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.

I recently found out from a friend that FFNet has changed the way they email about updates. It is now Opt-in. And you have to renew every 6 months. Or they just STOP sending emails about updates.

So if you, like her, haven't been getting emails about updates, now you know why.

One option you can use to avoid missing that a story has been updated is to Favourite. Then, when it updates, it will always show on your favourites list when it was last updated. I also post on AO3 under the same name.

Review responses are after the chapter as there was a lot to say this time :-) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed this story!

Long chapter is long. Word count 7,665.

AOtGO – Aftermath

Ch 22

Date: 29th Sept

Mikey nodded distantly. "Okay. So why do they want her so badly anyway? What's so special about April?"

"That's... a rather loaded question with a rather loaded answer," Donnie replied with a wince.

"How so?"

Donnie gazed at Mike, trying to decide how much to tell him since it was about April. Then, remembering that it could be a long time before Mike could get home and that he'd be likely joining them for missions in a few weeks, realised he needed to know the truth.

"The Kraang have been experimenting on humans in this world for millennia. Trying to breed a human with specific DNA strains that could serve as a catalyst to perfect the mutagen. April's ancestors were their guinea pigs and April herself is the culmination of their work. As a result, they want her."

Mikey felt sick. Really, really sick. "That's awful," he whispered.

Donnie nodded and then hesitated before adding, "Basically, she's a mutant hybrid. Part human, part Kraang..."

"Part... Kraa...ng?" Mikey swallowed fearfully.

"Yes," Donnie replied crisply. "I hope that won't be a problem for you because she's still the same April you've been training with and getting to know since you arrived here."

Mikey's jaw dropped in shock at the insinuation. "Of course not!" he protested in disbelief that Donnie could think that. He had a problem with them, not with April. He could never be afraid of April herself. Only possibly her temper but it was more his own April that terrified everyone with her sharp tongue. "I don't judge people based on their DNA dude. That'd be stupid!"

Donnie relaxed in relief. "I didn't really think you would but I also know anything to do with the Kraang upsets you and understandably so."

"Well! You don't have to worry about it in this case," Mikey sniffed indignantly, turning his head and staring off to the side. "April's still April, I know that. Uh..." he turned back to Donnie, worry in his eyes, "she won't get upset you told me though, will she?"

"Probably a little since she doesn't like to think about it and well... we only found out a few weeks ago. However, she'll understand me telling you."

"Okay," Mikey relaxed.

"Don't say anything to Casey, though. April's not ready to tell him yet. Though he will need to know soon."

"Got it, dude," Mikey agreed.

"Anyway, the same day we found out the truth about April's genetics, we also destroyed the Kraang's records of them, leaving them several steps back from where they were. Hence the Kraang trying other means to try and speed things up again."

Mikey leant against the doorframe, his legs suddenly feeling wobbly.

"Are you okay?" Donnie asked in concern.

"Yeah... I'm fine. Just..." he waved a hand, "it's a lot, you know? And I'm pretty tired."

"Neither of us had a lot of sleep last night," Donnie admitted reluctantly with a chuckle. "I'm tired too. We should probably head to bed."

"I guess..." Not that he really wanted to. Only more nightmares awaited him there.

Donnie turned away, going deeper into the lab to shut things down for the night. Then he came back and took the laptop from Mike, plugging it in to charge. "I meant to ask, did you try any of the crackers or rice cakes April brought?"

"Yeah, thanks for that, bro. They still taste bad but not as bad. They're easier."

"Not as bad, how?" Donnie pressed.

Mikey watched him for a moment before answering. "The taste isn't as strong so I don't feel like I'm going to puke. I kept the quiche kinda simple and eating that still turned my stomach."

"Yes... I noticed you didn't eat much," Donnie observed quietly. "I'm surprised you tried it at all if the other food worked better."

Mikey pulled a face. "Even with the vitamin supplements, I can't live off crackers. At least those will help during the day for lunch and when I have to snack. I can handle dry toast for breakfast, too."

Donnie nodded approvingly. "You baked a loaf of bread the other day. Maybe you can bake one specifically for you with added nutrients in it?" he suggested.

"Yeah, maybe... but it's actually cheaper to buy bread than bake it," Mikey pointed out. Especially compared to when adding extras.

"Hmm..." Donnie conceded thoughtfully. "Still, your health is more important, Mike and if that can help, you should consider it."

Mikey nodded numbly. It was weird having someone care so much after so long with no one and it was super weird that it wasn't one of his family but it also felt good. His own family cared a lot but it was shown more in the little ways rather than this obviously, though that was only because he'd never been in quite the position to need the extra show of care. Not like the way Leo had after the Foot hunted him down at least and certainly not as Donnie had after the Ultimate Draco disaster and after getting so sick and mutating into a giant, slavering monster who tried to eat him. It was kind of nice, even if he wasn't entirely sure how to react to it.

"I was thinking of making a rice porridge one morning. It's nutritional but bland. And easy going down. Hopefully, that'll work too."

