It wasn't until two days later that Mikey realized the phone line was disconnected. Trying in vain to remember the last time he had used it, a loud growl from his stomach interrupted his ponderings. He glanced longingly at his two for one coupon from Domino's pizza clutched in his free hand.

With a groan he slumped over the kitchen table, glaring at the dead receiver as if it had personally betrayed him. His hand inched down to the T-phone strapped to his belt. He hesitated the moment his fingers made contact with its smooth surface, Leo's warning against using his phone for anything other than emergencies echoing in his head. With a melodramatic sigh he pulled his hand away.

Unmoving from his newfound position atop the table, he scanned the empty lair, pausing briefly on the living room couch and the unguarded video game console. Another powerful protest from his stomach quickly vanquished all distractions however, and his gaze crossed over to Donatello's bedroom. The door was still closed tight, same as it had been since he had retreated inside the night Master Splinter had so abruptly left them all on his journey.

Mikey paused, and then pulled himself upright.

He cast a final quick glance around the lair before he sighed, and cautiously stepped over to the locked door. For a moment Mikey did nothing, reconsidering the importance of a cheesy, double-stuffed crust. He was yanked from his thoughts when a throaty cough from inside the bedroom reminded him that it had actually been hours since he'd last caught sight of his older brother, and he probably should check in on him anyway.

"Don?" Mikey lightly tapped his knuckles against the door, pressing up against it, "Hey, you awake?"

Silence.

Moments passed, and Mikey contemplated stealing from Raphael the only other key to Don's room. But after weighing the risks of spelunking through Raph's bedroom, Mikey opted to instead lift his hand to knock again, when he heard a quiet click. The door squeaked open, just wide enough for Donatello to peer out. The older turtle squinted painfully against the harsh light from the kitchen, before he quickly retreated back into the cool, dark shadows of his room.

"What do you want?"

Michelangelo hesitated. An apologetic grin crept to his face, and his stomach gave another flip, although at this point he was unsure if it was from hunger or guilt at having disturbed the much-needed rest of his ailing older brother.

"Uh," Mikey poked his nose a bit inside the door, though he was promptly blocked. Inside he saw only darkness, broken by the dull white glow of a single lamp tucked far into a corner somewhere. Mikey caught himself shuddering at the staleness of the air, "I just wanted to check on you and see how you're doing. Um, and the phone is kinda broken. I would use my T-Phone, but you know how Leo gets when we use them outside of disasters. If it's not Armageddon, it's not worth using."

Don sighed as he squeezed his eyes shut, "And Leo can't fix it?"

"He's not here. He went out for a run over an hour ago." Mikey pulled back, fidgeting before he gave a sheepish grin, "Never mind, it's cool bro. Waffles for dinner sounded tasty anyway."

Rolling his eyes, Don pushed against the door and stepped out, "Let me see it," he muttered, "I guess I could use a break from hacking out my lungs."

Mikey pulled back, and he tried not to stare as Don extracted himself from the depths of his room with excruciating slowness and plodded over to the kitchen table. With a sort of detached calm, Don picked up the payphone receiver which served as their landline, inspecting it over with a glum disinterest.

Leaning against the back of one of the kitchen chairs, Mikey peered over Don's shoulder. He didn't really know what exactly he was trying to catch a glimpse of, but truth be told, he hadn't realized how much he had missed the purple-banded turtle's composed presence, his quiet demeanor offering a soothing tranquility that was a welcomed change of pace to Leo and Raph's cold silence that had filled the lair for the past forty-eight hours.

"So, can you fix it?"

"Yes."

"Pretty weird, huh?" Mikey clambered on top of two table chairs, still peering inches from Don's shell, "I guess the storms must have been pretty bad and knocked out the power from up top."

"Mhmm," Don sounded less than focused as he edged away from Mikey's perilous teetering, "What makes you say that?"

Mikey shrugged, "I dunno. Like, it was working the other night when April called you. And it's not like anyone would come mess with our junk on purpose."

Don paused, now stealing a glance at his younger sibling for a moment, eyes curious, "Sure. Here, fixed."

"Huh?" Mikey slammed the legs of the chair back to the ground, before traipsing over to stare uncertainly at the offered phone, "Are you sure?"

He snatched and held it up, the loud, dull dial tone as clear as ever, "Wait, how did you do that? Why didn't you go to the circuit breaker thingy like you normally do?"

