A/N: First of all, the title doesn't have much of anything to do with the story. I just couldn't think of one and since it's AU I figured why not?

Also, I'd like to put out there that this story is really just a short set up for another one that I'm working on which takes place after this. So, when you see that this story basically sucks later on, sorry I just wanted to get it done and move on as quickly as possible. Anyways, this will be M/M, if you didn't figure that out from the summary, so now you know and I don't want to hear any complaints about it. One more thing, for those of you who are against incest with these brothers, this story make it possible to see it either way. (You can choose to view the boys as brothers or just super close friends who are practically brothers, but not really. It's up to you.)

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own TMNT or anything associated with it in any way, shape, or form.

Prologue

It all started one stormy, September night. Four babies, no older than the age of one, were abandoned on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage. They waited bundled in blankets in their small box, just out of reach from the rain, to be found by the director of the orphanage. The wait wasn't long for soon a woman with red hair and a stern face opened the front door to rescue the infants from the chilly, autumn weather and bring them into the safety of their new home.

Ever since that night the four boys were inseparable. They realized at an early age that they all needed each other, and as children they did everything together; you couldn't find one without the others being far behind. When it came to adopting, the boys were impossible. Each refused to be adopted unless the other three were adopted by the same parents so they wouldn't be separated, but since that never happened the boy of desire would disappear for hours at a time only to come back once the adopters were gone.

The boys believed themselves to be brothers, and convinced everyone around them to believe so as well. However, there remains no concrete proof that they are actual siblings, and the fact that their appearances and personalities are all very different from each others' only supports the theory that they aren't blood kin. But they didn't care, as far as they were concerned they are family. They were abandoned together and ever since only trusted and depended on each other. Their inability to rely on anyone other than themselves was what originally formed their little family. That is, until they day Leonardo ran away.

It was a day like any other, and on this particular day a couple had their sights set on adopting a young, seven year-old Leo. And, just like any other day that one of the four were in danger of being taken away from their brothers, Leo ran away from the orphanage. However, after the usual amount of time was up, Leo still hadn't returned from his little disappearance. So, naturally, the three brothers were beginning to worry about him and saw it fit that they set out to find him.

The brothers climbed out the third story window of their room onto the fire escape and ascended the stairs, as they knew their brother would do because it was the same route they themselves always took when they wanted to get away. Once they reached the roof top they continued on building to building. Fortunately, each roof was within a foot or two's height from the others surrounding it and were no more than a small leap away, but for the few that weren't the brothers had managed to leave long, sturdy planks somewhere nearby to use for them to get across.

They didn't have to search long for they spotted their brother through a window about seven buildings away from the orphanage. The three quickly crowded around the window to find their brother in what appeared to be somebody's kitchen, drinking a juice box while talking to a man. The man seemed to be in perhaps his late fifties for his otherwise dark hair already had many gray patches and his face had the begun to wrinkle. The man also must have noticed the boys' presence without so much as a glance at the window for he spoke something to Leo who immediately turned towards the window and smiled to discover his brothers. Leonardo then raced across the room, flung the window open and invited his brothers inside the man's home.

"Hey guys!" Leo greeted, "What are you doing here? How'd you find me?"

Donatello, who was the last to enter and a little hesitant about being in a stranger's home, answered, "You were gone for hours, Leo. So we wanted to see where you went. And it wasn't that hard to find you, we all use the same hiding spots and stuff so we knew where you'd probably be."

"Yeah," Michelangelo said, looking around the room, "What are you doing here anyways?"

"Well, Mr. Yoshi saw me sitting on the rooftop and told me it was dangerous for children to be up there and then he asked me to come inside and gave me some juice and asked me if I wanted to call my parents," Leo hurriedly explained, "but then I told him that I don't have a mommy or daddy. And I didn't want him calling Mrs. O'Neil 'cause I was scared I'd get in trouble for running away again. So then I told him about how we always run away when we might be a-ad-adopted-ed and that's when you guys showed up!"

Leo grinned at his brothers again before running over to stand beside the man and point upwards at him, "This is Mr. Yoshi!" he exclaimed looking at his brothers.

The man then smiled at the three young boys and introduced himself, "Hello, children. My name is Hamato Yoshi."

