Okay, so, I'm taking things a little of a different route, which is rather fitting considering the name of this new arc LOL!

"Get your motor runnin'," Mikey sang, using one of his nunchucks as a microphone, head bobbing and eyes closed as he belted out his song, "head out on the highway!"

A grinning Raphael stuck his head between the two front seats, turning up the volume on the speakers so he could join the youngest, "Lookin' for adventure, in whatever comes our way!"

As song continued through the verses, Donnie rapped out the beat of the song on the back of the driver's seat with his hands, eyes closed as he danced. It was clear that the resident genius was enjoying the moment of respite away from complex mathematical theories and potentially lifesaving inventions, caught up in having fun with his brothers. While the intelligent turtle loved creating new things that were meant to preserve his family, he gladly set those things aside if it meant one on one time with his brothers. Something all the turtles treasured. Finally, the song reached the opening climax, with the four teen ninja sucking in a breath and holding for the moment that they could bellow in unison;

"Born to be WILD!"

Leo flung back his head and laughed at his brother's antics as they commenced to head bang to the rest of the song. Times like these were so precious, moments of pure joy away from fear or sorrow, where the young leader could relax with a contented smile brightening his usually stern features. Flexing his fingers on the steering wheel, the road stretching in front of them like a winding asphalt snake, Leonardo sang alongside his brothers as excitement fluttered like a hummingbird's wing in his heart. The next seven days were going to be perfect, and the eldest was determined to enjoy them to the fullest.

The reason for his enthusiasm was twofold. The first being that it was the last week of his 'confinement' (a term that Leonardo used to passively protest his being benched), and the night before, Master Splinter had stated at dinner that their new family doctor gave permission for Leo to rejoin his brothers on patrol, but only after just one more week of taking it easy. To say that the young leader was happy would be a massive understatement, Leonardo was practically vibrating with eagerness to be allowed to fight again. A month of shadow boxing and light training had the teen itching to take up his katana and spar with his brothers, not to mention crack a few skulls on patrol.

So, it came as no surprise when Leonardo jumped up from his place at the table, to pump his fists and bellow out an enthusiastic cheer, prompting chuckles from his family.

The muscular form froze, then the blushing azure turtle bashfully cleared his throat, and quickly regained his seat. Taking a bite of his dinner, Leo gave a more sedate exclamation of his willingness to be back in action, but with a gleam of excitement twinkling brightly in sapphire eyes. Which led to the second reason that the leader was now happily driving the battle shell towards the farmhouse. Splinter knew how desperately his eldest son missed running the rooftops alongside his brothers, so it was inevitable that the last week on the bench would be particularly difficult to endure for Leonardo. This was when the aged rat suggested that the turtles enjoy it on a leisurely brother's only vacation spent camping up near the Northamptons. This way the final seven days of healing wouldn't seem so long, and they could get the excess energy out before getting back to patrolling the streets. A suggestion that the blue clad turtle and his siblings were more than happy to accept.

As the song wound down, Raphael gave the youngest a grin, "I gotta say, Mikey, I was worried about ya bein' in charge of music, but yer not doin' too bad."

"Are you talking about moi?" Michelangelo gasped, lifting an offended hand to his plastron, "contrary to popular belief, Raphie, I always pick awesome tunes to drive by."

"You mean, like the time we had to listen to mariachi music for three hours?" Leonardo snorted, smirking as his baby brother floundered for an answer.

"That was an accident," Mikey sniffed, "it wouldn't have happened if you guys hadn't rushed me out of the lair and made me forget my mp3 player. Plus, it also wasn't my fault that the only radio station in range was mariachi music!"

The orange clad ninja pursed his lips as his older brothers sniggered at his explanation, eyes narrowing dangerously, "Besides," he continued, crossing his arms with a huff, "just because mariachi music isn't to your taste, doesn't necessarily make it bad. You guys should broaden your musical horizons."

Donnie grinned, giving the youngest a fond noogie over the back of the seat, "I'd say they're already pretty broad," he chuckled, "Leo listens to Japanese rap, not to mention K-pop and classical music. You know I love listening to some classical as well, not to mention show tunes, and Raph enjoys a wide variety of heavy metal."

