Chapter 2 – Clean Up

Yawning, Michelangelo casually sat on the edge of his hospital bed he used last night, which was very uncomfortable for him, while Donatello unhooked the monitors from him with protest. "I still say that it's too soon for you to be up and walking around the place, however I will say that you have recovered very well." Mikey looked over at Don with a narrowed expression but said nothing. "I know, I know, 'Stop saying the same things over and over again like a computer'!" Don said with a robotic mimicking voice near the end of his speech. Mikey smiled at Don and said, "No…thank you for telling me…it's just…I don't want to be bed ridden if I can help it."

Don wasn't looking at Mikey till that very moment; when Don did look, he said, "Wow Mikey, that's strange for you to say."

Mikey panicked a little, not sure if he was ready to tell this turtle that he lost his memory, but Don simply said, "…You are right though. If you are able to move around, then you should do so but if you end up with an episode then don't blame me!"

"An episode?"

"…a heart failure or something like that. Not like that would happen…I think…" You're not being very helpful Donatello. Mikey sighed and once the disconnecting was complete he stood from the bed and started walking away. He heard some scooting sounds and turned to see Don moving the machines on his own. "Do you need any help?" Mikey earnestly asked. "Now that I will forbid you from doing. Try not doing any lifting or work if you can help it" Don said while stopping and lifting his pointing finger upward.

Nodding, Mikey walked out of the room and walked into a large blue room that seems to resemble a living room. The room itself is like a large comfortable man cave made from brick. There was a large indention in the floor with a couch and a T.V. Over by the opposite end, there seems to be a large pool with a tire swing hanging over it and a ledge overseeing it. At another end of the room seems to be some kind of…weird barricade pass that is blocking large stairs leading upward. There is a tunnel leading to more rooms and a fully furnished kitchen.

Wow…can't say that they are doing badly down here. Mikey walked around the room a little and saw that nobody was around. Wondering where to go, seeing the large stairs being there seemed like a good way to go. Walking across the room and up to those…things with the spinning three pointers (seriously what are they called?) he suddenly felt a hand placed on his shoulder saying, "Where you do think you're going?" After whipping quickly to face his enemy, Mikey found it only to be Raph.

"Whoa, somebody's jumpy!" Raph said surprise. Mikey settled down after seeing Raph and looked away, still nervous.

"Anyway, you didn't answer my question" Raph said, looking down on the little turtle. Mikey looked up and remembered what Don said about Raph last week. "Start with that mess again, and Raph will beat your brains out" is exactly what Don said. The look that he's giving me right now isn't helping his innocence either.

"I was heading to my room" Mikey finally answered. He didn't have to look at Raph to see the questionable stare piercing his skin.

"Well then, why were ya heading outside?" Raph asked quietly.

Outside? Oh boy, I better have a good explanation for that…I especially don't want to tell him that my memory is gone! Think…think… "I didn't realize I was heading outside. I honestly thought I was heading to my room. Isn't that the way to my room?" Mikey asked innocently as he looked at Raph, playing the helpless card. This took Raph off guard, in which his whole posture relaxed and his arms, which was crossed, now unraveled. Now turning to point to the stairs, Mikey purposefully fell into Raph, hoping that Raph would catch him.

Raph didn't catch Mikey right off the bat, mostly because he was watching where Mikey was pointing to. Once Mikey started falling though, Raph did not waste a second in catching Mikey before he fell to the floor. "What are ya doing out of ya bed if you're not feeling well?" Raph scolded, expecting a serious answer to come out.

Mikey had to be careful at this point, and so he said, "I dislike that bed. I'm fine, but I really need sleep…and for this world to stop spinning." It seemed that Raph believed him for the moment, since his face soften and he sighed. Putting Mikey's left arm around his neck and helping him onto his feet, Raph guided Mikey to tunnel with rooms around. Once at the door that clearly stated, "MIKEY'S ROOM" on it, Raph opened it and pretty much dragged Mikey to the bed. "Don't leave until you get your bearings, k?" Raph said once Mikey sat on the bed. Mikey nodded and Raph left the room quickly, leaving Mikey to observe his room.

The room was literally a mess. There was rotted food in the floor and it didn't look like it has been swept in a long time. The bed stunk horribly due to the fact it didn't have fresh sheets recently. There was a bunch of clutter everywhere including on the walls and on the bed as well. I didn't think I was a pig and a slop. Mikey could barely breathe in his own room and had to do something about it. The first thing he did was get up and search his wooden cabinet. There he saw more junk, pizza boxes, and a skateboard. Confused, Mikey continued to look but saw nothing that could help him. Looking around his room once more, Mikey noted all the pizza boxes in his room and thought it was a good place to start.

Mikey took the pizza box out of his cabinet, and noted that it wasn't empty. Looking inside, Mikey was greeted to a few slices of very old moldy pizza pieces and a disgusting smell. I can't believe that I'm wasteful as well. Closing the box back, he found a clear spot in the floor to put the pizza box and started stacking the boxes one by one. Once he picked up all the boxes he could see, he found the tower of pizza boxes to be almost as tall as Mikey. That is disturbing. Carefully and regrettably, Mikey got on his knees and started pushing the tower towards the door, but it wobbled too much to his liking.

