Hey Guys! I have some good and bad news. Uhmm the bad news is that I have created another account. I recently got into Teen Wolf, and after catching up to 60 (?) episodes I wanted to write fanfictions for that fandom as well. But I didn't want it on this account because you guys follow me because of TMNT, and not Teen Wolf. (If anyone's interested, my username is Arithese, very original xD)

The good news however is that I have entirely planned this story, until the end. And what happens in what chapter and all. So my new account certainly doesn't meant I'll stop writing on this account. And I will finish my ongoing stories, and start new ones if I have ideas. Updates just may come a bit slower.

TMNT

"Hey" I start out quite awkwardly. "Can we talk for a bit?" I add, scraping my throat before doing so. Involuntarily I scratched the side of my head, balancing on the heels of my feet as I watched Leo and Raph turning their heads at the same time towards me. Both undoubtedly mad at me for yelling. Most probably. They certainly didn't seem angry right now.

More regretful.

Which didn't make sense at all.

"I shouldn't have lashed out like that Leo.. and I'm sorry for that. But I'm not going to apologise for what I said" I knew the way I was getting my point across was rather direct, but I was done dancing around these subjects. If I wanted to make something like this clear, I just had to spit it out.

"I have to say something as well" Leo retorts quietly, guilt creeping onto his face. "But I'd rather include Don in it, it also concerns him" The last sentence had me frowning. I thought I was the one blowing up on Leo, not on Raph nor Donnie. Still, I didn't say anything because whatever Leo was going to discuss would be something for the whole family.

I nodded to Leo, and he nodded back. There was too much formality in his nod, like he was acknowledging someone equal to him, not something as close as friends, or family. But I understood why he did it, or rather I thought I knew, he was uncertain at what level our relationship was right now. After all, I did blow up on him, and in my world that would be considered a fight.

A fight that needed to be talked out, or resolved some way or another for it to be over.

And that was exactly what I was planning to do right now, that was the plan. The plan however did not include Raph and Don. It wasn't like I didn't want them with me, I just thought that this was something between Leo and me.

Donnie was surprisingly, heavy sarcasm implied, in his lab. Ever since we managed to 'borrow' some science-y things from Baxter Stockman, someone who was apparently in this universe as well, he had been busy building a portal for me. Or trying to find a way to get me back home, needlessly to say, he was still working on it.

"Is anyone going to say something or what?" Donnie spoke up eventually, eyeing between Leo and me constantly. The office chair making squeaky noises as he continued to turn left on right, like any child (or adult) would do on such a chair. Raph was currently occupying the couch, don't ask me why they had a couch in the lab, while Leo was leaning against the wall.

It wasn't a very big lab if you'd compare it to the lab we had at home. But judging from the size of the old lab, it was an improvement. But hey, Don had two labs in this universe. But judging from the look of the old one, where he patched me up a few days ago, that one wasn't really used anymore.

"I'll go" Leo speaks up, authority in his voice yet again. "I thought about what you said Mikey, and I should apologise for what I have said." And the weird thing in all of this was the fact that Raph was nodding his head along with Leo, like he was agreeing to Leo's statement. And he was.

"I .. I don't understand" I whisper softly. And ironically Donnie nodded along with me.

"At first I was angry at you, you didn't know anything about our situation. But then Raph came to me after training, and when he talked to me I realised you knew more than we did maybe. At least when it concerns Michelangelo"

"I still have no idea where this is going Leo, what did Raph say… and how come you have changed your minds. Not to mention how this concerns 'the whole family'"

"You made me realise Mikey" Leo starts calmly. "You made us realise what we've done these past 21 years. We forced Michelangelo to be something he was not. And when we were children, that didn't really matter. But when we started patrolling, he had to be goofy, because we forced him to be. Every time he tried to serious, we blew him off. Every time he stopped joking, we all grew moody."

"What fearless is tryin' to say is that we made him make that mistake. We were angry at each other, and he tried to make us laugh, because that's what he always did." Raph cuts in, effectively cutting Leo's rant off. "And ya knew that didn't ya? Ya experienced something similar."

Tears brimmed in my eyes and I slowly nodded. "It happened a couple of times.. but not like this. But I know what it's like. You forced him to be someone, and he became that person. And even so, you didn't like him. Can you imagine how much that crushed him, he can't be who he really is, and you don't like the person you want him to be. He feels rejected, like he doesn't belong here. He-"

Again it's Raph that interrupts the conversation. This time by walking over to me. He kneels down in front of me, a hand on my shoulder. Like a father consoling his son.

"Yer not talkin' about Michelangelo, are ya?" But I knew I didn't need to answer, Raph already knew the answer after all. So I should my head slightly, brushing his hand off.

"That doesn't matter right now Raph.. the point I'm trying to make is how Michelangelo felt. He feels like he can't ever be good enough for you guys. When you blew him off that night, he didn't know what to do, you didn't accept him in any way. So he tried to remove himself from the family he didn't belong to."

"Not like I want him to go.. but why hasn't he run away. When he felt like he wasn't family anymore?" Leo said hesitantly, struggling to form the words correctly. And to my shock, tears were brimming in his eyes as well.

"Because he still loves you. I mean… I could never hate you guys. No matter what you throw at me. And maybe he stays to protect you from any danger, that's why he trains so hard"

Raph takes a few steps backwards, looking utterly defeated.

