AN: First off I an so sorry this is late. My laptops keyboard broke so I was unable to write anything. I hope you'll forgive me. Anyway... here we have Mikey meeting Master Splinter and we find out his decision regarding whether or not to train his new son in the art of ninjutsu. I have a few things I'm planning for this story but would love to hear any suggestions you have as I am planning on continuing this as one-shorts or connected arches. There will still be an overall storyline throughout it however. Please let me know what you think and, as always, thanks for reading :)
Disclaimer: TMNT will never be mine to own.
The four turtles sat around the table, happily munching their sandwiches while talking about what had happened so far that day. It had been eventful to say the least.
"I can't believe ya managed to set off an explosion in Don's lab the first time ya stepped foot it!" Raph laughed, gasping for air as he nearly fell off the chair.
"Raphael! That's no laughing matter." Leo spoke, voice disapproving as he faced his immediate younger brother. "If Donnie hadn't been there the kid could have gotten seriously injured... or worse."
Mikey gulped slightly as he glanced up from taking a sip of his chocolate milk. Moments later he felt a warm hand land on his back and he looked up into the gentle eyes of the genius.
"It's okay, buddy." He said, sending a quick glare at the others. "I already explained and you know better now. Hopefully nothing like that happens again, right?"
"Yea." The child agreed. "I promise to be more careful."
"That's good." The purple banded ninja replied, eyes curious. "I'm still surprised you managed to impress Leo. That's definitely not the easiest thing to do... we should know, we live with him."
"Hey!" The leader said in a loud tone, sounding offended though the smile on his face proved he wasn't.
The child giggled, watching the scene with a gleeful expression on his sea green face.
"That's right kid!" The hotheaded turtle agreed with his intelligent brother, setting the conversation back on track. "Fearless is still raving about it. You sure managed to leave an impression."
"I wasn't able to do all of it though." The boy responded, somewhat disheartened. "I couldn't even do a flip."
"Mikey..." The leader stated, moving to kneel beside the tykes chair and taking his baby bros hands in his own. "You did really well. You managed to follow along with all of my warm katas without knowing a thing about ninjutsu... that's no easy task. Flips, and other more difficult moves, will take time and practice to learn but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. If you have enough patience and determination to improve your skills, you may even be better than me someday with all the natural talent you possess."
Don sent his oldest brother a quick look that Mike was unable to understand but the elder turtle knew perfectly well. He was silently telling Leo not to get the kids hopes up when they all knew what could happen. However, his eyes softened as the small boy laughed happily. They sat there talking for quite a while before the child let out a tired yawn. Each of the brothers watched fondly as the youngsters eyes began to droop and he soon fell into a peaceful sleep, head resting on the table.
"I'm gonna get the little guy back to bed." Raph declared, standing. "He's still pretty beat from being sick and a little nap will do him good."
The youngest turtle had been up for nearly five hours and, seeing as it was now one in the afternoon, was pretty tuckered out. The temperamental ninja carefully scooped the kid into his arms as the others nodded in agreement. Moving slowly, the elder walked back to the infirmary where he gently laid Mikey on the bed, tucking the covers around him before leaning down to place a kiss on his freckled cheek. After returning to the kitchen he glanced at his remaining brothers.
"So?" He began gruffly. "What are we gonna do about a room for the kid?"
No one spoke for a few minutes, silence lingering in the air.
"There's an empty room right next to yours Raph." Leo finally answered, slightly confused. "What's wrong with that one?"
"Leo... we don't have stairs leading to the second floor, remember?" Don explained, rubbing his chin while he thought. "It wouldn't be plausible for Mikey to have to come get one of us whenever he wanted to go upstairs or get something from his room."
Leo felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he stared at the ground... how had he forgotten that fact?
"Yea, I guess you're right." He said at last, glad that neither of the others had laughed.
"What if we built a dumbwaiter type thing?" Raphael asked nearly five minutes later, eyes lit up with the idea. "It could use a pulley system and would be just the right size for Mikey. We could also make it enclosed so that there was no way the tyke could fall off."
"Raph you're a genius!" The scientist exclaimed, rushing to his lab only to return a few moments later with a large piece of paper and a pencil.