"That's how I always fix it." Don shrugged dismissively. Stepping around the younger turtle, he ignored the look of confusion cast his way as he proceeded to pull open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, "Besides, who cares how I did it. It works now doesn't it?"

Still hesitant, Mikey held the phone warily as though he half expected it to sprout a mouth and start singing Ragtime Gal, "Yeah…I guess so. Thanks bro."

A new voice interrupted the two brothers.

"What are you doing out here?"

Don and Mikey simultaneously turned with a start as the stern demand cut through the air. A cold blast of wind enveloped both of them, causing Don to involuntarily wince. Neither said a word as they watched their eldest brother step in from the sewers, an annoyed scowl darkening his features.

Don frowned, "Well excuse me. I didn't realize I wasn't allowed out of quarantine."

"Not you," Leo muttered as he unwrapped a long, knit scarf from around his neck. He shot Michelangelo a pointed look of disapproval, "I said to be ready for training when I got back. Why aren't you in the dojo preparing?"

Mikey groaned, his shoulders slumping, "Dude, aren't you tired? You just got back from, like, a ten mile run, can't we take a break?"

"Mikey," Leo flung the scarf on the nearby coatrack before he stepped over and snatched the phone from his brother's hand, hanging it up with a sharp click, "just because Master Splinter isn't here doesn't mean you can slack off like usual. If you think you can run off and make up your own rules like a certain turtle I won't mention, then you'd better get ready to refocus right now."

"I just wanted to order dinner."

"Later. Go." Leo flicked his eyes to Don, where his expression immediately softened. When he spoke again his voice was gentle, "How are you feeling? Did you take any of that cold medicine Mikey found yesterday? Or you can join us for a meditation session if you think that might help."

"No thanks," Don yawned as he shook his head, "The light is beginning to irritate my eyes anyway. I think I'll go lie down and try to get some sleep."

"Yeah, well if you need us we'll be in the dojo for the next five million hours," Mikey mumbled as he passed between the two of them, dragging his feet as he lead the way.

Leo rolled his eyes before nodding back at Donatello, "Take some of that cough syrup. You know where to find us."

Don said nothing, giving only a quick bemused nod before slipping seamlessly back into the murky confines of his room. Glancing back he offered a sympathetic glance to Mikey, as the young turtle was unable to avoid his fate any longer and was pushed the final steps into the dojo.

With an overdramatic sigh, Mikey shivered as the frigid air hit his skin. It felt colder than usual, before he remembered that with Don cooped up in his room, no one else has really thought to try to keep the rest of the lair warm. The icy coldness of the room only made everything feel that much bleaker than before.

"Sit down."

"Alright, alright," Mikey muttered with a roll of his eyes as he plopped to the ground and crossed his legs before smiling lazily back at him, "Chillax bro. It's all good, okay? I know the drill, you don't have to boss me around you know."

"So trying to keep you focused is now bossing you around?" Leo snapped as he seated himself down as well, his entire body coiled with tension as his eyes narrowed, "Wanting to keep my family safe and out of harm's way is too bossy?"

Mikey's grin plummeted as he swallowed and tried not to grimace, "No…" he could feel his stomach churning, certain that his not so forgotten hunger was only exacerbating the already tumultuous emotions that snarled and snagged deep inside him. Hanging his head, he stared at his toes.

More than anything he wished that Don was there with them. Mikey couldn't stand the pressure, the sickening task of forcing out his brothers' icy words from filling his head. Anger and pain was rapidly choking his family, a poison only Don seemed to know how to hush and placate. His quiet brother had always been able to suck the venom from their wounds, and Mikey hated as the responsibility seemed to have fallen to him. He'd never felt more under qualified for a task in his life.

He swallowed hard. Spoke quietly.

"I just don't think it's really helping though, if you can't trust any of us."

Leo openly flinched, "That has nothing to do with it," he said stiffly. But the words were forced, "Of course I trust you guys."

Mikey lifted his eyes and evenly met his brother's gaze. "Are you sure about that?"

Leo fell into silence. The heavy stillness became suffocating, growing more and more painful with each passing moment. At last Leo tore his gaze away, squeezing his eyes tight as he exhaled deeply. When he spoke again, his voice was detached.

"Close your eyes, Mikey. Breathe evenly and clear your mind."

Without further question, Michelangelo instinctively did as he was told.

