Mikey was always adopting new habits, it really didn't take a whole lot for him to start fiddling. He'd adopted the jumping up and down wildly habit when nervous, the unspeakable burping habit after every meal, the touch every single thing in Donnie's lab upon entering uninvited habit- though these days the latter wasn't as much of a problem to Mikey's chagrin, and now, the glancing everywhere in every direction at once habit, except to his left where April O'Neil was now walking alongside him.

After his attempt to get answers from the foot-soldier had led him straight into the concrete on open street, he'd come to the conclusion that maybe trying to follow the guys out to kill him probably wasn't such a good idea. If Leo was here, he'd have come up with a better plan, Mikey thought. He wouldn't have set himself up for a trap, he wouldn't be walking with his former friend towards her house despite Donnie clearly stating not to, he wouldn't feel like his heart was trying to claw its way up his chest because if she finds out who he really is, she'll be a target too. More lying, more selfishness, more of the bad-guy-villainy stuff Mikey usually fought against, this time making him sweat pinballs trying not to blow his cover. He felt like Spiderman or Batman which, in any other situation would have been the coolest thing ever, but instead made him feel even more guilty than anything else. At least Batman's rich, he could probably pay people to keep his secret a secret. And then he could pay the people keeping his secret a secret. Then pay them to keep the secret of their secret a secret-

Bonging into a pole so hard the world was spinning for a moment, Mikey let out a nervous laughter escaping his trail of thought, April sending him a weird glance before quickly moving along. Focus, Mikey! This is serious! Can't let that ninja dude hurt April. Donnie's gonna totally kill me if that happens. He could already hear his big brother's voice scold him for being so careless, spooky reddish vampire eyes and the thought alone was an excellent motivator.

Truth be told, the turtles hadn't seen April for a while, even before the siege of their home. Though Mikey had tried and failed to avoid asking, it didn't take a genius to figure out that something had been bothering her. And before they knew it, she stopped coming to the lair, stopped coming on patrols, stopped sneaking them into the movie theater. Mikey had feared their oldest friend had abandoned them for the human world, which he could absolutely understand, after all if he'd have that option, he probably would've skipped patrol at least thrice a week. But it still pained him to think that whatever it was bothering her, it seemed that whatever the turtles did, she only seemed to fade more and more away. Leo advising them to let her be until she decided what was best for her, just like papa did after the Kirby-bat incident.

Rounding the corner, Mikey felt the sting of the cut on his cheek and sighed. At least it's not bleeding anymore he thought, before glancing back at April. Her hair cut suprisingly short, though keeping her iconic yellow headband while sporting her grey winter jacket. She was still clutching the underside of her belly where, if Mikey where to guess, he'd probably caused her to break a rib or two… or maybe a lung? I'm no doctor but you can walk that off, right? She bit her lip, flinching.

Riiiight…?

"Sorry again for bumping into you. I really should be looking where I'm going hehe. Shoelaces, am I right?" Mikey tried, before realizing he was wearing shoelace-less boots.

"More like look where you're running. Who was that guy anyway?"

Come on, think of something, anything… why were you running, why were you running-

"Oh, just a… wallet… stealer. Yeah! Wicked pocket thief. You never know who you might encounter around these parts. It's not safe"

Nailed it! Self-three- Ugh, I mean five. Self-five… got it.

"I'm sorry about that" April muttered, showing clear signs of concern.

"It's fine I don't have a wallet"

Mikey wanted to slap himself, doing a double-take as his mind reeled trying to salvage it. "Anymore, I mean. I don't have a wallet anymore of course, as you know… stolen. Hehe"

April laughed. It was something Mikey hadn't seen in a while and to be honest, it made him almost forget the fact that he was supposed to be a stranger.
"It's weird… I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. Are you sure we haven't met?"

"Totally! I mean I would remember meeting you I feel, definitely, but since I don't, we most likely haven't already met each other if you know… I mean I met this time traveler once who knew who I was even though we hadn't met yet, and she was super sweet and all, but I'm pretty sure that's not the same thing"

There was a long pause. April seemed to be debating on whether or not she should make a run for it or indulge this weirdo following her out of curiosity. Or maybe just whether or not she should use her 'mind-blowing superpowers' as Mikey put it, to send him into the nearest dumpster at full speed. Just the thought alone made the young ninja take a solid step to the side, the hairs on his arms rising, which to this day remained a sensation he thought tickled immensely. Human bodies are weird…

"Riiiiight…. But you know who I am?" she asked, leaning closer as if she could just about see the turtle hiding inside. And who knows, maybe she could. There was no saying where April O'Neil's powers stopped, and it wasn't like she hadn't done something similar in the past.

"I don't! Really! I just know you're name because…" Mikey gulped. Think fast, what would Donnie say? Something sciency, something desperate- Of course! "I'm a huge fan of your dad!" he spit out, so unintentionally loud it rang several blocks down the street, resulting in people turning on the lights around the neighborhood. Ups.

April blinked, skepticism painted all over her face. "You know my dad? Really?"

"Yeah, science, technology all that wicked stuff! That also totally doesn't have anything to do with alien abduction or mind control. You know, all that cool jazz. Big fan, definitely"

"Name one project he's been working on"

Mikey realized his lie wasn't very thought out and prayed to the pizza lords that she didn't piece it together. "Uhhhhh… The brain… science project?"

April just continued starring, arms crossed judgingly. Thanks a lot Donnie. Finally,, he gave up, figuring the best way to go about this was to pretend like he knew exactly what he was talking about all the time even if he in reality didn't have the slightest clue what he was doing. Kinda like Casey.

"Okay fine. I just go to your school and I overheard some guys talking about your dad so I wanted to meet you for real."

A scuff was heard from his old friend, as they finally made it to her aunt's house he recognized so vividly. It was strange seeing it from the sidewalk though. Sitting down on the steps April buried her face in her knees. "I find that hard to believe. I'm not really the most popular person"

Mikey didn't believe what he was hearing, "B-But you're April O'Neil! Like, the awesomest, bestest kunoi- ehh I mean coolest person in like, ever!"

She smiled, chuckling lightly, "You know, you kinda remind me of someone. What did you say your name was again?"

"g-arhhhhh Garfield?"

Once again Mikey had the inept urge to kick himself. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't just have used a regular name like Paul or Jeremiah, but why did he have to use a made up fake name? This was going horribly well and then of course he had to blow it like this. At least, that's what he thought for sure happened, but looking into April's eyes, she didn't seem all that suspicious for some weird reason. Maybe that could be my Hero name! It totally works. Garfield: human by day, fighting super mega ninja by night… Huh… I'm a better liar than I thought. And upon this realization, he decided to stick to it, proudly pressing his human thumb against his chest- in the process nearly knocking the air out of his lungs. No shell… right.

"Garfield. That is my name. But you can call me Garf"

April nodded, eyes falling to the ground. Mikey stood for a while simply starring at her, shifting the balance from his left foot to his right and so on, before cautiously sitting down beside her on the steps. Just because Michelangelo's not the smoothest potato, doesn't mean Garfield can't be. He should've come up with a secret persona years ago!

"So… I haven't really seen you around the school. What's up?"

She didn't answer immediately, Mikey almost regretting that he even asked. While the young ninja viewed April as a sister, a member of their clan, fact remained that they never really talked a whole lot. When the B-team started splitting up he'd blamed her for it for a good while, thinking the only reason Donnie started becoming more and more distant was her fault. That she pulled his older brother away from him, rendering Mikey feeling slightly left out. But after saving their lives over and over again, watching her be there for Leo when he needed it the most, as well as help take down the Shredder, he'd truly come to see her as family. Someone he could seek comfort in and even though she usually listened to him whenever he went on a tangent, they never really confided in each other. Not really. And it bugged him, course right here and now, it really felt like he could tell her anything.

April let out a sigh, starring up at the lampposts, looking like someone with nothing left to lose. "If you really wanna know, I transferred a few months ago to Northampton. I'm just in New York visiting my aunt for a school trip. I'm leaving again Friday, so I guess you knocked over the right person all things considered. Unless it wasn't unintentional…?"

But Mikey didn't catch onto that last part until his mind sprang into action, along with his legs. Before he knew it, he rose to his feet not five seconds after sitting down, arms outstretched over-exaggeratedly.

"Wait a minute- Northampton?! But that's so far away! What about your friends?! Don't you miss them?! I thought you LOVED New York!"

"I don't really have a lot of friends. Not anymore, at least. It's- complicated. I'm surprised you've even heard of me or my dad, Garf. And wait- why am I even telling you this?"

Mikey didn't know what to say. And before he could even come up with something, April already started pulling away, "I'm sorry, I should go now. I'm sure my aunt's worried"

"No, wait, April! " Mikey yelled, grabbing her by the wrist so suddenly the shear force made her drop her bag. It flew upon, books and pencils tumbling down the steps along with a very significant black fan, Mikey quickly recognized. As it landed by his feet, he reached down to get it, but then,

"I got it-

"No! Don't!"

April had already grabbed the tessen, clinging it tightly to her chest like it was her very reason for living. Her gaze calmed though when she saw Mikey's apologetic face, quickly gathering the rest of her stuff as she folded the weapon and stuffed it safely down her pocket.

"I-I'm sorry I just… Urgh, what is your deal anyway?"

"Nothing! I just… dangerous streets, you know. Just look at what happened to me, hehe… Wanna make sure you come home safely and all.. It's just really good to see you… in person! I mean… 'course of your dad, of course. Neuro-scientist ginger dude, good ol' Kirby. "

Once again, a shadow appeared over April's face and the kunoichi took a deep breath before proceeding, unsure but resolute all the same. Neither was really sure why, but it felt safe to talk for some reason. Almost too safe.
"Truth is, no one's talked about my dad in years now. Heck, I don't think anyone's even aware he's alive anymore. These days in particular"

"What do you mean? He's alright isn't he?"

Please don't be were-bat, please don't be a were-bat, please don't be a were-bat…

"No… it's hard to explain but, there's been a lot going on and it's really taken a toll on him. I haven't seen him at work for weeks now on end. I used to have people who looked after me, looked after us I mean, but... things change, I guess. My dad's in a mental hospital because of it."

At this, Mikey's mind completely skipped a beat. So, that's why… poor Kirby just can't catch a break!

