seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from South Korea
seen from Malaysia
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from Yemen
seen from Malaysia
seen from Israel
seen from Palestinian Territories
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Ireland
seen from Finland
Day 6: Concert
This is the case when one ship was shown as canon instead of speaking directly in the show (aka Apritello), but there's no other icon✨ couple in the ICK clip.
I somehow transformed her everyday look by adding a scarf which is familiar with 87 Mona's.
I made a Mona merch for Mona Lisa fan on my Etsy shop (*'ω'*) There’s two Mona stickers coming soon
Still Cool
(This written bonus takes place roughly 6 years after the MJ AU - when she’s ~18 and the guys are ~23 - Please catch yourself up on Ramona's character before reading this! - Content Warning: mentions of blood and panic attack)
Raph leaned forward in his seat, hanging on every word of his girlfriend’s thrilling story. He and Ramona were celebrating eight months of dating at her apartment that night, and they were currently sharing their most daring childhood memories.
The horned lizard gestured wildly with her hands, dramatizing every detail, “So then my sister grabs a handful of dirt and tosses it into his eyes, I grab our skates from his hands, and we BOOK IT down the path before he can throw another punch! We were running so fast, we tripped on a bunch of tree roots and fell all the way down a hill! It was too dark to see them! Luckily, we got home before those guys could follow us - and the cherry on top was that our parents were still asleep.” Her pointed teeth gleamed white as she grinned at the finale of her tale, and Raph was finally free to laugh out loud.
“Hahaha! Wow! I can’t believe you two came out of that without any scars!”
“Haha, I know…” Ramona leaned back on her couch with a fond expression, “My sister and I got into a ton of trouble as kids. Our parents didn’t really pay much attention, so we had a lot of room to try stuff out.”
The snapper nodded in understanding, “Ahh, boy do I know the feeling. Pops wasn’t exactly what you would call ‘a helicopter parent’ either. He even left all his weapons out in the open once when we were just toddlers! That’s how I got this-” Gently peeling his chest-patch halfway off, he revealed a small yet deep chip in his plastron underneath.
“No way!” His girlfriend gasped, “I always wondered why you wore that thing all the time!”
“Heheh, yeah… I threw a sai like a boomerang, thinkin’ it would come right back to my hand…” The two chuckled in unison at the ignorance of the idea, “Aaand it bounced off the wall and went straight through my plastron.” He pressed the patch back into place with a little smack for story emphasis.
Ramona winced, “Ouch! And yours is the toughest of all of your brothers’, right?”
“Yep, and I can throw the hardest too!” They shared a laugh, and Raph sighed in nostalgia, “It’s gotten a teensy bit smaller over the years, but never completely gone away. Don thinks that because I have the toughest shell, it doesn’t heal nearly as well as the rest of theirs can.” His vision fogged over for a moment as he remembered how well Leo’s shell had healed after the invasion… Looking at it now, no one would ever know how bad the cracks were…
Seeming to pick up on his mood shift, Ramona grinned and lightened her tone, “So, what’s this from, then?” Her hand reached up and traced the thin scar on the other side of his plastron- and his vision went white.
Raph’s body threw itself to the far side of the couch, recoiling from her touch. His ears rang, his heart rate tripled, and he was finding breathing to be a lot harder than normal. Eventually, his unfocused gaze settled on his girlfriend who bore a scared and confused expression.
“D-don’t… heh…” The snapper’s voice came out a little too harsh for his liking, so he fought to control his fear response and tried to sound a little more polite, “M-maybe warn me n-next time you wanna touch… please…”
Her hand immediately pulled back, her expression now one of remorse and understanding, “Oh no, I’m so sorry! Is it from a bad memory?” He just nodded, finally breathing closer to normal again and settling back down beside her on the couch. Her voice was quiet, “I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have just assumed I could…”
“It’s ok, ya didn’t know…”
“You don’t have to talk about it if you’d rather not.”
Memories he had been trying to barricade now flooded freely through his mind. Raph tried to give her a fond, grateful smile, but it probably looked more sad than he would’ve liked. He didn’t want to burden her, but he could hear a little Mikey-voice in his head telling him that it’s important to be honest in a relationship… and he felt like he could trust Ramona. “… I-It’s from… tch… I got it during the invasion…”
The horned lizard’s eyes widened in fear and memory, “O-Oh…” and Raph didn’t doubt that she likely had her own sour experiences from that day.
Doing his best to calm the flood, Raph took a long, deep breath and tried to focus on the silver linings of it all, “… It could be worse… and I got it while saving Leo, so… i-it was for something good…” He sighed, his gaze falling to the floor, “I’m just glad we all made it out ok…” Ramona was still and quiet beside him - a rare moment for his outgoing, spunky girlfriend. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if we’d lost anyone back then…” A moment passed, somber and quiet… really quiet… There was practically no sound at all coming from the girl beside him… almost as if she was holding her breath… Something close to Raph’s big-brother-senses tingled, and he turned his gaze in her direction- only to find a frightening sight.
