Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well in this New Year! I'm hoping things will continue to be as steady as they can for me! I'll graduate in December of this year and I've been super busy with University stuff and internship but I'm trying and that's what counts. Thanks to all who are rooting for me or my writing, it always means a lot!

I hope that you enjoy this chapter, especially the end of it! I enjoyed writing it and it made me tear up imagining it in my head, haha!

Third Point of View:

Micah wasn't sure if he could keep his eyes open for long, but he would use his fingers to pry them open if he had to at this point because after he and the Hamatos finished an emotional group hug (one that was basically for his benefit since he was crying in a way that sounded like a distressed whale) the others decided to be brave and enter the room to check on him.

Leatherhead saw how puffy his eyes were and practically launched himself from the entrance of the lab to his side so fast that even Splinter's eyes widened at the speed. Slash immediately began laughing to cover up his shock and so did the others.

"Are you okay, my little friend?!" Leatherhead demanded, his earthly green eyes narrowing at the memory of his friend's injuries. Micah laughed once more and nodded his head. Leatherhead spared a glance at Donatello, who was laughing with his eyes closed. His eyes looked swollen too, in fact, almost all of the Hamatos' eyes were a bit swollen, but he looked more peaceful than Leatherhead's seen in years.

Leatherhead smiled in relief and looked back at Mike, "That is good. I was very worried for you."

"Sorry about that," Mike smiled shyly, averting his blue eyes. Inwardly he wandered how horrible he looked. He felt as heavy as a school bus and his short blonde hair was probably wild behind his ears as usual.

"Its not biggie," Casey replied a little too quickly and Raph shot his head up to catch the tail end of his best friend's strained expression, "We're just glad that you and Raph are back!"

"Me too," Mike beamed, his swollen blue eyes brightening. Leatherhead and Donnie both smiled warmly at the sight of it but Leo and Raph's eyes were trailing towards April and Shadow, who was standing in front of her mom with April's arms around her shoulders. Shadow still looked like someone had abused a small animal.

There was an awkward moment that passed through the room, but Dr. Rockwell was too curious for his own good. He turned to Leonardo and Donatello, "We were wondering what happened when Micah woke up. We heard a lot of crying."

Leo and Raph glanced away while Donnie and Splinter looked at a slightly embarrassed Mike. Donnie smiled a little, "Apparently while he was out, his spirit was forced onto the spiritual plane."

"Huh?" Dr. Rockwell and Slash blinked stupidly. Leatherhead and Casey's eyes widened while April and Pete gasped. Shadow canted her head.

"What do you mean…?" She asked quietly, and Mike frowned when he noticed her there. She didn't look too good!

"I thought I died because I saw and talked with Mikey!" Mike said as blunt and honest as he could. Leatherhead paled drastically while the rest looked at Mike with wide round eyes.

"Wait so Mikey communicated with you on the spiritual plane?!" April demanded in shock, her head going back and forth between Mike and each member of the Hamato clan. When Splinter nodded in agreement, April felt her knees wobble and she almost couldn't keep herself upright.

"Wha…. What did he say?" Pete questioned, looking straight at Mike when he asked his question. Mike looked towards Donnie because he wasn't sure how much he should say or if he should say anything at all. Donnie smiled slightly and inclined his head.

"He wanted to meet me because he was excited about me being his reincarnation!" Mike smiled, his eyes going soft as he stared at the blanket covering his legs, "He was really kind to me and we talked about Leo, Raph, and Donnie."

The Hamato brothers tensed when their names were mentioned, and everyone's eyes were upon them. Mike didn't notice this and continued, "He couldn't stay long because it wasn't natural or something. Or that's how it felt to me! He left me some private messages for his family!"

Splinter and his sons were grateful that Mike didn't go into so much detail. Leo and Splinter were impressed that Mike could pick up on the fact that talking to spirits of the deceased in the spiritual plane typically didn't last long and we're rare occurrences.

"Amazing. Who'd of thought?" Dr. Rockwell muttered to himself as he gazed towards the ground in amazement. Slash looked over at Raph and smiled. So Raph had gotten some peace and relief after all! Pete beamed at how cool he thought it all was.

