Chapter 3:

~Perception: the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.~

Mikey doesn't know how fast or how long he had been running. All he knows is that he lost Raph and Donnie who were chasing him a while back. Once Mikey knew that he wasn't being followed, he collapsed from running so much as his injuries caught up with him. From the ground he silently assessed the damage done by his older hot-tempered.

Okay...maybe a cracked rib because I have trouble breathing, even before I started to run...possible bruise marks on the neck, and a bruised jaw. I'm lucky that I got socked in the jaw and not the temple…

Mikey struggled to get up to his feet. It was then when he heard a noise. He quietly listened from where the noise was coming from. *crunch* It was coming from above him and behind. He reached from his nunchaku only to realise that he left them at the house. Crap...what do I do?

Step one: listen to your surroundings. The rustlings have stopped. Wait for an indication that you are still under attack. *rustle above him* Step two: find out the location of the attacker, but don't make it look obvious. Mikey fake-flinched like something landed on his head and touched the top of his head as if something landed on it. He looked up and he saw two white eyes staring at him before disappearing behind a branch. He knew their was one directly behind him. Step three: wait for the attack, don't let your guard down.

Mikey began to walk slower in order not to worsen his injuries any further. As he was walking, he heard more walking and then he heard someone jump. He knew the person in the trees jumped down from the branches. He waited till the last possible second until he swiftly and expertly ducked out of the way. Mike turned around and prepared to fight empty handed.

"I know this is the point that I would ask you who you are and what do you want, but I'm not in the mood right now." Mikey said in a monotone voice. The person didn't say anything but charged at Mikey, readying a shinai. Mikey just kept dodging the hits. The assailant swung down but Mikey caught the bamboo sword in his hand and yanked it away from them.

"You know, I don't mean to be rude but that's not the proper way that you hold a shinai."

"It's not?" asked the person. Sounds like a female thought Mikey.

"No. See it can't be held above the head, it has to be held like this. You put your dominant hand on the tip of the handle and the other hand on the base of the handle. And you operate it like this." Mikey began to show the woman how to properly use the shinai. He gave it back the girl.

"Thank you…I'm sorry I attacked you like that by the way. I wanted to see what you were capable of. The name's Cassandra Amori. But you can call me Cassie."

"Well I'm Michelangelo. But you can call me Mikey."

"Oh good cause Michelangelo sounds like a mouthful." replied Cassie chuckling.

"Where did you learn ninjistu?" Mikey asked.

"I had a teacher. His name was Master Eli. He was my adoptive father until he passed away. He basically raised me and my little sister."

"Oh I'm so sorry. I know how it feels…" MIkey said sadly. Cassie noticed this, but said nothing in fear of upsetting the turtle. Instead she asked:

"You have any siblings?"

"I have three older brothers."

"Wow. How does it feel to be the youngest?"

"It has it's moments. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad." Mikey said drifting off.

"Wanna head back to my place? It looks like it's going to rain." Cassie said looking up to the sky. Sure enough, Mikey felt a raindrop fall on his head.

"I'm down, but try not to walk too fast, I think I have a cracked rib."

"Did I hit you that hard? Was it something I did?" Cassie asked a little worried.

"Oh no! It's nothing that you did, I got a beat down from...someone."

"Oh well let me help you. Where else does it hurt?"

"My jaw, he punched me good. And my plastron is just sore, but that many be from the kick that sent me out the door."

"Yikes ok...hold still. This might sting." Cassie put her hand close to Mikey's head. A purple blinding glow shone out of her hand. Then Mikey's face felt better, and so did he's rib and plastron.

"There we go. Feel better?"

"Much! Thank you so much. How did you do that?" Asked Mikey curiously.

"Come on let's walk to my house. Now that you're better...try to keep up!" Cassie yelled already running down the woods. Mikey chuckled and ran after her. Happy that he found a new possible friend.

Leo, Raph and Donnie, came back dejectedly from the woods after trying to run after Mikey. But thanks to his ungodly speed and agility, he was able to lose them. Even when he was injured, he was fast.

On the way back, Raph couldn't get rid of the immense guilt that was brewing inside of him. How could he hurt his brother that way? What is wrong with him.

*Back inside*

"All of this because he was interrupted from drawing." Casey said. Raph was then looking around.

"What are you looking for Raph?" asked Leo.

"Hold on...here!" Raph pulled Mikey's sketchbook from under the couch. Raph opened it and froze. These drawings were absolutely incredible. Some of them were of Sensei, capturing the perfect luminescent glow in his eyes. The rest of them were about his family. Leo was executing a katana perfectly. Raph was letting all hell go loose on his punching bag. His eyes stood out in a perfect fiery glow. Donnie was slouched over a microscope in concentration while writing something down for future reference. Raph got to the last picture and it made his heart freeze.

The last drawing was of Mikey. Except it wasn't him with his nun-chucks or Ice Cream Kitty. This drawing was sad and depressing. Mikey was sitting in the middle of the room. His legs and one of his arms chained to the ground and he was on his knees. He was reaching for something above him. The bottom of the drawing, under the chains was the farmhouse. It showed Raph and Donnie feeding and training. While April and Casey were cooking for them. Mikey was sitting alone in the corner of the page away from everyone. Staring at everyone, a sense of longing in his eyes. The other half of the picture was everyone in the old lair including Master Splinter. Everyone was laughing and smiling. The image portrayed Mikey being chained to the present. Unable to escape, no matter how hard he struggled against the chains of reality. Desperately reaching for the past that he knew. Around the whole image, were the words: I still remember the world through the eyes of a child. Where has my heart gone? An uneven trade for the real world. I still remember the sun warm on my back. Somehow it seems colder now. I still remember.

Leo took the sketchbook from his hands and had a sad look on his face. Donnie had a look of understanding on his with a mixture of sadness,

"Is this how he feels? Has he felt this way the whole time?" Donnie asked breaking the silence that befell on everyone after they all saw the drawing.

"We...how could we not see it?" asked Donnie on the verge of breaking down. His only little brother was out there on his own. Donnie knew that Mikey was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. But the fact that he experienced the end of Raph's enraged hands, worried him beyond extent.

Donnie broke down in tears. He felt someone wrapping their arms around his shoulders. He knew it was one of his brothers but he wished it was Mikey. He misses him so much.

"It's going to be ok Donnie. We're going to find him and we're going to bring him home." Leo said as Raph joined in on the hug. Raph wrapped his arms around Leo and Donnie. Raph rubbing Donnie's shell soothingly. Somewhere along the line, April and Casey joined the hug on the ground. All of them missing their baby brother.

I know that it's not a big chapter, but I hoped that it's at least a filler.

Ideas?

R&R&F!
Peace out lovelies!