A/N: I recently became obsessed with Nickelodeon's TMNT. This happened. Please enjoy and be wary of occasional Japanese.

Edit: As requested, I've added translations at the bottom of each chapter. Direct translations will be in "quotes."

Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

~ Enemy of my Enemy ~

Chapter 1: Akira

"Hey, Donnie! Check this out!"

Donatello forced himself not to cringe as Michelangelo burst into the lab. How many times had he been interrupted today? Five? If it wasn't Leonardo coming to drag him to Master Splinter's training session, it was Michelangelo wanting to share his latest "epiphany."

"Dude, look – you're not gonna believe this!"

As Michelangelo bounced on his toes in anticipation, Donatello muttered to himself as he reluctantly set down his graphing compass. "What is it now, Mikey?"

"Okay, okay..." Michelangelo's eyes lit up as Donatello stared blankly at his tightly balled hands, waiting for him to reveal his latest find. "It's... a..." He gradually spread his fingers for the dramatic unveiling, and then suddenly shoved a slimy, green blob into Donatello's face. "FROG!"

Donatello glared in annoyance. "That's it?" he snapped, rolling his eyes. "Couldn't you just show Raph? Or Leo?"

Michelangelo's face fell. "Well... I already did. They didn't really care." He chuckled sheepishly as the frog's yellow eyes swiveled this way and that, as if planning his escape. "But, Donnie, this little guy could be our distant cousin! O-Or brother! Doesn't he look just like me?" Michelangelo put on his best froggy smile, holding the small amphibian close to his face for comparison.

Donatello shook his head crossly at his brother. "No, Mikey, he doesn't," he said blandly, turning back to his work. "Put the poor thing back where you found it."

Pouting for just a moment, Michelangelo turned and sluggishly left the lab. The frog's chin bulged when he croaked in his captor's hands. "I know, little guy," Michelangelo sighed, holding the frog close to his chest. "You're an outcast... that makes two of us."

Across the lair, the sounds of Leonardo training with Splinter resounded from the dojo. Michelangelo absently wondered why his brother had been training so much lately as he plopped down on the living room couch. An episode of "Space Heroes" played quietly on the TV as Raphael casually flipped through an upside-down comic book. His eyes darted from the comic to the TV in what he'd hoped was a "subtle" manner.

"Whoa. Since when did you watch Leo's show, Raph?" Michelangelo whispered loudly, eying Raphael as he set his frog on a worn throw pillow.

Raphael scoffed and buried his face in the comic. "Since never," he muttered, peeking at the screen from the corner of his eye. "Buzz off, Mike."

"Hey, guys, I found something!" April dashed into the room with a laptop clutched to her chest, her blue eyes wide with excitement.

"Me, too!" Michelangelo exclaimed, scooping up his frog and holding it up like a gold metal. "Meet my new cousin!"

Raphael took advantage of the sudden distraction to watch the last few minutes of "Space Heroes" as Donatello floated into the room, as if drawn there by April's voice. "What is it, April?" the purple-banded turtle asked, moving closer.

April eyed Michelangelo's new "relative" warily as she met Donatello halfway across the living room. "Take a look." She opened her laptop and set it on the back of the couch to show Donatello her findings. "Remember that camera I borrowed last week? I set it up in the alley behind my apartment and... well, see for yourself."

Raphael's curiosity piqued when a semi-gargled audio floated from the laptop speakers, and Michelangelo glowered when his frog was once again ignored. The two brothers joined April and Donatello in front of the laptop to watch the video footage.

Donatello rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the dark, unclear recording. "Um, April... I don't really see –"

"No, wait!" she whispered, pointing at the corer of the screen. "Do you see that?"

The three turtles inched closer to the screen, squinting.

"See what?" Raphael barked impatiently.

April sighed heavily and used the keyboard hotkeys to brighten the screen. "There – see it now?"

"...Legs?" Michelangelo drawled cautiously.

"Yes, yes, now shush!" she hissed, leaning closer to the speakers.

Obediently, the boys remained quiet as a garbled voice came over the speakers. "Tomorrow night, maybe. There's no need to rush things," the voice said. The legs on screen shifted and the hem of a pair of jeans came into view. "I know, Dom," said a second voice. "But Akira-sama is getting restless, you know." April mouthed the words as they were spoken; she'd obviously watched the playback several times. The first voice returned with: "I'll deal with Akira. You just focus on the girl."

"And that's it," April said, pausing the video.

Donatello frowned, holding his chin. He was deeply concerned by what he'd just heard, especially the part about "tomorrow night." So, he asked briskly, "April, when did you find this?"

"The recording is from three days ago, but I just found this clip today. What do you think it means?" she breathed, closing her laptop.

"I don't know...," Donatello replied, appearing just as bewildered as April. "The real question is the identity of this 'Akira' person."

"Must be someone important," Raphael grunted, recognizing the reverence behind the Japanese "sama" honorific.

Michelangelo crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Wait... who's 'the girl'?"