"How can heavy metal have variety?" Leonardo blinked, genuine confusion furrowing the masked brow.

"Bro!" Raphael gaped, jaw hanging slack in silent indignation, "Have ya even heard heavy metal Viking music? It's the best ta work on my bike with!"

Donatello gave an affirmative nod, shrugging as he addressed the eldest, "It is actually pretty awesome. Makes you feel really pumped up, and the heavy machinery in the garage just makes it all the better."

"Viking heavy metal?" The young leader opened his mouth to shoot off a snarky retort making fun of the music genre but found himself unable to. Actually, it sounded kind of cool, "Huh, okay, fine then. Next time we're helping Don with overhauling the Battle Shell, you need to play it for me, I'd like to hear what Viking heavy metal sounds like."

Raphael sat back in his chair, liquid gold gaze practically glowing in pleasure, "Sweet!"

"Ooh, ooh!" Mikey bounced in his seat, baby blue eyes twinkling in mischief, "Speaking of Raphael listening to music while in the garage, I know something about Raphie that you don't know, and it's hilarious!"

"Something hilarious about our resident hothead?" Don asked, an evil smirk twitching his mouth as he noted Raphael growing pale and starting to sweat, "Pray tell, go on?"

"Oh, you're gonna love it," the youngest began, "it's totally priceless!"

A growl, low and feral, interrupted the baby, "Mikey, don't ya dare!"

Michelangelo merely grinned, spilling the secret with enthusiastic gusto, "Raphie listens to Disney music!"

"Say, WHAT?" Don and Leo were flabbergasted, both turning to look at the now blushing brawler.

"It's not really Disney music," Raphael stated in an uncharacteristic whine, "there's this guy who does heavy metal covers of different Disney songs, that's what I listen to."

"Dude, I walk into the garage," Mikey giggled, "and there's Raph singing I'll Make a Man Out of You from Mulan, and he's so into it, like head banging and everything, that he didn't hear me come in! The guy practically jumped out of his shell when I asked him what he was listening to! He screamed like a girl!"

Blue and purple busted up, deep belly laughs rolling through their frames, incensing the red masked turtle, "So says the guy who screams like a girl every day!" Raphael snarled, taking a swipe at the youngest, only for Michelangelo to duck, arms clutching his stomach as he cackled.

"Why so mad, Raphie?" Mikey guffawed, wiggling his eyebrows at his sibling, "It's not like you listening to Disney music and singing along, really loudly by the way, takes away from your masculine tough guy image, right?"

Raphael slowly turned topaz eyes on his chortling baby brother, his bombastic personality strangely shuttered, "Just ya wait, Mikey," he murmured, making the turtle in question suddenly stop laughing as the battle shell took on an oddly chilly atmosphere, "ya better remember that fer the next seven days, yer sleepin' next ta me, and Dad ain't around ta save yer sorry shell when I decide ta take my revenge."

Michelangelo's shoulders shuddered as a nervous laugh squeaked past trembling lips straining to stay in a smile, "I may not have Dad, but Leo won't let me face the wrath of Raph, right, bro?"

Baby blue eyes turned pleadingly to their leader, hoping for a confirmation of the youngest's safety. However, Leonardo merely smirked. Exchanging a look loaded with the personal enjoyment he was gaining from tormenting the youngest with Don and Raph, Leo gave a seemingly careless shrug, "I mean, I guess," he yawned, "if I'm there, and I see it, I might step in, but after a month of taking it easy, I'm still tired from all the naps I've been taking, and I'm not sure I'm up to Raph wrangling yet. Check in next week, though."

"Aw, come on, Leo!" Mikey whined, "Don't let Raphie clobber me!"

"Clobber you?" The azure clad turtle asked innocently, straining to stay serious as the middle children dissolved into chortling lumps, "Is that what he said? I know he said he'd take revenge, but he never explicitly said that he'd clobber you."

