A/N: Thanks for not killing me. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but for some reason, my summer seems to be as busy as the school year. Anyone else see a problem with that? Whatev...
And for anyone who thinks the guys are OOC, well... they are, actually. C'mon, you can't expect them to go through something like this without having problems, can you? At least... I hope not. Otherwise I'm way off in my story...
Disclaimer: They actually are mine. I just choose to share them with the world.
And a pig just flew by my window. Do I really have to say this all the time? It's kinda painful...
"Ugh. No offense, Leo, but I like Mikey's cooking way better. It's digestible," Raph said, eyeing the burnt hunk of meat on his plate.
"I've told you before, the kitchen isn't exactly my friend," Leo said a little sharply. Then he sighed as he eyed the meal on his own plate. "And I so totally agree with you."
"Where is Mikey? Normally he would have whipped up a four course meal by now," Don commented with a frown. Mikey had become quite the chef in the last month. Every night featured a new dish, and almost all of them were delicious. The only exception was when Mikey tried to use tofu - that didn't go over so well with anyone. Tonight, however, Mikey was MIA, so Leo had tried to create dinner. The puffs of smoke coming from the kitchen were the first of many tell-tale signs that he had failed miserably.
"He's probably still upset about practice this morning," Raph replied quietly, shoving his plate away. "I'm gonna go watch some TV," he added, standing and shuffling away.
Don and Leo looked at each other. Leo opened his mouth, but Don cut him off, saying, "I'll do the dishes. I know you want to talk with sensei again."
Leo was surprised for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Thanks, Don," he said, standing and heading for Splinter's room.
Don sighed as he gathered up the dishes. He could see the signs - his family was starting to fall apart. Splinter was always in meditation. He had become almost as reclusive as Mikey. Raph and Leo hadn't fought for awhile because of their concern for Mikey, but Don knew that when they did fight, it would be epic. And Mikey… well, Mikey wasn't Mikey anymore. I want my old brother back, he thought. I wish none of this had happened.
As he washed the dishes, he heard a faint meow. He turned as Klunk suddenly jumped down to the main floor from Mikey's room. Don watched with interest as the cat bounded over to the couch. After a moment, he headed back towards Don's lab area, then to the sparring area. Don chuckled as he dried a plate. It's like he's searching for something.
Don's eyes suddenly widened, and the chuckle died. Or someone, he thought. "Oh, no," he whispered, dropping the plate with a crash and leaping towards Mikey's room. He dashed up the ladder. Mikey, you better not have done what I think you did, he thought furiously. "Mikey!" he called as he reached the door. "Mikey, open up!"
When there was no reply, Don quickly opened the door. His jaw dropped. There was no sign of Mikey. He heard footsteps behind him. "Donny?" Leo called faintly. "What's wrong?"
He turned around and saw Leo, Raph, and Splinter standing in the doorway. "He - he's gone," Don choked out.
"What? He can't be gone! How would he have gotten out?" Raph exclaimed.
"He probably snuck out while we were all with Sensei," Leo replied softly.
"Donatello, my son, is there anyway you can track him down?" Splinter asked.
"I can try to trace the signal on his shell cell," Don answered. If he took it with him, he added silently.
Without another word, he raced down to his lab and hooked his own shell cell up to his computer. After a moment, three blips appeared on the screen. He studied it for a moment, his heart sinking. "It's still here, isn't it?" Raph asked from behind him. Don jumped a little. He turned around to face his family, a thin mist covering his eyes. Too choked up to speak, he nodded.
They all looked at each other for a moment. Finally Leo pulled out his shell cell and flipped it open. He pressed a button and held it for a moment. Suddenly they heard a faint ringing coming from the dojo. Raph immediately took off, the others close behind him.
Raph threw the door open and froze. There, in the middle of a mat, lay Mikey's shell cell, along with his throwing stars and his other nunchuck. Raph fingered the one still tucked in his belt as he walked in.
The phone stopped ringing as the others entered. Raph had picked up a small slip of paper and was reading it. He frowned and looked up. "I am gonna kill him," he muttered angrily, thrusting the note in their direction. Splinter grabbed it from his hand and read it silently. Don and Leo looked over his shoulder to read it.
Mikey's handwriting was shaky, and there was a single wet spot on the paper. Sorry, guys, it read. This is something that I have to do. I'll come back. Eventually.
"Guys," Leo said. They all looked at him. "We have got to go find him."
They all nodded. "Go with haste, my sons. I fear for your brother's safety," Splinter told them quietly.
"So do we," Don replied softly. "So do we."
A/N: Okay... review... I see a potential writer's block coming up with my name on it... and reviews help to keep it away... so, please review? Please?
moogsthewriter