"Your soul knows the geography of your destiny. Your soul alone has the map of your future, therefore you can trust this indirect, oblique side of yourself. If you do, it will take you where you need to go, but more important it will teach you a kindness of rhythm in your journey."
― John O'Donohue

"Idris: Are all people like this?
The Doctor: Like what?
Idris: So much bigger on the inside."
― Neil Gaiman

Spirit Willing

"So," Michelangelo said after a loud sip of soda, "Mutant ninja turtle verses former Norwegian naval officer, both hotheads. Who are you betting on?"

"Oh, Freya." Gaia flicked both ears. "She took multiple martial arts, she hunted monsters, and the Navy up north doesn't play around."

Raphael let out a frustrated yell as the blonde human flipped him over her shoulder with an almost feral snarl.

"Point!" Leonardo called. "Freya!"

"DAMN IT," Raph struck the mat with his fists and got to his feet.

"Did you want me to tickle you, Raphael?" Freya smirked, sweeping wayward curls out of her eyes. "You wanted to try hand to hand with me. I told you I would not go easy."

"That's my girl," Rhea called, clapping.

"Okay, I'm callin' Freya to win already!" Mikey said.

Raph pointed at the dojo's doorway. "I do not need comments from the peanut gallery!"

"Again!" Leo said.

This time it was Freya who made the first move, head down as if to tackle. At the last second, she swerved left and wrapped one arm around Raph's waist, pushing him hard to the mat. With a snarl, Raph grabbed her forearm and began to flip her. She bent forwards and snapped her arms inwards, completing a somersault before spinning to her feet and kicking him in the shoulder.

"Point, Freya!"

"HEY! C'mon, Leo!"

Freya looked at Leo and winked. "I don't think he likes losing."

Leo grinned. "Sshhh."

After two more rounds, one of which went to Raph when he surprised Freya from behind, they bowed to each other and toweled off. Raph, grumbling, stepped past Mike and Gaia, who by this point had popcorn, and stalked off to his bedroom. Rhea gave Freya a peck on the lips and checked her bruises. "I'd check Raph too, but he might throw me out."

"He would," sad Donatello, emerging from the lab, wiping oil off his hands. "You should see what he does when Leo beats him."

Gaia stood and grinned. "I think he likes you, Freya."

Freya grinned back. "He's very hot, but too rough. I only like to be thrown against a wall occasionally."

Rhea wrapped one arm around her waist. "Give me some more aikido lessons, I'll learn to throw you better. Besides, would he even want to do a triad?"

"Probably," Leo said. "Mikey's the only one of us who's had sex, and Raph might be envious."

"Speaking of that," and Mikey picked up Gaia, "Wanna go to my room and turn up the music real loud?"

"Hey, now," Leo interrupted. "You and I have a meditation session scheduled."

"Aww, but I might be more relaxed after!"

"That's true," Freya stated.

Leo pinched the skin between his eyes. "Fine. But I want Gaia with us."

"Really?" Gaia said. "Why?"

"In case something goes weird on the spiritual plane. Your purring frequencies could ground and calm him."

"Cool. I'm in."

"Woo!" And Mike was a blur as he ran to his bedroom with a giggling cat mutant and locked the door. A moment later, music blasted just loud enough to mask any other sounds.

The others sat on the couch, and Rhea rifled through the movie selection. They were halfway through a Bruce Lee film when Mikey appeared, walking on his hands with Gaia casually sitting on his feet.

"We are now relaxed," she announced.

"Dojo," Leo pointed. Mikey bent his knees to let Gaia down, then jumped to his feet.

"May we watch?" Rhea asked.

"Sure," Leo said. Donnie followed. "I'd like a session, as well. Mikey, if you're up for it. I was gonna ask if you wanted to help me with some lab work later."

"Sweet. Thanks, Donnie!"

"This is such an inventive and creative family," Rhea grinned, "I love it."