"I didn't know you could do something like that," Shadow whispered to her Mom, who shrugged a little and smiled towards Mike.

"Well I'm happy to hear that!" Casey brightened like a light switch had been turned on suddenly and Mike grinned at him, "So yer definitely like a little human Mikey!"

Raph rolled his eyes and Leo laughed. Donnie shook his head while Mike continued to grin happily at Casey. The others joined in the conversation and Mike noticed that Leatherhead was frowning towards him, but not at him. It was like he was lost in thought.

Mike gave a tug on Leatherhead's scaly arm, "Leatherhead?"

"Y-Yes?" Leatherhead had flinched in surprise but gave his friend all of his attention. He had just been thinking of how jealous he felt that Micah had been given the privilege of seeing Michelangelo once again. It must be because they have a life-connection; that being that Michelangelo passed on his life to Micah.

"Is something wrong?" Mike asked quietly, looking to make sure Donnie wasn't looking. Donnie was busy trading theories with Splinter and Dr. Rockwell.

"No, nothing is wrong at all," Leatherhead assured him. It wasn't healthy to hold onto negative emotions. Being jealous or sad wasn't going to bring Michelangelo back nor would it let LH see him once more.

Mike sensed that Leatherhead was feeling very conflicted, but he was frustrated with himself at not knowing why. Instead of steaming his mind over it, he laid his head on Leatherhead's big scaly arm and smiled, silently offering his new larger friend his support. Leatherhead's eyes widened before he hesitantly moved his arm, so Micah could cushion his head on the sensitive part of his elbow. Donnie noticed this and smiled fondly at the two.

"Hello?"

It was almost distant and soft, but the foreign sound had almost everyone in the room straight on their feet in seconds flat. Mike gasped, and his eyes widened at their reaction. Leo was already walking towards the lab doors before he froze suddenly. Raph was on his heels before he also stopped, his green eyes wide.

"Karai!"

"What do you mean you had Raphael but he got away?!" The Shredder boomed loudly. His subordinates all flinched and the injured Purple Dragon gang members kneeling before him froze in fear. They were going to pay with their lives after all, weren't they?

"T-The others somehow found out where we had him and they came for him!" One of the healthy Purple Dragons exclaimed fearfully and Shredder snarled at him which frightened the gang member so bad that he couldn't speak anymore.

"Not only did I lose a precious bargaining chip, but I lost another subordinate!" Shredder glowered as he slowly stood. Everyone knew that despite being much older now, he was still as deadly as he was in the years past.

Hun took a step forward, "I apologize for not being more aware, Master Shredder. I should have personally overseen the capture of one of the turtles! I did not think that Fong would have been brutally murdered the way he had."

"And the young boy you've told me so much about?" Shredder sneered towards a less frightened Hun. He was around Shredder more than anyone else other than Fishface, Razhar, and Stockman.

"His name is Micah Flynn. He is the only child of a Purple Dragon gang member named Jason Flynn. You remember what happened with Jason, right?" Hun smirked maliciously and Shredder quieted down as he sat back against his throne.

"Yes, I remember when you reported his betrayal to me. It is because of him that our plan was set back this long," Shredder growled lowly as his eyes narrowed, "So Jason's son, huh? Is it all true what your members have reported to me tonight? Is he really with the turtles now?"

"It is true," Hun nodded as a few of the injured and healthy Purple Dragons nodded frantically in agreement, "Bobby and some of the others unsuccessfully ambushed them the other day to retrieve the boy to find the location of the evidence Jason had against us. That's when we found out the turtles were safeguarding the kid."

"Those pesky little kame," Shredder ground out and he felt one of his teeth crack slightly in his rage, "How did they find out about the boy?"

"We're not entirely sure, Master Shredder. We've been trying to track down the boy for months and suddenly we find him with the turtles," Hun answered truthfully and Shredder nodded. The others Purple Dragons sighed in quiet relief. Thank God, they weren't getting killed! Thank God that Hun was doing all the talking for them!

"It's safe to say now that the Hamatos know everything about our plan. They probably found the evidence that Jason used to have. It's important that we continue to gather the chemicals we need. Stockman's been working on equipment for us so that my Foot soldiers can go into the sewers and search for the turtles. I want them dead!" Shredder ranted on as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He was shaking in silent but deadly rage.