Leonardo then dashed back to his brothers' side and pointed to each in turn and he told Hamato their names, "This is Donatello, but we call him Donnie. He's a huge nerd," he said while pointing the the little boy with deep brown eyes and hair which matched those eyes perfectly. Donnie smiled at his new acquaintance, revealing the small gape between his front teeth. "And his is Michelangelo, but you can just call him Mikey. He's just a big goofball," Leo moved on, pointing to the shortest of the brothers whom had light blonde hair that, in a certain light, sometimes looked almost orangish and cheeks that were covered in small freckles. Mikey turned his bright blue eyes up to look at the man and waved excitedly. "And here's Raph, or Raphael. He gets mad at everything," Leo motioned last towards the boy with brown hair that was so dark it looked more like black than brown. Raph's piercing, green eyes were too busy glaring past the man and at the wall several feet behind him in the opposite room to pay any attention the Leo's introductions. "And, well, you already know my name's Leonardo, but that I like to be called Leo instead." The boy with dirty-blonde hair and dark blue eyes finished at last.

"So these are the brothers you were telling me about?" Mr. Yoshi asked.

"Yep, this is them," Leo answered with a quick nod.

Raph then jabbed Leo in the shoulder before whispering in his ear, "Why does he have a sword hanging on the wall over there?" Raph then jerked his head in the direction of said sword.

Before his brother had the chance to answer, Mikey, who must of heard over heard the question shouted, "Whoa!" and ran past the man towards the sword. "Cool sword Mr! Can I hold? Pleeeaaaase?!" Mikey stared up at the sword in awe as his three brothers joined him beneath it.

"I am sorry Michelangelo, but that weapon is far too dangerous for a child to hold," Hamato said as he approached the wall himself to view the sword.

"Aww! Please! I won't break nothing!" Mikey pouted.

"Uhh, Mr. Yoshi? Why do you have that sword anyways?" Donnie turned around to ask the man.

"Well, Donatello, I used that sword years ago when I fought ninjutsu." Hamato Yoshi answered.

"What's nin-jit-chu?" Leo asked with wide eyes still staring mesmerized at the displayed sword.

"Ninjutsu is a form of martial arts." The man informed him.

"Like karate?" Donnie asked excitedly.

"Yes," Hamato nodded, "I suppose one can compare it to karate."

"Wait, is nin-git-ku like what ninjas do?" Mikey asked hopefully.

"It is pronounced ninjutsu, Michelangelo," Hamato corrected, "and yes, those who know and have mastered ninjutsu may be referred to as ninjas."

"Wow! No way! So you're like a ninja?! A real life ninja?! That's awesome!" Mikey yelled out in amazement. "You've gotta teach me! I wanna be a ninja too! Then I'll be able to kick butt!" Mikey started running about the room while jumping, kicking, and waving his arms in ways he thought a ninja would while crying out high pitched 'Hyaah!'s with each kick and punch for effect.

Mikey ran by Raph who wrapped his arm around Mikey's neck and pulled his head down to give him a noogie with his free hand. "As if you'd ever be able to kick someone's butt, Mikey." Raph said while still rubbing his knuckles against his smaller brother's head. "But if ya don't shut up, I'm gonna kick yours."

Mikey wriggled himself free from Raph and was about to defend himself when Leonardo cut him off, "So you have mastered it then?"

"Yes," Hamato answered with a simple nod of his head.

"Can you show us?" Leo asked.

"No," This time he shook his head side to side once.

"Why not?" It was Donnie who asked this time.

"Because, ninjutsu should be used as a means of defense only, not as some act to entertain children," He paused before adding, "That, and because I have not practiced in sometime and do not wish to break something."

"But you really are a ninja?" Raphael asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking unconvinced, "you're not just some old bat telling us stories, right?"

Hamato chucked at this, "No, Raphael. I truly am a ninja."

"Prove it!" Mikey shouted, "Teach us something only a ninja would know!"

And so the man named Hamato Yoshi became a teacher, a friend, and father to the brothers. It started out with a few visits every now and then to hear the amazing tales the man told about his past, and to convince him to teach them a few new moves, but over time the four boys' visits became a regular occurrence that happened nearly every day. They soon called the man sensei, and even created a nickname for him, Splinter. Within a year or two's time the brothers saw him as their father and he treated them as his sons. And although the man would never adopted the boys, he still became apart of their family. Finally there was someone outside their small group of four they knew they could trust.

Please review and let me know what you thought! Do you like the whole AU thing with them being human boys? Do you think their desperately out of character? Well, they're only kinds in this chapter, but still. Which leads me to another question: Should Raph talk like 2003 version of himself, or the 2012? Because right now I'm kinda doing a mixture and I already gave them physical features based off the 2012 cartoon. Let me know, I wan't constructive criticism! I know I need it too. Just don't be too harsh...

The official chapter 1 should be up in a few days or so.