Prologue
To whom it concerns:
Today I write so that those who find this will understand my choices in the event of my death. Please don't blame yourselves if this comes true, it was my choice to give my life to the only reasons why I still walk this earth. Never forget I'll always love you and that would never change even in death, my brothers. To understand why I choice to give my life up tonight for you, let me retell the tale of how our paths crossed that one faithful night.
My name is Shadow Hatake Hamato and this is a story about how my life changed when I met four unique individuals that I can proudly call my brothers; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. Along with our father, Splinter, I hope that what I write will give your guys peace of mind that if I were to perish in this battle is that I did it with the mindset that my life is meaningless compared to your lives. I could never again live in the darkness that I once lived in without you guys. Forgive me for my selfish actions but just as I stated before my life is nothing and I am here to protect those I love and care about.
Goodbye my one and only family
Chapter 1:
One Year Ago
It was in the middle of October, the cold chilling wind and the heavy atmosphere didn't help with the bitter chills that flew through my body every time a breeze flew past me. The back alleys of New York were no place for a 13 year old but I had no home, no family and from past experience I knew humans could never be trusted. True I am human also but because of my past and other experiences that are still too traumatic for me to talk about I refuse the help of anyone. Every day is a struggle to survive but I still move forward every day because of the lives I carry on my back. I stopped living for myself a long time ago and started living for the lives that were lost to protect mine. I never understood what made me so special compared to others but still I continue to move forward with the mindset of the other lives I must up hold.
The back alley of Jay's Dogs brings me what little heat I could gather from the store and the scraps of food that jay would throw away from his shop. Just like clockwork Jay would close shop around 10 pm and throw away what he couldn't save at 11:30 pm. The other good thing was Jay was ablovish to the cardboard box that continued to lay next to his dumpster. Sometimes I make myself believe he just turns a blind eye to the kid hiding inside it. But never mind that, after Jay finally leaves do I crawl out of the collapsing cardboard box that I called home and scavenge for what little food is let over. It's never enough but I couldn't complain, I didn't want to live in the system nor did I want to steal for a living. I swore on my parents’ bodies that I would live with our family's honor intact and never break the bushido code they instilled in me.
After eating out of the dumpster and trash cans around the block I would sit with my back against the brick wall of Jay's Dogs with a sharp piece of glass in my hand. I could never sleep at night and even in the day if I slept it would be very little. My gray hoodie was covered in my sweat and dirt from every day use. The baggy dark blue jeans that were only held up my some electric cord I found in a dumpster were starting to form holes on my knees. Looking down at my shoe, if you could call them shoes, were held together with duct tape. I was able to get them from a dumpster from a spoil rich kid that threw them away when they got scuffed. From walking almost everywhere in New York did they start to fall apart. But with no money I could never get them repaired and with police searching for people like me I didn't dare try to move from my spot. When light from police cars would shine into my alleyway I would hide in my "home" and wait until they left. But my "home" was just another reminder that I had nothing, the cardboard box was soaked from every rainstorm that roamed its way into New York, holes started to form from rats chewing at the edges from when I left to get food.
My only companion in all of this was a small white dog that I found one day after returning from scavenging. The small dog was trying to wake up a larger dog that found its way to the alleyway that I was using. Slowing I started walking toward the two dogs, I placed the food I was able to find in my hoodie's pocket and placed my hands in the air. Finally I was able to see that the small dog was nudging the larger dog with its nose, but with my experience on the streets I could tell that the larger dog was dead and it was its mother. Not to startle the smaller dog anymore that it was I announced myself in a low calm voice. The small dog turned around with sad eyes knowing that its mother was gone, I placed my hand out for the small dog to smell and to establish contact. The small dog was at first hesitate but when it started to smell my scent did it start to wag its tail.
I left sorry for the dog because just like me it had no family nor anyone to turn to. Picking up the dog I brought it to my face and just stared at it. My amber eyes and its deep brown eyes just looked at each other, almost like we were communicating with each other we both knew that together we would safe. From that day three months ago I had someone to care about other than myself. I named him Haku because of his white fur that if cleaned would be pure white. I rather go hungry than him so most of the time I gave up my food to him. Haku and I buried him mother in Central Park when no one was around. Looking back at what I did for Haku made me think about how that someday that would be me or at least I would hope so. No one really cares about orphans they only wanted to exploit them because they were like common dirt and couldn't do anything about it. No one can be trusted because its human nature for them to be greedy, distrustful, entitled animals.
But I didn't know that two nights later did my life change but for better or worse, that’s the question.
I lose track of days and time a lot but I believe it was a Friday when I met them. Like usual I was sitting with my back against Jay's Dogs with Haku sleeping in my lap, I had him sleeping inside my hoodie because of the cold wind that was roaring through New York that night. The only heat I could feel was the heat from the sewer grate next to me and the small heat that was radiating from Jay's ovens. But that wouldn't last long, the shard of glass that I held in my hands was starting to cut into my skin very time I picked it up. But it was my only weapon against the New York streets. I pulled my hood up over my head to hide my face and messy black hair and to also shield me as the wind started to get stronger and colder.
