The day had arrived to go into the Nexus. The Turtles checked all their belongings to make sure they weren’t forgetting anything. Mikey said his goodbyes to Klunk, scratching the orange cat between the ears then thanked April and Casey for agreeing to take care of him.
Since Leo already knew how, Splinter had decided that Donatello should learn the ritual for entering the Nexus. Mikey stood back and watched, glad that it wasn’t him who had to learn it all. Maybe in another three years, nah, Raph can learn it then.
Donatello finished drawling on the wall to Splinter’s satisfaction and began the chant. Mona gasped as the water in the glass on the floor lifted to the wall, creating a portal. Raph placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her that everything was okay.
Splinter reached for her, “Come through with me first. The preliminary round will start almost as soon as they step though. We will be protected in a bubble as observers.” Moan nodded and took his hand and they were the first to step through. Leonardo followed next, then Donnie and Raph with Mikey going through last.
Their opponents were waiting for them on the other side. They were giant eight foot bugs. “Bugs!!” Raph almost shrieked, “Why bugs?” Michelangelo couldn’t help but laugh as the battle began.
The four “bugs” were not all the same. One looked like a beetle, one looked like a roach and two looked like centipedes. Mikey and Leo took the centipedes while Donnie got the roach, leaving Raph with the beetle.
The “bugs” had a few tricks, but in the end the Turtles won. Mikey looked up to see Splinter and Mona floating in their protective bubble. For a brief moment the angle of the bubble was just right for Mikey to see up Mona’s skirt. He flushed when he noticed that she wasn’t wearing any underwear. Raph must have noticed because he came up and whispered in Mikey’s ear. “Her tail gets in the way.”
Mikey swallowed hard, “Dude, is she going to stay exclusive to you or are you guys open like the rest of us?” He was really starting to crave the petite lizard and actually felt a twinge of jealousy over Raph having her.
“That’s for her to decide.” Raph said patting Mikey on the back before walking away.
The bubble drifted down as Gyoji arrived to declare that the Turtles had passed the preliminary round. As soon as the bubble dissipated, Mona ran up to Raphael, “That was amazing!” She flung her arms over his shoulders, locking her fingers behind his neck. “I’ve watched you guys train, but to see the actual fighting was… Wow!”
Mikey watch as Raph flinched a little and knew it was the placement of Mona’s hands that made him uncomfortable. Raphael laughed and kissed her gently, grabbing her arms and pulling them down so that her hands rested on his plastron. “It’s a gift.” Raphael teased. Smooth, Mikey thought. At least he didn’t flip out and pull away from her. She’s still learning the rules with him.
The Daimyo had invited the Turtles to stay with him during and after the tournament. They were only too happy to accept. They had time before the actual tournament started so they headed to the Daimyo’s, to try and get settled in before the first round.
More contenders were arriving as they passed the fighting on their way. Most were individuals in one on one battles and half won’t even make it to the first round. Starting with round one the Turtles would no longer be fighting together. Each will be on his own, and this made Michelangelo a bit nervous. He knew that he had one the tournament once, but part of that was because Splinter simply yielded to him and Leo and Usagi left because of interference. Mikey wasn’t sure if he would be able to beat his favored in a one on one battle, though his was fairly confident that he would be able to beat Raph again.
The Daimyo’s home was immaculate, in the ancient Japanese style of architecture. Actually the Japanese were influenced by the Daimyo’s style not the other way around. This was due to the fact that the Daimyo played a big part in the forming of the Japanese culture.
The halls were long with high ceilings and the walls were decorated with art that looked like it came from different worlds. Mikey stopped to look at one that reminded him of the world where they met Honeycutt.
Raph walked up to Donnie and threw an arm over his shoulders. “If you make it past the first round this time, I’ll give you a treat” Raph teased. Donnie was the first Turtle out three years ago, failing to pass the first round, a fact that was brought up on occasion when one of them was feeling particularly mean spirited.
Donnie stopped, turned and looked at Raph. “What if I make it to the final four?” Donnie inquired. The rest stopped and waited for the exchange to finish. Mikey heard Splinter sigh.
Raph laughed. “If you make it to the final four, I’ll let you be on top.”
“What if I win?” Donnie asked, raising an eye ridge.
Raph crossed his arms, “I’ll do whatever you want, if you win.”
Michelangelo ran up to Donnie, “Oh, Donnie. Can I be part of whatever you want, please?”
Raph slapped Mikey on the arm, “That’s not gonna happen.”
Donnie smiled, “It will if that’s what I want.”
