"Mraw?"
A groan slips past my lips as small, soft paws pat at my face, my last-ditch effort of remaining asleep dashed as the little paws are replaced by a soft, furry head rubbing on under my chin. Reaching out blindly, my hand gently lands on Klunk's head and I rub it. Klunk's purrs vibrate into my chest as he lays down on top of me, seemingly content with a little bit of attention. Cracking my heavy eyes open, my lips quirk into a tired smile as I watch my little fur-son. His eyes are shut and his legs are tucked cutely in front of him. My Silver Sentry nightlight provides a soft golden light around my little orange joy, and I scratch his head.
"Hey, Klunkers," I murmur tiredly, tickling an ear with one of my fingers. "How's my little kitters doing?" I turn my head away as I yawn, glancing around my room sleepily. "Guess I was pretty tired, huh? Raphie tucked me in and everything."
Klunk continues to purr in response, large green eyes opening to peek up at me as I wiggle around to sit up. Meowing, Klunk stretches and jumps down from his perch on my stomach. His tail swishes back and forth as he walks over to my door, pawing at it. Chuckling, I rub my eyes, mentally noting that I'm no longer wearing my mask.
"Fur-baby after my own heart," I say, giggling again as I slide out of bed. "Don't worry, Klunkers. Daddy won't let you starve." Yawning again, I stretch my arms above my head, wincing when I push my ribcage too far. Shaking my head, I pout as I shoot a glare at my chest. "Stupid ribs. Can't even let me have five minutes awake before aching."
Sighing, I head for my door and reach for the doorknob when my hand pauses halfway. A frown tugs on my lips as I squint at my door.
Something's not right here. I tilt my head, the wheels turning in my head as my sleepy brain tries to process just WHAT is wrong with this situation.
"…!"
My eyes widen.
"Why is the doorknob at eye level with me?"
Blinking rapidly, I scramble my full-length mirror, an object that I am only a couple feet shorter than. From what I can see in the dim light, either my mirror has grown a few more feet or I've shrunk because I'm now barely halfway up the mirror.
Heart pounding, I twist and sprint for my light switch. Which I have to stand on my tippytoes to reach. My hand trembles against the doorknob as I stretch up, vaguely registering my palm pressing the lock in as my lights flip on.
Klunk meows at me as I rush back to my mirror and take in my appearance.
My body shrunk! My eyes widen as I take in my smaller structure, hands reaching up to pat at my childishly plump cheeks, my freckles standing out even more against my now lighter complexion. And the worst part? There is this deep-rooted ACHE in my entire body. My limbs feel as though I've overused them, feeling even worse than after my extra training with Sensei yesterday.
My chest rises and falls harshly as panic filters through my mind. It bubbles under the surface and my hands tremble as I reach out for the mirror. The reflective surface is cool and smooth under my palms. Quickly snatching my hands back, I clutch them to my plastron.
"No. No. NO." Whimpering, I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut. "This is just a dream. A weird crazy dream that I'm having because I'm super tired from everything that's happened over the last few days. That's what Donnie tells me right? That the mind can play tricks and stuff when one is really tired and has experienced really stressful events? And being turtlenapped by a crazy ancient war machine counts as being stressful, right? Yeah. Yeah it does. Okay, Mikester, just wake yourself up and join your brothers and father for breakfast and cuddle with your cat before practice."
Dragging in a shaky deep breathe, I bite my bottom lip as I pinch myself. HARD. Yelping, I twitch and rub harshly at my stinging flesh. Swallowing thickly, I open my eyes and stare into the mirror.
I'm still small. I'm still child-size.
My mind blanks for a few seconds, the sounds of my harsh breathing filling the silent space. Then I do what I do best.
I start screaming.
Clutching my head, my thoughts race as I vaguely hear my door jiggle.
Oh shell. OH SHELL. What the shell is going on? Why am I so tiny?! How did I get this way? Did that blast from Stock-boy's Mouser responsible for this? Was there something in the pizza we ate last night? Was it because I touched that pendant? Gasping, I wrap my arms around me, rocking as I try to calm myself, GROUND myself. To do anything but start panicking worse than I already am.
Memories of the last few days play through my mind. Clutching at one before discarding it for a new memory, ANYTHING that can explain what exactly is going on right now. My mind conjures up a green and orange pendant and like a lifeline, I cling to it, gasping as though it will give me the air I need while drowning in a swirl pool of unknowns.
The Ikigai pendant! That has to be the answer, right? I mean, the pendant plays this magical music that only I can hear, maybe it did something to me because I touched it?
Shivering, my hands move to grasp at my face.
