First, I'll say sorry to all those of you who actually still follows this story. My finished education as an animal keeper left me without a job or other income, so I had to spend too much time trying to find a job, and when I did, I used the exact same time on working like crazy. But to give some good announcements, I've started school again. It may sound crazy, since I already have a full education, but I wanted more. So, I've started again, in hopes of either getting into a university to study zoology in two years or perhaps something else - only time will tell. But I haven't forgotten the story, I've just been held as slave by my job (which I still have, only part time). So if you're still out there,

Enjoy...

A deadly silence was present in the Battle Shell, as Raph parked it in the old abandoned warehouse. The turtle jumped out, looking back to see if his brother was doing the same. But Donatello was still sitting in the passenger's seat, looking down.

"Don?" Raph tried getting his brother's attention, but all he got back was a sigh, "C'mon bro, you can't sit here all day…" Finally, Don turned his head to look at Raph. He was only trying to help, Don knew that. But right now, he still wished that Raphael had never found out, that he had never come along to the junk yard. But perhaps it was for the best. And still, Donatello's pride was hurt.

"I'll come in a minute," Don mumbled just loud enough for Raph to hear. There was nothing to do. Raph turned around to walk to the "elevator" in the floor and stepped in, seeing Don and the Battle Shell disappear as the capsule closed around him and started taking him downwards.

What now? How was he going to explain all this to Splinter? Raphael let out a frustrated growl, slamming his fist hard into the side of the glowing walls in the capsule. He barely heard a crystal break and the small pieces falling to the floor, as he retrieved his hand. Finally the doors opened, letting him gaze into an almost empty lair. Raphael's eyes scanned the area, not finding anything but a lit candle standing on the table by the TV's. But light was illuminating the doors to his Sensei's room, giving clue of his rat master's whereabouts. Raph walked to the sliding doors with confident steps, but how he wished that he could be as calm inside as outside. He knocked on the door, hearing the "enter" coming from within. He breathed out before opening the door and stepping in to the perfectly decorated room, seeing his Master sitting on the carpet meditating.

"Something is troubling you, my son," Splinter opened his eyes to look up at the turtle and gestured for Raph to sit before him.

"Well," Raph tried finding the words, as he sat down with the legs pushed under him, "I don't know how to put it, but – Leo and Don's been acting, well weird lately." Raphael told Splinter about both the incident with Leo after their training session and about Don in the junk yard. All the time, Splinter's eyes rested on his son's face as he listened. Raphael looked plagued by the incidents, and perhaps for a good reason. Things didn't seem right.

"Raphael," Splinter replied, when his son had finished, "I believe there are more to this than what we can see. I have felt-"

"TAKE IT BACK!"

Both Splinter and Raph jumped in surprise, as Mikey's cry echoed through the lair. Raph was the first to get up and tore the doors open, seeing Mikey throw Angel to the ground with fierce force, like they were in a battle.

"Cut it out," Angel hissed, trying to push Mikey off, "It was nothing but a joke!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Splinter demanded, as he rushed to the two teenagers on the floor. It was clear that their struggle wasn't a play.

"Enough of this!" Splinter cried, sending his walking stick in between the cat and the turtle to pry them off each other. Both opponents stopped, gasping for air after the fight and slowly moved away from each other.

"Michelangelo, I demand to know what caused this ruckus." At first, Mikey didn't respond. His eyes were still focused on the feline, whose tail was waving madly from side to side.

"She started," Mikey hissed, "She called me a bonehead." Splinter blinked a bit, looking at him.

"I believe she has called you 'bonehead' many times before," Splinter calmly stated, "Just like you have always call her 'furball', am I correct?" The word-fight had excisted for months. It was Mikey and Angel's way of talking to each other and it was always followed by a playful fight afterwards. It was their way of being childish, Splinter had always figured, but they meant each other no harm by it… or usually they didn't. Mikey eyes softened a bit, but it didn't last for long.

"That's not the point," he objected, crossing his arms angrily, but Splinter held up a hand to silence Mikey.

"You may go to your room." And that was all it took for Mikey to turn around and leave, obviously more than gladly. Both Splinter and Raph looked after him, as he stomped away, mumbling curses under his breath.

"What happened?" Raph turned to look at Angel. Her tail was slowing down, and it was now only the tip that twitched from one side to the other.

"Wish I knew," she sighed, "He's been acting differently."

There it was again – acting differently than usual, just like Leo and Don. Raph really wanted to know what was happening, but none of it made sense in any way. Splinter thought about the situation carefully.

"This requires a family meeting," the rat replied, "I will get Leonardo and Michelangelo. Raphael, if you would find your brother?" With that, Splinter followed Mikey, leaving his students alone. Angel walked to the couch and sat down, but Raph was soon in her tail.

