I honestly didn't think this would be the next story I updated, but thanks to that fanfiction outage yesterday, I had a lot more time to write despite the fact that I was hoping to finish a story that I had to put on hold for a while. This is for all of you had to go through nearly 12 hours without fanfiction in their life or if you are enjoying the story so far.

Enjoy!

Raph

I watched Donnie run off with the man with a big smile on his face, leaving me behind as I processed it all. The way Donnie talked to him with such excitement, how the man had jumped in to protect him without a second thought, and most troubling was how Donnie had willing grabbed the man's hand and didn't seem to care at the moment about what all four of us had been though the past few weeks. I slowly staggered back into an alleyway and leaned up against the wall of a building. It felt like my mind was nothing but a thick fog and was not able to think or feel anything at that moment; completely numb. Only one thing was able to break through.

We were too late.

I slid down the building and sat on the ground as my first instinct got through the fog. Of course, I knew what had to be done and not Fearless or anybody else was going to stop me!

But something else managed to get through that was even stronger then my first instinct. This thought had caused my chest to become very tight and causing me to unconsciously touched it. Who was I to make that choice for him? Mikey and I had no choice but to flee in order to remain safe. But what would that mean for Donnie? I looked in the direction Donnie and the man had run off to picturing how happy the two were together. Donnie now stood on a crossroad that would determine his entire future. He could run away with us to make up a new home without any help from anyone, or have the chance to escape the hellhole that was the New York foster care system. Both sides had their pros, but the consequences of both decisions were even worse. Everything that Leo and I held sacred about 'no brother left behind' and also preached to both Donnie and Mikey now felt like a stranger that threatened to tear through my entire body.

'Is this why you did it, Leo?' I thought to myself looking up at the sky. I waited and ached for a reply from my long-lost older brother, but it never came. Instead, I was stuck still in my daze. So many emotions course through my body all at once and I couldn't even distinguish them. I hated feeling like this! So, I snapped out of my daze and did the only thing I knew for a fact would calm me down.

I lept up and started throwing and tossing every trashcan while yelling out in frustration.

What the hell is wrong with me?!

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Donnie

Mr. Yoshi and I walked down further down into the city towards Midtown. We didn't take the subway there and just enjoyed each other's company. It was so weird how introverted, Donatello Laird, was able to just keep talking and Mr. Yoshi seemed to enjoy just listening to me ramble. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, he and I walked on East 51st Street.

"Here we are! This is my favorite spot in all of New York City; Greenacre Park," I said as we walked inside the little area up some steps. In front of us were three rows of thin little honey locus trees with about 10-15 little seats and chairs to relax in directly under the trees. The sides of the area were decorated with rustic stone and had various plants and concreate seating to complete the rustic, outdoor feeling it was going for. There was a running little river on the sides that was crystal clear with large rocks all over the stream. To the left was a little snack and food area but all the way in the back was the highlight; a 25-foot waterfall. Mr. Yoshi and I walked up to the closest seat we could and stared at the mesmerizing sight. "This place always helps me relax for a little bit, but my mind is always racing with things that I could be doing like tinkering with other stuff, homework, or making sure that Ms. Adams is okay with the other kids. Since I'm the eldest one in her care right now, she relies on me," I explained.

"No wonder you cannot relax for very long…..May I offer a suggestion?" he asked me. I nodded at him. "How familiar are you with mediation?"

"Only the very basics, but I don't do it often," I said.

"Very well. I will teach you about it now. Get into a comfortable cross-legged position with your palms facing up. You may take your shoes off if you wish," he explained. I did as I was told while putting my shoes nearby. "Now clear your mind of all thoughts and stressors. Focus only on breathing naturally. You may also use the sound of the water to help you but remember, let go of all thoughts." I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing as best as I could. I'm not sure how long I tried, but for once short moment, I felt myself forgetting where I was and even who I was. The only thing I was aware of was my breathing and the white noise-like sound of the waterfall. Unfortunately, that moment was ruined when my thoughts came back again.

'Where were Raph and Mikey?'

'Were they alright?'

'Why haven't I heard anything from Leo?'

With that, I opened my eyes and groaned. "Ugh! I can't stop…well thinking," I whined.

"Fear not. We can continue to work on it; if you wish to continue to come visit," he said. I smiled at that and nodded.

"Hai Hamato-san," I said.

"Very well. Come. It's time to return you to Ms. Adams," he said.

"Already?" I complained.

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We arrived back the apartment and Mr. Yoshi knocked on the door. I heard Jake crying from inside and someone (most likely the twins) running around and arguing.

