- Chapter 51 -

Picking Up the Pieces

At night, in a dark room, April sat silently, writing in a diary.

"It's strange being back on the old farm. Even after all these years, it still feels like home. I just wish it was under better circumstances…" She sighed internally. "I'll never forget the night we left New York City. Shredder and Krang defeated us. Leo got badly hurt. Master Splinter and Kasumi are...gone. We lost. We had nowhere left to go. So we came to the old farmhouse I grew up in, up in Northampton, a place we could all be safe in."

The ride to the farmhouse was mostly silence, save for April giving Casey directions. Eventually, they rumbled up the driveway of an old, dilapidated farmhouse with a barn across from it.

"Well... this place has seen better days," Vee mused.

"I think I saw a horror movie filmed here," Casey remarked.

"We don't exactly have a lot of options, and this place is remote enough that nobody should come looking for us," April reminded them. "Especially since the only other person that knows it exists… probably doesn't even know their own name right now." She winced before shaking her head. "Yeah, it could use some TLC. But it's still livable."

"As long as it has running water and electricity," Donnie said. "That's enough."

The van stopped and everyone got out, Raph carrying Leo on his back while Kagome led a catatonic Hisako by the hand. They headed to the master bathroom, where Vee filled the tub as Raph removed Leo's mask and gear. From there, the two gently slid their eldest brother in.

"This'll keep him hydrated," Donnie told them. "Help him heal faster."

"What about Hisako?" Mikey asked. "She's like a shell right now."

Kagome held up Hisako's tessen. "Someone should keep an eye on these… Y'know, just in case."

"I'll keep an eye on Leo," Raph decided.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked. "We can set up a rotation-

"I got it." Raph's tone booked no argument as he grabbed a stool, sitting down.

"Right…" Donnie stood up. "I'll see what I can do about the water heater."

"Raph hasn't moved from that stool since then. He eats unprompted, thankfully, but he refuses to leave Leo for even a second. I doubt he's slept longer than an hour at a time since we got here. Everyone else is just... picking up the pieces. Dealing with what happened in their own way. Donnie's set up a lab in the barn, throwing himself into whatever project he can."

-X-

In the lab, Donnie was working on mutagen canisters while Casey looked over the van.

"The block's got a crack in it the size of the San Andreas," Casey shook his head. "What, did Mr. O'Neil never hear of car maintenance? It's gonna take months to get this thing running and that's only if I can get the parts."

"One step at a time, Case," Donnie replied. "All we can do."

Casey rolled out from under the van. "So... what're you workin' on?"

"I'm trying to work out mutagen's medicinal properties."

"...for Leo?"

"Yeah…" Donnie nodded. "If it'll help him, it's worth trying."

"If anyone can figure it out, it's you… and Leo's gonna wake up. He's gotta…"

"Yeah…" Donnie didn't seem entirely convinced.

"When not helping with chores and clean-up, Vee's watching over Hisako, making sure she eats something... or at least trying to get a reaction."

-X-

Vee spoon-fed Hisako, who remained glassy-eyed and near-lifeless. Once that was done, she waved a hand back and forth before Hisako's face, getting no reaction. She sighed, then laid Hisako down on the bed. She might as well have been a doll.

"Kagome, meanwhile, is coping by taking up kitchen duty around the clock... and spending time with Raph whenever she's not there."

-X-

Kagome entered the bathroom to find Raph still seated, handing him a plate. "I brought you some food."

He took the plate from her, eating slowly.

"Any change?" Kagome asked.

Raph shook his head. "None. Hisako?"

"Still a zombie."

"This is all my fault…" Raph lamented. "I should have gone with him.. Or- or gone to check when he didn't come back… or... something!"

"Raph, no," Kagome pleaded. "Please, don't do that to yourself."

"How can I not? If Leo hadn't been alone, he wouldn't have gotten hurt, and maybe… maybe Dad and Kasumi..." He sighed. " Shit, Kagome... what else is there to say?"

Kagome sighed, then gently placed her hands on his arms, rubbing them. "We had no way of knowing about the ambush. And even if we had Leo with us, we didn't stand a chance against Shredder. There's nothing we could have done."

"'We must accept the hand that the universe has dealt us,'" Raph muttered. "That's what Dad would say. But the universe dealt us one crappy hand. Dad and Kasumi are gone. Leo may never wake up. We're miles from home. And Krang rules New York."

