Lol, I love it. After the last chapter came out, everyone said one thing: 'Oh well, at least he got a daughter.' Who said he was getting a daughter? :)

It seemed...weird. The four brothers were gone. How could they leave Mr. Splinter? It seemed odd to Kage. They were a family, and family was supposed to stick together. Splinter seemed depressed, he didn't even stir when the sewer girl came into the room. And she no longer worried about walking in when the boys were around, they were never there anymore. Kage shook her head, it was so weird...

She had gone to spy on the brothers once. They had taken a block of the sewers and divided it into fours, with a section for each. Kage only worried about one thing, how close Michelangelo was to her slide. One day, he might actually catch her...Donatello was always busy on experiments and algorithms. He had even started teaching an online class in A.P. Physics for the brainiac variety of High School and College students. Without any more distractions, Donatello was scary smart. Most of the stuff he was scribbling on white boards went right over her head, and after making her own little entrance into the purple masked turtle's home, she moved on to the next.

Raphael's new 'home' looked like the typical bachelor's pad. In short, it was a mess. Kage was tempted to pick up the empty chip bags littering the floor, but thought better of it when the homeowner in question walked back through the room. Re and resewn punching bags hung from the ceiling, magazines littered tables, and Kage was pretty sure that without the phone and microwave, the usually hot headed turtle would've starved to death. She shook her head. It was absolutely crazy...how the heck had he survived with the others for so long without turning the lair into a total garbage dump?!

Leonardo's home was one of the most pristine, and that might've been because he was an over compulsive clean freak. Everything was in its perfect place. Nothing was out of order, and Kage got the feeling he liked the feeling of control. A bonzi tree was growing in a pot in the center of the room, mats covered the left side of the room, and that's where all of Leonardo's training equipment was stashed. The right side held a made bed, and all of Leonardo's most prized possessions. As Kage had known, Raphael and Leonardo were complete and utter opposites.

Her biggest concern, however, was left to her closest actual neighbor. His little 'house' was close to her usual scavenger run trails, normal out and about paths, and one of her usual holes for getting above and below the given floor. But after seeing Michelangelo's place, she breathed a tiny sigh of relief. He would get lost if he left his little house.

Kage just shook her head in disappointment. Sure, people grow up and leave, but they don't rip out their parents hearts in the process! She sighed, leaning against a sewer wall. She had made some secret entrances into each of the guys' new homes, just in case, and discovered there was a door linking all fours brothers homes together. They needed their brotherly bond after all. Standing up, Kage turned to scribble on the wall with a sharpie.

Milk, cheese, tea (Chamomile), peppermint

Was she forgetting anything? Since the boys were gone, Mr. Splinter had slipped into a depression. He couldn't even find the energy to go topside to get supplies! Kage had taken that over for him, knowing she would be more inconspicuous than the mutant rat. Kage didn't know what to do about him, she had been on her own for a long time and didn't need to worry about anyone else. But now...she felt she owed the older rat. He kept her secret, she had to help him.

"You're to good." he murmured after she got back to the lair with the supplies. "Chamomile..." he murmured, taking a sip. Kage just sat beside him, waiting. He would get out of his funk eventually, she just had to have patience.

~(0)~

"Huh." Mikey spoke, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the wall before him.

Milk
Cheese
Tea (Chamomile)
Peppermint

"Huh." he repeated, slightly confused. Who in their right minds wrote grocery lists on sewer walls? He cocked his head to the side, trying to get a better angle on the writing. It looked new...didn't make it new though. But who wrote on sewer walls? Mikey shook his head, completely and utterly confused. He had wanted to map out his new territory, and the first thing he came across in scribbly black writing was this. Huh. "Well okay then." he shook his head, and moved on. Something was up, definitely. As to what...the orange bandana'd turtle had no clue. Maybe I should visit Master Splinter...he thought, and decided to do that. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he liked having his own place. It felt so...quiet. There was no noise but what he made, and besides the movement of the controller and his every now and then ecstatic outbursts for beating a boss level, it was quiet.

Mikey hated that.

The way back to the lair was instinctual, and Mikey sped up when the light from the lair creeped out into the tunnel. At first, Mikey worried someone had gotten in. Master Splinter was always good at locking up after his brother and him left, so why hadn't he locked up this time?

"Don't worry about that, I can do it." Mikey heard his father murmur, and Mikey's forehead furrowed slightly. Who was he talking to? Was April down here? Casey? "Where did-"

"Sensei?" Mikey called out uncertainly. The rat was standing in the middle of the room, looking around himself perplexed.

"Ah." Sensei smiled, seeming to come to some sort of understanding. His father chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "How are you, my son? Is your new home to your liking?" Sensei asked, and Mikey came towards his father.

"It's okay, I guess." he shrugged back. "How've you been without us? You okay?" Mikey asked hesitantly.

"It's been a change, certainly. But, if you and your brothers believe it is for the best, than who am I to stand in your way?" Master Splinter responded. Mikey didn't reply, and his father went towards the little kitchen to put the cup he was holding in the sink. "Tea has been most helpful." Master Splinter sighed. "And-" he cut himself off, shaking his head with a rueful smile.

"What?" Mikey spoke up.

"Nothing and no one." Sensei replied. "Now, what brings you back to your former home, Michelangelo?"

"Just came to stop by. Raph promised we'd visit, and I haven't so..." Mikey trailed off.

"Came to visit the older rodent, hm? How nice of you. Please, sit. Would you like something? I have cold pizza left over." Sensei offered, and Mikey shook his head.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." he replied. His father's gaze seemed to focus on something behind him, and Mikey could have sworn he saw his father mouth the word 'ka', but he wasn't sure. The orange masked turtle whipped his head around, but whatever his father had seen was gone.

"What do you seek to find, Michelangelo?" Sensei asked politely, taking a seat beside his son on the couch.

"I...I actually don't know. It seems so weird for all of us to be apart. I mean, my bros are all next door and you're kinda on the next street over, but you know? It's weird for us to not be together." Mikey said miserably.

"You must discover for yourself what is pleasing and a displeasure. Maybe one day you children will all reside under the same roof as I, but for the present you must discover a solo path. Maybe learn how to make your own dinner instead of ordering take out every night."

"And the wise sayings of Master Splinter..." Mikey chuckled.

"I am not pleased with this arrangement, but for the present it is as it is. You have only known one thing for a such a long time, now you must branch off." Master Splinter smiled. "We each must flourish in the heat of battle, whether its form is physical..or mental."

Mikey nodded, knowing his father was right. Always right. Mikey and his father chatted for a bit longer, the younger son never seeing the girl hidden in the rafters.