In the dojo, under the great tree, Leonardo and Michelangelo sat agura facing each other, knees touching. Gaia sat next to Mikey, hand on his arm, and began a high, steady purr. Without a word, they closed their eyes, and Mikey pulled Leo into the spiritual plane.

They appeared in a narrow brick hallway, outside a bolted metal door.

"Seriously?" Mikey griped. "This place? I thought I got over this!"

"I thought you did too," Leo murmured. "I was at least expecting the beach."

Mikey put his hand on the door, then pulled back. "I don't wanna open it, but I don't know what to do…"

"Um…" Leo looked down the hallway, into darkness. "Is anything down that way?"

Mike frowned. "Last time, I got led into a forest by three gods and had a water balloon fight. But I think one of them made the forest? I dunno?"

"Well, we can go look, I guess."

Mikey grabbed onto his arm and bit his lip. "What if it's all just…darkness?"

Leo smiled at him. "I'm here, I'm gonna keep you safe. Besides, do you hear that vibration? That's Gaia. I asked her to keep you calm by purring. Try and focus on that."

Mikey gave him a hesitant smile. "I'm glad you like her."

"Well, she's awesome. And she loves you. And we learn a lot together. C'mon now." And he patted Mikey's hand on his bicep. "Let's get moving."

They moved slowly into the darkness, which seemed to recede with each step. Gradually, whiteness appeared ahead. The outside vibration grew stronger as Michelangelo began whimpering. Leo tightened his grip on his brother's hand.

They walked out into a forest.

"Well," Leo said. "There you go. Now let's-"

Something growled all around them.

"Eeep," from Mikey.

Leo let go and drew his swords.

Michelangelo jumped and spun in all directions, eyes wide, breathing heavily. "The trees," he whispered, "we should go into the trees, right?"

Leonardo tilted his head. "Here, this way." And they crept through the foliage soundlessly, unconsciously timing their breathing with the slow, steady vibrations of Gaia's purring. Michelangelo seemed to calm down, and came to Leo's side, posture straight and eyes narrowed.

The growling came from above, and when they looked up, there was only darkness, and it fell on them. Michelangelo screamed and grabbed Leo by the wrist. For a few moments Leo had no idea what was happening. He lashed out, blindly, struggling to remind himself that if you could not see your enemy you were both a danger. He only knew his brother squeezing his right wrist, and his own breaths, and an eerie stillness as the vibration of purring became distant. He became aware of movement, of running but not running. He sensed a burst of electricity from his right, and suddenly he was yanked forward. He stumbled and tumbled to the ground and then Mikey's hand let go of his wrist and he almost dropped his katana.

Blinking, Leo realized that the darkness was gone, and everything was dimly lit, and he could hear Mikey gasping harshly somewhere.

"Mikey?" It felt like smoke in his eyes, like looking into the sun on a hazy day. He stood, legs trembling, and looked around. "Mikey? Where are you?"

His brother was there, curled up and shaking, mumbling. His eyes were wide open and clouded and shimmering with tears. Leo sheathed his swords and crouched, carefully touching his brother's cheek. "Mikey? It's okay. I'm with you. What happened, little brother?"

He watched as Mike swallowed, pushed himself to his knees, and stared ahead blankly. He was still talking, but in a language Leo didn't recognize.

"Wait…Mikey, what was that? Anden? What does that mean? Svak-wha? I don't…Mikey, I…"

He listened to the words as hard as he could, and slowly he realized.

Norwegian. He recognized some of the words Freya often said. Why was his brother mumbling in Norwegian?

"Ånden må være villig. Svakheten er i fravær av lys. Ånden må være villig. Svakheten er i fravær av lys."

Drawing in a deep breath, Leo placed his hand on the back of Mikey's head, cupping it. "Mikey, please, I need you to come back to me. Can you hear me? Can you say something in English? Or Japanese?"

Mikey looked at him, his eyes like clouded glass. "Bare æsene kan si, storebror."

"MIKEY!"

The ground shook, the trees shook. Electricity, a feeling of pressure similar to opposing magnets being forced near each other. Michelangelo let out a sob of pure despair. Leo felt his teeth tingle as he grabbed his brother in a desperate hug.

