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Chapter Text

In an alternate universe of New York City, February 27th, 2017...The night after Shredder's demise

Deep within Central Park, a small building constructed in traditional Japanese architecture stood beside one of the park's lakes. 

A violet storm was brewing in the city, causing the cherry blossom trees to sway wildly in the heavy winds, while the river near the house churned like waves crashing against one another.

A group of ninjas dressed in grey cloaks, their heads covered to shield them from the heavy rain, rushed to the tall building. 

They opened the front wooden doors wide, each one entering the house before the last ninja glanced back to ensure no one was following them. After stepping inside, he closed the two front doors and locked them from the inside.

Moving through the antique house, which resembled an emperor's palace, the mysterious group gathered in front of a large sliding door adorned with the symbol of a black widow spider.

"Enter..." a commanding voice echoed.

One of the ninjas slid the doors open, revealing a judo room filled with statues of stone dragons and artwork depicting mythical legends from around the world.

In the middle of the room, a tall woman knelt by a small table, which held an antique tea set surrounded by a few crimson-handled leather knives.

The group slowly approached their leader and knelt before her as she coldly demanded, 

"Well? Is it true?"

One of the ninjas stood up and leaned close to the leader, whispering in her ear. The leader shifted slightly as another ninja stood up, placing a discarded helmet on the table.

The leader shuddered as she gently touched the helmet. "Oroku Saki... my beloved..."

The two figures bowed sadly before their leader and returned to their kneeling positions while she held the helmet that once belonged to the Shredder.

"I feared this day would come..." the leader spoke to the group. "I tried to warn him that he was playing God with the mutagen, and now he is dead. At least he died prevailing by destroying our mortal enemy, Hamato Yoshi."

At that moment, the group exchanged anxious glances before the smallest ninja stood up and approached the leader, whispering something else in her ear.

Suddenly, with quick reflexes, the leader grabbed one of the knives and pointed it threateningly at the ninja's neck. 

"Say that again!" she hissed loudly, causing the group to flinch in fear as the leader growled down at the quivering ninja.

"Repeat that and pray you can prove to me that Hamato Yoshi is still alive and that his daughter has not taken over the Foot Clan. Or I will cut your neck open and leave you bleeding on the floor to die!"

The youngest ninja did not repeat what was whispered but instead revealed photographs from the night of the Shredder's demise. 

In one photo, Hamato Yoshi stood alongside his four mutant turtle sons, all alive together. Another photo showed Oroku Saki's protégé turned traitor, Karai—originally named Miwa—who had become the new leader of the Foot Clan. 

It was clear how she had betrayed the Shredder and returned to her true father; the once-feared Foot Clan was now gone for good.

The leader let out a growl before pulling the knife away from the young ninja and hissing to the group, "Get out! All of you!"

The group fearfully bowed again to their leader and quickly exited the room, closing the sliding doors behind them. Left alone, the woman stared at the photo of her beloved's nemesis with pure hatred. In a fit of fury, she stabbed the photo with her small blade.

"Damn you, Hamato Yoshi! You and your mutated freaks have been a thorn in my beloved's side, and now he's dead because of you!" she snarled at the photo before turning her attention to the picture of Karai.

"And as for you, you ungrateful little brat, Oroku took you in as a babe and gave you everything, and this is your thanks?! You have destroyed the Foot Clan with those abominations! I will not allow this to go unpunished!" she growled before standing up, holding the Shredder's helmet high.

"Oroku Saki, I vow to you that you and the Foot Clan will be avenged! I will destroy Hamato Yoshi and his Ninja Turtles if it's the last thing I do, and once that is done, I shall reclaim the Foot Clan from that brat and restore it to its former glory."

The woman placed the helmet down and picked up the photo of Hamato Yoshi and the Turtles, crushing it in her right hand.

"Revenge will be ours, and the entire world will soon know the fearful power and might of the Foot Clan; this I swear on my life, Oroku Saki..."

Chapter Text

SIX MONTHS LATER – SEPTEMBER 16th, 2017

"MIKEY!"

In a very messy room, an orange-masked turtle was jolted awake by the loud calling of his eldest brother and the constant knocking on the door. 

"Mike, come on! You can't stay asleep all morning; we have training in an hour!" Leonardo, the leader and eldest brother of Michelangelo, called out from his little brother's bedroom door. 

Mikey yawned and stretched before calling back, "I'm awake, bro; I'm coming!" 

"Alright," Leo nodded and headed off to the kitchen. 

The youngest turtle got out of bed, rubbing his head. He looked at the front mirror of the bedroom door and yawned, saying, "Just another day for the Mike-ster... Let's make it a good one!" He headed for the kitchen, where his other older brothers were waiting with Leo. 

"Well, look at who decided to wake up from his beauty sleep!" the purple-masked turtle known as Donatello teased playfully at the sight of his yawning brother. 

"Gees, Mikey, if you slept any longer, I would've dragged you out of bed myself!" the red-masked turtle known as Raphael grumbled while reading the paper. 

"Well, there's no need; I'm awake now!" Michelangelo replied with a gleeful chuckle. "Who wants breakfast?" 

"We do," Leo nodded. 

"For the last hour and a half," Raph grunted. 

"Sorry! Maybe it would make you guys feel better if I taught you how to cook, so you wouldn't have to wait for me," Mikey shrugged and started making breakfast for the family. 

"Oh, but Mike, if we learn to cook, then you won't be useful anymore," Raph mocked his younger brother. 

"Raph," Leo firmly warned, but Mikey just let out a sarcastic laugh back at Raphael and continued cooking breakfast. 