"Do it and let me know how it works," Donnie pressed. He glanced back into the room. "Barring anything going wrong, I should have the results from your blood tests tomorrow and hopefully, I'll be able to find some answers for you."

Mikey smiled weakly, both looking forward to it and dreading it all at once."That'd be great but even if you don't, I appreciate you trying. Thanks, Don."

Donnie smiled again. "Any time. Now, we really don't need another night as late as last night. Good night, Mike."

"Night, Donnie."

-:-

"I know we still have a while to go before you're ready for missions, Mike, but we should start setting you up with the gear you need," Leonardo said suddenly, looking fresh from a shower but still weary as he descended into the pit to sit on the bench not far from Mikey. "I'd like a list of what you normally carry with you so we can outfit you properly."

Mikey looked up from a page of sketches of sharks, all with Raph-like faces. There was a white pointer, a hammerhead, a spotted wobbegong, a megamouth, a goblin shark and a zebra shark. He saw Leo glance at the art and confusion briefly flit across his face so Mikey grinned and closed the book, setting it aside to give Leo his full attention.

"Well, other than my babies, I usually carry a set of lockpicks, smoke bombs, shuriken, a tanto or two, a small penlight, some gum, shuko spikes, a needle and thread, a lighter, my Gamedude and sometimes a grappling hook. Oh, also a couple of rolls of bandages for emergencies."

Leo stopped taking notes to gaze at Mikey for a moment. "Donnie will have to custom make a set of shuko spikes for you because your hands are far too small for the ones we have spare but uh... what are your 'babies' and what is a Gamedude?"

Mikey reached down to pull the remains of one 'chuck from his belt and held it up for Leo to see. "My nunchucks are my babies," he explained, trying to smile even though he once more felt overwhelmed by sadness at their sorry condition. They were too far gone and would never be usable again. He accepted that now but it still hurt badly to know they were beyond repair.

Every time they'd been damaged in the past, he'd worked hard to repair them, using a special, homemade putty of Donnie's design to fill any chips or cracks in the wood. Eventually, he'd even coated the entirety of the handles, strengthening them vastly, but all that repair work and strengthening had been lost when he was forcefully transported between dimensions. His gaze drifted as, for a moment, he wondered if the transportation process was unavoidably as painful as it had been or if they'd deliberately made it so to weaken the resistance of any prisoners they took. Somehow, Michelangelo felt sure it was the latter.

"Okay. So what's a Gamedude?"

Mikey blinked, startled from his reverie by Leo's voice. "Oh, uh... it's a portable, handheld gaming device," he explained, tacking on a cheeky grin at the end.

"Your Leonardo let you take such a thing on missions?"

"No, of course not," Mikey snorted. As if he'd ever actually agree to that. "I just took it anyway. Well, I never took it on actual mission missions but I did take it on training runs and stuff. So I'd have something to do on breaks or quiet moments."

Or if he was bored. He wasn't telling Leo that though.

"Right~ Well, luckily, you don't have one of those here because you wouldn't be taking it," Leo said, fixing Mike with a firm look.

"Sure I will," Mikey teased in a singsong tone. He pulled out the brand-new T-phone that Donnie had given him just the other day. "Okay, it's no Gamedude but it does have games."

Leonardo sighed wearily, obviously defeated because he couldn't ban the T-phone. "You said you only sometimes took a grappling hook? Why only sometimes?"

"Kinda bulky, dude," Mikey shrugged. "So I really only took it on certain missions or if I was out helping people as the Turtle Titan."

"And what's the 'Turtle Titan'?" Leo asked, clearly dreading the answer.

"Dude! The Turtle Titan is my superhero identity!" Mikey laughed proudly. "Remember how I said superheroes are totally real in my world?"

Leo nodded eagerly, his eyes immediately brightening with interest.

"Well, I wanted to be one too. Like, I was totally sick of always having to hide in the shadows when we could've been helping more people so I made a costume, came up with a name and hit the streets to do superhero stuff. Okay, I don't have powers but not all of the other superheroes do either. Some just have cool gadgets – like Nobody – or good training, like me. I've gotten to meet and team up with a whole heap of the Justice Force and it's totally cool!" Mikey explained, all but bouncing in the beanbag in excitement as he remembered all the cool heroes he'd met and worked with. Man, but he missed them.

"And your family is okay with that?" Leo asked, trying desperately to hide his own excitement but not quite succeeding. It sounded awesome but not keeping to the shadows? Despite his own fantasies of being a superhero, that sent up way too many red flags for his liking.

"Well~ they weren't at first and it's only because they laughed at me for wanting to be a superhero and actually being seen that I finally decided to just do it and it was totally worth it! I met the Silver Sentry on my first time out and actually got to help him! We became good friends from that and later, my bros and I met other Justice Force members and since then, whenever they need help they call me to get us to come help."

"That's so cool!" Leo breathed in awe. "Will you tell me about your adventures with them?"

"Sure!"

"Ah-hem! Uh... but not right now though. We still need to finish up this list," Leo said reluctantly, looking back down at it to refocus and stay on track.

"Of course, bro," Mike agreed graciously.

