A/N: Hey Everyone! Hope I haven't lost any readers with this unexpected delay in posting! Real life has been incredibly busy and has left me little to know time to update! This chapter was originally going to be super long, almost 9,000 words, but I've had to go back and do some plot revisions, so instead of making you guys wait for a longer chapter, I decided to just split it up. So, here's a little something to tie you over until I complete my revisions on the next chapter. Remember to leave a review to tell me what you think! As always thanks for the PMs, reviews, and favorites...they mean more to me than I have words to express :) Also, this chapter and future chapters will mention auras, the spiritual realm, and meditation of such. Although, I have performed very general research, please keep in mind I am using some creative liberties with this concept of 'drifting'. Alright enough babbling from me, enjoy!

Chapter 7

Supplemental workbooks? Check.

Diagrams? Check.

List of common Physics formulas? Check.

Kiss from April after a successful evening of studying? Highly probable.

I smirk to myself. She kissed me once already, after saving her from the Kraang, which means under the right circumstances the probability of another kiss, could increase exponentially. I think a study date constitutes as the right circumstance. I grab one more physics textbook from my bookshelf and neatly tuck it into my messenger bag.

I check my T-phone. It's 7:30pm. I already called Mr. Murakami and asked for a take-out box of pizza gyozas. If I leave now, I can pick up our dinner and make it to April's apartment ten minutes early. I don't want to be late. Confident I have all the needed study materials, I turn on my heels, and then give a startled gasp at Leo who is standing at my bedroom door, leaning stoically against the doorframe.

"Geez, Leo, would you stop doing that?" I huff in annoyance. I swear he's always sneaking up on me.

"If I was footbot, you would be dead right now," he says pointedly.

"If you were a footbot, our newly installed security camera would have easily alerted me of your presence, prompting your inevitable dismantlement long before you found my bedroom," I boast with a pinch of cheekiness.

He quirks his brow, unamused. I return the gesture. He holds my bo staff out to me. I sigh. Did he really think I would leave without it? I swiftly take it and in a single twirl, slide it into its holster on my shell.

"We're patrolling at 9:00 pm sharp." Leo emphasizes in his authoritative voice as we walk out of my room and head for the entrance. He should really save that tone for Raph tonight, not me. Wait, did he say nine o'clock?

"That only gives us an hour! That's not nearly enough time to study," I grouse, "I want to review rotational motion for at least thirty minutes and then tie in—."

"Nine o'clock, Don." Leo cuts me off with a finality I don't bother to argue with. As we reach the turnstile entrance, he looks at my arms and down at my legs. I have extra wrappings on my arms that start at my elbows and end at the palm of my hands; the ones on my legs start underneath my kneepads and continue downward to cover my feet. I look like a mummy, but the aloe vera-saturated wrappings are the only thing keeping the nagging itch at bay; it also keeps April from seeing the awkward skin discoloration its causing.

I see a gleam of my brother's genuine concern peeking beneath his leader-mode poker face as his expression softens, "So, another growth spurt, huh?" Great. He knows and it hasn't even been 24 hours yet. That has to be record. Is there nothing private in this lair?

I sigh, as I pull my leg wrappings a little higher, "Probably; at least that's what Master Splinter thinks it is. It's pretty typical for teenagers to experience at least two growth spurts before adulthood."

"Do they hurt?" He asks earnestly.

"Not yet." I mutter. When I had my first growth spurt at twelve, being taller than my brothers came at the price of throbbing arm and leg pains that lasted for months until my height finally leveled out. I'm honestly not looking forward to getting any taller or the growing pains that come with it.

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad this time around."

"Dude, maybe you'll be as tall as Sensei!" Mikey chimes from somewhere behind me before leap-frogging over me, landing on top of one of the turnstiles. He playfully hops to the next turnstile without missing a step or losing his balance.

"Mikey, Sensei is looking for you," Leo says to our energetic little brother, who is now walking the turnstiles on his hands. Backwards. Maybe I shouldn't have let him eat all those candy bars earlier. "He's in his room."

"Aw, but I didn't do anything!" He argues with slight whine in his voice, "Whoa!" His hand slips on one of the bars of the turnstile. My shoulder pitch upward and I wince as he makes harsh contact with the floor, "Totally meant to do that….ow."

I glance down at my T-cell, "Its 7:35." I sigh impatiently. I don't have time for Leo's circumspection or Mikey's clowning around. I sigh again. Now I will only be five minutes early if that.

Leo shakes his head at me negatively, but he knows my interpersonal skills leave much to be desired when I'm in a hurry. "Go. Be watchful." I jump the turnstile as I take purposeful strides down the sewer to reach a designated manhole. "9 o'clock, Donnie!" His voice is distant but I still hear him and give a give a shout of acknowledgement.