"Leo," Mikey gasped. "Leo, make it stop! I wanna go home!"

Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut and gathered all his spiritual energy. He could hear Gaia's purring, loud and frantic, and he focused as hard as he could.

Leonardo sucked in a breath of air that burned, and opened his eyes. In front of him, Michelangelo did the same, with tears dripping down his face. Gaia had her arms around his shoulders, her face buried in his neck. Donatello, Rhea, and Freya were standing nearby, Freya's mouth open in shock.

Leonardo looked up at Freya imploringly. "Freya? Mikey said something in Norwegian."

She nodded, pale. "He spoke out loud."

Gaia lifted her head and sat back, wiping the tears from Michelangelo's face. He bent his head toward her on instinct.

"What was he saying?" Leo asked.

Freya bit her lip. "He said… 'the spirit must be willing. The weakness is the absence of light. Only the Aesir gods can say, big brother'."

Leo shot a confused glance at his baby brother, who was leaning on Gaia heavily.

"I don't know what was happening, Leo," Mikey said hoarsely. "I just know that something tried to hurt us. And then something was in my head. I don't know what happened."

"Okay," Gaia said, sounding and looking extremely tired. "I'm taking you to bed. Enough talking for now." She stood awkwardly, her left leg and arm shaking. She held onto Mike's arm, and he stood, a little shaky, and they supported each other as they left the dojo.

"So much for relaxed," Donnie said, watching them. "That was the weirdest session ever."

Leo got to his feet and rubbed the back of his neck. "I just feel…a little drained. Like the darkness that attacked us pulled something out."

"Maybe you should sleep, too," Rhea said in a worried voice.

"Yeah, I think I'll…take a nap."

As he headed for his room, Leo instinctively checked in on Mikey, nudging the door open. He saw his brother on his back, pale, with dark circles under his eyes. Gaia was pulling the blanket over them both. She glanced up at the door, frowning. Leonardo nodded and shut the door. He passed Raph's room, where he heard snoring. He'd tell him later, he was just too exhausted. When he got to his own room, he just managed to remove his gear before falling into bed, eyes closing instantly.

He dreamed about the woods.

He dreamed about that bridge again, the deer spirit…the Shredder. It was so fast this time, everything was so quick. He was back in the woods, looking for his brothers as they each finished their vision quests. They were there, except Michelangelo. He should have defeated Rahzar by now.

Leo frowned. No, this was not how it had happened. Was this a dream? It wasn't a memory.

Raphael and Donatello faded and there was white mist. He called out for his youngest brother.

Something growled at him, snapped and snarled low and fierce. His heart pounded. A deeper, darker fog was rolling in, clouds tumbling over and obliterating that white mist. He didn't have his swords.

No.

The darkness was rolling toward him and his feet wouldn't move. He couldn't move. He had to move!

He called out for his littlest brother again, his voice cracking at the end. Only a roar answered.

In the distance, he could see a tree. One single tree with thick branches and thicker roots digging into the whiteness, reaching out, reaching toward him, and it seemed to be weakening. He watched a small crack emerge from the tree's center.

The darkness surrounded him, clogging his senses. But he could see a figure walking toward him, head down. Voices whispered all around him.

"Anden," something breathed in his ear. "Villig!"

He struggled to remember. "Spirit? Willing?"

There was no sound, but Leo's head snapped up when the figure stopped right in front of him, gray cloak billowing. He knew already.

"Mikey," he whispered, and reached out. His hand went right through.

"I don't understand!" Leo screamed. "Where is my brother? What's happening?"

"He cannot see yet," a voice said. "Help him see. He must be willing."

"I don't…I don't know what's happening…"

The forest floor opened under his feet and he fell. Images flashed before him, and he recognized some from his private meditations. Voices called to him again, harshly, imploring him to understand, to guide, to protect…

Something very familiar burst into his sight, and there was a burst of light like the sun, and Leo cried out…

And snapped forward in his bed, gasping, heaving for breaths, feeling the cold sweat on his skin.