"I will be sure to personally take over the Purple Dragon's part of this mission," Hun bowed in front of the Shredder and so did the others, "I will make sure security is increased as well as lookouts. I'll get you the chemicals you need and I will retrieve the chemicals that are still at Fong's old hideout."

"Good," Shredder relaxed slightly as he nodded. He was pleased with Hun's eagerness, "I will send any Foot soldiers you need to accomplish this mission. If you come across the boy do not kill him because he could be useful! You have my permission to capture any of the turtles should you see them."

"Yes, Master Shredder!" Shouts resonated across the room and Hun looked up, peeking above his sunglasses with a malicious smirk on his face. He'd get revenge for Fong eventually!

"Karai!"

Micah's eyes slowly went wide as he remembered about the girl that Splinter had called over. He had forgotten about the fact that she hadn't come with the turtles' friends! Karai came into the lab and was smiling warmly as she hugged Leo and then patted Raph's shoulder. As this went on everyone else stepped forth to greet her with big smiles. Whoever she was, she seemed to be a big part of the group as well.

Only Leatherhead didn't move from his side but Mike noticed that he did look happy to see Karai there. Splinter was hugging her now and Mike's eyes widened to see tears in Splinter's eyes, however, they looked like happy tears. As April had her turn hugging Karai, Micah finally got a good look at her.

She had short pixie cut ink black hair that was streaked with blonde highlights. Her eyes were a golden brown that looked kinda like Splinter's with heavy black eyeliner. That was the only make up she wore. Mike noticed that she also had a tiny mole under her right eye by her nose. She looked pretty!

"I'm so happy to see you again!" April cried as she squeezed Karai, who only laughed and returned the strong hug, "I'm sorry I didn't get to spend much time with you last time you were here!"

"That's alright! I know you were busy," Karai grinned and then rubbed Shadow's hair. Shadow immediately looked revitalized, "Hey there cutie!"

Karai was the center on conversation for a couple briefer moments with Slash and Pete before the noise died down. Karai then paused when she looked over at Donnie, who smiled at her a little, "Hey Donnie. So, mind explaining to me what's all the fuss about?"

"First off, why are you so late?" Leo asked looking slightly worried, "Did something happen?"

"Ah, sorry about that! It was hard to sneak here without being detected by Purple Dragon or Foot spies," Karai immediately frowned as she looked at Leo seriously, "It wouldn't be good for anyone if Shredder found out I'm back in town."

"Indeed," Splinter agreed with a grave look on his face, "I am sorry to call you back after you've only been gone a few weeks."

"It's okay. I'm glad to see that you're doing better since I left," Karai smiled warmly at Splinter and Micah shyly messed around with his blankets. His head was beginning to hurt again and he wondered what he'd say to Karai when she looked over at him for the first time. Was she also close to Mikey? Would she be angry that he was just like Mikey?

"Basically, Shredder has had a plan for the past few years to get enough chemicals to start flushing out the sewers with," Casey blurted and Karai's eyes widened as she froze in shock, "There was a guy that burned down the building that held a lot of the chemicals because he didn't like what the Foot and Purple Dragons were doing. He was Micah's dad and he was killed along with Micah's mom and- "

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Karai crossed her arms in the air to resemble an 'X', "I can't believe this! And who's Micah?!"

Micah flinched and felt himself heat up in embarrassment. What would she say when she sees him? Mike felt the worry in him grow with each passing second as Raph answered, "Sensei told ya about the boy Donnie saved right? Well that's him."

Raph pointed towards Micah then and everyone, including Karai, turned to see where he was pointing. Mike froze at the suddenness of it and then Karai was just staring at him. Her eyes slowly widened as well as her mouth. She stayed frozen like that for a while, as if she couldn't speak.

"His name's Mike, that's what he likes to be called. We found out that his father saved some evidence of the Purple Dragon's wrongdoings and was killed for it along with Mike's mom. They're after Mike because they think he has it. Which now we do," Donnie explained softly as he looked at Karai.

