Nighttime Guardians

A/N: This chapter is new as I wanted to put something between the previous and the coming chapter. Enjoy! (And yes, going to the bathroom is a really convenient excuse to use :p)

Rapahel made sure not to make any noise as he got out of bed, careful so he wouldn't wake up Mikey and slowly made his way through the darkness in their shared bedroom. Their room was rather small, almost half in size compared to the one shared by their three brothers. This meant that every sound each of them made was hard to hide from the other, and ninja stealth wasn't a part of their training just yet.

Six year old Raphael reached the window and halted to cast a quick peek behind him in the darkness at his brother's bed. No sound came. Satisfied the young turtle hoisted himself up to the window seat and made himself comfortable by leaning against the glass. It wasn't really glass though, he smiled and stroked it fondly. It was a special invention from the Utroms. Raph wasn't too sure how it worked, but he'd asked Donnie about it privately one day, and from what he had understood of his brother's explanation it worked like a window from their side, but only showed a projection from the outside. He hadn't quite believed it, nor entirely understood Don's description of it all until he had been able to witness it himself on one of those evenings they were allowed to go outside. He and Mikey had taken turns waving at each other from inside while the other looked at the window outside, and every single time it had looked like there was no one there. Mikey had sworn he had been waving like mad at him but all Raph could see were some vague, non-moving shapes behind some thick, gauzy curtains. Those curtains still hung in front of every window of their house, but they were no longer closed all the time. These new windows had given them the chance to really be able to look outside. Not that this window gave an all that spectacular view however as their bedroom faced an alley and beyond that a tall brick wall, but at least it was better than the other window next to it that led to the fire escape, which pretty much blocked their entire view from even the boring alley. But even so, he could just sit here and look outside without having to worry about being seen or having his parents or uncle scold him for peeking out.

Raphael looked up, pressing his cheek against the not-glass. If he angled his head just right, he could see a glimpse of the night sky overhead. It was impossible to see any stars, but he liked to pretend he could see them twinkle above. The big open sky that stretched over so much land, way beyond even the furthest Utrom hideout he had ever been to even. Who knew what it looked like over there and what kind of people walked those streets. It was great that they could now finally look outside freely but he sometimes wished these special windows could help him see further than the alley wall.

Suddenly he frowned and narrowed his eyes just a tiny bit. Was it just his imagination or had he really just seen something move up there? Blinking a couple of times and then rubbing his eyes with his fists for good measure, he looked again. Nothing moved. Sighing Raphael relaxed again. Must have been his imagination, what else could explain dark shapes leaping from one rooftop to the next?

Mikey tried to keep quiet and not move as he watched his brother sitting in the window seat. Raph thought he was sleeping and truthfully he had been, but then a bad dream woke him up rather suddenly. Judging from Raphael's lack of any reaction he must have not made any sounds while doing so. Mikey could see him staring up through the window, apparently completely lost in thought.

Trying to steady his quick breathing Mikey struggled to decide his next move. What he really wanted was for Raph to go back to bed so he could crawl in under the covers with him. The best medicine against any bad dream was sharing a cozy bed with a loving family member. Not many people would use that word to describe his brother sitting by the window, but as long as Mikey didn't make a fuss, didn't complain and promised to go right to sleep Raph would let him sleep in his bed after a bad dream. He really was a good brother, even if he was grumpy most of the time, and called him a baby when he woke up scared. Mikey made a face at the thought.

Still struggling with the decision on whether he should let Raph know he was awake or not, Mikey saw him tense up for a moment while still looking outside. Had he seen something? Mikey shifted nervously as he thought about burglars, then tensed when he saw his brother's head snap towards him. Enough light streamed in from outside to provide a look at Raph's frowning features.

"I had a nightmare…" Mikey blurted out, quickly adding a pitiful whine to his voice. Raphael sighed.

"Is it jus' me or are you having more an' more bad dreams lately?"

Mikey could see his brother's silhouette jump down from the window seat and walk back towards his own bed. Mikey started to sit up.

"Forget it, Mikey, I wanna get some sleep."