Didn't April and Leo also touch the pendant? Are they also small now? Or did it only affect me because I was the only one hearing the music? Oh shell. What if this is permanent? If Leo is small now too, how can we fight off Hun and the others? What have I done?
A small voice in the back of my head, one sounding oddly like Sensei, whispers that there is no way that any of this is my fault. Leo and April touched the pendant of their own volition, not because I told them too. But the louder voice, one that I am VERY familiar with, that sounds like all of my brothers screaming at me at once, overrides that smaller voice by shouting out just how much of a screw up I really am and that everything is my fault.
It's ALWAYS my fault.
A hiccup escapes my raw throat as my knees give out and I start rocking back and forth, starting up another round of screaming as burning hot tears stream down my cheeks. My fingers dig into my skin as I try anything to break through my thoughts.
I don't understand! I don't UNDERSTAND! Why me? What did I do? How do I fix this? CAN I fix this?
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Jumping, my eyes fly to my now shaking door as I sense a familiar presence on the other side. My large eyes blink rapidly, more tears spilling down my face when I realize that a voice is filtering in through the metal. A tad muffled but just as strong, urgent, and worried as ever.
"Michelangelo?! Michelangelo, answer me this instant! What's going on?! Why is your door locked?! Mikey!"
Leo.
My chest stutters at that realization and from the area where Leo is banging, it would be impossible for him to be the same size as me right now. Hope blooms into my chest before quickly being snuffed out when the doorknob jiggles harshly before jerking as Leo curses and kicks at it. Klunk meows in an uncertain, high-pitched way as he leaps away from the door, tail puffing in fright.
"Mikey, please!" Leo pleads, rattling the door HARD. "Otōto, please open the door. Please. It's going to be okay."
A lump forms in my throat as I go to answer but only a soft wheeze escapes me. My vision blurs as I stare down at my hands, watching them tremble as my mind still can't process just how I managed to mess up so badly that my body has turned into THIS.
But… I think, pushing through the haze in my mind. But maybe….If I open the door, my brothers can help me. Leo always has a plan and Donnie is a genius and Raph can punch whatever made me this way.
Why should they? A nastier version of my inner voice whispers. That's all they've been doing the last few days is helping you. What if they open that door and see you like this and realize just how much of a burden you really are and leave you like this forever? I mean, it'd make missions run smoother, won't it? They already want to leave you in the lair from now on, why not make it permanent now that you're too small to even reach the lights properly? Let alone fight.
My breath hitches, cutting off my current scream as I shake my head, hoping to rid myself of such thoughts. I press my knuckles roughly into my forehead, but I hardly feel it as I curl into myself, stomach churning painfully.
No. No, they wouldn't do that! They promised it wasn't permanent. And I've gotten better during missions! Leo said so!
The voice snorts.
You actually believed him? Wow, you really ARE the dumb one.
A choked sob leaves me as I glance at the door as it continues to shake. Klunk meows a few feet from me as the doorknob jiggles frantically. A fresh round of panic flares inside me as the door shakes again, as if Leo is ramming against the metal with all his might.
"Michelangelo! Unlock this door this instant!" Leo snaps, a frantic and terrified undertone to his leader voice that sends another round of panic through me.
No. No! They can't see me like this! If Leo is unaffected then it wasn't because of something that the Ikigai pendant did but because of something stupid that I did!
But I don't know which stupid thing that I did! How can I fix it if I can't think of how it happened in the first place?!
Coughing out a whimper, I start crawling across the floor, my limbs shaking as I reach out to Klunk.
Why is all the weird stuff happening to me?
Gasping, my fingers just barely brush Klunk's fur as he positions himself in front of me, as if to block me from the door. Klunk doesn't even look my way as Leo pauses in his banging and yelling. I distantly hear him calling out for Donnie and Raph.
No! Don't grab Donnie and Raph! They're going to be just as disappointed in me as you are, Leo!
I press my hands to my mouth to cover the urge to start screaming all over again, knowing that if I do, my voice will more than like become quite damaged from the volume.
"MIKEY! OPEN DIS DOOR!" Raph snarls from the other side of the door before ramming hard against it causing vibrations to rattle the room. "MIKEY, I MEAN IT, BRO! I WON'T HESITATE TA BREAK IT DOWN, SO C'MON!"
Go away, go away, go away, go away.
Covering my ears, I rock back and forth on my knees, staring at nothing as silent tears stream down my face, willing my brothers to just leave me alone but also just break my door down and tell me that everything will be all right.
"Mikey, Mike," comes Donnie's voice, pleading but level and calm compared to Leo's shouting or Raph's screaming. "Open the door, Otōto. You're scaring us. Please, PLEASE open the door. We just want to help you. We just wanna make sure that you're okay, buddy. Just unlock the door."
