ZW 09: 1 - Crossover

Zuko threw fire at one of the guards inside the castle. The gang had heard of a project that his father was working on. Someone with a creative mind had an absolutely insane idea of time travel… and of course his father wanted to go back in time and… Zuko didn't want to think of what his father might have planned. His lack of being born was on the forefront of his mind.

Aang had doubted that time travel was possible. Not only would it screw up the universe, but it was probably physically impossible. Still, Sokka had reasoned that they should check it out just to be sure. The group had traveled for several days gathering information to end at this castle. A very odd machine, reminiscent of the Mechanist's machines, filled the entire ballroom. At least, Zuko was pretty sure it had once been the ballroom. The machine was riddled with a chaotic pattern of zigzags where metal had been fused together. Tubes ran out of it – or into it – at every angle. It was intimidating at the least.

"He's getting away! Him, over there; Zuko, stop him!"

Zuko's head snapped around to where Toph was vaguely pointing. A middle-aged man with black hair tied in a pony tail, clasping a sheaf of papers to his chest, was running towards the entrance. The Fire Prince pushed his opponent away and took off after the man. Aang, Katara, Toph, and Sokka joined in the pursuit.

The four of them followed the man – Zuko was assuming he was the mastermind behind the project – down a flight of stairs, through a door, and into a room. Toph sent a wave of rocks after him as the group entered the room. The man was near a wall of metal with different colored rocks on it.

There was a flash of light…

Zuko blinked his eyes open. It shouldn't be this bright inside… but he felt like he was in direct sunlight. He put his hands on the ground to roll over. Something rough met his senses and he opened his eyes to find out what. He took a deep breath at the sight that met him.

All around him was gray and black and dark reds… This wasn't right, this wasn't the castle. Beneath him was a dull gray, rough sort of stone.

He did see the familiar forms of his friends though. That was a good thing.

Until Toph awoke, screaming. "I can't see!! I can't see!!"

The others quickly woke up. Katara tried to calm the younger girl.

Sokka rapped his knuckles against the odd ground. "This is weird."

"Guys, where are we?" Katara asked.

Nobody could come up with an answer.

Katara helped Toph up and together the four of them rounded a corner of a building (at least those were recognizable) and out into what looked like a street. Something green and fast whizzed by on four wheels.

"What on earth was that?" Sokka asked, intrigued eyes following it.

Nobody answered.

"I think there were people inside," Aang mused.

"It seemed like some sort of carriage to me," Zuko said.

"Look, here comes another one!" Sokka spoke.

This one as a dark red and voices were coming from it, though they couldn't make anything out… Until it drove past them. "Get outta the street weirdos!"

"Weirdos?" Sokka's eyebrow rose. "We're not weirdos. Are we?"

"I think here, wherever 'here' is, we are," Katara answered.

Something pulled at Zuko's mind. "Could it be 'when,' not 'where'?"

"I doubt it," Aang replied. "I still don't believe that time travel is possible."

"Well, whatever happens, it wasn't good for the guy who created it." Sokka pointed across the supposed street.

In an alley opposite them the man they had been chasing lay sprawled out on the ground, his head at an odd angle and a trickle of red… blood… from his head. "I think… I think he hit that red thing when he fell," Sokka theorized.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think that means the end of his machines…" stated Katara.

"Still, we ought to be sure. Zuko, go over there and burn his papers," Sokka instructed.

Zuko nodded. He ran across the street, burned the sheaf of papers, and came back.

"What now?" Aang's childish face showed his fear.

"You could come with me."

Three of them whirled around and fel into fighting stances. "What's going on?? Katara!" Toph flailed at the loss of support.

A green… thing stepped from the shadows, hands held up, empty, in a peaceful manner. It was several inches taller than Zuko and Sokka, covered in … dragon?... skin, had three fingers, and had a turtle-duck shell on its back. It wore a blue bandana around its eyes, a brown belt about its waist, and Zuko could see a pair of sword handles over its shoulders.

"What's going on??"

"What… is that?" Sokka asked in astonishment.

"What is what? Guys!" Katara turned to Toph, describing in a whisper what was happening.

"I am a mutated turtle. My name is Leonardo. I have come here to help you."

"Help? How could you help us? How did you know we'd be here for you to come here to help us?" Skepticism rang in Aang's voice.