Ramona wore a terrible, twisted grimace, her eyes were scrunched shut tight, and from them - bright red drops of blood were streaming down her snout. “Oh!” It took no time for the snapper’s heart rate to shoot straight back up once again, “Oh gosh, Mona! Are you hurt?!” His concerns spiraled rapidly. Had she cut herself? Her eye?? But on what? Her own claws? Was she dealing with self-harm issues?? What was he supposed to do??
Her eyes blinked open, looking bloodshot red instead of their normal sapphire blue. In a fraction of a second, she touched her face and pulled her hand back to see the red drops of blood on her fingers, “Crap!” Then she covered her eyes from his sight, shouting her answer to his question, “No!”
“But yer bleeding!” His hands hung open and useless in the air, wanting to help her somehow yet afraid to make any wrong moves.
She shouted again angrily, “No, I’m not, Raph!”
“How are you not?! I see blood, Ramona!!”
“I’M JUST CRYING, OK?!! I CRY BLOOD!!!” The blood flow increased, and Ramona hissed through her teeth as she tried to catch every drop in her claws before they fell onto the couch, “Dang it-” With an exasperated huff, she quickly trudged down the hall and into the bathroom, her spiky, sectioned tail disappearing around the corner and leaving Raph alone in his shocked silence.
She… cries blood..??
Still confused, yet determined to find some way to help her, he slowly rose from his seat and followed her footsteps to the bathroom. She hadn’t bothered to close the door, and as he gingerly peeked inside he saw what looked like something out of a nightmare. Blood-stained claws pressed even heavier-stained kleenex against the horned lizard’s eyes. They were still producing a steady stream of bright red drops that soaked through the thin tissues and were collecting in the sink, contrasting the white porcelain. The sight of it all almost made him want to turn back around and hurl, but he had stronger instincts at work. Ramona was practically folded in half over the sink and leaning her elbows on the rims, her entire body both tense and the most vulnerable-looking Raph had ever seen from her. He slowly moved inside, close enough that she’d know he was there yet not invading her personal space. “You… You cry blood..? H-how..?”
“Tch…” Her tail curled a little tighter around her legs, “I-It’s a horned lizard thing, they can shoot blood from their eyes as a defense against predators in the wild…”
“… Oh, wow…”
Ramona’s voice began to tremble, “I know. Sounds cool, right? Until having one as a PET gets you MUTATED INTO ONE! Now, I can’t even CRY without seeing red, staining everything, and making my bathroom look like a scene from a horror movie!!!” She let out the smallest of whimpers, leaning even further down into the sink as a fresh wave of blood - well, tears - fell over the stained tissues. “I-I’m sorry… look at this…” Her voice cracked as she gestured hopelessly at the growing puddle of red in the pure white sink, “This is so gross… I never wanted anyone else to know about this…”
A pause followed as Raph took everything in… then he moved in close beside his girlfriend and ever so gently rested a grounding hand on her opposite shoulder, pulling her closer to him without taking her away from the sink. There was no fear in his heart now, only a growing sadness for her, “… Ya mean you’ve been keepin’ all of this to yourself? All alone? … That must be exhausting, honey…” She didn’t say anything back, though Raph could feel her shaking as her fists clenched tighter around the bloody kleenex and her body curled even further inwards. The snapper adjusted his arms into a more supportive hold, adding his signature, comforting rumble to his voice, “Hey, hey, it’s alright. Raph’s gotcha…”
“You don’t have to do this, Raph-” Ramona sniffled, “Go and wait in the other room while I get myself together…”
“While my girlfriend is crying?? No way. I’m here for ya, Mona… I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
Her next words were so quiet, he could barely hear her, “… Are you seriously not mad..?”
“Mad?? What could I possibly be mad about?”
“D-Didn’t you hear what I said before?” She shouted angrily, contrasting her quiet whisper as she finally looked up from her clump of tissues and met Raph’s eyes through the bathroom mirror. “I’m a mutant! I was human before I got turned into this! I LIED to you about being a YOKAI!! Doesn’t that bother you?” Anger shifted into guilt, her expression one of dread, as though she expected him to throw up his hands and scold her for everything she’d done wrong. It broke his heart for her a little…
Raph tried to sound as sincere and reassuring as possible, “Well sure, I might have some questions, but I’m not mad. Yer still the same girl I’ve been dating for the past eight months, right? Who cares if yer a yokai or not? Yer a mutant like me! That’s one more thing we have in common…” He gave her a fond look, and her fearful expression faded back into guilt again.