His bedroom door slammed open.

"WHAT?" Raphael growled. "Leo! What's wrong?"

Utterly confused, Leonardo watched his brother stalk to the bed and crouch next to him, pure concern on his face.

"What…happened?" Leo murmured sleepily.

"I heard you shouting," Raph said. "You were fighting something. Nightmare?"

Leo shivered. "I…I guess? I'm not sure. Something about the meditation session I had with Mikey."

"Yeah, I woke up a little after you two went to bed. Donnie told me everything. Why the hell would Mikey start babbling in Norwegian?"

Leo shook his head. "Before…before I woke up, I saw something familiar. Like, I've read about it before. Remember when Splinter found all those world mythology books, and I spent so much time reading them? Well, there was one on Norse mythology. And in my dream, I saw all this darkness engulfing everything. And it felt exactly like a myth story I read about the world ending, about the tree of the world falling."

"Yeah, so? What's that gotta do with Mikey?"

"I think…" Rubbing his face, Leo bit his lip. "I think it represents Mikey. The tree, the forest, and how I kept hearing that the spirit needed to be willing. The darkness could be…something deep inside him, trying to…to consume his light."

There was a long silence. He looked at Raph, who was just staring at him, bright green irises huge as his pupils shrank. "You…you got all that from a single dream about one meditation session? Damn, Leo!"

He shrugged. "I'm…spiritually inclined toward my dream analysis?"

Raphael just shook his head, huffing. "Dude. That's…yow. Are you okay now?"

Leonardo nodded. "I'm fine, yeah."

"Okay, because I'm going to punch some things in the weight room. It's, like, six-thirty and I'm wide awake."

"Me too. I'll get to the dojo."

After Raph left, Leo got dressed and left his room. As he passed Mikey's, he lightly knocked on the door. There was a moment of fabric rustling, of soft feet padding across a floor, and the door opened. Gaia, in light blue pajamas, blinked up at him, like a sleepy kitten. "Leo? Wha…oh. Are you okay? Your mind's really troubled. Don't worry, Mikey's okay. He had a nightmare, but he'll be fine."

Leo smiled. "I'm glad you were there. I had a nightmare myself. I can't go back to sleep. Tell Mikey when he wakes up that I feel like pancakes for breakfast."

"Got it. You'll tell me about your dream, though, right?"

"Absolutely. I might need to talk to your sister-in-law."

"That's cool. She and Rhea are in the guest room. Pancakes for everyone, then!" She ruffled her hair, smiled and winked at him, then shut the door.

As Leo prepared to do his katas in the dojo, he glanced at the tree there, and couldn't help but see the other one, the dying tree, the one representing something in Michelangelo's mind, being somehow translated through Norse mythology.

And out of the corner of his eye, he swore he could see a very tall slender man with long red hair leaning against that tree…just for a moment.

At seven, Mikey was cooking the pancakes, Gaia was making the coffee, Rhea was making the tea, and Don and Raph sat blearily at the table, waiting. Leo was leaning in the kitchen's doorway, smiling.

Michelangelo was humming steadily as he flipped each pancake, which floated by itself onto plate after plate. Gaia was floating mugs under the coffee maker and to the table, where Donatello reached for her and kissed her cheek, and where Raph actually cracked a smile. Gaia dramatically gasped, hand to her chest. "Guys, we're in an alternate universe! Raphael smiled for me!"

"Good job, Kitten!" and Mikey dramatically leaned over and kissed her cheek. Raph dramatically rolled his eyes, but very happily drank his coffee.

Freya pulled open the freezer and shared a nuzzle with Ice Cream Kitty, murmuring in Norwegian. Leo felt himself tense up. But Freya simply turned around with a cheesesicle in her hand, announcing that she was bringing it and some tea to Splinter.

Leo went and sat at the table as a plate of pancakes and a cup of tea floated down. "Thank you, resident telekinetics," he said, raising the cup. Mike and Gaia saluted him.

