Donnie shifted his attention from Leo and Raph's conversation with Hamari to Mikey and Grace. As usual, the two were engaged in lively conversation with each other, Mikey enthusiastically gesticulating as he recounted a childhood memory of trying to break Leo's concentration. Grace laughed along with him, and Donnie couldn't help but smile. The two of them seemed to relax around each other in a way they didn't with anyone else, and he hadn't seen his brother this enthusiastic in quite a while.

Still, there was a concern niggling away at the brainy turtle. He was beginning to suspect that Mikey's feelings for Grace might be becoming more than friendship, and the thought made him distinctly uneasy. None of them had ever had those kinds of feelings for anyone, and certainly had little opportunity. He wasn't sure if Mikey knew how to handle something like this… and Donnie and the others certainly wouldn't be much help. He knew they shared his concern, and that the time might be coming for them to confront Mikey with their suspicions.

It wasn't so much that he wanted to stop his brother from having that sort of relationship… Grace seemed like a great girl, and it was easy to see how happy she made the youngest turtle. But Donnie knew there were risks involved with something like that, including potential heartbreak if it didn't work out. Mikey was as strong as any of them, but he felt emotions most keenly of all of them. The last thing Donnie wanted was to see him hurt, and he knew Raph and Leo felt the same way.

Trying to put those thoughts aside, Donnie refocused his attention on Hamari, who was currently relaying one of the clashes her and her clanmates had with the Foot.

"Dishonorable as their intentions are, I can't deny their form is incredible. It took forever to fight them off."

Footsteps made Donnie turn his head again toward Grace and Mikey as they approached. The girl's look was troubled as she nodded.

"Honestly, I worry about how long it'll be till we lose someone," she murmured. "Especially an acolyte or untried ninja."

Donnie felt a frown pull at his own face… he could sympathize on that count. But before he could say anything, Mikey reached out and placed a hand on Grace's arm.

"I know how ya feel. But what it comes down to is, you gotta just have faith in each other… and be there for whoever still needs support."

That made Donnie smile again; he had to admit, it was a little strange hearing such wise words from Mikey of all people. But he shouldn't judge. If there was one thing he'd learned about the youngest turtle by now, it was that he wasn't one to be underestimated.

"Wow, Mikey," Raph said with a half-grin. "Sometimes ya do know what t' say."

The youngest turtle looked at him, his face exaggeratingly offended.

"Sometimes? Bro, I'm hurt."

The others chuckled at that, but Donnie thought he noticed a look of slight concern on Grace's face. It was gone so quickly, though, that he couldn't even be sure it was there at all.

"He is right, though," he said, giving Grace a smile of his own. "Thinking that's always what got us through before."

"And if others in your clan are as formidable as you, I don't think you have much to worry about," Leo said with a nod.

Some of the trepidation left Grace's face as she smiled at them all, along with Hamari.

"Thank you," she said softly. She was addressing them all, but Donnie saw her gaze linger on Mikey. At the same time, the turtle in question seemed to realize he was still touching her arm and quickly pulled his hand back with an awkward cough.

"You bet!" he said in his usual cheerful tone. "What're friends for?"

Donnie thought he saw Grace's smile change just a little at those words, but the expression passed so quickly he wasn't sure.

"Anyway," she said. "Things seem quiet… I think we should call it a night."

Leo nodded in agreement.

"All right. Be careful heading back."

"You too," Hamari said with a smile.

Grace nodded.

"Until next time, then."

Donnie saw her exchange a look with Mikey, as if there was a hidden meaning to the words that only they knew. A slight frown came to his face, but the youngest turtle only grinned and gave a jaunty salute.

"You bet!"

After the group had exchanged their goodnights and parted to return home, Donnie glanced over at Mikey again. The youngest turtle was smiling, as usual, but there was something different about it. He almost looked as if he was eagerly anticipating something… it might be the next joint patrol, but for some reason Donnie had a feeling it wasn't just that. Keeping his voice casual, he spoke.

"So, Mikey, I heard what you were talking to Grace about."

His younger brother gave a short, amused chuckle.

"Oh, yeah… she thought it was pretty hilarious. She said I must be about as disciplined as Leo considering how hard I kept trying."

Raph snorted.

"Sure, disciplined at bein' a bonehead."

There was no real bite behind the words, further reinforced by the hothead's teasing grin. As usual, Mikey grinned back, but Donnie saw a brief flash of annoyance. It was quick, so quick as to almost be missed, but it was unmistakable. Concerned, Donnie spoke up again.

"Mike? Got something on your mind?"

Mikey directed his smile toward the brainiac.

"Nah, dude… I'm good."

Donnie hesitated, weighing his options. Finally, he let out a soft sigh. Even if he pressed on, he recognized the tone of Mikey's voice. If he didn't want to talk, there was no getting anything out of him. But Donnie made a mental note to keep trying. If there was something bothering Mikey, he wanted to help, and he knew the others felt the same way.

At that moment, another thought came to the brainy turtle: Splinter's request to learn more about the Gawa clan through Mikey. Donnie told himself that they hadn't put a lot of effort into that because it made more sense for Mikey to build up a stronger rapport with Grace, but that wasn't exactly the case. In truth, the request bothered him. Normally, none of them questioned their sensei's decisions, but this time Donnie wasn't so sure. He just had some sort of feeling that this wasn't the best idea… that there were too many things that might go wrong. Raph and Leo felt the same way, he knew.

But there wasn't much point in pushing the issue now. The day might come that they had to, but as long as it could be avoided that was certainly the best option. On that thought, Donnie reluctantly changed the subject.

"So, have you told her about the new skateboard tricks you're working on?"

"Totally!" Mikey said, still grinning. "She even gave me a few pointers. I mean, she doesn't ride herself, but she said she knows a lot about balance and agility."

"I bet she does," Leo said, looking back at Mikey with a smile. "We've all seen how her and Hamari move."

Raph grunted in agreement with a nod.

"Definitely. I'd team up with them any day."

Donnie saw Mikey's smile widen at that, a look of gratification on his face. The brainiac smiled at that; he knew finding these new allies had been something the youngest turtle took pride in, and the other turtles were proud of him too. Donnie knew Sensei was as well but hesitated to say anything until they learned more about the Gawa clan's unknown history with Master Yoshi. That was another decision that was bothering Donnie.

Mikey had bever actually said so, but Donnie knew that Splinter was the one whose opinion mattered most to him. He also seemed to be the most difficult to impress, at least for Mikey. The brainiac found himself remembering the Battle Nexus, and Mikey's rematch. It occurred to him that since that, the youngest turtle had stopped bringing his win up. He never mentioned it at all anymore. Donnie had been asking himself why for months, and in that moment a suspicion came to him.

Maybe he doesn't talk about it anymore… because he feels like there's just no point.

The thought made Donnie feel a little sick; he knew Mikey had taken so much pride in that accomplishment, and the idea that now he might feel there was no point to it… it was chilling.

But what can we do? How can we help him if he's not willing to let us?

That was another question that occurred often to Donnie, but he was no closer to an answer now than he was before.

We have to do something… but what?