Help me. Help me. Help me, I chant, whimpering while trying not to gag. My body shivers harshly as more tears burn a trail down my face, thick salvia building in my mouth.
"Mikey, please—" Leo starts, the doorknob jiggling again before stopping abruptly.
Are they going away? Please leave. But don't. Please. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I'm so sor—
BANG!
My thoughts are immediately cut off as my door bursts off its hinges and slams into the ground directly in front of me. Air catches in my throat as I stare at the only thing that was keeping my brothers from seeing me. Slowly, I lift my gaze to the doorway and my eyes widen as I take in Master Splinter straightening from a punching position, his ears flat against his head and his tail twitches as a dangerous energy radiates around him. Shrinking into my shell, I keep just enough of me exposed to watch as my family rush in.
Klunk hisses and growls as Master Splinter approaches, drawing my father's attention. Gasps fill the air my brothers follow our father's line of sight, eyes going wide and mouths falling open.
"What da shell?" Raph mutters, his golden amber eyes wide as his hands tighten around his sais.
A determined gleam enters my father's eyes and he cautiously steps onto the door. Klunk arches his back at Sensei's approach, swiping out in warning but never leaving his spot from in front of me. Master Splinter hesitates at Klunk's warning, eyeing the tabby warily before his attention snaps up to me as I shiver.
A confused noise emits from my father causing me to shrink further into my shell until only my eyes and up are exposed, my feet just barely keeping me balanced. Concerned brown eyes flicker from me to Klunk then back to me and Sensei drops to a kneeling position, ears twitching as my feisty feline growls out another warning when he thinks that Sensei is too close. Master Splinter turns a small smile toward Klunk, his features relaxing as he studies the orange tabby.
"It is all right, Klunk. We do not mean him harm," Master Splinter says soothingly, turning a smile toward me. "Michelangelo? My child, everything is all right. There is no reason to hide from us. We merely want to help." Sensei extends his hand, allowing Klunk to sniff it first. There is a beat as Klunk sniffs, his hisses dying out, morphing into an unsure whine as he rubs against the extended hand.
A tension leaves my family as Klunk backs up to brush against me before sitting down, eyes and ears alert. My eyes shift from my father over to my brothers. None of them have moved as if in a trance, even though Klunk has now deemed them not a threat.
Why are they just staring at me?
I whimper and sink lower into my safe space.
My noise must have broken some spell on my family because Sensei is suddenly moving, his ears flattening at my distress. I drop fully into my shell, heart in my throat when Chichi scoops me up. Sensei's arms tighten around me, holding me securely against his chest.
"Oh, Michelangelo," Sensei murmurs, a hand rubbing my shell as a strangled noise escapes from me. "Shh, it is all right, little one. Chichi is here. Everything will be all right."
A strangled gurgle slips past my lips as I go to talk and I quickly snap my mouth shut, coughing and gasping in panic.
Master Splinter hums, rocking us gently.
"Calm yourself, Michelangelo. Take slow, measured breathes. You are going to make yourself sick if you continue to breathe so harshly. Just relax and allow us to help you, little one."
Desperate to follow my father's instructions, I drag in a shaky breath and hold it for a beat before releasing it as slowly as I can, just like Donnie taught me. I can feel Sensei breathing with me, providing me with something to focus on outside of my harsh breathing and overly loud heartbeat.
"What happened?" Leo ask, concern heavy in his tone.
"Why's he so tiny?" Raph asks gruffly as someone rushes from the room.
Master Splinter continues humming, rubbing circles on my shell as I struggle to regain control of my breathing. My body trembles against him, shuddering with each inhale and exhale.
"I do not know," Sensei admits softly, nuzzling against me as I look up at him. "Michelangelo? My son, will you come out of your shell and speak with us? We wish to help you, but we cannot if we do not know what is wrong."
"We know what's wrong, Sensei," Raph says, an annoyed growl leaving him. "He's all small now!"
I whimper softly causing Sensei's humming to return as he holds me more securely against him to the point that I can hear his heartbeat even from within my shell.
"Stop it, Raph," Leo hisses. "Arguing with Father isn't helping anything. It's just upsetting Mikey more. We're supposed to be helping him, not frightening him."
I bite my lip as Raph huffs but the sounds of Donnie's returning footsteps cuts him off before he can retort. My breath hitches as another warm touch joins Sensei's on my shell.
"Mikey?" It's Donnie. "Think you could come out of your shell for us, buddy? I want to scan you and make sure that there's nothing wrong. Besides the obvious, of course."