Things had been peaceful since Leo defeated the Super Shredder and restored peace to the family. Over the last six months, time had changed. Karai took over the Foot Clan as its new leader and vowed to make the clan honorable again, restoring it to its former glory before Oroku Saki took charge. 

Recently, Karai left New York with her clan to return to their headquarters in Japan, where she could go through training to become a true leader for her clan and family. She kept in touch with her father, Hamato Yoshi, known to everyone as Master Splinter, by writing letters to April O'Neil. April would deliver Splinter's letters to Karai and mail back her replies. 

To say the least, the turtles and Splinter were very lucky to be alive after their intense confrontation with the Super Shredder, as Splinter nearly died protecting his sons from getting killed. They didn't want to think about how things would have gone if Shredder had killed their father that night, nor if anything were to happen to the brothers or their friends. 

"Hey Mikey, you're not dozing off there, are you?" Donnie snapped Mikey out of his trance. 

The young turtle just grinned happily and replied, "Sorry, I'm almost done!" 

Michelangelo finished making breakfast just in time for Master Splinter to join them at the table. 

"Morning, my sons," Splinter greeted. 

"Morning, Sensei," the turtles replied in unison. 

"You're just in time, Papa; breakfast is served," said Mikey as he handed Splinter a plate of his favorite breakfast. 

"Thank you, Michelangelo," Splinter said gratefully. 

Mikey served his brothers their breakfast plates before joining the table himself and digging in with his brothers. Splinter soon cleared his throat: 

"Boys, do you have something to say to Michelangelo?" 

"No, what?" Raphael shrugged. 

Splinter frowned a bit at Raphael before Leo realized what they had forgotten to do. He looked at Mikey and said, "Oh right, thanks for making us breakfast, Mikey." 

"Yeah, thank you, bro," Donnie added. 

"Thanks," Raph said simply. 

"Anytime!" Mikey giggled as the family resumed their breakfast. 

Mikey soon looked at Splinter and asked, "How's Karai doing in Japan?" 

"She's doing great; her training and meetings with the clans are going better than we hoped," Splinter replied. 

"So with luck, the Foot may be our allies now?" Leo asked. 

"Maybe, with Miwa as the new leader, she'll bring peace and honor to the clan, just as we do with our family," Splinter nodded. 

"I do miss her," Mikey pointed out. "She was fun around the house." 

"And we're not?" Raphael raised an eyebrow, insulted. 

"That's not what I meant!" Mikey sheepishly rubbed his head. 

"If you miss her that much, why didn't you ask her to go with her? Shell knows, we could get some actual peace around here," Raphael rolled his eyes. 

"Raphael," Splinter scolded. 

"Just saying," Raphael shrugged. 

Mikey knew this conversation was going nowhere, so he grabbed the finished plates and started cleaning them. 

"We'll start our session shortly," Splinter announced. 

"Hai, Sensei!" the boys responded as Splinter left the kitchen. 

"Well, I'm going to finish up in the lab," Donnie announced. 

"Need any help, D?" Mikey politely offered. 

"The last person I need help from in the lab right now, Mike, is you," Donnie rolled his eyes and left the kitchen. 

Mikey sighed as he watched his brothers leave before putting away the last of the dishes. 

In the dojo, all four brothers kneeled before Splinter, pacing around them:

"Now today, we shall go over a run-through of your technique skills. I want to see how much you have improved from your recent lessons." 

Immediately, the turtles got up and assumed the position.

"Now I expect you boys to perform each technique correctly and swiftly," Splinter informed them, tapping his cane down again. "Hajime!" 

The Ninja Turtles began their technique run, simultaneously executing the moves commanded by Splinter as a team. Michelangelo tried his hardest to keep up with his brothers, afraid of falling behind as he had last time and getting reprimanded by his teacher. 

So far, so good; he was performing well when Splinter banged his cane on the ground again. "Yamate!" 

The group stopped and bowed to their sensei, who approached them to examine their performance. "Very good, my sons. You've all improved well this week." 

Soon, he stopped in front of Michelangelo, looking down at the nervous turtle. "Michelangelo, I want to have a word with you; the rest of you are dismissed for now." 

The others left without a word, and Mikey looked down sadly, asking Splinter, "Am I in trouble again?" 

Splinter motioned for his younger son to sit near his table. Once settled, Splinter replied, "You're not in trouble, my son." 

Mikey looked up at his father in relief until the humanoid rat continued, "That being said, Michelangelo, I must inform you that you're still falling a bit behind your brothers. You need to quicken your pace and try not to use too much ferocity in your techniques; otherwise, you will leave yourself open for your enemy to strike back at you." 

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Michelangelo apologized, feeling like he had disappointed his dad again by making mistakes. 

"To help you improve your focus, I want you to meditate with me for an hour," Splinter informed his son. 

"Do I have to?" Mikey whined, as he was not a fan of meditation and had never been able to focus for a long period of time. 

"Yes," Splinter nodded. "You may not like it like your other brothers do, Michelangelo, but one must be aware of one's surroundings. To display focus, you must let go of your thoughts and allow your senses to expand through your environment." 

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey sighed softly, joining Splinter in meditation. 

For Michelangelo, meditation was boring. Sure, it should help him improve his senses and focus by letting go of distracting thoughts, but an hour of nothing but darkness and quietness sounded peaceful—it was just so boring and empty for Mikey. 

Nevertheless, he followed his sensei's instructions, positioned himself next to the humanoid rat, and began to meditate. Mikey closed his eyes, slowly inhaling and exhaling as instructed. His mind began to drift into a vision of a lake, where he found himself on a rock at the center, with his lovable pet, Ice Cream Kitty, beside him. 

