Many thanks again to all reviewers and readers! Here's a little break after all that action-y stuff! *winkwink*

Glossary:

Mikey no baka: Stupid Mikey

七転び八起き- Fall Down Seven Times, Stand Up Eight

The dojo was dark and still and it suited the little turtle just fine.

Compared to the burning brightness of the lab or the pit, the dojo felt like a retreat that was sorely needed after the rough and tumble night everyone just had.

He knew he wasn't supposed to be up yet. Leatherhead and Dr. Rockwell told him so. They were so lucky that someone in the Mutanimals had enough medical knowledge to treat their injuries or, as Slash frankly put it, Mikey would have bled to death on the carpet.

(Really good guy, that Slash.)

April and Casey had been distraught when they first laid eyes on the smallest turtle, and he only needed to feel the sting of the split, bleeding skin and the throbbing pain dotting his entire body to conclude how bad he must have looked.

But the worst part was telling everyone what made him that way. Mikey would never forget the roar of denial and tormented anger from Casey or the devastated sobs from April, even without his blessing-slash-curse of a memory.

And Sensei…

Mikey bit his lip, staring intently at the mutated man in seiza position in front of him.

He had never seen his father look so old or sorrowful when Mikey told him why he came back empty handed. Mikey sorely wished that Splinter had yelled at him, even blamed him for his failures.

Instead, Splinter gave him a mere pat on the shoulder and gently advised him to rest and recover before leaving to meditate. Mikey was sure the rat ninja will be at it all night.

The orange masked turtle cleared his throat. "Sensei?"

Splinter grunted before opening his burgundy eyes. "Michelangelo? Why are you here, my son? Should you not be resting?"

"I wouldn't be able to sleep even if I tried." Mikey said honestly, taking the seiza position in front of his teacher. "Never thought it's possible to get nightmares even when you're awake."

Splinter's ears drooped, his gaze sympathetic. "I see. I believe I have some tea left that can help with that."

"Thanks sensei, but—" Mikey bit his lip. "After everything that has happened, I don't even want to sleep right now. Not when I know they're not here."

There was a brief pause before Mikey heard Splinter exhale tightly.

"You did what you needed to do to keep your friends safe," Splinter said quietly. "Sometimes the best decisions are not the easiest ones to make."

Mikey would not take any comfort. "But maybe if I've been able to fight better, I would have been able to hold them off from hurting me long enough for the others to arrive and then maybe we would have been able to save them! But I blew it! I got myself hurt really bad so everyone had to fall back because of me, again."

"From what Slash and Leatherhead told me, you held your own against your brothers, Tiger Claw and Baxter Stockman at the same time." The rat ninja pointed out. "Admirable, considering the circumstances and the fact that you weren't fighting with the intent to kill or even hurt."

"But what about the time in the warehouse? It was definitely my fault I hurt my leg back then!" Mikey squeezed his knees so hard his nails dug against the green skin. "If—if I had only been paying attention, the Foot and the Kraang wouldn't have spotted us and I wouldn't have had to sit out of patrol then maybe none of this would have happened!"

"Michelangelo…"

Mikey's shoulders shook as the tears splashed on his bone white knuckles. It was just too much, this on top of everything that has happened.

The one time they needed him to pull through and save them, for once, he royally botched up. If it had been Leo, Raph or Don in his place, they would have pulled this off.

But it wasn't up to his three older brothers anymore. It was up to all around Mikey no baka who didn't even know where to start with saving three of the precious few he loved the most.

"My brothers were right about me." The words were out before he could think. "I'm such a big screw up."

The reaction in Splinter was near instantaneous, form becoming rigid and sharp as a clawed hand tilted Mikey's head to meet a hardened brown gaze.

"Explain."

Splinter had a feeling that Michelangelo's bouts of self-depreciation from before had a deeper reason of being, but he didn't think it was something like this.

His youngest hesitantly, painstakingly, confessed that he overheard his brothers talking about him not being a fit enough ninja to join them in patrol because he lacked focus, got them into too much trouble and would probably get them killed one day.

Splinter highly doubted his older sons were deliberately cruel the way they said it, but Michelangelo had always been the most sensitive of the four and could have made it sound worse in his head.

It didn't appear that Michelangelo bore any hard feelings towards his brothers' thoughts about him, though. If anything, the one the poor child hated so strongly was himself.

Splinter understood his older sons' intentions—could see the merit even—but if only they had been able to discuss it with him, they may have found a better solution before Michelangelo found out the hard way.

Yet no amount of intent and dreaming of what ifs can ever change anything.

"The last few nights must have been painful for you, my son," Splinter said gently to the turtle before him. "For you to hear such thoughts from your brothers only to lose them before anything could be done. Anyone who would have gone through what you did would have also thought of themselves as failures. But the difference lies in what you plan to do about it."

From next to him, Mikey sniffled. "What I'd…do about it?"

"Fukusui bon ni kaerazu," Splinter recited in eloquent Japanese. "Spilt water will never return to its bowl. But you can certainly wipe it off the floor and fill your bowl anew. You can prove that you have what it takes to become a true ninja and to not be the failure you think you are."