Leo nodded gratefully. "Well, I'm not too sure about the gum and I'd really rather you don't treat your T-phone as a... 'Gamedude' but everything else we can work with. As I said, though, the shuko spikes will have to be redesigned for you."

Mike gave Leo a questioning look so Leo took out one of his own shuko spikes to show.

"Ours are made of solid metal and we use a mould to make them if we need to. They won't work for you because your hands are so much smaller than ours."

Nodding, Mike reached out to take the tool from Leo, turning it over to study it. "Looks like it would be pretty uncomfortable, dude," he said doubtfully. "It's solid though so it's probably safer."

"What are yours like?"

"Well, the spikes and the bit that sits in the palm of your hand are solid metal but they have a strap to wrap around the hands which makes them a lot more comfortable and easier to carry since they'd take up less space."

Leo winced. Less space sounded good but... "And if the strap breaks?" he asked pointedly.

"Hasn't happened yet but yeah, I can see why yours are more secure for that reason alone," Mikey admitted dubiously. "Still, Don designed the material used for the straps and it's got this uber-high tensile strength so it would take a shell of a lot to actually break."

"Well, you and Donnie will have to work together to make a new set for you. Talk it over with him," Leo suggested. "Now, I know you weren't interested in the extra support from the wrappings we wear beneath our padding..." Leo trailed off a moment, glancing at Mike's knees and elbows. "Speaking of, I notice you never wear yours except during training?"

Mikey pulled a face. "Dude," he groaned dramatically, "they are way too bulky to be comfortable and they don't really fit well. I want to make new ones but you guys weren't able to bring back any leather when you last went dumpster diving."

"We don't dumpster dive," Leo retorted, feeling sick at the thought. They might've lived in the sewers but they still had standards. "We went to the junkyard. There's a huge difference."

"Really?" Mike snorted with a knowing smile. "You never go dumpster diving? Like ever?"

Leo froze, then sighed reluctantly. "Okay, Donnie does sometimes. There's a couple of dumpsters at the back of some electrical and computer stores he favours."

Mikey laughed. Of course he did.

"Mikey used to sometimes help him. Otherwise, we don't unless it's necessary for a mission," Leo grimaced. And then he washed thoroughly afterwards. Same as when he actually had to enter the sewer water. "Anyway! We don't just wear the wrappings for support, although that is the main reason. It's also for emergency use. If the clean bandages we carry aren't enough, then we have the ones we use for support to hold them in place. I really think it's something you should consider too."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Mikey agreed thoughtfully. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Thanks, Mike," Leo replied appreciably. He wrote down a few more notes. "Most of this I can get to you tonight. Some things will have to take a bit longer though."

"Like the shuko spikes," Mikey agreed, understanding.

"Like the shuko spikes," Leo confirmed. "You should also practice with the shuriken over the next couple of weeks too, get used to the weight and size of the ones our clan uses so you can use them accurately in a pinch."

"Sounds good," Mikey agreed, glancing in the direction of the dojo.

Leo smiled and slowly pushed himself to his feet.

"Are you okay, Leo?" Mikey asked, watching him carefully in concern.

"I'm fine, just a little tired," Leo replied, flashing Mike a weak smile. "I was working in the forge for the last few hours. It takes a lot out of me."

"Ooh, yeah I bet," Mikey half-laughed, half-cringed. Working in the forge was hard work and so hot. He was grateful not to have needed to help in there and yet... "I still wish you guys would let me help but I get it."

"Good," Leo said crisply. "Look, tomorrow afternoon, I'm planning on a training run through the sewers. Do you feel up to joining me?"

Mikey immediately perked up. "Seriously?" he all but begged. The skating the other night had been great and it had helped a lot but he was starting to feel the pent-up need to get out and get moving again.

"Seriously," Leo confirmed with a small smile. "Only a short run though, a couple of hours at most. It should be a good test of your endurance without pushing you too much."

Mikey pulled another face. "Do you really have to make it sound like work, Leo?"

"I'm not going to lie to you about it, Mike," Leo replied sternly. "It is work. It's a training run and if you come, you need to treat it as one."

"Well, yeah," Mikey groaned despondently, "but you don't have to make it sound so boring. And... you don't have to pretend. I'm not five. If you want to see where I'm at out of normal training, all you have to do is tell me."

Leo started in surprise, caught out. "Alright," he agreed. "I'm definitely curious about how much you can currently handle but that isn't why I asked you to come. Well, not completely, anyway," he smiled. "I mostly asked in case you wanted a chance to get out for a time."

"I do, Leo! I really, really, really do!"

"Alright," Leo nodded. "Then an hour after lunch tomorrow, we'll go for a run."