Michelangelo froze with one leg dangling over the edge of his bed, feeling hurt. Raph didn't want him to come over? But he wanted some comforting, he was still a bit scared!

"But Raaaph…!" he whispered in his best heartbreaking voice he could muster, but instantly knew he shouldn't have.

"Shut up, Mikey, go to sleep!" came the fierce whisper back.

Wincing once more Mikey let his head hang. He should have known better. Raph was willing to accommodate him as long as he didn't go all dramatic. There was no way Raph was going to so much as speak to him now, let alone let him sleep in his bed. Sighing Mikey turned his head to look at the door and after a last glance at his brother's bed, hopped to the floor and quietly made his way to the hallway.

Creeping along on the soft carpet the young turtle made his way to the next door and paused in front of it, biting his lower lip in thought. Would he have better luck with one of his other brothers? Shimi surely would not only call him a baby but also lecture him. Leo might comfort him and make him feel better, but he probably wouldn't let him stay. Donnie would be nice to him, but Mikey was also pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sneak over to Don without one of his other two brothers waking up. No, this was definitely not a good idea.

On he went, walking on his toes to minimize any sound he could make up the stairs to the next floor. Here was his parent's bedroom as well as uncle Splinter's next to it. Mikey was pretty sure his dad and uncle Splinter hadn't come home yet from nighttime patrolling, so he passed the first door and opened the one to his parent's bedroom. Sure enough he heard some rustling coming from the bed as he closed the door behind him and moved inside.

"Yoshi?" came his mother's sleepy voice and Mikey smiled as he quickly ran over and climbed up the bed.

"Nope!"

"Michelangelo."

It was just an acknowledgement. There was no judging, no disappointment, just his name.

"I had a bad dream, mom," Mikey said, finding he didn't need to twist his voice this time to sound sad. He almost instantly felt two arms draw him closer and he gratefully leaned into them.

Leonardo was sure he had heard something outside of their bedroom door. He lifted his head and squinted his eyes to look at the slightly brighter line beneath the door but could not detect any movement. He sat up and considered for a moment, then quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the door. Or that had been his intention until he suddenly felt his left foot bump into something that didn't budge at all, and let out a little yelp as he tumbled forwards to the floor. Turning over so was sitting down he threw one hand over his mouth he used the other to rub his smarting foot. What was that?!

"Wha was tha? …Leo?"

A light was turned on and Leo felt temporarily blinded but didn't have a hand left to cover his eyes. Quickly he squeezed them shut and turned away from Mashimi's side of the room. The older boy had turned on the little lamp on his nightstand and was now rubbing his own eyes.

"Whas going on?" came Donatello's sleepy voice when the light woke him up as well.

Leo took a deep breath and glanced at his brothers, carefully putting his foot back down and removing his hand from his mouth. Suddenly he felt silly for having gotten up to investigate something that had probably just been a part of his imagination. He should have stayed in bed.

"I was going to…to the bathroom and bumped into…" Leo looked down and identified a stack of rather heavy books. "…into your books, Don," he finished in a slightly accusing tone. He gave his brother a slight glare and saw him look down at the unmistakable proof right in front of Leo's feet. Leo felt a bit guilty when he saw Don's eyes widen.

"Sorry, Leo! Are you ok?"

Leo shrugged, "I bumped my foot. I didn't know they were there…"

"Duh, Donatello should have put them away before he went to bed," Mashimi whispered and there was nothing slight in the accusing tone in his voice. "What if Leo really had hurt himself!"

"I'm really sorry, Leo," Don mumbled, avoiding his eyes as he quickly scrambled out of bed and hurried to pick up the books to put them away in his bookcase where they belonged. He had to make two trips as the books were rather large and heavy. Something Leo's foot could confirm.

"It's ok, really," Leo said, feeling more than just a bit silly now. A ninja doesn't walk into things in the dark after all, he stealths through the night in perfect balance with complete control and knowledge of his environment. He gave Mashimi a small glare. The older boy didn't respond to it as he was glaring himself at Don.

"Is your foot ok, Leo? Want me to take a look at it?"

