This story is mainly going to focus on Mikey and his little adventure. Later on Raph will probably join in. I really like to write about their brotherly relationship. They are just too precious.

It's my first multi chapter story so we'll see how that goes… I have the next chapter almost finished but I'm not entirely sure which direction this story will take.

Please tell me if you find any typos in the text. I read it a couple of times myself but there's always something I miss. I would also appreciate if you let me know what you think of the plot of course.

The story starts about 3-4 weeks after 2012 season 2 finale. Now enjoy.


Chapter 1 : Isolated


"One more level…" Michelangelo muttered under his breath, unaware. His eyes were completely focused on the screen of his T-phone. His large fingers swiftly tapped on the lit screen as he played the only videogame he had. He had completed it already five times since they had arrived to the farmhouse, but at the moment everyone was busy with their own work, and Mikey couldn't find anything else to entertain himself with. He already finished all his chores before noon and was free to spend the rest of the day however he wanted. Sadly there wasn't much to do. The farmhouse was pretty big but it was empty and plane. There wasn't anything interesting in it. The only exception was the television but it only had three channels that were mostly news or boring talk shows. Luckily in the evenings Crognard the Barbarian starts but even that show was only twice a week. Mikey never had time to bring any of his comics or toys when they fled New York from the Kraang invasion, so the T-phone was the only source of entertainment he had. He of course could go outside and explore the woods surrounding the house which he always wanted to do, but Raphael had strictly banned him from going alone. And it wasn't likely that anyone would want to keep him company. Ever since they had arrived to the farmhouse everyone has been absorbed into their own little worlds and have mostly been alienated from each other.

April had taken over the responsibility for the house. She turned into one of those housewives who always found some kind of chore to do even after everything's been tidied and cleaned. However Mikey didn't doubt her actions. Everyone had their own way of dealing with stress.

Casey and Donatello had closed themselves in the barn a few days after their arrival. Casey had started fixing an old car he found inside while Donnie had been trying to create some kind of medicine for Leonardo. The two had never gotten along well and despite the fact that they now spent entire days in the same room, they mostly showed each other their backs while each on their own side of the barn. Mikey once tried to get them to talk but in only resulted in unwanted insults and remarks so he left them alone as much as he could.

The person the little brother had been worrying about the most was Raphael. His brother spent whole days and nights beside Leo in the bathroom where they had laid him into the bathtub. At first Mikey approved, knowing it will be good if Leo woke up with someone by his side. But after those days turned into weeks and Leonardo still hasn't shown any sign of awakening, Raph continued to remain by his side at all times, and it began to concern Mikey. Raph only left the room to eat and every now and then he decided to sleep in a real bed and not the small stool he sat on for hours.

Mikey often joined them to keep him company so he wouldn't be so lonely but Raph always closed up when he visited and unwantedly shut Mikey out. It was almost as if he didn't want his nonexistent conversation with Leonardo to be bothered.

And since everyone had been stuck ignoring each other, Mikey at least made sure to gather everyone up when he cooked dinner or when his new favorite show started. But even those "bonding times" were quiet and quickly over. It was almost like everyone felt bad if they wanted to talk about something that wasn't concerning Leo because they would feel like they were ignoring the situation, but at the same time none of them wanted to talk about it because it seemed just too painful. Mikey thought it was stupid. But in the past few days he began to realize it was better to keep those kind of thought to himself. Instead he rather smiled like he usually did. He kept being the goofy baby brother that everyone needed at the time. He wasn't trying to be better than everyone else and say he kept the whole family together. He couldn't always keep smiling when his oldest brother was in a coma. After a couple of weeks passed even he began to isolate himself from others. He didn't want to but it was hard feeling unwanted all the time. So he only stuck for those dinner "bonding times" they had. It wasn't much but it counted for something.

With the final tap on the phone screen the small spaceship got struck by a laser beam and exploded. Mikey defeated the final boss for the sixth time. He grinned slightly while still in the game, but his smile soon left his mouth and left an empty feeling in his stomach. He tossed the phone next to him on the couch and leaned back into the back pillows. Staring at the ceiling, he tried to think what he could do now.

