A/N: I was feeling generous because I'm already writing chapter 7, so here's a special Easter egg for you! :D


Shinta eased the front door open and peeked around it. He grinned sheepishly up at the three males glaring back at him. "Uh, hey, guys. What's up?" He closed the door quietly behind him and shut off his holo.

"What's up is you ran off on me!" Yoshi growled, jabbing a finger at his younger cousin.

"Are you crazy! You know not to turn your phone off!" Kaz folded his arms with a frown.

"That was so irresponsible of you, Shinta! You put yourself as well as the rest of us at risk!" K-three waved a hand to gesture at their household.

Behind them, Mira frowned as she watched Shinta cringe. Something about this scene brought back a painful memory of a similar conversation she'd had with her father and uncle many years ago. She could sense Shinta's guilt along with the hurt their words were causing.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?" K-three asked after Shinta just stood there quietly for a long moment.

"I'm sorry, okay. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. It was just a couple of hours and I was out with Star's friend. It wasn't like she's a complete stranger or anything."

"You shouldn't have ditched us!" Yoshi pointed out vehemently.

Shinta frowned at him. "You were hovering!"

Yoshi growled. "I was not!"

"You were! You all hover! I just wanted a minute alone. Is that so much to ask?" Shinta felt hurt by their distrust. He knew right from wrong. He knew how to move among the humans without being noticed, probably better than the rest of them. He wasn't a child!

"You're grounded." K-three snapped.

Shinta gaped at him. "What! You can't do that!"

K-three glared. "I can and I am. I'm in charge until Leo returns and you are a member of my team. You don't have a choice."

"But-"

"No. We'll discuss it more when Leo gets back."

Shinta opened his mouth, but Mira spoke first. "Alright, that's enough. I want to talk to Shinta alone." K-three glanced over his shoulder at her. He could feel her determination along with a touch of anger wash over him. When no one moved, she stomped forward and pushed her way between K-three and Kaz. Latching onto his wrist, she pulled Shinta up the staircase.

He followed quietly. He wasn't sure if he'd just been rescued or if he was in deeper trouble. But one thing was for certain, he wasn't going to fight her. Mira could have a frightening temper, but she could also be reasoned with. They didn't stop until they'd reached the roof.

Mira sighed as she sat on the little bench that was hidden behind a combination of privacy walls and bushes that kept out prying eyes. Shinta sat beside her, waiting to see if he'd just jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

"Why would you do that? Why would you turn your phone off? Do you know how worried we were?"

Shinta let out a breath of relief. So, it was the reasonable Mira he'd have to deal with. "I'm sorry, I really am. I just thought it would be okay, if it was only for a couple of hours. I wouldn't have left it off longer than that." He sighed. "I just…"

"Wanted some privacy?" There was a twinkle in her eye.

"Yeah. I mean how am I supposed to get to know her, if I can't spend time with her?"

She slipped an arm around him. "I understand. You may not believe this, but I've been on the receiving end of that conversation before. Kane too. But you can't turn off your phone. You can ignore us all you want, but you can't turn it off. At least if it's on, we know where you are and that you're safe. Promise me you won't ever do that again and maybe I can convince Kane not to tell Uncle Leo about this when he gets back."

He nodded. "I promise."

She pulled him closer and he rested his head on her small shoulder. "You know I'm here for you? You really were like my little brother for a long time, when you were small. I love you very much. You can tell me anything. And if you are feeling crowded and need some space, tell me or text me or something. Don't just disappear. That's more Yoshi's style."

For the first time since returning home, Shinta genuinely smiled. "Thanks, ane. I will. And I love you too."

Mira smiled, resting her cheek against the top of his head. "Go get some rest. I'll talk to Kane."

Shinta gave his smaller cousin a tight embrace, before leaving. At the foot of the steps leading to the roof stood K-three. He met his gaze briefly and muttered as he passed him. "I'm going to bed."

K-three watched him disappear into his bedroom. A moment later the door to the roof opened and Mira came down the steps. He frowned at her. A silent battle of wills was beginning as she wordlessly turned and headed for their bedroom. K-three's frown only intensified as he followed after her. Closing the door behind them, he finally spoke. "What was that? And why are you so angry?"