"Besides," Donatello threw in, features wreathed with an impish grin, "you have nothing to be afraid of, aren't you the Battle Nexus Champion? Raphie shouldn't be a challenge for a battle tested warrior like you."

"Exactly!" Leo chirped, struggling not to giggle at the look of horror adorning the baby's face, "I'm sure you'll be just fine!"

The orange masked face looked from brother to brother, absorbing the devilish glee that Raph was exuding, and noting the nonchalance of Donnie and Leo. Sitting back, the youngest felt raw terror grip his heart and drain the blood from his face. He was doomed, and he knew it. Gripping his head with both hands, Mikey couldn't restrain the disconsolate wail bubbling up in his throat.

"Aw, shell! I'm gonna die!"

…

Leonardo pounded out a few more healthy whacks to the stake pinning their tent to the ground, before leaning back to give his handiwork a satisfied nod. Come rain, sleet or snow, this tent wasn't moving. Sapphire eyes glanced up, and the leader smiled as he watched his brothers work their various jobs setting up camp. Mikey collecting firewood from the surrounding forest, Donatello setting up the campfire while getting a kettle on to boil and setting a campfire griddle over the flames for their evening meal, and Raph was pulling in another fish on his spot along the shore of the beach. The ocean waves rippled and crashed, stained red by the setting sun, soon the red masked sibling would be heading back to camp to clean his catch and get it grilling on the fire. Tonight, they'd eat the fish caught by their resident hothead, and then cook some s'mores before enjoying a relaxing evening together.

Leo sighed, pulling a deep breath into his lungs, savoring the scent of ocean brine, mixed with the heady smell of the nearby pine trees. The spot they picked was perfect. They would be able to spend the week fishing, hiking through the forest, and anything else they felt like doing. No rules, no schedule, no training. Just time spent bonding as brothers.

Standing with a slight groan, the blue masked turtle savored the feeling of gratitude warming his heart. Leonardo loved camping with his team, it was one of his favorite activities, and never turned down the opportunity to do so. In fact, it felt like only yesterday that he and his brothers lived a life in the shadows, with no knowledge or understanding of the simple joys that humans often took for granted. Even something as small as camping was an unknown concept for the family. In fact, the first time they'd gone was with April and Casey, who were determined to give the turtle teens happy memories to help balance out the more traumatic ones they seemed to be accumulating. Leo chuckled as the memories of their first camping trip came back to him.

Two summers ago, they had gone camping as a family, and the humans were shocked and appalled to find that the mutant family had very little camping gear. Donatello sheepishly admitted to their friends that before meeting April and Casey, they had never camped before, but they managed to scrounge supplies from the dump for their upcoming trip, which were in rough shape. The threadbare sleeping bags had been ripped, campfire kettle dented and scorched, plus the tent they found was worn so badly, rain would easily leak through. However, undaunted, the family had all joined in on refurbishing the items, the brothers sewing the rips and patching up thin spots, while Splinter restored the campfire kettle and various other tools.

Their resourcefulness was admirable to the humans, but their new sister determined within herself that she'd make sure they would never have to camp with items scavenged from the dump ever again. Since that fateful vacation, April had bought the mutants a brand-new family sized tent, and any accessories she could find. She had bundled the gift into a veritable mountain of treasures, watching with barely restrained glee as the teen turtles exclaimed over each discovery, squealing and shouting in joy at their finds. The brothers were overjoyed at the gift, and April had left the lair that evening as the recipient of many, many hugs from her boys.

Now, they were veteran campers, using their gifted gear with enthusiasm but also with great care.

"Now, Mikey," Donnie's voice broke Leo out of his reverie, his attention shifting to where the genius was accepting an armful of wood from the youngest, "don't touch the s'more ingredients until after dinner!"

Michelangelo scoffed, "When have I ever done that?"

Don quirked a tolerant eyebrow at his sibling, "Need I remind you of the time you ate all the chocolate bars, and we couldn't make any s'mores!"

"Yes we could," the youngest snickered, "we still roasted marshmallows over the fire, and they still tasted great between the graham crackers!"