"A-Ah," Karai acknowledged what Donnie said but she couldn't stop herself from looking at Mike. She couldn't help but see his messy blonde hair, baby blue eyes, ad freckles. His eyes were as big and round as Mikey's had been. His freckles looked the exact same!

"It's shocking, right?" April said as she brought Karai out of her trance when she placed a hand on Karai's shoulder, "HE looks just like Mikey only human form, haha!"

Karai couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. She glanced at her father and the Hamato brothers but they weren't particularly distressed about it like she thought they'd be. Especially Donnie! Just what had she missed?!

"It's…. it's nice to meet you, Karai," Micah finally spoke up now that most of the awkwardness was over. Karai looked over at Mike again. He almost sounds like him too! His voice is only a little higher pitched since he's not gone through puberty yet. Karai suddenly smiled when she remembered some of the times Mikey's voice would squeak or become high-pitched.

"It's nice to meet you too," She said and for some reason Mike beamed. Was it because of what she said or because she had smiled? She smiled even more when she realized the kid was probably a lot like Michelangelo.

"Miwa," Splinter spoke up earning everyone's attention, "We called you and the others here because we need help. Raph has just been rescued from the Purple Dragons and we know that they are still gathering more chemicals to use against us. We need to begin fighting back."

Karai's eyes darkened at the thought, "I'll definitely help but are you sure you want me involved. When he finds out about me here he'll only become more unstable than he is."

"That's okay," Leo huffed as he crossed his arms, "He'll be easier to take down if he's unstable anyway."

"We need to disable the Purple Dragons before we can do anything about the Shredder," Dr. Rockwell added into the conversation, "They are the ones that are smuggling in the chemicals and collecting rather large amounts of it."

"I see. They don't know where to dump the chemicals exactly so they are just being reckless," Karai sighed as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Dr. Rockwell's right," Leatherhead rumbled and Micah nearly jumped after not hearing him speak in a while, "We need to do something about the Purple Dragons because they'll also try to capture or kill Micah."

Everyone's eyes went wide in either surprise or anger at that and Micah himself felt surprised because the idea didn't make him afraid as much as it used to. It was almost like it didn't matter anymore. Mike frowned at the blankets.

Karai noticed this as Leo went on, "Right now I suggest we rest and we should probably gather as much information on where the Purple Dragons have been getting all these chemicals from. After we find that out we can find a way to cut off their supply."

"That'd be a very good first step. Let my boys and I handle the information gathering," Slash agreed as he narrowed his eyes at Leo and his brothers, "You have all been through so much. It'll be better if you can clear your minds and recover from your injuries. Let us help you out here."

Leo, Raph, and Donnie exchanged serious looks before Raph shrugged, Donnie smiled, and Leo sighed with a smile of his own as he nodded towards Slash. Slash grinned widely at the acceptance and he turned to his team, "We'll go first thing at night!"

"Sure boss," Dr. Rockwell smiled tolerantly as Pete nodded and they looked towards Leatherhead, who looked nervous and a tad reluctant, "You'll come with us, won't you Leatherhead?"

LH looked down at Micah once before his resolved became steel, "Yes. I will join you. I feel that I can be of some use."

"Of course!" Slash laughed heartily and Raph grinned.

"In the meantime, Casey and I are going to take Shadow to my Dad's house," April continued after a moment and Shadow's eyes widened as she turned from hugging on Karai.

"Mom, no! I want to stay in the lair!" Shadow shook her head many times and Karai chuckled. April and Casey looked at each, feeling conflicted, "I promise I won't go out of the lair until you say so! I just don't wanna leave Mike!"

Everyone looked over to see Mike still staring at his covered legs but his eyes were wide and his face was tomato red. Donnie blinked at that as Leo smiled and Raph roared in laughter. Slash grinned again.

April smiled softly, "Okay, Shadow. However, if you leave the lair for any reason, you'll be grounded from coming here for 3 months!" Raph laughed again when Shadow and Casey had twin looks of horror on their face.

"Why do you look so horrified?" Karai teased Casey as she laughed loudly "She wasn't even talking about you! What is that face for?!"