"I'm so sorry"
"No, its fine! Really. He's getting better, at least that's what the doctors say. Right now, I just want to get this school trip over with and get as far away from here as possible. The sooner I do that, the sooner I can get back to the real world again. New York's just not the same anymore… sorry for spurring all this on you, we barely know each other I mean" she laughed, absentmindedly playing with her bangs. Mikey was careful not to get too close, reaching out a hand for comfort, but pulled away once his friend started walking towards the front door probably eager to get inside.

"But what if you're needed here? And maybe you just don't know it?"

"No one needs me. It's just… complicated, okay? So, would you please just quit prying and leave me alone?"

Maybe without doing it deliberately, Mikey couldn't help but notice the way her voice rose slightly. She was clearly upset and not even a free pizza would be able to change that. Still, he hadn't spent months searching for his family just to let them get away the moment things got awkward. April was there for him and his brothers after the loss of Master Splinter. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't return the favor? Even if he wasn't completely gone, that is. It was that mindset that made the young ninja call out, despite the ever-present pit in his stomach telling him that something was wrong.

"April?"

"What?"

He stopped for a moment, carefully picking his words before settling on the first thing that sprang to mind, "Just… be careful, okay?"

Once again, April revealed a smile under the hood of her jacket, hand still on the doorknob.
"I can take care of myself, Garf but… thanks. And you should probably have someone take a look at that cut. I'm sure your family might like to know you got your wallet stolen. Though I'm not sure police can help so much in that department"

And all of a sudden one million alarm clocks rang, Mikey quickly reaching up to his wound that painfully reminded him what he'd forgotten. Why his ninja senses had kicked in, and panic replaced his relief like a dagger to his chest. "Family? Oh no, I'm late! Eh sorry, April gotta go! Just-

He ran down the street, stopping halfway around the block when he remembered to turn around and finish his sentence.

-be safe!"

She put up a hand to wave as Mikey sprung around the corner, gone for one moment before suddenly reappearing.

"Like seriously"

April opened her mouth to say something, when alas, he was gone. Again. At least, until the sound of Mikey tripping over something in the distance restated his presence.

"And watch out for shoelaces!" he yelled, April standing back, understandably having trouble processing what just happened.

"See ya around…? Complete stranger from my old High School…"

It had been about a week in NYC's Presbyterian Hospital. Leo spent his days changing the bandages around his head, talking to psychiatrists and taking his medicine before retreating to his bed. He didn't know a whole lot about himself, but something he did know for a fact, was that spending your days in a shared room full of delusional patients wasn't a good way to recover. He'd spend hours on end sapping through the TV in search of anything to do, waiting for someone to come and get him. It couldn't be long right? After all, someone out there was bound to know who he was. It didn't have to be family, maybe just a friend, anyone, New York was too big for someone not to have a clue.

But no matter who he asked, doctors alike, the only thing he got back was vague remarks that 'everything was going to be fine' or that he simply 'had to be patient'. And he'd tried. He tried focusing his energy on recovery, on the medicine he was given, the rehabilitating exercises meant to strengthen his mind, but to no end. He continued to look at himself in the mirror every morning without the faintest idea of who he was.

Everyday continuing on like this, the outside world slipping away from his mind until he barely remembered what it was like. Everything was so clean, so noisy, so foreign to him that even the simplest of tasks was a struggle. He couldn't sit still, always had to move, always had to do something or the nagging feeling that he was losing his mind would take over anew.

And then one evening, while he was absolutely mesmerized by an old Space show from the eighties he found at random, he got a visitor.

"Leo? You have a guest"

He nodded, eyes still glued to the screen. If it was another psychiatrist trying in vain to make him somehow recollect his past, Leo had long since given up. But what he didn't expect was instead a man somewhere in his mid-fifties, to come waltzing into the room hands in the pocket of a tattered brown leatherjacket, badge in hand and traces of a stubble 'round his chin.

For a good second, Leo had the faint hope this man would be able to give him some answers about his past, but upon further inspection wasn't able to spring up any memories. Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy. As of now, Leo had no idea who this man was, and was also fairly certain he'd never seen him before, judging by the way he eyed Leo up and down uninterestingly when entering the room.

"You must be Leo. I'm detective Hopkins. I just wanna ask you a few questions, if that's alright with you. It won't take long"

"You're a cop?" Leo remarked, noticing the gun in his belt instantly making him tense up.

"Quick one aren't you"

The cop walked over to the nearest chair, folding up the sleeves on his jacket before taking notice of the TV having almost completely stolen the young teenager's attention.

"The hell are you watching?"

Leo had only known this person for approximately one minute, and already he'd come to the conclusion this cop was a jerk. He didn't bother attempting to hide away his scorn, "Space Heroes. Why, is that part of your investigation?"

"Not one for small talk I see. I'll cut right to the chase then," the cop just said, pulling out what looked to be a folder of some kind from the underside of his coat. When he started reading, Leo was already reciting every word in his mind as it had been told to him upon repeat.

"Report says they found you unconscious in the sewers of downtown, trauma to the head and ribcage. Local witness reports state they heard somewhat of a disturbance somewhere around the same area not fifteen minutes earlier. However, the only thing they found, other than you of course, was rubble from the property damage and burst sewer pipes. Any of this check out?"

Leo didn't know what to say. He'd been unconscious, how would he know? All he really remembered was waking up in the hospital, and outside of that the only memories stirring from his apparent 'assault' was how much it'd hurt to be knocked out, but that was about it. Not wanting to be rude however, Leo decided to indulge the cop, trying to answer the best way he could. "Yeah, I mean… I think so..?"

"Good. And your memories, how are they coming along? You remember how you got there? Anything before we found you perhaps?"

Already Mr. Hopkins was flying by the seat of his pants, going too fast for Leo to even process the first question. Any other day he'd appreciate the frankness of the police officer, instead of the long end of 'how do you feel this or that' the doctors had approached him with. However, Leo had the slight sense the cop was more interested in using him to get along with his work than helping him remember out of the goodness of his heart.

"No... Nothing"

The cop started scribbling on his pad, "Were you alone? Do you remember anyone there with you?"

"I don't know"

"Anyone who might've wanted to hurt you? Or… anything, maybe?"

"Like what?!" Leo burst out more than confused. What? Did he suspect an alligator had attacked him? Hopkins shrugged, sparing a quick glance at the boy who right now was digging his hands in the linens of his bed. "I dunno. Lots of strange things in the sewers"

Leo sighed. He turned back towards the TV, hugging his knees tightly. The silence that ran through the room was deafening, stretching for a while before the cop finally seemed to take notice of the boy's disinterest. He put down the notepad, leaned forward and for just a moment, it was like he'd finally run out of questions, and thank god for that, because Leo was tired of not being able to answer them.

"How about… your parents? You must have a family…" he then said, Leo feeling his frustrations boil over until it exploded out of him.

"I don't know! That's what I'm telling you" Leo let out a sigh, pulling at his hospital band. "You can ask all you want but its not going to change anything… I'm sorry, but I can't help you"

Hopkins seemed at a loss for words. Maybe he'd expected this to be easy, or maybe he'd just wanted to see how far gone this kid really was, if he even cared. Honestly, Leo had no idea why he even bothered coming in the first place, given memory loss usually wasn't the most efficient way to get to the bottom of things. And if he were to guess, probably not the best way to solve a case. As of now, the only thing Leo was good for was simply passing time.
"You know instead of watching television all day, have you thought about getting some sun every once in a while?"

"They don't let me out much"

"No?" the cop seemed puzzled. He shifted out of his chair, observing the room cautiously. There wasn't much in there, truth be told, other than basic medical equipment and sympathy bouquets from various staff members.

"They won't let me… I just- I feel like I'm going crazy! Everyone here, they're crazy! I just can't help anybody in here, I'm useless! I don't…" Leo sighed. "I don't know how long I can keep doing this"

"Can't say I blame you"

The cop circled back, his attention once again catching glimpse of the screen.

"You know, I used to love Space when I was little. Wanted to be an astronaut. Then my pops came home one day with this astrology book, telling me aliens aren't real and that I needed to get my head out of the clouds. Became a cop instead"
"Hey, this is a good show! Anyway, I thought you were here to ask me questions, not dunk on one of the greatest shows out there!"

Leo didn't even know why he was so defensive all of a sudden. This didn't seem very important, and yet he acted like the cop had just threatened to break his favorite toy… it was weird. He couldn't explain it.

"That was the plan, but seems to me your head's still sore from whatever knocked your lights out"

"I'm trying the best I can-

"I know, I know, don't worry. This isn't your fault… probably. I mean you don't seem like a troublemaker. Are you, kid?"

This set Leo back for a moment. He'd never actually thought of it like that before, not until Mr. Hopkins pointed it out. That maybe the reason behind his peril wasn't just an accident due to bad infrastructure, or even an attempt at his life personally from someone he wouldn't even be able to recognize today. That maybe it was somehow his own fault he ended up down there that night. That maybe he somehow deserved this.

Unintentional or not, Leo really didn't know how to feel about himself. I mean, no one feels they're inherently a bad person but, that wasn't to say Leo hadn't been irresponsible in some way, resulting in whatever it was that imploded the tunnel… or worse, the rupture from that night was actually very intentional and only served as a testament to his own self-deprivation. Could he have done it himself? Why? At least from inside the hospital walls all of those doubts boiling over inside of him seemed more than plausible, nearly making him hyperventilate. He needed the truth, that much he knew. No matter the cost… he was just terrified that maybe the outcome in the end, would only make him wish he hadn't.

"It's Leo and no, at least… I don't think I am. I don't feel like I am, I mean."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. We might not have a whole lot of evidence at the moment, but-

"Is there anything else you wanna tell me I don't already know?" Leo snapped, instantly regretting his rash outburst. Luckily, he noticed his knack of calming his mind quicker than most patients, otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand the way the officer was looking at him right now. Eyes full of pity.

"You really don't remember anything, do ya?"

Leo sighed. He exited the bed and held out a hand towards Mr. Hopkins, "I'm sorry for wasting your time"

Though he seemed hesitant at first, perhaps out of surprise from the kid's sudden change in tone, he shook it firmly. A gleam in his eyes while he started rubbing his chin curiously with the other. Like he was just thinking up an absolute terrible, terribly thought-out idea he'd surely regret, but was too self-assured to allow himself to really think it through before saying it.