"Be right there!" I heard Ms. Adams say in a tone that sounded frustrated. I looked at Mr. Yoshi who looked back at me before I started to giggle.

"Is it always like this?" Mr. Yoshi asked.

"Yes," I replied. It was worse when the guys were here; especially Leo and Raph. Then, we heard Jake's cries get louder and footsteps as the door was unlocked and opened.

"Ah! Mr. Hamato! How was your trip to the statue?" She asked.

"It was quite amazing. I cannot speak for Donatello, but I personally had a wonderful time," Mr. Yoshi said. "Oh, and please feel free to just call me Yoshi."

"Very well. I apologize for the craziness, but somebody does not want to take his afternoon nap," she said motioning to the fussy Jake.

"Of course, he doesn't," I muttered. Then I turned to face Mr. Yoshi. "Sayonara Hamato-san, soshite subete ni arigato" I said bowing. Suddenly, Mr. Yoshi's expression dropped.

"I hope not, but if that is your wish," he said.

"Huh?" I said looking confused.

"Sayonara is hardly ever used in my country and when it is, it usually means a goodbye where the two will never see each other again. I will respect your decision if you wish to never talk to me again after what happened," he said and started to bow to me.

"What?! Nononononono! I don't want to stop talking to you or hanging out like we've been doing! I mean…as long as you are okay with it," I said.

"Of course, I am okay with it. Would you like to come to Murakami-san's grand opening tomorrow?" he asked.

"Grand opening? But wasn't it supposed to open last week after the fourth?" I asked.

"Yes, but that morning, we received a letter from the state saying that something was wrong with one of the pipes and that it needed to be fixed before we could officially open. We were taking care of that the last week and got the approval yesterday. So, Murakami-san decided to open it tomorrow. He requested that you come and join us; as well as you and your children Ms. Adams," he explained.

"Don is more than welcome, but we might have to come later in the day as I don't want Jake's nap time to be interrupted," she explained, as Jake had finally stopped crying and had closed his eyes at last.

"Very well. Until tomorrow," he said and bowed at Ms. Adams.

"So, how would I say goodbye to you?" I asked.

"As you will be seeing me again tomorrow, you would say 'mata ashita'," he said bowing to me.

"Mata ashita Hamato-san," I said bowing to him.

"Totemo yoi (Very good). Continue to study your lessons. I want to see your hiragana and kanji before you leave tomorrow," he said.

"Hai Mr. Yoshi," I said. With that, I walked inside and straight to my room. I was about to pull out my Japanese library book when I decided to go online. I looked and saw that I had a few friend requests, but all of them were from people I knew at school. I saw that April was on and sent her a message.

RenassanceGenius84: Hey April. Weird question, but have you heard anything from Leo?

Aprilshowers14: No. Sorry Donnie.

I gave a heavy sigh before she sent me another message.

Aprilshowers14: I miss him too. There's gotta be something we can do to get in contact with him. He can't just disappear like that. Saki had to have filled out some paperwork in order to take Leo. Can't you ask Kevin about it?

RenassanceGenius84: Even if I did, he wouldn't give it to me since it's considered to be confidential.

Aprilshowers14: Maybe we can follow Saki on his way home from work one day. At least we'll know where he is.

I thought about that for a minute before responding back.

RenassanceGenius: That's an idea, but who knows how long we'd have to wait and you know how Ms. Adams gets after dark. It sucks and I really want to send him another letter.

Aprilshowers14: True. And still nothing on Raph and Mikey?

RenassanceGenius84: Not as far as I know.

Aprilshowers14: I'm sorry. I know how worried you are about them. So, we haven't really talked all week. What have you been up to? She askedand then I proceeded to tell April about my time with Mr. Yoshi.

Aprilshowers14: That sounds so cool! I'd love to meet him sometime. I'm going to visit my grandparents tomorrow, otherwise I'd come to the grand opening.

RenassanceGenius84: How long will you be gone?

Aprilshowers14: Just for the day. Why?

RenassanceGenius84: I just had an idea. Maybe we can schedule a time to meet with Mr. Saki at his office. We met once already and I see no reason why he wouldn't want to talk to me since he promised that he'd come back for me and the others. Would you mind going with me? Just as support?

Aprilshowers14: Sure. Just tell me when and you can meet me at my house and we'll walk over.

RenassanceGenius84: Since tomorrow doesn't work, what about the day after?

Aprilshowers14: Sounds good to me.

RenassanceGenius84: Thanks. I gotta go now. See ya!

Aprilshowers14: Bye. Keep me updated if you hear anything.

RenassanceGenius84: Will do.

With that, I logged off again and started to work on another letter to Leo.