He immediately began sketching out designs and formulas, figuring out each tiny detail as his older brothers watched in awe. It took nearly half an hour before the plans were complete and they decided to head upstairs to get started cleaning out the spare room. After all, it wouldn't do to have their new baby brother move into somewhere that was covered in dust and cobwebs.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
An hour later, Mikey awoke. He sat up rubbing his eyes as he took in his surroundings. Upon noticing he was alone, the young turtle decided to go look for the others. Heading out into the hallway, the child paused... unsure whether to check Dons lab or make his way to the kitchen where he'd last seen his bros.
'I'd better go to the kitchen.' The boy decided, walking in that direction. 'I don't want Donnie to be mad at me for going into the lab when I said I wouldn't.'
Since the kitchen was the last place he'd seen his bros, the youngster figured it would be a relatively good place to start his search. He made his way through the doorway into the dining area, immediately coming to a stop when he noticed the room was empty. The tiny turtle glanced around, taking in the lack of plates and cups signifying that the others had finished their meal and left quite a while ago. With an apprehensive sigh, Mike returned to the living room. He was beginning to get a little frightened, after all, he had only been in this place for a few days.
'I don't know how, but I can tell my new brothers would never hurt me... at least not on purpose.' He thought to himself, turning in a slow circle as he tried to figure out which way to go next. 'But what about their dad? I haven't met him yet. What if he doesn't like me? I know Raph said that he was okay with adopting me but still... I wonder why I haven't seen him?'
With that thought, the small turtle turned to his right and headed through a large doorway, finding himself in some sort of garage. There were toolboxes and jugs of various things over by the wall but that's not what drew his attention.
"Wow!" He called, catching sight of a large green van that seemed to be covered in thick armor.
The kid rushed forward, planning to examine it, but was swiftly distracted by the sight of a sleek, red motorcycle situated on the far side of the other vehicle. He inched toward the bike, knowing that he shouldn't touch it but his childish enthusiasm overruled any common sense.
"This is so awesome!" He squeaked, carefully running a hand along the side. "The only thing that could make it better is if it had some cool pictures painted on it. Oh well... maybe I'll get to ride it someday!"
Backing away, he was extra careful not to do anything that would cause damage to the motorcycle. It was time to resume looking for the others. By now the amazement had worn off, replaced instead, with a growing sense of panic. Mikey's eyes began to well with tears as he once again headed into the main living area. He couldn't keep the fear of being abandoned from making his chest clench painfully. The little boy had been so happy to know that he wouldn't have to face the world on his own and now... all the anxiety and grief he'd felt when his mother had been killed returned full force and his breathing quickened. Blinded by the liquid leaking from his blue orbs, the child took off, running through the only doorway he had yet to check... the dojo.
'Please... let them be there!' He shouted internally, beginning to hyperventilate. 'I'm scared...'
His thoughts trailed off as he rounded the corner, colliding with a tall figure who had just been passing through the doorway. Mikey gasped as he began to fall, closing his eyes in preparation for the pain he knew would come when he hit the floor. The boy was surprised to find that wasn't the case though, for he found himself landing on something soft and slightly fuzzy. The kids eyes shot open as a soft grunt escaped the being he'd landed on and he found himself staring into the wise face of an aged rat.
"I... I'm sorry." He stammered, jumping off the older mutant and scrambling backwards until his shell was pressed against the wall.
He watched warily as the rodent regained his feet, calmly picking up his cane in the process. This was the person Raph had told him about, their father... Master Splinter. The ninja master who had saved him from being alone by offering him a home and brothers.
"I'm sorry." Mike said once again, voice barely louder than a whisper as he bowed his head. "I... I didn't mean to run in...into you Master Splinter. I shouldn't ha...have been running."
"Michelangelo." He heard the rat speak, confused that there was no anger in his voice, only a warm kindness.
"Y...yes sir?" He asked timidly, still refusing to look at the elder.
"There is nothing to be frightened of, my son." Mikey's eyes grew wide with wonder as he shyly glanced up at the rat... the ninja master had just called him his son! Splinter continued, softly placing a paw on the five year olds shoulder. "Now, what is it that is troubling you?"
The turtle tot slowly rose, shuffling his feet as he met the calm gaze of the older mutant.
"I d...don't like being a...alone." He explained, a few tears splashing on the floor of the dojo. "I must have fa...fallen asleep and when I woke up no one w...was there. I looked for Raph, Donnie, a...and Leo but couldn't find th...them anywhere! I... I was worried they abandoned m...me!"