“… This-” The horned lizard sniffed, waving a hand over her blood-stained face, “-doesn’t bother you..?” She looked so tired, her lovely sapphire blue eyes tinted with the blood she never asked for. A single, red tear slid down her grey-tan scales as if to prove her point. Leaning in close, Raph met her gaze and used his thumb to wipe it away like he’d done a thousand times for his siblings.
“The only thing that bothers me is how long you’ve had to deal with this all alone. Like I said, I’m not goin’ anywhere… And as for, well, this whole situation…” He circled a finger around her face before placing his hand back on her shoulder with a gentle squeeze, “I still think you’re pretty cool, Ramona.”
Those stained, sapphire eyes went wide in surprise for a moment before Ramona let out a short, disbelieving chuckle. She poked his plastron with a smile beyond grateful, “You are something else entirely, Raphael.” Raph chuckled back sheepishly. Her tail brushed against his leg affectionately, “Thank you…”
“Of course, always.” The two shared a meaningful smile, then Ramona turned back to the sink and began washing her face and hands in the water. Raph gave her a little space as she checked every corner of herself in the mirror, making sure it was all clean before grabbing a nearby towel and drying off. All seemed well, yet there was still a feeling in his gut that knew something was missing. “Can… Can I ask how I made ya cry..? Was it somethin’ I said?”
“Oh, that- no, you didn’t do anything wrong, babe. I just…” Ramona’s hand lingered on the towel as she finished hanging it back up. The bloodstain in her eyes was fading now, but they were still filled to the brim with sadness. “I… lost my sister in the invasion.”
Raph’s heart dropped to his stomach and his shoulders fell, “No… The one you’ve been tellin’ me stories of..?” His girlfriend nodded silently, her mouth a thin line. “Oh, no… I’m so sorry, honey…” Wasting no time, he pulled her into himself in a tight embrace, trying to imbue every ounce of heartache he felt for her through his arms. She reciprocated, wrapping her arms around his neck, her quiet voice wavering a little with grief.
“She was the only one who helped me after I got mutated… Gave me food, money, hid me from my parents… until I found the yokai and got my life together again…”
“Tch, and I was talkin’ about how glad I was that all my brothers made it- oh gosh, Ramona…” The snapper nuzzled in closer.
“Hey,” He felt her hand give his shell a reassuring pat, “Don’t beat yourself up, big guy. It wasn’t your fault.”
And then he froze. Everything stopped. His heart, his breath, his thoughts… It all boiled down to one horrible, terrifying realization…
“Wait… I-It might’ve been…”
“Raph…” Ramona leaned back and met his eyes, speaking softly, “A kraang-hound got her-”
But he cut her off, “Nono, I mean- How were you mutated? Was it a green, glowy bug that bit ya?” He took a step back from her in order to better see how she would answer.
Her face flashed in recognition - and then confusion, “How did you know that..? You weren’t mutated by one too, were you?!” Her eyes wandered side to side as she thought out loud, “But no, you said some guy created you, right? Mayor Dracula or something?”
Raph couldn’t hear her talking- he couldn’t hear anything but a horrible ringing as his awful fears were realized… He felt his feet stumble backwards out of the bathroom and into the hallway, then his legs couldn’t hold him anymore as his whole body shook in horror. His hands held his head in shame as it pounded horribly, his terrible guilt consuming his every thought.
Her voice finally penetrated the storm in his mind, and he cracked his eyes open to see Ramona kneeling in front of him, her hand on his arm, “Raph, Raph! You ok? What’s happening?”
The words came out of his mouth choked and broken, “M-Mona, I- … I’m so sorry…”
“What, what’s going on?” She was looking at him with such compassion, he couldn’t bear to hold her gaze… not after what he’d done…
“I-It’s our fault ya got mutated…” Raph scrunched his eyes shut tight, overwhelmed in his remorse.
“… I’m sorry, what??”
The snapper then explained everything about Baron Draxum, the oozequitos, and how he and his brothers had failed to capture them all and prevent them from mutating humans. Ramona listened patiently until he had finished and was sitting quietly with his head still in his hands and eyes still shut tight, awaiting her justified burst of anger that was surely coming. It was his fault she wasn’t human - his fault she was stuck crying blood… Surely she’d have every right to be furious at him. She might not even want to be his girlfriend anymore… He was so consumed in his fear, in the suspense, that he couldn’t have moved even if he tried to.
But when her voice came, it wasn’t loud. It wasn’t angry. It was… warm… and caring… “Ok. Take a deep breath and let go of your head, big guy. You’re not responsible for any of that.” Small, clawed hands tenderly grasped Raph’s and guided them out of their stiff grip on his skull. All four landed safely in his lap, remaining intertwined, and he chanced a peek at the girl in front of him, hardly believing his eyes or ears.
