This will just be a few short scenes that didn't make it into my 'Walls We Build' series, so if there was ever a time in my previous stories when you wanted to know what happened during a break in time or at any other point when characters were 'off screen' go ahead and ask me about it in the comments and I might just be able to make it into a chapter.

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Each one will have the 'Part' and 'Chapter' at the top where it should be in the time-line to help you make sense of it, so without further ado please enjoy my little miss-matched assortment of

The Memories That Collect

Part 3: The Lives We Lead

Chapter 10: During Mikey's Final Test

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Chapter 1: If You Need Me

(Raph's POV)

"You have until sunset to bring me the other team's flag, however I will not make it easy for you." Shichi finished with a little smirk before looking up at the sun to gage the time of day. "When I say go; each team must run as far as they can in opposite directions for 5 minutes, after that the game will begin."

With that she held out the flags for us to choose our color and Mikey quickly descended on the bright yellow one, leaving the red one for the other team which turned out to be Donnie and I.

I gave him a thumbs-up as he reached out to take the other corner so we could start moving immediately after Shichi gave the word to run; who continued to look up for another 30 seconds before raising her hand and dropped it as she yelled.

"Go!"

…

After five minutes Donnie and I stopped to take a quick breather before looking around for anything we could use which automatically had Donnie tugging me after him as he set up some kind of tripwire with nothing but a rope he found in the corner.

In a matter of seconds he had pulled several tiny strings from the innards of the cord and tied them together to make a wire so thin I could just barely see it leaving him to proceed with tying it between two air conditioning units.

"So what does this one do?" I asked curiously as I didn't see him set up any kind of fancy gadgets for traps.

"Nothing." He answered simply. "If I know Mikey, and I do, he'll spot everything I try to throw at him so the way I see it a few decoys are in order."

I couldn't help just laugh at that as he always did have a funny way of making the rest of us look like idiots. "How can I help?" I asked as we moved to another building where he started setting up some real traps in the form of boards that would toss piles of rocks if their lines were disrupted.

"Think you can find me some more rope." Donnie asked holding up the supply that he had which was quickly dwindling away despite the fact that he was using hair-width lines.

"Yep." I answered confidently as I recalled a perfect place to look. "I'll be right back." I told him before getting to my feet to walk away despite the fact that the rules clearly stated that we could only move when both of us were touching the flag. However after only a few steps I looked back at my brother who was already distracted once again with his project.

"Yu'll be okay right?" I added and he looked up at me and smiled.

"Yeah." He said simply and I grinned back before heading off to get the supplies he needed.

I personally didn't think my concern was that unfounded, yes Donnie was a trained ninja and could easily take care of himself but when he was working he did tend to focus more on his projects than his surrounds. True that was normal but only when I was there to watch his back.

I didn't have to point out the dangers of leaving him to do his work while I was elsewhere so I quickly got what I needed from the store where Roku had taken me to find glue a life time ago and pulled down all the cords of twine and rope I had seen that day but thought nothing of until now.

"Donnie?" I asked the empty rooftop when I got back and looked around for my little brother as my heart sped up a bit.

"Over here." He called and I sighed before walking over to where he had managed to hide himself while continuing his mischief.

"Ya know ya could a – whoa – damn man ya'v been busy." I proclaimed as I looked around at the upwards of 50 something traps he had set up all around the area and found myself grinning in expectation. "Mikey's gonna be so ticked." I laughed as I handed him the rope.

"So how long do ya think Leo can keep him busy?" I added as an afterthought as I took a peck in the direction our other two brothers had gone.

Though I had to admit I was all for collecting some pay back for all the years the little pest had tormented me, I was admittedly surprised that Shichi had wanted to pull a prank on my little brother despite the fact that it was Mikey's final test.

She had informed Leo that he was to be as completely unreasonable as possible to the point of almost working for us and on top of that Donnie and I were allowed to cheat as it would simulate an enemy that didn't play by the rules.

"I get the feeling Leo's having more fun with this than he lets on." Donnie answered as he put the finishing touches on his traps. "He'll probably have Mikey running around like a chicken with his head cut off."

I laughed at the graceful way he had chosen to describe it before looking up again and quickly pushed him down into the shadows as movement caught my eye.

"What?" He whispered and I pointed toward a little section of wall where I swear I'd just seen the slightest bit of blue peek out over the top before being forced back down and I was right as a second later Leo rounded the wall and started heading across our booby-trapped rooftop despite Mikey's protests.

I was smiling a second later when Donnie's traps worked flawlessly and the sound of boards flipping announced from all directions as their lines were activated and suddenly our other two brothers were being pelted from all sides by the army of little rocks.

"I told you." Mikey cursed loudly as they high-tailed it to the other side, dodging and waving their way between the little missiles. "That is so not fair Donnie." He yelled toward our hiding place once they had finally made it to safety again.

