Warning: This chapter is a little mature because of Diaper-changing details. If you are squeemish, skip ahead.

" C'mon, Raph. I did it! Leo did it! Even Donnie did it!" Mikey begged. Raph frowned and turned away sharply. "I-I wouldn't do it right. I'd drop her or something, or lose my cool and. . ." The idea of harming Miwa in anger was unthinkable to the turtle, and filled him with more fear than he had ever imagined. There were times when his temper just flared. It was best if he was kept away from Miwa. Especially when she was crying, as she was now.

"Raph, if you don't feed her I will." Leo said wearily, but Donnatello shoved him down on the ground before he could fully stand. "Shut up, Leo. You can't feed Miwa all the time. It's best if all of us knows how to care for her, just in case." Raph looked at his eldest brother. "Are you gonna let Leo hog Miwa all to himself?" Mikey goaded. Raphael rolled his eyes, frustrated. He didn't want to admit it, but Donnie was right. If something happened to Leo, and something ALWAYS seemed to happen to his eldest brother, then it would fall to him to lead the team and raise-er, babysit Miwa. Raise? Where had he gotten that idea? They were only watching her for a little bit! Sheesh, if he wasn't careful, he'd get as over-protective as Leo! Raph huffed. "Fine. But, I'm only gonna feed her, 'Kay? Then she goes right back to Leo." The eldest turtle smiled brightly, and Mikey patted Raph on the shell. " 'Atta-turtle, Raph!" Donnatello picked up the crying Miwa gently from her basket crib, careful to support her head. Miwa screamed, but the turtle handled her with surprising calm. Raph was impressed. Donnie had patience as deep as the deepest sewer hole, even when Miwa grabbed at his long bandana tails and pulled sharply in her fit. Mikey brought the bottle from the cup of warm water and tested it. "You gotta make sure it doesn't burn the palm of your hand, or else it's gonna be too hot for her." Mikey said, as he took Raph's hand and squirted some formula on it. Raph looked at it dribbling across his palm, feeling his rage boil. "TELL ME next time you do that!" the turtle shouted, but Mikey just grinned. Sheesh, did EVERYONE have more patience than him. It really ticked him off.

"Sit down, Raph." Donne said. Raph did so with a huff of frustration and apprehension, almost flopping into a cross-legged position. Donnie slowly and gently floated Miwa into his arms. Raph hoped Donnie wouldn't notice that his arms had been trembling slightly as her soft blanket made contact with his biceps, her weight nestling lightly into the crook of his arm. "Here." Mikey said, handing him the bottle. Raph took it and gently tried to put it in the baby's mouth. She spat it out and continued crying stubbornly. Raph felt his head get hot. "Take the darn milk, you stupid baby!" he said, and firmly pushed the nipple into her open mouth. With a short start Miwa stopped crying, and to Raph everything around them seemed to dim as he felt his attention being drawn to her like a moth to flame.

She looked surprised, (Raph doubted anyone had ever called her stupid before), but began to suck on the nipple, making humming sounds as she did so. Raph and seen her feed times before, but it was different when he was doing it himself. She was so…. light. He'd been right to be scared. It felt she could fall any minute. Raph was grateful he was sitting on the ground. Watching her feed, Raphael felt emotions stirring in his chest. Relief, wonder, protection, love. Heck, no wonder Leo didn't want to share this job. He'd never admit it to the fearless leader, but feeding this baby was actually enjoyable. It was so simple. But endlessly beautiful.

After the bottle was empty, Miwa looked up at him and clasped his bandana tails. Raph smiled a broad smile. She began to tug on them. "Wow, some grip you got there, kid." Raph chuckled. "What now guy-." Raph started as he looked up, but stopped. Mikey was grinning with a goofy, love-sick look on his face as he held on to Leonardo's legs, keeping the turtle from arising from where he had apparently fallen in his rush forward. Donnie was sitting on Leo's back, grinning like an idiot.

"What are you doofuses lookin' at?!" Raph said, feeling his cheeks flair. "Awww, you're so sweet when you're with Miwa!" Mikey said. Donnie was at least smart enough to stay quiet. Raph would have stood and pummeled his brother right there, but Miwa somehow directed his attention back to her. She began cooing and making noises at him, and for the life of him he couldn't turn away.

"Lemme up, guys! You said I could take her as soon as Raph finished feeding her!"

"Mikey was right, Leo. Stop hogging Miwa."

"I'm not hogging her, I just want to make sure she's okay!"

"Yeah, yeah, and you rushing forward in a blind rage was supposed to help? Chill, Bro! Raph didn't mean to call her stupid!" Raph hardly heard them. Miwa was talking to him. He didn't know what she was saying, but it was interesting.

Donnie finally let Leo up when Raph glanced up with a "what now?" look.

"Diaper changing." Donnie said, and made a face.

"EWWW!" Mikey screamed as he let go of Leonardo's legs.