After thinking a little bit, Mikey thought of an idea. Grabbing a few boxes of Pizza Boxes off the top, Mikey went to the door to look outside to make sure that the coast was clear. Mikey saw that the other three doors were closed and when he peered into the living room there was no one there. He sat the boxes right outside his door, and went to get the other boxes. After multiple trips back and forth, the tower was now relocated outside of his room. Leaving the door open for some fresh air, Mikey noted how much bearable the room's looks and smells were.

Mikey sat on his bed and placed each object on the blanket to be moved; most of it was toys but there was nunchakus and shurikens as well. Mikey then wrapped the blanket upwards around the pile to make it easier to carry and moved it to the corner of his bed. Tying the blanket bag up so that the stuff won't pour out, Mikey now had room to lay down. That is enough for right now.

He looked around his room once more and noticed how little stuff he really had. Most of the stuff that he obtained was outside the room or hanging on the walls. Trying to relax on the bed, he felt as though the sheets were…greasy. Here I thought the hospital bed was uncomfortable. Had I known about this bed I would have never left that room! Mikey sighed and decided to make the most out of it. At least I have a bed…I guess…maybe. As he thought, Mikey still wasn't sure if he should even be here at all. At least he knew where to go if he wanted to leave, unless that was a trap. I don't know! I honestly don't know if I should stay or just run away! If only I could have my memory back please! Mikey worried on his bed and it felt like a long time past as the same consistent thoughts entered his mind.


"Hey…hey Mikey…(whistle)…Mikey"

"Huh…" Mikey finally woke after being shook lightly by Leo for a decent amount of time.

"You were having a bad dream again" Leo said softly, not wanting to scare Mikey with a loud voice. Mikey, still half asleep, was a little puzzled by what Leo said and asked, "How would you know you that?"

Shocked, Leo's dark blue eyes widen and responded, "Don't you remember? You were saying 'Who are you? Stay away until you tell me who you are!' and a lot of other stuff". Quickly Mikey recollected everything that was in his dream and blushed suddenly, turning away in Leo in embarrassment. "I-I'm sor-sorry L-L-Leo. I-I-I-I was very sleepy."

"It's okay. You have nothing to apologize for. I actually came in to say that we're having pizza tonight, but you was having that nightmare and, well, I thought waking you up was the best thing."

The last thing that Mikey wanted to eat was pizza, after all the boxes and the moldy leftovers he moved outside. The excited look on Leo's face though along with the fact that there was so many boxes in the room in the first place suggests that Mikey really likes pizza. Oh well. "Sure! Let's go!" Mikey said in the best happy voice he could come up with; however Leo asked, "What's wrong? You seem depressed…"

"…"

"…Mikey?"

"I haven't felt really happy since the incident"

"Oh…maybe some training after while will cheer you up!" Training? Training for what! Wait…Splinter mentioned that the other day…or should I say Master Splinter? This is really confusing.

Before Mikey could think of anything else, Leo went out of Mikey's room. Mikey felt that it was best to follow along. Nearly on Leo's heels, they headed towards the kitchen and at the kitchen table sat the rat, the girl, Raph, and Don. Who is that girl? I've seen her here multiple times but I've never gotten her name.

"Hey April, what do you think about this?", Donatello asked, getting the girl's attention as she went from eating pizza to looking at the laptop that Donnie was on. Well then, that answers my question. "That's strange. Do you think that has something to do with the Krang?" April asked, while Donnie replied, "I don't know…it really doesn't look like it at all, but at the same time it doesn't seem like a coincidence." Krang? That's a new term.

"What's up Donnie?" Leo asked with a concerned look on his face. Donnie also had Raph, Splinter, and Mikey's undivided attention when he spoke, "Remember the fight last week with the Foot up on the building; you know, where Mikey fell through-"

"Yeah Don, we know", Raph interrupted quickly and hastily, which made Mikey a little irate since he couldn't remember the fight. Mikey did note that Raph looked away with a guilty expression on his face when Don briefly mentioned Mikey's incident. "Well, turns out, something mysterious happened in that very same building within the next hour after we left."

"What do you mean, my son?" Master Splinter asked, more or less with curiosity than worry.

"This was in the local news page. In fact, it's still breaking news as of yet" Donnie said as he turned the computer around. The pictures that was on a slide showed the inside of the walls being covered in writing. It was black writing but it said things like "IT WAS HIS FAULT" and "IM SORRY" along with "GOODBYE". The report claimed that the writing was not washing off even with pressure washing or chemicals.

"That's…strange" Leo said with affirming sound in his voice. No kidding Leo!

"It is clear that a restless spirit is lurking there. Perhaps that is the reason that Michelangelo lived through his painful experience? Either way, it would be wise to avoid that area for the time being" Splinter advised. Mikey looked at Splinter with awe, surprised to hear something like that from…well…a rat.