"Uh, Sensei? Leo said you wanted to see me." I stand outside his rice paper door and rhythmically drum a beat on my nunchuck belt. I anxiously stand on the sides of my feet before letting them roll flat on the floor again.

"Come in, Michelangelo."

Well, he doesn't sound angry so maybe I'm not in trouble after all! I smile as I cavort in with my usual stride of unadulterated energy and kneel before him. I thump my fingers against my knees to a catchy song I heard on the radio last week and wonder how Donnie's study date with April will go. I'm so getting details even if I have to make him smell my right middle toe to get it. I giggle as I imagine a Cartoon Donnie smelling my feet with little death X's in his eyes.

"Is there something you find humorous?" The hint of amused curiosity in my father's voice draws me from my comical thoughts as I look up at him.

"Just thinking about the power the feet." I say with a bright smile.

"Yes, Every action we take and thing we do, is either a victory or defeat in the struggle to become what we wish to be."

Amazed, I attempt to look around my shell at my feet as I wiggle them beneath my bottom. Who knew feet held so much potential.

"You seem more….animated than usual. Is there something on your mind?"

I chuckle, "More like something in my stomach; Donnie let me have some of his chocolate stash." I admit with a sheepish smile. I do my best to stop squirming so much, but it's kind of hard with all this extra energy I'm practically sitting on right now.

Master Splinter gives me an apprehensive look, "Maybe it will be best to resume this session at a time when you are more…focused."

"Session? What kind of session?" I ask curiously. He has my full attention now. I wonder if it's some ancient forgotten kata that unleashes a Hadoken special attack. I grin like a Cheshire cat.

"A meditation session."

I can almost hear my face drop to the floor. Not the type of session I was hoping for.

"Uh, you know what, Sensei? I think you're right, I'm waaay too Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs to focus on anything right now, especially meditation," I start to ease myself from my knelt position, "So, I'll just go bug Raph or something and we can do this another-"

"Sit." He demands dryly, "I have changed my mind. I think now would be the perfect time to redirect this energy you seem to have an abundance of this evening."

I pout and exaggerate a groaning whine as I plop down on my butt, cross-legged. Master Splinter isn't amused with my pantomimed grumbling, "Sorry." I mumble. He waits until I'm sitting relatively still before he continues.

"Michelangelo, during practice, your meditative state showed extraordinary potential." I raise my brows in surprise. Usually my name and extraordinary don't go hand in hand in the same sentence. "The natural state of an aura is to orbit around one's core," He explains, "Your aura's natural instinct is to radiate outward, away from your core, beyond its corporeal walls. In the spirit realm, this is called 'drifting'."

I stare at Sensei trying to visually comprehend what he's telling me. I'm not really sure how he wants me to respond. It sounds like my aura is doing something it's not supposed to do. So, I say what I always say when I goof up, "Sorry, Master Splinter. I'll try harder to meditate the right way." My apology is quiet, but sincere as I look down and pull at my wrist wrappings.

Master Splinter covers my fidgeting hands with one of his furry ones; he squeezes them gently to still my nervous habit, "You misunderstand my words. You are naturally able to do what seasoned ninjas take many years to accomplish in the Spiritual Refinement discipline. My son, you are truly gifted. You have an extraordinary skill that will serve you well in your training."

"So, Leo, Raph, and Donnie can't do this? I'm the only one?" When Splinter nods, my lips twitch into a small smile. He returns the smile and if I blinked, I would have missed the shimmer of pride flashing in his eyes.

"Although drifting is a higher form of Seishinteki kyōyō mastery, it is also a dangerous one. When a spirit is separated from its body for an indefinite amount of time it can be deadly."

"So….I had an out of body experience?"

"Yes, I suppose you could call it that."

"Whoa. I've always wanted to have one of those." This information is blowing my mind, seriously. What if I have some kind of ninja super power? I nibble on my bottom lip lost in my thoughts.

"You have questions." Sensei reads me like book, but I hesitate to ask anything because I know how crazy it will sound. "Do not be afraid to ask; there is no judgment here."

Accepting the gentle push, I try to describe my experience, "When we were meditating this morning, I felt trapped, like Alice in Wonderland when she ate the 'eat me' cake and grew really big inside that tiny room. Then all of a sudden all the pressure melted away and I felt….free." I give a reminiscent smile. That feeling of freedom was awesome.

"I assume the discomfort you felt was your spirit as it pressed against the boundaries of your earth-bound body and the sense of 'freedom' was your spirit leaving your body."

I nod in agreement; that makes sense. Then I remember something else. "I saw colors."

"What kind of colors?" Now it was Sensei's turn to sound curious.

