Rating: T

Warnings: Overall story - Brief mentions of torture. Bit of language.

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Summary: For months now, Mikey's been through hell with no one to count on but himself. He's finally been rescued but there are still two major problems; he's still desperately missing his family and he has no way home. No OCs. 2k3/2k12 crossover.

Since several people expressed interest in seeing the breakfast scene from the last chapter from someone else's PoV, I have written it. It was posted a couple of days ago as a separate 'bonus' story and can be found as part of the 'Tales from AOtGO' series.

Minnie1015: I love being able to update this story again too XD It's been flowing really well the last month or so, even though other stories are also calling for my attention, hehe

selin32227: Thank you :-)

BrightLotusMoon: Done! I hope you enjoy and thank you for the kind words :-)

KaylaMicael: it's only been a few days since he was found so it makes sense he hasn't opened up yet... but you're right, he needs to and the sooner the better. I've been doing pretty well with this story lately XD This is only chapter 14 but I'm currently working on ch 19 so updates should be pretty regular for a bit :-)

EclipseFirelight: All good. There's a bunch of other stories in this series as well, several of which can be found under 'Tales from AOtGO' and 'The Situation' 'Tsumetai' and others which are listed on my profile for easier finding. But yes, besides the original 'AOtGO' and 'Aftermath' I do intend to write at least 2 or 3 more main stories set in the 2k3 side of the multiverse. Just gotta get there first XD

AOtGO – Aftermath

Ch 14

Date: 23rd Sept

The moment the turtles returned from their break, they went straight into sparring while Mikey watched on jealously from the side, expected to continue with his boring rehabilitation exercises. First, it was three on one with Splinter winning resoundingly quickly. A small nostalgic smile spread on Mikey's face at the disappointed groans from Leo and Raph. He wasn't as impressed, however, by their looks at Donnie that quickly followed, as if they blamed their brother for a loss that would have occurred regardless. After three rounds, Splinter teamed Raph and Donnie together to take on Leo who immediately targeted Donnie while Raph surreptitiously held back. Then the two went at each other while Donnie slumped at the sidelines in resignation.

Mikey stopped working as his gaze followed Donatello, dismayed to see the almost broken look on the younger ninja's face. His eyes narrowed as he returned his gaze to the remaining two combatants. Moments later, Leo slipped up, allowing Raph to get too close and down he went.

Splinter didn't give them a break. "Leonardo, Donatello, take on Raphael. Hajime!"

Swallowing uncomfortably, Donnie brandished his bo in front defensively as he reluctantly stepped in but as before, he was the focus of the initial attack and out in moments, allowing the two more competitive turtles to go each other. Raph flashed Donnie a look, 'I told you so,' and Mikey frowned. He'd noticed problems in their dynamic the first and only time he'd trained with them but he hadn't realised it was this bad.

Then came the one on one rounds. As predicted, Donnie was defeated quickly and at a nod from Splinter, he made his way over to Mikey with a small, embarrassed smile. "Saw that, huh?" he asked sheepishly as he joined the lost turtle.

"Every painful moment," Mikey replied jokingly to keep it light. Then he frowned again. "Are they always like that, dude?"

"What, sparring matches?" Donnie asked, slightly defensively. It hadn't been what Mikey meant but he nodded anyway and Donnie sighed, "Much as I hate to admit it, I'm just no match for Leo and Raph and I only get in their way. The only person I ever have a chance with is Mikey and that's only because he's even worse at sparring than I am and that's saying something."

Mikey's frown deepened as he picked up on the part Donnie left unsaid, 'considering how bad I am.'

"Anyway," Donnie plopped down on the ground beside Mikey with a gap-toothed smile, "Enough about that. How are you going?"

"Just great!" Mikey replied boastfully. He was bored out of his ever-loving mind! The monotony of the exercises was enough to drive anyone insane. It was no wonder he watched the others with such interest. It had absolutely nothing to do with taking notes for when he was finally allowed to spar with them and show them what he was really made of. He could just see the knowing look from his Leo at that thought and a small smile played the edges of his mouth.

Donnie gave him a look. "I've been watching when I can. It can't be fun doing the same couple of exercises over and over."

Mikey huffed a laugh. He had that right.

"Are those few all you know?" Donnie asked curiously. "I can show you a couple of other exercises that will be good for helping to strengthen that arm again."

Mikey looked at him in feigned interest and Donnie took that as an invitation to continue, "Have you considered using weights?"