Micah's embarrassment died down as he laughed with the rest of the group. It seemed like some sort of determination had revitalized inside himself. He wanted to make sure that this group, especially his new family, stayed this way for a long time!

After all the almost chaotic conversations died down, Leo helped fix Karai a place to sleep in a very small room above the small pool by the tire swing. Mike didn't even know that had been there this whole time.

Leatherhead kept Mike company as Donnie and Rockwell went over some things while browsing on the net. Slash, Casey, and Shadow were with Raph in the dojo while April was helping Karai as well as Leo. Splinter had disappeared into the dojo as well.

Mike was content with talking to Leatherhead because he found out how Leatherhead met Mikey and he thought Mikey was an even cooler guy for not judging Leatherhead the way he did. Mike practically beamed when Leatherhead told him how Mikey said Leatherhead wasn't a monster, but just thought of himself that way because that's what other's thought of him. Mike had said something almost similar to Leatherhead too!

Soon after hearing that story, Leo came in requesting that Splinter wanted to talk to him, Donnie, and Raph together. Mike felt very curious of why Splinter wanted to speak with them in private but didn't want to but into their family business.

So, Leatherhead kept him busy with more stories and Mike noticed that he had a soft look in his eyes whenever he talked about Mikey. He seemed calmer for some reason but Mike was glad for it, "So, Mikey liked to cook a lot?"

"Yes, but as his brothers would tell you he liked to experiment with food. Especially pizza!" Mike laughed, "But when he didn't do that he was an excellent cook!"

"I always wanted to try cooking but didn't have anything to cook with!" Mike babbled, not noticing the flash of shock that came over Leatherhead' face that turned into sadness for his sake, "My mom used to be good at baking, though!"

"That's very interesting," Leatherhead wiped that sad look off his face because Mike didn't seem like he regretted anything in his life. He was quite a child.

Donnie, Leo, and Raph suddenly entered the room and Mike noticed they each had smiles on their faces. Donnie's smile was the biggest. Mike smiled at them as they came over towards him but he also felt confused. Did something happen? Dr. Rockwell just smiled as he kept browsing on Donnie's computer and Leatherhead seemed a bit surprised but kept quiet as the turtles reached Mike's bedside.

"We have a surprise for you, Mike," Leo chorused with a smile as Mike's eyes widened a tad. Raph and Donnie chuckled.

"Actually, it's two surprises," Raph shrugged with a shark-like grin, "Consider them as late birthday presents!"

Mike's eyes widened further and his mouth parted as he felt almost horrified. Birthday presents? He never asked his Mom for any because the one time he did for Christmas she had gotten a really sad look in her eyes. He realized a few months later that it was because she couldn't afford to give him anything. He had never seen his mom so depressed before in his short life.

"Y-You didn't have to!" Mike blurted, looking almost afraid. Leo, Raph, and Donnie's eyes widened at the unexpected response. Leatherhead looked worried, "Ah, it's not that I'm not thankful, but you didn't have to…I mean I'm sure that- "

"Tyke," Raph interrupted with a serious tone of voice and Mike flinched, looking into Raph's face reluctantly, "Ya didn't do anythin' wrong. This was somethin' Master Splinter suggested ta us that we really liked the idea of, okay?"

"You don't have to be worried or anything," Donnie soothed, feeling worried, "We wanted to give you something. You don't have to consider them birthday presents."

Mike wasn't sure how to respond exactly and just smiled, "T-Thanks."

"Think you can hold onto my neck?" Leo asked as he leaned closer. Mike blinked at the sudden question before he nodded almost shyly. Leo smiled, "Okay. I'll give you a lift because you shouldn't be up walking around yet."

"O-Okay," Mike nodded, resisting the urge to tell him he didn't have to do it. He felt like that would just frustrate them even more. Leo turned around and knelt down so that he could grab onto him. Donnie and Leatherhead assisted Mike with getting into a comfortable position as he wrapped his arms gently around Leo's neck. He wouldn't accidently choke Leo, would he?

They silently left he lab and he wondered why Leatherhead chose not to come with them. Was something going on that he didn't understand? He noticed April, Shadow, and Karai in the pit whispering to each other about something. They all looked happy though. Karai gave Mike a playful wink as they went by.

