= 3

Chapter 1

Table Talks

Leonardo was the perfectionist and most well mannered and graceful turtle out of all of his brothers. Except when he slept at night. In his deep sleep where dream land had always been so kind for the turtle in blue. He snored like the rest of them and his arms and legs stretched out in different directions and angles, while still keeping snuggled up to a blanket and a little brown teddy bear he had since he was a kid. His first gift he got from Master Splinter that he cherished to this day. When he started to awaken, and opening his weary white eyes. He immediately moved his legs and arms into a normal position as he rolled over to his side, letting out a yawn as he sat up. Feeling like he was half asleep still. Then with a great level of skill he jumped out of his bed with a flip like it was nothing and began to make his bed. He had a rule, he was never allowed to leave his bedroom until his bed was military neat. Not one wrinkle nor untucked sheet was allowed to be ignored, or else it would bug him all day long. It was distracting and very unsatisfying. Existing his bedroom while rubbing any sleep away from his eye, he took notice to how the lair felt far to quiet. It wasn't usually overly loud but the regular noises he had grown accustomed too wasn't there. Stopping to think on this for a moment, wondering if he had missed something while asleep. Then he heard a familiar noise of the strokes of a keyboard that eased away his own worries. The sounds of a busy turtle working, Donatello was up early. Or maybe he just stayed up all night, it was hard to tell with him nowadays as he always looked tired to Leo. But Don always enjoyed catching a few more extra quiet hours while he worked away on some unknown project without being disturbed by either family member, Which Leo could relate too some days. "Morning Don.." He tried to smile but all that came out was a large lethargic yawn as he walked by the small lab work station that his brother had in the main area. Donatello seemed very focused on what he was doing, almost didn't take notice to Leo if he hadn't spoken up. Nodding his head to his brother as his only response. Not exactly ready to look away from what he was doing, very focused and tired. The screen lite up those slug features on his face. The heavy eyes accompanied by dark circles, slump shoulders, the lack of energy. This seemed to be Donatello every morning for the past month.

"Ahh, Morning to you as well Leo." He finally finished what he was doing, Leo couldn't even guess what kept him busy today. But he stopped before he entered into the kitchen, looking back at Donatello as he leaned up against his chair and just looked like he was in another world inside his mind. It wasn't hard to guess what Donatello was thinking about, the pained expression on his face told Leo everything he had to know about what was entering his brothers mind. So he gestured with his head for Donatello to follow him in, then opened the door to the kitchen. Obediently Don got up from his station, turning his computer screen off and followed his brother. "I don't see Master Splinter." Their father every day got up earlier than Leo, 5 am sharp to watch the early news and then his soaps that came on afterwards. It was one of the few absent noises that bugged Leo. The tv was turned off and the sounds of Raphael chainsaw snoring didn't reverberate the bedroom section of the lair. Leonardo quietly grabbed two white chipped bowls from the cupboard and handed one of them over to Don who walked passed him and bent down to observe the cereal section on the bottom cupboard. "Raphael snuck out and he got busted again. So as punishment he's making him clean up the sewer, starting with tunnel 23." Leo spotted a half smile on Don face, it was a little funny that Raphael had got caught but this was the seventh time in two weeks that he got busted for sneaking out. Slightly disappointed in his brothers recent action but it was nothing unexpected from their red brother. Donatello finally decided on what cereal he wanted and grabbed for the honeynuts but in doing so, another box fell out of the cupboard and spilled on the floor.

"Glad I'm not him, that sewer is nasty.. Master Splinter must be livid with Raphael! I get he sometimes wants to be a solo vigilante but he needs to tell somebody when he is leaving at least. I mean is that too much to ask for- Uh Don?" Leonardo had the fridge door opened and his hand froze half way in to grab the carton of milk. Growing worried and concerned, Don appeared to be in a lot of pain with the way his face expressions started to twist and seemed frozen. Leonardo wondered what happened but then he followed his brothers gaze which was on the floor to where the Captain Crunch cereal that had been spilled and then it dawned on Leo. He knew exactly what was wrong with his brother. His own heart sank and he felt the same heart ache that Donatello was feeling. "Donatello, It's okay. Just cereal now." Leonardo hand rested on Don's shoulder and his brother eyes shut tightly and he grimaced and holding in his breath like he was retaining himself from making any noise. "It's not just cereal Leo.." Don started as he opened his pained sad eyes. Feeling defeated by the mere sight of Captain Crunch. A cereal of all things, monsters and mad men were easy compared to spilled cereal."It is.. I mean.. It was Mikey's favorite cereal" The bowl shook in his hand as he seemed to be barely holding himself together in this moment. It hurt Leo too but he was calm, and knelt down on the floor to pick up the cereal pieces scattered on the floor. "I miss him too Don, so does Raph, Splinter, April and Casey."