She was meditating as well in Mikey's thoughts, while the young turtle did his best to remain focused and not fall asleep. 

Time passed, and Mikey began to feel bored when he felt Splinter's hand on his shoulder. "You can open your eyes now, Michelangelo." 

The young turtle opened his eyes and looked up at his sensei. "How did I do?" 

"You did well, though you did mumble about Ice Cream Kitty a few times," Splinter replied. 

"Sorry, I imagined she was with me at the lake while meditating," Mikey sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 

"I see." The rat nodded, then noticed his son looking worried. "Is something troubling you, son?" 

"I know I have to improve my focus and keep up with my brothers, but... do you think I'm a great ninja, Sensei?" the young turtle questioned his dad. 

"I do not doubt that you're a great ninja; someday you might make a great leader if you worked hard enough, hopefully, but you still have much to learn, my son," Splinter assured him. 

"Thanks," Mikey said softly, smiling at his dad. "May I leave now, Sensei?" 

"You are excused," Splinter nodded. 

Mikey bowed before his father and left the dojo, passing by his brothers in the living quarters. 

"So what did Splinter punish you with this time?" Raphael questioned the youngest. 

"I wasn't punished; I was just meditating with him," Mikey grumbled with his arms crossed. 

"I stand corrected; you were punished," Raphael smirked as he watched TV. 

Mikey rolled his eyes and walked off, but not before he heard Raph call out, "Donnie told me to tell you to stay out of his lab." 

"I'm not going in there," Mikey groaned before adding, "Not today, anyway." 

He entered the kitchen, where Leo was making himself some herbal tea. Mikey asked the eldest, "Hey, Leo, want to do something fun?" 

"Not now, Mikey; I'm going to train," Leo shook his head. 

"But we just trained back there," Mikey pointed out. 

"True, but I prefer to continue my training rather than do nothing," Leo replied. 

"So... you think doing something with me is nothing?" Mikey questioned, a bit offended. 

"I didn't say that, Mikey," Leo responded and left the room without another word. 

"But I bet you were thinking it," Mikey grumbled as he opened the freezer to pick up his Ice Cream Kitty. When he placed her down on a plate, the mutated feline meowed at him, prompting Mikey to sigh, "I'm alright."

Mikey pets her and then sighs: "It's just another day for the Mike-ster."

--------

At night in Central Park, inside a mysterious building, the widow of the Shredder is watching several private videos recorded by the Foot Clan. These videos show various patrols of the turtles, all captured on her orders, demonstrating how the turtles operate as a team. 

One particular aspect that catches her attention is how the youngest turtle frequently gets berated and yelled at by his brothers for messing up their patrols. This observation sparks an idea in her mind. 

"Him..." she says, pointing at the orange-masked turtle. "I want you to find that mutated turtle. Make sure he is alone, and bring him to me. He could be the key to executing my plan for the revenge of Oroku Saki."

--------

Meanwhile, in the city, the turtles were battling the Purple Dragons after catching them attempting to rob another store. Mikey was determined not to mess up again like last time, so he was careful about who he fought and where his brothers were.

Just then, the van belonging to the Purple Dragons began to drive off. Donnie yelled, "They're getting away!"

Getting an idea, Mikey threw his grappling hook at the van's back handle and tried to tie the other end of the hook to one of the poles to prevent the van from escaping. "Got it!" Mikey cheered.

Unfortunately, the van accelerated, causing the grappling hook on the pole to start breaking. Panicking, Mikey impulsively began to pull the grappling hook chain back as if to pull the van to a stop. 

"Mikey, let it go!" Leo shouted.

"No! I... got... this!" Mikey grunted, struggling to hold on to the hook.

Suddenly, the back door of the van was ripped off and hurtled towards Mikey. He ducked just in time as the door flew past him, but unfortunately, it slammed into the other three turtles, knocking them roughly to the ground. Mikey was left in shock.

The remaining Purple Dragons laughed at the fallen turtles and took their chance to escape by getting into the van and driving away, one of them jeering, "See you later, freaks!"

Mikey panicked for his brothers as he rushed to remove the van door from them and attempted to help them up, but Raph angrily shoved him away.

"What the shell, Mikey?!" Raph yelled at his little brother.

"Are you guys OK?!" Mikey nervously asked, noticing their furious glares.

"Oh, we're fine! Apart from almost being squashed to death by that door, thanks to you," Donnie snapped sarcastically.

"Mikey, I told you to let it go, but you didn't listen!" Leo scolded.

"I was trying to stop them from escaping," Mikey explained defensively.

"And no surprise, you let them slip away again, you moron!" Raph growled, delivering a sharp smack to Mikey's head.

Mikey flinched in pain. He hated it when he messed up and angered his brothers. This had been happening a lot lately, and he didn't mean to cause these problems.

"I... I really did my best to stop them! I didn't mean to get you guys hurt," Mikey anxiously tried to defend himself.

"Well, your 'best' lately, Mikey, sucks! It's really getting on our nerves," Donnie lashed out at the guilt-ridden turtle.

"Come on, guys, we can still catch up and stop them," Leo said.

As Mikey started to follow the trio, Leo abruptly stopped him and firmly said, "Not you!"

"What?" Mikey asked in confusion.

"Look, Mikey, you've messed up too many times on patrol lately, and we're getting sick of it. So do us all a favor and just go home," Leo ordered.

Mikey looked dejected at being ordered to leave and whimpered, "But... we're a team."

"Not with you screwing us up, we're not," Raph scoffed.

"We can handle this; just go back to the lair," Donnie sighed.