At that obvious question, Mikey blinked, suddenly feeling very stupid. "Uh, no," he laughed self-consciously. "I guess I should've thought of that, huh, dude?"

"It would certainly do more good than just working without them," Donnie offered kindly. "As long as you don't push things too far, too fast, that is."

Mikey slumped forward dramatically where he sat, face-planting the floor while his butt remained firmly on the ground.

"Mike?" Donnie asked gently as if he'd break.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that," he mumbled almost unintelligibly as Donnie watched in concern.

"Maybe but it's understandable though."

"Huh?" Mikey sat up straight again, looking to the other turtle, perplexed. "What do you mean?" he asked bluntly.

"You told me you began rehabilitating your arm after the cast came off, yes?" Donnie reminded him.

Mikey blanched at the reminder. "So?" he countered almost defensively.

"You could only do so much in there," Donnie pointed out quietly. "If you didn't have access to weights or anything else to help you, you would've become used to going without and therefore, it would be less likely to have occurred to you to start using them now."

Mikey's face cleared as understanding dawned. "Right! You're right. Still..." he took a breath, allowing his gaze to drift to land on the still sparring turtles. Neither had gained any ground and both looked as though they were beginning to tire. For a moment, Mikey wondered which would give out first, Raph's vaunted strength or Leo's superior skill.

"Don't worry about it too much, Mike," Donnie encouraged. "Give me a minute and I'll bring back one of the small weights for you to use now."

Mikey nodded numbly and watched Donnie out the corner of his eye while supposedly watching the intense sparring instead. It wasn't long before the other turtle returned. He handed Mikey a five-hundred-gram weight before sitting beside him. Mikey regarded it with bemusement. "Kinda light, isn't it, bro?" he asked dubiously.

"Start low and work your way up slowly unless you want to hurt yourself," Donnie replied primly, obviously rankled by Mikey's doubt and Mikey flushed.

"Right," he quickly agreed.

"Actually, while you obviously need to focus primarily on your left arm, you should also work on your right and the rest of your body," Donnie suggested with a thoughtful frown. "You probably lost a lot of muscle tone everywhere in there."

"Okay," Mikey agreed. Then he smiled wanly at Donnie. "Thanks for the help. I'm sorry to always be such a pest."

"You're welcome, Mike," Donnie smiled back. He then observed for a time as Mikey worked, giving small tips and advice as needed. Soon, however, Leo finally took Raph down and Splinter called them all in, Mikey included, to make some observations and for Leo to finally bow out the class. Leo then left for the kitchen and his icepack while Raph made his escape for the shower and Donnie showed Mikey where the weights were kept despite the fact Mikey had been surreptitiously watching when he went to get it.

"Don't go up to a higher weight without talking to me first," Donnie warned, making sure to catch Mikey's eye first and frustrating him at the babying. Even his brothers were never that bad, hence the occasional acting up for attention when he'd been too long without. "Also, don't use the weight for more than ten minutes a session for the first few days. You don't want to do more harm than good while you're trying to heal."

"Heh, yeah, no problem, dude," Mikey half-laughed. That was definitely the last thing he wanted.

"So how are you doing?" Donnie asked again, changing the subject. "Any better than earlier?"

Mikey took a deep, steadying breath. It wasn't even fifteen minutes since the last time he'd asked. "I'm fine now, dude. Promise."

"That's good," Donnie replied as he led Mikey from the dojo. Mikey didn't think the tall turtle was completely fooled but at least he didn't press the issue. "Do you remember what triggered you this morning?"

The bowl full of disgusting nutrients flashed across Mikey's vision and he fought not to visibly blanch at the memory.

"Mike?" Donnie prompted carefully.

"Huh?" Mikey jumped, whipping his head around to look up at Donnie, startled. "Oh, n-no, I don't." And it was true. Kind of. It just wasn't the full truth. He knew what happened but he couldn't recall how it happened. One minute he'd been sitting there, mildly terrified over Leo's attempt to cook and the next... he saw that stuff he thought he'd never have to see again and then everything was a terrifying blur.

"Okay," Donnie frowned worriedly. "I won't push but please, tell me when you can. If we know what and how it happened, then hopefully we can avoid it happening again."