"You know, I have a spare room back at my place. If you wanna I could… maybe pull a few strings? Help each other out?"

Leo could barely comprehend what he was hearing.

"You- wait, you would do that?"

"Don't see why not. Might be good for you. The decor here is terrible."

As the cop started walking back towards the door, he spared the now scarcely optimistic kid one more glance of reassurance upon exiting, "And besides, this'll be an easy one. Trust me we'll have you home before you know it."

Now Leo's stay with Mr. Hopkins had been a lot of things since then, most of them not living up to his expectations. However, that never lessened his gratitude towards the police officer. After all, had it not been for him, Leo wouldn't have been granted a home that didn't feel like a prison. He wouldn't get actual good food on the table, though he himself mostly stood for making it, and he wouldn't get free access to 'Space Heroes Battle Galactica' which included his most prized possession: the rare 'Space Heroes'- shirt Mr. Hopkins bought him at a flee-market nearly two months ago.

A shirt so valuable yet at the same time excruciatingly inconsequential that Leo never in his wildest dreams would've imagined that shirt to get him into trouble. And yet here he was, all by himself, backed up in an alley by a girl pointing a katana at his throat. He gulped as the stranger glared into his eyes, holding the blade with such precision that it almost looked like she was doing a dance. Leo gulped, both hands held up in surrender, though he really hoped for Mr. Hopkins to notice he was gone soon, so that the cop could come to his rescue. Though when he quickly pulled out his pockets the girl just smiled.

"I don't want your money. Nice shirt though" She edged closer, lowering the blade as her posture loosened up and Leo didn't know how to react. "You know I had a friend once who loved that show. Wouldn't stop talking about it, in fact. Funny coincidence, don't you think?"

"Do I know you?"

"A good question. Think fast!"

The girl suddenly swung her blade at Leo's head so fast he barely saw what was happening. The boy, thinking for sure that he was going to get his throat sliced, almost immediately and without thinking ducked to the side. It was like one of those movies where everything goes into slow motion and as Leo pushed the girl's arm to the side, almost like a reflex he sunk to the ground and swept her leg in one fellow swoop. How did I-?! And though she only barely lost balance, the girl quickly regained her momentum and rolled forward, swinging her blade by Leo's arm. He tried to duck but wasn't fast enough before a solid kick to his back send him reeling into the wall.

"Hmm. Impressive"

"Are you crazy?! You nearly stabbed me!"

"Could've. Didn't. "

Leo's vision was blurry for a good second, but quickly regaining his senses he focused on trying to get to the other end of the alley. As it stood now, he was just as backed up into the corner like a mouse hunted by cat. But it was strange because a part of him felt like he'd done this before… like he'd seen the girl before, but that couldn't be right… wouldn't she know him too? Unless she was involved with the Purple Dragons somehow. After all, she did supposedly appear out of the sewers, suspiciously at the same time he was investigating it- well, if you could really call it that, just a day following last night's homicide.

"Who are you?"

"I told you" and like lightning the girl grabbed Leo by the arm and twisted it around his back, blade to his throat. "Name's Karai"

Leo tried not to let his panic show. He was just one cut to the throat away from yelling out after help. "Okay, what were you doing down there, Karai? You came from the sewers, didn't you?"

"And you're with that cop, aren't you?"

Leo didn't think, once again letting his body do the work and he amazed himself by how effectively he managed to free himself from Karai's grasp. She didn't even seem annoyed at this, mostly… curious. Leo didn't understand… how was that possible? He didn't get much time to speculate at this however, before his assailant once again swung her blade at him, which he repeatedly ducked.

"Are you with the Purple Dragons?"

"Ha! Now that's a good one. You're very cute. Another thing you two have in common"

"What are you talking about? In common with who?!"

Karai opened her mouth, just about to answer when a familiar voice suddenly echoed down the street and both froze up glancing down the passage.

"Leo? LEO! You here?!"

Karai lowered her blade, eyes dilating in bafflement.

"Leo…"

There was no time to lose and he didn't waste another minute before shouting out,

"Mr. Hopki-

However, Karai was once again, too quick for his already unusually good reflexes. She quickly clamped a hand over Leo's mouth, pinning him against the wall. And for just one moment of quiet between the two, it seemed as if they understood something very fundamentally about each other. Something which, initially neither would be able to pinpoint exactly what was, but without a doubt making both's decision not to grab hold of the other even more important.
"Looks like playtime's over. For now at least" she said, swinging her blade back into its holster before swinging up the ladder with incredible acrobatic prowess.

"See ya around, Leo"

"No, wait! You can't just…" but before he could stop it, she was gone. "…leave. Great"

Leo wondered deeply if letting her go was a mistake or not. After all, the way she looked at him, talked to him or even just approached him it all seemed so frustratingly familiar somehow. Like he knew her, or she knew him. Something unspoken he wanted to get to the bottom off, but didn't even know how to find her now. Sure, she threatened to kill him, but wasn't the fact that she didn't a testament to her integrity? Maybe she just wanted to help. Same as him.

"Leo! What did I tell you? I ask you for one simple thing and you can't even sit in the car!" Hopkins looked even more tired than this morning, the bags under his eyes making him seem twice his age.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hopkins, I just…"

"Just what? I thought we had a deal, kid!"

Leo sighed, clutching his head as if that would somehow kickstart his brain. The image in his head, the flashes of stuff that's seemingly pointless continuing to haunt him like his life depended on it.

"What's the matter? You remember something?" Hopkins asked, seemingly concerned. Defeated, Leo decided that whatever it was that tried so desperately to claw out of his mind, it wouldn't come back to him by just standing there. That of course, didn't erase the slight disappointment he felt at losing the only clue he'd found in ages.

"I'm not sure"

Hopkins let out a sigh, sorting through his papers, "Well, whether you do or not, there's something you should see" he said, leading Leo back to the car where he scrambled through his reports lying safely tucked away underneath the compartment. When he came back out, he held up one single paper, the image of what Leo could only describe to be some sort of flower scribbled on the front.

"Does the name Hamato ring any bells?"

"You've got to be kidding me"

When Raph and Donnie first made their way to OLS, Raph wasn't sure what to think. He'd spend a few moments gawking at the entrance sign, while simultaneously thinking they'd somehow walked to the wrong building or even more unlikely, that his younger brother was pulling a joke on him or something. But no. Of all places, of course this would've been the perfect hiding spot to pick. And while Raph couldn't say he wasn't at least a little impressed with Donnie's very unbiased choice of hideout, it still annoyed him how obvious it was in the end.

Raph had spent months on end checking every street corner, every subway, every bridge, every alley, every abandoned building, day after day. He'd asked strangers, homeless people, thugs and even the police one time, in the faint hope that it would somehow get him closer to finding them. But when all he got was a smack to the face and a few broken ribs, he'd quickly concluded that there was a good chance his brothers were instead held captive somewhere he couldn't find them. That they were still alive, just out of reach. Somewhere so secret not even he'd know where to look, course it never worked when he did.

And yet, here he was, the most obvious place in the world and the thought never even occurred to him. Of course, Donnie would pick a laboratory. Of course, it had to be the least known one in the entirety of NYC.

And of course, Raph would have never even thought of it until now, where his little brother waved him over to the side of the building. Not a lot of people going through the area, yet he still acted like they were ninjas in the night, and not two very over their heads human-teenagers suspiciously swinging up on the ladder to the roof.

"So, what's it stand for, huh? Only for Loser Scientists?"

"Oh, Ha-ha very funny, Raph." Rolling his eyes, Donnie scouted through the window after coming up on fourth, Raph still hanging by the ladder. "It's The Observation of Local Sciences, and it might not look like much, but I promise you, this is a highly respectable institution. These scientists are gonna pave the way for our future one day, just you wait and s-"

"Maurie! If you mix up the Sulfur with unhygienic bacterium one more time, I will have you personally acidified into my price wall's next living CARCASS!"

"Hm. I like this place already."

Donnie gives Raph the silent shut up-glare and continues climbing. When they reach the roof of the building, his brother quickly hurries over to the entrance door marked 'exit' overhead, before solemnly shoving his bo staff through the handle. And before Raph could even ask, he was already round the corner fiddling with what looked to be some sort of delivery crate stacked away behind it.

"What are you doing?"

Hastily Donnie began to unbind his mask, Raph quickly following suit, whilst his brother also started unbuttoning his jacket and losing his protective gear, "Mr. Gilgamesh can't know I was out during my shift."

Raph had a variety of questions at this, the first one first and formerly being, "The heck is that?"
"He's my boss" Donnie clarified, pulling out what looked to be a grey jumpsuit of some sort.

"Sounds more like one of Santa's elves if you ask me."

"Well, you're not too far off" he muttered, Raph leaning against the wall patiently waiting for his brother to explain himself. He was just silently praying he didn't also have to change out of his clothes for whatever reason, however dirty his current attire appeared. He liked his jacket, rags and all. Then, just as he was about to shove his left foot into the suit, it was like Donnie just remembered he wasn't alone and turned towards Raph in a less than subtle panic.

"Just… promise… not to laugh?"

Raph scoffed at this, "You know you can't tell someone not to laugh, and expect them not to laugh anyway, right?"

"Well, I guess… I mean, scientifically speaking while the brain is known to be very susceptible to reverse psychology stemming from even the smallest of command- c-can you just not!?"

Unapologetically entertained by his littler brother's urgency, he nodded, just as Donnie finished pulling the collar over his shoulders and adjusted his name tag.

At first, Raph didn't really know what to say, struggling to find an appropriate way to let his little brother know just how ridiculous he looked in that get up. It was quite obvious the suit was way too small for his very tall physique, but that alone wasn't the reason Raph was so surprised. Maybe he'd mistakenly thought his genius little brother would choose a laboratory to actually work in a lab, or maybe he just assumed that when Donnie had dragged his ass all the way across the city it wasn't to mop floors. Now I see why you wanna keep April out of the picture, D, you poor, poor fool you. It was somehow simultaneously sad and spectacularly hilarious, so much so, Raph had to stuff his fist over his mouth not to break down cackling. "You're a janitor? Are you joking?That's what you've been doing all this time?!"

Poor Donnie was already red in the face, hurrying over to grab his bo from the handle and fighting the urge to swing it at his brother.

