Chapter Two: Nee

It's almost an hour before Mikey emerges from the kitchen again - but he heads straight for the turnstiles, not even sparing me a glance.

The rejection hits me hard. Tears fill my eyes again and I manage to drag in a shaky breath as I bury my face in my knees. I knew it would probably be this way. I said myself that it would be better if I just cut ties and moved on. But then why is it so hard?

Footsteps alert me to someone else's presence, and I don't have to look up to know who it is. "He hates me, doesn't he?"

Donnie sighs and takes a seat next to me. "I wouldn't say that. He just needs space, is all."

"How much more space, Donnie? He's been gone for freaking months, and now that he's back he won't even look at me!"

"...he's not in the greatest place right now, Nee." The words come out tense and quiet and force me to meet the watery chocolate gaze. "He's not even Mikey right now."

"What do you mean, he's not Mikey?"

The genius fiddles with the wrappings on his hands. "He's calling himself Ronin."

Wanderer. "So...what does that mean?"

"My guess? He's trying to regain his memories, or at least some semblance of them. Either way, he hasn't made it that far yet."

We fall silent for a while as I process this news. I can hear Leo and Raph speaking in the kitchen, but their voices are too low for me to hear. Leo emerges through the doorway and crosses to the dojo, sliding the doors shut after himself. "What did he want to speak to you about?" I ask finally.

Another sigh, and this time Donnie reaches over to take my hand, almost as if he needs reassurance. "He said that Mikey, our Mikey, contacted him through the astral plain last night."

The world shakes on its foundation and I grip the arm of the sofa to keep myself upright. "What? But how...how is that possible?"

"That's what Leo's gone to find out." Raph joins us in the living room with his arms crossed over his plastron. "He figured Dad would know more about this stuff than anyone else. I mean, the only other person who might know would be-" He cuts off suddenly, but he doesn't have to finish.

Mikey. Mikey would be the one to ask - after all, from what they've told me, the freckled turtle's spiritual strength far surpasses even Master Splinter's.

It's ironic, really.

A painful sound, like a sob and a laugh all at once, escapes my throat and then I'm crying for real. Raph backs up quickly, mumbling some excuse that doesn't really make sense, and only Donnie remains. He puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close, whispering soothing nonsense into my ear until my heavy eyes fall closed and I drift off into an uneasy slumber.


When my eyes open, I'm walking in a forest. Warm dappled sunlight peeks through the leaves overhead and the soothing trickle of a creek calms my shot nerves. I almost want to lay down and sleep again, but I can't stop moving, no matter how hard I try.

As I trek onward, I can't help but marvel at the beauty of my surroundings. The air is so calm and peaceful here, and every now and then I catch the tinkling noise of something metal high up in the treetops. I draw in a deep lungful of air and find that I can somehow breathe easier than I have in months - years, even.

For a moment, there's a niggling doubt in the back of my mind. What is this place? How did I get here? But that doubt is quickly washed away, almost like someone gently rubbed their hands across it until it smoothed out.

The edge of the tree line eventually comes into view and I make my way out of the forest and towards a high cliff. Far below me is a serene lake, glittering and still, and I want to dive right into that water and never come out. Instead, I sprawl out on the green grass and let the wind run over my face.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

The voice is familiar and sends tears to my eyes. Those tears evaporate as quickly as they appeared as the voice's owner sits down beside me and gazes out at the lake. He looks the same as he did before I ran away, except less tired.

As if he hears my thoughts, Mikey smiles, and the warmth of that smile runs right through my veins. "The astral plane is good at that sort of thing."

I swallow past the lump in my throat as a breeze blows through my hair and the golden sun beams down at us. "...Mikey, you don't...you don't hate me, do you?"

He immediately shakes his head and pins me with those soul-piercing blue eyes. "I could never hate you," he says softly.

A massive weight lifts from my shoulders and I close my eyes, leaning into him. "I don't understand," I tell him, and I want to cry, but I don't. The turtle reaches out and squeezes my hand, his smile fading a bit.

"I know. Stuff like this...it's not easy, but sometimes bad stuff happens so we really appreciate the good stuff."

"Yeah, but you actually lost yourself-"

At my words, a tremor runs through him. There's a cracking sound in the distance and I look over to see a section of trees that I hadn't noticed until now. There's five of them, maybe, all black with decay, and as I watch, they crack in half and fall. Mikey winces and some of the brightness leaves his eyes.

"Mikey, what is that?" He doesn't seem to hear me; he's mumbling something under his breath and a thin sweat has broken out across his forehead. "Mikey?"

His gaze snaps to mine and he stands abruptly, hauling me to my feet. "We need to get you back home."

"What do you mean, back home? What is-"

"You'll learn more later. It's not safe for you here right now."

"What? Why not?"

A sound unlike anything I've ever heard before cuts through the air behind me and I whip around to see a small pack of wolves emerge from the forest. Their eyes are red and their fangs glistening with something that looks like blood.

"Um, Mikey? What the hell are those things?"

I feel a spike of fear from the orange-banded ninja. "They're like the Dream Beavers, except-"

"Dream Beavers?"

Mikey shakes his head. "Long story. Basically, these things are dangerous and you can really get hurt."

"Okay, so what do they want with us?"

"Not us. Me." He pauses. Takes a shaky breath. "They want my...well, my soul, really."