"Y-yeah, sure," Mikey agreed shakily. He'd very much like to avoid that too. For a moment, he ached to open up and come clean to Donnie about his problems with food but as he stole a nervous glance at the other-dimensional turtle, he was reminded yet again how this was not his Donnie. It wasn't even just about appearance but rather temperament and personality. That and Donnie and his brothers had their own problems with their own missing brother right now and the last thing he wanted was to be selfish by adding his problems into the mix. It was bad enough that just by being here he was adding to them. He frowned thoughtfully. Maybe instead, he could help them or Donnie at least. "Don," he ventured cautiously, "can I ask you something?"

"Besides that?" Donnie asked in a small attempt to tease.

"Yeah," he laughed. "It's uh... kinda serious though and," he glanced around, looking for any sign of the others nearby, "maybe better asked in private?"

"Okay," Donnie frowned. "Do you feel comfortable enough to come in my lab or would you prefer Mikey's room?"

Mikey hesitated. His borrowed room was definitely the better option for him than the lab but this wasn't about him. He needed Donnie to be comfortable and somehow he doubted being in his missing brother's bedroom would help with that. Besides, he needed to confront his own fears and forcing himself into a room – a lab – he was merely uncomfortable in was a good place to start. Besides, after that, hopefully, he wouldn't have to enter it again any time soon. "We can go to the lab but... uh... any chance you could keep their tech at a distance?"

"Sure," Donnie replied, bemused. He rushed ahead of Michelangelo to his lab, his long-legged gait giving him sudden advantage and as Mikey followed, he heard him moving things about, away from the main part of the room.

Mikey smiled grimly as he entered. He could still see signs of Kraang tech about but the obvious pieces were off in the far corner. Donnie gestured for him to take his pick of chairs, to have the alien technology in view or not and Mikey hesitantly closed the door before picking a chair.

"What did you want to talk about, Mike?" Donnie asked once he was seated.

"You," Mikey answered bluntly, trying his best to ignore the far corner of the room. "Like, as in, why do you do that, dude?"

Donnie blinked uncertainly at him and Mikey had to stifle a laugh at his own stupidity as he realised he'd done it again. Assumed everyone else was on the same page as him despite not giving them a clue what he was talking about. Then again, his own Donnie often understood anyway just because he knew him so well and they often bounced ideas off each other.

"Do what?" Donnie asked cautiously.

"I've watched you sparring with Leo and Raph a couple of times now. You go into the fight looking like you already lost before you even begin," Mikey finally explained.

Donnie stared at him incredulously. "I do not!" he retorted, just shy of snapping.

"Yeah, you do, dude."

"You just said it yourself, you've only seen us sparring a couple of times. Maybe I'm just more worried about other things and you're misinterpreting what you see!"

Blanching at the tone, Mikey shook his head rapidly. "Dude, I'm pretty good at reading people and I know what I saw and..." he hesitated, not wanting this to seem like an attack on the family who so generously took him in when he had nowhere else to go, "it's not just you," he explained quietly. "It... looked like Leo and Raph pretty much dismissed you too, before you even started." No way was he mentioning that awful smug look he'd seen on Raph's face at the end of the fight. "I want to know why when I know you're an awesome ninja."

Donnie deflated and the effect was heartbreaking. "No, I'm not," he muttered dejectedly. "The only skills I bring to this team are my technological and scientific knowledge."

Mikey's eyes widened in shock at the self-deprecating words. What the shell?

"For the record, I do try but it's hopeless. I can't win against Leo and Raph and..."

Here, Donnie faltered so Mikey gently encouraged him to continue, "And what?" he asked. Donnie's features began to close off so he pressed a little harder but not so much as to spook him and make him close off completely. "Don, I promise this is just between you and me." He motioned to the closed door behind him and Donnie looked over at it, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "I won't say anything to anyone else or ever make fun of you for it."

Donnie hesitated a moment more, then sharply nodded his head. "It's just not worth beating them," he finally admitted. "I somehow managed to fluke a win against Raph once. Don't ask me how, I-I'm not entirely certain, and he... didn't take it well." He sighed as his eyes skittered across the room, remembering all too well the incident and worse, the fact April had been there to witness every humiliating moment.

"Raph often gets... pissy, for lack of a better word, when Leo beats him so I really should've expected him to lose his temper with me. As for Leo... he's just too skilled. None of us save Master Splinter can match that. It's little wonder Master Splinter gives him so much more attention than the rest of us." Suddenly, Donnie seemed to become aware of himself again and he flushed in embarrassment. "Sewer apples!" he groaned in dismay. "I can't believe I just told you all that. Please don't say anything to anyone."