"But guys," Mikey pleaded.

"Go home! That's an order from your leader," Leo replied sternly.

"Guys, please!" Mikey whined.

"GO HOME!" the trio shouted in unison. Mikey shrank back in fright.

Feeling defeated, Mikey took a step back and snapped, "Fine!" before storming off and heading down a sewer grate.

The trio watched him leave before resuming their patrol and chasing after the escaping Purple Dragons. Unbeknownst to them, a small group of ninjas had noticed Michelangelo going down the sewer grate and began to follow him.

--------

The young turtle made his way back home through the sewers, feeling upset that he had messed up again. He was also angry that his brothers had sent him home instead of joining him to fix the problem. Grumpily, he kicked at each rock and piece of junk littered throughout the sewers to vent his frustrations.

"Stupid jerks! All I did was try to help the best I could. It's not like I wanted to hurt them with that stupid door," Mikey grumbled.

He soon stopped to take a break and looked at his gloomy reflection in the water. With a sigh, he thought, "What if they're right? What if I am just a screw-up?" 

Mikey sighed again and continued walking. "Maybe a bit of pizza would cheer me up."

Suddenly, he heard a rattling noise and turned to see where it came from, but nothing was there. A sense of eeriness began to creep over him as he slowly pulled out his weapons and called out, "Hello? Guys, is that you?"

Silence filled the sewers until a hissing noise broke the stillness and smoke began to fill the space around him, much to his surprise.

"What the—?!" Mikey exclaimed, stumbling back from the smoke. 

He tried to escape, but something about the strange smoke made him feel dizzy and weak. His vision blurred, and he couldn't stay upright any longer; he fainted and collapsed to the ground.

Four ninjas wearing gas masks approached and picked him up, carrying him out of the sewers.

When Mikey woke up, he found himself in a large judo room that looked nothing like the one at home. He looked around, noticing that the space was empty.

"H-Hello?" Michelangelo groaned. "Leo? Donnie? Raph? Is anyone out there? Where am I?!"

"Do not be afraid, my dear," a voice said.

Mikey quickly turned to see a tall woman standing near a table. She wore a purple kimono robe, and her face was painted white with lips as red as blood. There were purple markings around her eyes, and her eyebrows were painted a lighter shade of purple. Her ebony hair was styled in a bun, secured with two long purple pins.

The woman, who looked like the very definition of a geisha, knelt at her cushion in front of a table and greeted the young turtle warmly:

"You are quite safe; you're in my home."

"I, um... see?" Michelangelo mumbled awkwardly.

"Come closer, my dear; I do not bite," the woman kindly gestured to him.

The mutant turtle scooted closer and knelt beside her. She continued, "You can relax; no harm will come to you. I am simply welcoming you into the comfort of my home."

"Good to hear, but..." Mikey rubbed the back of his head, looking around the strange new place. "Where am I?"

"You're in Central Park," the lady replied.

"Central Park? How long was I out for?" the young turtle questioned.

"Hard to tell. We found you floating in the lake near the sewers. My ladies brought you here to me because I help those in need," the woman explained.

"Your ladies?" Mikey asked.

"Yes, over there." The mysterious woman gestured to the other geishas standing on the other side of the room.

They quietly bowed to Mikey, who blushed and gave them a polite wave. He then turned back to the hostess and continued questioning her:

"I'm grateful they saved me, but who are you, may I ask?"

"My name is Towa Misaki, or, if you prefer, Misaki Towa," the woman introduced herself.

"Misaki? That's a nice name," Mikey complimented.

"Why, thank you, dear," Misaki giggled. "And who may you be?"

"I'm called Michelangelo, but people usually call me Mikey," he replied.

"Michelangelo, hmm? Such a unique name for a unique creature like yourself," Misaki responded with a warm smile.

"Speaking of which, aren't you ladies freaked out that I'm... you know... a big talking mutant turtle?" Michelangelo asked nervously.

"My dear child, we have seen things far stranger than you," Misaki reassured him.

"We have encountered mutants around the city and things that are considered strange and unusual. So you see, a talking mutant turtle is hardly a surprise to us at this point. Anything is possible in this city."

"Right," the young turtle nodded. "How would you know I'm a good guy when you found me?"

"Because I sense good energy in you; otherwise, I wouldn't have told my girls to save you," Misaki explained.

"So... are you a spiritual person or something like that?" Mikey continued his questioning.

Misaki smiled and replied, "I was taught the ways of the spiritual sense, but I was also trained in combat."

"Wow! So you're a ninja then?" Michelangelo asked, interest piqued.

"I consider myself a ninja at times, but only for self-defense, and besides, I am just a retired geisha," Misaki clarified.

Mikey looked at the other ladies, who wore similar clothing and makeup as Misaki, and asked, "And those ladies over there are...?"

"They're also geishas; they are my girls. They are ladies without families or friends to look up to, and I take them in to teach them how to survive and have a home," Misaki replied.

"Oh, I see," Michelangelo nodded before giving a flirtatious smile and asking, "So, are any of them single?"

The ladies simply blushed at that question and hid their faces with their fans, while Misaki chuckled, "I don't mean any disrespect to you, dear, but my ladies are not really into... well... mutated creatures."

"Oh, right; sorry," Michelangelo sheepishly apologized, nervously smiling at Misaki.

"May I ask what happened to you that made us find you?" Misaki inquired.

That was a very good question! How did Michelangelo end up there without knowing it? The last thing he could recall was seeing smoke and feeling dizzy; was it a gas leak or something else?

"I dunno; I was on my way home, and all of a sudden I saw smoke surrounding me. Next thing I know, I felt dizzy and tired—I must have passed out," Mikey explained.