Leo turned back to look at Donatello as he approached him. By now his eyes had fully adjusted to the little light in their bedroom.

"Nah, I don't even feel it anymore," Leo lied, seeing relief on his brother's face as he said this. He really shouldn't worry his brothers so much about little insignificant things like this. Tripping over stuff was not that dramatic, they did it all the time. Especially Mikey. And while his foot did still sting a little, it wasn't worth the fuss. He accepted Donatello's hand to help him up from the floor.

"You think you're a doctor now, Don?" Came Mashimi's voice again, "Thinking you can cure a hurt foot?" Both turtles turned to look at him as their brother leaned on an elbow with a tight grin.

"What? No, I…" Don started to defend himself, and Leo saw his expression turn to one of frustration.

"He was just worried, Shimi," Leo quickly interrupted. For a few seconds he and his older brother stared at each other. Leo looked away first.

"Didn' you say you were gonna go to the bathroom?"

Leo looked at the door and gave a little nod, "Yeah. I'll be right back." As he started to walk he couldn't help but feel a slight pain shoot through his foot. He managed to hide it however until he reached the door, there a slight stumble escaped him. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see if his brothers had seen. Don had his back turned towards the door but Mashimi was staring directly at him with a little smug smile that was instantly directed at his other brother.

"You see! Leo is hurt!"

Leo winced and was about to talk when he saw the stricken look on Donatello's face change to one of anger as Mashimi continued throwing accusations at him. Leo sighed and decided to just keep walking. He closed the door behind him to cut off the heated whispers and limped to the bathroom in the darkness while holding out a hand to feel for the wall so he wouldn't stumble into it.

Once he reached the door he stopped. It had just been an excuse after all, he didn't really need to go. Frowning he tried to decide what to do as his eyes wandered to the staircase leading up to the next level. Turning towards it he slowly went upstairs, keeping a tight grip on the railing as he tried not to wince with every step. It went very slow.

Reaching the top he carefully walked to the second door and was about to open it when his hand froze in the air. He listened carefully to the soft voices coming from inside. One was definitely his mother and the other…Mikey? Straining he tried to hear what they were saying but the door blocked him effectively. Lowering his arm he looked around. He didn't want to go in there if his little brother was there, even if his foot did sorta hurt more than he'd been willing to admit to his brothers. No, he wasn't gonna go to his mother now, he could wait till morning. Yes, a ninja was strong and could not be stopped by a small injury A ninja endured the pain until he could finish his mission. Ok, so Leo didn't exactly have a mission, but still. He could endure till morning.

With a last longing glance at the door he slowly made his way back to the stairs but right as he passed uncle Splinter's bedroom door he thought he heard someone come up. Surprised the young turtle stopped and narrowed his eyes to peer into the darkness. Suddenly he felt a furry hand on his shoulder and jumped.

"Uncle Splinter!" he breathed as he looked up into the rat's face.

"Leonardo, what are you doing here at such a late hour?"

Shrugging a bit Leo tried to decide how much to reveal. He'd just decided to be a strong enduring ninja after all.

"Come," Splinter said when he didn't give a reply right away and gently guided him through the door they were standing next to. Instantly it became obvious Leo was limping and the boy felt the hand on his shoulder tighten for a moment.

"Are you hurt?" came the worried question the moment Splinter had closed the door behind them and turned on the light.

Leo shrugged, then after a look at Splinter's face he nodded, "Sorta, but just a little, uncle Splinter, it's nothing. I bumped my foot and now it hurts a little."

Splinter guided him to a couch and helped him sit down on it. His uncle's bed was more of a cushioned mat on the floor with plenty of pillows and a cover to keep him warm at night, but it didn't make for a good place to sit down on.

"Let me see," Splinter said as he kneeled in front of him and gently lifted his foot.

Leo observed him for a few moments as the rat quietly examined his foot. His uncle obviously had only just come home as his blue uniform was showing a few smudges. It was pretty much the only garment his uncle wore, but he always took care to wear a clean outfit. Leo wished he had a uniform like that, just like his father and uncle. He wondered what they did exactly at night, they never really revealed that much about it except that they sometimes "patrolled", whatever that meant. But they also said they sometimes stayed and worked at a Utrom base, or helped train new guardians.

