This is just a simple oneshot I wrote for fun only, but I did spend some time proof-reading it to make sure everything was correct. Oh well, I'll let the readers be the judges of that. I hope you enjoy my story, and thank you for your time.

Wanna play?

It was an ordinary day in the daily life of the Hamato household…well, as ordinary as could be for a unique family that dwelled in New York City's maze-like sewer systems. Even more curious than the family's address was the shocking fact that it actually consisted of four mutant turtles and one large humanoid rat that was well-versed in the ancient art of ninjutsu.

The origin of how this one-of-a-kind clan came to be was an interesting, yet tragic, one, but that was a story that Hamato "Splinter" Yoshi, a former human and the adoptive father of the four mutated turtles, intended to tell after the ten-year-old turtles had matured enough to comprehend the darker aspects of life. For the time being, the humanoid rat wished nothing more than to allow his precious and innocent children to enjoy their fleeting days of blissful ignorance and happiness to their hearts' content.

Right after their daily training session inside the makeshift dojo, Splinter had given his adopted sons permission to engage in activities of their choosing.

Immediately, the red-banded turtle Raphael and the orange-banded terrapin Michelangelo, the more active of the four, bolted toward the pinball machine at a speed that never failed to astonish Splinter.

"Get off, Mikey!" shouted Raph as he tried to get the turtle in question out of the machine, "It's my turn to play today!"

"Nuh-uh, Raphie!" replied Mikey as he did his best to withstand his brother's tug, "I have sworn to beat Leo's high sore today, and nothing in the universe is going to stop me."

"Hah, I'd love to see you try, Mike" said the blue-banded and oldest turtle Leonardo as he calmly walked toward the bickering brothers. Closely following behind him was the tallest, leanest, and smartest of the four mutants, who sported a purple mask and was named Donatello.

"You'll see, Leo. Today is THE day I conquer your high score!" exclaimed the bubbly Michelangelo as he continued his game, ignoring Raph's protests.

"Yeah right, like we haven't heard that before…" Raphael said briefly before shouting again.

"Come on, Raph" Donnie said as he attempted to quell the irritation that was quickly building up inside his second oldest brother, "You can just let Mikey have his round. It'll be a brief."

"A grief more like it," Raph retorted, "the little hog is gonna glue himself to the pinball machine all day long until he beats Leo's score, and we all know how that's going to end."

"Well, there is the arcade machine that I fixed last week" Donnie said calmly, "why don't you play with that for a while…without holding on to your sais for a change".

"I beat that game already, and it's boring!" the headstrong turtle protested, much to Donnie's dismay.

"Then how about you play a few games of chess with me then?" Leonardo asked all of the sudden, flashing his brother a bright smile and sounding rather hopeful.

Unfortunately, the blue-banded turtle's enthusiasm toward the strategic game was not shared by the action-prone hothead of the clan, who simply looked at Leo like he had grown another head.

"That arcade machine sounds pretty good to me!" Raph said after a while and dashed toward the shooting game and pressed start, ignoring his older sibling's offer.

"Oh…okay then…" Leonardo mumbled as he walked toward the unoccupied TV to watch a scheduled rerun episode of Space Heroes. Even though he had tried his best to sound normal, something in his voice betrayed the facade - mainly disappointment. Ever since Splinter found an incomplete chess set and a guide book during one of his scavenges, Leo had become extremely interested in the intelligent game of kings. Even though the found set missed a few pieces, he was sure he could find some things around the lair to replace them.

Unfortunately, his brothers, namely Mikey and Raph, did not take any interest in the strategic game, because it was boring for the hyperactive turtles. As for Donatello, the purple-banded turtle had been working on something in secret for a long while, right after laying eyes upon Leo's chess set.

And unfortunately for the blue-clad terrapin yet again, another mishap added to his disappointment at present. To his dismay, Leo found out that his favorite show was interrupted for a live report of a serious traffic accident somewhere in New York.

Begrudgingly switching off the TV, the blue-clad turtle stood up and prepared to walk toward the dojo.

"I think I'm going to train some more" he announced after deciding that there was nothing else for him to do.

"You okay, Leo?" Donnie asked as he walked up to his sibling and studied his brother carefully with watchful eyes, making the blue-banded turtle in question feel somewhat uneasy. Being gazed by the piercing reddish brown eyes of the most intelligent turtle in the lair could be, as Leo had concluded a while back, a really uncomfortable experience.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he quickly replied so as to reassure the resident genius.