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Raph (Later that evening)

I staggered back to Mikey who was hiding in an alleyway where I left him talking to something white and orange while looking through his book. "Raph! Look who keeps following us!" he said. I didn't pay him no mind as I sat down and pulled out the map. I looked at where we were and the quickest place to get out was going through the Holland Tunnel. How we would get across the tunnel without being seen we would have to play by ear once we got closer. I made some notes on the map before closing it and placing it in my bag.

"Come on, Mike, we gotta go!" I said standing up, and pulling my brother up with force which made the cat jump.

"Time to get Donnie, right?" he asked.

"No Mikey. There's…been a change in plans. We're leaving the city tonight," I got out.

"What?! But what about Donnie?! That was the whole point of going back to Chealsea!" Mikey yelled as he tried to pull against me.

"I know, but…Mikey…. we can't get Donnie anymore," I admitted.

"Why not…?" Mikey asked.

"There you are you little brats!" a deep, threatening voice said that gave my entire body shiver. Both of us turned around and saw some more of those purple dragon people surrounding us. I pushed Mikey behind me.

"What do you want? We ain't on your terf," I hissed while pulling out Celia.

"True, but when there's a reward for someone who's wanted, we can extend where we like to explore," he said. The dragons then menacingly got closer to us.

"Mikey, go!" I yelled pushing him away. Some of them tried to chase after him, but I pushed them away and tried to swing Celia at them to focus more on me. Unfortunately, while I got a few punches and swipes, all of the dragons rushed me and started throwing punches and kicks.

"Raph!" Mikey screamed and ran back over to punch a few of them. Some of them then turned their attention towards him.

"MIKE!" I screamed reaching for him. Mikey looked terrified at me as they started to beat him up. The group that was beating up on me felt nothing compared to the pain I felt as the other group hit Mikey.

All of a sudden, the beating stopped and I was dropped hard on the concrete that instantly gave me a pounding headache and blurry vision.

"Let's go!" one of them said as I tried to get up.

"What about the other kid? He could snitch on us," another asked. I gathered up as much strength I had left and managed to stand back up.

"You ain't touchin' him again!" I hissed, standing in front of Mikey.

"Forget about him! Bail out!" the other guy said, and they started running away from us.

"Yeah…..go 'head! I wasn't even….." suddenly my body went limp and I fell to the ground hard.

'Oh God, that hurt!' I thought.

"Raph!" Mikey yelled so loud and which echoed in my ear that I flinched.

"Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm okay bro. It's just a little…ahh!" I got out before it felt like I was being stabbed in the ribs multiple times.

"You're hurt!"

"No, I ain't. Just gimmie some…" Suddenly, I heard it. I didn't move an inch as I listened closer in case my mind was playing tricks on me. But it started to get louder.

'No. Please not now,' I thought.

"Raph…I hear sirens," Mikey said, horrified.

"Which means we gotta move," I said, and attempted once again to get up on my own, but my body refused to let me move.

"Come on, Raph! Get up!" Mikey said, trying to lift me up, but nothing happened as the sirens got closer. My heart started beating as I kept looking at the street, and at my baby brother. I looked back at Mikey knowing deep in my heart what needed to happen.

"Mikey, I need you to run ahead as fast as you can," I said.

"What?"

"I…I'm putting you in charge of finding our new hideout. Here! Take Celia with you. Stick to the shadows and go find someplace safe for right now," I said, and shoved her into Mikey's hands.

"Oh no! Nonononono! I'm not falling for this, Raph! I'm not leaving you alone!" he said, and tried to hand Celia back to me.

"I'm gonna be right behind you buddy, but we gotta find a place to hide before the cops get here. You're the leader this time," I said, pushing Mikey's hands around Celia as tight as I could.

"Raph, no!" Mikey whined with tears starting to roll down his face.

"It's okay, it's okay! Just remember the plan, Mike; head upstate and find a home for us. Remember the house you drew? It's waitin' for ya upstate, but you gotta claim it and sure no one else takes it," I said.

"And then come back for Don and Leo, right?" he continued.

"Y-yeah! Come back for Leo…and Donnie" I said, hoping he didn't notice my voice whimper when I said my immediate little brother's name. "So go get a head start, and I'll follow you." Mikey shook his head again. The sirens were now only a few blocks away from us.

"Mikey, please!" I begged and gripped his shoulders tight. "Do this for me! I'm counting on you! Go!" I begged as something wet rolled down my cheek. With that, Mikey nodded, and started to run away from me. I smiled and ignored whatever it was that kept rolling down my checks. With that, I pushed through the pain, and attempted to walk/drag myself away from the ally. Figures there would be absolutely nothing in this alley where I could hide. I attempted once again to stand up, but I screamed in agony, and fell down again. That's when I heard them pull up. I heard a car door open, and someone jogging up to me.