Raph scoffed, “It’s not gonna happen, ‘cause you’re not gonna win.” Mikey could tell that Raph was no longer amused and was actually starting to frazzled. They should have known better than to turn the conversation to sex, or to make him feel pressured.
“You don’t think I can?” Donnie sounded hurt. Mikey just wanted the argument to stop. He hated to see them fighting.
“It would be an improvement if you simply made it passed the first round.” Raph snapped.
“You’re an ass.” Donnie’s voice broke. “I’m as good a fighter as any of you.”
“Whatever.” Raph said, pushing past them and continuing down the hall. He rounded the corner and stopped. “Fuck!” he fumed.
Mikey ran up to see what the matter was. He rounded the corner to see Faraji, Adam, Tora, and Joi. “Tora!” Mikey exclaimed running up to his human friend. “What brings you to the Nexus? Are you here to watch me fight, and win again?” Mikey flexed his muscles.
The rest of the group rounded the corner as Tora answered. “We are here as fighters. We made it passed the preliminaries.”
Smiling Leo walked up to Faraji, and they embraced each other as friends. Donnie was equally happy to see Adam. Joi stayed back behind the group and Raph stayed back at the corner with Mona at his side. Mikey turned back to look at Raph, who simply grabbed Mona’s hand and walked away.
“He’s still angry?” Tora asked.
“Yah,” Mikey replied, “but that’s not gonna stop me from being happy to see you guys.”
“Who was that girl he was with?” Adam asked.
“That’s Mona,” Donnie explained, “He found her in the sewers about a month ago. It’s a long story.” Donnie pointed down the hall, “Walk with us for a bit. There’s plenty of time before the first round, and we want to get settled in our rooms.”
“You’re staying here?” Faraji asked.
Mikey smiled, “We’re friends of the Ultimate Daimyo.” He then leaned in close to Tora, “We played a part in saving his son and Splinter is, like, his B.F.F.”
The group headed down the hall, talking about how things have been. Tora glanced at Mikey, “I have seen your statue Michelangelo san. It is impressive.”
Mikey smiled, “I am a Nexus champion, you know.”
“Yes, I believe you have mentioned it a few times,” Tora teased.
Once they reached the room that the Turtles were staying in, the groups parted ways. “Good luck to you guys,” Mikey hollered after them, waving his hand. Adam turned and waved thanks back.
Raphael was already in the room, having taken a different route. He was doing pushups trying to work off the frustration while Mona sat quietly in a corner. “You okay, Raphie.” Mikey said sitting next to him on the floor. He didn’t like seeing Raph upset.
“Fine,” was all the response he got. Mikey shrugged, got up and decided to explore the room. It was more than a room, it was a suite. The room they entered into was a common room. Five bedrooms, a dojo and a restroom connected to it. Splinter had already claimed a room and was in it to give them some privacy and to meditate.
“Wow!” Mikey was in awe. “Leo, let’s share this room!” Mikey said running into a room. It was set up with only one tatami, but one from one of the other rooms could easily fit.
Leo came in behind him and kissed him on the cheek, “That’s fine.” Leo said putting his bag down in a corner, “I’ll go get us another tatami.” Leo soon returned with the mattress and they arranged the room the way they liked it then unpacked their things.
When they came out they saw Raph having a hushed conversation with Donnie who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his plastron and he wasn’t looking at Raph. Raph looked like he was trying to say he was sorry and kept trying to get Donnie to look at him. But Donnie kept his eyes to the ground.
After a while Raph reached up to touch Donnie’s face and he didn’t pull away, so that was a good sign that he was on the verge of accepting. Donnie’s arms dropped and Raph leaned in for a light kiss.
Donnie kissed him back, and then together they worked to move some mattresses into another room so that they could share with Mona. “It’d be nice to have a girl between us, Leo.” Mikey breathed.
Leo rubbed Mikey’s shoulder, “Maybe one day she will share our bed, but for now let’s let them build their relationship.”
“Yeah,” Mikey groaned. Then Leo kissed him and led him to their room. “Do you want to cuddle for a while?” Mikey asked after Leo closed the door.
Leo smiled, laid down and opened his arms to Mikey. Mikey squealed with joy and laid his head on Leo’s plastron, just over his heart. It was easier to do when Mikey was smaller than Leo, but Mikey has always loved to just lay there listening to the beat of Leo’s heart.
A knock at the front door caused the couple to get up. Donnie peeked his head out of his room to see if anyone was going to answer. Splinter’s room door stayed shut, Mikey assumed it was because he was either meditating or napping. Either way they would not bother him just yet.