A wet laugh bubbles from me and I slowly peek my head out of my shell. Leave it to Donnie to try and crack a joke to calm me down. Hiccupping, I blink rapidly for my eyes to readjust to the brightness of the room. Sensei is the first to come into focus as I glance up, my arms popping out to grab hold of his robe. Warm brown eyes watch me, softening as more tears roll down my face. Chichi reaches up and brushes his thumb under my eyes.
"There we go, my brave little turtle, just continue to take slow, deep breathes for me." Master Splinter hugs me close, cupping the back of my head as he breathes with me, resting my head directly over his heart. My breathe stutters in my chest as I go limb, merely allowing my father to hold me. "Are you ready to tell us what happened, Michelangelo? Do you remember?"
Sniffing, I pull back from Sensei's chest, rubbing harshly at my face only to have Donnie reach up and gently pull my arms back down.
"Don't rub too harshly, Mikey," he chides gently. "You'll irritate your eyes."
"Little late for that, Donnie," I mutter, throat rough and raw as heat burns at my cheeks. My immediate brother puffs out a chuckle, smiling as he squeezes my arms gently.
"It's good to know that you at least recognize us," Donnie says, rubbing my head. My head snaps toward my immediate older brother, my eyes narrowing at him as I frown.
"Of course I recognize you. Why wouldn't I?"
Exchanging a glance with Raph, Leo moves forward, his eye ridges furrowing in concerned.
"Mikey, you were screaming," Leo says quietly. "And then we find you in the middle of your floor with Klunk trying to protect you. What do you expect us to think?" Leo reaches out, cupping my face as his eyes flicker up and down, scanning me. "What happened, Otōto?"
Shrinking down, I play with the edge of Sensei's robe, shrugging as heat spreads from my cheeks to my entire face.
"I…I don't know. Klunk woke me up and when I went to go feed him, I realized that something just wasn't right. My doorknob has never been at my eye level! So, I turned my light on and I found myself like this! All small and tiny and with chubby cheeks!" My vision begins to blur once more as I press my hands against my face for emphasis. I glance around at my family, biting my bottom lip. "I didn't understand what's going on. So, uh, I may have panicked?"
"I think panic is a gross understatement," Raph states dryly, arms crossed over his plastron as he glares at me. Ducking my head, I fiddle with a stray thread on my father's clothes.
Movement to my left draws my attention and I watch as Donnie waves a small device over me.
"Donnie?"
Chestnut eyes glance at me briefly before returning to the screen in front of him.
"I'm merely checking your vitals, Mikey. Even as a mutant turtle, it's not normal for you to suddenly just shrink overnight. Because you most certainly were not this size when we returned to the lair last night."
Raph shifts closer next to Donnie, rolling his eyes.
"Of course he wasn't dis size when we returned ta da lair. If he was dis size, my arms wouldn't have felt like dey were about ta fall off by da time we got home."
I stick my tongue out as Raph smirks at me, my small hands clutching tightly onto Master Splinter.
"You calling me fat, Raphie?" My own smirk appears. "Or are you admitting that you can't handle carrying 135 pounds for more than a few minutes?"
A sneer forms on Raph's face only to fall silent when Master Splinter clears his throat. Peeking up at my father, I smile sheepishly as Master Splinter lifts an eyebrow at me before turning toward Donnie.
"Donatello, are you finished?"
Beep beep beep.
Donnie sighs, relief flashing across his face, and leans back on his heels.
"Yes, I'm done now. All of his vitals are fine. Are your ribs still bothering you?"
My mouth twitches as I pause only to shrink back at the stink-eye Chichi is giving me. Sighing, I nod.
"Yeah, but not as bad as before." I lift a single arm and huff as I allow it to just drop back down. "But for some reason my entire body just ACHES, dude. Like, it feels like I've been doing an hour of flips nonstop."
Donnie frowns at that and leans in closer, poking and prodding at my limbs. My nose scrunches but with Sensei holding me, I don't have much of a choice but to let Donnie continue his doctoring.
"I don't see any bruising and you appear to be moving just fine." Donnie rubs his chin, eye ridges furrowing in thought. "My scanner didn't detect any torn muscles or any sprains, so I think you just have some muscle strain, but that could have been from all the fighting last night." Donnie lifts his gaze to me as I chew on my bottom lip. "I mean, we were inside the BattleShell when the missile hit it and then you had to fight with Rahzar, Fishface, AND the Fist Ninjas. And then not even 2 hours after that you decided to fight some giant Mousers! So, yeah, your body has been put through a lot of strain, Mikey. You need time to recuperate. Which means not doing ANYTHING."