"You alright kid? Were you in some sort of fight or something?" one of them asked, and two officers came running over to me. "Do you want us to call an ambulance for…wait a sec…what's your name, kid? I feel like I've seen you before," he asked. I didn't answer, but attempted to stand again.

"That's it! I knew I recognized you from somewhere! Raphael Laird, you are under arrest for kidnapping, assault, and battery!" his partner said, and got handcuffs on me with no issue, but I was mainly focused on scanning the alleyway in front of me looking for a kid with an orange hoodie. "You have the right to remain silent…"

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The cop got me into a police car and drove me to New York City Police Department in Midtown. I was taken to the hospital first so my wounds and slight concussion could get treated as best they could before I was placed into an interrogation room handcuffed to the table. I was also given an ice pack for my eye that was still black, but not like it was the first night. Despite the handcuffs, I was still able to reach for the pack, and place it on my eye. Then, two cops walked inside. The first one was a darker guy, and his partner had fair skin, with a little extra weight on him. He looked like your average P.I detective from the 50s.

"Alright Mr. Laird. I'm officer Roads, and that's my partner officer Means. We're not gonna hurt ya, we just want to ask you a few questions about what happened the night you ran away. Your rights have already been read to you and you can stop us at any time. Understood?" Roads said.

"Not like you'll believe me," I said.

"Finally, we got a tough guy in here. 'Bout time I had some fun," Means said.

'I wonder who's gonna be the bad cop in this situation,' I thought.

"Okay, first of all, why do you think we brought you in here?" Roads asked, and I just gave him a look.

"Oh gee. I don't know! Because I was being a good citizen? Cut the bullcrap already. You all know exactly why you brought me here," I said.

"Okay. Why don't we start there? Tell me in your own words what happened that night you ran away," Roads said.

"What's there to tell? Your informant who reported me tried to hit my little brother again after I found out that he had marks on his wrists. So, we decided to run away. End of story," Raph said.

"That's all?" Means asked.

"Yeah," Raph said.

"Really? Because your foster mother is telling a different story," Roads said.

"Foster mother? You mean Ms. Adams? I mean she wasn't there so I'm not sure how she would know what happened. Then again, she did betray us and is strict with her discipline so I wouldn't put it past her," I stated.

"I was talking about Mary Young; the one you assaulted with a shelf."

"Oh, her. Sorry, I misunderstood. See, when you said foster mother, I assumed you were talking about someone who actually cared for me and my brothers unconditionally like Ms. Adams," I said.

"Getting back to the subject, tell me about you and Mary Young. She's your current foster mother, correct?"

"Hell no! Ms. Adams isthe only foster mother I'll accept so don't ever be disrespectin' her like that!" I yelled.

"Didn't you just say you hated her because she let the state put you in a different placement from your brother?" Means asked.

"Whoa, I don't hate Ms. Adams. Yeah, she let the state split up me and my brothers but….I don't know. But I could never hate her," I said, loosing eye-contact for a moment.

"Legally, you and your brother, Michelangelo were under the care of Mrs. Young. We got that straight from your social worker! Quit stalling and answer the damn questions, kid!" Means yelled.

"Okay, Okay. Let's start over. Why did you attack your Mary Young with a shelf?" Roads asked.

"I didn't," I said.

"Really? Mrs. Young is tellin' a different story. What happened between you and Mrs. Young when you came back after sneaking out of her house? Explain to me in your own words."

"Which time?" I asked.

"Alright, I've had enough of this!" Means said, slamming his palm hard on the desk right in front of me. His face went red when I didn't react to it. "You've been charged with 2nd degree assault, battery, and kidnapping. Those are serious offenses kiddo. You're looking at spending a few long years in juvie," Means said.

"Just like every other kid on our street," I said.

"Look Raphael. I've spoken to a judge on your behalf. He said that he was willing to lighten your sentence, but you have to help us. All we want is to find and locate Michelangelo safely. Where is he right now?" Roads said.

"Probably long gone by now," I said.

"Cut the shi* already kid! Where did you tell him to go?" Means asked.

"How should I know? The kid just ran off. I didn't tell him to go anywhere," I said, making sure to look Means straight in the eye when I said it.

"Okay, Raphael. We gave you a chance, but it looks like we'll have to convince you some other way," Roads said. He then looked at his partner. "Go bring it in," he said.

"Gladly," he said with a wicked grin, and then left.

