(Title In Progress)

Disclaimer: I really wish I owned Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but I don't. sigh

Author's Note: This is in Michelangelo's point of view, except a few parts. Just so that nobody's confused.

Chapter 1 - Not Joking

"C'mon, he's overdue for one anyway. D'you remember last year? I seem to recall him calling you 'numb bum' for a month after that!"

"I know… but…"

"Please? Puh-leez?"

A resigned sigh sounded. "All right, but if any of my equipment gets broken, it's your shell."

"Thanks bro! You are the turtle!"

Donatello shook his head, "You're never going to get Splinter to agree to play along you know."

Raphael smirked, "Just watch. I have amazing powers of persuasion."

---

I love horror films! Nothing beats the spine-tingling sensation you get when that scary monster comes onto the screen, or when something jumps out from the darkness, making me spill my popcorn when I dive underneath a pillow.

Actually, I think I've been watching too many horror films lately. For some reason, I've been hearing things. Well, more like I've been hearing people. Or someone...as if all of the sudden I'm living a horror movie.

Lemme explain. I woke up this morning not to the usual sound of Master Splinter saying "Michelangelo, it is time for our early-morning practice," but to some weird, creepy muttering, or growling, or something. I don't exactly remember what it was saying, because I was still a little groggy. But let me tell you, my neck hairs stood on end. That is, they would have been standing on end, if I had any neck hairs.

Imagine, there you are in your nice warm bed, in a deep sleep and dreaming of pizza, and you hear something completely unearthly, and frankly quite terrifying. Think of a voice akin to Frankenstein's monster, Shredder's, and Raphael's voice when angry and… and… I dunno what else, all mixed together to create a sound that would make even Silver Sentry shiver.

At first, I couldn't figure out why I had even woken up. Then my ears discovered the sound. I cracked open an eyelid, involuntarily pulling my blanket up to my head, searching for the source of the sound. Nothing looked out of place, and nobody was in my room. I actually was about to start really wigging out, when I thought of something.

I burst out into laughter, "Very funny Don, but you're gonna have to do better than that! Nobody can scare me! I'm the prank champion!" I stood up, and listened hard. The noise had disappeared.

I smiled, satisfied, grabbed my nun-chucks, and headed down to the dojo, ready to do a little pay-back in our training session today.

When I reached the dojo, I found Leonardo and Splinter already there, Leonardo stretching in preparation to practice.

Raphael and Donatello weren't downstairs yet. And I knew exactly why, too. I began stretching the morning stiffness out of my limbs, waiting for my tardy brothers to join us. There must have been a smug smile on my face.

When Raph and Donnie finally decided to come downstairs, I was ready and waiting to open up a big can of kick-butt on Donnie. After all, he is the guy with all the techno-junk that could make those creepy noises.

My brothers stretched out, and then Splinter gave instruction.

"My sons, we will begin with simple sparring. Pair off."

I could have kissed Splinter's furry face for letting us choose our sparring partner. Except I knew that I would get thwacked over the head with his walking stick, so I contained myself and called over to my brother.

"Hey Donnie, you're my partner."

Donatello shrugged. "Okay, Mikey."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He seemed nonchalant, but I knew that underneath that cool, calm exterior, he silently congratulated himself over his apparent victory.

Did he even know that I knew it was him?

We faced off. Being the one that is considered to be the youngest, my brothers always assume that I prefer to goof-off during practice—which a lot of the time, I do—but sometimes I will use this preconceived notion to my advantage. Splinter always tells us to use the element of surprise. And I do. More than even my brothers realize.

But I was gonna let my brother think that he was going to have a goof-off for a partner first.

"You've got to ask yourself," I told Donatello, imitating Clint Eastwood. "are you ready? Well, are ya, punk?" I leaped toward him with my nun-chucks a-whirling.

Donatello blocked my attack easily with his bo, and counter-struck with the opposite end. "Ready for what?"

I parried the blow, and backed off a bit. "Ready for a butt-whoopin'?" with that, I came in hot and fast, mixing a blow with my nun-chucks in tandem, plus a roundhouse kick directly towards his chest.

Poor Donnie had nowhere to parry. He barely blocked a chuck, and was able to strike down my leg with his bow, but my other chuck following the first one he did not expect, and I managed to knock him down.

This attracted everyone's attention, including Donnie's. He sat rubbing his arm for a second with a confused expression on his face while I stood triumphantly over my prey.

With both hands atop his walking stick, Splinter advised, "Donatello, pay attention, and don't loose focus." Turning to me, he said, "Good control, Michelangelo."

Leonardo shook his head while still sparring with Raphael. "Geeze, Mikey. Slow down. Even I know that this is just an exercise."

As Donatello stood, I came at him again with the same intensity. "I know…"Swing and punch, "but I must have some extra energy this morning…" duck, and swipe with one leg, "from all the adrenalin I'm pumping…" block bo and swing with chuck, "from that practical joke Donny played on me this morning!" I did a flip over Donatello's head, and struck from behind. Donny would have been able to block it, but he seemed less awake this morning than usual, and he once again fell to the ground.

He groaned. "What are you talking about? What joke?" He got to his feet once more.

I smiled, shaking my head. "You should know that I am the only turtle here that can pull off playing dumb!" I came at him again.

He decided to stop being on the defensive, and switched into attack mode. "I'm not playing dumb!" He lunged with his stick, and bapped me a good one on the shin.