Looking concerned and compassionate, not upset, she held his gaze as if he’d done absolutely nothing wrong. Raph could almost try to blame it on his blurry vision, “B-But… if I’d been more responsible- we c-could’ve stopped it… it was my fault that-”
“Nope.” It was Ramona’s turn to cut him off, speaking confidently and never letting go of his hands, “It wasn’t, actually. Because that Baron guy was already planning to do exactly what happened. You guys didn’t make the bugs or the mutation goo. You didn’t even make anything worse, you just got involved in the situation. So, no. If anything, it’s that Baron guy’s fault I got mutated and his only. Which, by the way, I don’t regret it.” She cocked her head playfully with a comforting grin, and Raph blinked in surprise.
“Ya… don’t..?”
The horned lizard spoke sincerely with a lighthearted tone, “No, of course not. Sure, it was hard at first and I cry freaking blood every once and a while, but… I found my passion for physical therapy because of my own experience getting used to a new body… And the Hidden City is really cool. And…” Pausing, she gracefully slid herself sideways onto his leg and snuggled up next to him in his lap, nuzzling under his chin with her short snout, “I never would’ve met you, so…”
With that, Raph’s fear at long last melted away in the face of her warmth, and he held her all the closer, “Heheh, I guess not, huh.”
“Aaaand you can’t tell me I don’t rock this lizard look.” He didn’t need to see her face to know she was wearing a very sassy grin.
“Ha, you absolutely do.”
“So, no hard feelings, mkay?” She lifted her hand and gently wiped something wet off the side of his face, and Raph had to confirm with his own touch that he had apparently let a couple tears of his own slip past him earlier. Ramona was really starting to steal his moves, though the snapper didn’t mind one bit. He gave her his fondest smile and nuzzled her back.
“You’re somethin’ else entirely, Ramona Brown.”
“Heyyy, that’s my line…” The two chuckled in tandem.
“Heh, well too bad, ‘cause I like it. Just like I like you.”
At that, Ramona grinned and shoved his face away in mock annoyance, “Oookayy, that’s enough of that. Back to the couch, mister.”
He followed her lead as she stood, “Yes, Ma’am, whatever you say.” Then he paused, “… Mona?” and those wonderful sapphire eyes met his once again. “Thanks. You really are super cool.”
She smiled, lovely and sincere, “Yeah, you too. …” After a moment, she tugged his bandanna tails, “Except your mask is dorky.” Her teeth flashed in a haughty grin as she sauntered down the hall.
“Wha! Hey!” Raph called after her, “It’s a bandanna and it is the mark of a hero!”
“Oh, so that’s how people know…” She droned sarcastically.
“Yeah! And, well…” His voice dropped in volume, “It's also how Dad tells us apart…”
“Are you serious??” The two laughed together as they settled next to each other back on the couch, and their conversations filled the small apartment once again for the rest of the evening.
…
Rare vulnerable moment for the spunky horned lizard! She’s definitely not used to crying in front of anyone else (for obvious reasons), so I (the writer ;D) forced her hand! I thoroughly enjoyed writing each mirror-moment between these two here. They’re both plenty different, but have some core similarities that give them the tools to be great helpers for each other in their low moments. I’m especially excited to keep growing their relationship over time. ❤️
I know this was a bit of a lore dump on Ramona, so please feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments! 😁🙏
MJ AU Masterpost
Finally got a Mona Lisa figure, bought her on EBay. Luckily she came with all her accessories.
I only have a custom Rise Raph figure, I’ll probably purchase 87 Raph on my next paycheck (*´꒳`*)
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
My main fic has been updated!!
I would really appreciate it if anyone could comment on it i woudl greatly appreciate it, writing has been really hard lately :")
Ch 31 - Spring Covered Scars - Ch 33
“English” “Japanese” ‘Common’
“Get over here you little fucker!” Raph shouted, ignoring his sister's sigh as Onix spun a few roofs away.
Onixs puffed out from calmed, the spikes on her shell laying back down as she spotted him. Another turtle with her spun around, blue mask tails hitting him in the face.
Raph landed on the roof Onix and her brother were on, earning a playful swipe from the kappa.
He returned the action, earning a churred laugh and another swipe from Onix.
Raph could hear El and Monas launching, April's footsteps to light for him to hear. He ignored them as he managed to get a punch in on the kappa.
he yelped as a tail swiped his legs out from under him, landing on his shell with an ‘oof’.
Onix grinned as she looked down at him, the bandana that covered her snout had fallen most of the way off; revealing the red and brown scales around her mouth and her tusks.
Raph rolled his eyes as a hand was offered, letting himself be pulled up.