-:-

By the time it came time for their run, Mikey was champing at the bit to get out. Between the previous night and since finishing morning training which included April as it was the weekend, he'd been outfitted with most of what he needed. Shuriken, picks, a tanto and a few other small blades hidden around his gear. He stared in shock and mild horror at the smoke bombs and finally understood what Leo had meant days ago when he mentioned needing the eggs for them. He questioned how useful the smoke bombs really were given their size and fragility and at the hurt in Donnie's eyes had apologised profusely and happily accepted them. The small torch, like the shuko spikes, would have to wait, however, as would the gum. Leo and Raph both thought carrying gum was stupid but Donnie put them in their place, pointing out it could be useful and that he too, normally carried a stick or two and in fact had used it on missions before.

Leo smiled in indulgent amusement as he came out and saw Mike bouncing and fidgeting and offered, once again, for Raph and Donnie to join them. Donnie waved his hand and returned his full attention to what he was working on and Raph gave him a look of "Are you fucking kidding me?" before turning away and ignoring him. "Well, I guess it's just the two of us, Mike. You ready?"

"Dude! I was hatched ready!" Mikey retorted impatiently. "Let's go, already!"

Leo laughed and led the way out. As they exited, he turned in the opposite direction from what Raph had taken Mikey the other night, pointing out subtle landmarks along the way to help Mikey familiarise himself with the area they lived in.

Unlike skateboarding with Raph, there was little conversation as they ran but surprisingly, Mikey was okay with that. As out of shape as he was, it took everything he had to keep up with Leonardo and Leonardo set a gruelling pace even though it looked like he was taking it as easy as a proverbial stroll in the park.

Before long, they'd left the relatively clean and mostly dry area of their homeground and entered tunnels with foul-smelling, grungy flowing liquid. There were thankfully walkways on either side of the tunnels and dim lighting from occasional and old lightbulbs, many of which flickered and buzzed spasmodically as if they were on their last legs.

"This area doesn't get much need for human workers," Leo offered by way of explanation and Mikey huffed just behind him, determined to keep up. "That said, we still need to be cautious, as always."

Mikey nodded. "Is that... why... we came... this way?" he asked, his curiosity outweighing his desire to conserve precious breath.

"I'd rather we don't run into anyone before I know more about what you're capable of," Leo confirmed, still breathing disgustingly easily as they ran.

So it wasn't just a test of his endurance then, Mikey thought with a mental indignant sniff. Not that he could blame Leo because if he was stuck here for long, then he'd become a part of Leo's team and Leo needed to know what he was capable of.

As if to prove the point, without breaking stride, Leonardo launched himself across the waterway to the other side of the 'stream'. Mikey took a half-ragged breath and leapt across after him. He made the jump easily enough, though not as easily as he'd have liked, but slipped as his leading foot came down on something slimy.

A brief memory of the ground rushing towards him, his body in freefall, flitted across his vision and a small whimper of fright escaped his throat as he windmilled his arms frantically, fighting to recover his balance. He only just managed as Leo whirled on the spot to come back and help.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked, eyes roaming him in concern.

His heart pounding frantically, Mikey nodded, even as he planted his hands on his knees to recover. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," he promised after a moment, puffing only slightly. It'd scared the shell out of him though. Not so much that he'd slipped but that he'd lost control. No matter how briefly.

"Are you sure?" Leo pressed quietly, hovering close by.

Mikey pushed himself upright, shaking the ugly memory aside. "Yeah, I said I'm..."

"I want you to promise to never hide things from us again. Especially when it's something that affects you like this."

"Dammit," he muttered, sighing in annoyance. It was yet another thing he didn't want to think about, let alone talk about. He looked up into Leo's worried, cerulean gaze. "I promise I'm not hurt, Leo, just... for... for a moment..." he closed his eyes in pain, the emotional turmoil getting the better of him again. "I really don't want to talk about it but I promised Don I wouldn't hide things anymore."

"Okay," Leo replied carefully, coming closer as if ready to steady him should he need it. "Do you need to sit?"

Mikey shook his head briefly. "No but can we just walk for a couple of minutes?"

"Of course," Leo promised. He started walking in the direction they'd been headed.

Mikey stepped in pace beside him, head tilted back to gaze up at the ceiling far above. It was far too dim and shadowy to make out any detail but that didn't stop him from looking. "I'm not afraid of heights. At least, I never was but while I was in that place I had a really bad fall and... a couple of times now... I've... experienced it again."

Leo made a small noise to show he was listening.

"The first time it happened was the night you guys saved me. As I was climbing the ladder of the building. I just... I put it down to being so tired, you know? I mean, I didn't even slip or anything like I did just now and I was really tired."

Leo murmured another sound of acknowledgement.

"I was fine when we were on the roof and I sat on the edge so... I promise I'm not afraid but... but when I slipped just now, I saw it again. Worse, I felt it again. The feeling of losing control, the ground rushing towards me." Mikey stole a glance at Leo, hoping desperately the other turtle wasn't currently writing him off as beyond help or too useless to eventually add to their team.

"It must've been terrifying," Leo said softly, still looking ahead to the path they were walking on.

"Heh, yeah, it was. Though honestly, I kinda half blacked out through most of the fall because they'd just shocked me with a cattle prod-like thing." Mikey shrugged with a nonchalance he most certainly did not feel but hoped Leo bought. "I came back to myself when Pigeon Pete caught me by the ankle."