Don grabbed the honeynuts again and stood up, turning his back to Leo to hide his face. The loss of Michelangelo effected them all in different ways and probably always will to some level. Everyday they carried him in their hearts and learned to move past the grieve and live their lives but sometimes little things shook them to the core. Today it was cereal, last week it was a plate. Reminders that Mikey once lived and wasn't here anymore to claim his favorite things. But they will get past it, together. "Sorry Leo, some days I just forget he's gone. Then.. cereal happens." Donatello looked at his hands, feeling like some idiot that such a small detail could have such a big impact on him. Leonardo finished cleaning up and put the Captain Crunch back in the shelf, right now nobody had the heart to throw away Mikey's belongings. But when that day came, Leo made a mental note to include the cereal. Moving past this was long hard and a very slow process.

Leo stood straight and closed the cupboard door. It felt a little for having a grin on his face as a sudden flashback brought a sense of serenity to him. Patting the back of Donnie's shell and walked back to the fridge and grabbed the fresh milk. Taking a seat on a chair by the small old used table they found at the dump a few years back. Donatello turned to see Leo weird grin, and it slightly upset Don. Grabbing the spoons he slowly approached. Don looked quizzically at Leo and figured he should ask the question that lingered on his tongue. "May I inquire what is so humorous Leo?" Feeling Leo white eyes gaze at him, Don was frozen as he waited for an answer. "Michelangelo.. He hated mornings" Leo answered simply. Donatello didn't entirely follow his brothers logic, shrugged his shoulders and sat down on a chair at the old table. "Since we were children he was always the night owl. Distractions like comic and video games kept him up all night" Putting Mikey to bed as a kid was near impossible, till this day he had no idea how Master Splinter managed to settle little Mikey down enough for him to fall asleep at night. "Or even planning his pranks. I was just remembering one morning when Raphael woke Mikey up due to his loud snoring. It ticked Mike right off and he couldn't get back to sleep" Both turtles had cracked a smile, Don finally got what Leo was feeling. The happy memories of Mikey were the most cherished among them. Donatello poured the cereal in the two bowls while Leo poured in the milk right after him. "I hate cleanin'. Sewers are meant to be dirty.. Not to be cleaned." Hiss an annoyed red turtle as he barged into the kitchen without greeting his brothers. Just grabbed himself a bowl from the upper cupboards and a spoon and did a back flip that landed him directly in a sitting position on a chair between Leonardo and Donatello. Raph was feeling frustrated and sleepy. Roughly grabbing the box and accidentally crushing the side with his powerful three fingers. Flinched slightly then snarled, pouring the cereal in his bowl and set it aside. Purple and Blue stared at the rude turtle, and Raphael felt their gazes as he suddenly started to feel a little insecure with their funny expressions. "Morning Raphael." Leonardo politely greeted his tempered brother who had interrupted the story Leo was going to tell. "Mornin.. So.. what where ya all talkin' about?" Raphael hand went towards the milk, then Leonardo snatched it before Raphael could grab it, not wishing for his current foul mood to accidentally crush the carton. Steam came out of Raphael ear then his arms folded crossed on his chest tightly as Leonardo ever so primly poured the milk into the red turtles bowl. "We were talking about Michelangelo." Leo said firmly, and this had caught Raphael off guard as he had a sudden actual interest in this conversation. "Leo was telling me about your snoring and how you disturbed Mikey's sleep." Donatello chimed into the conversation as he plopped is elbow on the table and rested his head inside his palm while his free hand sluggishly dug into the cereal.