"Ow!" I went into a roll, and leaped back up to my feet, trying to get in through his defense. "Right, and the only techno geek in our family is…?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Blocking my attacks with more focus, knowing now that he had to be more in the zone with me than usual, he used his bo as a vaulting stick, and leaped over to the side, feinted to the right, and struck to the left. I went down this time.

But I didn't stay down. I rolled before he could pin me to the ground, and spun into a leap to get out of the way. "Who else could have made those creepy noises without your gear?"

"Noises?" He came after me again, spinning his bo like a baton-twirler.

"You know, the Darth Vader mixed with the Grudge. Sound familiar?" I ducked, not wanting to tangle with the velocity of his bo, and swiped up once more.

He blocked the stroke, and kicked toward my chest, apparently trying to wind me. Was he trying to silence me?

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He said.

I blocked the kick with my arm, and was about to accuse him again, but I heard something. Despite my being in both a heated argument with my brother, and a heated spar, I could hear it.

It was a thin, chilling, fluty whisper. "…you…" it said.

I stopped in my attack, and listened. Donatello took the opportunity to bring me down with his bo. I landed on the ground. "Mphf!" I held up my hands, "Wait! Donnie, wait! Did you hear that?"

He stopped just short of getting me really good with his bo. Splinter was shaking his head, probably thinking to himself about how I had really good form just a few minutes ago, and how he is amazed at how quickly I lost control. I would have kicked myself in the shell for loosing focus so fast. But it sounded like someone was in the lair, and I didn't want to ignore it, just in case.

Donatello stopped for a moment, and listened. "I didn't hear anything."

I stood on my feet, my nun-chucks in my hands, ready for anything.

Leonardo and Raphael actually paused in their spar, looking at Don and me with confused faces.

"Um, Mikey," Raphael said, "You're acting more odd than normal."

"Shhhhhhh!" Listening hard for footsteps, or any other sign that someone might be in the lair, I didn't need his big mouth muffling the sounds.

Then it came once more. But now that I was actually paying attention to the sound, I could hear the whole thing.

"Michelangelo…I want…you…"

"Gaaaa!" I shivered involuntarily. "There! Did'ja guys hear it?"

They looked at one another, and then looked back at me. Leonardo spoke up. "We didn't hear anything Mikey."

I narrowed my eyes at them. Was this just another prank? Were they all in it together? I looked between each of them, searching for a sign of laughter, or something.

"But it said, "Michelangelo, I want you." I said, pleading in my voice for them to give up the joke.

Not a chance. They all shook their heads, looking very confused at my apparent nonsense.

But I didn't just imagine it! I looked over to Splinter, knowing that he would not lie for a joke. If it were a joke, I knew he would tell me.

"Master Splinter. Didn't you hear it?" Please say you heard it, please say you heard it.

Master Splinter sighed. "Michelangelo, I did not hear anything."

My hand started to quiver. I looked at him, then back at my brothers. Then back at him. "You've got to be kidding!"

Master Splinter then narrowed his eyes at me. "Do you believe I would lie?"

I shook my head, "No Master Spli—"

"Michelangelo…I…want you…"

"AHHHH!" I turned around, and looked, expecting to see someone, or maybe a speaker of Donnie's, but nothing was there. That voice made my skin crawl!

"There! There! Tell me someone heard it that time!" I looked around to my family. They began to have a worried expression on their faces. Especially Master Splinter.

Personally, I had had enough. "Guys, this isn't funny! I swear, if someone doesn't fess up, then I swear you will have to watch every step you take for the next several months! You'll have pranks coming out of your ears—"

"Mikey, calm down." Raphael came over to me, holding up his hands. "I promise, none of us have any idea what you're talking about!"

I didn't like that idea. I didn't like it at all.

Master Splinter cleared his throat. "Perhaps you should drink some tea, Michelangelo. I believe there is a pot cooking on the stove. Get yourself a cup."

I shivered once more. That tea actually sounded really good at the moment. I walked into the kitchen. Pouring myself a cup, I was struck with a thought. Why didn't Splinter pour me a cup? He usually does that…

Because he wanted to be alone with the others…?

Bringing my cup with me, I snuck back to the dojo, hiding behind a post, and listened to them.

"Master Splinter," Raphael sounded like he was trying to defend himself, "I swear, Mikey is just being dumb. I didn't pull anything during today's practice."

"But you did tell me that you were planning on playing a joke on your brother, and that I needed to 'pretend I didn't hear anything.'"

"Ok, I'll admit, I did pull that prank on him this morning."

"Yeah," Donatello interjected, "And made me take the blame for it!"

Oho! I thought, So it was Raphie-boy! My brain began to race, trying to think up an appropriate punishment for him.

Leonardo put in, "But it isn't like Mikey to just hear things.

I nodded, that's very true, Leo.

There was a silence.

I decided that it would be a perfect time to 'come back' from the kitchen.

I stepped out from behind the post, and said, "I'm telling you, I wasn't 'just hearing things'!"

They all jumped. That is, everyone except for Master Splinter. Of course he knew that I was there all along.

"Ah shell." Raph said. He knew I heard his confession.

"This does not make things any simpler, Michelangelo." Splinter said, "If we cannot hear what you are hearing…"

Raph filled in for him. "Then you really are loosing it, Mikey."

Leonardo slapped him upside the head. "Not funny Raph."

I would have gloated at the fact that it was Raph, and not me that got hit, but I was too freaked out to even notice.

I looked at them, and then shook my head. "Maybe I've just been watching too many horror films lately."

Without looking to see a reaction from any of them, I decided to finish my cup of tea in the kitchen.

But before I was out of earshot, I heard Donatello mutter, "Somehow, I just don't think that's what it is."