The child broke down in sobs as the Sensei wrapped his arms around his trembling form. The rat soothingly stroked the boys back before carefully lifting him into his arms where Mikey laid his head on the older mutants shoulder... gratefully accepting the much needed comfort.
"Shh... I am sure your brothers are upstairs, there is no need to fret little one." Splinter reassured, hugging his newest son close to his chest. "They probably did not expect you to awaken so soon. I am sure they would not have left you if they had known."
The young turtle nodded in understanding, relieved. His tears ceased, the adrenalin leaving his body as his worries were put to ease. He lightly snuggled his face into the hollow between the rodents neck and shoulder, the kimono soft and inviting. His fever had risen slightly in his panic. The rat held a clawed hand to the child's forehead, a worried frown marring his brow as he carried the tyke to the kitchen. He swiftly set about preparing a special tea to help bring down the boys temperature.
"Here, my son." He said a short while later, calmly handing a small cup to the sick child. "I would like for you to drink this... it will help you feel better."
"Umm... okay." Mikey agreed, pleasantly surprised that the drink didn't taste bad like the medicine Donnie had given him.
Splinter nodded approvingly, a small smile on his furry face as he took the empty glass and set it in the sink. He had dealt with his sons being sick on many occasions and knew how to make a healing remedy taste better so it was easier to get down.
"Michelangelo, would you like me to read you a story while you rest?" The rat questioned, chuckling at the glimmer in the young ones eyes. "It would be best for you not to run around until you are well. Neither I, nor your brothers, want to risk you getting worse by overexerting yourself."
"Yes please!" The boy responded excitedly, gazing up in adoration.
The two made their way back to the medical ward and Splinter situated the youngster on the bed, pulling the blankets up to the boys chin before sitting on the edge of the cot. He had grabbed a story book from a shelf they had passed and flipped it open, his old eyes skimming through the words he'd read so often when his older sons had been this age. Soon he began to tell the tale of a group of animals who, led by a red fox, were forced to leave their forest in search of a new home.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Meanwhile Leo, Raph, and Donnie had been working nonstop to clear out the extra room on the second floor. So far they had gotten all the clutter moved and were currently in the process of cleaning the dirt and grime from the place.
"I still can't believe how filthy it was in here!" Donnie exclaimed, sneezing as a cloud of dust invaded his nostrils. "We really should have cleared this out earlier, there's a lot of our old stuff from when we were small."
The others smiled reminiscently. It was true, they'd found a ton of things from when they were younger. There were toy cars, a couple board games, building blocks, a yo-yo, several comic books, and a few action figures.
"I'll betcha that Mikey will love these." Raph declared, sweeping dirt into a dustpan as he glanced at his bros. "It's nice that we already have some toys for the kid."
"That's true," Leo agreed, pausing as he dusted the ceiling. "We'll still have to pick up some stuff though."
Donnie placed one hand to his chin, deep in thought as he mentally listed the things they would need.
'Let's see...' He thought, getting back to work. 'We should pick up some clothes for the kid. Mikey will probably be self conscious about not wearing any, even though we technically don't need to since we have our shells, but still... we wouldn't want him to be uncomfortable because of it. Other than that, we should be able to find anything else we need with relative ease.'
Less than ten minutes later the room was spotless and the three mutants decided to get started on the decorating. They placed clean sheets on the bed along with a warm, fluffy blanket. The couple pieces of clothing they had found were placed in the dresser along with a few other odds and ends. On the desk that was situated in the corner of the room, was a large stack of paper along with markers, colored pencils, crayons, and a container of various paints and paint brushes. Raph had told the others about how Mike had revealed that he liked to draw, so they had gathered everything art related they could find. Near the end of the bed was a small bookshelf where they placed several children's books from when they had been turtle tots themselves as well as the couple comics they had found. All the other toys were placed in a wooden chest near the door.
"It's still missing something." Raph stated, looking around in exasperation as he tried to figure out what they'd forgotten.
"Of course it is Raph..." The genius said, smiling as he caught on to what was wrong. "He hasn't been given a weapon or ninja mask yet so the room doesn't have a specific color theme."
"You're right Don." Leonardo announced, sharing a look of realization with his red banded brother. "He also hasn't gotten a totem animal."
