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The Finding

Chapter 8

"Yeah kid," Raph said, "I shouldn't of said what I did. I'm…sorry."

"So you say 'I'm sorry' and everything is okay again?" Mikey said coldly.

"We will do whatever it takes to convince you that we truly are sorry. We want you to come home," I said, but the next words out of Mikey's mouth froze us in shock.

"What makes you think I want to come home?"

My heart literally sank down to the bottom of my feet. I was shell-shocked, please forgive the pun. Did Mikey actually not want to go home? What about the team? What about Sensei? I had promised Splinter to bring his baby home.

"Mikey. What are you saying?" I asked, "Don't you want to come home? We have all missed you terribly."

"Mikey please don't say that you don't want to go home," Donnie begged, "We are a team."

"If we were such a team then why did you let Raphael tell me to get lost?" Mikey snapped.

"Donnie didn't," Raph stated as Mikey turned confused eyes towards him.

"What?"

"He decked me and has been given me hell ever since," Raph said.

A flutter of hope began in the pit of my stomach when Mikey smiled slightly. He turned incredulous eyes on Donatello.

"You punched Raph?" he asked a blushing Donatello.

"Well…he shouldn't have said that to you. I never wanted you to get lost," Donnie said, "I was so mad at Raphael, well…I just snapped."

"And I deserved it Mikey," Raph spoke up, "Please come home."

"I am so sorry Mikey," I said, "It was my fault that you were turned into a human being by Katsuro. I should have protected you better. I failed."

"You didn't fail Leo," Mikey said, "Katsuro is crazy. If I hadn't stepped in the way of his spell, then you would be in the same mess that I am in now. I have to become a fully trained Jinchuu to defeat Katsuro."

"But what about Splinter?" I asked freezing Mikey in his tracks, "He was devastated by your leaving. You have to come home for him at least."

"Don't you get it?!" Mikey yelled, "My old life is over now! If I stay then that madman hurts my family. Not even Master Makota can stop Katsuro! He nearly killed you guys twice."

"He'll have ta try a whole hell of a lot harder then," Raph growled, "The #$#$in' pervert messed with the wrong turtle's family."

"That's right," Donnie said.

Mikey looked at all of us in the eyes. He almost seemed to be trying to read our thoughts.

"I can't be what you want me to be!" Mikey whispered as his eyes filled with tear, "I can't be a ninja turtle anymore. Katsuro took that away from me and you knew that when you wouldn't let me be a part of the team. Go away and stop hurting me!"

Our little brother turned and fled to his room. Once again all we could do was stare at one another in shock.

"I'm not going anywhere," Donnie stated ending the depressing silence.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not going home without Michelangelo," Donnie said, "If anybody knows what Katsuro's weakness is, then Master Makota and the other Jinchuu will. I want to get Mikey back to normal again. I want our family whole again."

"Damn straight!" Raph said, "I didn't puke up my guts all the way from New York not ta bring the kid home. We'll just hafta get Mikey ta understand that he will always be a part of the team."

"What if there isn't a way to get him back to normal?" I asked playing devil's advocate.

"Leo! He's our baby brother," Raph growled angrily at me, "He's family no matter what."

"I just wanted to hear you say that," I said with a grin, "So we'll stay and find a way to defeat Katsuro and then get Mikey home?"

"Your damn straight!" Raph said.

"Absolutely!" Donnie said.

"Glad to hear it!" Master Makota chirped surprising the three of us.

"Sir?" I said confused.

"Michelangelo has been deeply hurt by this experience. The only being he has shown any real emotion with has been his kitten, Klunk…"

"He named a kitten Klunk?" Raph interrupted.

"Be respectful!" Donnie hissed slapping an amused Raphael on the back of the head.

"Ahem…as I was saying. The child needs his big brothers. You need to help him realize that he is needed and loved," Master Makota said, "You must convince Michelangelo that he is wanted or his very soul will whither away to a ghost of what he once was. A passion for life like your brother's should never be extinguished."

"We will convince him," I said, "To that we all swear."

To be continued.