A/N: It's still short, but I figured once again it's better than nothing at all. Plus I'm up to my eyeballs in work, haha. I'm going to try keeping the chapters short so the updates can be a bit more frequent. But with finals coming up and my ten-page research essay that I still don't have done... Well, I won't get back to this until December. Sorry, guys! But thanks for being so understanding and patient. You're all awesome!

Chapter Twenty:

Learning the Ropes

{Leo}

"A cat, Donnie? Really?"

I'm clamping my hands around my head, glaring at Donnie, who's grinning ear to ear listening to Mikey run around the lair, shouting like a maniac and swinging a wet, very distressed feline around as he announces to the world that Ice Cream Kitty has been cured.

"It made him happy, didn't it?"

My eyes narrow and I have to duck to avoid our little brother's spastic bursts of backflips and squealing jumps.

"He's going to kill it," I warn, frowning at the way the cat is floundering around.

"Geez," Donnie mutters. He removes the hands from the sides of his head and raises his voice. "Mikey! MIKEY!"

Mikey skids to a stop, eyes wide and blue as ever.

"She has bones now, Mikey—you have to watch the way you handle her, okay? She's not a blob of ice cream anymore."

His expression falls as it dawns on him that he could have hurt his baby. He pulls her into a tight hug and she meows loudly, scrambling to escape his grip.

"Kitty, I'm sorry!" he whines. "I forgot!"

Donnie opens his mouth, most likely to spout out more science mumbo-jumbo about the physiological differences between her mutated form and her normal, cat form, when Master Splinter slides back the doors to his room to see what all of the commotion is about.

"What are you boys doing now—"

"Look, Sensei!" Mikey runs over to him, thrusting the cat up toward his face with a beaming smile. "Donnie fixed her!"

There's an incredibly tense and awkward moment of silence as Sensei eyes the matted, lanky creature dangling from Mikey's hands. I find myself shrinking ever so slightly, as if to brace for the lecture that's sure to ensue as I become all-too-aware of my injuries. I have no idea if he even knows what happened between Raph and I, and I'm not exactly eager for that conversation.

But he doesn't look at me or seem surprised or upset or anything. He just smiles, laughs, rubs the cat's head and nods at his youngest son.

"I am glad you and your brother were able to work out your conflicts." The cat purrs loudly at his touch, tail twitching and swaying against Mikey's plastron. "Now you will not have to mop the floor every time you play with her."

Somehow, Mikey's smile gets wider. One day his facial muscles are just going to call it a day and give out. Giggling like a kid, he hops excitedly and scampers off to his room.

"Come on, Kitty, let's find you a spot to sleep!"

The door shuts, leaving Donnie and I alone in the living room with Master Splinter's expectant gaze weighing heavily on our shoulders. His eyes move from Donnie to me, noting the stitch in my lip, the bruises and welts and cuts, but I can't read his expression. Does he know? He has to, everyone heard what happened. But what am I supposed to say? What am I supposed to do? How can I possibly fix this now?

"Come, you two..."

My heart pounds. I want to fold in on myself.

"We have much to discuss."

…

"There seems to be no end to the surprises."

Sensei's voice holds no humor. He paces slowly from one end of the dojo to the next while Donnie and I stand there, cold with dread. Again. Waiting for a lecture. Again.

This is the most trouble I've ever been in, I think bitterly.

"I was just trying to make him feel better." Donnie's voice drops a little. "I mean…I had to do something to try and fix things."

I keep my eyes to the floor, following the threads in the tatami mats as if they're the most interesting thing in the world when Sensei suddenly stops pacing and turns to us, his eyes sharp. "Is that what you think you are doing, Donatello?" His voice holds a strange emotion. "You believe you are fixing things?"

Donnie backpedals. "You didn't seem upset earlier, Sensei—"

"That was for Michelangelo's sake," he clips. "But I am growing weary of these decisions you boys are making for our family without my permission."

My brother's eyes harden just a bit. We're both tired of the lectures, no matter how much we deserve them, but I don't think he can handle the lack of usual praise for his scientific achievements. He's basically defied biological laws and has been rewarded with a slap on the wrist.

"It's just a cat," he states with the slightest hint of sass in his voice. "It's no different from before—"

"And where is he going to keep it? What will happen when it runs off into the sewers? How will he feed it and clean up after it?"

My brother's face goes slack, and if Sensei weren't upset, it'd be kind of funny.

"I-I um… I guess I didn't think of that."

"Neither of you seem to be thinking much lately," he mutters. "It is one thing to have a mutated cat living in the freezer, but now it has physical needs it did not before. And it is not just the cat, my sons—you both have been acting out, shifting the order of things, and doing so behind my back. Am I not your father? Is my guidance and approval something you no longer feel the need to seek?"

We glance at each other, shame overcoming our expressions.

"We're sorry, Sensei," I start, bowing my head. "We didn't think things would spiral out of control so fast."

He watches me for an uncomfortably long moment. "You did not think at all, my sons. You both have been so focused on your own wants, you have not taken into account what your desires would do to your brothers. Had you approached me first, this situation could have been avoided, or at the very least, lessened."

He stops and looks at me—like, really looks at me. I swear he can see straight into my soul.

"Leonardo."

Oh boy, here it comes.

"Raphael has been particularly harsh towards you. We have not talked about this yet."

His voice pierces my thoughts. I hate you.

I shift a little and shake my head to clear the words away. "I don't really want to talk about it, Sensei."

He dismisses my reluctance with a grunt. "I cannot ignore what has transpired, and neither can you. Pretending like it did not happen will make things much worse."

I avert my gaze and notice Donnie inching toward the door.