Soon, everyone directed their eyes toward Michelangelo quickly, startling him in his seat. "Are you okay Mikey?" Donnie asked. Uh-oh…is it time for the big reveal? "Why-Why do you ask?" Mikey ask, warily looking at each individual being in the kitchen. "For one, you didn't eat your pizza" Raph said as he pointed down at Mikey's plate. To be all honest, Mikey rather go hungry then eat pizza after what happen today. "Second, for once you didn't make a cheap horror monster movie comment, thankfully!" Leo said with a sigh, to which Mikey replied, "and that is bad because-?"

"My son…" Splinter literally had to pause while thinking about what he wanted to say next, "all we wish to know is whether or not you are well."

"You know what, I may not be well! After all, I fell from a pretty tall building, right!" Mikey stood up and decided to speak up, rather fed up. For the past few days he had been observing these creatures and April from his hospital bed to get a sense of who they were, but the only ones who would visit him was Donnie and April…and April was from a distance.

"Mi-Mikey! Calm down!"

"Chill out!"

"Nah! The building wasn't that tall! After all, I recovered well! Didn't I Donnie?" Mikey went facing the crowd to just facing Donnie after asking that question. "What! What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember that day? I have to admit that there is a lot I can't remember from that day, but one thing that I do remember is being dragged into a sewer where I could've have died with my open wounds," with this part of his statement more directed at Leo even though Mikey was talking to Don, "and you saying that falling through the roof was physically IMPOSSIPLE!"

Don remained quiet but a stern and angry expression remained on his face. Leo seemed almost ashamed while Raph and April was shocked at what happened. "Enough!" Splinter stood up swiftly and soon the bottom of the cane and the floor hit, causing an echo throughout the entire lair. Don still sat there with an angry expression on his face while Mikey's expression was…a mixture between angry, depression, and desperation. "You seriously can't remember what happen that day, can you?" Donnie asked calmly, keeping his posture the same.

"…No" Mikey replied, also doing the same. Leo's eyes widened, and Raph quietly and quickly left the kitchen while replying, "Good". Mikey heard Raph and looked over, but Raph was already gone. Angry, Mikey stormed off to his room and slam the door behind him. I can't take it anymore. I can't be the person they want me to be. Those…those…annoying…

Mikey tried to walk to his bed and stumbled up on something. It was dark so he couldn't see it right off bat, but instead of turning the light on Mikey leaned down on his knees and picked it up. It's a whoopee cushion, which is used for pranks…After his eyes have gotten accustom to the dark room, Mikey saw other items in his room that were used for pranks such as metal buckets, toy insects, etc.

He sighed, almost wishing that none of the stuff around him was real, while another part of him wished that he wasn't struck with amnesia. Just then, he heard a knock on his door and he almost shouted, "GO AWAY" but he bit back his lips and instead said, "Come in". Behold, it was Splinter himself, the giant rat who almost stopped the fighting. Mikey felt ill towards him but none the less he said, "Do you want to sit down?" while gesturing to the bed.

Splinter looked at him with a concerned looked and said, "Are you truly feeling well my son? That was not like you to instigate a fight with your brothers in such a manner." Mikey looked away from Master Splinter…perhaps I should at least tell him? "I will not continue asking if that is what you wish." Mikey looked up after this comment, rather shocked that Splinter didn't insist. "However, I do ask one thing of you Michelangelo", Splinter paused while rubbing the top of his cane, not really sure of what to say right now, "will you be patient with your brothers as well as with yourself. This is a traumatic time for us all, and rushing ahead blindly while filled with emotion will ensure failure." Mikey thought about what Splinter said and saw the wisdom in his words, even if it seems like Splinter was winging the conversation.

"We must approach what happened careful and cautiously. While you are well now, you are clearly still dazed. You need rest, however I applaud your effort for cleaning your room after thirteen years of hard work." Mikey smiled a little after noticing the joke…and for once he felt calm. Not relaxed or anything like that, but calm and not panicking. Splinter noticed this as well and asked, "Perhaps you would like some clean sheets?"

"Yes sensei" Wait…where did the word 'sensei' come from? Is this…a sign that my memory might return?

Master Splinter nodded and left the room, leaving Michelangelo alone. The room was still dark, so he decided to turn the light on. Once he did, Mikey noticed that his items were scattered off his sheet and in his floor, hence the prank items and more mess. Well, I got more room now that the pizza boxes are gone. Got to put this stuff away somewhere so that I can sleep. Mikey sighed though, realizing what he needs to do.

There was a reason that I was slop and a mess before I lost my memory, that's for sure. If there was ever a time to fix myself, now would be the time. Splinter is right though, I need to take this slow and steady. If I try to rush before, I'll mess up again. Whether or not this is my real family is still a mystery; after all, it sounds cliché having a rat with four turtle sons with a teenage girl living in the sewers together. Learning ninja-stuff of course, like a strange comic book series. I like Master Splinter though…he seems very understanding of the situation even without knowing the predicament I'm in; kind of like…a parent. I can't let that fool me though, since my brothers aren't being cooperative. I just have to be on my toes for now.