My voice cracks as I groan, sinking against Sensei with a pout.
"Then I guess it's a good thing you've been confined to the lair, now isn't it?" Leo states, arms crossed over his plastron, lips twitching into an almost smile. My fists tighten against Master Splinter's robe as I drop my gaze, glaring at the small carpet next to my bed.
"But none of that explains why I'm like this," I grumble, snuggling into my father's chest, suddenly very tired from my emotional outburst.
"Michelangelo, if I may?"
Picking my head up, I glance up at Master Splinter as he lifts his left hand. Not really understanding what he wants, I shrug and nod. Just like last night, Sensei rests his hand on my chest, closing his eyes. Warmth radiates from Sensei, and I can't help but relax at having the reassuring presence of my family around me.
A deep part of me is very happy that none of them have started teasing me about this, but an even deeper part of me is mortified that they have to see me like this. The only thing keeping me from another wave of panic is the fact that I am currently in my father's arms. Sensei just radiates this sense of calm about him and it's hard not to allow it to wash over me. Leo's presence is very similar to Master Splinter's for me while Donnie and Raph just provide their own sense of reassurance for me.
A soft chuckle from Sensei draws me out of my thoughts and I peer up at him as he shakes his head.
"What is it, Sensei?" I ask, tilting my head to the side as Master Splinter wraps his other arm around me, his shoulders relaxing as he shifts toward the door.
"It appears, my son, that you used quite a bit of chi yesterday, even though your body is not used to being able to tap into such power." Sensei's ears twitch as he studies me. "It appears that your body, in order to recuperate, decided to draw energy from a different source, reverting you down to your very center. Your core if you will."
My core?
I glance down at my body.
"Uh, Sensei? I don't understand. How is THIS," I say, gesturing to myself, "my core? I'm the size of a… of a…"
"A 5-year-old."
I nod at my father's words, throwing my arms in the air.
"Yeah! Exactly! The size of a 5-year-old!"
"What?" Donnie frowns, leaning closer to me. "No, you're far too small. You have to be more of the size of a 3-year-old not a 5-year-old."
Master Splinter shakes his head as he carries me out of my room. My eyes widen as I finally see the full extent of damage to my poor door. The hinges are still attached as it lays on my floor with a massive dent in the center of the metal door.
"I raised all four of you, Donatello," Sensei states calmly, walking down the stairs as Klunk sprints ahead, meowing. "Your brother has almost always been smallest of the four of you, excluding those few years where the four of you were the same height. However, in your younger years, Michelangelo was always a very small child. Although he did shoot up quickly in your teen years but that was the only time all of you were similar in height."
Pouting, I tug on Sensei's robes, gaining his attention as we enter the kitchen.
"What did you do to my door?"
Sensei blinks at me and for a brief second, sheepishness flashes across his face before he schools his features.
"My son, you were screaming, not responding to your brothers, and your door was locked. I did what any father would do when something is blocking his path to get to his distressed child. I removed it." My mouth falls open as Sensei turns toward Donnie. "I do apologize for adding on more work for you, Donatello."
Raph snorts as Donnie merely waves a dismissive hand, heading over to the coffee machine and grabbing a steaming mug already next to it.
"Uh, Sensei? I think ya did more den just removed it. Ya freakin' punched a metal door in!"
"You PUNCHED my door down?!" I squeak as a rush of awe and giddiness shoots through me as Sensei nods.
"Of course I did. One of my children was in trouble."
Giggling, I throw my arms around Sensei's neck, causing him to stagger a little.
"Eeee! Sensei, you're so cool!"
Master Splinter chuckles, wrapping his arms around me securely in a tight embrace while also being mindful of my ribs and back.
"Thank you, my son. But now I think it would be best if we had breakfast. Your brothers have training in an hour."
My head snaps up, blinking in surprise as a twinge of disappointment hits me.
"But, Sensei, what about me? I can't train like this!"
Master Splinter rearranges me so that I am sitting on his hip, which is oddly comfortable, as he begins to grab supplies for breakfast.
"Did you not hear what your brother said, Michelangelo?" Sensei scolds softly. "You are to rest. Maybe if you four had not gotten into so many fights last night, I would think about at least allowing you to do katas with your brothers but with the aches that you described to your brother and having such a jarring shock to your system, I do not think it wise to push you so much." Sensei glances at me, kissing the side of my head when I blink at him. "I was very worried when I saw Raphael carrying you back to the lair. It would do my old heart some good to know that my youngest is going to rest for today and not cause his poor father to gain more grey patches of fur than he already has."
A giggle escapes me, and I lean against my chichi.
"Hai, Sensei."