"Hallooo? Care to focus on why we bothered coming here in the first place?"

Still laughing, Raph followed him down the stairs into the building. "No but seriously, you're telling me that all this time, while I've been out kicking butt, you've been working as a- as a flippin' trash collector?! Seriously? "

"You're just jealous I have a real job now and you don't"

"Hey, the job's been what it's always been: cleaning up the streets. Not cleaning up the toilets"

"I don't clean the- Well, not all the time I mean… Look, being a janitor is a tactical advantage. I have practically access to every room in the building! Which includes access to chemicals, tools, hard drives, things we couldn't even dream about finding in the sewers. Things that might help us stop the foot. Thing that I need to help mix an antidote to…" Donnie paused for a moment, a shadow forming over his face. It was like his mind just stumbled without warning, something which it usually never did and Raph noticed it at once, in the process making Donnie have to take a second before he could actually finish his sentence. After a moment, he then let out a sigh, finally ending with the most defeated sounding: "… turn us back to normal" ever.

They started walking down the hallway, Raph feeling his knuckles tighten in his pockets. He wanted to subdue it, to get his head straight and instead focus on their objective right now but it wasn't easy. Right now wanting it so bad he wasn't sure if he was getting angry at himself or the fact that the fabric in his jacket was slightly starting to rip. Too often now had Raph resorted to bottling up his turmoil for safekeeping, so often in fact that it tended to explode out of him without warning, though mostly in the purple Dragon's faces. It was something even he'd started to grow tired of. Yet for some reason, right now, as Donnie grabbed his cart and started strolling down the hallway towards the elevator, it was like something inside of him just cracked.
"And just how did your boss react when you told him you're actually a mutated turtle fighting aliens in his spare time?"

Donnie shrugged, "I just told them I was in college and needed a job. Most people our age are, so it made sense…"

"Most people our age aren't heroes"

"Honestly, I don't understand what you're getting at Raph. I mean, I know you were never very fond of the turning human idea to begin with, but does the thought of us fitting into society for once really sound so bad?"

Raph opened his mouth to answer when-

DING.

They stepped out into the seventh hallway, a stream of people in lab coats filling the space like a jungle of white. As Donnie moved nonchalantly through the herd, Raph quickly stood out as the only one still wearing colors, incidentally, putting him in a position he wasn't very comfortable in.

"Well, way I see it, only thing society's ever done for us is letting us know just how stupid it is to try and fit in where you don't belong."

"Keep thinking like that I'm sure we'll find the others in record speed" Donnie remarked, Raph rolling his eyes when personnel started looking at them. Sooo like ninja's, huh Leo?

"Yeah, yeah… let's just get that radio and get outta here"

And to this both of them could agree.

It wasn't long before the boys found themselves behind the janitor's office having somehow managed to narrowly slip away from the main faculty without anyone raising a brow. While Raph stood watch at the end of the hall, Donnie fumbled with the keys until the sound of him dropping them, hands still horizontally hanging in the air, made him quickly realize that something wasn't right. "That's not good…"

"What is it?" Raph hurried over to a shocked Donnie, for one second nearly forgetting that the human boy standing back to him was his brother. He held out his hand, slowly pushing the door to the side, following a tormentingly drawn-out creak screeching in the room. That's when it quickly became clear what exactly it was that had caught them both so off guard.

"Gotta say, D, I was expecting a little bit… Well actually I wasn't expecting much of anything, but it's rare to see you this unorganized without Mikey having something to do with it. I'm almost impressed."

Donnie rushed inside. The entire space, as small as it was, had been completely ransacked. Books and pencils scattered on the floor, shards of glass from two very broken windows submerging the floorboards, and bumps in the walls from several angles as if someone had been repeatedly punching it with all intentions of breaking something. This wasn't just the living embodiment of the hotel room trashing dream he and Casey had repeatedly discussed when alone, it was a complete crime scene. Only nearly matching something Raph himself would be capable of and the thought honestly scared him a little bit.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Donnie almost threw himself to the floor, barely plummeting his knees into loose shards of glass, before he frantically started searching every shelf and corner. "Come on, come on… a-ha!" When he finally found what he was looking for, that apparently being a white envelope of some kind, Donnie then let out a sigh of relief his gaze wandering curiously over his surroundings. As if he just now remembered the implications of this and choose to let it concern him. Raph choose not to ask, instead leaning over the now very much open window to see if there was anything they'd missed. He had this feeling in his stomach, or as sensei would've probably called it the sixth sense of the ninja, that something was wrong. Well… more than it already was. Something that just didn't seem right.

"Think the foot did this?"

Donnie sighed, cradling the trashed remains of what Raph assumed to be the radio they were after in his hands, "Either that or Mr. Gilgamesh burst a blood vessel last night"

"Well, radio's trashed"

"Of course, they must've locked on to my signal while I was off looking for their base. It makes perfect sense, I just- GARGH! How could I be so careless?!"

"Don't see how the foot would get anything out of smashing a janitor's locker to pieces. I mean I can't be alone in thinking that's not like them at all, right? "

Nodding, Donnie desperately tried to sort through his now torn to shreds- scraps of paper, "No, they wouldn't let themselves be so noticeable like this. It's way too reckless."

Raph circled the small space, running his hand over the markings in a mixture of fear and genuine awe. To do so much damage without being noticed you had to be either crazy or desperate or both. It didn't take years of ninjitsu to learn that. "Yeah, no kidding. Take it from me, whoever did this, was angry alright" he said, jaw dropping when he noticed the red stains painted over one of the bumps. "Well, I'm guessing this ain't in their usual rep either"

Took Donnie a moment to see it too. However, instead of appalled, he quickly fished up a set of goggles from his pocket in that usual Donnie-way that just makes you wonder if he'd just been waiting all morning for an opportunity to use them.

"Blood? Hmm. It's still fresh. Has to be recent"

And then, like a light switch, the realization struck:

"Meaning, they're probably still in the building"
"I mean, if it's not a foot-soldier, they probably wouldn't be able to sneak out unnoticed without us having seen them by now. It's a possibility"

"My lucky day! I was hoping to beat some criminal scumbags into the mud before lunch-

"Hold on there, Raph. We're still undercover here. And if there's someone in league with the anti-foot clan it's probably a safe bet they'll be waiting for us, don't you think? We have to go about this without drawing too much attention to ourselves. I mean, for all we know this entire building is in jeopardy now!"

"And if we don't find that jerk before he goes back to his little buddies and fast, we might never find Mikey in time! I mean come on, Donnie! This guy might actually know where he is! We just gotta pound it out of him" Raph said, emphasizing his point by slamming his fist together. Donnie sighed, considering their options for a moment as Raph already was fully prepped and ready to go. They got to fight, they got to finally get some answers in person, finally not having to sit on the sidelines all the while the foot-clan continue running circles behind the scenes. No more waiting around. No more beating around the bush. Raph was ecstatic at this, feeling the fighting spirit return to him even more so than before they left. Before he had to go it alone instead of by his brothers' side like always, where he belonged. Where he was meant to be.

"Raph, what if they already got to him?" Donnie asked, voice barely audible.

And then he remembered the real reason they were actually there.

Not to beat up a scumbag with anger issues, not to take down their enemy's empire... Right now, the only thing they needed was to find Mikey. To fix their family. The very same thing that right now only sat two feet away from him on a broken bed with a broken signal piece in his hands. Holding out his hand, Raph quickly helped Donnie to his feet leading both out the room and further through OLS' complex.

"Then we'll let the bastards know what's coming"

And with that, they hurried down the stairs passed the elevators and towards the lower floors. Donnie was quick to theorize that for an unassuming bystander, seeing someone walk with a bleeding hand would normally not draw anyone's attention unless they were already eye catching in some way. So, with that logic he probably wouldn't have used a lab coat to disguise himself, if the blood seethed through the fabric. And if he had entered with the lab coat on, he would have to discard it, leaving his trail easier to spot.

Then there was also the timing of course. To leave the building the culprit would most likely be heading towards the exit, given the state and density of the blood indicated he couldn't have gone far and exiting through the roof would surely have been a challenge, requiring him to somehow get up close and steal a key. Something Donnie prided himself over keeping behind an automated lock he designed on his keychain. Both boys felt like when they were little kids again, scavenging old spy movies way passed their age rate when sensei went to sleep. Of course, it only took Mikey's incessant screaming every time 007 loaded his pistol to send their father racing towards the commotion. And as always, they'd be busted.

"Dannytello! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Speaking of busted, a round little man walked towards them in quick steps looking surprisingly like a circus attractor. He had a friendly smile hiding under a thick brow, welcoming Donnie like an uncle after having been away on a long trip. "Oh, pity, did you break the mop again? " he asked, noticing Donnie's bo staff in his hands, holding it like he was about to clean the floor with nothing but the end of it. Once again, Raph was unsuccessful in containing his laughter. He went all up to Donnie's ear in fact.
"Dannytello?"

"Shut up"

Donnie cleared his throat, "It's actually, Donatello, Mr. Gilgamesh and don't worry I just… cleaned it! Yeah, messy overrun down at the department, had to replace the head, which I am currently on my way to do actually."
"Nice going there, Danny" Raph whispered, teasingly elbowing him to the side.

"And who might you be? A friend from school? Who let you in if you don't mind me asking?"

Raph was about to answer, unaware what would pop out of his mouth when Donnie interjected, "Uh, I did, actually. Raph here just needed my help with some homework, so we brought it here to look at it over… lunchbreak. You know, to spare time"

"I see-

"Mr. Gilgamesh, have you noticed anything strange recently?"

The man was puzzled for a bit, dazzling around the room as if he expected a bomb to go off any minute. The way Raph voiced it, he honestly couldn't blame him for thinking that. Cutting straight to the chase usually seemed like a good idea when you weren't dealing with sensei, not when talking to a stranger, a human no less. It wasn't exactly an easy feat to master in just three months time.

"Strange?"
"What he means to say is, there's been a nasty sewage derail leaking in the subbasement, and it has resulted in some pretty bad smells, hehe. It's probable someone must've accidentally cut themselves on a screw or a bolt, causing the pipes to break due to heavy amounts of pressure which is coincidentally not very uncommon for a facility lining up on this exact terranean-

"Basically, have you seen anyone with a cut on their hand walking by?"