"Oh yes it is." I countered with a smirk and he glared at the shadow I was hiding in.

"I told you they were here." He growled toward my oldest brother but Leo still didn't seem that interested in listening and we waited a minute as they argued about something we couldn't hear before running off again which allowed Donnie and me to set up our next trap.

…

"Perfect." Donnie announced when we arrived on a seemingly random building and he dropped over the side to take a look through a window and smiled. "This'll work." He told me as he climbed back up the wall and I reached down to offer my hand and lifted him completely over the roof's edge to put in back on the ground.

"What's so special about this place?" I asked skeptically.

"It's a mattress factory." He explained unhelpfully as he started feeling the top of the roof as if trying to find a crack.

"Whatever ya say." I informed him with a grin. I'd had enough experience in the past to know that I should be confident in his ability to make anything work regardless of whether or not I understood it.

"Okay." He perked up again after a minute and stood up to point at a place on the ground. "Stand right here." He instructed and I did as he said while he used a piece of chalk rock to mark three numbered X's on the ground.

"And what are those for?" I asked as he finished the last one and looked up at me as he continued to crouch on the balls of his feet to get a feel for his plan.

"This should help us compensate for whatever direction they happen to come from." He explained as he reached down to draw a 1 next to the X. "I'll tell you which one you need to hit when they arrive."

"Hit?" I repeated with a raised eye-ridge and he grinned before standing up again to throw the little rock away.

"You think you could break through the roof?" He asked and I gave him a look before reaching down to feel the ground myself.

"Don't insult me Donnie." I answered and he smiled again before moving to crouch down behind me in his usual thinking pose. "So now what?" I asked him over my shoulder.

"We wait." He answered and I scoffed before turning back to fold my arms and watched the area for any sign of movement.

…

Okay I admit – I was not expecting a frontal attack from Leo of all people. So I was caught in a little moment of shock when he and Mikey started charging me from the other side of the roof, but Donnie still had his head in the game and immediately brought me back to the task at hand.

"Number 2!" He commanded suddenly and quickly shook myself out of my daze to look down at the second X in front of me. I then collected the strength in my legs and stomped the ground directly in that area which immediately forced something to give.

Leo and Mikey stopped running when they heard the cracking but before they could get out of the way the section of roof under their feet gave away and collapsed – taking them with it.

I had to back up several steps to avoid falling myself but the hole never really endangered me or Donnie, leaving me to quietly look over the new edge and discover the reason Donnie had chosen the mattress warehouse, as our brothers where now sprawled in a pile of limbs on a stack of pillow-tops.

I found myself laughing as they attempted to disentangle themselves clearly more than a little flabbergasted by the attack. "Did I ever mention how happy I am that yu're on our side?" I told Donnie smugly and he smiled before jumping down to land in front of them and joined him a moment later where I quickly snatched their flag and got out of there before they could even get themselves off the mass of fluff.

We heard Mikey complaining loudly behind us but Donnie and I had already disappeared into the shadows of the trees.

…

We found ourselves in a fit of hysterics for a minute or two as we reconvened in the forest to figure out our next game plan.

"Okay." Donnie announced around his laughter as he attempted to speak again. "Now that we have two flags we can work independently, for real this time."

"Say what?" I asked him from my seat on a rock. "Shichi never said we could do that."

"She never said we couldn't." He countered and I smiled as I realized he'd found a loop-hole in the rules.

"Yu're the best partner ever." I informed him with a laugh.

"Yeah I know." He stated smugly his voice dripping with arrogance and I laughed again as I stood up to take the red flag again.

"Okay so what are we doin'" I added sternly.

"Trying to track down Shichi." He answered simply as he started to walk again.

"No, Mike's probably on ta us by now." I argued and he stopped to look back at me and nodded in agreement.

"What do you suggest than?" He asked.

"Yu're asking me?" I stated in shock. "Yu're the brains of this operation."

"But you still have some good ideas." He declared without question. "And you're better with the confrontation stuff."

"Will ya stop doin' that." I demanded quickly walking up to get in his face. "Yu're NOT weak."

"I never said I was." He countered with a smile. "I just said that you're better at fighting – and you are."

I opened my mouth to protest before realizing that he had a point. "I hate it when ya da that." I growled and he laughed. "Okay, how bout I go out and distract them, that'll give ya plenty a time ta find Shichi." I added questionably and he nodded.

"That sounds like a plan." He agreed. "But are you sure I'm going to be okay without you?" He countered smugly and I realized he was paying me back for my earlier comment of worrying about him when there was probably no need.

But I had one for him too.

"Yeah yu'll be fine." I told him confidently. "After all – yu're not weak." I repeated and he smiled again. "And besides." I added before we went our separate ways. "I'll be there is ya need me."

I actually wrote this for CharmyPI-5 the VIII a while ago so she could use a scene in her story Unyielding – love that story ;)

Hope everyone enjoyed it

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