He hadn't really expected much of a response from Leo anyway, and he was sort of relieved when he didn't. Besides, truth be told, he was glad for the excuse to hear Leo speaking in a softer tone than he'd heard in what felt like much too long a time.

It wasn't the first time Mikey wished Master Splinter hadn't left them all. Gone in less than twenty-four hours, it almost felt like he'd been planning it for days. But there was no point in arguing. Even if no one dared mention the name of helmeted vigilante that once again roamed their city streets, there was no ignoring the unsettling rift that was slowly beginning to seep into their family.

Even now, Mikey didn't quite understood why Don had chosen to speak up the way he did. It had made his stomach turn when he'd heard the words from his big brother's mouth-a lie that had effectively distracted their father from discovering why all four of his sons had been topside so close to the risky time of daybreak.

Mikey wasn't sure just when he'd first realized how easily the ability to conceal the truth came to Don. After all, they all knew Splinter would never choose to believe his gentlest and most trust-worthy child would blatantly choose to conceal the truth right in front of him.

Still, he'd had to bite his tongue to keep from blurting out what really happened. What good would that have done for any of them? Yet the stomach-churning question had been planted, and Mikey couldn't shake off the chilling reality of what Donatello had done.

How many times had his brother used Splinter's trust to deceive him? To trick any of them for that matter? How many times had Don risked his own integrity for the sake of masking someone else's mistake? No one had even said thank you to him for claiming the burden of their disobedience, but every time Mikey tried to utter out the words they became garbled and confused. Mostly because he wasn't really sure if such acts of betrayal really deserved any appreciation at all.

Maybe if Don hadn't spoken up the way he had, Leo or Raph, or even himself, would have been forced to speak up instead.

Maybe then the truth would have exploded out into the open.

And maybe, maybe Splinter wouldn't have left them to fend for themselves against each another.

Or maybe none of it mattered at all and Splinter had been planning to leave them regardless.

Truth be told, Mikey had a difficult time piecing together what exactly had happened that night Splinter sent them from his room. Not only was his memory fuzzy due to the cascade of the night's adrenaline that had blurred his rainbow-tinted vision of reality, but the sheer exhaustion which crushed him into sleep five minutes after landing on the living room couch hadn't really helped either.

Not that anyone really cared where he crashed for the night.

The angry words from both Leo and Raph still lingered behind, even after the sharp sound of Leo's bedroom door slamming shut had echoed through the living room. Raphael had shut the door to Don's bedroom too, a bit softer though, after ensuring the brainiac had safely made it bed after his near collapse from his panic-induced sprint above the skyline of the city. Everyone had left. Seemed like no one was coming out to talk with him, that was for sure. Still, it felt better to sleep out in the living room than in his own room. He wasn't really sure the reason; just that they all felt closer this way somehow.

But the nightmares that night had been awful. He could vaguely recall the vision that plagued his subconscious; the silhouette of a creature smeared in metal and red, threatening to pull deeper and deeper into black hole of endless sleep. And as the shrill cry of a payphone shot through the lair, he bolted upright with a start, confused as he stared out into complete darkness.

Morning had already come to pass topside, yet within the murky depths of the lair, night settled in whenever it was needed. The neon lights from the clock on the kitchen counter glowed just after 7 am, yet Mikey was positive it couldn't have been more than an hour since he had succumbed to sleep.

Another jarring ring rattled the young turtle, and Mikey leapt from his makeshift bed, stumbling momentarily through the dark, hands outstretched. He tripped once, bumping hard into the corner of the kitchen table before muffling a curse and snatching up the payphone's receiver. He opened his mouth to answer, when another voice spoke up first instead.

"Terrapin Tech Headquarters, how may I forward your call?"

Don's voice was weary and quiet, yet surprisingly clear from the other side of the phone.

Momentarily confused, Mikey remembered that Don still operated many of the phone lines directly out of his room from his previous job as an IT tech support operator. A pang of guilt shot through Mikey for having not answered the ring sooner, knowing the call must have woken up his one brother that needed to rest the most.

Consumed with self-reproach, Mikey didn't realize he still held the phone to his ear until he heard the conversation continue.

"Donatello?"

"April?"

"Don!" relief flooded in April's voice, "Hey, are you guys okay? You sounded kind of stressed when I called earlier."

"Oh. Right."

Mikey hesitated. The receiver still in his hands, he inched it slowly away as every lecture on the importance of not being a snoop bombarded his mind. Yet as April began speaking again he quickly pressed the phone back to his ear, curiosity ultimately overcoming any last inkling of common sense or courtesy.