“Yer’ a menace ya’ little shit.” Raph pulled onixs bandana fully off, trying it around his own neck.
“And your’ stuck with me.” Onix huffed, reclaiming her bandana.
Raph snorted, making another grab for the red fabric. Onix held it out of his reach.
Raph relented with a flourish, watching Onix as she tied her bandana back around her own neck.
He looked over at the other group, watching El give a soft nod in Skys direction as she watched him. Mona and April both stood back slightly, one's tail twitching and the others arms crossed.
“What are you lot doing out? thought you didn’t patrol.” Raph looked up at Onix.
“We didn’t. With the bugs and Foot Splints has asked us to start. He’s doing the same before you start.” Onix placed a way too big hand on his head as she spoke the last part.
“Who said I was gonna’ say anything?” Raph grinned, ducking out of her grasp.
“Esperance.” Onix snorted, shaking out her spikes.
“Shut-“ Raph pointed at her as he wandered back over to his group.
Onix raised one of the diamond marks on her face, the small ones acting much like eyebrows.
Raph gave her the finger, then turned and nodded in Skys direction. “Blue Bird.”
“hEY!” Sky puffed up.
“Raph.” El sighed from behind him.
“El.” He looked back in her direction, well aware of the grin that covered his face.
El huffed at him, arms crossing as she watched, April and Mona behind her. April was looking just behind Raph, where he knew Onix was approaching, Mona watching Sky.
Raph didn't bother to duck away from Onix as she pat the top of his head on her way past, instead making a loose punch in her direction.
Sky hissed something, Onix growling back.
El spoke in Skys direction, making Raph lop back around to Mona's side.
“You’re not getting into more trouble, are you?” El spoke with a smile in her voice.
“With Onix here? I could only dream.” Sky pouted, arms crossing. “Why are you out?”
“Patrolling.” El nodded deeper into the city.
“Why.”
“Because of the Foot?” El sounded perplexed. “Why are you out if not to patrol?”
“Girl-“ April brought a hand to the ridge of her nose as Raph groaned. Mona sighed in unison with Onix. Sky was frozen, blinking and mouth partly open as he struggled to pull words together.
“Mom I have to show her the city-“ Sky spun to face Onix.
“How about after we finish patrolling?” April clapped her hand together, smiling in Skys direction.
“That would be’ fun.” Mona tilted zer head in agreement.
“And not the hidden city, don't try to weasel outa this.” Raph looped around El's shoulders, poking her in the cheek.
“I don't get a say in this, do i?” El glared down at Raph.
“Nope!” Raph clicked same time as Sky, making them glare at each other.
El looked up at Onix, mask raising as she lifted an eyebrow.
Onix shrugged, the scales around her eyes wrinkling in a smile they couldn’t see, earning a cheer from Sky and a sigh from El.
“Sweet!” Raph stood, grinning as he looked around the gathered not fully human group. “Wrap this up quickly then hit the city?”
—
Roof running with a group so big turned out to be just as exciting as it had been when he first did it, more so now that he could mess with almost everyone in it without throwing everything off.
Onix and Mona took the brunt of it, Raph would admit his bias to the pair, but El, April, and Sky all got a good amount of his teasing.
Raph leapt onto Onixs shell as they ran a particularly long stretch, turning his head so he could watch the shared blind side more easily. Onix didn't even seem to notice the added weight, her stride not braking as she kept pace with the others.
With less attention given to making sure he didn't trip he scanned the buildings, watching the neighborhood they were in gradually empty of people.
A pair of vans screeched past them, black paint with orange accents making him tense up.
“What did you see?” Onix seemed to have noticed, calling up to him as she jumped over something.
“Possible Foot activity.” Raph growled out, jumping off of her shell.
He landed with a roll, popping up next to Mona and sky, “El! Saw something! Let me lead for a minute!”
El slowed without a word, letting Raph take point. He watched the street as he ran, the black and orange almost blending into the grays and reds of the neighborhood streets below.
They speed along, the only cars on the road say for the parked ones. He jumped a partially big gap, landing on the next roof.
Raph did his bet to keep pace, watching the van as it slowed and drove into an old apartment complex.
He glanced back, panting. He could see Mona and Els forms several blocks away, the others presumably following.
He turned back to the old building, straining to hear or see any movement.
It was quiet. Quiet enough that he should have been able to see or hear the pigeons he knew nested here. He couldn’t see any movement even in an alley just off the complex, not even the shadow from a rat.
Raph looked away from the complex, scanning some of the sad excuses for trees, not a nest or roasting bird in sight.
Mona landed next to him with a quirt thump. El and Onix followed, April and Sky bringing up the rear.
Raph ignored them, still scanning the streets for any animal movement, no matter how small. Something was wrong here, and it wasn't just the foot.