"I see; are you feeling alright?" Misaki kindly asked.

Mikey looked at his body and shrugged, "I guess so; I don't feel sick."

"That's good to hear. I would hate for something terrible to happen to someone like you," Misaki nodded.

"So, is this place of yours a geisha kind of place?" the turtle curiously asked.

The ladies and Misaki laughed before the leader answered, "No, it's not a brothel, dear; it's my home."

"Sorry," Michelangelo apologized.

"No harm done; you're not the first person to think that," Misaki continued, giggling.

"I see," Mikey chuckled. "Well, thanks for helping me out, but I should get home."

"Why the rush?" Misaki asked.

"I promised my brothers I'd be back before they are," Michelangelo explained.

"You have brothers?" Misaki inquired.

"Yeah, three older brothers—I'm the baby brother," Mikey nervously chuckled.

"That's nice! And your parents?" Misaki replied.

"I only have a dad; well, he's not really my real dad, but it's hard to explain," Mikey answered.

"Very well then," Misaki nodded. "But before you go, how about I offer you a warm cup of tea to help you get back on your feet?"

"Tea?" Mikey asked, then shrugged, "Sure!"

"Alright then," Misaki sweetly responded before turning to the ladies, addressing them in Japanese, "Redīsu, ocha."

The ladies bowed, and each went to get the tea set for the table. Michelangelo smiled at Misaki and asked, "Do you speak Japanese?"

"Of course, I was born and raised in Yokohama, one of the major cities in Japan, until I moved to New York City five years ago," Misaki replied.

"Really? What's Japan like? I've never been there," Mikey curiously wondered.

"To me, it's simply home," Misaki answered.

"So, has living in New York been different from living in Japan?" Mikey inquired.

"Indeed, it has," Misaki nodded. "You really like to ask a lot of questions, don't you, my dear?"

"Sorry, I'm often told that I talk too much," Mikey said, feeling embarrassed.

"No need to apologize; I've dealt with many people who are filled to the brim with conversations," Misaki assured the turtle as she poured tea into two cups on the table.

She soon handed a cup to Mikey, who thanked her before taking a sip and quickly downing it all.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Mikey exclaimed happily.

"Thank you! I'm glad you like it," Misaki smiled at the turtle.

The young turtle lifted his cup to Misaki and shyly asked, "May I have some more, please? I promise I won't drink it all at once this time."

"Of course you can," Misaki replied politely, pouring Mikey another cup of her tea.

As they continued to chat, Michelangelo and Misaki began to converse as if they were already good friends. It was strange for the young turtle to meet someone open and unafraid to treat a mutant creature as a friend. He slowly began to feel warmth in her presence and within the home she had created.

Unbeknownst to the naive turtle, Misaki had her agenda. While her friendly demeanor was genuine, she was determined to use this "new friendship" to her advantage and ultimately destroy the Hamato clan...

Chapter Text

An hour passed as Mikey and Misaki continued chatting, sharing stories and jokes with one another. After finishing a particularly funny story, Mikey chuckled and said, "And that's why I never let my brothers cook; otherwise, they'd just burn the kitchen down." 

"Oh my dear, you really do have a good sense of humor," Misaki giggled. "And the way you tell your stories is so engaging to listen to." 

"I try," Michelangelo blushed deeply. 

"So, your brothers—what are their names again?" Misaki asked. "Forgive me; my memory isn't always the best." 

"Story of my life," Mikey replied before continuing, "Well, like I said, I'm the youngest of four. My eldest brother is the cool leader of our team; his name is Leonardo." 

The turtle fiddled with his mask. "We all have different color masks to show who we are. For example, mine is orange, and Leo's is blue." 

"That's interesting and very helpful for telling who's who," Misaki nodded. 

"My second oldest brother is Raphael; he wears a red mask and is mostly the brawler in our team," Mikey explained, then moved on to Donatello. "And last but not least, my middle brother, Donatello, wears a purple mask." 

"You and your brothers were named after Renaissance artists? How uniquely interesting!" Misaki looked at the young turtle, masking her amusement to fool him. 

"I know, but hey, we like our names. Anyway, about Donnie: he's the smartest turtle I've ever met. He can create almost anything, and he's a good doctor, too," Mikey continued. 

"So that makes him the brains of the team?" Misaki asked. 

"Exactly," Mikey nodded. 

"And what about you?" Misaki questioned the young turtle. 

"Me?" Mikey quizzed, tilting his head slightly. 

"Yes, you; you said you're part of the team, so what do you contribute?" Misaki repeated her question. 

"Well, I..." Mikey started, but soon couldn't find the words to describe what he really brought to the team. 

He could say he was awesome, cool, or the life of the party, but deep down, even Misaki wouldn't buy that. Much to his surprise, he couldn't come up with anything meaningful. 

"I guess... I'm just there," Mikey shrugged, smiling at the woman. 

Misaki stared at Mikey in confusion. "You're just... there?" 

"Y-Yeah, I guess," Michelangelo nervously chuckled, turning his view to the ground. 

"Surely there must be something valuable you bring to the team, rather than just being there," Misaki pointed out. 

"Actually, I guess you could say I bring the fun to the team," Mikey then thought of something. 

"Well, there you go! You bring fun to the team," Misaki nodded. "And do they enjoy the fun you provide?" 

Mikey thought long and hard. It had been quite a while since anyone truly enjoyed his humor, an increasingly rare fact. He realized that his brothers didn't seem to appreciate Mikey's humor as much anymore. 

"I guess so," Mikey mumbled. 

"If I may ask, what is your family like?" Misaki kindly inquired. 