"Oh..."
Sitting up right with all 6 fingers on the table. His eyes rolled around the room awkwardly as he thought about this, his fingers tapping on the wooden table a few times. Till his eyes settle on Leonardo face, who had a look of small annoyance while he chewed his cereal but that was the normal look whenever they were in a room together.
"Go on, then.." He reluctantly said, and picked up his own spoon and started to stuff his own mouth. He was surprised they were talking about Mikey
really, he did come up now and again in conversation of course. Just not as often as one would think. Secretly hiding the fact that Raphael liked the conversations that were about Michelangelo. It was one of his favorite topics that rival his love for Motorbikes and kicking butt.
"Thank you." Leonardo sounded proper, while hiding the clear annoyance. But he moved past that and continued his story as he set his spoon in the bowl as he talked."As I was saying, you woke him up and he got pretty irritated and mad. You know how Mikey gets when he's like that. I was in the middle of brushing my teeth when Mike barged in and took Raph toothpaste without even caring that I was there. He got a smack upside the head, then apologized. He was mischievous, adding in his special ingredient to the toothpaste" Leo smiled as he eyed Raph, a sparkle was in his eye as he too recalled this incident. "...Orajel." Leo finished.
"It was extra strength too! My mouth went numb in seconds" Raph said with his mouth full of cereal. Out of them all he was the least mannered turtle, while Leo was very much the opposite. He was graceful in the way he sat and chewed politely, never spoke with his mouth full. His back was straight and not slumped like Donatello and kept his elbows off the table. "Yea! And you couldn't speak properly. It was funny" Leo made a small laugh. "You chased him for a good hour." Don said as he too recalled that, they made a mess in his lab that day.
"That chuckle-head deserved it. I pounded him hard that day!"
Raphael laughed hard, nearly choking on his own cereal when he did. He gagged a little, and Don and Leo smiled while giving a disgusted look."Eww. Easy now" Don said but Raphael kept laughing pretty hard. The two turtles also laughed but not as hard. This was one of many fond memories Raphael had of Michelangelo antics. He knew that Mikey was alive, inside all of their hearts. The bubbling laughter inside him finally subdued and then it grew quiet for a little while, each one eating away at their cereal as they thought back of their little brother. They hated that he was gone and too some level each one blamed themselves for his passing. But it happened, and all they could do was smile with the good memories he had left. Donatello had a smile on his face at the story about Mikey prank on Raphael, one should never irritate the orange turtle because there was a price to pay for it. Donatello placed his spoon down in his bowl as he thought of a story he could add to this conversation. Hearing and talking about him in this way seemed to purge away the pain of loosing a dear brother. "Michelangelo was the light even in our darkest times." Don started, breaking the silence. The two brothers distance gazes then focused on him. With a curious anticipation. He didn't shy away, just looked at them both with a smile. "After our lair got destroyed by mousers, I started to push myself. Upgrading and trying to secure our new home. Every night I fell asleep at my desk from exhaustion and one morning the unexpected happen." Donatello shuttered to remember this, it was funny but the same time so horrible. The two brothers already had a grin on their faces.

"Orange balloons, Everywhere! To make things worse, my pens, my notes, just about everything had been stuffed inside each individual balloon! It was an absolute nightmare, I couldn't work till I popped a few hundred orange balloons." Oh the horror, Donatello face lowered into his hands, his eyes peaking out through his fingers. It was a distressing memory, but chuckles echoed in the kitchen from the two brothers. Leonardo had finished his cereal, as well as Don had by this point. Grabbing them, he went over to the sink. "I remember that one!" Raphael said as he barely managed to stop chuckling so he could speak properly."He was worried about ya with how obsessed ya were in your work. Heck, we all were. But he came to me to ask for help in blowin' up balloons. Leave it to Mikey to try and fix things the only way he knows how, by being an annoyin' little brother" There were thousands of times he really wanted to hurt Mikey, and once he regrettably almost did. Try living with a constant chatterbox who was an expert in being annoying and whiny who stubbornness rivaled your own. While he is in your personal space and forgets to return your comic books. Yet in the end of it all, Raphael would kill anybody just to have this annoying pain in the arse back. Donatello eyes widen in shock. "You were in on it?! It took me forever to pop those balloons! Not to mention cleaning up all the pieces." Don whined and was honestly stunned in his brothers involvement in the crime. It wasn't unbelievable but he didn't think for a moment that the orange turtle had help. Leonardo finished cleaning up the bowls and swiftly moved back to his chair. Soon he got comfortable. "Master Splinter wasn't that happy, with all that popping it really got under his fur. Sensitive ears." Master Splinter was patient and tried to hide his rage. Mikey had to do 70 back-flips and a week of hard training as punishment for pulling off that stunt. Leo thought it was kind of funny how he never outed Raph for his involvement with the prank. Very unmikey-like, as the youngest brother he enjoyed passing the blame onto his elder brothers. "You stopped working so hard after that, it worked well." Leonardo commented, and Don let out a mused laugh as he pulled his hands away from his face and sat properly.