"Well, when I….left my body," I say, still trying to wrap my mind around this, "there were blurry colors—blue, red, purple, and grey—they were moving. Kinda made me dizzy."

"Transitioning from your body to the spirit world can be disorienting without proper training. I am certain the colors you saw were your brothers and I in our spiritual identity."

"Wow, I…I can't believe this. This is so trippy." I say rubbing my hand across the top of my head in shock. The knowledge Sensei is dropping on me is super deep; like Zen master deep.

"I will help you develop and control this ability with meditation exercises." I eagerly nod my acceptance. "We shall begin now." We both sit in the Lotus position, and then Sensei takes my hands and starts to ease us into a deep meditation. "Deep and slow breathes. Find your inner peace. Watch your thoughts as they pass by, but do not allow them to sidetrack you. Stay in this present moment."

This is always the hardest part for me. I've got a kazillion random thoughts zipping around my mind, and I'm not supposed to touch any of them! So, I watch my thoughts scroll by like a film reel of a movie as I channel my happy place. Yeah, that's the sweet spot. It's dark here, but not the scary monster under your bed kind of dark, but a kid sleeping safely in a 'big brother pile' kind of dark. This place of peace is safe, warm, and fuzzy; it tickles my insides like a thousand furry kittens. I open my eyes but I'm not in Sensei's room; I'm not even in the Lair anymore. I look down at my hands and then my body. I have an orange tint and look a bit transparent. Cool.

"Good, Michelangelo, self-awareness is very important. Now try to keep your aura within the boundaries of your body."

I frown to myself. Easier said than done. Almost instantly, it's starting to feel tight and cramped now. Am I getting bigger, or is this space getting smaller? The warm fuzzies are gone and now I feel overheated, sticky, and irritated, like a caged animal. There's not enough room to move; not enough room to breathe. The darkness turns into a thick smothering cloud. This tightness makes my aura fidget and bounce around in aggravation. The pressure feels like a million needles pricking me all at once. Something is pushing me down. I push back. I keep pushing until I start to feel the pressure melt away. This is when I usually break free and start 'drifting'.

"Michelangelo, stop." He chastises me just as I reach the outskirts of my bodily cage, "You must learn to keep your spirit within the confines of your body."

He's kidding, right? I can't stay here, trapped and bound by this invisible force. "I can't! I need….I need to…" I'm so hyped up in a panic I can't even express my need to be free of this imprisonment.

"My son, you are not in danger. Do not fight your body's natural boundaries. Allow yourself to be still. Imagine yourself small. Breathe; with each breath you are smaller. You are not trapped, you are safe. Breathe."

I follow Master Splinter's instructions and the four walls of pressure start to lessen with every breath.

"Before you can safely learn to drift, you must find comfort within yourself and accept the boundaries within your physical body; otherwise your spirit will float aimlessly in the spiritual world as a lost soul."

This drift training is serious business. If I'd know it was this intense, I wouldn't have so eagerly agreed to it. Leo's better than me at this meditation stuff. Maybe Sensei should be training him instead.

"Michelangelo."

"Hm?"

"You are doing very well."

Huh. I feel okay now. No more aura claustrophobia, when did that happen? Wait, did I actually focus long enough to keep my aura in check? Ha! Who says the Mikester can't focus! In your face, Leo!

It's 7:50 and I've already picked up the pizza gyozas. I'm approximately ten minutes away from April's apartment. So much for being early. Thanks a lot, Leo. I race the rooftops as the chill of fall brushes my skin with goosebumps. I tuck box of food closer to my body hoping to reserve some of its heat.

I'm in a much better mood than this morning. Even though I wanted to be left alone, I have to admit, I'm glad Mikey decided to bug me anyway. He's really great at...helping me fix surveillance cameras. I smile to myself. Like every other abstract emotion, I compartmentalize the endearing actions of my little brother into a special corner of my mind reserved for such inexpressible recollections.

I'm still miffed I only have an hour with April, but if I plan things just right, I can make the most efficient use of our time. A goodnight kiss could still be probable as long as there are no unforeseen variables.

It's 8 o'clock as I jump down the fire escape to April's bedroom window. Alright. This is it. I take a deep breath as I tap on the glass.

It's 8:02 when she appears with a warm smile as she jostles the window open, "Hey Donnie, come on in." Her voice is a sweet melody to my ears as I duck to climb through the window.

"H-Hi, April, sorry I'm late. I, uh, stopped by Murakami's for pizza gyozas and-"

"Sweet, I'm starving!"

I freeze at the sound of that unmistakable cursed voice. Before I can form an intelligent response, the take-out box is swooped from my hand.

My eyes widen in shock as I feel I've been sucker-punched, "Casey?!"

To be continued! Please review! I really hope to have chapter 8 posted soon after some much needed revisions! Later! ;)