A calm washes over the kitchen as Sensei starts the process of cracking eggs one handed. Leo offers to take me from Sensei's hold but our father declines. Something about this not being the first time he's made eggs while holding one of us. I honestly just think that Sensei misses us being this size for him to hold so I think he's just secretly enjoying it.
On one hand, I know this should more mortified me even more, considering that I'm now less than half of LEO'S height but, well, I've just learned that I actually really enjoy being held like this. So, for right now, I'm just going to soak it up as much as possible. Because who knows when I'll go back to my normal size? Will I have to be fully rested before I revert back? Or is it all dependent on my chi? How will I know when it's time? Will I have to be asleep again? SHOULD I be asleep again when it happens? I just can't tell if my aches are from all the fighting last night or if it was do to me shrinking.
Donnie did say I need to relax, so maybe I could just sleep a lot today and see if that will revert me back, I think, resting my cheek on Sensei's shoulder, silently enjoying how soft his fur is on the top of my head and the familiar warmth and scent that my father just naturally gives off.
"Mrew. Mew."
Lifting my head, I turn and glance down. I smile when I spot Klunk sitting directly behind Sensei, as if waiting for some eggs. A gasp escapes me and I smack my forehead.
"Oh, Klunkers! I'm sorry! You need your breakfast, too, don't ya, buddy?" I bite my lip as I glance at the cupboard that normally holds Klunk's kibble. If Sensei set me down there is just no way I can reach it even with climbing onto the counters. I can barely reach it to begin with. Raph thinks it's funny to keep moving it to the top shelf.
Klunk meows back at me, bright green eyes watching me curiously as Sensei starts to plate the scrambled eggs. A chair scrapes across the floor and I glance over to watch Leo stand up.
"Don't worry, Mikey, I'll feed Klunk for you. C'mere, Klunk, let's feed ya, buddy."
Klunk churrs and stands to follow Leo as he opens his food cupboard. A displeased noise emits from my eldest brother as he stares up at the kibble that is resting on the top shelf. My blue-cladded brother turns toward the table, eyes narrowed as he glares at Raph. Raph leans back, a smug smirk on his face. I swiftly hide my snickers in Sensei's shoulder.
"Problems, Fearless?"
Leo crosses his arms, a displeased frown on his face.
"Seriously, Raph?"
My red-cladded brother folds his arms behind his head, lifting an eye ridge.
"What's wrong, Fearless? Need a BIG brother ta grab dat fer ya?"
A small twitch appears near Leo's eyes as he glares at Raph. Donnie is hiding an amused grin behind his mug as our big brother turns back to the kibble. Usually I need to kneel on the counter in order for me to grab the container. Leo, on the other hand, is tall enough to not need to use the counter but he does have to go onto his tippytoes to grab it. Sensei turns around just in time to see Leo struggling to grab the slippery container. Our father glances at my other two brothers, lifting an eyebrow at them. Raph is too busy laughing to notice while Donnie is pretending to be engrossed with a stain on the table.
"Having troubles, Leonardo?"
Leo jumps at Sensei's comment, and I can see a red tinge appear on his cheeks as my eldest brother acts as though he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. An idea hits me and I grin at Leo, making grabby hands at him.
"Leo! Lift me! Together we can be tall enough to reach the kibble!"
A wide, amused grin forms on Leo's face as he walks over and plucks me from Sensei's hold.
"Brilliant idea, Otōto."
Beaming, Leo lifts me up and I grasp the plastic container with both hands. Hugging the kibble closely, Leo lowers me until I can place the container onto the counter, turning me so that I'm sitting next to it. Klunk jumps up, brushing against me as he purrs while Leo scoops out some food into his bowl. Leaning forward, I boop Klunk's and my face's together, earning myself a small nuzzle from my little fur-baby and a small churr.
I blink when I'm suddenly lifted once again, Sensei smiling at me as he sits with me in his lap. He pulls a plate in front of me as Donnie and Raph already dig into their food. Leo slides into his seat across from Sensei after handing him a cup of tea. I stare longingly at my usual seat across from Raph and next to Donnie but start eating my eggs after one look from Master Splinter.
"What am I gonna do while you guys train?" I ask around a mouthful of eggs as Sensei eats around me.
"You shall sit next to me and meditate."
My spoon pauses halfway to my mouth as I pout. Seriously? My snout wrinkles.
"Do I have to?" I ask, whining while tilting my head back. I widen my eyes as I stare up at my father. A fond look crosses Sensei's face as he uses his thumb to wipe my mouth.
"Yes, Michelangelo, you do. We need to work on rebuilding your walls to protect and guide your chi. Especially now that you are this size."