"So," Mikey said, sitting across from him and pouring maple syrup, "Leo, how was your nightmare?"

Leonardo almost spit out his tea. "Uh…back up for a sec?"

Raph looked between the two, eyeridge raised. "Wait, Mikey, did you…also…" he vaguely gestured between them.

"Kind of? Gaia said I was screaming in my head."

"He was. I had to hold him for ten minutes before he stopped shaking."

Raph chewed and swallowed before saying, "Leo was actually screaming. I broke down his door."

Don sighed. "You didn't actually, did you?"

A shrug. "Nah. But you might wanna check the hinges."

Leo glanced down at his plate, then took a breath and described everything.

Michelangelo just blinked at him. Gaia was suddenly staring at the kitchen doorway. The curtain had been yanked aside and Freya was standing there, unmoving, staring at Leo.

Mikey raised his hand and waved slowly. "I-it's cool, though? When I was recovering from my coma back in space, I had Loki in my head for a while. You know, really tall, red hair, likes pranks…"

"Wait, red hair?" Leo gasped.

"What, LOKI?" Freya gaped.

"Well, him and Pan. And Hermes. And Hecate. And, um, oh! And Quan Yin. Yeah…I think that's about it. My subconscious self told me they were like my brain's own projections and coping mechanisms so I'd have people to talk to in my head about stuff while was healing? I dunno."

Freya had come to sit down next to Mikey, ignoring the plate that had been set for her. "You…spoke to Loki? What did he tell you?"

Mikey shrugged. "That I needed to stop brooding and heal, because I was lucky to have such a loving family and he was all, like, betrayed because he was adopted, and he pushed me really far, and I think if Pan and Hermes hadn't set up that water balloon in the forest I might've, like, cracked down the middle and gone all dark? Sometimes it's just Hecate, but sometimes Loki hangs out around the dojo tree and watches me."

Leonardo choked on his tea.

Everyone looked at him. Raphael patted his shell. "Easy there, spirit guide. You gonna tell them about the tree?"

Freya narrowed her eyes. "The…tree."

Rhea had gotten up and was quickly walking around the table. "Freya, relax, it was a dream…"

Freya put her hand up. "No. I want to hear this. Leonardo, did you dream about Yggdrasill?"

Leo nervously pushed his pancakes around. "Uh…kind of? I mean, that's the thing…I think it was only a representation translated into Norse myth. I just can't figure out why. Why not Japanese? Why not Buddhist? Or Greek?"

"Um, I'll field that one," and Gaia raised her hand, head lowered. Mikey frowned at her. She smiled weakly at him. "Neuroscience studies, remember?"

He frowned a little harder, but said nothing.

Gaia, blushing, put her elbows on the table and tapped her fingers nervously.

"Okay. So, Mikey mentioned being confronted by various deities from different pantheons as a way of assuring his mind wouldn't break from his PTSD. They could be psychosis, they could be part of his psionics—no, Mikey, let me finish. If this is PTSD induced psychosis or delusions, then that means that Mikey hasn't been handling part of his recovery well, and Loki plus Yggdrasill could just be an attempted translation from his damaged mind, and that would include the sudden random Norwegian. His subconscious is sending out desperate messages that there is a need to be addressed, otherwise he might fall into a darker pattern, maybe a depressive episode, maybe psychosis, maybe something with the psionics isn't working as well as it should."

Mike was still staring at her, now fearful. "Are you saying…I might lose my mind?"

Balling up one hand into a fist, Gaia put her other hand over his and squeezed. "No, Sunshine. I'm…what I'm saying is that we need to meditate our way back in and find the source of the…the crack. The tree. In the tree that is you. Before the darkness wipes it out. And I honestly don't know why Norse, I really don't, and Freya you need to please stop being upset, please?" and her voice rose in pitch and she started to shake.

Freya immediately hurried to her, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, I'm sorry, it's all right, I just feel helpless. It isn't every day that people with no connection to the Aesir dream of them, least of all as psychic representations of deep psychological trauma. I didn't want to upset you. I don't have power, I can't help Mikey."