Donnie facepalmed so hard it looked like he accidentally hit himself, which surprisingly enough wouldn't be the first time. Raph was surprised. Lying was usually never really Donnie's forte, but even he had to admit he nailed it. That is, until the science talk took over as usual.

"Well, now that you mention it, Margrete told me we had a visitor earlier. Said, he was working for the bureau. I didn't get to greet him, but I did see him take the stairs down a few minutes ago. He was holding his wrist bizzarely, but I doubt he came all this way just to cause property damage."
"Well, no hehehe. That would be silly. Just checking, Mr. Gilgamesh. Don't you worry I'll fix it in no time!" he explained, the sound of his voice reaching new levels of high-pitched.

"Hasn't been any complaints though… Are you sure there's not something else?"

At last, it seemed Donnie was out of words, Mr. Gilgamesh eyeing him in that special way adults did when they were waiting to yell at their kids. Before either could get a word out however, Raph felt the coalition of shoulder nearly making him trip as a younger scientist dashed over to them. Raph's growl was only drowned out by the yelling.

"Hey! Gap tooth! The heck you've been? The pipe- it's busted again! Mind doing your job for once, bucko? I'm on a deadline!"

"I-I-I eh… " Donnie all red in the first, started to blink rapidly, eyes flailing around the room from the stairs to the basement and down the opposite end. Looks like we'll have to improvise. Raph quickly dragged his brother by the sleeve over in the corner, seeing the relief on his face when they got away from the crowd.

"Don't worry. I'll go to the basement, you continue searching on this floor. Then we'll meet up in five. Sound good?"

It took him a moment before he came to the conclusion that it would probably be for the best. After all, without the radio any hope of finding Mikey was lost if they didn't get to that scumbag in time. "Don't do anything before I get there. Remember, you're still recovering from that voltage"

"Wouldn't dream of it. Now go"

Donnie's glare lingered on Raph before he rounded the corner, yelling scientist right at his heels. He hurried down the stairs to the sub basement, light on his feet, staying close to the shadows. Finally feeling in his element again, he quietly wrapped his mask over his face once again, carefully sliding through the door and into the long winded hallway. Only a small light bulb blinking carefully on the other end lighted his way, and Raph felt like he just entered a horror movie. The air was chilled, all noise coming from the leaking pipes ahead and the sound of his footsteps nearly sliding hastily down the other end. When he'd walked around for a while, it seemed as if no one was there. Not even a trace that anyone for that matter had been down here for years, but perhaps that was just the result of the dust in the air and the smell making him feel at home. When he reached what appeared to be the building's version of an almost empty car garage he was just about ready to turn his heel and go back to Donnie.

That's when he felt the chill on his neck alerting him just two seconds before a crowbar was launched at his head.

There was a time not too long ago where the concept of 'routine' tangled itself up in Mikey's mind. And it happened… a lot. Mostly during the first few weeks of being human. Not surprising really, given most of the sporadic nature of his old life, in the grand scheme of things, usually winded up getting him into trouble.

He remembered one time Mr. Robertson came in as he was doing his usual morning practice, going pale the moment he saw Mikey hanging upside down from the windowsill doing pushups. Another thing he had to get used to, evolving into nightly practices instead after everyone went to bed. Or exercising his stealth whenever he tip-toed into the kitchen for midnight snacks. Though he did have the sneaky suspicion Tyler was on to him, but choose not to mention it. Since they never really talked all that much, he assumed they were cool about the whole thing and never asked. That is to say, Mikey talked a lot, all the time really. He was a waterfall of words, whereas Tyler almost never spoke a single one.

Mikey never really knew why that was, it was just… how it was. Maybe he'd utter the silent hello or see ya later every once in a while, but that was it. Mostly when Mikey tried talking to him, it only escalated into a one-sided conversation the young mutant always carried by himself. And as time went on, it became all too clear how their relationship slowly but surely grew more and more static. without neither even really realizing it or perhaps even caring. But Mikey did start to feel sometimes- (or maybe fear was the right word) that perhaps the reason behind Tyler's silence; was simply just him existing.

The thought even further stressed as Mikey slowly made his way down the ladder and towards the windowsill. He first tried to open the window with his elbow, but it didn't butch. Curtesy of Mrs. Robertson no doubt, meaning he'd have to sneak through the front door. That's when he noticed the small figure sitting curled up in the corner right next to it, his dark hair nearly making him invisible in the small space. Mikey nearly fell of the ledge, Tyler's wide eyes starring patiently up at him like a ghost.
"You gotta stop doing that! I nearly had a heart attack dude! Not. Cool."

No response. He just sat there really, looking like someone who hadn't slept in days. He wasn't the only one. "So… you didn't tell your parents about me, right?"

Tyler sighed. He fiddled with something in his pocket before, without warning, he got up and unlocked the window with a small key. The action itself was enough to make a chill run down Mikey's neck as he had expected for the ten year old to at least question him, but no. Something was wrong, he could feel it. It was more than his ninja senses this time, telling him that something was very clearly, very much not okay at the moment, and he had the sneaking suspicion he knew why. Remembering the time again he gulped, carefully maneuvering himself through the window and inside the house, Tyler remaining outside by himself. It was clear he wanted to be alone. And if there was something Mikey knew, it was when to leave someone be when they didn't want company. Raph had broken way too many bones in his body not to remember that.

-"All I'm saying is that if we're going to make this work, we need some ground rules-

"Yeah, like having him locked up in his own room? What about Tyler? He needs us to be there for him!"

Very carefully, Mikey tiptoed his way through the living room and towards the hallway, when he suddenly heard voices. Very angry, hot tempered and painfully familiar voices going through what sounded like a very heated discussion in the kitchen. Mikey took a deep breath, slamming his hand over his face when he realized he might've been a little too loud. He scurried towards the staircase, sweat leaving his brow as the light from the kitchen caught him halfway there and he leaned himself against the wall.

"We can't keep doing this, Blanche! Hell knows where he even is! We should call the police, now before it's too late"
"He is our responsibility John, remember? I understand your concern, really I do, but for the love of god he's still just a ki-

Mikey was close. Oh, so very close, he could barely keep it together. Biting his lip, he took a quick glance through the doorframe, Misses Robertson standing arms crossed in front of Mr. Robertson finally home from his business trip and very red in the face. Amongst the yelling, Mikey took his chance, silently making his way past the kitchen in an almost perfect koho kaiten before almost tripping in the rug. And though he made his way to the stairs unnoticed, the loud creak that emerged from the bottom step was more than enough to blow his cover.

"Don't you even think about it" came Misses Robertson's voice from the kitchen, and Mikey begrudgingly turned back around. Oh, jeez…

When he entered, both Robertsons met him with stern gazes, arms crossed. Now, Mikey hadn't seen Mr. Robertson for a while now. He was a tall fella, dark hair falling over his round face in waves. He was sporting a white shirt, unbuttoned, a crooked red tie dangling in a loose knot barely holding together. In truth, he looked like he hadn't seen the sun in days, and Misses Robertson didn't look any better. Her usually well-kept appearance was now worn down by her messy make-up and folded up sleeves. Seeing both of them side by side now, was nearly enough to make Mikey miss Splinters randori sessions in the dojo...

He tried a smile, hands fiddling with the backside of his hair nervously, "Hi, Mr. R, hehe… how was your trip?"

Misses Robertson was the first to speak up, clearly having none of it. "Where the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried we've been? "

"Well, I was just-

"Is that my jacket?" Mr. Robertson gestured towards the backpack where only now Mikey realized the flap of coat sticking out in the zipline. Knew I should've bought the one with the buttons…

Red in the face and very eager to stare into the floorboards instead of their faces, Mikey quickly unfolded the jacket and fedora before handing it to a very irritated Mr. Robertson hijacking the thing in one fell swoop.

"How many times do I need to tell you? Ask permission before you borrow anything! It doesn't even fit. Why would you-Ah, great! You ripped it. Fantastic, just look at this thing! What the hell happened?" he yelled, angrily shoving the thing in Mikey's face.

"John"

"What? He's gotta learn somehow!"

She sighed, taking a step further into the light. Mikey didn't know what to say, too ashamed to speak now that the floor was his. Sneaking out used to be a breeze back in the lair, even after the scolding bit when you returned later barely unscathed, but for some strange reason he felt a pit grow in his chest. It only seemed to grow worse every time he dared look into their eyes. Dismissing this feeling to be another weird human thing Donnie failed to mention, Mikey tried to push the uneasiness he felt away in favor of going to bed with a clear conscience. After all, why should he feel guilty about wanting to protect the people he cared about? (Even if the plan itself might've been a fool's errand, resulting in him barging out into open street breaking every fundamental rule about being in the shadows and in return resulting in the foot soldier to get away…)

"Mikey, where have you been? Be honest" Misses R said, her tired eyes begging. Mikey sighed deeply, remembering all too fondly what happened last time they were exposed and squinted.

"I can't tell you"

"Mikey, the truth. Now" Mr. R insisted, stamping his foot in the floor to emphasis his point- in return making the boy jump. This is worse than the pepperoni incident…

"It's not that simple Misses R. But it's okay now, I'm not hurt! I came back, I'm still alive. There was just something I needed to take care of. But it's over now, so It'll never happen again! Probably." he tried to explain, neither looking particularly convinced. Okay, how to get out of this, eh… oh!

"Yaaawn, wow I should really go to bed. Big day tomorrow, hehe. Gotta get up early, and definitely get home straight afterwards. That good ol' scheduling am I right? Hehehehe…heh" trying (and actively failing) to sneak out the back, he of course split the difference between actually fake yawning and simply saying the word yawn. Though in truth it probably wouldn't have made a difference either way. Mikey wasn't the smoothest liar and it showed. He didn't get two steps before Misses R stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Is that a cut? " she pointed at the rift from the throw star on Mikey's cheek. A look of shock filled her gape, hand clutching the counter, "You were in a fight again, weren't you?"

"What? No! I mean kinda- but no! It wasn't like that! I didn't even get a hit in before he jumped off the ledge"

"Excuse me?!" both exclaimed, Mr. R looking even more confused than he was furious. Misses R's on the other hand was the most hurtful, even if disappointment wasn't exactly something Mikey was new to. Coming from her tho, stung in a way he hadn't felt in months.

"Michelangelo, how many times do we have to go through this. You are out of control!"