She frowned back at him. "Did you not hear yourself down there? You sounded just like they did the night…" Her voice faded as she looked away.

"What?"

"The night you left me." She lifted heartbroken eyes to him, causing a wave of his guilt to hit her like a ton of bricks.

"I…" He took a deep breath. "That was different in a lot of ways."

She shook her head. "No, it's not. He was just looking for some privacy, just like we were. That's a hard thing to get around here with us all living on top of one another. I made him promise me he wouldn't turn his phone off again, and to tell me if he needs space."

He frowned down at her. "You don't want me to tell Leo, do you?"

"He'll just blow things out of proportion. Look how you three just acted."

"I'll think about it. But there is one other thing we need to talk about. You can't question my orders, especially not in front of them."

It was her turn to feel guilty. "I know. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I know how hard you've worked to gain their respect as their leader." She took the few steps between them and rested her hands on his plastron. She blinked big brown eyes up at him. "Do you forgive me?"

Cupping her cheek, he pulled her even closer. "Yes, if you will forgive me. I didn't mean to bring up such painful memories."

"Of course. And maybe, you can help me forget them again."

He smirked. "As often as you want."


The Next Day

Leo glanced over his shoulder at his brothers behind him. He couldn't help the small smile. "How you doing, Donnie?"

Yawning, Don rolled his shoulders to adjust his pack. "I'm fine." Yeah, so he didn't sleep much. Well, that had kind of been expected. He didn't mind though, if it meant he could go on the outing with his brothers. He could still feel his mate's soft contentment inside him. As long as she was fine, he would be too. It was rare to spend this much time apart from his wife and it was apparent that he wasn't the only one feeling a bit lonely sleeping by himself.

Raphael had woke in a rather foul mood. He trudged along beside Leo with what seemed to be a permanent frown. He'd never been the type to express what exactly was bothering him, though the others could probably guess what it was.

Mikey glanced up at Don with a touch of worry in his gaze. The memory of his brother lying close to death inside the space cruiser still haunted him. So, the idea of separating him from Sarah bothered him. What if Donnie got sick? What if Sarah did? It would take a full day to hike back to the farmhouse at this point.

"Would you look at that." Leo stopped a few paces ahead, and Don and Mikey stepped up beside him and Raph. There before them was a beautiful lake. The sun sparkled off the bright blue water. Small mountains bordered the far side of the lake, making the area rather secluded. Only birds could easily ascend the steep terrain.

"Wow." Raph let out a heavy breath. "Kinda puts the old pond to shame, don't it?"

"Yeah." Mikey sighed inwardly. I wish Kala could have seen it.

"Well, this is our stopping point. We'll have to head back from here, if we want to make it back by tomorrow night." Leo said.

Raph finally cracked a small smile. "But that don't mean we can't take our time gettin' back either." He dropped his pack and pulled off his holo. "Last one in is a rotten turtle egg!"

The others couldn't help but laugh as the large turtle made a dash for the water. The three exchanged a look before joining Raph in the cool lake. Mikey jumped in a little too close to Raph and caused a large splash. When he resurfaced he found his brother glaring at him in irritation. "Ha, sorry, Raphie."

Raph's expression changed ever so slightly. "I'll show ya sorry! Come here ya, numbskull!"

"Ah!" Mikey tried to get away. He let out a laugh as they began to chase each other and roughhouse in the refreshing waters.

An hour later the four trudged up onto the bank and laid out in the grass, allowing the sun to dry them. Mikey realized as he listened to his brothers banter around him, that he'd been so hung up on the past, that he'd nearly missed out on the present. His brothers were with him, spending the day in the sun. It was a rare treat to say the least. And they had done it all for him. Maybe that's what Don meant. If I live too much in the past, I'll miss out on today. And I could be missing something super awesome like this. He looked up at the blue sky and could almost see Kala smiling down on him. I'll always miss you, babe. But I've got to start making some new memories.


April set the cup of coffee beside Sarah, who smiled appreciatively. "That obvious, huh?"

April chuckled, settling back into the large arm chair. "It doesn't take a genius to see you didn't sleep much."

Cat leaned over the back of her chair. "Are you kidding, she was out here pacing at four A.M."

