Donnie was naturally unamused by Casey's comical entrance. He folded his arms over his chest.

"Okay," he said, "then who is gonna be the decoys for the rest of us, hm?"

Mikey rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, I really didn't think we would need them," he admitted.

Donnie scoffed. "Mikey, don't tell me that you only told her about you!"

"No, no, I told her about all of us..."

"We just figured that she would only need to see one decoy," April piped up. "The plan is that if she does believe us and come to America, she's gonna meet up with Casey and then he will ease her into meeting the real Mikey and the rest of you..."

"...and you're just gonna reveal yourself and the rest of us to her?"

Mikey shrugged. "Well...yeah..."

"What makes you think she won't just freak out?"

Mikey shook his head. "She's not gonna freak out. Not once she sees Sensei."

"An elderly woman isn't gonna freak out when she she's a six-foot-tall mutant rat?"

"You gotta have faith, Don!" Mikey insisted. "A mother just knows, okay?"

Donnie glared. His little brother couldn't possibly be serious, right? Surely he wasn't about to jeopardize the security of his family over some daydream.

He sighed. "I gotta tell sensei…"

Mikey felt his heart drop and he instinctively leaped in front of his bedroom door.

"Donnie, no, you promised!"

"Yeah, but I hadn't realized you've gone completely insane! You realize this has the potential to get us all killed?"

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" April said.

"April, I don't think you understand. If we bring her here and she doesn't believe us, she could expose us, and…that could be the end."

"Well, that's why we gotta ease her into it," Mikey reasoned. "We soften her up first, and then reveal ourselves. It's foolproof."

Donnie massaged his temples. "Do you even hear yourself? How can you be so sure this won't go horribly wrong?"

Mikey stared longingly at the poignant photo and sighed.

"You just gotta have faith, D," he said. "You'll see."

"Guys! She sent another message!"

Mikey reached for the laptop.

"Let me see! Let me see!"

He pulled it onto his lap and clicked the link to the message. Donnie, April, and Casey gathered around behind him.

"Okay, where did you get that photograph?"

Donnie shook his head.

"Mikey, you need to end this now," he insisted. "You've already way overstepped by sending that picture…"

"Oh, come on, Don," Casey replied, "don't you ever wish you knew the rest of your family?"

"No," Don said flatly.

"Well just 'cuz you don't doesn't mean you can ruin it for Mikey!"

"Ruin it for him? I'm trying to stop him from ruining his life!"

Casey rolled his eyes. "Oh my God, aren't you being dramatic?"

"You don't get it, Casey…"

"Guys, shut up!" Mikey growled. "I'm gonna do it, okay? I already made up my mind." He whirled to Donnie and looked him in the eyes. "And you pinky-swore that you wouldn't tell. You can't go back on your word!"

Mikey's eyes narrowed and stared directly into Donnie's, almost daring him to break his promise.

Donnie released an exasperated groan, and stormed off.

"Do whatever you want! I don't care!"

Casey and April returned their attention to Mikey.

"So what are you gonna say?" April asked.

Mikey lightly shrugged. "I'm gonna tell her the truth."

Casey arched an eyebrow. "That you're a mutant turtle?"

Mikey giggled. "Not that part."

Raphael sat nursing his sore knuckles. It always amazed him how intensely the pain started as soon as his blood pressure sunk back to healthy levels.

"Were cool, luv Mikey"

His attention was drawn back to his little brother's message on his bandages. He had to admit that it was pretty clever, especially for Mikey. Now both apology and forgiveness were signed and in writing and Leo and Donnie could just eat it. Who needed their forgiveness, anyway? He didn't do anything to them.

Knock! Knock!

Before Raph could answer, his door creaked open.

"Raphael," Splinter's stern voice echoed throughout the room, "may I come in?"

"Yeah," Raph confirmed. "As if there were any other answer to that," he thought to himself.

Splinter slowly entered the room and shut the door behind him.

"I heard you hitting your bag pretty hard," Splinter began. "Is everything alright, my son?"

Raph sighed. "Yeah, I guess. It's just…"

Splinter sat beside him on the bed.

"It's just stupid Leo and Donnie," he went on. "I've been trying to make things right, but…he just won't let it go."

Splinter nodded and stroked his beard contemplatively.

"I mean, I already made things right with Mikey," he continued. "He forgave me. Look…" He showed him the writing on his bandaged hand, "…he bandaged up my hand for me and signed it, and everything. We're good now. What more do they want?"

Splinter laid a hand on his shoulder.

"My son, it is Michelangelo's forgiveness that you have been seeking, is it not?"

