A/N: I really need to hear your suggestions for this story, pretty please (with cherries on top)! I will be grateful for your comments, but just please be kind!

Mikey: Ohhh. This is pretty interesting, dude!

Me: *scratches the back of her head* You think so?

Donnie: Yeah, but just please review your studies at school so you won't get a low grade.

Me: Come on, Donnie. You know I wouldn't do that.

Raph: Oh really? Let's just see for ourselves. I think you have an assignment waiting for you.

Leo: Raph, don't be mean. We trust her, right? So we have nothing to worry about.

Me: *smiles* Aww.. Thanks!

Chapter 1: The fateful mutation

It is roughly called a night. Beeping and loud sounds of cars in the streets and extensive noise of different people around are not a god evidence. Perhaps, you will only recognise it is already nighttime when the sky turns black and the bright sunlight is replaced by the faint light of the moon.

Well, better call it as morning in the night. Of course, what do you expect? People in this city are always busy. Hence, got the name as "The City that never sleeps"

But the city is unaware of the danger and the change that would surely mark its entire history.

Citizens of the famous civilization is not also aware of the presence of a very noble warrior; a ninja master from the land of the rising sun. And yet, this particular forty-year old ninja has his own burden to carry.

There was been a very hurtful disaster that happened to him. In fact, there are no words to describe his fate. Everything he has is now gone. Nothing in this entire world would replace the lives of his only family- his wife and his daughter. All are lost during the fire.

He's been alone for months here in his rented apartment, not far in Manhattan. The unit is decent, and is enough to start a new life; very far from the past. Yoshi sits on a wooden chair, possibly made from oak wood, beside the window and his hazel eyes are reflected on the surface of the glass. He's been doing this for days. Doing nothing and he plans to do this forever.

He sighed and decided to read something for a change. The newest issue of New York Times is waving at him on his coffe table. He grabbed the newspaper and went back on his chair.

The first page he flipped is all about the newest products all over the metropolis. Newest endorsements and the newest trends. From the upper right corner of the advertisement page, an ad captured his interest; animals for sale.

Maybe it's time to start something new. Maybe it's time to spend the rest of the hour on more productive things such as taking care of animals as pets.

He checked the ad once more. The list has so many to offer; dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, fishes and turtles. Every creature is quite interesting, but he already made a choice of what he will take care of. He checked the address, and coincidence always happens. It's very near from his apartment and he could even click a finger and he's back, sitting again on his chair.

Yoshi stood from the wooden seat and grabbed his coin purse. He went out in a hurry for him to reach the time before anyone else buys those little ones.

Fumes from the running vehicles suspend in the air, making the city covered in thick smog during the morning. He was greeted by these thick smokes, and had triggered a sneeze.

City life. He sighed, as he continued to walk through the sidewalk. He passed through the dark alleyways for a shortcut. Cats and rodents dominate the unlighted place. Smells of different kinds of garbage bother his way. He used a hand to cover his nose.

He turned right and entered the shop. The pet shop's glass window has a poster that says, Turtles 4 Sale. He opened the door and a bell chimed, alerting the sales lady at the counter.

"Good Evening, sir. How may I help you?" The blonde lady gave her client a smile. "I just wanted to see the baby turtles, are they still here, miss?" Yoshi asked the woman and then rolled his eyes around.

Different animals are seen. Chirps of birds in their cages and barks of dogs are only some of the noises inside. "This way, sir." The sales lady pointed to a direction from her right. Yoshi nodded and followed her.

"Sir, here we have the red-eared slider turtles, one of the most common species of domestic freshwater turtles. These little ones just hatched the recent day" The lady lead Yoshi in a corner where four baby turtles are lying in a glass cage.

He rolled his eyes on the turtles. Those babies have different characteristics, as he observed. One of them, is just in a corner, seemingly watching the others. The other one is wandering around and smells every little plant it steps on. The last one raised its head and stared at him. He noticed the turtle's eyes. They match his hazel eyes, like his own eyes are reflected in the turtle's.

For the first time in three months, he was able to release a smile. These little turtles gave him happiness for a short while.

"He's the eldest." The lady said.

"Oh, really?"

"Just to inform you, sir. They are all boys, as examined by our veterinarians. Sadly, we cannot breed them."

"Hmm. I see. But that's fine." Yoshi pressed a thumb on his chin.

"So, sir. Which of them do you like?" The unknown ninja master pondered his thoughts. It's very hard to choose between those little turtles especially that they are all...cute. Finally, for a moment that seemed forever, he finally made a choice.

"Alright miss. I decided to purchase the four of them." With glee, the saleslady smiled and grabbed the glass cage which contains the baby reptiles. She walked towards the counter with the turtles and placed the terrarium gently on the table.

Inside the cage, the infants are not aware of what is happening to them. They keep doing their routine.

"These four costs 150 dollars, sir and from that package includes a week-supply of turtle food"

"Okay.." Yoshi grabbed a set of bills from his purse and handed them to the cashier.

"Alright, sir. Everything's fixed and ready to go. Good luck with them" The saleslady gestured on the terrarium. She smiled and handed a paper bag containing the turtle food.

Yoshi dramatically turned around, and never had the chance to notice that he's been overacting. He grabbed the glass cage after clipping the paper bag on his side. He smiled, the largest he has ever been done the whole year.

