Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I managed to get the next installment out sooner than I originally thought. I just want to say thank you for following the story so far. As I've said before, this has been a great learning experience. Well, happy reading ^.^

"Home, sweet home."

Standing on a water tower, a young mutant turtle soaked up the scene before him. New York City was a very familiar place to him. Everything from the sounds of cars to the smell of the fog, it just struck as home to him. "Well, I'm not actually home yet…but close to it." He mused.

Folding his arms across his plastron, he felt the air brush against his dark green skin. He had been to many places, but this was the place that made him truly happy. Once he got his fill of the surroundings, he climbed down and made his way to the nearby dark alley.

Suddenly before he could leap down, his senses alerted him. Lifting his hand up, he caught a small object as it whizzed past his head. A smug smile crept onto his face and his emerald green eyes twinkled. As he opened his large hand to see the object, he instantly recognized the small dark puck.

"Heh."

Then a familiar voice sounded and he turned his attention down into the end of the alley. Standing tall on his two feet, he raised the puck above his head and waved it in the air. "Casey, your aim is off! What have you been doing? Slackin'?"

The vigilante grinded his teeth together in annoyance. "I'll show you how off my aim is, Raph!" He called out to the turtle above.

Instantly, he pulled out another puck and used his stick to swat it into the air. Raph couldn't help but chuckle as he dodged it with ease. Then cracking his neck, he jumped down before Casey could draw another. "Calm down, man. How'd you know I was here anyways?" Raising both arms into the air, he signaled for his friend to cool.

However, Casey rolled his eyes and eased his hockey stick behind his back. "Don told me you were back. But man…I got a bone ta' pick with ya'!"

"See, this is why I wanted to head home first. I didn't wanna' deal with this right now." Raph silently grumbled under his breath. Even though Raph wanted to just turn away and leave, he knew his ill-tempered friend wouldn't let him do that.

A heavy breath passed his lips and rubbed his right arm. Casey took his silence as a cue to keep going. "I mean, you freaking ditched. You just left without telling anyone. Heck, I'm your best friend and your bros needed you and ya' just ran away. You've been gone for nearly two years without a word!" Pacing, Casey thrashed his arms around in the air as he ranted.

Taking both of his hands, Raph wiped his face and shrugged. "Look Casey, I had some things to figure out. I'm back now and I'm sure I can patch it up with my brothers." In a heavy voice, he replied.

At Raph's reply Casey stopped in his tracks and threw a glare. "I doubt that. Leo does his own thing and Donnie won't come out of his hideout. Mikey and I are the only ones who look after him."

After Donnie's name was mentioned, the turtles face became sullen. His eyelids drooped and he eyed the darkened ground. "So how is Don anyways?"

His friend dropped the glare and made his way over to him. Raph felt his hand rest on his shoulder and it took all his willpower to not flinch. He badly wanted to know how his little brother was doing, and he thought of him often while he was away.

"He's alright. Sure, he's a bit screwed up in the head, but he's always been a little weird if you ask me." Pausing for a moment, he rubbed his chin before continuing. "If you want, I can take ya' to him."

Raph looked up and saw that his best friend was giving him a comforting smile. His mood brightened a bit after hearing Casey's offer. "Sure man, I would love to see how my baby bro is." Giving him a cheeky smile, he nudged him with his other elbow.

Within a split second, the vigilante dipped his head and bounded off towards the direction of the abandoned warehouse. Raph relaxed his muscles and climbed up the fire escape. Once both feet were planted on the top of the grimy old building, he brought up some energy and tailed Casey from above. They ran for a good fifteen minutes, before his friend skidded to a halt.

"This is far out from the lair…no wonder, but why a warehouse of all things?" In a curious tone he asked himself as he dropped down to the street below.

Taking careful steps, Raph followed his friend close behind as they made their way to the side entrance. His eyes trailed along the broken glass everywhere and the amount of dust that piled on everything. "Dude, are you sure Donnie's here?" Eyeing everything around them, Raph asked with a skeptic look on his face.