Donnie stood still and looked at his oldest sibling for a while longer with an unreadable expression on his face before nodding his head slowly, seemingly accepting Leo's reply. However, there was something in Donnie's eyes that told Leo otherwise.

"Alright then" Don said with a shrug and turned to look at his lab, "If you can, meet me in the lab at ten o'clock. I need your help with something" he added with a strange stress in his tone, which slightly puzzled Leo. Unfortunately, the oldest turtle never got the chance to clear up his confusion.

Having said his piece, Donnie turned around and headed for his personal haven within the lair, where he could safely focus on his various projects without any loud noises or bickering brothers to distract him. Once the purple-clad boy had disappeared from sight, Leo, after a while longer, shrugged and made his way for the dojo to practice the new katas he had learned earlier that day.

…

True to his words, Leonardo, once inside the dojo, immediately got himself warm up and ready to review his latest lessons.

The ten-year-old turtle slowly and carefully moved his body so as to avoid some of the mistakes his master had pointed out and corrected earlier. Even though he was rather young, Leo was somewhat a perfectionist who strictly upheld the values of tradition when it came to ninjutsu, and the little ninja in training would never allow himself to settle for anything less than perfect.

Going through the motions step by step, Leo regulated and controlled his breathing to match the rhythm at which his body was moving. If one chanced upon this sight, that person would be misled by the assumption that the young terrapin was practicing Taichi, not ninjustu. While going through the motions of his hands and feet, the blue-banded ninja focused his mind and tried his best to remember everything Splinter had told him during the morning training session.

'Alright, don't be hasty!' he mentally told himself as he took a small step forward and guided his hands the way he had been taught, 'Keep your every movement fluid and firm".

Inside the dojo, the lone turtle continued to go through different motions of different katas, until he finally managed to reach the end of his private lesson. Retracting his hands and feet back, the young warrior breathed out, signaling the end of his self-induced practice.

"Yes!" exclaimed Leo all of the sudden as he raised one fist in the air triumphantly. His serious aura had completely vanished, only to be replaced by that of a proud child who had just accomplished something that could potentially make his parent happy.

"Sensei is going to be pleased with my progress!" he added cheerfully as he raised the other tiny fist in the air.

"Indeed, Leonardo. You have done me proud with your astounding improvement" came an unexpected voice from the open door, which made the unsuspecting turtle jump a few feet in the air while letting out a surprised yelp. Gravity did its job and pulled the hovering child back down seconds later, making the blue-clad terrapin land on his plastron.

"Ow!" Leo moaned as he gingerly caressed his face, trying to ease the minor sting he had felt there.

"Are you alright, my son?" Splinter asked, having kneeled next to his son on the floor. Even though he tried his best to hide it, there was still a small hint of humor in his tone, betrayed by the chuckle that he had unintentionally let out.

It wasn't that Splinter found delight in his sons' falls, but rather he had developed a confidence that such falls would no longer cause any harm for the young turtles like they had in the past. After all, Leonardo, Donatello, and especially Michelangelo had had worse done to them by Raph during their sparring sessions.

In addition, it was always amusing to tease his beloved and unsuspecting sons by dropping in on them unannounced and to get a reaction out of them. At first, the former human was rather concerned by the turtles' dramatic reactions to his appearance acts and usually rushed to their aid immediately. However, as time went by, the humanoid rat finally came to the conclusion one day that his assistance was no longer required, and that his sons were perfectly capable of getting back to their feet with ease.

"I'm good, sensei!" Leo replied as he quickly pushed himself up and stood in front of his kneeling father, "But you've got to stop doing that! We're too young to have heart attacks!" he added, one hand holding his wildly beating heart to emphasize his point.

Seeing that only caused Splinter to chuckle in delight as he stood up.

"Well, it is good exercise for you, Leonardo, and for your brothers as well. With time, you will be able to heighten your senses and raise your spatial awareness of everything around you with impeccable precision".

"…Right…If we don't have cardiac arrest first, whatever that is…" Leonardo mumbled the unfamiliar term that he had heard Donnie mention a while ago, making Splinter smile fondly at his son's childish antics.