“What is wrong love?” Mona was at his side, eyes on the building when Raph glanced back at her.
“Something is wrong.” He continued to keep his attention on the lack of wildlife, watching for any movement. Any at all.
“Beyond following two random trucks?” Sky panted as he spoke.
Raph didn't answer, attention on keeping watch rather than the younger turtle.
“He’s right.” April was almost hissing.
“Onix they are all insane.” Sky whisper-shouted, probably earning a kock on the head from the yelp he gave right after.
Something moved, purple flashing in his vision. He whipped his head to it, watching a purple rectangular portal come to live just in front of the door to the complex.
It remained for several moments, blocks of color shifting and breaking off before it almost bulged, color turning almost black.
Something stepped out of it, a dark shape stepping out; mostly hidden from the portal. the color lightened, turning almost a silver purple.
The portal broke apart, revealing the pair that had stepped out of it. Raph hissed, knuckles turning white as he clutched the brick below him, something vile and sour and <i>panicked</i> shooting through him.
“Oh shit it’s the Boran.”
Raph whipped his head around to Sky, ignoring the fabric that ended up hitting him in the chin.
“The Boran?” El spoke, her eyes landing on Raph with concern.
“Yeah, dude who made the oozsqetos.” Sky shrugged, then unsheathed his Ōdachi. “We stole theses from him. Beat his still pissed about it.” The youngest flashed a grin, then looked back at everyone else.
Mona places a hand on Raphs shoulder, growling. “Then we should deal with him.”
“And fast because he just went into the building with his friend.” Aprils nodded at the building. “We going in or..?
“Yes. Raph, Onix? you two ok?” El looked between the two.
Raph growled, shaking himself out. He had to push whatever it was back, it was a good chance it wasn’t even his emotions. He nodded at El.
“Yep, this is just weird.”
El nodded, then looked at Onix.
The kappa removed her hands from her face, when had that happened, the emotions he shouldn’t be feeling dying as she regained control.
“Yes.”
“Somehow I don't believe that.” Sky scoffed from his spot, leaning on his Ōdachi. “But alright.”
El ignored the other blue turtle. “Me and April will do a quick recon, you guys stay here. You two,” She nodded at both the red turtles. “Figure out whatever is bothering you and get it out of the way or under control.”
Raph nodded, leaning into Mana as Onix huffed. Sky rolled his eyes with a hiss.
El and April shared a look, both dispersing down the side of the building only a few moments later.
Raph clicked, still leaning against Mona. Xe remained there, now with both arms wrapped around him and her head resting on his. Ze was warm in the chill of the night air.
Sky put his Ōdachi away, pulling himself onto Onixs shell with little effort. She did little to help, but a hand came up to make sure he didn't fall as Sky settled.
Sky whispered something to Onix, earning another wave of panic. The kappa shook her head as it dwindled down, the scales on her cheeks turning to press against the sides of her head.
Mona broke the silence between the groups, her clawed hands tapping a pattern into Raphs plastern. “You have fought the Boran before?”
Sky looked up. “Yeah, few months back. Tried to stop those bugs from getting everywhere.” He looked away, sinking into his shell. “Didn't do the best job.”
“So we can see.” Mona hummed. “Any notes?”
Sky straitened. “Oh I have a list.” He tapped Onixs head, making her look up at him.
“This one went all weird like she is now,”
“hey-“ Onix fained annoyance.
“He can summon vine things, he got some kind of gollum thing made from what Vi says is clay and metal, oh and is really good at hand to hand.” Sky rattled off, looking even very proud of himself.
“Ze has plant manipulation so long as he's in contact with the earth. Not metal or concrete.” Onix spoke quietly, looking down as one hand came up to hold onto Skys leg. “But the armor, it,” She shook her head, cutting herself off.
“How do you even-“ Sky hissed again. “Never mind, you just know things.”
Raph blinked, watching the annoyance play over Skys face. He watched, and felt, the tired longing and anxiety playing all over Onixs face. Mona hummed again from above, watching the pair just the same as Raph was.
“I remember things..” Onix was quiet, Raph only just able to hear her.
Sky groaned from her shoulders. “But where do you even learn them?”
“I’ve told you.” Onix brought her other hand up, pulling her bandana up.
Sky screwed up his face, but before he could say or do anything El and April returned.
Raph gave them his attention, Mona's head turning to look at them with his own. Sky looked over at them as Onix looked up.
“They booked most of the windows, so we can’t see in at all. We can either wait here and see if they do anything or try and sneak in and spy on them.” El spoke quietly, eyes still on the building.
“Why don't we just go in there and beat some ass?” Sky pipped up.
Raph snorted. “I like this kid.”
“Language.” onix half muttered the words as El clicked them.