Gaia just hugged her back, rocking. "It's okay. I can. Leo can. And we will. And you are helping. And maybe it's really all a weird coincidence, right? Maybe it has nothing to do with anything. Maybe it's all…you know…Neural Mike and the deeper subconscious using familiar imagery. I need to think on it more when I'm not having autistic anxiety."

"Right." Freya kissed her. "I'll eat my breakfast and quit being intimidating."

As Freya sat back down, Splinter came into the kitchen, gazing at them. "I felt several disturbances in your spirits. Is everything all right?"

"It is and it isn't, sensei," Leo smiled. "Mikey and I had similar nightmares, and we're all just trying to sort it all out."

Splinter looked directly at his youngest. "I sense trauma and deep fear in you, my son. I see images that seem frightening. I would like Donatello and Rhea to give you a medical examination, and then you and Leonardo will have a meditation session to find the source of your current conflicts."

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey said in a small voice, looking at his plate.

Splinter turned to leave, and paused. "Also, I occasionally see a man with long red hair standing against the dojo tree. Who is he?"

They all froze.

"H-he is the Norse god, Loki," Freya said.

Splinter nodded. "Ah. A trickster entity. One Michelangelo has encountered before. I thought as much. Follow the path he leads you down, but be wary. Michelangelo himself knows well the value of a good trick."

And he smiled, and walked out.

Everyone stared at the doorway, then at each other.

Donatello stood up. "I have never been quite this weirded out, but what the hell, why not." He carried his plate to the sink, and acted as if everything was and would be completely normal and nothing in the world would be too unusual.

Leo, Mike, and Gaia sat under the dojo tree, hands linked. Mikey was shaking; even Gaia's purring couldn't quite relax him. Leo could tell that Mikey didn't really want to talk; during the exam he had seemed cool and distant. So Leonardo simply said, "Let's begin." And closed his eyes.

Immediately, he felt the twisting pull of the spiritual plane and braced himself. It was so much faster now. He was in the same forest as his dream, and he could see the giant, cracked tree in the distance. He could not see his brother.

He moved to unsheath his swords when there was an inrush of air, to his left, and out of the corner of his eye he saw his brother, except—

"Neural?" he asked, tilting his head.

The personal manifestation of Michelangelo's subconscious winked at him. "Feels weird to be out here like this, but I like it."

Leo just stared at him. "Where is Michelangelo?"

Neural Mike just shrugged. "In the tree. He doesn't feel like coming out. He's sad. I understand. It's been rough."

"What has?"

"Oh. You. You don't know. Now this is fascinating!" And that cracked, split grin widened, the gashes along the skin that resembled dendrites and axons crackling with blue electricity. "You see, for a few weeks now, our Mikey has been going through a…psychological trauma. He has been reliving his battle with the Alchemist over and over and over and the poor kid just cannot. Catch. A break. You know what I mean? It's been rough trying to patch up the cracks. I called for reinforcements, but only one guy showed up, and then he started trying to take over the operation, and before ya know it, there's a mythological tree planting roots in my house and a creepy darkness rolling in like something up and ate the moon, and Loki starts teaching me Norwegian, and then the guy says something about ending and rebuilding, and you know the thing about trickster entities, they always have an agenda up their sleeves…"

Leonardo grabbed him by the shoulders. "How do I get Mikey out of the tree? How do I keep his mind from cracking? Where is Loki?"

Those empty eye sockets fixed on him, and the eyelids blinked. "Wow, hi, okay, first of all, you don't touch me, and second of all, what do you think I've been trying to do, and third of all, Loki is wherever the hell he wants to be, he's a psychic manifestation, he can go anywhere."

Leo slowly released him. "I'm going after my brother. You…do whatever you're doing."

He turned, but not before he saw the personality trait flip him off. "Nice seeing you too, bro! Have fun storming the storm!"