"Don't worry," Mikey chuckled lightly. "I already promised you it stays between the two of us." Then he grew serious again. "Dude, I may be new here and I might have problems keeping focused but that doesn't mean I don't pay attention. I've been part of one training session and watched another. That's enough to at least get an idea of you guys. I've seen the dynamic and..." he paused, considering how to say it without sounding insulting, then shrugged and just said it, "it's weird, dude and not just because someone's missing. Where one member of a team is weak, someone else covers for them. It's like... rock-paper-scissors!" he exclaimed, his demeanour brightening at the analogy. "Like, rock beats scissors and scissors beats paper but paper beats rock and I know you guys are like that too because I've seen you in a real fight and that's part of how I know you are a great ninja!"

"When did you see that?" Donnie asked bluntly. "Please don't try to tell me it was that awful incident with the Purple Dragons the other night because I hate to break it to you Mike, but that was not a good example."

"Especially for me," Mikey snickered self-consciously. "Nuh, it was before the PDs. I watched you guys from my cell before Metalhead took the forcefield down and I got out. As far as I could see, there was no posturing or dismissiveness, just you guys working together as a well-oiled team. Covering for each other like rock-paper-scissors."

"That's not how that works," Donnie groaned in disbelief.

Mikey forced a small, playful smile to work his face. "I know it's not but you gotta admit it works, right?"

Donnie crossed his arms and very pointedly did not answer but Mikey could see in his eyes he grudgingly agreed.

"Dude, my Donnie is not as skilled as my Leo in ninjutsu, he's not as physically strong as my Raph – and who could be, right? - he's not as fast or agile as me but that doesn't mean he's not skilled, strong or fast. His strength is that insidiously smart mind of his. He can beat us all in a spar if he puts his mind to it by out-thinking and outmanoeuvring us. Just as I can beat him or my other bros by taking advantage of my speed and mouth or Raph can if he gets his hands on us, though none of that is any good without the skill to back it up. My point is, Don, I've seen you in training, dude. I've seen you in battle. You have the skill to back up that mind of yours and you could take them on and win if you had some confidence, dude."

"N..."

"Yes, you could!" Mikey insisted fiercely, cutting off Donnie's protest. "Look, if you want, once I'm allowed to train properly and spar, I'll help you."

Donnie contemplated him a moment as if trying to gauge how serious he was. "Even if you could and I had the time, why would you?"

"Because I don't like seeing my bros, other-dimensional or otherwise, miserable." Mikey frowned, thinking back to the look he'd seen on Donnie's face while sparring earlier. "I can't help you find your bro but I can help you with this. In fact, I could help you with this starting tomorrow. If you can record training or at least sparring, we can talk about it after."

Donnie still didn't look convinced but at least he seemed to be considering it so Mikey gave a smile and a final push, remembering something else Donnie had said before.

"As for Raph getting pissy if he loses and Leo getting sulky," he shrugged, "honestly, if they're really still like that at fifteen..."

"I never said anything about Leo!" Donnie protested faintly.

"You didn't have to," Mikey said flatly. "Other-dimensional or not, they're my bros too. I mean, sure, they're not the same but they're similar and my Leo used to get like that when we were younger and I stopped trying so hard in training because of it. It made him happy for a while but in the long run, not so much. Now I always get called out for not trying, even when I actually do."

Donnie nodded faintly.

"Anyway, they need to learn how to lose because no one can or should win every time," Mikey continued flatly. "Giving up before you even begin and just letting them win doesn't do you or them any favours."

"It makes my life more bearable," Donnie said wryly.

"Maybe but think about it, bro. Not only does learning how to lose do them good, it hopefully pushes them to be better to be able to win next time and actually earn the win," Mikey pointed out. Winning was fun, he'd admit that any time but there was no satisfaction if you won without trying. "Winning would give you confidence. Shell, dude! Even if you still lose, pushing them, giving them an actual, real challenge will make you feel good! Giving them an actual, real challenge does everyone good!" he exclaimed. "Just... think about it, okay?"

Donnie nodded numbly. "O... okay. I'll think about it," he promised. "I mean, I don't really have a lot of time between trying to come up with a way to find Mikey, trying to make a retro mutagen for April's father and trying to come up with technological ways to thwart the Foot and the Kraang but..." his expression turned wistful. "I-it would be nice, you know, to be respected for once. Do you really think I would have a chance? Eventually, I mean?"