"Well, yeah," Donatello sighed, shaking his head in mourning for the lost candy bars, "but without chocolate, they lost that extra special something that makes a s'more delicious!"

The orange masked turtle rolled his eyes, before perking up and casting an evil glance at his older brother, "Maybe instead of sulking, you should be thanking me for sparing you the temptation of junk food," He grinned, "because I don't think you can successfully ninja if your butt gets any bigger Donnie."

Leonardo stifled the giggle that almost burst from his lips, because the look that Donatello was giving the youngest could only be described as pure murder. "Are you calling me fat?" The scientist spat, "The junk food king, who sits around playing video games all day, has the gall to call into question my physical fitness?!"

"Hmm," Mikey made a show out of thinking over Don's question for several seconds, before giving the purple ninja a beaming smile, "Yep! In fact, I'd even say that out of the four of us, you've got the biggest butt from sitting around looking in microscopes all day and all night!"

"I do not sit around all the time looking in microscopes!" Donatello yelled, his lips pursing with righteous indignation, "don't forget just who builds the tech in the lair, not to mention fixes the microwave and toaster every time Leo breaks it!"

Leo squawked at the accusation but was unable to defend himself, as the purple ninja continued yelling at the baby, "Not to mention the fact that I'm often standing for hours on end doing extremely delicate adjustments to some very complex machinery. If anyone has a big butt from doing nothing all the time, it'd be you!"

Michelangelo merely shrugged, nonplussed by Donatello's passionate defense of his character, "Maybe, maybe not," he drawled, giving his brother a wicked grin, "all I'm saying, is your butts so big, that when we go camping together, the bears hide their food out of fear from you."

"Ohh," Donnie blew out a slow breath, shaking his head as his shoulders shook with dark chuckles, "okay, then," the engineer slowly stood, squaring up to his younger sibling, "just remember, baby bro, you started it."

The youngest jumped to his feet, shaking out his wrists and cracking his neck, as if prepping for a battle. "Hit me with your best shot!"

Donatello sucked in a deep gulp of air, holding it, before barking out, "Your butt's so big, Mikey, that the national weather service has to name and categorize each of your farts!"

Michelangelo reeled back as if he'd been slapped, before giving an apathetic shrug, "Seriously, bro? Surely, you can do better than that?"

"Oh, I can, but I didn't out of concern for your sensitive feelings," Donnie invited, waving his hand to gesture at the space between them, "but by all means, show me how it's done?"

Raphael walked up to stand next to Leonardo, fish slung over one shoulder, confusion written on his tough features, "What's goin' on?"

"Insult death match," Leo whispered, tone heavy with anticipation, "Mikey threw down the gauntlet, and now Donnie just invited him into the ring."

The brawler gaped, dropping the fish on the ground so to position himself into a better position to watch the carnage, "What I miss?"

Leonardo leaned closer to the hotheaded sibling, dropping his voice to a whisper, "Don started with a classic intellectual diss," he murmured, sapphire eyes not leaving the center ring, "however, it fell flat. Mikey's about to retaliate."

The youngest cleared his throat theatrically, pausing so to ensure he had the attention of his audience, "Donnie, your butt's so big, that when you sit down in a movie theater, you sit down next to everybody!"

The two eldest siblings gave a respectful nod, noting the gobsmacked look on the scientist's face, "Short, simple, direct," Leo appreciated, "the ideal shot in an insult death match."

"I don't know, though," Raph shrugged, pursing his lips thoughtfully, "I feel like it could'a used a personal touch."

The youngest snickered, bouncing up and down as he taunted his direct older brother, "Come on, Donnie, what good is all those brains if they can't even help you think up a halfway decent burn?"

"Don't count me out, Mikey!" Donnie retorted, gritting his teeth as he took a step forward, "I've got plenty of ammo to deal with you!"

"Nice rally by the egghead," Raphael commentated, "but does he have the skills ta back it up?"

"Only time will tell," Leonardo intoned with a sage nod.

"Your butt's so big, that when you get in the elevator at home, it has to go down!" Donatello shot.

