Leonardo blew out his candles and rose smoothly from the woven mat he used for meditation. He had risen early, as was his custom; the ten minutes' meditation was to be followed by his morning exercises in the dojo.

He was surprised to see the televisions on when he passed the entertainment center downstairs. "Mikey, what the - ? Were you up all night?"

Michelangelo's red-rimmed eyes stared glassily out of the holes in his orange mask. "Is it morning already?"

Leo glanced at the VCR clock to make sure. "Yes… it's just after six."

The orange-masked turtle yawned and pushed the start button on his controller to pause the game he'd been playing. "I suppose the good news is I finally beat that stupid werewolf boss. But man! I'm gonna be no good for training today."

If Mikey hadn't looked so tired, Leo probably would have made some comment on time management. As it was, he took pity on his brother and tossed a blanket to him. "Here. Rest up until Splinter calls us in. I'm going to work on that katana move I've been trying to get right."

"Could ya give me some of that energy? Please?" joked Michelangelo with a hint of irony in his voice. He pulled the blanket closer around him and settled in for some shuteye.

The bokken fell wide of the mark Leonardo had picked to strike. He growled, frustrated with his body's apparent inability to obey what he expected of it. With a sigh of resignation, he held the bokken so that it lay on its back, parallel with one of his sheathed katana. He furrowed his brow, concentrating.

"Hyaaah!" With a cry he leapt forward, acting as if he were unsheathing the bokken and turning the motion into a downward chop. This time, the blow fell diagonally across the dummy's neck.

"Well done, Leonardo."

The soft, hoarse voice surprised the young turtle. His head whipped around; he hadn't heard Splinter enter. "Sensei!"

"You are getting better, my son. But do not allow your concentration to completely block out the world around you. Be focused, but be aware. Had I been a Foot ninja, I might have slain you by now."

Leonardo bowed. "I will remember that, Master Splinter."

The old rat smiled. "Come, Leonardo. If my nose is not mistaken, your brothers have started breakfast."

As the two entered the dojo and entered the kitchen, the silence was broken by shouts.

"Geez, Raph! You broke the microwave again! I don't have time to be fixing this whenever you use it!"

"Don't look at me, Donny! You wanna know why that piece of crap keeps bustin'? Cuz we got it from a dump, genius! Someone had to throw it out for it t'get there, and I wonder why!"

Leonardo and Splinter exchanged glances before going through the door. This was unusual - a fight between Raphael and Donatello? Usually the turtle in purple was much more patient with his hotheaded brother.

At any rate, Raph had somehow struck a nerve; Donatello's normally placid face was starting to tinge red as he retorted in a voice heavy with sarcasm. "Well, I'm sorry I've been wasting my time on gadgets to keep our shells clear of those Foot psychos. I'm sure we can sacrifice one or two of us if it means we'll have a working microwave!"

Splinter struck the tabletop with his walking stick. "Enough!" He pointed at the plate Raph was holding. "Raphael, what are you trying to do?"

The red-masked turtle nodded at the plate. "I was going to make bacon for breakfast, Sensei."

Splinter pointed his stick at the stovetop. "Use a pan, my son."

Leo poured a glass of water and gave it to Donatello. "Here, Don. If you want, I can offer a couple of extra hands to fix this after training. I may not understand all the technical stuff, but if you tell me what to do I can help. That way, you can get to your work much faster."

The water had been surprisingly refreshing - Don smiled slightly and nodded. "I'd appreciate that, bro." He glanced apologetically over at Raphael. "Sorry for losing it, Raph… I've had my hands full lately."

Raph looked up from his pan, which was beginning to sizzle. "No problem, Donny." He peered about the kitchen, "Now that the world is back in order… has anyone seen Mikey?"

"On the couch," replied Leo. "He says he was up late beating some wolf boss on that game of his. I told him to get some rest."

"No way!" exclaimed Raph. "He beat the Armored Werewolf in the Haunted Forest!" He practically vaulted out of the kitchen, heading for the TV room. "Yo, Mike!"

Splinter took over the pan of bacon. "I may give Michelangelo a reprieve for today, for I too am a little tired. Leonardo, you may take your brothers on a patrol of the sewers instead."