It was about after midnight when I hear voices coming from the rooftops, at first I thought I was hearing things but then the clash of metal on metal told me that I wasn't. I looked up to see a mass of black moving around on top of Jay's Dogs. Curiosity got the best of me while I was watching the mass of black moving all around. I picked Haku off my lap and moved him to my neck; still covered by my hoodie him little head poked out while my chin rested on top. With one hand I held Haku's bottom the shard of glass while with my other I used to climb the fire escape to Jay's Dogs. I peeked my head over the ladder to the roof to see something I could never unseen.
From what little I could see there were four turtles with weapons fighting what looked like ninjas with some weird symbol on their chest. They all looked highly skilled but the four turtles looked like they were holding back. With their type of weapons I would have assumed the roof would be covered with blood but all they were doing were knocking out these other ninja with little to no blood shed. But the other ninjas with the weird symbol and outfits wanted nothing but to kill these turtles.
The one with the orange mask was jumping all around with some type of weapon, maybe nunchucks. It looked like he was playing some video game than battling, he had a carefree smile and a childlike laugh as he knocked down ninja after ninja. It made me envious that even with all the blood he must have shed he still had that kind of smile and laugh.
I looked over to the other turtle with the purple mask and his stick. He was good with long range type of attacks and from the way he battle he was calculating every move in his head. It was interesting to watch as he skillfully blocked the incoming ninjas from himself.
Then over to the two other turtles. One wore a red mask with two sais while the other had a blue mask and twin katanas.
Hmm, katanas just like me.
The one with the red mask attack the other ninjas without mercy nor was care for their lives from what I could see that he just fought to release his rage onto someone other than the ones around him. While the one with the blue mask fought to protect everyone one, trying to spill what little blood that had to be spilt he seemed to hold himself below everyone else. It was just like me, he may value his life but would give it up in an instance for the ones around him.
All of a sudden my vision started to get blurry.
Crap don't do this to me now
For some reason when I start to concentrate on something particular for a long period of time my eyes start to hurt and my vision starts to get blurry . The world around me starts to slow down as if I could see the incoming attack in slow-motion giving me time to calculate what to do about. But what made it worst was the fact they would change on me from my normal amber eyes to a gold and even then I would have to shield my face even more with my hood because they wouldn't just turn gold but my iris would turn cat-eye. This happened out in public one time and after people called me a freak and started chasing me did I start to see that I was more and more different than those around me, that I would always be regarded as a freak of nature.
My eyes changed but I could hide them anymore than I could but that didn't stop me from wanting to disappear but something stopped me. I looked back at the turtles as the battle finished but as the ones with the blue, red, and purple turned to gather any weapon they left behind the one in the orange mask started to poke fun at the unconscious ninjas. While the other were busy and the one in the orange mask was in his own little world did one of the ninjas wake up and with the last of his strength he picked up one of his fallen comrades weapons. I took Haku out of my hoodie and placed him of the rooftop. Just as the ninja started to get up I yelled,
"Look out!"
The orange mask turtle turned around to see a sword looming over him. The other turtles turned around just as the blade was coming down on the orange masked turtles. But just as the blade as coming down did I pull the turtle towards me and out of the blades reach, unfortunately I was unable to save myself. The blade came into contact with my left shoulder, slicing in a diagonal way from my shoulder to across my chest.
"ARGGH!"
I fell on my left side clutching my bleed shoulder. Haku ran over to my side just as the other turtles ran over to the one in the orange mask and myself. I pulled Haku towards my chest as I cover his body with my own. The one in the red mask ran over to the ninja that just attack me and the other turtle and started to stab him with his sais. While the other three ran over to my side to see what happened. I tried to get up but a shooting pain from my shoulder and the blood loss was starting to take its toll on me. From the creak of my hood I could see them but couldn't hear them, I guess I was just going into shock or something. The one in the purple mask tried to touch me but Haku started to bark and growl. The one I saved in the orange mask had tears starting to form in his eyes.
Heh, don't waste your tears on the likes of me
But the one in the blue mask was trying to not only stop the one with the red mask but to also get Haku to stop barking at them.
In a shushed tone I whispered to Haku.
"Easy little guy I think they're the good guys" Haku stopped barking and with a small whimper he looked at the turtles almost like he was trying to get them to help me.
I don't know what happened after that but from what I could piece together was that the four turtles decided it was best for me to go the hospital but when the one in the purple mask exclaimed loudly about my eyes they knew that a hospital would be out of the question so I would have to go back to their place. The one with the red mask, was breathing heavily with blood splatter on his plastron and weapons was against the thought of bringing me to their home but the one in the purple mask said I would die without help and that because I saved the one in the orange mask that I should get a chance. The orange mask one agreed and picked Haku up into his arms but from the looks on their faces it looked like the one in the blue mask was the one to decide it all.
Either way I really didn't care. I blacked out without knowing the answer but from the way they acted I had a small sliver of hope that I could go with them. Because for some reason I wasn't scared at any of them, maybe because we all had something in common or because from what I could read off them was that they all meant good.