"Come on, let us not forget about Fearless. Mikey tried really hard for three weeks to get you."
"No kidding, water balloons, tried drawing on my face when I was asleep. Disrupted my meditation with sneak attacks. A bucket of ice water was placed above my door. Even went as far to put jolly ranchers inside the shower head." Leo paused for the two turtles cringed as they had fallen victim to the sticky shower trick. Not Leo though, he was too mindful of his surroundings. Too skilled and fast reflexes for any of those tricks to have worked.
"Then he got'cha good."
Raphael said as he shoved a spoonful of honeynuts
into his mouth, chewing loudly without any form of manners. Very least he didn't speak with his mouth full, he was sure to finish before waving his spoon around. "April introduced Mikey to this meal called Kraft Dinner. He hated it actually.. But he found a use for those cheese packages. Placing it inside a pitcher of water it looked exactly like orange juice" Leonardo slapped himself in the face, oh yes he remembered that one well. The problem was the prank was so simple and yet he fell for it.

"Yeah, it was disgusting! Three weeks of trying with those very predictable pranks. He finally accomplished his goal by a simple easy prank. He couldn't have been happier and rubbed it in my face any chance he got." Typical annoying Mikey fashion too. Crossing his arms across is plastron
with a stern look, not happy at all about that prank. Even now he felt a little bitter and that perfect posture he had wavered as he began to slump into this chair. Raphael and Donatello both looked at Leo and started to laugh at him, his reaction was funny to them. Feeling foolish, Leonardo broke down into a small chuckle and joined in with his brothers. A calm lightness came across their chest like a heavy burden was lifted for a moment. "I got him back, told him Master Splinter has a ninja test for him, he had hidden the new issue of the Justice Force and he had to find it while going undetected."
"Poor Master Splinter, he didn't have a clue to why Mikey had a strange behavior." Donatello rubbed his bold green head, just imagining what it was like for their father with Mikey dodging left and right every time he got spotted or was in the room and the moment the back was turned he was busy making a mess in search of the comic. It would be frustrating but very hilarious. Raphael finished his cereal and pushed the bowl away from him, leaning back in the chair with one arm lazily resting behind the chairs frame.

"It's one week from now.."
A single sentence changed the cheerful conversation and dived it down to a desperate glum. The heart ache returned and all three of them felt it. Their lips twisted and gave the innocent floor a very cold and hardened distance stares as they contemplated exactly on what Raphael meant. It was so easy to forget but it was a day they had to remember. If any stranger walked in and saw their faces, they would see three very unfriendly turtles right now that looked ready to inflict harm. "Yeah.." Don broke the unbearable silence. "We should do something. Pay our respects."
This pain was never going away, and it was a matter of trying to live with it for Donatello. The silence had returned as each turtle was deep in thought. It was comforting to know this pain was shared between all three of them. Leo didn't want them to feel this way, the horrifying dread that lingered behind Mikey's name. For Raphael, he sank into his chair and looked like a turtle being tortured from the inside. A tortured mind was very dangerous indeed. Donatello seemed more exhausted than before, like the very energy he possessed was being sucked out of him little by little. Those expressions shouldn't belong to his brothers and looking at them was anguish for Leonardo.
Getting up he swiftly came between the two brothers, placing a reassuring hand on both of their shoulders. Each one of those horrible expressions looked up at Leonardo. Those saddened harden eyes directed at him and he didn't dare falter now. He gave them both a smile and he spoke will authority and love. "One week from this day. Mikey will have officially been departed from us for a year. Remember, he died with honor and Let's not ever forget that. One day we will see him again and when we do, he will still be our goofy younger brother. I agree with Donnie, he's right we should do something. So I suggest its best we head to the farm house and celebrate his life and all those years he spent with us. We clearly don't have a shortage of Michelangelo stories, plenty of those to go around."

Leonardo sense them relaxing under his touch and soft words, small smiles had returned to their green faces. Leonardo looked at Donatello first, nodded in agreement with Leo, whom then turned to look over at Raphael who gave a bigger smile as an answer to Leo suggestion. Raph put his hand on top of Leo's and just gave a meaningful look. It was also a yes. Suddenly, a surprise to all three turtles Master Splinter had entered. With a tear in his eye he looked at son's. "I think that is a great way to honor our poor Michelangelo. We should inform April and Casey of our decision." It seemed Leo suggestion had really touched a soft spot in Master Splinter heart. Like them, he too grieved for the loss of the orange turtle.
"I'll give April a call, Casey probably with her." Donatello grabbed his shell cell and immediately dialed up April. Leonardo gave his father a sympathetic look, this celebration would be good for everyone. To get out of the city and just find closer again.