Chapter 3: Home Again

Leo could not stop thinking about the night they went to the location Donnie thought Mikey could be. Now in his mind he memorized every rock and stone on the roof top, how many steps it took to get to the fire escape, that there was dent in the air vent. He could see every detail, except the one we wanted to see, his brother.

Mikey felt a knock on his carapace followed by Karai's voice, "Knock-knock, time to wake up." Mikey poked his head out slowly as Karai too the opportunity to use his carapace as seat. "Little tired today hope you don't mind," she said. Mikey sighed and he tucked his arms under his chin to support his head. "Oh I have a little something for you," she dangled his T-Phone in front of him, "your brothers left you a message." Mikey gasped, "want to hear it?" she asked. She pressed the button and Mikey could hear Leo's voice. "Don't come home, Mikey,"

"Leo would never say that!" Mikey shouted.

"And how would you know?"

"He-he's my brother," Mikey mumbled.

"So you think," she said with a bored sigh while smiling, "well this was nice chat, but sadly I have to go. Karai stood up to leave, "nice drawings," she said as she left.

"The prisoner has proved useless, I want him disposed of," Shredder said coldly.

"Just give me more time with him, I can crack him," Karai said desperately.

"You could not crack the shell on his back, it's been three months and he is not talking. I want him gone, and I don't want him to be found."

"Yes, father," Karai said bowing. "Xenver, Braford, we have a turtle that can't be found be found by anyone. I say well sell him to science."

During the past three months no one in the family slept much. There was an unspoken rule that unless they instructed you to, if someone was sleeping you did wake them up. Donatello spent most of his time in his lab. Leonardo spent his newfound time catching up on the training he missed while his ankle was broken. Raph meanwhile was wailing away on the punching bag. The only time they saw Splinter was during the training.

Everyone was sleeping, except Leo. The blue clad turtle snuck into his youngest brother's room. He did not know why he was in there. It was too painful of a reminder of his missing brother. Leo sat down on the bed and leaned back onto the pillow. Leo dropped his hand down the side of the mattress. He felt something, like a book. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was a sketch book. Leo had never seen it before. He flipped through the pages. It was filled with pictures of him and his brothers. Mikey only drew himself into a few of the drawings. Leo covered his eyes with his hand.

"Leo you're killing yourself going in there," Raph said leaning against the door frame.

Leo sighed, "have you ever seen this before?" he asked as he handed Raph the book. Raph shook his head, "it's Mikey's."

"You're asking for it now, Leo." Raph flipped the pages of the book, "he's good."

"Yeah, just wish I knew he did this," Leo said.

"Let's grab Donnie, patrol time," Raph said.

"Now it's time to make sure no one find him." Karai said.

"Let's dump him in Hoboken, nothing is ever found in Jersey," Bradford said.

"Get him in the van," Karai said with a bored tone, "get him out of that shell, make sure he won't wake up."

Bradford and Xever were trying to get Mikey from out of his shell, Mikey was all tucked in shell, he has fallen asleep. Bradford had Mikey upside down and began to violently shake him. After getting nowhere Xenver bit him and began to punch at him.

"He out yet?" Karai snapped. Seeing him tucked in she groaned, rolled her eyes, pulled out her blade and jammed it into where his shoulder would be. Instantly the turtle popped out of his shell. Using the butt end of her knife she cracked Mikey on the head, "Why do I have to do everything?" Karai scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Now let's get rid of him. His brothers can never find him, and he can never find them."

Leo, Raph, and Donnie were canvassing the area around midtown. Raph suddenly looked up, "is that Dogpound driving that van?" he asked confused.

"Sure is," Leo said smiling a rather demonic smile.

Karai glanced out the window. She groaned and sighed. "Drive faster! I see Leo and his brothers!" Making a hard left Mikey's body got tossed around. He hit the door, he retracted into his shell, and fell out the back door, that was never closed right.

"Stop!" Donnie yelled, "Something fell out of the back of the van." Leo stopped by Donnie, Raph followed the van a little more ways before he heard Leo call out.

"Not something, someone, guys it's Mikey!" Leo shouted running blindly into the street to grab his brother.