Leo gave a sigh of relief. "So you didn't hit the ground then?"

"Oh, no, I totally hit the ground," Mikey laughed hollowly. "Pete tried to fly us back up but more of them came into the room and shot him and we fell. That's how I broke my arm so badly. Didn't Raph tell you?"

"He didn't," Leo replied, shaking his head. "The only thing he told us is that you had trouble eating because of how they force-fed you."

Mikey let out a sigh of relief he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Donnie had said Raph didn't tell them much before but a small part of him still feared otherwise.

"Do you have any idea why you might have remembered that fall?" Leo asked, picking up the pace now that Mikey had his breath back. They still continued to walk, however.

Mikey shook his head silently and Leo glanced back at him, eyes searching.

"It could be some control thing," Mikey admitted quietly, "but I dunno for certain."

"I think..." Leo began hesitantly, then paused, worried he might be overstepping into where he wasn't wanted. Then he caught sight of Mike watching him expectantly so he gave him a quick smile before continuing. "It would be bad for you and us if you just dismissed this. You're right, I don't think it sounds like a sudden fear of heights but if you don't address it, then maybe it could become one."

Mikey nodded reluctantly, worrying about the same possibility himself. That or suddenly being hit with the terrifying memory again at the worst time possible. Like when jumping between rooftops. He was so messed up he doubted his own brothers would recognise him anymore... "So what can I do?" he asked desperately, aware he was asking advice from a Leonardo only just sixteen years old and dealing with a tonne of his own garbage. It wasn't fair or right but he was here and all he had at this moment.

"Talk to Master Splinter," Leo replied firmly. "Or meditate on it and try to work out the answers. Honestly, if it was me, I'd do both."

Meditation... Mikey cringed. Leo was right though, no matter how much he disliked the idea. He'd never enjoyed meditation, and had too much trouble keeping still and focused for the exercise but it had been a life, or rather sanity, saver back in that small cell where he'd been constantly watched. He'd only done meditation once since getting out and that was at Splinter's behest and it had helped. A lot. In fact, he realised in surprise, he was getting twitchy without it.

Back home, his family meditated daily as part of their training and usually before their physical workout. However, they didn't do that in this dimension, at least, not as a group - Leonardo and Splinter both meditated daily of course – and as a result, he'd been finding it harder to focus each day.

Initially, he'd put it down to his broken sleep patterns and the terrible memories that kept assaulting him at the worst times but his father had always said they meditated in order to focus the mind and spirit and to build up their mental strength (Raph, of course, always made derogatory comments about Mikey's mental strength and Mikey cheerfully returned the favour) but now Mikey wondered if it was something he needed to do after all and not just for the reason Leonardo suggested. His eyes flickered back to Leo, taking him in as they continued walking.

"Would you... mind if I joined you and Grandpa-sensei for meditation tomorrow morning?" he asked hesitantly, unsure he was doing the right thing by asking.

Leo started in surprise. "Of course not. Everyone's welcome to join but... that's not what I meant by meditating on the problem."

"I know," Mikey said quietly, "but I think it's something I need to do and meditating alone is even worse than meditating at all." Plus, if he was expected, it would be that much easier to commit, especially since it was something he disliked doing. "As for the other... I'll talk to Sensei tonight while you guys are out."

Then he motioned ahead with his hand at Leo and started running again, holding back his speed just enough for Leo to get in front and lead the way.

-:-

Early the next morning and yawning so widely it felt as though his jaw would break, Mikey stumbled his way into the dojo, unsurprised to see Leonardo and Splinter already in there and seated, Splinter in the process of lighting candles. In surprise, Splinter turned a curious expression upon him.

"You could not sleep, Michelangelo?" he asked in a soft voice as if afraid to wake Raphael and Donatello. Both of whom Mikey was sure could sleep through World War Three or one of Donnie's lab explosions. Maybe even both.

"Oh, I could sleep alright, Sensei," Mikey chuckled humourlessly. Nightmares that had woken him twice aside, he'd had trouble waking up to his alarm on his new T-phone. He fidgeted apprehensively for a moment, then took a deep breath steeling himself. "Actually, I uh... was hoping I could join you both?" He couldn't believe he'd forgotten to ask Splinter if it would be alright last night when talking to him about his recurring problem.

"Of course you may," Splinter replied, smoothly rising to his feet to fetch another candle and cushion. He gestured to Michelangelo to sit so the three would be equidistant in a rough triangle and placed the candle down after lighting it from one already lit. Then he returned to his own position. "I do admit surprise to you joining us though. I was under the impression you did not care for meditation."

Mikey sighed and closed his eyes tiredly. He really needed more sleep but his dreams had been turning dark again so he wouldn't have slept much longer anyway and being in that room wasn't helping much either. "Honestly, Sensei? I don't like meditating at all and I always had trouble with it but back home, well... we meditate before training and I'm used to having to do it. I never realised just how much it actually helps me before but now..." He gazed up at Splinter. "This dimension's different to mine so I know you don't expect us to meditate before training and I respect that, Sensei."