Leo began to run, his katanas in hand. "Okay," he muttered. "Mikey needs to want this, he has to be willing. The weakness is the absence of the light. I need to help him fight this darkness. Okay. Come on, Leo. You can do this alone."

"Not alone." And suddenly Gaia was there, running with him, her claws out and her cat eyes narrowed. "I love him too."

They smiled at each other, and as thunder, lightning, and rumbling shook the world, they ran toward Michelangelo's universe tree.

Leo was tapping at the trunk, trying to find holes, and Gaia had leaned in, her nose flaring. She leaned her cheek against the widening crack. "He's here," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Oh, Sunshine." And she sounded like her heart was breaking.

Leo took her hand. "We'll get him out."

"Need help?" And that was Donatello's voice. Leo whirled, already smiling broadly, to see his brothers, weapons drawn, battle stances ready.

"We're sittin' next to you in the dojo," Raphael said, grinning. "Freya was getting impatient. Sensei helped us connect through Mikey's link to us all."

"I am so glad you guys are here," Leo gasped.

They surveyed the tree. "So," Raph said. "Should I, like, open the crack there, or what?"

"I don't think so, Donatello said, "it might fracture him and spread the trauma like an infection. Remember that phrase he kept saying, the spirit must be willing. We need to convince him that it is safe, that his mind is a safe place."

"He's been having flashbacks to his fight with the Alchemist." Leo straightened his posture. "I ran into Neural Mike, who's been trying to keep Loki from taking over and just…resetting, I guess. Making it so everything is wiped clean so Mikey doesn't have to keep going through the trauma."

Gaia paled. "That's not how it works, though. He'll damage Mikey's mind."

"Well," Donatello reasoned, "he's a trickster. He'll most likely do what he does best. He may think he's protecting Mikey's subconscious."

"Where is he, anyway?" Raph growled. "I'm gonna-"

"You're going to what?" came a pleasant voice, and the red-haired giant was there, facing them and the tree. "I am trying to keep this mind from breaking apart. Please don't disrupt my work."

"But you're hurting him!" Gaia said, raising her voice over the storm. "Human minds can't just be cleaned out and restored. We're far too complex. We would die."

Loki tilted his head. "I've protected him before."

"Yes," Donatello said, "by maintaining his subconscious and the barriers protecting him against trauma. But what you want to do now is on a completely different level. You will break his mind. You'll most likely kill him. Can you understand that?"

Loki blinked. He paused. He frowned. Then he looked upward, and sighed. "I suppose I can. Yes. I don't want him dead. But I do want this trauma gone."

"That's just it," Don said, "nothing can just block out and wipe out trauma. We have to come to terms with it, in a healing process. He's going to have to live with his memories, and his mind is going to have to help keep healing over and over and over. I'm sure you know how it is to keep something so huge and upsetting in check."

The deity grinned. "Indeed. Humans – and mutants – really are strange, adorable little creatures. I suppose you'll want him out?"

"Wait, you can get him out of the tree?" Raphael asked.

"Well…he put himself in there. To protect himself. I suppose, from me. He has to want to emerge now. He doesn't think there's anything here to respond to. I can't force him. Although if I had wiped everything, the tree would have kept him safe, you understand. His being inside this tree would have maintained everything that is Michelangelo, but without that disgusting memory and…emotional damage, and I would have felt much better about it."

Leonardo narrowed his eyes. "I don't believe you would have been able to keep him intact. Something would have had to shatter."

Loki's lip curled up. "Well, you caught me. Yes. There would have been a price paid. But, you stopped it all, so now we won't know. Good luck coaxing him out of such a nice, safe spot. I'll be…around, for more healing." And he was gone.

"Prick," Raph spat.

"He's not even human, or mortal," Gaia reminded him. "He has no actual concept."

"Still. Could've stabbed him to make him pull Mikey out."

"No, Raph. That's not how thinks work." And Donatello went up to the tree and pressed both hands against the trunk.

"Mikey?" he called. "Can you hear us?"

Silence.

Leo put his hands to the tree, as did Raph.