"Mikey c'mon out!" Leo cried pulling the shell into his arms.

"We need to get him to a familiar place," Donnie said kneeling down next to his brother, "that will help him come out of his shell," he gently rubbed his brother's shell.

It was an awkward process to bring Mikey home. They noticed blood near where his shoulder and crack on his carapace. Slowly Leo and Raph carried Mikey home, with Donnie leading the way. It was a solemn procession home. Once they entered their home Donnie immediately went off to get Master Splinter while Leo and Raph carried Mikey to his room. Leo tucked Mikey into his bed, while Raph (at Donnie's instructions) went to get a slice of pizza to see if it would help coax him out of his shell.

Splinter and Donatello entered Mikey's room, "Oh Michelangelo," Splinter softly carefully running his paw over the crack to his son's shell.

"The crack to his carapace is a clean crack. It will heal in time." Donnie said as Raph came back with the pizza slice. Raph placed the pizza in front of Mikey, but he did not move. Donnie started to clean the area round the crack with and antiseptic, then he rubbed in some antibiotics, finally Donnie pulled out some high grade waterproof glue and filled the crack.

It was Leo's turn to watch over Mikey. They brought him back nearly twelve hours ago and he was still tucked tightly into his shell. Leo did not realize how tired he was he fell asleep. When Leo woke up Mikey was out of his shell. Leo became very panicked when he saw the cuts and busies that covered his brother. Mikey was also so thin he looked like he could fall out of his shell if you moved him the wrong way, but Leo knew that was impossible. He picked up his brother's hand. "Master Splinter! Donnie! Raph! Mikey is out of his shell," he called out. Everyone rushed into the room.

"Michelangelo," Splinter said softly, he placed a paw on his youngest son's forehead. Mikey whimpered softly. Donnie left the room to get some supplies to clean Mikey's wounds. Donnie came back and began to clean is brother's cuts. He soon came to the realization the most of the blood was dried and the cuts were at several stages of healing.

"Stitches?" Mikey said weakly, slowly opening his eyes.

"Yeah Mikey you will need stitches on your shoulder," Donnie said gently.

"D-Donnie? Y-you here?"

They looked down at Mikey, "Michelangelo, you are home," Splinter said. They watched as the realization that he was home come to his eyes. Mikey sat up, brought his knees to his plastron and cried. Splinter sat down and pulled Michelangelo into his lap. Mikey buried his face into his father's chest.

Mikey cried himself to sleep in his father's arms. Splinter laid Mikey in his bed and covered him up. There was no way of knowing what is youngest son endeared during the past three months, but from the injuries he could tell he was tortured.

Mikey was now awake, his bright blue eyes were now dull grey. He was blankly staring ahead. Leo knelt down to try and meet Mikey's gaze, but as soon as Mikey's eyes finally connected with Leo's he began to whimper and he turned away. Leo placed a hand gently on Mikey, "Don't touch me!" Mikey shouted turning away from Leo.

"Sorry Mikey," Leo said, slowly moving his now slightly shanking hand, "sorry," he repeated. Mikey gasped and his breathing became very unsteady, his heart was racing. Leo could see the fear in his brother's eyes.

Splinter walked into Michelangelo's room. Leo nodded to his father and silently left the room. Splinter sat down next to his son, "Michelangelo," he called. Mikey looked up at father, his eyes slid in an out of focus. Mikey reached a shaky hand out to his father, Splinter took his son's three fingered hand his five fingered one. Mikey whimpered in half sleeping state. "Michelangelo," he called his son's name again, "I have something for you." Mikey opened up one eye to look at his father. Splinter reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of orange fabric. Gingerly he placed the mask in his son's hand.

"M-my m-mask," Mikey said, his eyes closed, his chest rose and fell slowly. Mikey's hand closed around his mask

"Yes, Michelangelo," Splinter said using his son's name again. Splinter watched as his son fall back to sleep, his hand released it's clasp on the mask. Splinter took the mask from his son's hand, slipped it around his head and tied it in place. "Welcome back, Michelangelo."

A/N: I had a commission made on DeviantART from that last chapter, I am culinary-alchemist over there, check it out it is amazing! If you want to see it let me know and I can direct you you to it.