"What? I'm not out of control! He's the one who threw a knife at my head!"

"You promised me you would do better! You promised! I mean come on, I thought you wanted a second chance and then you go and pull a stunt like this? Picking fights again? Coming home late making us worried sick?! Lying? Honestly, what will it take for you to realize we're just trying to help you here?"

Mikey didn't know what to say, praying for Donnie's wisdom to somehow get him out of this. Did they honestly think he didn't appreciate what they'd done for him? Did it mean so little…?

"But you have helped me! Both of you" he tried, but to no avail.

"Then tell us the truth"
"Do what your mother says, Mikey"

The silence came from panic, mostly. After all, what was he supposed to say here? How could he tell them the truth? Not just in general but coming from him of all people. The goofball. The loose canon. He knew sooner or later he'd have to come clean, and he'd honestly wanted to! He looked forward to it. To let them know and see him for who he really is, the life he lead, right now clawing its way back to him and putting them all in jeopardy. Maybe they'd understand, maybe they wouldn't even care. Maybe, this lie that protected him didn't have to be a lie forever. But even Mikey realized this was beyond him at this point. He just, didn't know what to do about it… how to keep them safe, if he also had to keep them in the dark at the same time.

"You wouldn't believe me" he finally said, a shadow over his face.

"And why not?"

"I just know"

Both seemed to grow more and more impatient. "Know what exactly? "

"We can't help you if you don't help us"

The voices started to become louder in his ears, almost to the point of yelling. They'll never except us, make yourself useful, no one wants to be with you… it spun around in his head like a tornado spinning out of control. Louder and louder until he couldn't take it anymore.

So without further ado, Mikey lifted his gaze, throwing his backpack to the side so harshly it slammed into the fridge. "Because they never believe me! why should they?! Why should you? I'm always the liar and if I'm not a liar then I'm the freak. Both of you- You think I'm just some big joke!"

"That's not true-

"Really? Then if I told you that you're really in danger, would you believe me then?"

John lifted his brow, once again proving how much time passes in just a week when your foster kid starts spouting seamless nonsense.

"No ones in danger but you, unless you start learning some manners young man"

"See? You already don't believe me"

"Mikey-

"I am trying to help you, I swear it. But its not exactly easy! I go out, get my butt kicked, and nothing changes. They're coming for me! You too! I've read enough comic books to know that is exactly what's going to happen unless you start listening to me!" Mikey snapped, struggling to find the right words. They just never came in the right order, and he wished so badly they would understand.

"Who are you talking about?"

"The foot clan, who else?!"
"The-what now?" Mr. R muttered, Misses R. quickly taking charge of the situation. This wasn't her first trip around the rodeo after all.

"Mikey, we've talked about this"

"You're not listening-

"Mikey!" she yelled, this time bending down to meet his level. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath before then begrudgingly holding out her palm. It took him a moment before he realized what she meant.

"Give me the mask, Mikey"

The pause that followed would've probably been all the more defining inside his head, given right now it felt like Mikey's entire world exploded. He took a step back, holding his hand over the fabric as if that would somehow ensure it would stay in place.

"No" he mumbled, the pit in his stomach growing to the point of tears, though he refused to cry right now.

"Mikey, give me the mask and go to your room. Now" she demanded, and the young boy mirrored himself in her eyes, seeing just how much of a wreck he truly was right now. It was humiliating. They just kept starring, almost like statues. And even if he was more than tempted to bolt out the front door using his agile acrobatics, he felt too guilty to run away again. Instead, he slowly untied the mask, holding it an extra second or two before forcing himself to let it fall into Misses R's hands.

As soon as it did, that's when he made his away atop the stairs at a speed not even he knew he had in him. He could still hear Mr. R's voice, harsh but apologetic.

"Someday, you'll understand… It's tough love, Mikey. As your parents, sometimes you have to be-"
"But you're not!" he yelled, hiding his tears. "My real father listened to me… especially about this"

"Mikey!" Misses R. Yelled as he slammed the door to his room.

"He'll cool down. Eventually..."

"I hope you're right"

Mikey sat by the windowsill, starring out into the cold winter air of New York. The sky was full of stars, sirens sounding in the distance and that familiar rumbling of the trains somewhere from afar. He missed fighting crime, being a hero of the night, doing what he was good at instead of having to look out for danger everywhere he went. Being where he at least was good for something, instead of being a bother to everyone around him all the time. Well, less of a bother… He missed his brothers. He missed his father. His real family.

After he gathered his breath, cleaned his nose and made sure the door was locked, he wished himself far away. Somewhere he hadn't been in a long time, and it dawned on him, the more he thought about it the more it started to sound like not so bad an idea. So, what if he missed a couple classes? What was the worst that could happen?

He knew where he wanted to go. Where he had to go. At least for a little bit, despite what Donnie had told him. Despite what he'd done to make sure he avoided going there every day.

But alas, he grabbed his jacket, swung his scarf firmly over his shoulders and clutched Simon's glove tightly in his hand, before leaping out the window into the night…

…determined to go home.

"You what?! "

Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing and that was already in a long list of not believing what he was hearing the night through. He and Mr. Hopkins sat at the worktable back in his apartment, the cop with a mug of freshly brewed coffee and Leo on the other side having shot out of his chair, hands slammed down on the table. Among the pencils and coffee stains and scattered papers of various police reports, lay two katanas, each with its very own Hamato crest on the holster. It had been a little over an hour of dragged-out discussion before Mr. Hopkins finally spilled the beans to the young teen. Though needless to say, Leo wasn't very pleased with his theory. But I suppose getting accused of being in league with a group of active criminals would do that to you.

"Look, I'm telling you I wasn't sure, okay? Cut me some slack here"

"Oh, so you just decided that not cluing me in on the Japanese murder weapons strapped to my back, would somehow trigger my memory?!" he fired back still baffled by the fact that Mr. Hopkins would keep something as important as that hidden from him all this time.

"What was I supposed to tell ya?! You're a teenager! How the hell am I supposed to know what kids get up to these days?! For all I know you stole the damn things!"

"There you go again, proving I was right. You don't trust me"

"And why should I? You don't know what happened! A kid like you in a place like that, I hate to tell ya but it's all pretty suspicious to me. The evidence so far only seems to back it up"

Leo started prancing around the room, ready to pull his hair out of his skull. They'd been on and on about this for hours now and to what end? This wasn't about finding Leo's family anymore, if it ever was. All Hopkins cared about was to which end he could use Leo to get closer to solving the investigation. He was just annoyed with himself he didn't see it sooner, back at the office, when he'd been so eager to help- only to end up even more confused. And then there was the girl… whoever she was and whatever she wanted from him. Whether he should just tell Hopkins what she'd told him.

Yeah, he was still struggling with that one.

"I told you already, I have no idea what Hamato even is!"

"Or maybe you just think you don't. Ever thought about that?"

A laugh escaped the young teens lips, as he stood back to look at the disinterested cop in scorn, "So that's why you took me in. All you care about is your stupid little investigation, I'm just here to make sure you get your promotion"

"No, you're here because there are lives at stake, and you might know something about it"

"I am telling you I don't know anything!"

"And I don't believe that"

Hopkins didn't budge, looking at Leo as if he was just seconds away from revealing some sort of 'secret scheme' or whatever it was that seemed to make him so paranoid. I mean come on! Did he honestly think he would work for those goons? Seriously?

Leo started aggressively pointing at his chest to emphasize his point. "Look at me! Do I look dangerous to you?! I'm just as much in the dark here as you are, maybe even more than you are. I'm telling you. I don't. Know."

"You can't lie to me, Leo. There's a reason I've been in this business as long as I have and trust me, I know when to spot a liar. You remembered something back there, didn't you?"

"I-" Leo stopped, once again remembering the girl in the alley. Karai her name was. She was obviously trouble, that much was certain, but maybe not the sort of trouble letting the cops in on would be able to help him solve his case. As it stood, it seemed to Leo that if he wanted anything done, maybe there were certain things he had to keep to himself. And this would probably be one of them, though he didn't know why yet.

Still he couldn't deny that it was weird he would remember being in that alley moments before she showed."I don't know what it was, but… I might've… been there before. But- I'm sorry, how exactly does that prove I'm in league with the purple dragons?"

Hopkins took another sip of his coffee, sorting through the file like it was an old newspaper, rarely looking up from his data. "It does because it's near the scene of the crime, but that's not what I'm talking about"

When he finally put it down, Hopkins leaned back in his chair contemplating, "There's someone else out there… and apparently, they have something to do with an old ninja clan from the nineties. The same crest on the weapon they used to turn the purple dragons into a pinata."

"How do you know they're not just copycats?" Leo pointed out, whishing to god he could've seen the purple dragons get their butts handed to them.
"See that's what I thought too, until analysis finally started earning their pay"

He folded the cover of one of the files, revealing a bunch of old pictures inside, one of them a portrait of a man in his thirties. "You recognize him?"

Leo took a closer look, inspecting the man keenly, every detail of his face leaving him vaguely reminiscent in some weird way. From the black hair to the warm smile, to the black fan he held in his hand proudly.

It was like looking through a fog, all distorted yet the small parts stood out to him, because somehow it felt like Leo should know him. Like he should recognize him, but just didn't. The sort of feeling you get when there's a word you can't remember just at the tip of your tongue, though the description itself remains intact in your mind. He could've sworn to himself he'd never seen the man before and yet… there was something there. Something missing. Something he couldn't make sense of in his mind, trying to puzzle together why the man seemed so annoyingly… familiar.

Coming to the conclusion that it would all be the same to Hopkins, he then ended with a confident: "I don't know"

"I think you do"

Leo scoffed. Unbelievable. "Yeah, makes sense I would know a guy who died twenty years ago"

"Even if you've never met him, who's to say you don't know the people who have. The ones who for some reason is out there right now doing my job"

"I see why you wanna catch this guy so badly now. You're jealous he's doing a better job catching the purple dragons than you are"

"Leo-

"Even if I was somehow connected to them, which I'm not, wouldn't that just be a good thing? I mean it seems to me you're on the same side here" Leo argued, struggling to figure out what the old geezer was so worried about. That he was with the Purple Dragons or the Hamato's? Or would he be more worried that he was neither and Leo really was just another loose end?