Each of the turtles had received a handmade stuffed animal at the same time Master Splinter had presented them with their masks and weapons. Their father had explained that the animals held a special meaning and each of the turtles made sure to keep them in a special place in their rooms where no harm could befall them. They had come to realize throughout the years that their personalities matched up with their totems nearly perfectly.
"Do ya think Master Splinter will have a ceremony for Mike like he did us?" Raph asked, picturing the kids excited face... he knew Mikey would love it.
"We'll just have to wait and see what father decides." Leo said solemnly.
The brothers fell silent as their thoughts wandered. It would be a long road to recovery for the boy and they knew he may never be as healthy as a normal kid after everything that's happened. That knowledge was like a dark cloud hanging over their heads.
"It's been quite awhile." Donnie said at last, changing the subject when he noticed how tense the atmosphere had gotten. "We'd better head down to check on Mike."
The others nodded in agreement as they left the room, quickly jumping down from the second floor before making their way to the infirmary. The three brothers hesitated outside the doorway as they heard the voice of their father coming through the opening. Raph, Leo, and Donnie shared a look as they silently peered into the room... large smiles appearing on their faces as they took in the sight before them.
Master Splinter was sitting on the edge of Mikey's bed, book in hand and his kimono sleeve held loosely in the boys grip. The child's sapphire eyes were wide, amazement gleaming in their brilliant depths as he listened intently to every word. They watched, never interrupting, as the child began drifting off to sleep. It was getting late and they were all tired. A few minutes after the boy fell into a deep slumber, their Sensei stood and quietly made his way from the room... beckoning his older sons to follow. He led them into the dojo where they knelt on the floor, patiently waiting for the rodent to speak.
"Young Michelangelo was quite distressed when he awoke to find you all gone." He stated seriously as the turtles guiltily averted their eyes. "He was panicking slightly when I happened to bump into him in the dojo. I assume you have a good reason for neglecting to check on him earlier?"
"We've been working on his room Sensei. We never meant to leave him alone for so long..." Raph trailed off, upset at the news that his baby bro had been so upset.
"He was so exhausted, by all rights Mikey should have slept peacefully for at least a couple hours." Donnie explained, trying to think logically yet his heart filled with regret over their mistake.
"I see." The ninja master responded, knowledgeably. "That is what I expected. I was able to explain to Michelangelo that you didn't abandon him and he soon calmed down. You three must remember that he is a small child and will not always do things according to how you expect."
The brothers nodded, absorbing the information their father offered before Leo glanced up... worry creasing his brow.
"Sensei? You said that Mikey thought we abandoned him?" The oldest questioned, voice quiet and controlled. "Why would he think that?"
"The boy has been though a lot in the last few days my sons..." Splinter stated, a frown marring his features. "Not only has he lost his mother, but his entire lifestyle has been taken away from him. It is only natural for someone who has been though a traumatic event such as this to develop trust issues."
"How can we help him then?" Raph demanded, fists clenched at his sides. "There's gotta be something we can do!"
"We must be patient Raphael." The wise rat said, grasping the hotheaded teens shoulder in a soothing manner. "It will take time but eventually he will learn there is no need for such concerns. There are several way we can help him adjust, for example... just spending time with the boy, including him in your activities and showing him that he belongs. That is the reason I have decided to begin teaching him ninjutsu."
"But Sensei!" Donnie exclaimed, concerned that Mikey would get his hopes up only to be devastated if his body couldn't handle it. "What if he isn't strong enough? He was so upset when I told him he may never be a ninja. For him to begin training only for his body to give out later... it would crush him."
Splinter nodded, knowing that what his intelligent son had said was true. "That may be so but it would be worse to deny him the possibility that things will work out. In doing so he may lose confidence in himself and be wary of trying new things in the future. No... we must encourage him. Michelangelo is so innocent and bright, even after everything he has been forced to endure... it only serves to prove how strong his spirit truly is."
Leo, Donnie, and Raph muttered agreements, tears building in their eyes that they refused to let fall. Their baby brother has had it tough so far but they were determined to change that. From now on they would make sure to protect the tiny turtle, sheltering him and keeping him safe from any and all hardships that came his way. Each of the brothers could tell that Michelangelo was quickly becoming the center of their unique family, but they wouldn't have it any other way. To them he was like the sun, shining brightly with the hope of a better future.
AN: Thanks for the support and I look forward to hearing what you think of this chapter. Remember to let me know if you have any prompts you would like to me to do for this story ;)