long seconds before bursting into laughter along with him, laughing until tears filled her eyes.
Their laughter echoed through the family home's garage, warming the dark room. Donatello might not usually be good at jokes, but she had to admit that one was pretty good.
"You know, your presence is important to us." he said once the laughter died down. She looked at him in surprise, forcing him to continue. "I mean... it's thanks to you that we're here." he said, looking away with a sheepish smile.
"You mean it's because of me." she countered sarcastically.
"That's part of the past, but now we're here! Just look around you. We have a home, a real home!" he exclaimed, spinning around in his rolling chair, raising his hands to gesture toward the garage with a smile.
"Comfortable beds, good food, a bathroom with a door, and finally..." He paused and looked her straight in the eyes.
"We're together. That's all that matters." he finished more softly.
April stared at him for a moment, her mouth slightly open, unsure of what to say. He was right. Why dwell on her misfortune when she already had everything that truly mattered? But something in his expression caught her attention. It looked like he was about to add something else. She leaned forward slightly, listening closely.
"And, uh..." he began, nervously wetting his lips as his gaze shifted between her and the floor. She was right there in front of him, completely attentive. No distractions. Just the two of them in a soundproof room where nobody was going to walk in at exactly the wrong moment and ruin everything. This was the perfect time to tell her how he felt. He couldn't have dreamed of a better opportunity. Besides, ever since he realized there was nothing between April and his brother, he had felt so much lighter.
So why hesitate? His heart raced beneath his plastron. His hands became sweaty. He opened his mouth and...
"C-c-c-can you pass me pliers number seven?" But our dear Donatello chickened out after a pathetic stutter.
April blinked in confusion before clearing her throat and sitting up straighter on the desk. "O-o-oh! Yes, of course." She handed him the famous pliers, smiling awkwardly.
What were you expecting, April, huh? she thought to herself sarcastically, pressing her lips together.
Donnie did his best to hide his emotions because, internally, he was calling himself every name imaginable. What had gotten into him? It had been the perfect opportunity to talk to her about it! Why did he always make things so complicated whenever feelings were involved? He definitely wasn't good at this. Donnie returned to work as if nothing had happened, perhaps in an attempt to hide his own panic.
"Hey! You just gave me a great idea!" she said suddenly, her face lighting up with a smile.
"Me? I didn't say anything. Well... I don't think I did." he replied, nervously looking around, no longer even sure what he was saying. "You were talking about taking a break. What if I organized something so everyone could take one?" she said excitedly, clasping her hands together as countless ideas formed in her mind.
"You all work so hard, and with what's coming, it would be nice if everyone was well rested!" she added enthusiastically.
"I don't think there's a relaxation area around here." he replied with a small amused laugh.
"I was thinking more about an outing! To get some fresh air, see something other than these artificial lights, feel the sun on our skin..." she said dreamily, closing her eyes and imagining the gentle warmth as she rubbed her bare arms, having left her yellow jacket nearby. "Using the money I won from my bet!"
"You want to use your money for that?" Donnie asked, puzzled.
"Do you think it's a bad idea?" she asked anxiously, her expression full of concern. She really wanted to contribute something. He couldn't crush her idea when she was already feeling so hopeless. And besides... he certainly wouldn't say no to a break now that he was ahead of schedule on his project.
"No, I actually think it's a very good idea." he confirmed with a smile before standing and heading toward the wall behind him where a notebook hung. "If we go by Bishop's schedule, the best time would be... this weekend." he said, sliding his index finger across the empty calendar squares.
"Seriously?! Then I need to hurry and get everything prepared!" April jumped off the desk, realizing she only had three days left to put the project together.
"I'll have to be careful with my choices. A place where there won't be any humans, but where everyone can have fun." she thought aloud while pacing back and forth across the garage.
"Ask them. And with all the information you collect, you'll be able to establish a preference pattern." Donnie suggested, amused by the seriousness she was putting into this new mission. He grabbed a notebook and a pen from one of his drawers and handed them to her, which she gladly accepted.
"Great idea!" she exclaimed. Then she quickly grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. "I like you, Donnie, you're the best!" she called with one final wave before disappearing, not having a single minute to waste.
Donatello slowly waved back, his face turning red.
Chloé's OC belongs to: @Crown_and_Blade
