Mikey took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp night air infused with the familiar smells of the city. It felt like ages since he'd been out here, running over the rooftops with his bros.

"Ah, sweet freedom!" he exclaimed, hearing amused chuckles from the others.

"Kind of dramatic, isn't that?" Leo said. "You weren't in prison."

Raph snorted.

"Gimme a break, Fearless… pen Mikey up for more n' a day, an' he's drivin' himself an' us up th' wall."

The orange banded turtle turned, a bright grin on his face.

"Ah, Raphie, brother of mine, how well you know me!"

Raph smirked, but the fondness in it was plain to see.

"What kind a' guy doesn' know his little bro?"

It was barely there, and anyone else would have missed it, but Mikey caught the slight bit of guilt in his red-banded brother's voice. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty himself; even though all of them had been constantly reassuring each other that there was no reason to blame themselves, he was having just as trouble letting it go as them. The youngest turtle hated seeing his family so down on themselves, and knowing it was for his sake just made it worse.

Once his eyes were locked with Raph's, he gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. He felt better when his hotheaded brother's eyes softened, his smile growing.

Mission accomplished.

"Okay," Leo spoke up. "Now, Mikey, I know you won't like this, but it is your first time out for a while, and I'd like to keep it light just to be safe."

Mikey knew that was probably coming, and he appreciated that his bros were looking out for him, but he still let out a dramatic, annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Aw, c'mon!" he whined. It wouldn't change his eldest brother's mind, he knew, but it might at least get a laugh out of him and the others. Sure enough, he heard the three chuckle before Leo replied.

"Sorry, little bro. But none of us want you pushing yourself too hard."

Mikey shot him a teasing glare.

"Says the guy we have to threaten to tie down when he's outta commission."

Leo let out a slight cough, looking rather sheepish, as Raph and Donnie laughed.

"He's gotcha there, Fearless," Raph said, smirking.

"We're still taking it easy," Leo persisted. "And make sure you say something if you start feeling tired, okay, Mike?"

Mikey let out a sigh, waving a hand.

"Okay, okay… I will, turtle's honor."

Leo nodded.

"Okay then. Let's roll!"

The brothers headed off at a run, jumping the rooftops with fluid, practiced precision. Mikey felt his heart pound with excitement as the familiar rush of adrenaline pumped through him; he hadn't realized how much he'd missed this.

They hadn't been going for long before an uneasy feeling twinged through him, one he also recognized well. That the others felt it too was made clear when Leo came to a sudden stop, prompting the others to stop too. His body tensed, and his voice was low and tight.

"Incoming."

Mikey's nerves tingled; he didn't have less confidence in his abilities than before, but that didn't change the fact that he was still a little out of practice from the weeks of bed rest. But still, he immediately yanked out his chucks and braced his feet. The others did the same, and Mikey didn't miss how they subtly moved a little closer to him in a loose defensive formation.

At that moment three figures emerged from the darkness, landing lightly on the roof. Mikey felt his stomach clench when he recognized the figure in front. There weren't many features visible, but the piercing blue eyes were clear enough. He heard a fierce growl rumble in Raph's throat as he braced himself to charge, but the older woman immediately raised her hands.

"Wait. I am not here to fight."

Raph let out a scoff.

"Yeah?" he snarled. "Well, you were awful willin' to fight when ya almost killed our brother, n' I'm feelin' inclined t' return th' favor!"

Leo held out a hand, his katana held firm in his fist.

"Stand down, Raph," he said.

The hothead looked at the leader with stunned disbelief, but before he could protest Leo spoke again, his tone calm but cold as ice.

"One wrong move and I'll gladly let him, if I don't first."

Sakura gave a brisk nod.

"I understand. You have little reason to trust my word, but I will not harm you or him."

She glanced at the two Gawa behind her, who took a step back and stood straight, their postures tense but clearly defensive rather than aggressive.

"They will not interfere except in defense," the woman said.