"Well you never called me back after you hung up on me," her voice was strained with a puzzled worry. "When I saw I was doing a report on the supposed return of the Nightwatcher I couldn't believe it. I tried to get more information from my producer, but he said whoever had turned in the video was remaining anonymous. I've been trying to call all night. What happened? Is Raphael okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it April." Don paused, and Mikey heard him wrestle back a worn out sigh, "It's just some stupid hoax. Raph hasn't even been going out much lately. Probably too cold."

"Really? That's weird." April sighed, "Well anyway, I'm glad he's okay. I was really worried that something had happened to you guys. Why did you hang up on me so suddenly Don?"

"I…? Oh." Don paused, and from where Mikey stood he could see a faint glimmer of light flicker out from the crack beneath Don's closed bedroom door, "Mikey had spilled his drink all over my work. Sorry about that."

"Ah, I see." April said, a subtle hint of laughter lurking in her tone, "Well alright, I'll let you guys know if I get any more information about this fake Nightwatcher. I had called earlier but had to hang up since I was given this story literally minutes before I went on air. Sorry about that. "

"That's alright. Thanks April."

"Oh, by the way, you haven't seen Casey around lately, have you?"

There was a pause.

"Huh? Casey?"

"Yeah, I haven't seen him around for a few days. He didn't mention that he was going anywhere. Has he been hanging out down there?"

"Right. Casey. No, he hasn't been down in a while." There was another pause. Mikey tried to recall the last time he'd seen that overbearing, basket-case of vigilantism as well, but was quickly torn from his thoughts as Don continued, "But doesn't he tend to disappear sometimes when he needs to get away from the city? His whole 'clearing his head' thing?"

"Sometimes, I guess…"

"Don't worry, April. I'm sure he'll be back in a couple days, just like always. Things have been kind of crazy around here, so just call me if you need anything else."

April paused, "Sure, okay. Well, I'm glad you guys are all alright."

"No worries, April. Talk to you later."

Mikey waited until he heard the sound of April's phone beep off before he exhaled, realizing he'd grown a bit light-headed from his involuntary held breathe of silence.

As he slowly moved to hang up the phone, he stopped as a voice pointedly cut through the receiver.

"Michelangelo."

Mikey jumped, biting back a yelp so forcefully he ended up causing a coughing fit instead. Clutching the phone tight to his plastron, he hacked violently before lifting it up and rasping out a sheepish, "Me?"

"Did you really think I didn't realize you were listening?" Don sighed, "Come here."

The second sharp click of a phone shut off and Mikey sighed. Hanging it up, he turned towards Donatello's closed bedroom door. The darkened shadows and faint glow was suddenly the most foreboding sight he'd seen all night. Trying not to grimace, he quietly approached the door, before pressing against it gently. The sound of a faint tapping on keyboards floated out from within.

"Don?"

"Come in."

The door slipped open noiselessly. Cautiously, Mikey peered inside. He almost pulled back as his eyes landed on his older brother, seated before his desk, soaked in the various glows of countless monitors, washing him over in cold blues and sickly yellows, casting his skin into a waxy shade of gray. He watched as Don's fingers glided over the flat screens before him, pausing only to type on one of the keypads. Briefly he wondered if anyone else knew Don hadn't yet bothered to sleep.

"What have I told you about eavesdropping?"

Mikey immediately relaxed, the familiar position of being lectured by one of his brother's oddly comforting, "Oh…um, right. Sorry about that…"

"Don't do it again."

Don's voice was soft, yet it cast a shroud of unexpected chills over the younger turtle and he bit the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah, sorry bro. Uh, are you okay?"

"Yes. Good night Mikey. Please shut the door after you."

"Right…" Mikey pulled back, yet hesitated before the door shut completely. Frowning, he eased himself in a bit more, the words almost caught in his mouth before he managed a quiet, "But, um, that's not exactly true."

Don stopped typing, swiveling around in his seat as he eyed Mikey quizzically, "What?"

"What you told April. That I spilled my drink on your work. Well, I mean yeah, I did, but that wasn't why you hung up on her."

Don continued to stare at Mikey a few moments, his face blank. Finally he shook his head and rubbed his temples, "Ugh, I don't remember. That felt like forever ago. " He sighed loudly before looking back over at his brother with a pleading look in his eyes, "Besides, do we really need to get April mixed up in all of this?"