A few moments later, Means came back and brought in a huge bag with 'evidence' written on it. He set it right in front of me.

"That supposed to mean somthin' pal?" I asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. That's up to you," he said. Officer Roads then put some disposable gloves on, and reached into the bag. He pulled it out; an orange backpack.

"You cops need to work on your techniques if you think a bag is gonna scare me," I said.

"Maybe not at first," Roads said. That's when he unzippered the backpack and pulled out something. It was a brown, half-faded teddy-bear.

'No,' I thought. I dropped the icepack I was holding and felt my stomach go into my throat.

"Ooo, we got something out of you. Still wanna stick to your story?" Means asked. I couldn't speak.

"Okay," Roads said. He reached back into the bag, and pulled out something else; a red sketchbook with a bunch of pages ripped out of it.

"Where'd you get that?!" I demanded.

"What do you care? Or do you know something about this book?" Means asked.

"WHERE'D YOU GET THAT?!" I screeched.

"If you must know, some of my men found it not far from where you were detained. Do you know something about this, because I think you do," Roads said, and opened the book to the first page to see a picture of all four of us when we were a bit younger. "Please, Raphael. All we want is to find Michelangelo. Do you like that he's out there in the streets all by himself? Based on your reaction, I can tell you have a deep relationship with him. Why did you run away with him that night?"

"She…she tried to whip him!" I said. Then I told them everything that happened from our first day there, to when I pushed her against the wall. He wrote everything I said in his notebook.

"Let me ask you this. What exactly was your plan by leaving Mrs. Young's? I know it was to protect your brother, but where would you go? Did you ever think about how you were going to get food or a place to stay? Did you like living on the streets for those few days?"

"We just wanted to find a place where it could just be the four of us. Where we wouldn't have to worry about the state taking us away again," I admitted.

"You had your chance. Ms. Adams told us everything about you and your brothers turning away every potential family who wanted to adopt you. Why did you do it?" Means asked.

"None of those families wanted to take all four of us. You either took all of us, or none of us. That was our rule," I said.

"You're one selfish kid Raphael, you know that?" Means spat.

"'Scuse me?!"

"You know how many kids are in foster care in the world right now? Thousands! But there aren't thousands of families who have the strength to open their heart to a child in need!"

"I ain't a…!"

"Not every foster kid has the opportunity to have a forever home. You know what?" Means said. Then he took out his phone. "Siri, how many foster children are waiting to be adopted in the United States?" he asked.

"Of the 400,000 children in the foster care system in the U.S, approximately 120,000 of them are waiting to be adopted."

"120,000 children! And how many children age out of the foster care system in the United States?" he asked the phone again.

"Over 23,000 children will age out of the foster care system every year.

"You hear that, Raphael? 23,000 children spend all their lives dreaming about a forever family, but it never happens. Instead, they're often thrown out on the streets all alone and forced to find a place to live and get a job with no support whatsoever. Yet here you are turning away every chance you have not to become one of those 23,000. Do you care if Michelangelo and Donatello become one of those 23,000?" Officer Roads asked. I was at a loss for words. Finding a home was something Don and Mikey had been talking and dreaming about all their lives. Leo and I have all but lost hope, but what happens when they get older? Will they lose hope too?

Wait! Donnie took Leo's side in splitting us up to get adopted quicker. He's…he's already started losing hope which is why he had no problems with…that man.

"Look Raphael. I've got a younger brother myself who I would do anything for. I know you want to stick together, but you have to think realistically. Time is gonna go by whether you like it or not and it can often be very quick. Before you know it, if you keep waiting for the opportunity to happen, it'll pass right by you and it'll be too late to get it back. You'll just be one of those 23,000 struggling to find a home or stable job. I can't tell you how many youths I've worked with from foster care or a group home that turn into criminals or become homeless for an extended period of time. From one older brother to another, we have a sacred duty to do what's best for our little brothers; even if that means we have to be removed from the picture for a little while," Means said. My heart rate was speeding faster than a bullet. I couldn't think.

"We'll keep searching for Michelangelo and keep you updated, but until we do, you're gonna be spending some time in juvie until you have a court date. If you can remember anything that might help us, have one of the staff members give us a call. I'll leave our numbers with them. Take some time to think about what Officer Means said," Roads said. With that, the two left me still cuffed to the desk. Hopefully nether of them noticed how glassy my eyes were becoming again. Suddenly I just lost it. Where are you, little brother?

Wooo! That was an interesting chapter wasn't it. What happened to Mikey that caused him to lose his backpack? You'll find out in the next chapter.

Hope you enjoyed!

LaurenHardy13