"Micah," Splinter called and Mike whirled his head around to see that Splinter was standing at the door across from Raph's room. Isn't that... the room that Leo didn't want him to sleep in at first?

"Hi Splinter," Mike returned the greeted with a curious look on his face. Splinter smiled warmly at him, "Um…so what's going on?"

"We have some surprises for you. I am hoping that this will make you feel like you belong here," Splinter explained as Mike's eyes widened and he opened his mouth but Splinter cut him off, "I know that you wish to remain here and that you like it here but with this, I think my boys and I will feel better. We want you to feel like you are part of our family now."

Mike looked at Raph and Donnie, who were both smiling and smirking at him respectively. He didn't have to try to look at Leo's face to know he was smiling too. Mike felt himself smile but also blush because he didn't know they still felt scared that Mike would think he didn't belong.

"That being said…we decided to give you Mikey's old bedroom," Leo announced and Mike froze, his heart skipping a beat but he noticed that Raph and Donnie's faces didn't change. They actually wanted him to take it.

"You…don't mind?" He asked just to be sure. He squealed when Leo shook his a little and Raph laughed.

"Of course, we don't mind or we wouldn't have offered!" Donnie answered for Leo, who was chuckling along with Raph.

"Micah, because of you we have been able to move past some of the pain of losing one of our own. You are special to us now and we want you to be a part of our clan. Do you understand what I am trying to say, child?" Splinter explained softly. Mike was too shocked by his words to respond and Splinter smiled, "We want you to officially become a Hamato. We want you to remain here and live here with us."

Mike's eyes began to tear up, "I…I want that too!" Leo, Raph, and Donnie all smiled again at him. Raph looked mysteriously misty-eyed.

"Also, I normally would wait to give this to you when you have completed your first stage of training but I'd like to present you with your mask," Splinter added as Karai suddenly cheered from the side while April and Shadow laughed into their hands. Mike gasped.

"I get to have a mask like Leo, Raph, and Donnie?!" Mike marveled and Donnie chuckled, "I can't believe that!"

"I decided on this while the you foolishly went after Raphael on your own," Splinter teased while Mike blushed beet red. Raph shook his head. After that Splinter took out the cloth from inside his slash in his robe and Mike studied it with wide eyes.

"It's yellow!" He gasped while Raph, Leo, and Donnie turned to see his reaction, "I love the color yellow! Well I like all the colors but I do really like yellow!"

Splinter chuckled, "This is a rite of passage in a ninja's life. The color is meant to represent the person. For you, I have chosen yellow because it is the color of happiness, joy, remembrance, energy, positivity, and optimism. I believe these are all qualities that you have…almost unnervingly so considering your background. You are similar to Michelangelo but you are not him, I think this is important to remember. Your color is similar to his color and meaning as well."

Mike beamed at Splinter, his eyes colors and almost filled with happy tears as Splinter handed over the mask to him with a fond look in his eyes. Donnie smiled happily as he added, "Studies have shown that the color yellow can also mean warmth and that it helps activate memories and encourage communication. There's no better color to describe you! You made us face things that are still painful to remember but you have made them less painful to face after all these years. Plus, thanks to you, our family is able to communicate better."

"I think it's spot on," Leo smiled as he looked over his shoulder at Mike, who was practically sobbing into his hands by this point, "Those are happy tears, right?"

"R-Right," Mike nodded as he wiped his eyes, "I'm just so happy!"

"We're happy too, Tyke," Raph said as he grinned and placed his hands behind his head, "Just promise that ya will take training seriously and also…don't be as messy as Mikey was with his room!"

Nearly everyone in the whole lair laughed at that but Mike was too focused on the yellow mask in his hands. It didn't weigh much but it felt like the weight of his whole future had just been handed to him. And he could never show how grateful he was for that.

Yes, I actually did research on the meaning of colors to find the best one for Micah! It couldn't be orange because that was Mikey's color but he's similar so I thought yellow would be the next best thing! Think I chose right? Anyways, this is a big step for the Hamato clan, giving that they are letting Mike stay in Mikey's old room. That took a lot but it shows how much they care for him now.

Stay Awesome! (And warm!) :3