"No WAY am I changing a GIRL'S diaper!" Raph said. Leo laughed as he stood, apparently calmer now that he knew Miwa was happier. "Guys, we've crawled around in the SEWERS for years, and you're afraid of a little diaper change?!"

"I'm not afraid! Bring it!" Raph challenged, making a fist with one hand. The eldest turtle smirked. Of the three, he'd seen Miwa being changed by Tang shen. So thankfully, it wasn't something they had to research.

"I'll take over this one, Donnie." Leo said, and the turtle nodded his thanks. Donnie knew how and had done it before, but it was the most unpleasant chore in his opinion. "Just make sure you let them do it instead of taking over." Donnie reminded him. Leo grinned in an almost impish way.

Raph brought Miwa over to a space in the grass that Leonardo had prepared. It had a large blanket laid flat, with a tote bag of items beside it. Raph glimpsed some disposable diapers, some of her toys, and a box. "You have to lay her down on a blanket, so she won't get any dirt on her." Leo instructed. "Make sure her legs are on the blanket, too." Raph placed Miwa gently onto the blanket as instructed. Immediately, Miwa's legs went up and she began putting her foot in her mouth. Raph raised an eyebrow. Impressive. Was she showing off? He felt touched. That is, until she started to roll over. Leo shot out a hand and stopped her from rolling on her stomach.

"She's rolling around a lot, which Donnie says is normal. She's going to start crawling, but we need her to stay still for this, and on her back." Raph nodded and placed his hand gently where Leo's was, keeping Miwa firmly on her back. Leo grabbed a circular rattle from the bag and handed it to Miwa, who took it in her strong grip and began shaking it joyfully. Misdirection was apparently something parents did for babies, as Ninjas did for stealth.

"Next, you have to take off her diaper." Leo said, and Raph cringed. He could see a yellow-brown ooze coming from her diaper, and it didn't look good. But he wouldn't let Leo see that this bothered him. So, carefully, Raph undid the straps on either side of her waist and let the diaper fall open. It was disgusting, and smelt terrible. Raph swallowed hard. "Here, use a wipe." Leo said, taking out the white box and opening it to reveal wet wipes peeping out like tissues from a kleenex box. Raph took one immediately, but then stared at the diaper, hesitating. "You wipe from the bottom up, but be careful not to spread it." Leo said, taking one of his own and showing Raph. The turtle felt grossed out just watching Leo's hand, but when he looked at his brother's face, he saw calm determination. His eldest brother folded the wipe and placed it in the middle of the dirty diaper deftly, so as not to get anything on his hands. "Place the used wipe in the middle of the diaper. We can fold it up in the trash later. Now, you try." Raph did. Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad. "Don't wipe so high. Make sure you get all of it. If she's not clean, it could lead to rashes." Leo instructed. He kept a careful, instructional eye on Raph until he was certain everything was clean. Raph felt relieved. Leo looked over as his brother sat back in relief and smiled. It wasn't a pleasant chore, but someone had to do it. Besides, wasn't it worth it if Miwa didn't suffer any more than she had to? If women could do it for generations (many without wet wipes or disposable diapers, or even soap), why couldn't they? They were Ninja turtles.

Leo showed Raph how to lift Miwa gently by her legs so that they could safely take the dirty diaper out from under her, and showed him how to wrap the nasty present up. "OK, that's the hard part done," Leo said. "Now, we just need to put on a new diaper." He glanced at his brother again, who seemed disgusted to his core. "It's okay, Raph. You're doing a great job. Much better than me my first time." Raph thought for a minute about Leo having to master changing a diaper by himself. He'd done it while the other three had been out on patrol, looking for food and supplies. They'd come back to a weary but thrilled brother, who'd proclaimed that he'd changed Miwa's diaper "on his own." Raphael suddenly grateful to his brother's instruction. "Th-thanks, Leo." He muttered. Leo beamed. Raph's compliments were like Pizza gyoza. Great when you got them, even though they were rare.

Putting on the diaper was definitely the easiest part. Leo finished by instructing him to snap her onesie closed below the diaper, and presto, it was over. Miwa smiled up at him as Raph picked her up, admiring his handiwork. "You sure are a handful, kid." Raph said as he once again cradled her in his arms. Leo couldn't help but grin. He rarely got to see this tender side of his brother. It was new, and fun. Miwa was already changing them like they'd never been changed before. Even with something as simple as changing her diaper.

A note from the author: So glad everyone is enjoying these so much! I hope this one doesn't scare you away. I've been changing diapers since I was 13 years old (about 12 years), and it's not really a horrible chore. Just messy. I know some of you are probably like, "NO, WHY DID YOU WRITE ABOUT THAT?!" but I feel it's a necessary part to taking care of a baby. It's natural. And people really have been doing it for centuries.

On another note, Thank you to all who have posted reviews so far! I will try and get a good portion of this fanfic done before September, but please know that everything will go on Hiatus until spring break or summer, as I teach during the school year. I will try my best to write as fast and well as I can.