“We are not, no.” El rubbed the space between her eyes. “I'm assuming we do not want to stake out?”
That got a series of groans from everyone, El making a ‘go-on’ motion with her hand as it started.
“That’s, yeah ok.” El sighed. “Ok, we’re going in. You lot need to listen and be ready to scram in a second it goes bad.”
Everyone nodded or made sounds of agreement.
Sky moved first, jumping off of Onixs shell. He moved over to El and April, Mona going with him. Raph hung back just a moment, placing a hand on Onixs arm.
“You ok big guy?” Raph spoke quietly, trying to keep away from Skys attention.
Onix gave a long suffering sigh, then shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Just need to get this over with.”
“Not how that works but fine.” Raph rolled his eyes, letting Onix go. “And dont pretend you're not scared to shit right now kid, you can't get away with that when I'm near.”
Onix blinked, but shook her head. “whatever you say. Come on, they’re waiting for us.”
Raph huffed, moving to follow the other group. Only Mona lingered, watching them.
Raph cought up to her, offering a headbutt. Ze accepted it, then nodded at Onix.
Raph gave a wave of his hands, nodding both of them forward.
—
Raph watched the group below from his position on the metal beams. A group of Foot soldiers, metal paper and flesh alike, stood at attention.
The Boran and the human next to him standing at the head of the rows, glittering dark shoulder pads and leg guards oil stains on the dull blue chest plates and arm guards. The blue mask held back red hair, gray spots next to red lines.
The human had the same outfit most of the others had, short brown hair and the red-orange of the Foot's now signature color warped around their waist.
Raph took a slow breath, fighting to push back the anger and fear that came from his left. Mona, on his other side, clung to the metal beam below, her tail righting as Two pink figures came forward.
Raph glared at the two, the pink skin and fires on their heads standing out against the black and red-orange of the room. The big one walked with something black in hand, the silver much like the one the Boran wore.
Sky, on his left, hissed. Raph held one hand up, preventing the kid from lunging forward. Sky grumbled words Raph couldn’t understand. Raph rolled his eyes.
The smaller pink one, Bubblegum as Mikey had dubbed them, walked up to the taller mutant. They spoke in a low voice, going on about how this was a great cause, something for the greater good of humanity.
Raph tensed, biting back a growl. Sky hissed again, a more guttural sound than before. Mona clutched at the metal beam, a groaning sound coming from the protesting metal.
The bigger presented the metal, what was now revealed to be some form of arm guard, to the Boran. Bubblegum turned to the human.
they ordered the human to remove the Borans armor, then a second and much harsher time when the human hesitated.
The Born stood still in all this, letting the human and foot lead move him around like he was nothing like a doll. The dark armor was snapped into place, now a bigger stain on the dull blue.
Raph reared back, realization hitting him hard. He could hear El and April nearby, both knowing what words would come out of Bubblegums mouth before they could speak.
“We are one step closer to our savior, the savior humanity needs, The Shredder!” Bubblegum proclaimed, flinging their arms out as the gathered humans shouted praise.
Raph looked back at his sisters and friend, all three in varying stages of anger and resentment.
April stood on the beam, tessen in hand as her hair began to fight its restraints. Onix gripped the metal and concrete she crouched on, cracks forming as her face became a steel mask.
El crouched next to April, one hand covering her mouth. She looked ready to cry as Raph met her gaze. She shook her head, signing as she did so. ‘To many. Need to regroup.’
Raph nodded, understanding even if he would rather take them all out now. He turned back to Mona and Sky, placing a hand on Mona's shoulder. Xe looked up at him, head tilting.
Raph moved to sign, but movement caught his eye.
Something silver flashed in her vision, Bubblegum looking right at him when Raph pushed his head back out his shell.
The Boran and the bruit both looked up, the foot soldiers following.
“fuck.” Raph hissed, drawing his sai.
“We fighting?” Sky stood, Ōdachi in hand.
“Unfortunately.” Raph glared down at the beasts below, anger boiling up from the pit he had tossed it in so long ago. “Come on, we gotta kill the Shredder one more time.”
Mona sighed, a small lazer gun already in hand. She looked down, firing the first return shot. Raph sighed, taking a step off of the beam.
He let himself fall, shouts and gravity fighting as he landed in a roll. He popped up, sai already making a home in a foot bots body.
Raph spun, purple use bursting to one side as a sword cut through paper.
Raph grabbed a human and lunged at him, bending them over one knee. He tossed them aside, sai pushing another sword away from himself.
A shell pressed against his own, un unfamiliar curves telling. He grabbed a bot, crushing its metal head and throwing it at April.
April, a few feet away, caught it, metal and fabric crumpling as her eyes glowed.
Raph spun with Sky, grabbing a stray bot, throwing it into the wall.