"Do ya think we can still make it right with 'im? Y'know, with ya being Mikey.. would ya forgive us?" Raph carefully asks, and maybe he doesn't even want the answer. Because it wasn't an answer he'd like. At least, if Michelangelo was that similar to me. Which hadn't been proved otherwise in the time I had been here.

"Honestly guys.. I… I forgive quite easily. I just can't stay mad at anyone.. I'm sorry guys, I would never do something like this. But you must've done something terrible for him to react this way, and for three whole years. I'm not sure if I would ever forgive you guys…."

TMNT

It's pretty ironic how a missing member could change a person so much. Or rather expose someone. Lately I had noticed how important Mikey was to our families. Always laughing and jumping up and down, putting a smile on our faces. Without it, it felt like a hole in our family. Someone was obviously missing.

Our youngest member.

"Dad contacted with Mikey 2 days ago" Leo had told me yesterday. That would make it Mikey's 8th day, today was the 11th day that he was gone. And I counted every day he was gone, I wrote it down, remembered it. I didn't even care if my family found out I was doing this. Fuck, by the way Leo, Don and Dad were looking at me this morning I knew that they'd heard me cry.

Me, crying! I never cried. My emotions were apparently also against me, just like the nightmares that had haunted me last night. Worse than before. Because this whole Mikey-disappearing situation wasn't bad enough already. At least I knew he was still alive.

"But why? Why didn't ya say anything, and why the change of mind?" I had backfired, angry why Leo hadn't told me Mikey was alive.

"Because you needed assurance Raph. Even if you don't say it, I can see it on your face. You haven't heard from Mikey in 3 days, you're not sure if he's still alive. That's why I'm telling now." Still it fucking amazed me how I was the one to first contact him. The fifth day after Mikey had disappeared I got a hold on him when we were meditating.

Fucking me. Not Dad, not Leo, not Don. But me. I was fucking relieved of course, to hear his voice for a second, but I had no fucking idea what to do. And I lost contact with him. I was useless right then and there, useless to help my little brother. I contacted with him! I had a hold on him. And I let him slip.

Otherwise the next sentence could've been prevented maybe.

"Michelangelo is alive my sons but he is in pain, worse than last time. He is being attacked again" Who was I even kidding, it couldn't've been my fault. Even if dad had contacted with Mikey 6 days ago, the fifth day after Mikey disappeared, he wouldn't've come home either. Even dad doesn't have that much power on the astral plane.

But it wasn't dad's fault either, nobody had so much power.

In fact, it was Donnie's fault. HE should be studying those damn particles we manage to snatch from the Kraang. Instead he was snoring in his bedroom. But even I knew that wasn't fair to say. I saw the bags Don had under his eyes, the same one that were under Leo's eyes. And I hated it, I hated seeing my family falling apart like this because we were constantly trying to find a way to get Mikey back.

And I hated that there was no one to blame.

"Wherever you are Mikey, please come home okay?" I whispered softly, staring upwards. I sighed and switched off the light next to my bed, burying myself under my covers. "Please be safe little brother"

TMNT

I woke up, startled and scrambling and eventually tumbling over the edge of my bed. There was a significant crash and then silence followed. Dead silence. For a second I didn't dare to breathe, listening to all the sounds around the lair. But when neither Leo, Don or Raph came in barging to check out the noise from my room, I knew I hadn't woken anyone.

Heck, not even Michelangelo came in. Shouting at me for interrupting his sleep. Though he was probably training once again, or roaming the city.

I tiredly rubbed my eyes, my heart beating quickly from the dream. My family, my bros were in it. But only for a short period of time. Just a flash of them, or maybe I just didn't remember them anymore. Groaning I slowly walked to my bed again, but I stopped when I saw the digital watch next to my bed. It was only 9 PM.

For a second I was confused why I was already in bed right now, but then I remembered why. Maybe not sleeping the previous night hadn't exactly been a good idea, instead of sleeping I had kept thinking about how I should make up with Leo after I blew up on him. But at least I had talked everything out, and me and Leo were buds again. And hey, I managed until dinner to keep my eyes open.

I looked back at the digital clock again, displaying 21:01.

My stomach turned slightly, this would be the time we'd have our meditation session. Because dad had always deemed it fair for us to have one morning off. One morning we could just relax. Which would always backfire in the evening, training and meditation till 9 PM. The fifth day I was here, and I already wanted to go back so badly. I missed them so much.

And that dream certainly didn't help.

Still I was left wondering why Raph had shown up so… persistent, and so real. The rest of them were acting really odd, like a dream would act. But Raph was weirded out or something, confused. His eyes had turned to me, green eyes growing impossibly wide. And that's when I had woken up, gracefully tumbling to the ground in wild panic.

I sighed, climbing into my bed once again. But 'my' wasn't really proper terminology. Since it wasn't mine, it was merely a bed used for guests. Nothing here was mine, and at the same time everything was mine. Everything belonged to Michelangelo, but I wasn't the Michelangelo it belonged to.

I curled myself up, wrapping the blanket around myself like a cocoon and shutting my eyes tight. Wishing I could just go home.

TMNT

Okay I had this perfect idea of this weird timeline, where you think it corresponds with the other dimension but it turning out it's a complete different day. But reading the last chapter again I discovered it'd be too complicated. So I fixed it this chapter. If it wasn't clear, the last chapter with the 2k12 dimension is in the future. (Day 11 right now, day 8 Splinter connected with Mikey, day 5 Raph connects with Mikey)

And the 2k3 dimension is on day 5 right now. So Mikey just had the 'dream' when he connected with Raph. Lol I hope it's clear right now.