"But Sensei—"

"Your insistence that you will be nothing is merely another weakness that you must overcome." Splinter said. "Everyone is capable of change, my son, especially you who have so much raw potential within. So long as you stand, the fire of our clan's hope still burns and I know you can bring your brothers back home.

"The question is whether you are willing to do what it takes."

The dojo fell silent, save for the light hitches from the turtle as Splinter sat by quietly with baited breath.

Then, Michelangelo nodded, moving one hand to swipe at his eyes.

"Nana korobi, ya oki, na, sensei?" When Michelangelo lifted his gaze to meet his father's. "Fall down seven times, get up eight. Whatever it takes, sensei, I will get my brothers back. But to do that, I need to become much better than I am right now, so please,"

The youngest turtle then adopted a senza position before Splinter and gave a deep bow. "Please, sensei, help me become a better ninja."

The fire of their family's hope to soldier on returned with a burning vengeance in the young terrapin's baby blue eyes, along with a glint of rare focus and determination. Splinter knew that this was the Michelangelo that could reach the full potential the Hamato family head always knew he would.

If this heart wrenching nightmare has any form of a silver lining, this is definitely it.

The rat didn't even a need a moment to think as he opened his arms for the small turtle who went straight for them. "Of course, Michelangelo. Of that, you have my word."

It was a promise he intended to keep, with everything he still has.

For failing his youngest—or any of his children, for that matter—never has been and never ever will be an option for Hamato Yoshi.

So yeah, this is kind of an interlude. That's why it's rather short. Enjoy the bite sized chapters while they're still available. Though to make up for it, here are the rather long A/Ns! XD

Chuchi's Cultural Corner!

Seiza (正座)

: This is one of the formal Japanese sitting position where they fold their legs like they're about to kneel then settle down to literally sit with their butts on their heels directly on the floor or with cushions called zabuton (座布団) under their legs. Up to this day, some Japanese still assume seiza on appropriate settings and situations.

This isn't the most comfortable of sitting positions, though, and it takes practice for your legs to get used to it for longer periods. (I would know... :P) Another nice to know tidbit is that, like most traditional Japanese practices, there is a proper way of assuming and getting out of seiza.

And, naturally, you're not expected to sit that way on modern day chairs. That would be just weird...

Further explanation on Mikey no baka: Japanese use two kinds of words to describe: the true adjectives and the quasi adjectives (mostly nouns that become adjectives when used before the particle -na or after the particle -no).

In this case, baka (馬鹿) is a noun that literally means stupid or foolish. When you call a person baka, you mean to say that he is an idiot.

However, when I add the particle no to form ...no baka, in context, I am describe something someone as stupid. This makes baka a quasi adjective for this sentence. So when I say Mikey no baka, I literally mean "Stupid Mikey". Baka na Mikey will mean the same. :D

Fukusui bon ni kaerazu: (覆水盆に返らず) As quoted by Splinter, this means that once something happens, it cannot be undone. Personally, I connect this to another quote, "No use crying over spilled milk". Because once something bad and unchangeable happens, you pretty much just have to grit your teeth and deal.

Guest Review Replies:

-Guest: Poor Mikey...his brothers don't know what they're saying...stupid brainworms; its like those things speak from the darkness of the heart. This is getting good, i hope Mikey can save the boys

Yay! Thanks for your review! Yup, the Dark!Turtles are saying all kinds of crap now, and the fact that the last stuff Mikey heard them say kinda coincides with what they're saying now? Double yikes!

But remember that Stockman did some changes to the brainworms? Yeah, that's got something to do with it. More about this will be explained in future chapters.

And as for Mikey saving his bros...ehm, we'll see. But it definitely won't be any time soon.

-Guest: I just found this piece and it amazing! You are a fantastic writer and I love how you have your own twist on this idea of Mikey's bros turning against him! Keep up the awesome work!

Aww thanks much! I feel so honored! *fans self*

The inspiration for this fic came from several episodes in TMNT including the ones with Savage!Mikey and Clash of the Mutanimals episode, as well as the frustration that there aren't many fanfics out there that feature Mikey doing the saving for once (I get the love for angsty and tortured Mikey though).

I hope to keep you guys satisfied with this fic to see it to the very end, as I have some more in store for my dear little orange!

Head Canons and Other Extras:

-Mikey was mentioned to have the most potential out of all his bros by 2003 Splinter, so I don't see why 2012 Splinter won't see the same. The fact that Mikey doesn't seem to care enough to harness his talent is a source of frustration for the rat ninja master but has eventually come to accept. That doesn't mean that Splinter's given up on the hope that Mikey will get his act together at some point.

Splinter does gain further understanding of his youngest son when psychologist Mr. O'Neil pointed out that Mikey has ADHD, and was able to gain tips on how to tailor fit his teachings to Mikey's unique learning process. But before they could fully carry it out, loads of shit happened.

On the bright side, this scenario may be a good time for Splinter to test out what he had learned.

-I've said it once, I'll say it again: Splinter needs more onscreen moments with his sons other than Leo. :P

Thanks again for reading and see you in the next chapter!