"Not for long. Leo's gonna wake up, we will take back our home, and we'll put an end to Krang. Just you wait." By this point, Kagome was rubbing Raph's shoulders, the turtle tensing before practically melting in her grip. "No matter what happens, remember what Mom and Splinter always told us: Anata wa hitori ja nai."

"You are not alone…" Raph recited.

Kagome smiled. "Exactly."

They shared a hug.

"But the one that worries me the most is Mikey. When he's out with the others, he's his usual goofy self... but you don't need psychic powers to know it's only skin-deep, trying to keep it together for everyone else. When he's not doing chores, he's in the barn, training in a little work-out space he cleared out. Alone. Withdrawn. On the edge…"

-X-

In the barn, Mikey was pounding on a punching bag. As he did, he flashed back to the night of the invasion, getting progressively angrier and punching and kicking the bag harder and harder until it snapped off its chain and flew across the room, bursting on impact and spilling sand everywhere. From there, he bashed and destroyed a workbench with his arms. Unsatisfied, he took his rage to the barn wall, ripping a hole out of the wood. Spent, he collapsed on the new hole despondently, sighing.

Later, as the others trained while the sun was setting, their attention was grabbed by Mikey standing atop the barn's rooftop, screaming one word in anger and sorrow:

"SPLINTER!"

All of them looked up at their brother sadly.

"Hisako's practically dead. What happened to Splinter and Kasumi destroyed her. I don't know what's going through her head, or what she's gonna do…"

-X-

Hisako was sitting listlessly on the bed, her stuffed turtle under her arm

"Well... this sucks, doesn't it?"

Hisako perked, turning to see a version of herself with black lowlights and clothing sitting in the chair next to her.

"Who... who are-" Hisako managed, her voice weak and cracking from her prolonged silence.

"Who am I?" the dark Hisako asked. "Can't you tell? I'm you.

Hisako blinked. "M-me?"

"Oh yes. Why are you just laying there? Why are you still alive right now?" The dark Hisako stood up. "Do you remember what it felt like? Krang and Ch'rell torturing us almost to death? Peaceful. It felt... peaceful."

"Shut up…" Hisako covered her ears, while her dark counterpart kept going.

"It was like we were floating away, watching the whole thing happen to us…" she said in an almost blissful tone before her expression and voice hardened. "And then we woke up again, and nothing's changed. We're still taking a beating, every damn day. Kasumi. Dad. Leo. No peace. No rest. The punches just keep coming."

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear anymore!" Hisako screamed.

The dark Hisako scoffed. "Why the hell didn't Krang just finish us off? Obviously, we're not helping anyone by being here."

"Just shut up!"

"Then make me! Do what you should have done six years ago. Finish what you started. Don't you realize what I want from you?! I want it to END!" She sighed. "Aren't you tired? Wouldn't it be great to be free of all of this?"

"They took my tessen."

"We don't need them. After all…" The dark counterpart floated over to the corner where Leo's swords were resting. "Seppuku requires a sword."

Hisako was conflicted at first. Her dark counterpart scowled.

"Oh, stop with the hesitation! Krang won! We lost! Dad and Kasumi are dead! There's no home to go back to! There's nothing to fight for! Do us both a favor, and end it."

Hisako slowly rose…

-X-

Downstairs, while doing dishes, April perked.

"Hisako... Oh God...!"

She turned and ran for the stairs, the cup in her hands shattering on the ground. She threw the door open just as Hisako drew Leo's sword.

"NO!" She screamed.

A yellow halo promptly yanked the blade out of Hisako's hand and into April's. Hisako snapped back to reality.

"A-April… what are you-"

April ran over, in angry tears as she slapped Hisako. "What the hell, Hisako?! How could you?!"

"I... I just…" Hisako teared up. "I just want my dad… I want my dad back…"

April immediately goes over and hugs her, clutching her friend tightly.

"I know…"

"After that scare, we began in earnest to look for a therapy dog, like we should've been doing from the start. And we found one in Todd's Puppy Paradise, a local dog shelter. The owner was... not what we were expecting, to say the least."

-X-

"Well Howdy! Welcome to Todd's Puppy Paradise! My name's Todd."

April and Casey just blink at who they were faced with: a mutant capybara with blonde hair and a matching mustache.