Leo and Raph both leaned back, hissing in unison, "Is that what you meant by a personal touch, Raphie?" The young leader asked.

The brawler nodded, mouth twitching into a grin, "Yeah, somethin' like that!"

Mikey was undaunted, he gave a snarky bow to his opponent, then threw out double finger guns, "Donnie, my turtle, your butt is so big, that when you step on the scale in the morning, it's says 'to be continued'!"

Donatello shook his head, waving his hand in a so-so gesture, "That was weak, even for you, Mikey."

"Then, bring on the fire!" Michelangelo bellowed into the sky, a maniacal cackle following behind, "Stop holding back and hit me, bro!"

"You want the big guns?" Donatello queried, rolling his shoulders to loosen up, "Fine, I'm bringing the big guns, but don't come crying to me if you're left traumatized by sheer awesomeness!"

"I'm waiting, dude!" The youngest called, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet, "I'm gonna die of old age at the rate you're going, just bring it already!"

"Your butt's so huge, Michelangelo," Don snapped out, face wreathed with an evil grin, "that when I swerved to avoid hitting you with the Battle Shell, I ran out of gas!"

Leonardo and Raphael's jaws dropped, the older siblings giving soft golf claps in recognition of the burn. "Well executed," Leo stated reverently.

"Yeah, but don't count Mikey out just yet," the brawler cautioned, "the kid never goes down without a fight."

The youngest grit his teeth, suddenly sweating, "Okay, better than I thought you'd be," Mikey nodded, "but I like me a challenge!"

Cracking his knuckles, the baby brother pointed at the genius, blue eyes shining with a devious light, "Alright, Donnie, you wanna talk about big butts and transportation? Your butts so gargantuan, that it takes two buses and a train just to get on your good side!"

"Wow," Raphael chortled, "now that was good."

"Excellent word usage," Leonardo nodded; however Donnie's retaliation quickly interrupted the leader's commentary, "Your butt is so big, that talking to yourself counts as a long-distance call!"

Michelangelo gasped, gesturing at himself, before shooting back a boisterous, "Your butt's so big even Dora can't explore it!"

"Well, your butt is so big, when you haul shell, you have to make two trips!" The scientist cackled.

"Don, your butt is so big, that when you fall, we don't laugh, but the sidewalk cracks up!"

Brown eyes narrowed behind the purple mask as the engineer gave a grim smile, "Mikey, your butt's so big that when you skip a meal the stock market drops!"

The youngest floundered, brain running dry of comebacks, but he wasn't giving up, mustering his best quippy skills, the baby brother spat, "Your butt's so big, that when you walk in front of the television, Master Splinter misses three episodes of his show!"

"Eat this, Mikey!" Donatello retorted, "your butt is so big, that you can't even jump to a conclusion!"

Michelangelo released an enraged shriek, even as Leonardo and Raphael's heads shot from fighter to fighter, gazes bouncing between the combatants like they were watching a tennis match. "Alright, Dee, your butt's so big, that your belt size is categorized as 'equator'!"

The scientist couldn't hold back the snort of laughter that rocked his frame, "Okay, I gotta admit, that one was good," Donatello giggled, before regaining his mask of serious determination, "However, I still got one more left to shoot. So, this is it, the last round, winner takes all!"

"Okay," Mikey nodded, gaze equally stern, "but define 'all'?"

Don leaned back on one leg, crossing his arms and giving his brother an assessing look, "What do you mean?"

"Stakes, bro!" Mike smirked, "Make it worth my while! What do I get if I step into the ring one last time?"

Several moments passed, the scientist musing on the youngest's question, before suggesting, "Winner gets the first s'more of the night?"

"How about, first s'more, and one of the loser's s'mores?" The orange masked ninja adjusted.

"Done!"

"Wait, why do they get the first s'more of the night?" Raph pouted, "What are we, chopped liver?"

Leo, however, waved a green hand at the red masked turtle, beckoning him to remain silent, eyes laser focused on the battle, "It's fine, let's let them finish this, I want to see how it ends."