His thoughts were quickly broken as he heard a slight clang of dishes in the kitchen. Without a second thought he smiled again and jumped over the couch to go see what was going on. He found April in the kitchen standing over the sink and washing tea cups form the drawer.

"Hey, April," Mikey jumped to her side, "What are you doing? I already washed the dishes earlier."

"Oh, hi, Mikey," April smiled while scrubbing a cup. "The cups looked dusty so I decided to wash them. You know none of us really drinks tea except for… you know," her voice trailed off and she shrugged at the end.

Mikey's smile dropped again. Leonardo's and Splinter's names started to become forbidden words around the house lately.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? You know you can say 'Leo and Splinter'. It's not a crime."

"Yeah, sorry," April smiled without looking up and tried to look busy.

"Let me give you a hand." Mikey already grabbed a dishcloth ready to dry the cups April already washed.

"You know it's okay, Mikey. I got this. It's a beautiful day. Why don't you go feed the chickens?" A forced smile crossed her lips as she lifted her gaze to meet the short turtle.

"I already fed them," Mikey tried to ignore the fakeness of it and dried the next cup.

"What about the eggs? Did you get those?" she pushed forward.

"Yeah, I already did all that in the morning before breakfast."

"Oh, you're such a good boy! You've been working so hard. Take a break and go relax a bit, huh?" she played around with her words but it was clear she felt bad about it.

Mikey almost told her that he just had a long break and that she should be the one relaxing and taking a break instead, but held his tongue. He shoved aside the hurt of not wanting him around and replaced it with a smile that looked completely sincere.

"Sure thing! Thanks, April." he chirped and ran away. He stopped by the door and looked up the stairs, considering visiting his brothers before changing his mind, and stepping outside.

It was true. Despite the cold fall air it was a beautiful sunny day. The sunshine on Mikey's skin felt soft and pleasant. The boy didn't even realize how stiff he was until he stretched his arms on the porch.

'It feels like a nice day for some exercise,' he thought as he eyed the forest around the house.

The woods reflected nice warm shades of colors as the light hit the swaying branches of leaves. The colored fall leaves swayed with the wind and sparkled like golden dust in the distance. The view was mesmerizing and Mikey didn't even realize how long he was staring.

As his thoughts focused back to the present he turned towards the barn door. With a determined look Mikey paced towards it. He had decided to get Donnie to practice some ninjutsu with him, and maybe he could even convince him to go exploring the woods with him like he always wanted.

He creaked open the door and snuck inside. Donatello was across the room sitting by a large desk filled with glass vials of all sorts of chemicals, and stacks of notebooks. As Mikey crossed the room he noticed Casey's legs sticking from under the old car. He stopped to crouch and greet him.

"Hey, Casey. How's the rust bucket coming along?" he smiled at the boy who looked back at him from under the vehicle.

"Oh, hey, Mike! Didn't even hear you come in."

"It's called being ninja!" Mikey grinned and swung his arms in a fighting gesture trying to look intimidating and mysterious but instead just looked silly. "So do you think it'll start working soon?"

"Dunno. Some parts are really old and rusty. It would be much easier if I could just replace them," Casey explained as he worked on something out of Mikey's vision.

The small turtle crouched and leaned further down to get a better look. He was never interested in machinery but at the moment anything looked interesting.

"What are you doing now?" he asked as Casey struggled with his wrench.

"Y'know, Mikey," Casey stopped for a moment, "I don't wanna sound mean but I'm kinda busy here. Why don't you go find something else to do?"

Mikey was slightly taken back but quickly recovered and stood up. "Yeah, sure…" he murmured and turned around. With a little less will now, he made his way to his brother's desk. Donnie was just about to drop something into one of his vials so Mikey waited before greeting him with a happy smile.

"What do you want, Mikey?" was the first thing Donnie said while observing the chemical reaction.

