Even after Mikey's tearful confession and apology, Raph was still upset with what Mikey had done. I mean, he thought, who goes to visit a villian in the middle of the night, asking to learn how to make pizza? He forgave his brother, but he still didn't believe that Mikey had gone there to visit Meat Sweats, risking his own personal safety, and came back without so much as a bruise. The turtle confided in his younger brother Donnie about it a week later.

"Why'd he go and do it, do you think," he asked while Donnie fiddled with something at his work table. "And he didn't even get hurt!"

Donnie, who was focused on whatever new invention in his hand, took a while before answering. "He told us; he was too embarrassed to come to us, and in a moment of confusion, went to go see Meat Sweats. Why are you asking? We went over this like a week ago. Mikey apologized for that dumb mistake, and we apologized for picking on him." Donnie screwed something on the miniature device, checking some calculations scribbled on a paper nearby.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Raph lied, leaving the lab and going to practice his punches. As he attacked the punching bag, the turtle still kept thinking about the large mutant. Even though Mikey's explanation was enough for the rest of his brothers, Raph still wasn't convinced of what happened the night Mikey went to see the demented chef.

Mikey seems to keep running into Meat Sweats, Raph thought, sinking his fists into the vinyl surface. Didn't he actually go spy on him once with Todd? What if that pig did something to Mikey; blackmailed him some way, and is forcing him to do something bad? It was a crazy thought, but it explained how Mikey didn't get hurt, and why he was wearing all black that night; no one would notice him, and he would easily blend into the shadows of laneways and rooftops. Raph hit the bag with an extra strong punch, splitting the bag. He groaned, going to get some duct tape to fix the hole.

You're probably bein' paranoid, Raph, he thought to himself, tapping the hole. Wouldn't we know if Mikey was being blackmailed? I mean, he woulda told us earlier...right? But no matter how hard he tried to get rid of the thought, he couldn't stop thinking about it, even as he lay in bed later that night. For a second, he considered telling Leo and Donnie, but realized they'd probably think he was being paranoid or crazy. Raph clenched his fists, wishing he could punch that stupid pig in the face until he let Mikey go of whatever blackmail he had a hold on. Raphael knew he had a bad habit of charging into situations and jumping to conclusions, but he thought about the problem carefully, wondering what he should do. It wasn't until after five nights of restless sleeping that he had the Thought.

What if I went there? Like Mikey did. Figured out what really happened?

Are you crazy? You could get eaten!

Well Mikey went and survive! And even if he was being blackmailed, I'm much stronger that that chef, and could take him on by myself; force him to stop blackmailing Mikey.

But what if something goes wrong?

I'll tell April. If something bad happens, she'll alert the bros, and they can come get me.

But-

"Shut up," he told himself, turning on his side to fall asleep.