"Well... I'm not too sure if I should say," Mikey started, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "No disrespect; I mean, you're a nice lady and all, but we just met tonight, and my family has warned me to be careful about talking to strangers." 

"Speaking from experience?" Misaki hummed. 

"Y-Yeah," Mikey admitted, completely embarrassed. 

"Fair enough, and that's a good lesson too," the woman nodded. "But I can assure you, your secrets are safe with me. I'm not one to blabber about anything." 

She turned to the ladies and added, "Isn't that right, girls?"

"Hai," The ladies answered and bowed in unison.

"You see? I won't force you to say anything, but if you want to answer my question, you have my word that all conversations we have will stay in this place," Misaki vowed.

"Well... alright," Mikey happily nodded and started talking about his family in the sewers and how it all began. 

Misaki took an interest in the Hamato Clan family, as it added fuel to her revenge plan. She found it amusing how innocently naive Michelangelo was, believing she was opening up to him like a "friend."

After five minutes of Michelangelo rambling on about himself and his family, Misaki nodded slowly and said, "I must say, Michelangelo, your family sounds extraordinary."

"They are," the turtle replied.

"But forgive me for asking: if you four go out in the city at night as a team, why were you all alone when we found you?" Misaki questioned.

Mikey suddenly remembered the mishap that caused his brothers to angrily send him home. He sighed and said, "It's complicated."

"If you wish to continue, do so. I'm more than willing to listen," Misaki shrugged.

"Really? Most people wouldn't listen to me for that long," Mikey pointed out.

"I, for one, am open to any conversation. I am willing to be a shoulder for anyone to pour their emotions into," Misaki spoke with a gentle tone that seeps sincerity to lure him closer to her trap.

Mikey nodded at Misaki and explained the incident that had led him to be alone. After he finished, Misaki responded, "You poor dear. I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt your brothers."

"I didn't, but they just... it sucks that they think I'm just a screw-up," Mikey sighed, crossing his arms in frustration.

"Did they tell you that you're a screw-up?" Misaki tenderly asked, like a mother comforting her sad child.

"No! But... the way they spoke to me..." The turtle sighed.

"Has this sort of thing happened before with your brothers?" Misaki inquired. "I mean, don't they even care about you?"

"I know they do care," Michelangelo nodded, then added, "whenever they don't want to strangle me."

"So again, has this sort of thing happened before?" Misaki repeated her question.

"Not always; we used to work so well as a team when we were younger, but now... I don't know... they never sent me away before as far as I can remember." Michelangelo grumbled, although he recalled the time Raphael was sent away—that's another story.

"Did you apologize to them?" Misaki asked.

"I did, but they were so mad at me that they just..." Mikey groaned, not wanting to discuss it any further.

"I understand," Misaki nodded. "I'm sure your brothers won't be mad at you forever. Besides, you're their little brother; surely they love you too, don't they?"

Michelangelo did love his brothers, and he was sure they loved him as well, but lately he had sometimes felt unwanted or disrespected by them, even when he wasn't being the devilish prankster who got on people's nerves for the sake of being funny.

"Yeah, I know they do," Michelangelo responded.

"Maybe try apologizing to them when they calm down. I'm sure they'll forgive you," Misaki advised.

"Sure," Mikey nodded, then checked the time on his T-Phone. "Look, this has been fun, but I have to go home. My brothers will be wondering where I am."

"Very well. I hope you find your way back safely," Misaki replied.

"I will; I have my ways," Michelangelo chuckled.

"Now, Mikey, since I kept our conversation between us, I must ask if you can keep this place just between the two of us," Misaki said, much to Mikey's confusion.

"I don't mean any disrespect, but if anyone sees you in this place or any other mutants in the city, it will become a hot spot for monster hunters and other kinds of people, and the last thing I want is a group of mad scientists or private agents busting down my door."

"I get it," Mikey replied, then politely bowed to her. "Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"Excellent! That being said, please don't be a stranger," Misaki kindly smiled. "You're more than welcome to visit me anytime you like, should you ever need a friend to talk to."

"Aww, thank you! I'll keep that in mind," Mikey happily responded, waving goodbye to the lady. "It was nice meeting you, and thanks for the tea."

Misaki waved goodbye to the turtle as he left the building and entered the sewers through the large pipe by the lake. Soon, one of the ladies in waiting approached Misaki, and she frowned at her.

"Did you do as I asked?" Misaki inquired.

"Yes, ma'am! I laced his cup with tiny shreds of poison. It won't be enough to kill him, but it'll slowly make him sick," the lady in waiting replied.

"Excellent," Misaki wickedly giggled.

"Why not just kill him now and lure the other mutants to us?" another lady in waiting questioned her leader.

"Now, now, my dears; we mustn't rush this... all good things come to those who wait," Misaki responded, grinning evilly at them.

--------

Back at the turtle's lair, Leonardo paced back and forth, worried that Michelangelo wouldn't be home when they returned. 

"I'm telling you, Leo, he's fine," Raphael tried to reason with him while focusing on the TV. 

"Yeah, and what if he isn't? How can you just watch TV knowing our baby brother is out there alone?" Leonardo firmly responded. 

"You're being overdramatic; it's just Mikey. He's probably wandering around the sewers looking for junk. It's not the first time this has happened," Raphael yawned. 

Leo frowned at Raphael's careless attitude, just as Donatello exited his lab with his T-Phone. "I've tracked Mikey; he seems to be on his way back," he said. 

"Told you," Raphael called out. 

Soon, they looked over at the entrance and saw Mikey walking in, eliciting a rush from Leo and Donnie. 

