A/N: I've been a little stuck. I have an outline for this story, but like most stories, it went way off track! I've been sitting staring at a blank screen for a week. But, I finally figured it out. This chapter is going to be a day in the life kind of thing, so to speak. Okay, enough babble. Enjoy the story.
Leonardo breathed deeply, and cleared his mind. He began to feel the calmness of meditation envelop him. A gentle breeze played with his bandanna tails, and he opened his eyes. Leo sighed and settled his hands on his knees. He really loved it here, outside at the farm. Although he and his brothers had been through a lot the past couple days, he felt relaxed. He knew the feeling would disappear as soon as he walked back into the house, but for now, it felt good.
Leo leaned his head back against the rough bark of the tree and half closed his eyes, watching the clouds float across the sky. A small smile played across his features. He spent a lot of time looking at the sky at the farm. He saw the night sky enough in New York, but it was rare that he saw the blue sky of the late morning.
Leo raised his arms above his head, stretching. He heaved himself to his feet and began to make his trek back to the farmhouse, where tension was so thick he could cut it with a katana.
Michelangelo looked up from his comic book as the hiss of pancake batter caught his attention. Sitting in a chair next to the oven with his leg propped up, Mikey grabbed a spatula and began flipping them. One particular stubborn pancake refused to flip.
"Come…on!" Mikey told the pancake, scraping the spatula under it and pulling upwards with a little too much force. The pancake flew in the air and hit Leo in the face with a 'splat' just as he walked in the door.
"That's one way to wake up," Leo said dryly, wiping the pancake batter off.
"Sorry, Leo." Mikey said, embarrassed.
Leo shrugged. "Don't worry about it Mike. Does Don know you're up?"
Mikey looked even more embarrassed and looked away. "Well…no. I kinda hopped my way out here. But don't tell him, Leo! If he knows I even moved out of my bed by myself, he'll have my shell."
"Alright, alright. Jeez." Leo said, somewhat amused. "I won't tell him."
Mikey looked relieved, and gestured to the skillet. "Pancake?"
Leo shook his head. "No thanks. Have you seen Raph?"
"Not since yesterday, dude." Mikey said.
Leo sighed. "Okay." After they had buried Splinter, Raph had become even more anti-social than he usually was. He left before everyone woke up, and came back when they were asleep. No one really knew where he went, but Leo had decided to give him a few days before he went after him. The last thing anyone needed right now was for Raph to blow up in their faces.
Not like I blame him. Leo thought. They had been through almost everything together. And Raph was convinced it was his fault, no matter how many times Leo had told him it wasn't. But since when did he ever listen to me.
"He didn't come in last night."
Leo blinked. "What?"
Mikey sighed. "I said, he didn't come in last night. I usually wake up when he comes in. He didn't come in last night."
Leo slowly grabbed his katana and held it in his hand. "I'm gonna go look for him."
As Leo was about to go out the door for the second time that day, he realized with a jolt that everything had started when he went after Raphael a few days ago. Maybe it would be better if he didn't go after him this time. Leo shook his head. What was he thinking? He had to make sure his brother was okay.
"Are you sure you didn't just not hear him come in last night?" Leo asked.
Mikey shook his head. "He wasn't in his room, either."
Leo sighed, and looked out the window. Looked like he was going back out. "I'll be back in a little while, Mike."
Leo trudged along through one of the many fields surrounding the farmhouse, keeping an eye open for Raph, but not paying much attention to anything. His katana scraped on the ground as he walked, and he lifted it up to his face, staring at his reflection in the metal.
Leo kept walking, staring at his weapon, until his foot connected with something hard and he fell flat on his face. Leo grunted as he hit the ground,and rolled away to see what he had tripped on.
Leo's eyes widened. Raph was lying curled on his side on the ground. Leo scrambled over to him and shook him. "Raph! RAPH!"
Raph opened one eye, caught sight of Leo, and sat up. "Jeez, Leo, chill." He yawned.
Leo's mouth hung open. "You were sleeping?"
Raph blinked and looked around, then up, squinting at the sun. "Looks that way."
Leo shook his head in disbelief. "Raphael, you had me thinking you were dead!"
"Well I'm not," Raph said, rolling his neck and standing up. He extended a hand to Leo, who took it. "So calm down."
Leo sighed as he was pulled to his feet. "Well…" he had a whole lecture planned, but now he couldn't seem to remember a word of it. He gave up, and opted for another route. "How can you sleep out here?"
Raph shrugged. "Easy." He nodded at the ground. Leo followed his brother's gaze, and caught sight of two or three beer bottles on the ground. There were probably a few more hidden by the tall grass as well.
"Raphael…" Leo started, but then stopped himself. He really didn't feel like lecturing Raph right now, and his words would fall on deaf ears anyway. "Want some breakfast?"
Raph looked surprised. Leo assumed Raph had been preparing himself to tune him out, or thinking up some smart ass reply to whatever Leo was going to say. However, Leo's words surprised Raph, and all he could manage to say was a rough "Sure."
The two brothers made their way back to the house in silence.
A large crash resonated from inside the kitchen as they approached the house,followed by April's shrill voice, "Michelangelo!"
Leo raised an eyeridge, and looked at Raph, who looked back,a confusedlook on his face. "C'mon, let's see what's up," Raph said, pushing open the door.