Leo opened the door to see the Daimyo’s son Ue-Sama. “Leonardo san,” the boy smiled up at him. Ue-Sama had grown a bit in the past three years, but was still a little shorter than the Turtles. “Gyoji told me you were here.”
“Ue-Sama, it’s good to see you,” Leo smiled. “Would you like to come in?”
“Yes, thank you.” The Daimyo’s son entered the room, “Are the accommodations to your liking?”
“They’re great,” Mikey exclaimed. “Your dad’s the best.”
Ue-Sama looked up and saw Mona Lisa coming out of the room along with Raph and Don. “We did not know you would have a female with you.”
“She was a last minute add on,” Leo stated. “Is that okay?”
“Oh, it’s fine. We will make sure there are proper supplies brought in for her use,” Ue-Sama nodded. “I will let the servants know. The adjustments will be finished by the time you return to your room.” Another knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Leo opened the door to see a healer standing there.
The healer bowed his head, “I am here to check the combatants to insure that they are well enough to fight.” Mikey thought this was funny, because they didn’t have to go through such tests last time.
Leo bowed in return and stepped aside to allow entrance. The healer walked up to and examined each Turtle with a simple glance, nodding his approval at each one. “Everyone looks to be in good health.” He paused for a moment looking again at Raph, but soon looked away. Mikey could have sworn that the healer looked hesitant about something. The healer then looked over to Mona Lisa. “I notice that you are missing part of your tail Tokage san.”
Mona looked confused so Donnie leaned in, “He basically called you Ms. Lizard.”
“Oh,” Mona bowed to the healer. “Yes I lost part of it about a month ago.” She laughed a bit uncomfortably, “I just hope it grows back.” Then she asked, “How do you know? It’s covered by the dress.”
The healer smiled, “Healer’s gift,” was his explanation. “It is growing, but I can help the process along.”
“You can?” Mona practically squealed. “That would be wonderful.”
As the healer approached Mona turned. She lifted her skirt so that the nub was exposed and the healer’s hands moved over it. The hands of the healer and the tip of the nub both started to glow. Mikey was amazed as the tail began to slowly grow.
“That feels weird,” Mona observed, “it kind of tickles,” she added, looking back over her shoulder trying to watch.
When the healer was done, Mona had a long tail. She gasped in delight and hugged the healer. “Thank you so much.” The healer was a bit uncomfortable with the embrace, but did not move away from it. “I never thought that I would be so happy to have a tail.”
“You are very much welcome,” he said after Mona let him go.
She turned to show Raph and Donnie her tail. “He grew my tail.” She swished it around. “Isn’t that wonderful?” A big grin erupted on her face.
Raph and Donnie both laughed. “It’s great,” Donnie stated as the healer bowed his goodbyes and left.
Ue-Sama looked to Leonardo, “The first round is about to start. I will be watching from my father’s side.” The boy obviously had a great admiration for Leo.
“I’ll be sure to look for you there.” Leo smiled. “I’ll wave at you, if you can find me in the crowd that is.”
Ue-Sama smiled, “Father and I were hoping that you would all join us for dinner,” the young one stated.
“It would be our honor,” Leo bowed.
The young ninja beamed, “Maybe after I can show you what I have learned these past three years.”
Leo smiled, “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Raphael headed back to the rooms, “I’ll go wake Master Splinter so he has time to get ready.”
The Daimyo’s son watched Raph walk away, his expression changed to one of worry. It was as if he was in a trance, but he quickly snapped out of it. He looked to the ground for a brief moment then back up to Leo “I will go,” Ue-Sama said, “so that you have a chance to prepare yourselves for the first round.” He bowed, “Good luck to you all.”
Leonardo bowed in return, “Thank you. Tell your father that we send our thanks for the room. He has been most generous.” Leo escorted Ue-Sama out closing the door behind him. Turning he looked at his brothers and sensei, “Gear up. We’ll leave for the first round in ten minutes.”
Leo pulled Michelangelo aside, “Did you notice how the healer and Ue-Sama looked at Raph?” Mikey simply nodded. Glancing up a Raph, Leo looked worried, “I wonder if there is something they’re not telling us.” Raph must have felt Leo’s eyes on him and looked up. His eyes narrowed as he looked back at Leo and Leo looked away, “Or, if it’s just something we’re not seeing.”
Michelangelo felt a pang of worry in his gut. He looked over at Splinter and noticed that their father also looked worried. The more Mikey thought about it, over the last few months at least, he remembered other times where he caught Splinter looking at Raphael with that same expression.