"Yeah, dude, I do," Mikey smiled warmly as his heart beat faster at the mention of them. His eyes flickered unintentionally over to the tech in the corner before he forced his gaze back on Donnie. "But you gotta try and giving up before you begin doesn't help."

Donnie nodded again, this time more thoughtfully and as he did, his eyes drifted to the laptop on his desk. Mikey took that as his cue to leave and let the other turtle mull over what they'd talked about. Getting to his feet, he tried not to obviously rush as he made to escape the lab when the sound of a rumbling stomach caught his attention. His eyes widened in horror at giving himself away and he slowly turned to see an embarrassed Donatello standing behind him. Donnie gave him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," the younger turtle chuckled, misinterpreting Mikey's expression. "I guess I'm hungry after Leo's disastrous attempt at cooking this morning. It was completely inedible. You're... actually lucky you missed it.

"I coulda told you that," Mikey drawled uneasily, the memory of the 'porridge' slowly sliding from the spoon in slimy chunks flashing through his mind. He shuddered and violently shoves the image from his mind; he had to stay in control.

"We didn't have time for anything more than a couple of slices of toast after that and..." Donnie suddenly coloured and snapped his mouth shut.

"And what?" Mikey asked curiously, stepping very deliberately out the door.

"It's not important."

Mikey turned and just stared back into the room at Donatello. Not important. Right. That was either a nice way of saying it was his fault for freaking out or an observation that he wasn't important. A part of him was tempted to comment but then he realised how that would look and instead smiled brightly, "Well, how about I make you lunch?" he suggested cheerfully. "There's not a lot to work with but I can come up with something."

"That'd be good," Donnie replied gratefully as he began walking towards the kitchen, clearly relieved that Mikey didn't press the subject. "As long as you join me."

Mikey pulled a face at Donnie's shell, then hurriedly switched to an innocent expression as Donnie turned his head to smile back at him. "Yeah, sure," he agreed a little too easily. Besides, he hadn't eaten since that cup of instant ramen last night and he was starving. He frowned, flipping through his memories of what they had in the kitchen. Plenty of frozen bread, cereals, cheese and other ingredients suitable for making pizza and not much else. His eyes widened slightly as they entered the kitchen and found Raph looking down at a cobbled together sandwich in bored distaste and Mikey smiled, turning back to the taller turtle.

"How do toasted cheese sandwiches sound, Donnie?"

For a moment, Donnie looked flustered. "N-no idea. I've never had one before but it can't be too bad since it's vaguely like pizza in that it has melted cheese on a bread product," he reasoned, his thoughts racing a million miles an hour as he mentally compared the two foods. "Only one problem. We don't have a toasted cheese maker."

"Too bad, bro," Mikey drawled dismissively as he walked past Raph to the fridge, "but we don't really need one. I can make them in either a pan or on the grill. Doesn't really matter that much. Still, if you ever do find the parts to fix one up, you should because those things seal the sandwich and you can stick put more fillings in." He pulled a loaf of bread from the freezer and a block of cheese from the fridge. "You want one too, Raphie?"

Raph twitched and Donnie looked amused, though vaguely worried.

"My name's not 'Raphie,'" he growled darkly.

Mikey struggled to contain any signs of amusement. "I take it that's a no then?"

"I didn't say that!" Raph snapped. "'course I want one!"

"Great!" Mikey cheered. "I can show you guys how to make it if you like, it's really easy, but first, could someone go ask Leo and Sensei if they want some too?"

-:-

"Thank you for lunch, Michelangelo," Splinter said gratefully, inclining his head. "It was a welcome change from the usual fare."

"No problem, Sensei," Mikey beamed. He was still hungry but had only managed to stomach half a sandwich before the shudder reflex became too strong to hide. Thanks to the way he'd cut them into quarters – for aesthetic purposes – he'd managed to convince the others he'd eaten more than he really had.

Raph gave him a confused look. "Yeah, it was good but I don't get why you buttered the outside."

"Is that why it was kinda greasy?" Leo asked, frowning at his fingers.

Mikey chuckled. His Leo wasn't too fond of toasties for that reason either; it wasn't that he minded the grease so much as the feeling left on his fingers. "Stops it sticking to the pan," he explained. "We'd have had ripped apart and charred sandwich bits instead if I didn't butter the outside." He started gathering the used plates and took them to the sink. Before he could run the tap, however, Splinter spoke up.