"The Hamato clan did many horrible things in the past. You really think they'd take their name just for fun? Whatever their intentions they're still connected to the purple dragons and I wanna know why. " Hopkins explained, studying the katanas with the upmost care, though from where Leo was standing he just looked like a kid playing with his toy-blades.
"So, you can arrest me too?"

Hopkins sighed, meeting Leo's gaze for the first time since they got home.

"This is bigger than you, Leo"
"I know, I know. So, you keep telling me"

No answer. He was already back to his desk and Leo wondered why he even bothered at this point. He wouldn't exactly get the clues from starring at the same crest all day, but then again, what did he know? "Well since I'm such a danger to society, why don't I just leave you to your detective brooding? See if you can actually come up with a good reasonto arrest me" he muttered, marching to his room.

Leo did his usual tidying up the place, before putting on his pajamas and heading for bed. Even if the task itself seemed pretty fruitless, he'd made it a point to also put extra pillows next to the side, fully expecting himself to fall into them at some point before morning.

"He has a point you know"

He didn't, however, get very far in this task, before a familiar voice sounded from the other end of the room- sending him several feet into the air and he quickly turned around. Standing just in the corner by his writing desk, stood none other than Karai, leaning against the wall like it was a regular Sunday.

"You never know who you could be dealing with"

Leo barely knew she was there, the darkness of the room making her almost completely invisible. Hell, he didn't even hear her come in and it left him thinking just how long had she stood there watching him?

"You again… how did you fin-

He didn't get to finish his sentence, before like a rocket she was in front of him, gloved hand over his mouth and awfully close to his face. She tipped her head towards the window.

"Come on"

Leo wanted to ask a million questions, preferably while they were in the comfort of his own bedroom, but that was apparently too much to ask. She was already outside, waving for him to follow. Now any other day, perhaps Leo would've been a little more hesitant to follow a strange girl with a knife out his window after she promptly broke into his house, but today wasn't today. Leo didn't linger, instead he quickly grabbed his jacket and shoes, making sure no one was listening at the door before he made his way outside.

And nearly fell off the ledge, plummeting to a certain death several floors up.

He starred at what appeared to be certain doom in the face, just moments after leaving his bedroom, when something suddenly yanked him up on the roof with a surprising grip. For a moment he could've sworn it was an animal of some sort, the feeling of something very living twisting around his wrist and in the process making him think he was dreaming, but quickly realized it was just his imagination. Sleep deprivation really is no joke…

Already several steps ahead of him, Karai jumped to the other building, Leo following more than a little surprised at his own apparent ease at traversing the skyscrapers.

"What do you want from me? Were-Were you listening the whole time?!" he called, accepting the girl's hand when they found themselves higher up the building, the apartment no longer in sight. Karai tiptoed casually on the ledge, still fiddling with her knife as Leo joined her from behind.

"Not the whole time. Dropped in at about the same time the geezer mentioned something about pinatas. That guy sure could use a vacation" she smiled and once again Leo nearly fell of the edge if it wasn't for Karai's quick reflexes. "Careful, there"

Leo tried not to seem too grateful. After all, he still wasn't sure if this counted as a 'kidnapping' or not. "What are we doing here?"

She didn't answer, just kept walking- a suggestive look in her eyes whenever she looked at him. He remembered those eyes… actually, they gave Leo the same sort of feeling the Hamato photo had given him. Awfully familiar, yet so distant at the same time.
"I'm surprised, you're living with a cop and all. Even for you, that's risky" she said, sitting by the ledge not looking down. Though Leo wasn't exactly scared he still made a point to sit an extra meter away from her and her 'plaything', as well as an extra meter away from falling.
"And why is that exactly? I mean since you've apparently been stalking me, I didn't think you were easily surprised"

"Only when I'm bored to death. But you on the other hand- " she aimed the knife at him, quicker than he noticed her moving. "Intrigue me"

Leo, gulped, carefully moving the blade out of his face. "So, are you gonna keep pointing that at me, or are you gonna tell me who the heck you are?"
"Karai"
"N-no! I mean who you are. What were you doing in the sewers? Why are you all…" he paused realizing too late he had no idea how to finish that sentence without sounding judgmental, Karai clearly enjoying herself at Leo's dispense, "…armored up?"

"I'm more curious about you" she said, turning away from the ledge and putting her blade back into her belt. "I mean, it's clear your memories are all tangled up. I wonder why that is?"

"I take it you wouldn't know anything about it?" he asked, the thought that his 'accident' was somehow connected to this girl, sounded a little too plausible for his taste. But even so, somehow Karai still didn't seem like a bad guy, and he hated this secret part of him not allowing himself to think poorly of her.

"Can't say I do. I'm sorry" she said, showing genuine signs of empathy. But why?

"And it's clear your buddy down there are sticking his nose where it doesn't belong"

It took Leo a moment to realize she was talking about Mr. Hopkins, and to be honest, Leo couldn't agree more. Though, the fact that she brought it up suggested she knew something he didn't. And if she'd been listening in on their conversation, it wouldn't be out of a left field to assume she was working for the Hamato clan.

"I could say the same for you"

"Is that a fact?" she smirked, Leo slowly losing his patience. He slid off the ledge walking towards her, feeling the nightly chill make his hairs rise. Karai however, seemed as comfortable as ever acting like this wasn't anything but a social visit.

"Do I know you? Like… Know you, know you…"

"I don't know. What do you think?" Karai countered, leaning closer to Leo who had to take a step back at her sudden closeness.
"I think there's a whole lot you're not telling me"

"Maybe I don't need to tell you"

What is it with this girl? "Sure, would make it a whole lot easier though, don't you think?"

Karai paused, dropping her smile for just a moment. She opened her mouth as to speak, but quickly closed it again and Leo could see the wheels in her head turn as she held back information.

"That move you made back there… you did that by yourself, didn't you? Maybe you can do more than that. Might help you"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leo asked, recalling how when she'd attacked him the first time that warm gleam in her eyes right now certainly wasn't there. Like she only recognized him after his spontaneous kicking… if she did at all. But the way she looked at him… what else could it be? But then why wouldn't she just tell him if that was the case? It drove him mad, making him angry if didn't also feel so… relieved at the same time. He didn't know why. Once gain, leaving his feelings drowning him with their confusing timing.

Karai smiled again, moving at a speed not suitable for the human eye, and was all of a sudden on the other side of the roof, crouching on the edge like a cat.

"A piece of advice, Leo. If you wanna get your memories back, try to meditate. Usually helps to empty your mind in order to regain your senses. Trust me on that"

"Why would you help me? I don't even know you!" Leo yelled, the realization that he now had to find his way back on his own without falling, dawning on him. Karai laughed, though it wasn't exactly a happy laughter. More a somber one… something bothering her, whatever that was making her giggle feel more like a facade. "Let's just say someone did something similar to me a while back. Least I can do is repay the favor" she said, before jumping down.

"I'll keep in touch"

"Karai!" Leo yelled, his heart skipping a beat thinking she just committed suicide. But when he made his way to the other side, he quickly saw her perfectly safe sliding down the alley glaring at him from below.
"I know! You're not good at saying 'thank you'!" she yelled, before once again, vanishing out of sight. Leaving Leo with a very appropriate, very drawn out:

What the heck just happened?!

It took Donnie a solid seven minutes and forty-nine seconds of rushing over to get his equipment, ignoring the incessant yelling from Dave from the tech-department and explaining to the scientists that if they didn't want the pipes leaking all the time, maybe they should have invested their education in basic engineering instead of MIT. Following that particular debacle, Donnie rushed down to the basement as fast as he could, bo in hand and with a very bad feeling in his stomach.

He made his way down the hallway, using his heat-scanner to search for his brother, whom at this point remained awfully quiet. He didn't pick up on anything in the laundry-mat, and certainly not at the garbage disposal. It wasn't until he entered the parking garage that he picked up not one, but two signature. And with Raph most likely being one of them, Donnie couldn't help but feel a tad bit worrisome that he couldn't hear any screaming. Because as far as he was concerned, almost no one came down here. Well, maybe a rambunctious thug going on a room-thrashing rampage, but otherwise never.

It was then Donnie heard muffled noises echoing throughout the underground, hurrying as fast as he could towards the elevator where his scanner started beeping rapidly. Raph was still recovering… what if the thug got the upper hand? Was he hurt? Was he too late?! Was his brother really going to die because Dave from the tech-department was too lazy to pick up a stupid wrench?!

"I'm coming Raph! Hang on!" Donnie ran like hell, his heart beating loudly in his chest. I'm not losing you again. Not again! He kept checking the scanner, turning a corner towards the elevator his nerves tensing up. Come on, come on, come on- found it! "Raph! I'm here! I'm-

And turns out, the muffled noise was from the thug with the bloody nose sitting tied up with a gag in his mouth on the floor, Raph casually flipping a crowbar repeatedly in his hands. When he saw Donnie he barely skipped a beat.

"Finally! I thought you'd never make it"

"You're… okay. Of course you are." Donnie was still panting, missing the days his well-kept mutant body would've made that run without breaking a sweat. It took him a moment of mentally slapping himself for letting his paranoia get the better of him, before he shifted his focus back to the mission, "So, this is the guy?"

"Yep. Seems trashing janitor lockers isn't his only hobby. Ain't that right, buddy?" Raph removed his gag, pointing towards his right arm and Donnie didn't have to bring out his scanner to realize it was a purple dragon tattoo.

"I'll kill you… I'll kill both of you! First, I'm going to rip your eyes out! You will be screaming as I break each and every bone in your stupid little-

But he didn't get further in his rant, when Raph suddenly, unceremoniously kicked him in the knee. "Raph!"
"What? He's a douchebag!"

Quickly giving up on the 'talking sense into his big brother' routine, Donnie facepalmed. "Look, can we just get this over with?"

"With pleasure" Raph smiled, cracking his knuckles. The thug spit out blood, most liekly inflicted by Raph's repeated blows, grunting and kicking out like a crazy new born, making Donnie take a solid step back before he bended down to interrogate him. A task really only suited for people who knew what they were doing, but given he was already tied up, Donnie was ready to take his chances. After all, time was of the essence.

"So… would you mind telling us who you're working for?"

"Eat me gappy" the thug sneered sure of himself.

"You're working for the anti-foot clan, aren't you?"