Splinter inclined his head as he listened and Mikey gave a rueful smile.

"Anyway, because of that I know it's not on you to make sure I meditate before training each day but... it's expected of me back home so I know I should do it here too and... I was hoping you could hold me to that expectation?"

"I see," Splinter mused, stroking his long beard thoughtfully.

"I mean, if I know it's expected of me here too, it'll be easier for me to make myself join you, you know?" Mikey added quickly, feeling his face heat up. He was sure Splinter was considering how to turn his request down.

"How long did you normally meditate for each day back in your world?" Splinter asked, eyes fixed on Michelangelo curiously.

Mikey hesitated. "It depended on Master Splinter's mood. Like, every so often, it was a couple of hours or so, especially if we worked in the Astral Plain but most days, it was just like ten or fifteen minutes or so before training."

Splinter nodded thoughtfully and closed his eyes, slowing and evening his breathing and Mikey took that as a sign they were to begin. He too closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing.

-:-

"You had some trouble getting into the session but seemed to settle into it by the end, Michelangelo," Splinter mused as the two turtles cleared up the candles and cushions.

Mikey flushed furiously in embarrassment at the obvious being pointed out. "Eh heh, yeah... I'm sorry for disturbing you Sensei." He flashed an apologetic look at Leo too as Leo gave him a small smile back. "Keeping still isn't my thing," he added with a self-conscious laugh.

"And yet you still wanted to join us?" Splinter pressed quietly.

Mikey shrugged. "Like I said, if I was home, it would be expected of me and..."

"And, Michelangelo?"

"Well, whether I like it or not, I think I need it," Mikey sighed miserably. "It sounds stupid, I know, but it really does help me focus on training and stuff better. I just never really noticed before."

"It does not sound stupid at all. In fact, that is the purpose of Leonardo and I meditating before practice. To clear our minds and spirits so that we may put our all into the tasks at hand," Splinter replied firmly. "Do you feel you gained anything out of meditation this morning?"

Once again, Mikey hesitated. Truth be told, his mind was in too much turmoil to get the benefit he once did and it had been for months but... "Yeah," he finally admitted thoughtfully. "Not as much as I used to or even the other day but I do feel... calmer at least." Certainly better than he did after waking from nightmares the way he had.

Splinter nodded, a contemplative expression filling his furred face. "Both of you go get some breakfast. We begin training in forty-five minutes."

-:-

Though Mikey and his other-dimensional brothers were in the dojo and ready to train on time, Splinter was not so Leonardo stepped up and began running them through some warm-up exercises, noting in surprise how much more focused Michelangelo appeared to be compared to usual. It was subtle and he doubted Raphael or Donatello noticed, especially considering neither of them were fully awake yet despite the simple but hot breakfast Mike had whipped up and the three cups of coffee Raph and Donnie had between them, but he noticed and was pleasantly surprised so he shot Mike an encouraging look.

When their warm-up was complete, Splinter finally stepped through the shoji screen door from his room, nodding gratefully to Leonardo and Leonardo quickly stepped back into his usual place in the lineup as all four turtles bowed their respect to their sensei.

Splinter then led them through their paces; kicks and punch combos, katas and weapons training. At that point, Mike headed for the rack to pick something to use.

"I cannot help but notice you have used every weapon bar the bo since you arrived Michelangelo," Splinter pointed out firmly in suggestion.

Mikey cringed, shooting both Donnie and Splinter a sheepish look. "Yeah, it's not my favourite," he admitted with a weak laugh. "I can use it but it's a bit too... rigid for my style and uh... it's heavy too." He had picked up the spare bo a couple of days ago when he was alone and given it a twirl before very quickly returning it to the rack at the twinge in his left arm. Realising Splinter would rightly point out that not fitting his style was no excuse to not at least practice with it - well, his Splinter would have said that, though he wasn't so sure about this Splinter who didn't even make his own sons cross-train with each other's weapons – he figured he should explain. "I did try it the other day for a couple of minutes but my left arm isn't ready for that kind of weight yet."

Donnie winced.

"Very well. However, I do expect you to practice with the bo as well when you are physically ready," Splinter commanded firmly.

Mikey nodded frantically, a part of him glad that Splinter understood and was holding him to the expectations his own father would've held him to. The lazy part of him, however, baulked at it and he pulled a face even as he turned back to the rack, berating himself for being so open. Still, the lazy part of him was going to have to learn to shut the shell up because there was no way he'd ever allow what happened to him at the tentacles of the Kra... of them... to happen to him or anyone he cared about ever again and that meant he had to work harder and not slack off the way he used to.

His eyes narrowed as he thought about it. He was only meant to train with April for a few weeks or so, partly to help him both catch up and regain his strength and stamina and partly to help April by giving her a training partner to work with but... this family only trained for a bit over half the time his own family did so... maybe he'd have to ask if he could keep up the extra lessons even after Splinter decided he didn't need them anymore. It was something to consider anyway.

As Mikey thought, he reached out for a weapon to use and that's when Donnie started, snapping his fingers in realisation.