"That aside, Leonardo" Splinter said after a few seconds, getting the turtle's attention, "What are you doing here at this hour? Practice is over already, and I believe you are allowed to enjoy your free time with your brothers, as they are currently doing in the main hall" the rat master continued, 'Because very soon, the time you spend with each other may not be as much…or as innocent'.

"Well, Raph and Mikey called dibs on the game machines, and Donnie is in his lab making something, so I don't think they will pay much attention to me anyway" the young turtle answered in a shockingly neutral tone, making Splinter raise an eye ridge.

"Why don't you invite your brothers to engage in some activities that you like?" the rat suggested.

"I did invite Raph to play chess with me, but he refused in favor of shooting down brain-like aliens driving flying frying pans on the arcade machine".

"What about Michelangelo then?" Splinter continued, stroking his beard in a thoughtful manner.

"Glued to the pinball machine until further notice, sensei" Leo replied with pride in his voice, "He's trying to beat my high score". The young turtle then smiled slightly, knowing that there was no way on earth the youngest turtle could ever conquer his best record.

"Hmm, I suppose…" Splinter said again, still stroking his beard in the same manner as before, "What about Donatello? Have you invited him to play yet?"

"Well…technically…no…" Leo replied sheepishly.

"And why not, my son?"

"He's usually busy with his projects in that lab of his at this hour and won't come out until lunch, so I'm not comfortable with interrupting him when he's trying to focus on something".

Splinter stood still and looked at the son before him with a fond smile on his face. Even at a young age, Leonardo still cared for his brothers' needs and wants, as expected of the oldest child of the clan. However, the ninja master was not about to allow Leo to stay inside the dojo for the rest of the day. He was still young, and he should not focus too hard on his training.

"If memory serves me right, wasn't it Donatello who told you to go to his lab at ten?" Splinter said and turned to look at the clock on the wall, making Leo do the same.

"You heard that, sensei?" Leo asked as he looked at his father once again.

"One of the perks of being a rat, my son" the mutant rodent replied, twitching his ears to emphasize his point.

"Oh!"

"Shouldn't you get going, Leonardo? It's almost time, and ninjas do not show up late for their meetings".

Without needing to be told twice, the blue-clad ninja bolted out of the dojo and disappeared through the door. Splinter, now alone in his haven, was about to sit down to meditate, but a sudden voice called out to him from the door.

"Sensei!" Leo's voice called out, catching the rat's attention.

"What is it, my son?" he asked.

Without saying anything, the turtle in question walked toward where his father was sitting and bowed his head respectfully. After that, he turned around and bolted out of the room, once again disappearing from sight, as fast as he had come.

With a light-hearted chuckle, Splinter shook his head, amused by the kid's childish yet mature antics.

"Kids" the rat muttered fondly before fully closing his eyes and letting his mind wander the astral plane.

…

After leaving the dojo, Leonardo immediately headed for Donatello's lab and knocked on the door.

"Donnie?" he called out and waited for a response on the other side, and he didn't need to wait long.

"Come in, Leo!" replied Donnie.

The blue-clad apprentice ninja did as told and entered his brother's lab.

Not surprisingly, Leo immediately found his younger sibling sitting at his desk, his shell facing the door. He could also see that Donnie was gathering some tools lying around, so he stood still and waited until his brother was done with his tasks.

A few more seconds passed, and Donnie finished collecting the scattered pieces and parts ling on the desk and the floor. He carefully put everything back into a small box and turned around, flashing his newly arrived older sibling his lovable gap-toothed smile.

"Sorry for the wait, Leo. I needed to make sure nothings gets lost around here should I need them in the future".

"No problem, Don" Leo replied, "So, what is it that you need my help with?" he added, slightly surprised that his genius brother needed assistance from him.

To add to Leo's confusion, Donnie simply stood up and gestured toward another table nearby, his smile still present on his face, if not even brighter. The bewildered turtle in blue turned his head toward the direction that his brother was pointing at, and was shocked speechless by what he saw.

There, standing majestically on Donnie's small table, was a complete chess set, whose pieces were composed entirely of random auto parts –mainly nuts and bolts - which his brother and father had found in the sewers and the junkyard they frequented. The pieces were absolutely beautiful, and they looked even more impressive than the real ones.