The thug's face paled, for a second leaving his body stiff when he realized he'd shown his cards before he even got the chance to use them. Either that, or he just realized he left the stove on, but Donnie figured they could bet on the former. "Purple dragons working for the foot… huh. Well, I guess it wouldn't be the first time. Still doesn't explain what you were doing here."

"You think I care about those bug-faces?"

"No, but we think you care about not losing another tooth" Raph interjected slamming his knuckles together, eager to use them. Donnie on the other hand wasn't that convinced.

"What are you doing working for them? I thought the Purple Dragons scattered after Vizioso and his goons left the city. What could they possibly offer you?"

"Like I said to red here, I ain't telling you squat"

"Okay, I'm tired of this" Losing his temper, Raph suddenly shouldered passed Donnie unable to stop him,

"Raph-

Instantly followed by him grabbing the thug by the scruff of his neck and slamming him against the wall so hard Donnie could hear his cranium break, feet dangling over the ground.

"WHERE ARE MY BROTHERS, BEER-BREATH!?"

"Raph! What are you doing?! Put him down!" Donnie used the bo to free his grip, the thug laughing maniacally as he fell to his knees. He grabbed his brother, leading both to the other side of the room as the thug coughed out his lungs, now probably suffering from a severe concussion to top it of. Great job there, Raph!

"What the shell was that about?!"
"What?! You know how these guys are! They're not gonna talk unless we make them!"
"You could at least try to be civil before you beat the brains out of him"
"Oh yeah, like he tried to be civil with me after swinging a freaking crowbar at my head!" Raph yelled back, the echo vibrating throughout the facility.

"What happened to you? You know this is not how we do things"

"Coming from you, Mr. Mop"

This again? "What do you have against my m-

"You don't remember me do ya...? eh, that's okay. I remember you, runt…"

Both boys turned around at the same time, for a moment forgetting that they were dealing with third class wannabe, but after the thug stopped giggling, it became very apparent that he wasn't finished rambling. And the look in Raph's eyes gave Donnie a very bad feeling.

"...What are you talking about?"

The thug's scrappy beard was covered in blood, making it hard for him to speak properly without first having to swallow the wounds in his throat. He looked like a madman on his way to the asylum tied up like that, smiling that freakish smile you only see in hell.

"You're that red bandanna freak from down-town, aren't ya? Yeah, I knew it was you... I can spot that hair from miles away"

Donnie wasn't following, too late to stop his brother from marching towards the criminal, fists at his as rage boilled up inside him.

"And you're that guy from that thing I don't remember. Now what the shell are you on about?"

The thug stopped laughing, starring up at Raph with wild eyes as he sprung forward like an animal, "You think you can just break my brother's spine and not get to pay for it? Walk away like nothing happened, huh?!"

What is he talking about? Was what Donnie originally was going to ask, when all of a sudden the thug got on his feet and jumped forward, nearly biting into Donnie who quickly took a step back. Before he took another step however, Raph quickly tripped the guy, making it so that he fell on his face in a solid smack to the chin, though he kept fighting tooth and nail to get a solid hit at Raph whom he apparently was already acquainted with. Is this what you've been doing all this time…? But Donnie didn't get to voice his question, before his brother suddenly picked up the crowbar the thug had originally tried to hit him with holding it threateningly in his hands.

"Raph… put that down. We still don't know why they're after him, remember? We need information"

But of course, he didn't listen, his voice doing that thing where it deepens to the point of sounding like a discount Batman impression. It would've been funny, if it weren't for the fact that his big brother was about to beat a guy's head in with a crowbar and Donnie was almost convinced he was gonna do it. This wasn't the first time Raph had been in this possion- difference was however, that those times he was never actually going to do it, just intimidate until they got answers. But right now, looking at his brother, something told him that this might not be like one of those times. He wanted to find Mikey as bad as he did, of course, but Raph had to know this wasn't okay. This wasn't who he was. yet everything about the way he looked at that purple dragon goon said otherwise.

"Where's orange?"

The thug seemed pretty happy with himself, thrilled even, to have seemingly pushed the red bandanna freak over the edge and it only made Donnie more uncomfortable. The thug paused, almost squessing the words out with glee,

"They said they'd help me find ya, and they were right… to think you're just a street brat like the rest of us! You're insane!"

"Where's orange?" Raph asked again, this time raising his voice. The man laughed and coughed, rolling himself over so that he sat on his knees, starring up at Raph who kept weighing the crowbar in his hands like he was testing its durability.

"I came for the radio. Just the radio... and you. Little bastard... that's why I volenteered to take care of it. Why I technically saved your asses, but whatever you think I know I'm afraid you're just wasting your time acting tough."

"No, you know something. Why else would you track us here? So do yourself a favor and tell us where he is, before I break that stupid smurk off your ugly mug"

"Ha! You'll get nothing from me. Just like you got nothing from my pals" the thug wheezed, Raph lifting the weapon over his head, fire in his eyes making him look almost completely compelled to swing it.

"STOP!" that's when Donnie interjected, grabbing his brother's hand and trying to get him to let go. Raph was still starring at the thug, almost like he was in some sort of trance. You think you can just break my brother's spine and not get to pay for it? His words still hung in Donnie's head unable to let them go. Raph didn't deny it either... just what exactly happened to him these last three months? What didn't he tell him?

"Raph this is not going to help us find him, and you know it. Look at him! He's not telling us! Let me try. Trust me, I can do this"

Raph blinked once, twice then a couple more just for good measure, before he finally lowered the crowbar and calmed his breathing, both feeling the tension in the room cool down. It seemed like he wanted to say something, apologize maybe, or excuse his behavior even, but he stayed silent, letting the rage cool down to Donnie's relief. Seeing him like that was… well, scary was one way to put it. Not that this was new for them, they'd seen scary. But even for human-Raph this was a little out of left field for him.

Briefly Donnie shook, fiddling in his pocket after his tool. Guess it's my turn now.

"Okay, listen here, bucker" Donnie said, in turn making Raph role his eyes at his little brothers already failing attempt to sound intimidating. He squatting down next to the criminal producing a small near invisible vial in his hand. Truth was, he'd practiced this speech a lot on Mikey when they were younger, usually saving it for when he'd refused to share his Halloween candy or give the controller back doing game night. And for some reason it always worked, though most of the Hamato family had soon gotten pretty clear on the fact that it was just an empty vial.

"I am going to give you approximately thirty seconds to tell us the last known location for this orange your superiors are looking for, or you're going to help me test out this new retro mutagen I saved in my locker- thanks for that by the way."

The thug shifted his gaze back and forth from Raph to Donnie growing increasingly more nervous.

"Now there is a slight... lets say, fifty percent chance it might reduce your bones to jelly or simply make your heart go into cardiac arrest before the cops get here. But hey, at least you'll have a fifty percent shot at living to tell the tale. I've only killed about three pigeons so far, so don't worry about that- Now, we know you've been tracking orange, same as us, so before you try denying it- Well you probably won't have time for that anyway- why don't you just tell us where orange' last location was? Or do you want to go back to your superiors? Admit you got seen? Let alone apprehended? Man, I wouldn't wanna be you telling them you deviated from your mission! Ah, that's gotta suck!"

The fear in the thugs eyes were more than real, even more so when he shakingly stammered- "I-I-I d- I don't know" gulping when Donnie approached him with the vial of the first floor's water-fountain.

"Welp, here goes nothing-

Donnie was seconds away from injecting the fake vial, when all of a sudden-

"Okay, okay, OKAY, OKAY! "

-he, as predicted, couldn't take it anymore. Even Raph seemed impressed, elbowing his little brother proudly, "Well, would you look at that. Didn't think you had it in ya little brother. Well done."

"I told you it would work" Donnie smirked, not trying to hide his ego.

The thug sighed heavily, still shaking. "Look, all I know is some of the higher ups saying something about some kid being seen at Roosevelt High School a few days ago but that's all I know! I swear! we're not even allowed to go there no more! Whatever it is with that kid, it has nothing to do with me! That's their business not ours!" he yelled, nearly passing out from exhaustion.

And that's when it hit them, once again simultaneously. Raph and Donnie was still processing what the thug just told them, a mixture of relief and frustration washing over them as the name 'Roosevelt' continued echoing in their mind and suddenly it clicked. Not just the fact that the thug was in fact telling the truth, granted he thankfully didn't know the details, this meant that their little brother was alive and well after all this time! And what it also meant was this:

Of course he had to be the óne place he'd dreamt about going to since they were five. And of course it had to be the same place she was... Donnie sank to the ground, the colour leaving his cheeks.

Raph was the one to break the silence, turning his attention back to his brother, who was in the middle of having a minor panic attack, "Roosevelt High School? But isn't that-

Donnie gulped,

"-April's school"

Mikey hadn't had to walk far before he found the nearest manhole cover, far away from the traffic, where he could slip down unnoticed.

He looked to both sides, making sure no foot-soldiers were following him before he crawled down the latch, step by step, flashlight in hand. The smell alone was enough to make him feel home already, but he kept walking. The sound of his boots echoing in the tunnels was a noise he didn't realize he'd missed and yet it compelled him to run down the shafts, remembering the days before all of this. Back when he didn't have to worry about people hunting him down because this was his safe-haven. Where no one could enter, and as he walked down there again after months and months of living on the surface, he couldn't for the life of him understand how he even managed to leave in the first place.

He didn't have to swim across the floods thankfully to make his way by the subway and towards the lair. He was close now, he could tell. He was almost there, so close... And he was soon proven to be right, the rubble and scattered mousers leaving a trail of destruction directly towards his home meeting him in his ppath. He started running, faster and faster until he was out of breath, the weak images in his mind about that day flickering in his point of view. He pushed them away, crawled down another hatch until he finally made it to the entrance, but quickly realized something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

The entire entrance was blocked. The debris having completely formed a wall separating the train tracks from the lair. Mikey from his home. He nearly wanted to cry at this but contained himself determined to get inside. No, there must be another way… Come on Mikey! Think! You didn't come all this way just to stop now! What would ice-kitty do?

PEW

He didn't get to formulate a plan however, as a small needle jagged into his neck. Mikey didn't get much time to react before his vision blurred. He tried to call out, tried to spot whoever it was there with him, but to no avail. He dropped his flashlight, falling to his knees.

As his body went numb, the only sound remaining was footsteps approaching him somewhere behind, before the darkness swallowed him whole.