Mikey frowned in confusion, "Mixed up in what? Like you said, this whole Nightwatcher thing is all just a sick joke, right?"

"Probably…" Don shook his head, "but I mean like all this business going on with Leo and Raph. This is between our family. We don't need to have April worried about us."

Mikey nodded, "Right. Um, is that why you said Raph hasn't been going out? 'Cause I'm pretty sure he's been going topside just about every night this week."

Don turned around completely, now facing Mikey straight on. The younger turtle stiffened at the sickening red rim of Donatello's eyes, piercing into him with a desperation he'd never seen on his older brother's face before.

"Look," Don paused, struggling with his words. When he finally continued, his voice was strained, "The only one who knew about Raph being the Nightwatcher was Casey, correct?"

Mikey gave a slow nod.

"So how's it going to look if everyone knows that Raph has been out with him every night during all of this?" Don shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, "You know that Raph is innocent, and so do I, but until we find a way to completely clear his name it will just be better for everyone if we keep any evidence against him on the down low."

Mikey realized he was still nodding and he stopped, "Right…"

Don stood up now and shuffled towards Mikey, setting his hands on his shoulders and squeezing slightly before nodding, "So, we're on the same page then? Can you please just help me out and keep quiet about all this?"

A moment passed, though Mikey worried if he stayed much longer he'd watch the sudden spontaneous combustion of his brother right there before him and he wasn't sure his psyche could handle such an explosion, "Yeah, Don. I got ya."

Don sighed, pulling away as he stumbled back to his seat, "Good."

Mikey knew he probably should have stayed bit longer with Don, if anything just to make sure his older brother at least went to sleep that night. Yet with Don's lingering words of warning weighing on his mind, he knew there wouldn't have been anything he could say to convince the stubborn genius to do anything other than what he'd already set his mind to do, sick or not. So he left without saying another word, shutting the door quietly after him.

"Yeah, I definitely got it Don," Mikey muttered out loud, "except I didn't even ask about Casey."

"Mikey."

Michelangelo's eyes snapped open and he nearly jumped as he realized that Leo was staring at him. They both were still seated on the floor of the dojo where they had begun their meditation session. Still caught in the floaty aftermath of his memories, Mikey blinked back dully, "Huh?"

Leo shook his head as he rolled his eyes, "You were mumbling again. Can't you ever meditate quietly?"

"Ugh," Mikey groaned, and he stretched his legs out in front of him. He resisted a yawn, blinking rapidly a couple times as he slowly brought his mind back into focus. "Leo, I'm so sick of this. Seriously dude, can we please at least spar or something? I'm dying here, man."

The older ninja frowned, yet he stopped at the pleading sheen cast back at him from his brother's bright blue eyes. He sighed, his shoulders sagging in resignation, though a slight grin threatened to tug at the corner of his mouth, "Alright. If we spar for fifteen minutes will that calm your nerves?"

"I'll take what I can get!" Mikey bolted to his feet, fists pumped with more pent up energy than one should be physically able to handle.

Leo stood and stretched his arms, "Alright, but remember, fifteen minutes max."

"Whatever dude!" Mikey grinned as he backed up, "If you wanna stop me you're going to have to make me!"

With a smirk he sprang forward, disregarding Leo's reminder of proper stretching. His sudden attack forced Leo to reach for his swords, and Mikey pretended not to notice the disapproving scowl gracing his brother's face at foregoing proper sparring etiquette.

"Too slow!"

Michelangelo grinned as he felt that familiar, solid thud of his feet hitting the floor from a perfect back hand spring, the mild shock spinning up his calves. He didn't so much as flinch as the tip of Leo's katana harmlessly swiped the air before him, missing his face by a mere inch.

"What's the matter bro?" Mikey laughed as Leo stabbed forth with a half-hearted lunge and he rolled away with ease. His fingers itched to reach for his nun chucks as he pulled up from the ground once more, "Am I blinding you with my moves?"

Leonardo spun around and threw one of his swords, the blade slicing through the air with singing precision before sinking three inches into the wall behind Michelangelo's left shoulder.

"Come on," Mikey smirked from where he stood perfectly out of harm's way, arms crossed over his plastron as he stuck his tongue out at his brother, "My nun chucks are getting lonely, at least give me a reason to use them."