"Mikey, where have you been?" Donnie asked, concern in his voice. 

"You were supposed to stay put here," Leo scolded him. 

"Sorry... I was just..." Mikey mumbled. 

He recalled the promise he made to Misaki, quickly making up an excuse. "I... um..." 

"Well, what? Spit it out," Raphael demanded as he joined the others. 

"I was just bored and went out to look for cool stuff," Mikey mumbled. 

"See? I told you," Raphael shrugged. "Nothing to worry about." 

Leonardo stepped forward to Mikey, who had taken a step back from his elder brother. Leo sadly said, "Mikey, about tonight..." 

"I know; I messed up, and I'm really sorry," Mikey hastily apologized. 

"We know, but what we're trying to say is that we're sorry too," Leo said apologetically. 

"What do you mean we're sorry?" Raphael exaggerated, annoyance creeping into his tone. 

"You know why, Raph!" Donnie argued back. 

"What? It's not our fault he needs to stop screwing around like the moron he is," Raphael countered. 

"It doesn't matter; we shouldn't have sent him off," Leo snapped, then sighed and corrected himself to Mikey. "I shouldn't have sent you off like that. I'm really sorry, Mikey." 

Mikey couldn't tell if the guilt that often burdened his brothers, especially Leo and Donnie, was genuine or if Splinter had reprimanded them for not working as a team. 

"Splinter told you all off, didn't he?" Mikey sighed. 

"Well, he wasn't too happy when he wanted to know why we came back without you," Donnie admitted awkwardly as he rubbed his arm. 

Mikey wanted to believe they felt bad and were genuinely sorry for being too hard on him. However, a part of him worried that their remorse was solely based on Splinter's anger towards them. 

For the moment, he didn't want to cause any trouble, so he smiled and said, "It's okay, bros. I forgive you." 

"Thanks, Mikey," Leo said sincerely, patting his little brother gently on the head. 

"Yeah, thanks, Mikey, and we're sorry again," Donnie added, apologizing once more. 

Raphael groaned, unable to believe they were just sucking up to Mikey again. Donnie squared his shoulders and firmly spoke to Raphael, "We're sorry, aren't we?" 

Raphael sighed and finally said to Mikey, "I'm sorry, okay?" 

"It's okay, Raphie," Mikey giggled. 

"Stop calling me that," Raphael grunted with his arms crossed. 

"Well, I'm off to bed. Good night, guys," Mikey yawned as he headed to his room. 

"Good night, Mikey," both Leo and Donnie called out. 

"Night," Raphael mumbled. 

As Mikey lay on his bed, he tried to sleep, but his thoughts kept him awake. He looked sadly at a photo capturing a happier time with his brothers. 

Tonight, he felt hurt for messing up and being sent away because of it, even though he enjoyed meeting Misaki Towa. There was something about her that brought him comfort—someone who would listen and enjoy his company. 

Now, all Mikey could think about was not wanting to mess things up with his family again, as a haunting question echoed in his mind before he finally fell asleep.

Don't they even care about me?

--------

The next morning, Michelangelo woke up earlier than expected, feeling strangely unwell. He wasn't sure why, but his body felt like it had caught a small chill, and his mouth was dry. After coughing a few times, he drank some water from his glass, which helped the uncomfortable feeling subside for a bit.

"Urgh, that was strange. I must have put something wrong in that pizza last night," the young turtle yawned.

He stretched before making his way to the kitchen to cook something for his brothers, as usual. It wasn't long before Splinter entered the kitchen and was surprised to see his youngest son up so early.

"Good morning, my son," Splinter greeted.

"Morning, Sensei," Mikey replied softly while cooking.

Splinter approached him and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just... woke up early, I guess," the young turtle shrugged, giving Splinter a warm smile.

However, Splinter began to worry that Mikey was still upset about the previous night. He gently addressed the issue: "My son, about last night..."

"I know, I made a terrible mistake, I should've listened and handled the situation better; it was my fault," Mikey apologized.

"Don't be sorry. Mistakes happen, but what your brothers did last night was inexcusable. You are part of the team, and the team must stick together no matter what," Splinter explained while stroking the back of Mikey's head.

Michelangelo would rather forget about last night and move on. "Well, they apologized to me in the end, so it's all good," he replied.

"As they should," Splinter nodded. "I was furious to learn what happened after they came back without you."

"You mean you were worried about me?" Mikey asked, surprised.

He wasn't sure why he asked that. Of course, Splinter would be worried, but lately, Mikey ponders if Splinter was truly fond or even proud to have him as his student, or even as his own son.

"Of course I was. I was worried that something might happen to you," Splinter said, looking at his son with sad eyes.

"S-Sorry, I guess that was a stupid question," Mikey rambled, mentally scolding himself. 

Way to blabber on, idiot.

Just then, the rest of the turtles began waking up and heading to the kitchen, surprised to see Mikey up so early.

"Wow, you're up early, Mikey," Leo greeted his little brother.

"Morning, guys," Michelangelo replied.

"Morning," Raph yawned.

"Morning, Sensei," Donatello greeted their father.

"Morning, boys. I hope you three talked it out with your little brother," Splinter reminded them, eyeing the three older sons rather sternly.

"We did, Sensei," Leo nodded.

"We apologized," Donatello added.

"I told you they did," Mikey pointed out.

"Very well. But rest assured, should anything like that happen again, there WILL be trouble," Splinter warned.

"I don't see what the big deal is. Raph was sent back by Leo years ago when we first started going up to the surface," Mikey argued.

"Do we have to talk about that?" Raphael groaned.