He felt extreme excitement; the same feeling when his daughter was born. Perhaps, these little turtles can be his sons. He only wishes that they can talk. But that's impossible. Never in the history of mankind had a turtle that could talk.

Well, it doesn't matter to him as long as he will be with his new pets, or rather sons.

He held the cage tightly, not wanting it to slip from his grasp. He turned his back, and smiled at the saleslady. "Thank you miss-" "Harmony. My name is Harmony, sir" Yoshi's eyes narrowed a bit, remembering his late daughter. Miwa was her name which means Harmony in Japanese.

"Thank you, miss Harmony" Yoshi nodded and headed outside.

Harmony, the saleslady waved goodbye to her client as she watched him, disappears from the crowd.

-'":;!?,.

Yoshi felt glee as he turns his sight to the turtles inside the glass cage. He thinks of the possible memories they could share together. The possibility is endless! Everything can happen and everything will be renewed. They will live together inside the-

Suddenly, while having his track on the sidewalk back to his apartment, a man bumped into him, hitting his left shoulder.

He felt different. Something is not right about that man. His ninja instinct is telling him a thing. "Go follow that man" Maybe he's up to something...not good or illicit. Maybe a sort of illegal work.

Of course, a ninja master cannot be mistaken. His instincts cannot be rejected.

He decided to follow the man, on his way through a dark alleyway. The stranger turned to a corner. He took the other way, for him not to noticed by the man. Yoshi passed his apartment but still his feet lead him to the man he bumped in.

He placed his back on the wall to hide away from the sight of the man. He took a peek from the edge of the wall. He saw another man, which makes them two.

One of the two men holds a very suspicious canister. The said canister contains a bluish blob of liquid. The liquid glows in the dark, illuminating the emotionless faces of the two strangers.

That thing is definitely weird. What could be its purpose and why are they hiding that canister? There are just so many reasons that could possibly be connected to that mysterious canister of liquid.

He took a step forward, not noticing a rat. The rodent let a very loud squeak that alerted the two men. So much for a ninja.

Yoshi gritted his teeth as his heart pounds. The two men went to the direction where he is hiding. This is definitely not good. This is surely a bad thing; a ninja master spying two suspicious men is revealed because of a little brown rat. Very commendable indeed.

"This is a place where you are not about to be in this place" One of the two strangers said in a monotonic voice. They both threatened Yoshi, and one of them grabbed a gun. The gun is not just an ordinary gun; it is much broader than any other gun he knows and it has a pink light somewhere on the gun's surface.

"This place has been discovered by you, which means you must be eliminated" The two went nearer to Yoshi.

His inner warrior is telling him to fight, which he did not refuse to do.

Inside the terrarium, the turtles seem to be nervous, too on what is currently happening around them. Their eyes grew large as they all turn their heads above.

Yoshi creased his brows and landed a strong kick at the man who is holding the gun. The man flew within meters away. He turned to the lsat man and did the same kick.

Darn! He forgot about the canister!

Being kicked by that kind of force, the man slipped the canister from his grasp before falling to the ground.

The time somehow slowed down. The glowing canister of unknown liquid flew above and suspended in the air for a second, before the gravity pulled it down. The canister headed to Yoshi's direction, who has his eyes growing at the size of the moon.

In a split second, the canister reaches Yoshi's head as its contents spill all over him and down to the ground. The fragile canister gained a major crack and finally fell on the hard concrete, while containing the least amount of liquid.

The liquid that spilled on Yoshi burned him like lava over soil, tearing his skin and clothes. He lost his hold on the turtles' terrarium as the cage falls on the pool of the same bluish liquid.

The glass cage broke into several pieces and its parts shattered and are scattered around. The four baby turtles fell on the pool of liquid below.

Yoshi, on the other hand, is still struggling of the pain. His skin is now covered with brown fur and he grew a long tail. His hands also changed in form, like paws of some sort. His face grew a lot larger and his nose became pointed. He also noticed his big ears.

No. It can't be. He became a rat. A stinky rodent rat that is treated as a pest. This isn't a dream. He is not delusional or something. He is now a rat, not a human anymore.

Yoshi became nauseous and everything around him spins like a top. He became lightheaded as his eyes rolled at the back of his head. Everything went black and shallow.

Not too far from where he lies, the four baby turtles also experienced the same pain and the change. They all grew like the size of an infant human, and moved also like an infant human.

All the five of them, changed in form that triggered a major change in their lives; all because of a mysterious canister of unidentified liquid.

-'":;!?,.

A/N: So what do you guys can say?

Raph: *rolls his eyes* Come on. Sensei already told us that story like, 10 billion times so you don't have to repeat it again.

Me: Oh really, Raphie? Did Master Splinter told you that... *whispers on them* Hmm?

Leo: No, not yet. How do you know that?

Me: Hah. I have a secret source you'll never know.

Raph: Leo. Force her.

Leo: Huh? Me? Why?

Raph: Just do it.

Leo: Please, tell me, Leona. *smiles*

Me: *screams, deep inside* O- okay. *whispers to Leo*

Raph: What is it?

Leo and Me: *grins*

Raph: *facepalms*