With a distracted huff, Leo stomped over to his sword still embedded into the wall and yanked it out. Mikey watched quietly, before his hand flew down to his right nunchaku, flipping it out and flexing his wrist.

"Alright, Leo," Mikey suddenly sprinted forward, leaning down low as he targeted the spot in front of Leo's feet. He zoned in on his favorite move- a flying leap into the air, complete with a double half twist and a solid landing on his older brother's shell. This move boasted a 45% success rate on Don, 30% with Raph, but he had never once succeeded in connecting with Leo. But it was a sure-fire way to get his attention at least.

Mikey braced himself for Leo's standard retaliation, already preparing himself to flip back into the air the second Leo would undoubtedly blitz away before sweeping back around for a counter strike. Thus he was completely unprepared when Leo didn't even attempt to dodge his attack.

"Oof!"

Mikey groaned as he tried to sit up from where he had landed hard, directly atop Leo's shell, his older brother splayed disgracefully out beneath him.

"Ow ow ow…Leo, why didn't you move?"

Leo didn't answer, shaking his head as it seemed to take him a moment to realize where he was and what had actually happened. He didn't bother trying to turn to see Mikey; the effort too much given his shell would block most of his view anyway.

"Sorry," Leo muttered, though he didn't sound entirely sure as to why he was apologizing after embarrassing himself, "I told you I didn't want to spar. Maybe we should just call it quits for the night."

"Well I guess I could go ask Don to teach me his new dance moves, but I doubt he'd up for it after being up all nights puking his guts out," Mikey rolled his eyes as his shoulders slumped, unable to hide his disappointment at the apparent impromptu end to their match. He could feel the impending boredom already beginning to creep into the back of his mind, "And Raph's out, I think with Casey or something like that, can't remember what he said exactly."

"Mikey?"

Mikey twitched, eyes wide, "Oops…uh, I mean...he's with…um.."

"Mikey?"

Michelangelo leaned forward and peered down at Leo, who continued to stare out blankly ahead, "Yeah?"

"Get off me."

"Party pooper."

Mikey stuck out his tongue as he slid off Leo's shell, hitting the ground with a thump as he landed beside his older brother. He watched bemusedly as Leo pulled himself upright, immensely glad when he didn't just stand and completely walk away.

For a few moments the two turtles sat in silence, though Mikey never once tore his eyes away from Leo as the older turtle fell into a distracted sort of trance. Mikey stared with curiosity, peering in closer as he chose to ignore the way Leo inched away from him. He only stopped once he was literally leaning atop Leo, and the older turtle suddenly spoke up lest he found himself tackled to the ground once more.

"Let's go out."

For a moment Mikey didn't respond, the words so entirely foreign in Leo's voice, and so utterly unexpected after what felt like endless days of cramped torture in a lair of cranky and sick brothers. He thought he had imagined them.

His head whipped around, expecting to find that he had indeed misheard, that it had been in fact Raph who had somehow popped in and spoken up, or hell, even Don speaking would have made more sense. But the dojo was empty and Mikey's head whip-lashed back to stare at Leo, eyes wide enough to consume the entirety of his face.

"Yes!" Mikey rocketed to his feet, dreading that should he take too long to decide, Leo would retract his offer.

"Where do you wanna go? The movies? The arcade? The skate park?" the younger turtle tripped over his own words as he reached down to yank Leo up from the ground, already bouncing on the balls of his feet.

He didn't wait for Leo to respond as he began nudge him toward the doors of the dojo, his voice growing louder with each passing second, "Or dude! Let's go hit up that comic shop on Regal Street, I think it's early enough for it to still be open. Don keeps saying he'll go with me but I'm pretty sure that offer's been flushed down the toilet along with everything else."

"I was thinking we could head downtown, actually."

Mikey felt the energy rush from his limbs faster than the grin that fell from his face. His arms dropped back loosely by his sides. He tried not to sigh in disappointment, but he couldn't help it. Slumping slightly, he looked up at Leo.

"You want to go look for Raph, huh?"

Leo blinked and his eyes flicked off to the side for a second, "No…" he said rigidly, "I just think it would be fun to go there." he finished lamely.

Mikey rolled his eyes. He wondered if it was too late to retract his offer to go out, only to realize it wasn't his offer to take back in the first place. "But there's nothing to do downtown, Leo. And if Raph's out with Casey they're probably near Central Park anyway."

"I told you, we're not going after Raph. I just thought we should go somewhere else for a change; maybe find something new to do."