"April, obviously," Raphael growled, kicking his brother in the shin.

Michelangelo yelped in surprise and lost his grip on the frog; it immediately leaped to the floor and began hopping towards the TV. "Little guy!" Michelangelo cried, diving for him. When he nearly planted his face in Master Splinter's foot, he quickly straightened and chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, Sensei..."

Master Splinter paid him little attention as he stepped around the couch, walking stick in hand. Leonardo followed close behind, clutching a white towel which he used to dry the sweat from his face. "What is the matter, children?" Splinter gently inquired.

Raphael deadpanned at the term "children" as April replayed the recording for the old rat. Sprinter stroked his chin hair pensively as he and Leonardo watched, and the latter's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"This is from a few days ago, Sensei," Donatello informed him, watching the screen with calculating eyes. "Whatever they planned to do 'tomorrow night' never happened."

"Or, perhaps, it did," Splinter said ominously, gripping his stick. "April may not be 'the girl' in question."

"Master, do you know this 'Akira-sama'?" Leonardo asked, his eyes pinned on the small portion of ragged jeans in the paused video.

Splinter laughed low in his throat. "Do not assume that I am familiar with every Japanese name in New York, Leonardo."

Leonardo's face colored. "H-Hai..."

"April-chan, have you been aware of any unusual presences behind your apartment building?" Splinter asked, turning his attention to the girl.

April swallowed thickly. "I-I have. Not for very long, though – maybe a week. That's why I asked to borrow Donnie's surveillance camera." She nodded gratefully to Donatello, who smiled back grimly.

"Sou ka...," Splinter murmured, becoming lost in thought.

"Well, I say we can't take any chances with this Akira dude," Raphael piped, balling his hands into fists.

"Uh... 'Akira' sounds like a girl name," Michelangelo said, shrinking away from Raphael's challenging glare.

Leonardo threw his towel over his shoulder and crossed his arms. "Whoever it is and whatever they're after, we need to protect April."

"Agreed," said Donatello wholeheartedly, placing a defensive hand on the girl's shoulder. She glanced up at him thankfully.

"I say we stake her place out tonight, see if those goons come back," Leonardo continued.

Splinter nodded approvingly at his son and student. "It may also be wise for April to remain below for the time being. It will be much safer for her out of harm's way."

"'Remain below'? Here in the lair?" April asked excitedly, feeling relieved at the prospect of a sleepover.

"Aw, this is gonna be awesome," Michelangelo said longingly, having completely forgotten about his stray frog. "It's about time we did something fun!"

~TMNT~TMNT~

Akira glared at her reflection in the mirror. Though the room was dimly lit, every nagging detail of the face that stared back was all too clear to her. The annoyingly hazel eyes, the thick, dark eyebrows, and the thin, shapely lips taunted her like a nightmare that refused to be forgotten. Worst of all – the weak, incapable body in which she found herself left her feeling more vulnerable than ever before. She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands, hoping to damage the body in some way that didn't inhibit her own ability.

"Akira-sama," a quivering voice addressed her from behind, stealing her attention away from the mirror. "Me and Benedict are ready whenever you are. Just give the word."

The woman's eyes flashed with fury behind her girlish features as she turned to the lowly servant known as Dominic. His unshaven face and tattered clothing disgusted her, but she kept her temper in check nonetheless. She had need of the filthy creature that knelt before her whether she wanted to admit it or not. Circling around Dominic with slow, menacing steps, "Tonight, then," she said without expression. "I'll expect your return before dawn."

"A-Alright," Dominic stuttered, watching his hands as he rubbed them together anxiously. "And, uh... our payment?" he chanced, wincing when Akira's steps came to an abrupt halt.

Akira grimaced at the greedy thug. Had she been in a more capable body, she would make him pay for his blatant disrespect. However, she extracted a leather wallet from the inner pocket of her white petticoat and tossed it at the man's feet. "As promised...," she murmured, turning toward the room's only window as Dominic fumbled through the bills in the wallet.

"Th-Thank you, Akira... sama," Dominic gasped, quickly adding the title which she'd demanded them to use. "Benny and I will get that girl tonight."

Akira allowed herself a contented smirk as Dominic scrambled out of the room and closed the door. She gazed out at the streets of New York in silence, while yellow cabs and pedestrians filled the space with orderly chaos. The orange light of the setting sun illuminated her pale face with a rather alien hue as the day quickly ended. The notion of the coming night comforted Akira – nighttime always had. The absence of light offered secure shadows and safe silence for one to become lost in. In the shadows, Akira was confident that she had the upper-hand in any fight, even in her current, useless body.

"Just a while longer...," Akira whispered to herself, clenching her fists once again. "Just a while longer until I can avenge my body." Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she spoke the name of the one being on Earth that she hated the most: "Leonardo."

Translations:

-sama – Honorific referring to a high-ranking person

Hai – "Yes" (formal)

-chan – Honorific of endearment usually used with young women

Sou ka – "I see"