It still sounded pretty exciting to Leo and wished he could get them to tell him more about it. But they never did. Leo had even asked Leatherhead about it but apparently their friend didn't really know that much about the Utrom guardians either. He sometimes saw them practice at the base he lived at however and at Leo's encouragement had described it in as much detail as he could recall. Now Leo liked to pretend he was one of the trainees, learning from his father as he stood at the head of the class while they practiced in the dojo downstairs. He was sure the other trainees looked up to his dad and uncle as much as he and his brothers did. Maybe they were even jealous of them, wishing they had a dad and uncle like them!

"It seems like you did not injure yourself too badly, Leonardo," Splinter spoke up and Leo jumped. Blinking for a moment as he returned from his imagination, he then gave his uncle a sheepish smile which was returned by a small knowing one.

"If you do not lean too much on it now, you should feel much better by the morning."

Leonardo nodded relieved.

"Come, I will help you return to your bedroom," Splinter continued as he got back up and reached towards him to pick him up.

For a moment Leo hesitated. He didn't want to be carried like a baby, especially if his brothers could see him, but then he put his arms around Splinter's neck. Who cared. He was hurt after all. Well, sorta anyway. And to be honest, he was feeling pretty tired all of a sudden. Sitting here all relaxed like this while fondly thinking about the Utrom guardians had made him sleepy.

"Thanks, uncle Splinter," he mumbled as he put his head on the rat's shoulder.

"I didn't hurt Leo on purpose, Shimi! Stop making it sound like I did!" To Don's embarrassment his voice trembled as he said this.

It really wasn't fair, couldn't he do anything right? When they practiced in the dojo he was always the slowest to learn a new move. He could remember it better, but it took him longer to perform it as well as his brothers. When it came to homework it took him longest to finish it. Granted, he had twice as much as his brothers due to an advance course his Utrom teachers had put him on but he was still the last one to leave the table when they did their homework while he was sure he was the fastest. And when it came to normal everyday things it was like his oldest brother just loved to point out every single mistake he made.

It really didn't help that Don was secretly agreeing with him this time. While he hadn't seen Leo limp as he left the room, he had suspected he'd been lying when he said he was alright. Don had hoped Leo wasn't too hurt if he'd willing to lie about it, but now that he was gone longer than it should have taken him to go to the bathroom he was starting to feel guilty again.

"Maybe you didn't hurt him on purpose, but you shoulda known something bad would happen if you leave those stupid books lying around like that, Don," Mashimi retorted.

"They're not stupid, Shimi! They're math books, and explain how you can use…"

"Who cares," Mashimi cut him off before he could properly explain how useful and exciting his current reading material was. Frustrated he glared at his brother.

"I'm sorry!"

How could he properly explain to his brother that he really was sorry, very sorry. That he didn't mean to always be the slowest the others had to wait for so they could play together. And that he doesn't mean to be boring when he's trying to explain what he's learning about with his Utrom teachers, though he did think it was a little mean when one of them started to yawn while he was talking.

Mashimi was giving a look that said he wasn't convinced he meant it. Frustrated Don sighed and walked to the door.

"Where you going?"

"I'm gonna check on Leo. He's been gone too long, maybe he's…" Hurt. Don's anger melted away and was replaced by worry as he walked a little faster. He ignored the last few comments whispered by his brother and closed their bedroom door before hurrying to the bathroom.

Opening the door he saw it was completely dark inside. Surprised he flicked on the light and looked around. Leo definitely wasn't here. With one hand still on the door handle he rubbed his neck with his other. So if Leo wasn't here, then where was he…?

"Donatello?"

He looked over his shoulder to see his father standing there, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"What are you doing here, my son?"

"Oh, I'm sorta looking for Leo, father. He said he was going to the bathroom…" His father moved behind him so he could look inside as well. "But he's not here."