"Uh huh." Mikey hoped his disbelief was obvious, and as he wasn't entirely sure if he'd layered on the disappointment and sarcasm on thick enough, he added in another, 'sure', just to be on the safe side.

Leo had stopped walking again, distracted and staring off into space. The silence was overwhelming.

"Can we at least get ice cream?" Mikey latched onto Leo's arm tightly, frowning as his older brother didn't even so much as try to shove him off. In a strained voice, the distracted turtle instead spoke up quietly.

"You don't think Raphael is acting as the Nightwatcher again, do you?"

Mikey pulled back at the question. His eyes widened as he stared openly at Leo, though he was unable to fully place exactly what expression played out on his older brother's face. He decided it didn't matter. Mikey had never been one for mind games and if Leo really wanted him to answer, he would.

"No. I don't."

Leo exhaled as he turned his head away, remaining silent.

Mikey stepped over to him, hoping Leo's reaction was from relief and not disappointment. Sometimes he wished Leo would practice a bit more in communicating his emotions once in a while, since a poker face ninja just wasn't really all that ideal outside the dojo or battlefield.

"Look Leo," Mikey sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I know this whole Nightwatcher thing means a lot to you, but like, it means a lot to all of us, you know?" Mikey paused before quickly shaking his head, "But if Raph says it wasn't him, isn't there a point where we just have act like his brothers and believe him?"

Leo's eyes snapped up, narrowed, though a flash of guilt spread across his features and he continued to say nothing.

"Besides, if you really think it was him, then why don't you just go check?"

Leo finally spoke, inching back uncertainly, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Mikey pulled away from him, decisively stepping over to the closed door of Splinter's trophy room.

"If Raph's out there as the Nightwatcher again, then he'll need his helmet, right? I remember he gave the suit to Don to take apart, but he could make another one without all the metal and plastic doohickey's easy. But the helmet, well, there's only one of those. If you really want to know if that's him or not out there, then check to see if the helmet is still here."

He reached out to place his hand on the door, pausing as his fingers hovered, a subconscious sense of foreboding forcing him to stop.

He quickly stepped back from the door, suddenly unsure how he'd feel if Leo actually agreed to his suggestion. Still, if this was the closure Leo needed, Mikey was ready to press it open and peer inside once and for all.

Leo remained silent as he stared intently at the door. Mikey fidgeted anxiously as he watched the older turtle carefully eyeing the dull wood, as though already peering through to the contents on the other side.

"No."

Leo turned away, shaking his head as his hands clenched and unclenched quickly, "you're right. Raph needs us to have faith in him. We're his brothers. We should trust him." He turned to look back at Mikey square in the eye, a determined grin spreading on his face, but when he spoke again there was a renewed sense of calm in his voice, a trusting sort of relief that sparked a flicker of hope in Mikey as Leo nodded energetically, "Come on, let's go check out the skate park. It should have cleared out by now."

"Yahoo!"

Mikey wasted no time in exploding from his spot, dashing forward and leaping into Leo's arms with enough fervor to topple them both over completely, had he not wrapped his arms and legs around the other in a tight embrace. He intentionally ignored how close Leo came to tumbling down from the younger brother he now found latched onto his torso.

Mikey knew Leo had spoken in earnest. As strained as his relationships sometimes grew with Raphael, no argument was ever stronger that the desire for trust. Even if Mikey didn't know how long it would last, for now anyway, Leo had rekindled that faith in Raph.

Beaming with glee, Mikey clutched Leo's head in his ecstatic grip, and planted an exaggeratedly sloppy kiss on the top of his brother's beak.

"Did I ever tell you you're my favorite older brother?"

Leo rolled his eyes with a bemused smile. He shuffled them over to the exit of the dojo, not bothering to try and extract Mikey from his person, knowing such struggles would ultimately be a futile waste of time and energy anyway. He stopped as they stepped back out into the living room, glancing over to the shut door on the opposite end of the lair, "We need to tell Don we're going out."

Mikey likewise shared a sidelong glance before he shook his head, "He's probably asleep by now anyway, you know that cough medicine always knocks him out. Let's just get him some ice cream on the way back. Now, onward to the skate park!"

Mikey jabbed a finger in the air, pointing onward as he squeezed his other arm tighter around Leo's neck, "Tallyho!"

With a renewed sense of enthusiasm, the two brothers continued onward, staggering the rest of the way out of the lair.