Casey only grunted and beckoned the turtle to follow. Using his ninja skills, he carefully treaded and made sure not to cut his foot on the mess covering the ground. When Casey stopped in front of the wall of large wooden crates, he rolled his eyes and watched his friend pitifully pull out one. "Man, you're a wimp. Lemme' get that." Cracking his neck, he pushed Casey aside and tugged on it.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open with shock. "Holy cow, this thing weighs a ton. What the hell are these things filled with?"

A loud obnoxious laugh filled his ears as he felt his friend collapse onto him. Groaning, Raph shoved him off and finished pulling out the crate. After Casey wiped the tears from his eyes, he replied "I dunno' dude. Donnie filled them and I never checked." Then containing a second wave of laughter, he barely could say "You shoulda' seen your face!"

Swiping his hand through the air, he snapped out "Alright, just take me to Don will ya'?"

Immediately, Casey stood up straight and slipped through the gap in the wall. "Fine, bro." Then lifting his hand, he motioned for Raph to come inside the darkened area. At once, Raph followed and walked behind him down a series of stairs.

His eyes soon readjusted and watched Casey slam on a large button in the wall. Suddenly a large buzz sounded, which caused Raph to jerk where he stood. All of his muscles tensed up in anticipation as a large metal door swung open.

Keeping his eyes peeled in the blue lit complex, he followed Casey down a long hallway. He could hear their footsteps bouncing off all the surfaces of the walls. "Now I see why he picked this place." Raph muttered under his breath.

Soon he could see a warmer light seeping in from the exit and he felt a bit of anxiety bubble inside him. "This will be the first time I see him in two years." He thought to himself as he shifted through his feelings.

"Hey, Don!" Lifting his hand up to his mouth, Casey called out.

The sudden shout made Raph cringe. However, when he stepped out into the open space, he saw that it looked quite comfortable in there. In fact, it looked more comfortable than the living room of their old liar. In the center there was a large TV planted in front of a long grey couch. A pool table on the left side of the room had many balls scattered on its surface, and there were a few arcade systems lining the other wall.

His eyes trailed along the walls and saw there were a few doors. "How big is this place anyways?" Raph asked in awe. Before Casey could answer his question, a door to the right swung open.

Darting his eyes to the open door, he watched a large figure ease out passed the frame. "Ugh, what is it Casey? I finally managed to go to sleep." In a low groggy voice, Donnie stated. Dark bags hung under his eyes and he was holding his hand up to shield them from the light.

Raph felt a mixture of things. In fact, he couldn't tell what to feel at the moment, so he stood there quietly. Casey nudged him and said "Look who's here ta' see ya'."

Donnie wiped his face and stepped further out of his room. "Ugh, hey Raph." Still trying to fight off the sleepiness, he said as a greeting.

At the sound of his brother's fatigued voice, Raph's stomach lurched. His eyes trailed every detail and noticed all his scars. He knew his brother probably kept the arms bandaged to hide the mutilation to his arms. However, there was one detail that greatly surprised him about his dorky little brother.

Forcing a smile, he folded his arms and tilted his head. "Hey Donnie, nice to see ya'."

"Nice to see you as well, I guess." A yawn escaped his little brother's throat as he replied.

Catching a bit of Donnie's sarcasm, Raph decided to throw out a bit of his own attitude. "Well, how ya' doing? Seems like you bulked up a bit since I last saw you. If my memory is correct, you used to be a lot scrawnier." The corners of his mouth twitched as he spoke. He wasn't lying; after all, Donnie was always the tall thin one in the family.

Now that he was fully awake, Donnie rolled his shoulders and gave a cocky smile. "Yeah, I pretty much work with weights now in my training routine. I have to release extra tension somehow, so the side effects have been pretty pleasing." Motioning to his thicker muscles, the taller turtle replied with a gleam in his eyes.

Then he noticed his brother's eyes locked onto his arm and he braced himself. Donnie's eyes squinted a bit as he held a puzzling look. "Raph, it looks like you were mauled by a bear."

Immediately, the shorter turtle glanced down at his muscular arm and legs. Right on his right shoulder there was a giant scar in the shape of a bear claw. Scattered throughout the limbs, he had other raised scars in the form of cuts, but the claw marks were the most prominent. Smirking, Raph tilted his shoulder forward and replied casually "That's because I did get mauled by a bear. I pissed it off on accident and I had to fight it off."