"Yo, Angel," Raphael sat beside her, "What exactly happened?" The cat looked at him thoughtfully, her brown eyes catching the light from the candle. They turned to look like amber in the dim light.

"We were just sitting reading comics," she slowly began, "When he threw the comic over his shoulder, saying they were 'boring'…"

"He what?" Raph blinked. That wasn't like Mikey, especially not the part about throwing the comic. The young turtle had most of his comic books placed in plastic bags and he treated them like his personal treasure.

"It's true. And today was the first time I heard him laugh for days now." Raph was speechless. Whatever was causing these drastic changes in his brothers' personality, it hadn't happened to him. Or had it? Raph tried thinking back. What if he had changed too somehow? But he couldn't point at anything in particular. He was still focused on his training and… well, what else was there to think about, that could have changed?

"I heard what happened?" Donatello's voice came from behind, as the turtle placed his arms to lean on the back of the couch. Raph and Angel looked up to see the turtle behind them.

"I heard everything…" Don trailed off, not looking at either his brother or his friend. It could seem like he was thinking the situation over, but the truth was farther apart – Don was hating himself for not being able to solve the problem. Of course there was a logical reason, there always were. But it still didn't pop into place. Donatello heaved a sigh, making eye contact to Raph. But he didn't say anything, though it was clear that many thoughts were somehow shared between them.

Angel looked away to see Splinter walk into the living room part of the lair with Leo and Mikey behind him. The old rat moved to his usual sitting point on the floor, though on a part higher than where Leo and Mikey sat, and that both Don and Raph walked towards now. It was the usual "meeting place", it seemed, whenever something important was being discussed or during meditation and training of the mind. The feline stood up as well, following to sit on the mat on the floor. The only difference was that Splinter didn't sit down. He stood on the stone floor, looking down at his four sons sitting with their gaze turned to him, while he waited for Angel to have found a spot to sit as well. With a cough he finally sat down, placing the walking stick across his legs.

"My sons," Splinter started, never correcting himself though Angel definitely didn't fit into the foretold category. It was how he had addressed them for the past sixteen years, as it was more a habit than anything else, "There seems to be something troubling you all. Care to explain what is going on?" The old eyes looked from one turtle to the other, but none of them seemed to look back. The three of them were ashamed of their behaviour and the two others just didn't know what to say. Well, what a good start…

"Raphael, would you please start?"

This caused the turtle to look up directly at Splinter with a more than surprised look on his face. All eyes were directed at Raphael, while he desperately tried to find something to say.

"Wha', me?" he finally got out, the looks still plastered to him. Raph's eyes went from his brothers, to Angel and back to Splinter.

"Will you tell me that nothing has been happening to you, my son?" Splinter held his gaze on Raph, who only seemed to turn more surprised by this.

For a moment, Raph doubted if he really hadn't tried to hide something, or maybe keeping something down. No, he hadn't. He was just like always, he hadn't lost focus or forgotten the names of tools or how to use them or lost interest in what he cared about. He was normal, it was his brothers who were having a problem.

"Raphael?"

"I'm fine, get it?" Raph hissed, making everyone else in the room hold their breath. Raphael was a hot head, but he wasn't as disrespectful as to sneer at their Sensei in such a way. And he knew that too. Raph had held his breath for a second too, when he had heard himself. Splinter had taught him – or at least made an improvement – to keep his temper down. And now the rat just watched him, how the temper had giving the cheeks of the teenager a reddish flare.

"I- eh…" Raph stammered, looking down at the ground. He had had these outbursts in front of his brothers, but never his father. Well, that wasn't quite true. As a child, he had been so furious that he spitted foam and Splinter had tossed a glass of water in his face to get him down. He had once attacked Mikey in blind rage too and if his family hadn't stopped him- He didn't dare think of the consequences. It was something that wasn't supposed to happen. But he thought he had had it completely under control now. He should have.

"That is enough," Splinter stopped him and got up, "I do not know why you are all behaving as you do, but I know you should be able to control it." Harsh as his words did sound, he didn't mean it in such a hard way. None of the five looked up to face him.

Splinter continued: "What ever is happening, it must have a source. I am here to help, my sons, do not ever forget that." With that, the rat turned to leave for his room. He needed to think about what was happening, and what the possible reason could be. Yes, his sons were only teenagers, giving their flaws – but this was different. Splinter had noticed a change in all of them, like they were turning more inwards. Slowly, but steadily, he was loosing the grip on them. He sighed. Perhaps they were even loosing the grip on themselves. He looked at a small picture of a man. His master. If it hadn't been for the tragic events so many years ago, would his Master Yoshi have had the same trouble? Splinter doubted it. Sitting down on a futon, the elderly ninja concentrated. He could hear the ruffled sound of his sons finally standing up from the floor, leaving their backs to one another and go in different directions, never uttering a word to each other…