"Come on, baby brother," Raph said, "I know you can hear us. We need ya to wake up and slide out of there. We need you back."

Branches rustled. The crack slowly began to close up.

"Mikey," Leo called, "I know it hurts. It's scary. You don't want to face these memories, these nightmares, all these things that hurt you so badly. I understand. Remember? Remember when I was almost killed by the Shredder? It still hurts sometimes. I still wake up from terrible nightmares."

The tree began to glow blue, pulsing softly. Gaia pressed her entire body to the trunk, rubbing her cheek against it. "Hey, Sunshine. Your brothers are right, you know. I listen to you cry in your sleep. You're definitely still holding back. But that's okay. That's what happens with trauma. It's going to haunt you. And you're going to have to work at it. You're always going to have to heal. It's part of being human. Even half human." She smiled. "It's part of being alive."

The tree was fully encased in light, and slowly, something emerged from its center.

Michelangelo was very pale, and very still, arms crossed over his plastron as if in pain, as if holding in wounds. His eyes were closed and he was trembling. As one, his brothers caught him and supported him and held him and hugged him. Gaia stood a few steps away and just purred, loudly and powerfully.

"We love you, little brother," they whispered, one after another. "We'll always be here for you."

And slowly, his eyes opened and he stared at them in turn, his mouth in a frown. "You promise?" he whispered, in the voice of a terrified child. "You have to promise. Please!"

Their hearts broke in unison. Leonardo felt his throat close up. "Yes. Yes, Mikey, we promise. By the gods, we promise, we will always love you and we will always be here for you, no matter what, we swear!"

And Michelangelo's head slowly leaned and came to rest on Leo's shoulder, and Leo felt a sob burst, and he let it, as his brothers threw their arms around him, forming an enclosure of bodies, a circle of touch, and Gaia was crying, and everyone was crying, and Gaia gently touched each of their shells and murmured, "Come home now."

"Come home now."

And her voice shook them, and brought them back, and they were holding on to each other, the four of them, and it took a long time for the tears to subside, and when everyone was calm again, Mikey was the first to laugh, a good, long, strong laugh, and he muttered about the absolute absurdity of it all, and everyone laughed until they felt purged and light.

Michelangelo leaned easily back against the dojo tree, where out of the corner of his eye he saw various figures flicker, smiling at him; a very tall Nordic man with red hair, a pale Greek woman with black hair and a dress like the midnight sky; a Greek satyr, a Japanese woman in a kimono.

He nodded, and whispered. "We're safe. Thank you."

He looked at his family, and there were auras surrounding them, and they were filled with light.

"I love you guys," he said joyfully. "And I'm gonna bake the best chocolate cake just because I love you so much and no other reason."

"That's the best thing in the world," Donatello sighed happily. "One of them, outside the complete breakdown of the laws of physics, and possibly Newton's Fourth Law."

Splinter stood, and held out his hand. "Come, my children. Let us call April and Casey while we talk in the kitchen. We will celebrate your brother's determination."

And that's what it was, really. Determination. Spirit willing. And the brothers walked out of the dojo hand in hand in hand, and it really was the best thing in the world.

"This is what I believe: That I am I. That my soul is a dark forest. That my known self will never be more than a little clearing in the forest. That gods, strange gods, come forth from the forest into the clearing of my known self, and then go back. That I must have the courage to let them come and go. That I will never let mankind put anything over me, but that I will try always to recognize and submit to the gods in me and the gods in other men and women. There is my creed." ― D.H. Lawrence

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing
and rightdoing there is a field.
I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass
the world is too full to talk about."
― Rumi

(Author's Note: This was the oddest, weirdest, most bizarre little story I have ever written. At first I had no idea where it was going. And then it ran so far ahead that I couldn't catch up. And by the time I grabbed on to what was really happening, it was like my writer brain had exploded. I think I got runner's high. I have no idea what to tell you. However, some of the psychology methods used with PTSD are real. I've applied them to myself. So that's all I really know.)