"I still don't understand how dis happened," Raph mutters, taking an angry bite of his eggs. "I mean, Mike was normal size when I left 'im last night. People don't just randomly shrink overnight!"
Sensei rubs my head as I continue to eat.
"As I stated earlier; your brother used up a lot of energy yesterday. Specifically, Michelangelo used a lot of chi energy, and his body is not used to tapping into that type of energy. Therefore, Michelangelo's chi decided to draw energy from his body and managed to revert him down to his true core."
Donnie sips his coffee, frowning.
"But a child?"
My purple-cladded brother and I make eye contact as he talks. In response, I merely shrug, shoveling more eggs into my mouth. My spoon pauses halfway when Sensei tightens his arm around me and I glance up.
"Sensei?"
Master Splinter merely smiles at me.
"It is due to his spirit, my sons. Your brother has a very carefree, innocent child-like spirit about him. It is part of why the Ultimate Protector chose you to be the Ultimate Weapon. You do not possess the means to want to use your chi to harm the innocent. However, because you are not yet used to using such amount of power from within you, your body was unsure how to handle it. So, your chi, also unsure how to handle being so free, tried to help your body by reverting you down, trying to provide you with a body that should take less time to recuperate. A body that your chi is already familiar with."
Donnie rubs his chin.
"So, Mikey's chi thought that reverting Mikey into the size of child would allow him to recuperate faster? Why? Because there is less of him mass-wise?"
Master Splinter sips his tea as he nods.
"In a since, yes. But also because the last time that Michelangelo had this much access to his chi, he was still a child. And, as I mentioned before, Michelangelo's spirit is very child-like, so using a body that his chi is familiar with will allow him to recover from his over usage of his chi more efficiently than if he stayed in his 19-year-old body."
My eyes widen.
"Wait, so every time I use my chi too much I'm gonna shrink down to this size?!"
Sensei ears twitch as he frowns.
"Among other things, my son." I shrink down as Master Splinter narrows his eyes. "You are very lucky that this is the only thing to happen after using as much of your chi as you did without practice. You could have easily become very ill. Especially in this form."
Tapping my spoon on the side of my plate, I duck my head.
"I didn't mean too. Well, okay, the fight against the Mousers I meant to use my shield and do that teleport-thing, but I had no idea that I could use my chi to make a blast like that, or the first few times I used my shield-thing. I didn't know!" Frowning at the table, my fingers tighten around the handle of my spoon while my other hand curls into a fist on my lap. "I don't like that I can just random do stuff like this, bros. It's…Well, it's scary. I don't wanna accidentally hurt one of you!" My eyes start to burn once more as I lift my head to gaze at my big brothers, their eyes wide at my sudden outburst. "And most of the time I don't even know I'm going to do something until I've already done it! What if I had done that large blast thing during training? What other blasts can I do? Is it just limited to my weapons?" My nose scrunches as I glance at my hands. "I always thought having powers would be this awesome thing that would allow me to help people, ya know? But really? It's scary. It's just like that time that I gained those electric powers when we were 16. Ya know, when we just got back from the future, had to look for Sensei's bits but also save New York from being invaded AGAIN?" My brothers nod while Sensei stiffens at my back, his arm holding me closer.
"Of course we do, Mikey," Donnie says softly, a sad gleam in his eyes. "That wasn't exactly an experience any of us could ever forget."
I swallow thickly.
"Well, I was just going off instinct then with the electricity stuff. I had no idea what I was doing. But I did always worry about accidentally hurting one of you when you'd get too close. And this chi-stuff that the U.P. did to me? Well, I'm starting to get the same vibe and I don't much care for it, dudes. What if I really hurt one of you this time?"
A chair scrapes against the floor and Leo walks around to stand next to Sensei and me. Kneeling down, Leo cups my face, a familiar glint in his chocolate brown eyes as he forces me to look him in the eyes.
"Michelangelo, listen to me. You are far stronger than you're giving yourself credit for. When you had those electric powers, not ONCE did it ever cross my mind to be afraid of you or that new power that you gained. And do you know why?"
I shake my head causing Leo to smile at me and brush his thumb under my left eye.
"I wasn't afraid because you used that power with an air of confidence. You allowed yourself to follow your instincts and because of that, you pretty much mastered your powers instantly. You were a literal blur while fighting around us, keeping us safe from Newtralizer even though not even moments before he had zapped you from existence. And then you used your powers flawlessly when you saved us from that ship even at the risk of us losing you all over again." Leo leans forward and presses our foreheads together. "What I'm trying to say is that you are far more capable to handle this then you're letting yourself believe, Mike. Yes, you created your first shield by accident because you and Raph were roughhousing. But in the span of 8 or more hours you managed to create one to save yourself from that Mouser's blast and all without practicing how to do so."