April was standing in the middle of the kitchen, completely covered in white flour. Mikey was standing on one leg behind her, using her as a human shield.
"Donnie…what's going on?" Leo asked his brother, who was looking extremely tired and frustrated.
"Mikey here won't let me give him any pain killers."
Raph and Leo both looked surprised at this news. Out of all of them, Mikey was the one who hated dealing with pain the most.
"Why's that, Mikey?" Leo asked his orange clad brother, who was still cowering behind April.
"'Cause it's in a needle!" Mikey said indignantly.
"If you keep walking around like that, Mike, your leg will hurt a lot worse than this needle will!" Don said, exasperated with the whole thing.
"NO!"
Leo rolled his eyes. "Mike, you're acting like a kid."
Mikey glowered at Leo. "In case you haven't noticed, Leonardo, I am a kid!"
Leo sighed. Mikey had a point. "Okay, fine. You're acting like a little kid!"
"And…why is April covered in flour?" Raph asked, obviously trying hard not to laugh, and failing miserably.
"Because," April said, "Michelangelo here knocked it all over me while he was trying to escape."
Raph couldn't hold it in any more, and began laughing. Leo joined him, and soon everyone was laughing so hard they all had to sit down at the table just so they could breathe. And as they laughed, some of the tension disappeared.
Two hours later, April had managed to get most of the flour off, and Don had cornered Mikey and got him to sit still for a second to give him the painkiller.
It had started to rain, and all five of them were sitting in the living room, relaxing and listening to the soothing sound of the rain pattering on the roof.
April had her sketchbook out, and was drawing something. She wouldn't let the guys see what it wasuntil she was done.
Leo was curled up in a corner of the couch, reading a book. Raph was on the other side of the couch, his head resting on his hand, absently channel surfing, but not really seeing the screen.
Mikey sat on the floor in front of the couch with his bad leg stretched out, listening to his walkman and playing on his game dude at the same time.
Mikey nodded his head to the music and began singing to his CD.
"Bahamas, pajamas, I want some pretty llamas…"
"Mikey…" Raph groaned, pausing in his channel surfing as April giggled. "That's not how the song goes."
"I know." Mike said, sliding his headphones off. "But I don't know the words. Gotta improvise, dude." Raph groaned, and Leo simply rolled his eyes.
"What'cha doin', Donnie?" Mikey asked, twisting around so he could see his genius brother, who was at the current moment, playing on the computer.
"Just…looking at something, Mikey," Don said distractedly, as he typed in another web address.
Mikey snorted and put his headphones back on. Don could be that way for hours when on the internet.
Don sighed as he finished reading another internet news column. Oroku Saki was becoming an even bigger celebrity than he everwas before.
Savior of New York my shell…Don thought. A small pinging noise brought his attention to the corner of the computer screen.
Don brought the mouse to the little green messenger icon and clicked on it, typing in his screen name and password. His contacts list appeared. There was no one on except one. Don smiled a little as a pop up box came up.
Firejay: Yo, ninja, what's up?
Don sighed, and looked back at his brothers. Mikey was watching television with Raph, arguing with him about whether wrestling was fixed or not, while Leo and April were in deep conversation, her sketchbook forgotten. He rested his hands back on the keyboard.
Purple ninja: Not too much. My bro's and I are just relaxing with a friend.
Firejay: Oh yeah? Lucky you get to relax.
Purple ninja: Not really. The only reason we're with our friend is cause our…dad passed away recently.
Firejay: Aww, sorry to hear.
Purple ninja: It's okay, we're coping.
Firejay: Did he die of natural causes?
Don blinked. Well, for a ninja, being killed is a natural cause. But he couldn't tell some person he met on the internet that.
Purple ninja: No. But I'd rather not talk about it.
Firejay: Understandable. I went to a speech yesterday.
Purple ninja: Was it public?
Firejay: Yup.
Don frowned. He thought he knew about all the public speeches in New York.
Firejay: Oroku Saki gave it. You know, that Japanese philanthropist? It was really interesting..
Don's jaw dropped. Oroku Saki? What in the world could he be talking about publicly?
Purple ninja: Okay, sorry, I gotta go.
Firejay: Aw, okay. Feel better about your dad.
Purple ninja: thanks. Bye.
Don logged off, and sat back in his chair, staring at the computer screen.
"Something wrong, Don?" Leo asked, turning away from April, a concerned look on his face.
Don opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Nothing."
Leo gave him a confused look, then shrugged and turned back to his book.
Don sighed and watched his brothers. He had a bunch of ideas and theories, none of them good. He would tell Leo in private, later.
Oroku Saki stood at the window, his arms folded. "Report." He told the silent ninja behind him.
"There are still no signs of the turtles."
Shredder scowled. "And what of their friend? The one who used to work for Stockman…O'Neil?"
"Still no sign."
Shredder whipped around and picked up a chair, throwing it across the room in his rage. The ninja continued standing at attention.
"You are dismissed."
The ninja bowed, and disappeared.
Shredder paced a few moments, then pushed a button on the wall. "Karai. I have a job for you to do."
A/N: Whew, this chapter was hard! I had to work up to things I want to happen, but still not make it boring! I hope I pulled it off okay. For those of you who don't know, Oroku Saki is considered the 'savior of New York' now, because he spent a lot of money helping the city reconstruct after theTriceraton invasion in the cartoon.