The pawns were made using various ½" hex bolts (1½" tall) and flange hex nuts. The rooks came to be thanks to the combination of ½" threaded rods, flange hex nuts and (½") castle nuts. The knights were created from ½" hex bolts, flange hex nuts, and butterfly nuts. Similarly, the bishops were assembled from ½" threaded rods (3" tall), cap nuts, flange hex nuts, inverted (½") castle nuts and washers.

The most prominent pieces, the queens and kings, were the most spectacular and beautiful pieces of all. The queens consisted of ½ inch carriage bolts (3½" tall), screwed flange hex nuts, internally toothed washers, long-sleeve hex nuts and 4 externally toothed washers per piece. As for the kings, they were created by combining ½" threaded rods (4" tall), screwed flange hex nuts, washers, internally toothed washers, long-sleeve hex nuts, externally toothed washers and (½") castle nuts.

Even though there was no chessboard in sight, Leo, upon closer inspection, found that the surface of Donnie's table had been divided into sixty four even squares like a real board thanks to the use of permanent markers. The sight of a complete chess set was amazing, to the point that Leo found himself standing still and admiring his brother's works with his mouth agape.

Still in a deep trance after laying eyes on Donnie's wonderful surprise, Leo didn't really pay attention to his surroundings, and thus failed to acknowledge the fact that his brother was talking to him. It finally took a gentle squeeze on his shoulder to break the turtle in blue out of his daze and back to the world of the living.

When Leo turned around, he saw the smiling face of Donatello in front of him, his smile had grown even bigger if that was possible at all.

"I assume you like that?" Donnie asked, and all Leo could do was nodding his head, almost mechanically.

"This…this is beautiful Donnie, but how…why…" The normally coherent turtle of the clan suddenly found himself stammering.

"I have lots of time, and lots of spare parts. I've been working on this little project for a while now".

"But…what for?" Leo asked.

"You, of course" Donnie said, barely able to contain his laughter at the sight of his brother's stunned visage, "You have been reading that chess guide book for a while now, so I guessed that you really wanted to play the game for real. The request you made for Raph to play a game with you and the deflated look you had when he refused your offer helped to consolidate my suspicion".

"I wasn't deflated, Don…I was just…just…" Leo tried to say something, feeling a little defensive. He was the oldest, so he was supposed to be the one to take care of his younger siblings, so he wasn't used to this kind of treat from another brother.

Leo was about to say something else, but Don silenced him by pulling a chair out and sat down, choosing the black pieces to serve as his army. With a radiant smile on his face, the gap-toothed turtle picked up his king and raised in up in the air.

"Wanna play?" he asked before putting the king back to its original position and pointing at another chair nearby.

After a few minutes of standing still like a statue staring at his thoughtful brother in front of him, Leo's face split into a smile of his own, one that rivaled Donnie's. Eagerly, the blue-clad ninja took his seat and sat down, ready to start his first try at the infamous game of kings.

"Your move first, Leo" Donnie said as he gestured for his brother to make his move.

"I know Don, I read the book" Leo replied with a grin on his face. "If you know that I've been reading that book, then you must know that I'm pretty knowledgeable about this game, right?" he added smugly.

"Mere theories, brother mine" Donnie said with a tone that perfectly matched Leo's. "Let us see how well you do in practice, shall we? I'm not the smartest turtle in the lair for nothing you know".

"That's it, Don, you're on!" Leo exclaimed excitedly as he picked up his pawn, holding it in his hand for a few seconds before moving it two squares forward, a move that Donnie happily returned by doing the exact same thing.

As the game of chess progressed in the lab, the two young strategists became engrossed in the game and lost track of time. Each move one turtle made was swiftly countered by the other, and their first attempt at this strange new game soon turned into an epic battle of wits, from which neither passionate commander wished to back down.

Donnie and Leo continued to play their game in comfortable silence within the tranquil lab with unwavering focus and determination for a little longer, completely unaware of the time and their surroundings. As a result, they were completely oblivious to the three figures standing at the lab's door looking at them with joyous smiles plastered on their faces.

THE END

I really hope you enjoy this little tale. As for the chess pieces, I found the formula online. You can google it for more details, and all credit naturally goes to the person that invented them, not me.

Thank you for taking your time to read my story. Oh, and do review, I love reviews, especially constructive ones (be blunt if you want, but please keep your comments civil, for I do not enjoy vulgarity nor do I encourage it).