The turtle-human – Leonardo – shook his head. "It isn't safe out here. Follow me, we'll go somewhere safe. I promise, you won't be in any danger."

There was a long pause. "I think… I think we can trust him."

Katara nodded her head in agreement with the monk.

The three of them relaxed a little bit and followed the green man into a hole in the ground.

"You guys live in the sewers?" Sokka asked. "Gross!"

"Sokka!" Katara reprimanded him as she helped Toph struggle with the ladder.

"I'm going to call my brothers out," Leonardo forewarned.

"Brothers?"

The man-turtle nodded. "Guys, you can come out now." From the shadows stepped for more turtle-people. Each was nearly identical to the first, only wearing different color bandanas: red, orange, and purple.

The eight people introduced themselves.

"How did you know how to find us?" Aang asked.

"Our master, splinter, is very in-tune with the universe through meditation and he foresaw that strangers would come, people that weren't familiar with this world – " Leonardo began before he was cut off by the orange-wearing brother. " – And we being the good guys too, we came to your rescue! High-three bro!" He raised his three fingered hand and the purple-wearing brother slapped it.

They chattered as they walked, eventually reaching what the mutated turtles called a lair, their home.

A giant rat met them and everyone settled into the couches and chairs and the green men and brown rat shared their story, having to explain many things to the 'off-worlders.' The gang in turn relayed their backstory.

"I do believe," Master Splinter concluded, "That this time travel device the man was working on may have flung you into our plane of existence."

Sokka scoffed and Aang shook his head. "That seems to be what happened, if it's the only explanation that makes any sort of… coherent sense…" Katara spoke neutrally.

"This is wack, but so cool!" Michelangelo, the orange-wearing brother, said. "Different universes, same good versus evil story!"

"I think I need to meditate." Leonardo rose to leave.

"I think that's a good idea. Do you mind if I join you?" Aang asked. Leonardo nodded and the two left.

"Well, the interesting stuff is over, I'm going to go work on my inventions," the purple-wearing brother, Donatello, stated.

"Inventions? Are you an inventor?" Sokka's interest was piqued. Donatello nodded. "Sweet! Mind if I watch while you work? Maybe even help?" Hardly anybody could reject the wide grin on his face and apparently the green turtle-man was no exception.

Katara looked to the rat-man. "Your sons told us you are a master of fighting, would you mind helping me learn more?"

And then she was gone; Zuko's eyes followed the Water Tribe girl a few seconds longer than necessary.

"Well, this is boring. I'm going to go practice." Raphael hauled himself from the couch. "I'm going to join you, if you don't mind." Zuko stood. The red-wearing turtle grunted what sounded like 'eh, whatever.'

Zuko heard Michelangelo say "And then there were two. What do ya want to do?"

"Beats me. I'm blind."

"Oh."

Zuko went through several Firebending forms sans fire. Raphael seeming to be doing about the same thing, practicing what they had called ninjitsu. It was nearly an hour later and Zuko could feel the other being's eyes on him. After a few moments he stopped and turned.

"Can you really control fire?"

Zuko grinned and created two fire-daggers. "Want to spare?"

Raphael smirked, drew two sai, and flew at Zuko. They fought for nearly another hour.

"Hey Raphael?" Zuko asked.

Raphael looked up from the punching bag. "Yeah?"

"How do you tell a girl you like them when she kind of has a boyfriend and you haven't really broken up with your own girlfriend?"

The human-like turtle shrugged his shoulders. "Beats the shell outta me."

---

Mikey was astonished at how quickly the bald one and the ponytail one had gotten accustomed to his Wii. The three of them were currently playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii, with Katara and Donnie watching. Toph sat in a chair across from them, arms folded and eyes showing her boredom.

"Yaaaay!! We beat Bowser!!" Sokka exclaimed as Aang performed the final move against the spikey turtle monster.

The three boys cheered. "Whoohoo." Toph commented sarcastically.

Splintered entered the living room. "Miss Toph, if you would follow me please. Miss Katara has told me about your predicament and I believe I can help you to see again."

"Really? Great!" Toph hopped up from her seat and made her way to Splinter's general location.

"Good thing these controller thingies don't have any cords like the TV does, or Toph would trip on them."

"Ha ha, very funny Snoozles."