At that same moment they could hear Splinter's voice from upstairs, clearly saying Leonardo's name. They both looked towards the stairs. Don felt relief, then smiled sheepishly when his father crossed his arms and smiled down at him knowingly.

"Oh."

"You were worried, Donatello?"

Don nodded and looked down. He didn't really want to explain why he'd been worried. Obviously this was the wrong move to make as his father knelt down on one knee in front of him, his brow furrowed as he made eye contact.

"What is wrong, my son?"

Donatello had no ready answer for this so he just shrugged. When it became clear a more verbal answer was expected he added, "Nothing, father. I guess I'll go back to bed now." But though he looked at his bedroom door he made no move towards it. Mashimi was probably waiting for him and he didn't feel like continuing their argument.

Yoshi followed his gaze before looking back at him again, his expression slightly puzzled. Don looked away.

"I believe something is wrong, Donatello," his father said softly and moved to reach for him.

Donatello shifted away from his hand. "I hurt Leo," he whispered. Carefully he glanced up to see how his father would respond to this. He saw clear surprise on his father's face.

"What? You did what?"

Donatello could not remember ever having heard his father sound so flustered. He let go of the door handle and clasped his hands together nervously as he looked away, "I hurt Leo, and I'm really sorry!" he continued in a still unsteady voice.

His father still looked unsure, his mouth open as if he was going to say something but nothing came out. Suddenly he closed his mouth and got back up. Startled Donatello looked up at him, his heart skipping a beat.

"This is no place to talk," Yoshi said and turned off the light in the bathroom and closed the door. "Here, come with me," he continued and Donatello felt his hand being taken.

His father guided Don away towards the stairs leading downstairs. It was completely dark again now that the light had been turned off and Donatello was grateful his father slowed down and tightened his grip on his hand for support. They steadily made their way down but when Don finally reached the bottom he felt his father guiding him away from the living area he'd assumed he was taking him to, and instead moved towards the dojo. Swallowing Don looked up at his father though he couldn't see him very clearly in the dark. The dojo was still off limits unless they were practicing, and thus remained an official place for serious business. Was his father going to punish him?

Turning on the lights inside the dojo Yoshi moved inside while still holding Don's hand. The young turtle blinked a few times against the sudden light, then glanced around. It still looked the same like it did every day, yet it didn't. It was too quiet. Too serious. He looked up at his father again when he released his hand. Yoshi kneeled down on a mat and Donatello automatically kneeled in front of him, student before the teacher, and bowed his head.

"Tell me what happened."

Raphael turned his head a little bit towards the wall. He heard the door open in his brothers' bedroom. He'd been hearing a few sounds every now and then since Mikey left and it was starting to get a bit annoying. There'd even been some quiet talking on the other side of the wall he thought, meaning his other three brothers were up as well, probably having fun and talking about things they wouldn't share with him. He hit the mattress he was lying on, but it neatly collapsed beneath his fist and molded to the shape of his hand. Stupid Utrom invention to support their shells…

Sighing he turned to his side and glared into the darkness. Mikey probably wasn't going to be coming back any time soon, his other three brothers were doing who knew what, and here he was all alone and unable to fall asleep. He heard the door close again and rolled his eyes. Now where were they going? After a moment he made a decision and bolted out of his bed, charging to the door and flung it open with the intention of catching them coming outside. His eyes had already adjusted to the dark and as he looked to the side, expecting to see one or more of his brothers, he only saw his uncle Splinter about to go upstairs. Surprised the turtle stopped and stared. Splinter had stopped his ascend at the sound of the door opening as well and turned to look back.

"Raphael?"

"Uh, hi, uncle Splinter, I uh, just thought I heard something." Raphael watched as the rat studied him for a moment.

"That was probably me, my boy," he finally spoke, sounding amused at this. "I will make sure not to disturb you again."

Raphael smirked.

"Now go back to bed, Raphael."

The boy nodded and quickly ducked back inside his room, hesitated, and poked his head back out again, "Night, uncle Splinter!"

"Good night, Raphael."