"How reassuring," Donnie said, his voice dripping with dry sarcasm. Mikey couldn't help but grin, pushing down the urge to laugh.

"Ya got somethin' t' say, we're standin' here waiting," Raph growled.

If Sakura was irked by his harsh words, she showed no sign of it. Instead, her eyes moved over each of the brothers before settling on Mikey. He couldn't suppress a chill inside, but just narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on his chucks. He wasn't going to show any unease. His brothers shifted again, and Mikey knew they would jump into action at the first indication he might be in danger.

"I must ask something first," Sakura said, her voice strangely soft. "Is my daughter well? And her friend?"

Mikey felt a surge of anger at that question, and his voice was cold when he replied.

"If you even really care, they're as okay as they can be. But you have any idea how what you did hurt Grace? I can tell how guilty she feels for standing up t' you, even if she was doing the right thing. How can you force your own kid into that like her feelings don't even matter? Like you don't even care? You're so busy being a sensei, you don't bother being a mom."

He couldn't be sure in the dark, but he was almost sure he saw Sakura cringe just a little. Her voice was still controlled, but he could hear an unmistakable somberness in it.

"You speak harshly, but truly. Since the last time we met, I have had much time to consider my conduct that night, and long before then. I believed I was honoring my husband with my actions, but…" She hesitated, then let out a soft sigh. "I see now that those actions were only hurting the child he gave me, pushing her away and making her feel she was not loved as she deserves to be. Those actions drove me to betray her, those who look to me to lead them. I have deeply dishonored my daughter and disgraced myself."

Then, to Mikey's utter surprise, Sakura bowed her head.

"I have no right to ask anything of you, much less forgiveness. If you wish to see me as an enemy, I will make no protest and you will see no more of me. I have only one request."

She fell silent, apparently waiting for permission to continue. Mikey saw Leo glance at him with an inquiring expression, and realized his brother was leaving the decision to him. He stood, silently debating his options. Finally, he met Leo's eyes and gave a slight nod. He heard Raph give a soft snort of both irritation and disbelief, but without a word of protest his eldest brother redirected his gaze to Sakura.

"What request?" he asked.

The older woman hesitated, as if collecting herself, then spoke in a soft, humble tone.

"I ask that I be allowed to see my daughter. I have even less right to request forgiveness from her, but the least I can do is let her hear my penitence with her own ears."

Leo stood in silence for a moment. Then he finally spoke up, his voice still cold.

"That choice isn't up to us. We can take your request to her, but if she says no we will honor her decision."

"And she won't be alone," Mikey added, not bothering to hide his mistrust. But if the indication offended Sakura, she showed no outward sign of that either.

"As you will. I will return here in four days."

Leo glanced at his younger brothers, and when none protested, he nodded.

"Fine. But try anything, and you'll regret it."

Sakura drew herself up straight and gave a deep, formal bow.

"Hai," she murmured. Without protest, she turned and gestured to her fellow ninja. Both fell in behind her and they leaped from the rooftop, melting into the darkness. After a moment of silence, Leo looked at Mikey in concern.

"Mikey, are you sure about this?"

Raph grunted, his eyes narrowed and full of poison.

"I'm not. I don' trust a word that lady says."

Mikey reached out to place a hand on his hot-headed brother's shoulder, drawing his gaze.

"She's Grace's mom, Raph," he said, his voice gentle. "And Grace's our friend. She deserves to decide this herself."

Raph kept his eyes locked on Mikey's, and he saw the anger soften into admiration.

"Ya got a bigger heart than me, bro," he murmured.

Mikey immediately gave him a teasing grin.

"Nah," he said. "I'm just not too macho to show it."

His smile widened as his brothers chuckled, the tense atmosphere easing. Knowing he could still lighten their spirits gave him more of a feeling that somehow, whatever happened, things would turn out okay.

So sorry for the wait! But I should finish up one of the four stories I'm juggling soon, and hopefully the lessened workload will speed things up a little. Hope you enjoyed!