Mikey ignored his harsh tone and stepped closer. "You know it's a beautiful day outside," he leaned into his brother's view. "Just perfect for some training," he smiled, showing off his big blue eyes.

"As you can see, I'm in the middle of something," Don looked at him with narrowed eyes before returning his focus on the vial. "Besides… I think I'm getting really close this time."

"You've been at it for days, Donnie. Your shell will get soft if you don't move soon. C'mon, the fresh air will do you good! You can come back to your project after some exercise." Mikey hopped and tugged his brother's upper arm. "Maybe you'll even get some new ideas out in the open. A new perspective, or something."

"This isn't something you can just come back to, Mikey." Donnie pulled his arm from his short brother and turned back around. "I have to observe and write down every change that appears in the substance. If I don't, I could miss something." He leaned closer to the glass and scribbled something into the notepad on the desk beside it.

"C'mon, D! It won't be long," Mikey resorted to whining. Maybe his brother would give in. It was a longshot but it might just work. "I'm bored… And lonely!" he gasped trying to add the dramatic effect. "I always wanted to go into the forest and you know I can't go alone. Please, please, please! You never do anything I ask you to," he almost begged on his knees.

"No, Mikey! Save your pleas for someone else. Now let me work!" Donatello turned him down coldly and fully irritated.

"Fine!" The small turtle lifted his nose, turned on his heels and stomped away. He had the urge to ask Casey on the way out, but the teen had already clearly explained that he was busy and wanted to be left alone - plus it would ruin the dramatic and offended air Mikey wanted to leave behind to hover over Donnie.

He exited the barn with loud stomps but quickly lost his pace as he stared ahead of him. Again the beautiful view of the forest called for him. Mikey was determined to go into the forest today. He ran back to the house to ask April if she would, by any chance, want to join him. The kitchen was empty when he came back and there wasn't a sound in the air that would tell him where she went.

"April?" his loud voice echoed off the walls but no answer came. "April!" he yelled again. "Where could she go…?"

He briefly looked over the living room while running upstairs to check the rooms. On his way up he noticed April back downstairs lying on the couch. She was sleeping. She was out of his sight tucked against the back pillows so he didn't notice her before.

'She must have worn herself out,' Mikey thought as he stopped his pace. He smiled and decided to leave her sleep. 'It wouldn't be any fun if she's tired anyway.'

His eyes left her sleeping form and turned to the door in front of him. He was unsure whether he should let himself in or not. His mind told him to leave but his feet still moved forward and stopped just outside the door. With an effort he grabbed the knob and turned it. The door creaked as he slowly pushed it open.

"Um… Raph…?" Mikey poked into the room.

Leonardo was lying in the bathtub full of water with his head resting motionlessly on the brim. Raphael was sitting near him on a small stool with his back to Mikey. He didn't even stir when he heard his brother's voice.

"Would you like to come outside for a bit? It's a beautiful day," Mikey asked as quietly as he could, trying to make himself seem small. But there was still a part of him that hoped his brother would want to spend some time with him for a change.

"Not right now, Mikey." Raph's voice was raspy and quiet as if lost in thought. It was hard to believe it even belonged to the hotheaded brother.

"Yeah… thought so…" Mikey breathed out as he closed the door. He knew if he insisted it would only make things worse.

With a low head he walked outside again and sat down on the porch. It was still cold but the sun made up for it. He fidgeted with his fingers for a while not sure what to do next. He really wanted to explore the woods on this beautiful day. Sunny days were rare this time a year and today felt especially good to Mikey.

He pushed himself up and stepped down onto the grass. 'Maybe if I go alone, no one will notice…?' he thought unsure if he should disobey his brother's order.

'I'm a ninja, for crying out loud. What could happen if I stroll around a bit? I can look after myself.' He started walking towards the trees. 'I'll be back just in time to make dinner. No one will know.' He reached the edge of the forest. 'And what they don't know won't hurt them.' He walked into the shadows of the trees without a second thought.