"I almost forgot! Mike, hold on a moment. Master Splinter, may I be excused for just a minute?"

As Splinter nodded, Donnie dashed from the dojo, barely remembering to bow his respect at the edge of the floor and his face flushed with embarrassment. Mikey stared after him in bemusement but he wasn't left hanging for long as Donatello quickly returned, a pair of larger-than-he-was-used-to nunchaku in hand.

"Thanks to Leo's help over the last couple of days, I finally repaired the spare pair," Donnie explained hurriedly with a nervous smile at Mike. "I'll get to work building a new set from scratch in a week or so but since these are a different style to what you're used to, I'd like you to try these out properly first."

"O...kay..." Mikey frowned, confused again as he reached out and took the proffered weapons.

"If these work for you, great, I'll just make another set the same for you to keep and these ones can be the spare pair until Mikey gets home to reclaim them. If they don't work for you, you can help me design a set that does and I'll make those instead."

Mikey's confusion cleared up and he gazed at Donnie in surprise and warmth. His initial impression of this Donnie had been more off than he realised. Yes, he was definitely more temperamental than his own brother, with a tendency to snap, but he was just as warm and thoughtful and he was just as open to Mikey's input as his own brother, despite the seeming continued surprise that Mikey had a brain in his head.

A wide grin split across his face and he couldn't help but launch himself at Donnie, ecstatically throwing his arms around him in an octopus hug.

"Thanks, Donnie! You're the best!"

-:-

At the end of the lesson, sparring for the three native turtles and rehabilitation for Mikey, Mikey rejoined the others in the line-up and knelt before Splinter as the ninja master gazed down at them.

"I have been putting much thought into things of recent and due to something that arose this morning, I have made the decision to make a few changes to our daily training regimen," Splinter informed the teens gravely, focusing his gaze on Raphael and Donatello in particular. The two glanced at each other worriedly.

"As you all know, I had been intending to incorporate some astral training into your studies once you turned sixteen but I have been reluctant to begin since your brother is currently missing."

Mikey stole a look at Donnie, the closest of the brothers to him and saw the look of sorrow flit across the other turtle's face and knowing similar pain from his own experience, his heart ached once more for his other-dimensional family.

"However, after a conversation with Leonardo a couple of days ago and then witnessing the difference in Michelangelo's focus after a session of meditation this morning, I have decided that beginning tomorrow, we will begin our lesson each day with a minimum of fifteen minutes of meditation."

Donnie and Raph's reactions were immediate. Small cries of dismay in one and outright horror in the other. Leonardo simply relaxed and Mikey thought he detected a hint of smugness emanate from him.

"But Sensei! You know meditation doesn't work for me!" Donnie objected unhappily. "I have too much to think about and my mind just jumps from project to project!"

Splinter chuckled and Mikey couldn't help the knowing grin of amusement (and relief) - now he wouldn't have to get up extra early for a whole hour of the vilely boring exercise each day. It had helped but had been far too much this morning. Smaller doses were definitely better.

"I beg to differ, Donatello. You are rarely awake enough at the start of training for your mind to be on multiple projects as you tend to stay up far too late each night."

Donnie flushed with embarrassment again. It usually took until about halfway through the warm-up for the caffeine to kick in fully.

"As for your reasoning, my son, you are simply unpractised at the art. Given enough time and practise, you will improve your skills and I daresay you will quickly become very good at it."

Mikey nodded emphatically and Donnie shot him a filthy look. "No, seriously, dude. Grandpa-sensei is right." At Splinter's ever-so-slight wince at the affectation, his grin widened slightly. "I told you before, right? How my Donnie is really good, probably better than Leo?"

"I remember," Donnie replied warily, his voice slightly hard and showing how he didn't like the assertion.

"My Donnie had a really hard time at first for the same reasons you just said you didn't want to do it but then when he got it, he got it. Then bad stuff happened and he became awesome at it."

"And you?" Donnie asked dryly.

"Eh," Mikey shrugged, "not my thing or Raph's but we still manage. Mostly. When we don't fall asleep." He grinned again, this time cheekily.

"Seems like a waste of time to me, Master Splinter," Raph grumbled unhappily. "I'd rather be doing more physical training, not less."

"You will not be doing less, Raphael," Splinter replied sternly, turning his gaze to the hot-headed turtle. "You too should reap many benefits from the exercise. Perhaps it will even go a way towards helping with control of your temper. Training will continue fifteen minutes longer afterwards to make up for adding meditation to the start."

Raph and Donnie groaned again.

"With respect, Master Splinter, I have a lot on my plate right now," Donnie protested again. "Not only do I need to find a way to find and bring Mikey home but I also need to create a retro-mutagen for Mr O'Neil and the other mutagen victims. I need to cure Timothy, help Mike with a... uh... problem he has, get him home too, upgrade our security and weapons, keep up to date on home repairs, decipher the Kraang language so we can..."

Splinter held up a hand and Donnie fell silent, chagrined. "This is not up for debate, Donatello."