"That's... not a costume, is it?" Casey questioned.

"No, I don't think it is," April replied.

"Oh my, aren't you a pair of clever kiddos," Todd complimented, his cheer not faltering for a moment.

April perked, hearing snippets of his thoughts. "He's a human-born mutant... one of Krang's test subjects."

"My goodness, you're a psychic." Todd's eyes became somewhat wistful. "You remind me of this little girl I knew a long time ago."

That got their attention.

"This little girl…" Casey began, "did she happen to go by Oracle?"

Todd let out a loud gasp. "You know her?"

"Yeah," April replied. "But how do you?"

"Why she and I were in the same research facility. I was a failed experiment since I came out all cute and cuddly. I tried to use my cuteness to make that poor thing smile. They found out and took me out back." He parted his hair, revealing a nasty scar that looked like a laser shot. "Still don't know how I survived, but I did, and I came out here."

The two winced at that

"Long story short, that girl escaped Krang and is with us and a few of our friends," April explained. "She's in a bad place right now, and we're hoping one of her puppies might help."

"She's out?" Todd asked, clearly in disbelief.

"Heck yeah," Casey answered. "She even helped take down the Technodrome last year."

"Well then, you lovely folks just wait right here. I think I have the perfect puppy for her."

The two wait patiently as Todd ducked into his sanctuary, eventually coming back with a little black lab puppy in his arms.

"Aww, she's adorable!" April gushed.

"Perhaps the sweetest puppy I have, with a protective streak to boot," he informed them. "She'll need all her shots and the like, and she's not neutered, but I think she'll be perfect."

"Thanks." April carefully took the puppy. "How much?"

"Oh no. This one's a gift." He smiled warmly at them. "Just tell her that ole Todd's still kicking and still wants to see her smile."

"Will do," Casey assured him. "Thanks."

Back at the farmhouse, Hisako was seated on the couch as the two teens returned. April was holding a little pet carrier in her hand as she approached Hisako.

"Hisako... we have something for you," she told her fellow psychic.

Hisako looked up, blinking in confusion as April set the carrier down and opened it up. The puppy, now wearing a vest reading "emotional support animal", slowly came out, sniffing around before trotting over to Hisako. Hisako gasped, gently bending down and picking up the puppy.

"She's… she's adorable…"

"Thought you'd like her," April said with a grin.

The puppy yipped happily, licking Hisako's face. "Where did you-?"

"A mutant Capybara," Casey explained.

Hisako blinked. "...Todd?"

"That's the one," Casey confirmed.

"He... he's alive?" Hisako was stunned by this revelation.

"And running a puppy shelter in town," April went on. "The minute he found out about you, he gave us that little cutie as a gift."

Hisako looked down at the puppy, then hugged her. "Where's Mikey? I need him to help me name her."

-X-

In a room in the attic, Mikey was writing on a notepad, seated at a desk beside a trash can overflowing with crumpled up pieces of paper. He had taken to writing and drawing as a healthier way to vent after smashing up the barn, and found it a much better alternative. He nearly jumped as he heard a knock on the door.

"Just a sec!"

He put the notepad away before going to the door, finding Hisako there.

"Hey, wanna meet someone new?" She held up her new puppy and Mikey went starry eyed. "I was hoping Dr. Namenstein would be willing to lend his expertise."

Mikey immediately jumped at the chance, looking the puppy over as he tried to come up with a name.

"Hmmm... let's see… her fur is pitch black, almost like the night sky in the city." He snapped his fingers. "I got it. Midnight."

The newly christened Midnight barked in approval.

"Midnight," Hisako mused, smiling. "It's perfect. Thanks Mikey."

-X-

Some time later, with everyone watching TV downstairs, Hisako and Midnight joined Raph in the bathroom.

"Hey…" she greeted softly as Midnight whined.

"Hey," Raph greeted back. "How you holding up?"

"Better…" Hisako looked down in shame. "I'm guessing April told you…"

"Yeah…" Raph gave Midnight a pat on the head. "We're counting on you to keep her sane, girl."

Midnight yipped in confirmation.

"How about you?" Hisako wondered. "How are you holding up?"

"Well, my ass hurts from sitting on this thing non-stop. Should've gotten a cushion."

They shared a chuckle for a brief moment.