The explanation made Don cup his face and shake his head as he held an unamused look. However, Raph stood proudly and pointed at it with his large thumb. "I think it looks wicked!" His eyes twinkled with enthusiasm as he exclaimed mightily

Sighing, his brother shrugged. "I'm sure you do." Then he folded his arms and stood for a moment. Raph just stared blankly at him, wondering what to say next. Casey was staring at his shoulder with awe, still speechless. He was about to say something to his friend, but Donnie then motioned for his guests to sit. "Well, I'm sure you aren't here to just say hello. Might as well make yourself comfortable."

Dipping his head forward, the hotheaded turtle released a grunt of acceptance and settled on the end of the cushiony seat. Casey plopped down next to him, causing Raph to shift. After the two were settled, Donnie disappeared into his room and returned with a wooden chair. Then he settled beside the television, staring at his brother.

"So Raph, what did you want to talk about?"

Resting his arms on his legs, Raph leaned forward and stared into his reddish-brown eyes. If Casey's words from earlier were indeed true, he needed to be filled in on many things. Inhaling deeply, he relaxed and said "I want to know what went on while I was gone."

It was quiet inside of the lair. Mikey sat at the kitchen table with Ice Cream Kitty sitting in front of him. A heavy breath passed his lips as he leaned back in his seat.

"Kitty, it's too quiet in here." Staring up at the ceiling, he groaned.

She gave a mew in response and inched closer to him. Her arms waved around enthusiastically, trying to cheer him up.

A smile crept onto his lips and he sat up straight. Then reaching an arm out, he stroked her cheek and ice cream dribbled down his large finger. His blue eyes brightened and he gave it a quick lick. "At least I have you." Giving her a smile, he placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward.

His eyes trailed along the dimly lit kitchen. Morning was almost here and around this time, his brothers would have been waking up for their morning practice. The issue was that those days were long gone. Master Splinter still trained and meditated with Mikey and Karai, but it never felt the same. Even April rarely came down here anymore.

Easing his eyes shut, he recalled some fonder memories. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Flicking his eyes back open, he watched Karai pace outside of the kitchen. Her face twisted with annoyance and a few huffs would pass her lips.

"Uh oh."

Taking a gulp, Mikey slid out of his chair and scooped up Ice Cream Kitty. She cried in protest, because she knew that it was time to be put up. "Sorry Kitty, but it's almost time for practice. I'll play with you later, 'kay?" He gave her an apologetic look as he tried to comfort her.

In response, she licked his cheek and gave a soft purr. Mikey felt better and eased her into the freezer. "See you later." In a sweet voice, he told her as he shut the door.

Now that his friend was put away, he braced himself as he walked over to the kitchen entrance. Karai was still wrapped in her silent fury, but he knew if she let it out now, it would save him from bruises later on. Once he reached the doorway, he stood firmly on his feet and rubbed his right arm.

"Something the matter?" In a low uncertain tone, he asked.

Instantly, Karai stomped on one foot and pivoted in his direction. She folded her arms and her hair swooshed through the air. "Why would you think that, Michelangelo?" Karai asked through a clenched jaw.

"Yep, she's mad." He silently noted.

Then inhaling deeply, he thought very carefully on how to handle this. Karai was never really a hothead, but on the occasion she was angry, he had to be careful with how he spoke. Unlike the times he pissed off Raph, Karai knew all his pressure points and could easily have him on the ground in two seconds flat. Funny thing was that she didn't get this angry unless it involved Leo.

Deciding how he wanted to word it, he lifted his hand up and gave her a peaceful smile. "No real reason. It seemed like you were really energetic. Excited for practice?" His smile became a cheesy one as he eased the hand behind his head.

Like a work of magic, her facials softened and her stance relaxed. There was still anger residing in her eyes, but at least Mikey felt the danger passed. Tilting her head to the side, she scoffed "You can be pretty cheesy...but no, I'm not excited for practice. I was up all night with your idiotic brother."