"Well, yeah, I mean..."

"But you need Leonardo and Donatello's blessing to make it matter."

"No!"

"Then, why the concern?"

"Because they….I-I…" He sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter, it's just…I just want them to move on."

"You must remember, my son, Michelangelo is far more forbearing than either Donatello or Leonardo," Splinter explained. "They will forgive you in time, but for now, all you can do is let them be."

Raph groaned. "I guess…"

"Speaking of Michelangelo," Splinter went on, "has he mentioned anything…unusual…to you?"

Raph chuckled. "Everything Mikey says is unusual, sensei."

Splinter narrowed his eyes. "Raphael, you know what I mean. Has he been acting unusual around you? I have noticed him spending a bit of time around you today."

Raph recalled what Mikey had told him about finding their grandmother on myFace. Knowing that Mikey wasn't the greatest at keeping secrets and covering his own ass, it came as no surprise that Mikey might have inadvertently been dropping hints, thus making Splinter suspicious. Nonetheless, he promised his little brother that he wouldn't say anything. He owed him that much.

He shook his head. "Nah, sensei. Other than…you know…he seems normal to me."

"He has been acting strangely," Splinter clarified. "He has been inquiring, to an unusual degree, about my family in Japan. I am worried…" He stopped, trying to find the right words. "I am worried that he may be having…troubling thoughts, doubts even."

Raph raised an eyeridge. "Uh…such as?"

Splinter looked to his son thoughtfully.

"Tell me, Raphael…" Again, he struggled to find the right words to say, even wondering if he should say it at all. "Have you…do you ever…" he sighed. "You and your brothers…you know that I love all of you, yes?"

Raph looked befuddled. "Uh…yeah, of course."

Splinter knew that the real meaning of his question wasn't understood.

"I mean," he rephrased, "you know that I love you all dearly, in spite of that the fact that…"

Raph cocked his head curiously. It was not so much that he didn't understand, just that he could not believe that they were actually about to have that conversation.

"…in spite of the fact that you are not…that you are adopted?"

Raph shifted uncomfortably.

"Um, yeah." He cleared his throat anxiously. "Yeah, of course."

"You know that," Splinter hesitated once more, "…you know that you are as much my children as Miwa is?

"Uh, yeah, Sensei…yeah, I know that."

Splinter shut his eyes, contemplating.

"Do you think that Michelangelo knows that?"

Raph shrugged. "I mean, yeah, I guess so."

Splinter could blatantly see that he was terribly confusing his son. He reached over and squeezed his shoulder.

"I am sorry, my son," he said. "I don't mean to confuse you, I am just worried about your brother. He has been acting strange as of late."

Raph rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I did hit him in the head pretty hard."

Splinter did not look amused. "I am serious, Raphael. Michelangelo keeps making unusual inquiries about my family from the past and behaving strangely. I am concerned that he may be having doubts."

Raph shuffled his fingers. Even if he said nothing, he was sure before long, Mikey was going to give himself away. Still, he had to keep his word.

"He hasn't said anything to me, sensei," he tried to reassure. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, though. If something were bothering him, I'm sure he'd tell you."

"And you are sure that he has said nothing to you?"

"Yeah, sensei. I'm sure."

Pop keeps that picture on his mantle. It's super important to him, and he'd kill me if he knew I took it, but I needed to show you so you know I have proof. Ask me anything you want about my father, or Tang Shen, or Miwa, or anything. I can answer it. I've heard all of the stories (or at least a whole bunch of them!) from my father's past. Please. Give me a chance.

Sayuri was at a loss. There was no way that this stranger could possibly be who he said he was. Yoshi was gone – he had to be. Yoshi would never abandon his dearest mother and father to hide out in some foreign land. Not the way that she remembered him, anyway.

She kicked herself for what she almost thought. Her son fleeing the country and not telling her was not worse than him having died a tragic death. She had to believe that if that were the case, there must have been a logical reason why he did it. Perhaps he was afraid to face the rest of his family, or maybe the pain of losing Shen was too much to bear. Yoshi may not have had the qualities of a deserter, but he was proud – too proud to allow his family to see him in such deep anguish.

She stared at the poor-quality image once more. She focused in on her smiling son, his adoring face frozen in time, and yet she longed to see it once more, as she had for so many years.

She sighed to herself. It was decided. If there was a chance he was still living, she needed to know it for sure, but if this was a trick, she needed to shoot it down before she let her hopes get too high.

"Okay, Michelangelo, tell me what it is that you want from me."

It's finally up! So what do you guys think Sayuri should ask Mikey? I'm interested to know.