"It wasn't your fault you know," Hisako said as they winded down. "Any of this."

"I wish I could believe that…"

"It wasn't…" a weak voice groaned from the tub. "Never was."

The two siblings perked, turning to see water sloshing as Leo stirred, slowly opening his eyes. After a moment of shock, they broke out into smiles.

"It's a freakin' miracle!" Raph exclaimed.

Hisako bolted up, running to the door. "Guys! Get up here! He's awake! Leo's awake!"

A borderline stampede rushed up the stairs.

"Leo!" Mikey screamed as he hugged him. "You're back!"

"Ow…" Leo winced as his pain flared.

Mikey quickly pulled back as Kagome approached, looking him over.

"Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by the Shellraiser. Repeatedly. But the pain means I'm alive... so there's that."

-X-

They helped Leo down to the living room, detailing what had happened and where they were now as Donnie gave him a check-up.

"So we've been out here for three months?" Leo asked. "I've been out that long?"

"Pretty much," April confirmed. "Raph never left your side."

Leo smiled before wincing in pain. Donnie held up a bottle marked Leo's Elixir, pouring a spoonful. "Here. Take some more of my special patented mutagen medicine. You'll be healed in no time."

Leo swallowed the spoonful, immediately cringing in disgust. "Ugh... that tastes like it's supposed to come out of me, not go into me."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "So you can build giant robots and make a mutant cure, but not a medicine that doesn't taste like crap?"

"Who do I look like? Mary Poppins?" Donnie deadpanned. "Besides, I not only needed to isolate the medicinal properties of the mutagen, I also needed to increase the healing capacity so Leo wouldn't need to soak in it for weeks."

After a moment, Leo propped himself up on a crutch, sighing. "Sorry, guys… but I need some time alone."

He hobbled out to the back porch, the others watching him go.

"Leo's finally awake. Physically, he's healing up... but mentally, he has a lot of catching up to do. He's always put himself in front of the rest of the guys; taking charge, bearing the extra weight playing the Big Brother... When someone like that feels they've failed, they fall hard. He's recently developed an intense obsession with the surrounding forests and spends all of his time there. I hope he finds what he's looking for and comes out of this depression soon... We all need him back."

-X-

Leo, dressed in an improvised winter hunter's garb and armed with a yumi, stalked a stag through the forest without much success. The stag ambushed him, knocking him down. Leo pulled out a knife and charged the stag head-on, but the creature instead grabbed the turtle with his antlers and threw him over and behind. Leo sat feeling defeated as the stag ran off, punching the ground with a frustrated yell. As he sat there, he heard a small whine and looked up, seeing Midnight nudging him with her nose as Hisako approached.

"Leo?" she asked in concern. "You okay?"

Leo sighed. "I don't know anymore…"

Hisako sat down next to him, leaning on his shoulder. "Me neither…"

"I can't believe I let that happen," Leo grumbled. "I let my guard down... got my shell kicked."

Midnight rubbed up against him. Leo sighed, patting the dog's head and managing a smile.

"We all lost…" HIsako hiccuped, tearing up. "And Dad…"

Leo put an arm around her, the two sitting in silence.

"I guess I could never know for sure how he feels inside. But I do know what losing your home—and everything that you own—feels like... Those things that you felt gave you a sense of being and strength in this world... I miss New York, my Sensei, my family… Hopefully Leo will recover, and we can all go home soon, if there's even a home to go back to. But life, as Master Splinter would say, must continue on."

As Leo carefully sat down on the couch with Hisako's help, the others all kicked back as Mikey came charging in, visibly excited.

"Guys!" he exclaimed. "You'll never guess what I found!"

"If you say Bigfoot, I swear-" Raph began.

"An abandoned radio station!" Mikey clarified. "I saw it, started thinking over how many people need support and whatnot back in Manhattan, and it gave me an idea."

Everyone was immediately intrigued.

"What are you thinking?" Donnie asked.

"If you can fix the place up a bit and hack the airwaves, I can start my own radio show! Like the Voice of Survival in Infamous, only not a dick."

"That…" Kagome began, "that could work."

"Yeah," Hisako agreed. "I don't think Krang cares about radio. Too low-tech."

Mikey grinned. "I've got the perfect call-sign, too. Booyakasha Billy! What do you think?"

They exchanged looks before shaking their heads.