Just as his intuition told him, Leo was the source for her current mood. "Ah, guess he messed up?" His face showed how awkward he felt by the way he raised his brows.

"Not really, just throwing a little tantrum. I swear, he's not the same person he used to be." Her eyes trailed the concrete floor as she shifted her weight. Her voice sounded a bit disappointed, but she decided not to let her face show it.

Mikey knew better, and he could tell that they had a fight. Stepping forward, he wrapped a hand around her and patted her back. Using a soft voice, he replied "I know he's not. None of us are." His own voice was threatening to crack on him.

He didn't want to spend the morning moping, so instead he stood up straight and looked straight at his sister. "Well, let's go to practice…Sensei is waiting I think."

"Yeah, let's not keep father waiting."

Leo replayed the argument in his mind once more. Every time he recalled his words, he would clench his fists a little tighter. His knuckles were a pale green from all the force. He felt like a jerk for acting the way he did with the one girl he truly loves and cares for. However, his words were exactly how he felt.

"Not a single day has gone by where I don't regret some of the things that happened." In frustration, he uttered quietly. "But, it's not my problem anymore…It just became too straining. I could feel myself mentally wearing down after being their strict leader for years." His voice started to rise as he continued to speak to himself.

He sat on a bench in a dark area of the local park. During his two years of wandering the city, the park was always his favorite place to meditate. Only this time, he couldn't keep his thoughts still. Deciding that he should just move to keep his mind off things, he got up and traveled underneath all the dark areas of the trees. Once he was out of the park, he glanced upwards towards the sky. Pink and orange streaks started tearing through the darkness, letting him know sunlight was approaching. Sighing, he rolled his neck and bounded off towards his home.

With each passing minute, more light seeped in between the buildings. Cars were beeping their horns, showing that morning traffic had picked up. "I'll probably feel better after I sleep it off." Still in a foul mood, he thought to himself.

Soon he found himself standing on top of a condemned building. All of the windows were boarded up and there was a large enough hole in the roof for him to slip through. Cracks lined the walls and floors creaked with each step, threatening to give way. When he first found this place, there was dust and dirt everywhere, but he saw to that.

No one ever came into the building. It was located in a poor, crime ridden area, but after someone got hurt, people assumed it was haunted. The very memory made Leo chuckle as he made his way to his bedroom.

Inside his room, there was a bit of light seeping in from the cracks in the board and in the far left corner, there were blue sleeping bags lined up together. The sleeping bags were stuffed with old pillows, which Leo found to be pretty comfortable. Settling down onto his makeshift bed, he thought about his recent adventures throughout the past week. His indigo eyes trailed the giant gaps in the wood above him, and his mind was consumed with thoughts of Karai. "I need to apologize to her."

When it became too hard for him to sleep, he leaned up and turned to the radio a few feet away. Reaching out his arm, he flicked it on and listened to the static voices. Quickly, he turned it to the news station and settled back down into the mats.

"There's a crisis in the government science buildings here in New York City. Many of the computers and systems have all crashed. Every single data that was collected in important scientific experiments have been destroyed. I'm getting word that it was caused by a new form of virus, a new complex creation."

Leo's eyes widen at the sound of the female news reporters voice. His stomach lurched and he sat back up. This was something that sounded all too familiar to him while his eyes locked onto the radio in anticipation.

"It is believed that this was a cyber-terrorist attack; one of the few that has occurred within the last year. If anyone has any information on the new virus, authorities are strongly urging for you to step forward. I'll keep you updated, back to you, John."

A groan escaped Leo's throat as the rest of the news became just a babble of noises. Nothing else was registering in his mind, since he was too focused on his own thoughts. There was only one force that he knew of that was strong enough to take out every computer in a government's facility.

Rubbing his cheek, he threw himself back into the bed and closed his eyes. "Donnie, what are you doing?"

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will admit the hardest part about writing this fic is telling it in different views. It's a challenge to show how different they are as adults and how they all live differently. However, it has been a fun challenge and I can honestly say this is my favorite fic I've written to date. I can't thank you all enough for following along and supporting me. It really means a lot to me. Like always, feel free to leave feed back. I always appreciate the things my readers do ^.^