Closing the door he then leaned against it. Ok, so it hadn't been his brothers, but why had uncle Splinter gone over to their room? Had he maybe heard them talking as well and gone over to punish them? Raph smirked at the thought, but knew it wasn't very likely. Maybe give them a warning or something. There really was only one way to find out for sure though he thought, and ran back to his bed. Climbing onto it he crawled closer to the wall and kneeled in front of it. Quickly he knocked a series of secret codes to the next room. He waited and was about to give up on getting an answer when suddenly he heard a few soft knocks. It wasn't the answer to his question of what was going on however, but instead a question in return: "Is Don there?" Surprised Raph stared at the wall as if an explanation would appear on it. None did however and he knocked "no" back to them. He repeated his own question of what was going on but didn't receive a reply. He thought he could very vaguely hear voices though. What was going on?

He was about to charge to the other bedroom and demand an answer when suddenly he heard the door to his open. Whipping his head around he expected to see Mikey come in, but instead he saw the unmistakable silhouette of his oldest brother slip inside, closing the door again behind him.

"Shimi? Whatcha doing here?"

"Donnie's missing," the boy replied in a whisper.

"Missing? How can he be missing?"

Raphael couldn't be sure, but it looked like his brother was fidgeting.

"We sorta argued and then he left lookin' for Leo, but Leo's back now and Donnie isn't."

Confused Raph tried to keep up with the flow of information. "Where'd Leo go?"

"Never mind that, so did you see Don or not?" came the annoyed reply.

"No, he wasn't here."

"…Where's Mikey?"

Raph looked over to where his brother's bed stood empty and shrugged in the darkness, "Dunno. Probably with mom or somethin' I guess." It still didn't make a whole lot of sense to Raphael however and he frowned at his older brother, "But why are you so worried about Donnie?"

For a moment he thought his brother was about to leave again but Mashimi grabbed his arm instead and pulled him along towards the hallway.

"Hey! Whatcha doin'?!"

"Quiet! We need to find Don so I can…ehm, so he goes back to bed."

"Ok…" Raphael replied a bit hesitantly but didn't try to fight him anymore.

"Leo said he's not upstairs an' if he's not with you, then he's gotta be downstairs somewhere," Mashimi continued in a quick whisper as the boys quietly headed in said direction. "You check behind the couches and stuff, I'll go look in the kitchen."

Raphael stopped, still frowning and watched his brother hurry away. That really didn't make a whole lot of sense he thought, then shrugged and did as he'd been told and headed towards the living room. Passing by the little hallway that led to the dojo however he saw a faint bit of light shine from underneath the door.

"Shimi! Here!" he hissed to his brother, then without waiting to see if he'd been heard or not he walked over to the big twin wooden doors that led to their dojo.

Leo sat up in bed, holding his knees as he softly rocked back and forth with a frown on his face. He was feeling very sleepy, but he didn't want to fall asleep before his brothers returned. He didn't really understand where Don had gone to, nor why he'd left in the first place. Mashimi hadn't been very specific before dashing off to get Raphael and search for him. Frowning deeper Leo looked down. He felt stupid for not being able to help Mashimi, and slightly jealous his older brother had gone to Raph for help instead. Still, Leo had promised uncle Splinter he wouldn't get out of bed anymore tonight and he wasn't about to break his promise.

It still bothered him though. Don was wandering around, Mashimi had lied to uncle Splinter about Don being in the bathroom, and now Raph was going on a secret mission with his older brother. It should have been Leo.

He glanced at the door, trying to will his brothers to come back and explain things already.

Smiling up gratefully Donatello wiped a final tear from his face while accepting his father's hand to get back up.

"Do not worry, my son, but do try to mind where you put your belongings in the future."

"Yes, father. I just hope Leo's alright."

"I'm sure he is, I heard him speak to Splinter earlier, I am sure he will help your brother should he require it."

Nodding Donatello followed his father to the door.

"Now let us go to bed as well," his father said and opened the door, revealing Raphael reaching out with his hand, caught by surprise as he'd been about to open the doors himself.

"Raphael! What are you doing out of bed, my son?"