"Fine," The brawler heaved a sigh, eventually nodding, "Who do ya think will win?"

The azure masked turtle tapped his chin, "They're pretty evenly matched," he murmured, "honestly, it could go either way."

Michelangelo cut off any further commentary, stretching his arms high over his head, then squatting down to stretch first his right leg, then switching to his left before clambering back to his feet, "Alright!" He grinned, "Last round, ya ready to lose, Donnie?!"

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing!"

The youngest cackled, before giving an enthusiastic nod, "Donnie, your butt is so incredibly enormous," he drawled, slowly unraveling his insult for maximum damage, "that if you were ever to buy a fur coat, an entire species would have to go extinct to cover it!"

Raphael gave a thoughtful hum, crossing his arms, "That's his last shot?" He asked incredulously, "it sounds like somethin' Don would say."

"That's why it's good," Leo whispered, sapphire gaze wide with awe, "it was tailored and constructed specifically for his opponent. It's meant to take Donnie, and only Donnie, out."

"Oh," the brawler nodded, mouth hanging open in realization.

Donatello gave a dark chuckle, "Not bad," he shrugged, before pinning the youngest with a triumphant smirk, "but not nearly as good as this!"

The purple masked ninja cleared his throat, intentionally mimicking Mikey's motions from earlier, "Michelangelo, your butt is so big, that I know for a fact that even the Battle Shell has stretch marks!"

Raphael burst into uproarious guffaws, while Mikey shrieked in fury, leaning against Leonardo as he chortled, "Okay, that was a good one!"

"No kidding," Leo chuckled, watching as the youngest flailed.

"Sounds like I win!" Donatello smirked.

Mikey shook his head furiously, "No way, dude, I won!"

"You're delusional!" The genius scoffed, "I obviously had the better finale shot, yours was weak!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Baby blue and brown eyes met with electrifying intensity, both determined to win, before the two youngest siblings turned to bellow in perfect unison, "Who won, Leo?!"

The eldest siblings looked at their brothers, then quickly shared a befuddled glance. Leonardo wasn't sure of who to say actually won, and to be fair, they both had some pretty witty comebacks. This wasn't as cut and dry as a sparring match in the dojo, where rules and logic prevailed. So, in the effort to maintain the peace and not be forced to choose between brothers (and potentially ruin their vacation by choosing poorly), Leo decided that the best course of action, was also the simplest. Which was to not decide at all.

"Oh, look at the time!" Leonardo yelped, looking down at a bare wrist, before swiftly dropping to scoop up the fish from the grass, "Raphie, we'd better get these fish cleaned if we want to have them for dinner!"

"Just what I was thinkin'!" Raphael agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

The eldest and his second in command scuttled away, carrying the fish along with them. Donnie felt his jaw drop in indignant shock, "Oh, no you don't, aniki!" He finally bellowed, "you're choosing a winner, and you're choosing one now!"

…..

Several hours passed, each one filled with laughter, as night settled in with the moon arcing across the sky, fireflies blinked in a twilight dance. The brothers eventually bedded down after much food and games, forsaking the shelter of the tent in exchange for the canopy of stars wreathed above them in twinkling celestial bodies. Leonardo lay awake, watching his brothers as they slept, a book with the glittering title of Deltora Quest on its spine hanging in a lax grip from his right hand. The fire had long burned down to embers, but the eldest still didn't feel the least bit sleepy. The scent of pine and the brine of the ocean energized the terrapin, and he didn't have even the slightest wish to close his eyes. A side effect of his forced rest, no doubt. After over a month on the bench, the consequence of his misadventure with the mutant bug, Leonardo was ecstatic to be anywhere beyond the dreary walls of the lair. Granted, he did a lot of sleeping the first week after April had found him and helped fix his shell; but it didn't take long for Leo to get a bad case of cabin fever.