"What about Mikey, though?" Raph countered calculatingly. "If we start this without him, then he'll be even more behind."

Mikey scowled at that, hearing how much his counterpart was looked down upon by his brothers.

"Actually," Leo spoke up almost shyly. His eyes darted from Splinter to Raph to Donnie and back to Splinter again, keeping his focus on his father for moral support. "Starting now might actually help in a way."

Now Raph scowled. "How?" he asked belligerently.

Leonardo took a deep breath. "You and Donnie haven't had any astral training and only minimal meditative training so if you learn and become stronger and then if we all work together, maybe we can manage to reach our brother."

Mikey sat back on his heels, crossing his arms across his plastron and trying to keep the pain from showing on his own face. He'd had that training for years and he'd tried so often since he was captured but never made it through. Not properly, anyway. Of course, he now knew his family thought him dead so they weren't trying to reach him back and to add to that, he had no idea of the time of day while he was in that prison so he couldn't have tried the right time when they'd all be meditating anyway.

"I... didn't tell you this and I'm sorry that I didn't but I wasn't really sure until I spoke with Master Splinter but..."

"Get to the damn point, Leo!" Raph spat, annoyed and sounding like he wanted to use stronger language and only holding back due to Splinter's presence in front of them.

Leo scowled back. "I spent several hours meditating during Mutation Day and at one point, I thought I felt Mikey."

-:-

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.

ScribeofHeroes: ch 20: True, I'd heard about RoT having a Battle nexus too but I've only seen about half of the first season of that series so I don't really know much about it. Still, I would imagine it would be almost as bad as 2k12 having a Renet that's obviously so different from 2k3's. Given that apparently, there's only meant to be one Renet in existence across all the dimensions.

Heh! I had considered Mikey telling Raph the way he beat him but then figured better he keep that little secret to himself so he can use it against him later XD

The AOtGO multiverse split off from 2k3 sometime after 'Good Genes', ignoring season 5 on.

Ch 21: I don't think it was ever actually specified how old the 2k3 turtles were at any point, at least, not that I noticed. Just kinda assumed around 15.

You're right, those characteristics of the turtles definitely make a huge difference in how they react to each other but I think a lot of it comes down to Splinter himself. One Splinter is human and brought up in a strict and probably very traditional environment. It would have shaped how he brought up his sons in a big way. Added to that, his inability to turn to anyone for help and just look who his 'brother' was. He grew up with a very competitive relationship and despite the fact it turned and became so twisted, it was all he knew so he probably encouraged it to an extent in his sons.

The other Splinter was a rat and had to make it up as he went along without any of that experience of being a human but with the experience of having to fight for survival (despite being taken in by Tang Shen and then Yoshi).

Thank you :-)

No. While Donnie would have definitely gone to Splinter about Mike's eating problems, he would have kept it to himself otherwise out of respect for Mikey's privacy. While someone, the person who *might* be able to help, needed to know, not everyone does unless it outright affects things in a life and death situation.

Haha, sorry, I have no plans to write the epic pinball match, however, there will be one in another, unrelated story XD

Mikemasters Z KAI: You're very welcome! I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year! While there is no guarantee Donnie can help, he is definitely going to try XD Yeah, Mikey needed to speak up because treating him like that just wasn't called for. The others might not have meant anything bad by it but it still wasn't cool...

Honestly, in this kind of situation, I think Raph is easily the one that can understand how Mike feels the most. That understanding will definitely help improve their friendship :-)

Don't worry, if anything, Mikey's more likely to feel sympathetic and understanding towards April than afraid of her since he knows just what the Kraang are really like.

KaylaMicael: Right? I totally get that! Especially as the series went on. In fact, if there hadn't already been 4 episodes out by the time I watched the first episode, I may never have gotten past the first episode due to how Mikey was treated (by the writers as much as the other characters). Fortunately, there was enough in that first episode to make me immediately watch the second and then the 3rd and 4th.

Thank you :-) Heh! Sadly, it's a long way off and I really wish I could write faster... but heh, it definitely will not be a walk in the park when each Mikey gets home XD Sometimes I wonder if I should just write that story and then write the stuff that comes in between after.

Minnie1015: Sadly, it's going to be a bit before Mikey gets to show them properly but he'll at least get to show them bit by bit. Maybe, by the time he's capable of/allowed to train and spar properly, they might actually worry slightly :-P

Sometimes, bland food can be helpful :-s

Ravenashess: Oh, the Kraang definitely bother Mike a lot but yeah, the fact that his family never came and that they just assumed him dead hurts a lot... There were several times, particularly before he realised they thought him dead that he wondered why they weren't coming and the hurt he felt when he tried reaching them through the Astral Plain and Donnie actively turned away from him was a shock. He *knows* they'd never abandon him but a part of him that he doesn't want to admit to and tries to ignore can't help but feel hurt betrayed by it...

At this point in 'Aftermath' the Christmas story hasn't happened yet. But you're right, when Mikey realises they never even looked for him after that, it won't be pretty... As I said to Kayla above, sometimes, I really wish I could start writing that particular story now, hehe.