"Well, looks like you two have a lot to discuss." He offers an apologetic smile to me and I wish my eyeballs were lasers. "I'll just head back to the lab and—"

"Stay, Donatello." Sensei keeps his eyes on me, nailing my feet to the floor. "This applies to the both of you."

My brother sighs heavily, but complies, no doubt glaring at me. Sensei clears his throat.

"I already spoke with Raphael on your…encounter."

My eyes widen a bit. "You have? So you've known?"

He nods and offers a dry smile. "You two are not exactly discreet."

My face flushes with heat. I mean, I assumed everyone heard at least some part of our fight…but it's just embarrassing. I hope no one saw me drag my sorry butt to my room after.

"It's no secret that Raphael channels his emotions through his fighting. This is what makes him dangerous, both to his enemies, and to his family…" His brows raise at me. "Especially when the two become one."

A breath of defeat escapes as I lower my head. "I didn't mean to provoke him, Sensei. I knew he was angry, I just…" My shoulder slump. "I didn't know how much."

"It does not matter what you meant, Leonardo. The only thing that matters is what you did." He sighs and clasps his hands behind his back. "But I am not going to advise you on this front, my son. You and Raphael have fought enough to know the cycle of your conflicts—I will not be able to help you in that regard."

I look up at him, confused. "What did you want to talk about, then?"

"You clearly underestimated the strength of your brother's mutant form during your first fight," he states, gesturing to my bruised form. "Your injuries are proof enough. But your second encounter…"

The memory flashes through my mind, his eyes burning, confused and angry. I frown.

"I just wanted him to leave me alone." My busted lip starts to sting when I realize I've been gnawing at the stitch. "I had to show him I could still defend myself so he wouldn't pound my face into the floor again."

He nods and arches a brow. "And where did you learn that move? It was not one I have taught."

"Oh." I swallow and fight the heat rushing to my cheeks. "Uh…Karai used that move on me."

And in my head, I've traveled back in time to that night on the fire escape. Firing witty banter back and forth, swords singing as we danced in combat. It wasn't real fighting—neither of us were truly trying. It was playful… An experiment, almost. And when I had her pinned against the bricks, I thought I had won—then she almost killed me.

"It was a long time ago, but she almost took my head off." Chuckling, I rub behind my neck. "You don't forget something like that."

You don't forget someone like her.

The heat seeps down into my chest, filling my ribs and moving to my gut, where it plumes like a cloud. I shift uncomfortably and try to shake off the feeling.

I fail miserably.

"You did well using your observations and experience to fuel your fighting style." Splinter's voice brings me crashing back to reality, but the tingling remains in my blood. I blink fast and turn my focus completely to him as he continues.

"You used your new abilities against him, just as I have taught. Stealth, speed, and the element of surprise—all these are imperative for the ninja."

My expression scrunches, and Donnie shrugs at me.

"So…" I start awkwardly. "I'm not in trouble?"

Sensei chuckles. "As far as Raphael is concerned, you might be. But that is why I believe you and Donatello should begin working a new training regimen—one that relies on the human form, and using your opponent's strength against them."

He lets out a breath and straightens his shoulders. "For the next two weeks, both of you will meet with me before dawn."

We both smirk. Raph and Mikey would be complaining right now, but Donnie and I are up well before dawn. I'm pretty sure Donnie only sleeps like, twice a week anyway.

"We will work on your speed and agility against each other before pairing you back up with your brothers." His amber eyes slant a bit. "Your decision to become human will not excuse you from training, nor from patrol or combat on the surface. You boys still have a job to do, a city to protect. I will not allow your selfish endeavors to compromise the effectiveness of your team."

I wince. Selfish. My stomach turns at the harshness of it.

"The moment I see the opportunities of your human forms clouding your mission, you must mutate back." He stops pacing directly in front of us, his eyes sharp, peeling away our layers. "Have I made myself clear?"

Donnie and I nod in unison. "Hai, Sensei."

His voice becomes cloaked in a different tone—one more palpable and deep. "Things are different now. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to close the rift that has opened up between you and your brothers."

"So you're saying it's pointless then." Donatello crosses his arms. "We shouldn't even try?"

"It is not pointless," Sensei presses. "You must try."

He scoffs. "But you just said—"

"A chasm can be crossed if there is a bridge to connect one side to the other." He lifts his hands apart, each a piece of the cliff. "Does that mean the chasm is no longer there?"

I lower my head, partially in thought, and partially in shame. "No…it's still there."

"And will anything ever cause those two sides to become one again?"

Donnie shrugs. "Well, that depends on the proximity of tectonic plates and the probability of an earthquake—"

"They can't be one again." Donnie glares at me for interrupting him, but I don't really care. We made that chasm. We split our family apart. "Even if a bridge is built, the chasm is still there. It's just…underneath everything. You can get across, but you're always going to be thinking of what's below, and the chances of falling."

Donnie's eyes narrow, darkening his face. He must be thinking about Mikey again. "I think building an actual bridge would be easier. But we can't physically build a bridge to fix this."

"No, you can't." Sensei strokes his beard. "This particular chasm is one brought by broken trust and deceit. Displacement amongst family. The bridge you two must build will take time—a lot of time—effort, patience, and above all else, understanding."

"But it won't really matter," Donnie adds. "If the chasm, so to speak, will never be closed, what's to stop us from falling in?"

There's a pause, heavy and tangible, like the long road ahead of us.

"You will stop us." Sensei's eyes burn like the sun, as if the rest of our lives from here on out will revolve around this moment.

"You must make us trust the bridge enough to risk the fall."

A/N: The next piece will feature Raph and Casey, some angst, and a special guest who we haven't seen for some time... I WONDER WHO THAT COULD BE.

Have a great weekend, my beautiful turtle-loving babies! I shall see you sometime next month!