In fact, the eldest teen could honestly say, by the end of his confinement, he was almost certainly driving his father insane with how hyperactive he'd become waiting for his shell to heal. Meditating, though still enjoyable, had lost its intrigue after the first week, which left Leo pacing the dojo, or shadow boxing in front of the cracked scavenged mirrors. Eventually, even training lost its luster. The eldest restrained from any truly challenging kata that might aggravate the crack. Splinter then suggested that Leo indulge in his newly acquired hobbies, drawing or painting, or even practicing on the violin they'd gifted him on his birthday. That went well for two weeks, but all too soon, Leo was once again staring longingly at his brothers as they left for patrol. He was quickly running out of distractions.

That was when Leonardo had to get creative in finding things to occupy his time.

Within three days, the lair was covered in manic odds and ends that the blue masked turtle had made, or was fixing, in an effort to stave off insanity. He'd gone through the kitchen and sharpened every knife they owned, fixing any blemishes he found. This was also done with every weapon in the dojo, including Raphael's sai. The eldest also fixed the grips on said weapons, ensuring that their structural integrity was properly secured. When he ran out of weapons to fix or do maintenance on, the blue masked turtle turned to organizing the lair. He dusted, swept, mopped, and scrubbed every inch of their home that he could reach. Nary a dust bunny escaped his keen eye. However, that was done in the space of a couple days. Leo was getting desperate, and with that desperation came concerning discoveries.

Michelangelo had been stunned into silence when, one day, walking into the lair, he had found his big brother putting the finishing touches on a scale model of the Foot headquarters. Made using hot glue, popsicle sticks, and toothpicks, it was painted, and impressively accurate. What made it all the more impressive, was that it was 3D, the entire side of the building could detach and inside you would see each floor was meticulously detailed with tiny, hand carved figurines. Soldiers, tanks, weaponry, ninja, there was even a diminutive Shredder in his office with Hun standing close by, Karai practiced in a dojo a few floors down, and Baxter Stockman (how Leo actually created a brain in a jar was beyond them) was placed near a wall of computer screens. The eldest gleefully showed his baby brother the project, pointing out small details, things that Mikey wasn't even sure how he knew, before exclaiming that he was going to build the Daimyo's palace in the nexus next.

Although impressed, Mikey had immediately gone to their father, and bellowed that Leo was losing his mind and something had to be done. Which probably explained the camping trip.

Leonardo chuckled at the thought, admitting to himself that he probably was going crackers at that point. However, he refused to feel the slightest bit ashamed, especially since the odd behavior got him out of the lair, and besides, that scale model was pretty awesome if he said so himself! Setting his book down, the young leader stretched his arms over his head until his back gave a satisfying pop. Crickets struck up a chorus beyond the tree line, and Leo twisted his head backwards, watching the glow of the fireflies as they blinked in the underbrush. Mischief crept into the corners of the eldest's mind, and in a moment of pure whimsy, he decided to go for a moonlight walk under the trees.

Green hands swiped the sheathed katana lain by his side, deftly working the buckles until the blades were snug against his carapace. Features cast in shadow, Leonardo gave a grin at the ivory orb in the sky, then murmured softly to himself, "Let's go see what we can find?"

Striking out, fully intending to be back before dawn, Leo disappeared into the trees, but he never returned….

I was going to go a bit further into the story with this chapter, but I'll leave the action for part 2.

Any guesses about what trouble our disaster magnet will get himself into? (I already know, but I love when you guys theorize, it makes me happy).

Sorry for taking so long to update, last week I had no chance to write because I have a new district supervisor at work, and she is….something else. Let's just say, the stress is real, and now several stores as well as managers are angry and we might be planning our own kind of protest because of how horrible she's treating the employees under her. You know it's bad when even the manager wants in on the fun.

But yeah, after that I got food poisoning, which was NOT pleasant, and I'm still recovering from that. So now, I'm helping my mother prep for a wedding that she's catering the dessert bar for. She started a gourmet candy business, and I'm the only one in the family who knows how to make the candy other than her. So….we've been losing our minds! Thank God the bride isn't a bridezilla.

Thank you for your support and thank you in advance for reviews and any theories on Leo's inane ability to get into trouble! Personally…I think he got cursed by the nightmare squid in the Volpehart building, and that's why he is the way he is now.