"It's too obvious," Leo said. "Krang may not care about radio, but the Foot might. And with how often you shout that word, you'll give us away."

"Leo's right," Vee agreed. "'Booyakasha' is a big time catchphrase of yours. You use that name, you're advertising this place to Shredder, and we're nowhere near ready to take him on right now."

"Right…" Mikey conceded.

"What about... Cowabunga Carl?" Hisako offered.

"Oh yeah!" Vee agreed. "You were obsessed with 'Cowabunga' after that surfer movie."

Mikey thought it over. "I hardly ever use Cowabunga anymore... too old school. So yeah. It's perfect."

"It is," Leo agreed. "We can use the station to get messages to the Clan."

"And just generally give support to anyone else still left in the city," April chimed in.

"Something I think everyone needs right now," Casey agreed.

Mikey nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking."

"Let's take a look at the place," Donnie decided. "I'll see what I can do."

Mikey led them to the radio station, which had clearly seen better days. The minute they opened the door, April walked right into a massive cobweb, yelping in surprise and disgust.

"Hold still, Red," Casey pulled it off as they looked around. They saw the place covered in a fine layer of dust, along with squirrels and the like scurrying around.

"This place has seen better days," Vee noted as Midnight chased one of the squirrels.

As Donnie looked over the equipment, Casey looked around, shaking his head.

"Mikey, this place is a dump! It smells. It's falling apart. For God's sake, you can hear the mice humping in the wall!" He cringed as Hisako gave him a deadpan glare. "...Too much?"

Hisako nodded. "Eyup. (1)"

"Honestly, compared to most of the tech I find in the dump, this place isn't all that bad," Donnie noted. "It'll take a bit, but I think I can get it up and running. I'll just need some new wiring, some cleaning done, and to check the radio dish."

"Well…" Kagome began, "guess we better go get a couple brooms and mops."

"Honestly, I think a project like this is something we could all use," Hisako noted.

"Agreed," Leo said. "Let's get to work."

Raph turned to him. "Leo, you sure you can... well, you know."

Leo nodded. "I may not be able to climb a radio tower or anything big, but I can still use a broom."

-X-

"It took us days to clean out that radio station, but honestly, it was perhaps the best couple of days any of us have had since we came here. Midnight chased out the squirrels, Donnie and Casey fixed all the electronics, and the rest of us made the station presentable. Mikey even kitted it out with some furnishings to make the place feel more like a clubhouse."

-X-

Eventually, the assembled teens stood before the refurbished radio station, admiring their work.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mikey began with a grin, "welcome to the newly opened and renamed Hamato Studios!"

"You're not gonna be calling it that on air, are you?" Leo asked.

Mikey shook his head. "Of course not. I'm not that big of an airhead. C'mon, Leo. Give me more credit than that."

"You ready for your first show?" Donnie asked.

Mikey grinned. "Oh, you know I am. You guys get comfy. I may call on you to lend a hand."

Everyone settled into a collection of bean bag chairs. Mikey kicked back before the microphone, headphones on as Donnie pressed a few buttons.

"And five, four, three, two…"

A sign reading "On Air" lit up, and Mikey got to work.

"Hey, hey, hey, everyone! This is the Sewer Hour with Cowabunga Carl, comin' at ya live from Massachusetts! Anyone else hear about the huge mess going on in the great NYC? Well lemme tell ya, my family and I just barely got out of that place! But I know that there are those of you still out there fighting the good fight, and doing your best to keep those still in the city safe. While we can't be there in person just yet, we're there in spirit, and we're rooting for you," He clapped his hands. "So! How's about some tunes to give these dark days just a bit of light, and remind the good people of New York why you can't keep the Big Apple down?" He grinned widely. "Our first one goes out to my hot-headed bro! A cool but crude dude you can always count on to throw the first punch!"

He pressed a button, and Nickelback's Edge of a Revolution began playing. Raph immediately began bobbing his head, making the rock and roll hand signs as best as he could with just three fingers. Everyone else was nodding along as well, enjoying the moment.

"Nice choice, Mikey!" Raph exclaimed.

"What can I say?" Mikey replied. "I know what my bro likes."

-X-

"Mikey took to being a DJ like a duck to water. It wasn't long before the Sewer Hour went from just playing music to a help line. He's... surprisingly good at talking people through their problems."