Surprised Donatello watched his brother blink against the light streaming out of the dojo, wondering the same thing. Before Raph had a chance to answer however Mashimi appeared behind him, looking worried.

"Mashimi?" Yoshi said, "What are you boys doing here? Did something happen?"

Donatello saw Raph look over his shoulder at their older brother, who to Don's surprise was looking straight at him with what he thought was worry. Why was Mashimi worried? Had something happened to Leo after all? Alarmed Don felt his heartbeat speed up.

Mashimi looked up at their father then, "Father, Donnie didn't do anything wrong, I promise."

"What?" Donatello and Yoshi glanced at each other after having spoken at the same time.

"Donnie, I'm sorry I said all those things, I shouldn't have," Mashimi continued and walked over to Don, "You shouldn't disappear like that!"

"Disappear?" Donatello repeated stupidly, not quite understanding what his brother was talking about.

"Donatello was here, Mashimi, we were talking about what happened," his father spoke up, a small knowing smile appearing his face as he looked from one boy to the other.

Mashimi didn't seem relieved however as he looked up at his father, "I saw he didn't put his books away before going to bed, father, I should have said something then but I didn't, 'cause I wanted Donnie to get into trouble for it," he continued, looking at Don again, his eyes starting to look teary. "I'm really sorry, Donnie, it was really my fault, I should have said something and then Leo wouldn't have hurt his foot. It wasn't your fault!"

Surprise made Donatello incapable of doing anything but stare back at his brother. Mashimi had made it sound like Don had hurt Leo on purpose and now he was saying it was his fault instead? He looked over at Raph who was looking at Mashimi with an odd look on his face.

"I'm glad you decided to tell your brother this, Mashimi, he felt very bad about what happened," Yoshi said softly, putting a hand on Donatello shoulder that made him look up at his father, "But he still should remember on his own to put away his belongings."

Donnie nodded up at Yoshi with a small smile. They'd already gone through this.

"But…" Mashimi started, sounding upset but was interrupted as Yoshi held up a hand to quiet him.

"Yet as the older brother it is your duty to help your younger brothers when you see they need it."

Mashimi stared up at their father for a moment before sighing and nodding, "Yes, father."

"We will continue this in the morning, my sons, but you must now return to your beds, it is too late for you to still be wandering around like this."

All three of them nodded and quietly followed their father out of the dojo and back upstairs. They reached Raph and Mikey's bedroom first, and Raph went inside, casting a last somewhat annoyed glance at his other two brothers before wishing them all a good night.

Yoshi then led them to their own bedroom where Leo was waiting rather impatiently for them. Don smiled at their father as he wished them a good night and turned off the light. Silence followed as Yoshi closed the door behind him but was predictably broken after a short while.

"Where were you, Donnie?" Leo asked in a whisper.

"He was in the dojo with dad," Mashimi replied before Don could.

"Shimi said you hurt your foot, Leo, I'm sorry," Don whispered.

"It's ok, Donnie, uncle Splinter said it's not bad, I just stubbed my toe really hard."

"Mashimi?" Don whispered after a pause.

"What?"

"Thanks."

Silence followed and wasn't broken this time.

Mikey yawned as his father gently laid him back in his own bed, "Night, dad."

"Good night, Michelangelo," came the whispered reply.

Mikey smiled as he snuggled deeper into the blankets then turned so he was facing the other side of the room, the mattress easily shifting beneath him. He sleepily tried to judge if his brother was awake or not. It was still very dark outside but he had no idea what time it was. He'd been sleeping by his mother's side when he'd woken up as his father carried him back downstairs.

"Raph?"

"Hmm?"

Apparently his brother was awake Mikey thought with a grin and lifted his head a little, "Did ya miss me?"

"Yeah right," came the muffled reply but Mikey frowned. Something seemed off in his brother's voice.

"What happened?"

For a few moments Mikey thought his brother was going to ignore him, but then he spoke, "I have no idea. They never tell us anything."

Puzzled Mikey waited for an explanation, but one never came and he finally fell asleep wondering what his brother was talking about.