Glancing off to the side, I fiddle with my fingers.
"I just kinda willed it into existence, Leo. I didn't actually know if it would work or not."
Leo taps a finger on my cheek, regaining my attention. His smile widens when I meet his eyes again.
"But it did! And it took you even less time to figure out how to teleport above the Mouser and then crushed it with that blast infused with your kusarigama. You're a very tactile learner, Mikey. You learn by doing and you learn very quickly. We just have to work on pacing you so that this," Leo says, gesturing to my small form. "Doesn't happen again. But you've had access to your entire chi for what? Less than 3 days? And look at all that you can do now! Just imagine what you'll be able to do when you manage to build walls and channel your chi in a much safer way!" A grin replaces Leo's smile and he squishes my cheeks causing me to giggle. "Besides! You're the Battle Nexus Champion! An intergalactic, multidimensional champion! You're more than capable of learning how to use these new powers to not only protect yourself, but others as well."
My mouth falls open as Leo finishes speaking and I feel him wipe a few stray tears away. I study the steady look in Leo's sparkling eyes and my heart flutters with a spike of hope.
Leo honestly believes I can do this, I think in awe of my eldest brother as a grin slowly creeps across my lips. And if LEO believes I can do this, just like he believed that I could beat Kluh, then I know that I can do this.
Laughing, I launch myself at my brother, squeezing tightly as I bury my face in his neck.
"Thanks, Leo," I whisper, allowing a few stray tears to drip down before pulling back and using the back of my hand to wipe them away. "I really needed that, Onii-san."
"Any time, Otōto." Leo nuzzles me as he stands with me in his arms. "It's like I said: In this life, we only have each other. If one of us goes down, we all go down. Just focus and do your best and you will always come out on top."
A giggle escapes me as Donnie and Raph join Leo and rub my head.
"And don't think dat yer gonna be doin' dis alone, squirt," Raph states gruffly, a fake scowl on his face. "'Cause we'll always have each other's backs. No matta' what."
Donnie nudges my cheek with his knuckles.
"So don't lock us out, Otōto. Just let us help you learn this new part of yourself."
Nodding, I shoot Sensei a glance before refocusing on my brothers.
"I promise to let you guys help me. And I'll try not to freak out too much about something new that my chi does to me."
Raph rolls his eyes and gently noogies my head.
"Don't make promises ya can't keep, chucklehead. And it's okay ta be excited about somethin' new dat ya learn about yerself. As long as it won't hurt ya, we want ta know about it, 'kay?"
I beam at my brothers, bouncing in Leo's hold as Sensei stands from the table, carrying my plate and his cup to the sink. He smiles at us, wiping his thumb over my cheek.
"Indeed, my son. We would never leave you to do this alone. But now, it is time for your brothers training. Let us head for the dojo and you can start on your meditation."
Groaning, I lean against Leo as the five of us exit the kitchen. Leo's chest vibrates as he chuckles at my pouting and I rub my cheek against his shoulder.
"C'mon, Otōto, maybe you'll revert back to normal after some meditation."
Rolling my eyes, I tug on Leo's mask's tails.
"Har har, Leo. And everyone says I'M the funny one."
Sensei merely shakes his head as Donnie and Raph laugh and I can't help but feel a sense of RIGHT wash over me, my panic from earlier just now a distant memory. A soft smile tugs at my lips as I hug Leo one last time before he places me on a mat next to Master Splinter to take his usual spot to start his katas. Crossing my legs, I watch my brothers for beat as Sensei barks out a kata before he turns a sharp brown eye toward me, eyebrow lifting. Offering him a 'Mikey-Smile', I quickly close my eyes, only wiggling a little as I try to swallow a giggle.
I have the best family in the world.
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Hello everyone!
So glad that I was able to get this up so soon after chapter 13! I just had this fire under my butt to get this chapter done XD. Which was not easy, let me tell you. This is actually version 2 of this chapter because I felt that the first version made Mikey a little too OOC, with this version turning out a little better in my mind. Once I finish this fic I might upload the original version just for fun and see what all of you think if I did make him too OOC or if it would have been fine. But this version feels better in my opinion so this is the version that I'm going provide all of you with. So hopefully you all enjoyed reading it!
Also, once again:
Thank you to everyone who comments! I do read them and I love see what all of you have to say! I'm just so happy that so many people are enjoying this fic on here and on AO3. So thank you everyone for your continued support! I deeply appreciate it! 😊