"Leave the dishes and cleanup to Leonardo," he instructed meaningfully, reminding them all that Leonardo was still being punished for sneaking out on his own after curfew. "Michelangelo, would you care to join me in the dojo for a chat and perhaps meditation before April arrives?"

"Um... s-sure," Mikey agreed uneasily.

"There is no need to worry, you are not in any trouble," Splinter chuckled lightly.

"Eh heh heh..." Mikey laughed uncomfortably, "you know me so well, already, Grandpa-sensei." Honestly though, being asked for 'a chat' usually did mean he was in trouble or worse, in this world, it often meant someone wanted to ask him about things he'd just rather forget. Talking with Donnie and then teaching him and Raph how to make toasted sandwiches had helped for a while. He'd been mostly relaxed and feeling better than any other time this day if he ignored the gnawing in his stomach and dread of having to actually eat once lunch was ready and now Splinter wanting to talk threatened to break his relatively good mood. It put him on instant defence again and he did not like it.

Regardless, he followed Splinter into the dojo, looking about the room uncomfortably. It really was a beautiful dojo, far nicer than the one at home even if it didn't have the cool training props, thanks to the worn but colourful rugs and of course, the miracle tree. His gaze drifted up the tree and eventually to the bright light he could see sparkling in the ceiling. It was a little too early for the sunshine to hit the ground inside but he stared up wistfully at it, wishing he could feel it on his carapace and scales now. He wished he could curl up under its warmth, Klunk snuggled against him and purring his love and contentment loudly.

Klunk...

Mikey stiffened. Had his brothers been taking care of Klunk?

Klunk needed more than just food and water. He needed love. Someone to pet him and brush his fur, to play with him and heap attention and cuddles on him. For the most part, his brothers never gave Klunk much attention, though he'd seen Raph cuddle or play with Klunk a few times when he thought no one was watching. Mikey had even taken photographic evidence only to be threatened with violence over it. Raph hadn't meant it, of course, but Mikey had taken great delight in the chase. He just...

"Michelangelo?"

Jumping in surprise, Mikey whipped his gaze to Splinter in shock.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah, I... I'm fine," Mikey lied desperately with a broad smile breaking his face. He hadn't thought of Klunk in so long. What kind of cat-daddy was he?

Splinter canted his head slightly. "Please, come sit," he instructed, motioning to the spot he'd previously said the sun touched when it finally entered the lair proper.

He walked the few steps over and slowly lowered himself to the ground.

"I am sorry, Michelangelo, I did not mean to upset you or make you anxious," Splinter offered in a quiet voice. "You know I will not push you before you are ready."

Mikey nodded wordlessly. So he kept saying and yet...

"When I suggested we talk, I merely intended to ask how you are settling in, if there is anything we can do to help or if you wanted to talk about anything."

His gaze roved across the ninja master's furred features. Splinter seemed completely sincere and Mikey felt bad for assuming otherwise. He smiled wanly. "S-sorry, sensei," he said, taking a shaky breath. Today really hadn't been a great day overall. "I just remembered about my cat, that's all..." he explained softly.

"You have a pet?" Splinter asked curiously.

"Yeah," Mikey answered quietly. "Or... I did..."

"Did something happen to it?"

"Him. Klunk," Mikey corrected. "And... and no. Not that I know of but..." he bit his lip as thoughts of his beloved ninja kitty filled his mind. He'd risked his life for Klunk, jumping into a whirlpool of death to save him and his family thought him insane for it, berating him angrily for his actions at the time. As it later turned out, Klunk had never actually been in danger given the attack was all in their heads within the Astral Plane but no one had known it at the time and he knew that even if it had been real, he'd have done the same again. He and Klunk had been through more together than most cats could claim and he'd never meant to abandon him. He hadn't had any choice in the matter.

Klunk wouldn't know that though. To Klunk, he'd have been there one day and just gone the next, abandoning him like whoever had owned him before.

His eyes wandered nervously about the room again, then, gathering his courage, whispered, "I forgot about him. I... all that time, I never even thought about him once, Sensei."

-:-

I meant to get this up last night but I had a long day yesterday and was too tired to do the final edit and post at the time. Sorry for the delay.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

* If you ever see my stories posted anywhere other than under the name Zelgadis55 at Deviant Art, FFNet, AO3 or Live Journal, then they have been stolen. Please report them.