April frowned, wondering if it was something to be concerned about. "Are you feeling okay?"

Sarah smiled again and waved a hand. "I'm fine, I promise. I'm not feeling sick or anything. We expected this, so it's nothing to worry about. We can suffer a few sleepless nights for Mikey's sake."

Jamie looked up from the book she was reading. "In that case, do you want to make lunch?"

Sarah chuckled. "Already tired of fending for yourself?"

Jamie blushed. "No, we just kinda ate all the snacks, and you know I'm all thumbs in the kitchen."

She took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, I know. And Cat's a hazard."

"Hey!" Cat scoffed.

"April's the only one of you I'd trust to cook me anything." Sarah grinned as she took another sip. The hot liquid felt great going down. She sighed as she stood and stretched. "I'll go see what I can scrounge up."

"How about we let you pick the movie later?" April suggested.

She grinned. "That's a deal." As she walked away, she called back over her shoulder. "Don't expect anything grand. I never bothered to take inventory of what was up here."

Jamie raised her voice as Sarah disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. "Well, if you can't find anything, we could always head into town to get something."

There was a sudden clatter from the kitchen and the three exchanged a look. April raised a brow. "What was that?"

Cat shook her head. "Are you being a klutz again?" Expecting a witty retort, she folded her arms and waited. But only silence answered them. "Sarah?" Still nothing. Frowning, Cat moved towards the doorway, followed closely by Jamie and April.

On the kitchen floor beside an overturned chair was Sarah. Gasping, Cat and Jamie both rushed forward to kneel beside her. "Sarah!" Cat tapped her cheek. "Hey, can you hear me?"

April worriedly looked on. "Is she hurt?"

Jamie turned Sarah's head, searching for any kind of wound. "No. There's not a mark on her."

Cat rested a hand on her forehead. "She doesn't seem sick. She's not running a temperature or anything."

"She just said she felt fine." April glanced at the coffee cup on the table. It was empty. "Do you think she just passed out from exhaustion?"

Cat and Jamie exchanged a look. Neither of them were trained in medicine, though they both knew basic first aid. But to all appearances Sarah was simply sleeping. Cat shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't remember separation sickness having this quick of an effect on her before."

Jamie shook Sarah's shoulder, trying to gain a response. "But if it is simply exhaustion, why won't she wake up?" No one had an answer for that and so the room grew quiet.

April frowned. "Well, in any case, we should get her off the floor."

Nodding, Cat and Jamie pulled Sarah up into a sitting position and then up to wrap her arms over their shoulders. "We're lucky she's so little." Jamie commented as she and Cat carried their unconscious companion to the couch.

April covered her with a blanket and sat on the side of the couch, pressing a hand to Sarah's brow. "What should we do now?"

Cat shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose. We'll just have to keep an eye on her. If it is just exhaustion, she should wake up in a few hours just fine."

Jamie wasn't sure she liked that plan. "And if it isn't?"

Cat met her worried gaze with one of her own. "Then I'm sure we'll be hearing from the guys soon and they'll be heading back this way."


Shinta rolled over at the sound of his phone chirping as it received a text. Pressing his thumb to the screen it lit up. The text was from Amber. "How'd it go?"

"It definitely could have gone better."

"Did u get in big trouble?"

He frowned, remembering the confrontation last night. "Yeah, I'm grounded."

"I thought ur dad was out of town?"

"He is. My cousin grounded me."

" :( Does that mean u can't come hang out w me?"

Shinta stared at the little screen for a long moment, considering his options. A little too long as another text came through.

"U do wanna hang out? Right?"

Well, of course he did, but there was no way he'd be able to get past the others now. "Yeah. But I'm on lock down. Getting out of here isn't gonna be easy."

"Sneak out. I do it all the time."

"That's not so easy w my fam."

" :( Ok. I had fun last night."

"I did too."

"K, bye."

"Bye." Shinta's frown deepened. This could be his only chance to meet someone that seemed genuinely interested in him. Why did he have to give that up? He glanced at the clock. It was noon. No one would be looking for him for several hours. "Hey?"

"Yeah?"

"Meet u at ur place in 15."

" :D "


A/N: *shakes head* Oh, Shinta, Shinta, Shinta...

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