Raph hissed as something cut deep into his arm, warm blood trickling down his arm.
Raph spun, grabbing the weapon that had cut him. He yanked, pulling both the naginata and the human towards him.
He gave them a punch to the gut, throwing the naginata over his shoulder with another quick motion.
Sky yelped, the sounds of metal dragging on the floor making Raph spin.
Purple-black vines were flung forward, cracking the ground where Raph had been a second before.
He growled, lowering into a crouch as the Boran approached, one hand held up. the vines wriggled, retreating back from where they had been.
Raph pressed up against the wall, watching the approaching goat man. The humans around him were moving just behind.
“If anyone has a way out, that would be great!” Raph hissed out the words, hating how his voice rose with panic that was only half his.
Sky yelped as he daubed a blow from a ninja. “I can try to portal again,” he jumped away from a stray ninja star. “‘Don't know where we would end up!”
April slid up the wall next to Raph, her eyes glowing as her hair and tentacle thing having come free of her ponytail.
“Better then nothing!” April held up a hand, several silver things falling to the ground.
“DO IT!” Onix practically roared, making Raph search for her massive form amongst the sea of black and red-orange.
Sky brought his Ōdachi down in a wide arc, blue and teal shearling into life as a large ring formed.
Raph head El yelp from the other side, the group split into two by the blue energy.
Sky glanced back at Raph and April, panic clear on his face.
Raph growled, pulling April down by her ankle with one hand and setting his remaining sai with his other.
Raph leapt forward, grabbing Skys shell and dragging all three of them into the blue portal.
A panicked thunderstorm of blue energy greated Raph as he fell through the portal, fear and adrenaline stronger than his own hitting him.
Raph landed with a grunt, stumbling and landing in a crumpled pile on some moss.
Moss wasn't right for New York. Neither was the now finding adrenaline lingering under his scales.
A bird calling out in alarm was both relief and anxiety sparking. He was glad to finally hear something, but also that bird sounded panicked.
Raph sat up with a groan, rubbing his head and slowly opening his eyes.
It was decently not New York, the massive trees surrounding them, moss covered ground, and the small babbling sun lit creek.
Raph stood, scanning the area for his family as panic, his own this time, rose. The birds were calling even louder now.
Raph finally spotted April and Sky, the first only a few feet behind him and the latter sitting up from the stream.
The blue portal was still flickering, bulging slightly as the others crossed. It snapped shut with a snap.
Mona, El and Onix were all on the other side, Onix stumbling slightly with El in hand. Mona was on the ground, but was sitting up.
Raph closed his eyes, forcing himself to steady his breathing. He jumped as April rested a hand on his shoulder.
“Anyone know where we are?”
Sky groaned from the stream. “Don’t ask me.”
Raph resisted the edge to snap back at the younger turtle, instead making his way over to the others.
El was clinging to Onixs arm and bandana, being held close by the kappa. Onix was looking around, the spikes on her cheeks flicking about and a small frown clear with her pulled down bandana.
Mona stood, dusting herself off. Ze sniffed the air, head tilting as ze looked around. Raph moved over to her, blinking back at April and Sky as they walked, and scrambled over.
“I can try to get us back, if anyone has a point in the city they want to go.” Sky huffed, ringing water out of his mask tails.
The birds began to quiet down, calmer now.
“Literally anywhere that's not a Foot brace please and thank you.” El trilled, slowly releasing her death grip on Onixs arm.
“Uh.. Husos?” Sky offered a weak grin.
Raph nodded as Mona made a low hissing sound, one of her agreeing ones. April sighed, moving to tie her hair back up.
“So long as it’s not human, I'm not putting this,” April waved wildly at her head. “Back up fully.”
Sky nodded, smile grinning some strength. “No humans in sight sister-“
He cut down on the air with his Ōdachi again, blue and teal springing into life once again.
“And I know this place, so we won't get lost.”
Raph glared at Sky as he fell back into the portal, all relaxed and happy.
“Your brother is a menace.”
Raph turned back to April, who had been the one to speak. She caught sight of him, shrugging.
Onix snorted, finally looking back at the group. “Yeah, and I live with him.”
“How.” April made a gesture at the portal.
“No idea.” Onix hummed, frown being replaced with a smile as she moved to the portal. “Raphs worse.”
“Hey!” Raph almost barked at Onix, and El, disappeared into the portal, both laughing.
Mona snickered as she followed, tail trailing on the moss. April did bark out a laugh, being the next to enter the portal.
Raph looked back at the forest, birds back to their normal singing. He took in a deep breath, pausing just long enough to let it go before entering the portal once again.
More references for myself bc I keep messing up...
Tribute, the company behind TMNT Shredder's revenge shared with us two wallpapers (desktop and mobile) of Mona and Mondo!!
