It was late one night when the boys finally came home from patrol. Splinter and I had finally agreed to let them go out on their own only a week earlier.

"Welcome home. How was patrol?" I asked.

"It went well." Donny said, walking in with his brothers.

Leo reported their night to Splinter. "We had our first battle, Master Splinter. They were meny, but we kicked-"

"Ah-hem!" I interrupted the potential curse with a warning glare, causing Leo to stop and fix his sentence.

"I mean, we fought well." He said.

"Were you seen?" Splinter asked. The boys shook their heads. "You must never lapse in this. Even those who would be our allies would not understand. We, save for your mother, must reside in the shadow. Stray from it reluctantly, and once you are done in the light, fade away. No trace can be left."

"Dad, I never understood that. About potential allies. Why hide from people that we can trust?" Mikey asked.

"Chisana Kodomo, not everyone above would react to humanoid animals well, much less talking ones." I said, "You all got extremely lucky with me."

"I lost the sai!" Raph said suddenly.

"Then it is lost." Splinter said, telling the boy to let it go when he tried to protest.

I hugged him from behind. "Sorry, Tsuyoi Kodomo." (strong child) He only hummed and submit to my embrace, holding my arms.

"Your ninja skills are reaching their peak." Splinter said as Mikey went to make a call. Three guesses who it was. "Only one truly important lesson remains, but must wait for you to learn on your own."

"122 1\8. Yeah. I want two extra large thick crust pies." Pizza. Mikey was ordering pizza. I so called it. "One with double cheese, ham, and bacon. On the other, I want what's on the first one but add sausage, pepperoni, pineapple, the whole works. Oh, but no anchovies, and I mean NO anchovies. I find anchovies on either one and you're in big trouble, you hear?"

Splinter chucked a pillow at Mikey. "Michelangelo!"

"Yes, dad!" He said, dodging the pillow. "That's all, and the clock's ticking dude." He hung up and laughed eagerly with Donny.

Splinter sighed as I laughed at their antics. "I know it is hard for you underground. Your teenage minds are broad and eager. However, you must never lapse in your Ninjutsu practice. For one day, your mother and I will be gone and you must know how to use our teachings wisely."

At that dark note, the boys tensed up. "You may last longer than I, Watashi no ai. We know nothing about that ooze that transformed you."(My love) I added. "I am still human."

"Let us meditate on the events of today." Splinter said, all but ignoring my comment. We had gone over this argument a hundred times before.

The boys, however and as per usual, had no intention of meditating. Swing music blasted from the radio, startling Splinter. After Donny's claim that it was 'like meditating', my lover sighed.

"Hey, mom?" Raphael said, turning his head in my arms to look at me.

"Yes? What is it?" I said.

"You want to go to a movie?" He asked.

He wanted to get away from his brothers for a while, I knew, but he also didn't want to be alone. "Sure, Tsuyoi kodomo." (strong child)

We grabbed our stuff and, after telling a curious Leo where we were going, left for the theater.

"Man, where do they come up with this stuff?" Raphael said disgustedly. We were just leaving the theater and on the way home.

"Keep in mind, mister cynical, the average person isn't used to mutated animals wandering around." I whispered to him.

He gave me a sideways glance for my teasing and said, "Yeah well, doesn't mean I have to like it."

"True enough, son of mine." I said. "Well, what do you want to do n-"

It was then that a couple of muggers blew by us, tripped up by Raphael. They ran off after a glance at us, no doubt scarred off by my son's weapon. We followed after them, intending to apprehend them and turn them in. In place of that, we find ourselves needed to save them from an over enthusiastic vigilante.

"-my personal favorite, two minutes for high sticking." I knew about this man.

Holding Raphael back, I called out to the rough looking male. "Casey Jones."

He spun around to face us. "What the-"

"They don't need that kind of lesson, bud." My son said, pulling his hat lower on his head.

I skirted around the two, grabbing backs of the young criminals. "I do hope you weren't planning on going anywhere." They saw my glare and quickly sat still, shaking their head.

"-tell me you didn't pay money for this." Looking back up at my son, I saw that his mouth was getting him in trouble. Again.

"Two for one sale, pal." Casey said.

I grabbed his wrist before he could swing again. "As much as I appreciate you giving my second son a new challenge…" He twisted to meet my ice-colored eyes.

"What?" he muttered. "Since when was there a hot dame here?"

I smiled, amused at his compliment. "I believe we have a couple of lost young souls to deal with, Mr. Jones."

"Hey! Watch the commentary there, friend!" Raphael growled. "That 'hot dame' you're talking about is my mother!"

I released Casey and let him walk back a ways to see the both of us at once. I glanced at the two boys on the ground just to make sure they were still there.

"Do I know you two?" Casey said after a moment.

"No." Raphael said. "Doesn't mean that my mother doesn't know everything about you."

I gave him a sly look. "How about we get the cops here and move on, yeah?"

Casey hesitated. "Sure."

It wasn't long before Casey found a cop and returned to find Raphael missing. A cop asked me where he was, Casey having mentioned him. I told them that I sent my son ahead to tell his Otō-san what had happened and that I would be late getting home. (Father) Seeing as how my current outfit was traditionally japanese, they understood and didn't protest the decision.

"Will you be alright getting home, ma'am?" The cop asked as he and his partner began to leave.

"I'll be alright." I said. "This young man can walk me home just fine." The cops left and so did we.

"Hey, uh…" Casey started.

"Yes?" I asked as we walked.

"I don't want to sound rude but… about your son?" He said. "Why… well, why doesn't he look… You know…"

A looked at him with a narrow sideways glance. "Like me?" He nodded. "Perhaps I'll tell you one day." I dropped a little smoke bomb, courtesy of Donny, and slipped down a manhole.

It took a while for me to get home, but I did get there.

"Mom!" I quickly found myself being systematically looked over by Donny while Mikey held me in his grasp.

"I tried to tell them that you were fine." Raph said from his place by Splinter and Leo.

"Donatello, Michelangelo, let your mother relax." Splinter said. He gave me a quick once over when the boys moved away, to be sure that I was unhurt.

"I'm fine." I said. "Now, it's late, and tomorrow is another day. Get to bed, boys."

"Yes, Okā-san." They said, walking into their bedrooms.