A/N: I'm back with another drabble! This one is a request made by a Guest reviewer who wanted the prompt "Because I said so". Guest reviewer, I give you props for stumping on this one! Took me awhile to think of something to write that was too boring...well I hope its not boring...I tried. Without further ado, here's your request!

And, special thanks to Ravenshell for being my beta and FaithfulWhispers for offering her insight :)

Because I Said So

"I made it pretty, Daddy!"

"Paint belongs in your coloring book, not on my robe, Michelangelo."

"Can I make the dojo look pretty instead?"

"No."

"What about Raphie?"

"Absolutely not. Coloring books only."

"But the pictures in my head are really big and my coloring book's too small."

"Perhaps less sugar would lessen the pictures in your mind…."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, my son."

"….What about the cabinets?"

"No."

"But why?..."

"Because I said so."

"But, Master Splinter, I have rubber gloves on! Rubber doesn't conduct electricity, so I won't get hurt. It'll protect me from any electrical backfires….not that there will be any electrical backfires…. and I also took additional precautions to—"

"Donatello, you are not to go anywhere near those loose wires!"

"But, I can fix it, Sensei!"

"No! Your safety is more important than proving your knowledge."

"Why can't I fix it?"

"Because I said so!"

"How many times have I told you to use your words, before your fists, Raphael?"

"But Mikey doesn't listen! The only thing he understands is me clobbering him! Why do I have to do backflips? Why does he get off easy, standing in the corner…he started it!"

"If you are so adamant about standing in the corner, you can do so after you finish your fifty backflips."

"Still don't know why I have to do stupid backflips…."

"Because I said so."

"But I'm ready, Master Splinter!"

"Patience, Leonardo. For now you and your brothers will practice with bokken."

"But, but….why do I have to wait with Raph, Donnie, and Mikey? I'm better at katas than they are and I'm more responsible…I know I would be great with real weapons!"

"Be careful of the pedestal you place yourself upon, my son, the fall is never pleasant."

"Hai, Sensei…..What if you just gave me my new weapon without them knowing? You could train me in private, so they wouldn't feel bad."

"No. You will wait along with your brothers for your weapon, possibly longer if you do not soon learn humility."

"But, sensei, why?"

"Because I said so."

"We'll stick together and I'll make sure they stay out of trouble."

"What're we, five?...We don't need you babysitting us, Fearless!...Sick of being in this sewer hole all the time, though…."

"Just think of the learning experience, Sensei!"

"Oh! And leprechauns! I totally want to see one!...They live under bridges and—"

"Yame! You are forbidden to go to the surface world!" The sharp command silences the boys immediately. Looking at each of his sons with an eye of scrutiny and well-hidden apprehension, he sees they are no longer the chubby-limbed tots they were ten years ago, and neither are they the awkward gangly pre-teens they were three years ago. They are fifteen. They are strong, well-trained, and with good values. They are good boys, just the way he raised them to be. Yes, just as he raised his kind-hearted, innocent children to be.

"Why not, Sensei?"

He knows he cannot keep them away from the surface world forever.

Hopeful eyes stare at him, waiting for his final word. He knows this time 'because I said so' will not be enough to deter their curiosity, their wonderment, their need to be a part of something more than he could ever provide.

FIN

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