-X-

The group sat around as Mikey spoke with one of his callers.

"Hi, my name's Jenny. My best friend's boyfriend is older, about sixteen, and he's always trying to talk us into doing drugs with him. He says that getting high is a phase, and we should just chill out and enjoy ourselves."

Throughout the discussion, Mikey was visibly disgusted and shaking his head.

"Really?" he deadpanned. "If I did drugs, I'd just sit around wasting my life like all the drooling clowns out there with no self-respect, no plans, and no future. Now, should you get high with Stupid?"

"No…" Jenny admitted. "No, I shouldn't. But how do I tell him no? He won't accept it and just keeps pushing."

"Then that doesn't sound like a friend worth keeping," Mikey got serious. "Anyone who tries to make you do that crap is not your friend. You do drugs, Jen, you go to Hell before you die. And you don't wanna go through that, do ya?"

"No, I don't. Thanks, Carl. Seriously."

"Hey, I'm just a voice on the radio. You're the one making the right choice for you."

-X-

"The others got involved with the radio as well. Offering up song suggestions to Mikey, all of which got their own special intros. I think it was Mikey's way of trying to let those we left in New York know we were okay."

-X-

Indeed, Mikey was doing just that, giving intros to each of his siblings in turn before playing music.

"Coming up next is a personal favorite of my cool blue bro. He's always in control who always does what it takes to see us through. Shoutout to his speedy recovery!"

He put on a New Age song. Immediately, Leo had his eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his face as he listened.

"Alright folks, up next is a cool classic song for my brainiac bro who rocks machines! I swear, he's never met a servo he didn't like!"

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata began playing. Donnie kicked back in his chair to the song.

"Nerd," Raph teased.

"Philistine," Donnie shot back.

"And now, a unique song for the diamond in the rough that is my sister! A song about coming out of your shell and declaring to the world 'This is me'!"

Vee smiled as the violin began to play.

"What song is this?" April asked.

"Flame of Hope," Mikey replied. "Lindsey Stirling's cover of the battle theme of the new game Tales of Arise. I found it on YouTube."

"One of my personal favorites," Vee added.

"And here's a song for the stand up gal of my sister from another mister! She shines bright, stands out, and can strut it on that runway!"

An upbeat jazz song began playing. Casey perked as Kagome began bogging her head.

"Is that... Jump Up, Super Star from Super Mario Odyssey?"

"It's one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack," Kagome admitted. "Decent jazz theme that gets the blood pumping."

"And now, a get-well song for the baby of our group. A promise from my entire fam that she is never alone, and that as our dad always said, it's always darkest before the dawn."

Rachel Platten's Fight Song began playing. The effect was instantaneous; Hisako made the rock-and-roll sign, bobbing her head to the music. She soon began singing along, smiling. Casey held out his fist, which Mikey happily bumped.

"And last, but not least, we wrap up today's Sewer Hour with a personal favorite of yours truly, a one-of-a-kind dude who you know just where to find when it's party time. Here we go!"

The Beach Boys' Surfin' U.S.A. began playing, and Mikey immediately began rocking to it. As the song eventually trailed off, Mikey sighed before picking up the mic again.

"Alright folks, that's all the time I've got for tonight's Sewer Hour. Remember to stay safe, hug your families, and never forget: anata wa hitori janai."

Donnie pressed the disconnect button, taking them off the air. "And… we're clear."

Mikey removed his headphones, smiling. "Think anyone in the clan got the message?"

"Here's hoping," said Leo.

"It's been a hard three months, but we've endured. We've survived, and some of us have even found a way to thrive. Still, I can't help but long for the day we go back to New York and reclaim our home... and our family. Until then, we press on... knowing we're not alone."

April looked over her journal, the entries interspersed with small colored sketches of her, Casey, and the Hamato/Lee family going about their business and doing the actions and tasks she described. With a smile, she closed the book, putting it in the side table drawer beside her bed before falling into a peaceful sleep

Author's Note:

(1): A dual Family Guy reference and a recurring thing between me and friends in real life with the "too much?" bit.

General expansion here, with April writing a diary as a framing device. The bit with the Sewer Hour radio show is something from Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. Todd Capybara comes from Rise of the TMNT, and Midnight is a therapy dog Hisako initially got much later in the original fic.

Next chapter: Tales of Leo.

Please R&R. Until next time!