"Yes, and I was disappointed in Leo, too, that night. But the point is, the way you three behaved toward your brother last night was unacceptable," Splinter firmly explained. "Regardless of the accident, you shouldn't have sent Michelangelo away all by himself."

"It was my fault, Sensei; I messed up," Mikey tried to excuse his three brothers' behavior.

"Well, that's a first, and he isn't wrong," Raphael agreed.

"YAME!" Splinter scolded Raphael.

"Yes, but at least you apologized, and we know you didn't mean to," Leonardo nodded at Mikey.

"Well, not everyone," Donnie grumbled, eyeing Raphael.

"Shut up," Raphael scoffed. "You blamed him, too."

"Boys, you must remember this: each of you has strengths and weaknesses. You must work together to balance your strengths, because if one of you falls, then the whole family falls together," Splinter advised the boys regarding their teamwork.

"Hai, Sensei," the turtles replied in unison.

"Good," Splinter nodded. "Now, once breakfast is done, we will start today's training in an hour."

Michelangelo soon served breakfast to the family. His brothers thanked him, but lately, their gratitude felt more monotone than generous. Nevertheless, Mikey shrugged it off, hoping today would be better than yesterday.

In the dojo, the turtles practiced sparring with one another. Michelangelo faced Leonardo this time and gave it his all to win the fight. Unfortunately, Leo was the strongest among them and ultimately won, pinning Mikey down with his foot on his younger brother's shell.

"Hey, you did your best," Leo said, helping Mikey up.

"Geez, where was this support last night?" Mikey thought sarcastically.

Next, Donatello prepared to spar with Mikey. It was usually a 50/50 outcome in their matches, but Donatello, being the smartest turtle, always seemed one step ahead. Soon, Mikey found himself defeated again.

He sighed in disappointment, but Donnie helped him back to his feet and said, "It was a good try; you did alright."

"If only you had told me that last night," Mikey thought sadly, but he forced a smile and gave Donnie a thumbs-up.

The final sparring match was between Mikey and Raphael, and it was clear that Mikey was fated to lose. Raph wasted no time getting the better of him. "Okay, Mikey, we all know how this goes. Why don't you call it quits and end training here?"

"You know I'm not a quitter, Raphie. Bring it on!" Mikey replied with determination as he charged at Raph.

"When will you ever learn?" Raphael scoffed, easily besting him in the blink of an eye.

After being bested by his brothers once again, Mikey stood with the others in disappointment.

Splinter looked at Michelangelo and said, "Michelangelo, stand in the battle position; I will be your next opponent."

Mikey gulped, knowing he was no match for his sensei, but he positioned himself anyway as Splinter took his stance on the opposite side.

"Michelangelo, use the techniques I have trained you in, and do not be afraid to fight me with full effort. You are a ninja, and I want your brothers to remember that," Splinter encouraged him.

"Hai, Sensei," Michelangelo nodded.

"This'll be good to watch," Raphael chuckled.

"Have some faith in Mikey, will you?" Donatello rolled his eyes at Raph.

"I do have faith in him... in failing," Raphael replied with a smug grin.

"Quiet," Leonardo hushed the two.

Soon, Splinter and Mikey began to spar. To the boys' surprise, Mikey was fighting longer than they expected.

"Wow, he's still going," Leo remarked.

"Give it time," Raphael shrugged.

The two fighters clashed as Mikey struggled to overpower his sensei.

"You're doing well, my son, but I sense you are holding back. Don't let your worries steal your focus and strength," Splinter said while sparring.

Mikey eventually managed to sweep Splinter off his feet with a low kick. The trio gasped in astonishment and shock as Splinter fell with a loud thump, letting out a painful grunt.

Realizing what he had just done, Mikey panicked and exclaimed, "Sensei! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"

As soon as Mikey tries to help his dad, the rat sensei grabs him and judo-flips him to the ground, pinning his arms and legs with his own. 

"You had quite the advantage, my son, but never let your guard down like that. If it had been someone stronger than I, you could have gotten hurt," Splinter informed him before he smiled and added:

"Still, I appreciate your concern, son."

Mikey looked down, feeling like he had failed the battle. He sighed, "I just thought... I thought I really hurt you back there."

"Oh, please, you couldn't even harm a fly," Raphael laughed.

"Silence!" Splinter firmly silenced Raph. "You three can go now."

Leo, Donnie, and Raph left the dojo as Splinter helped Michelangelo to his feet and placed a paw on his shoulder. 

"My son, you may not have won the battle, but I am very impressed with how far you've come in your training."

"And yet I need to remain focused and not let my worries affect me. I know, Sensei, I'm trying," Mikey sighed.

"What's troubling you, my son?" Splinter asked with concern.

"I feel like I'm messing things up with my brothers lately, and it sucks to feel like a failure to them," Mikey explained.

"You're not a failure, Michelangelo. Sometimes you make mistakes, but you need to learn from them. I agree that your brothers can act unkindly, but I believe they're only trying to help you," Splinter comforted his young son.

"How do you know, Sensei? You're not the one who gets picked on or called names, or who gets mad because of those mistakes," Mikey softly argued, trying to avoid lashing out at his father.

"I will agree that your brothers can be unfair, and I disapprove of their behavior, but deep down, I know they love you very much. They want to protect you and help you succeed alongside them. Believe me, Michelangelo, they do not hate you," Splinter assured him. 

"You cannot let their words affect you. Let them wash over you like a river over stone; you are stronger than you think."

Mikey looked up at Splinter, the one person he believed in completely. He loved him dearly and wanted nothing more than to make his father proud. 

"Okay, Sensei," Michelangelo replied, smiling at his dad.

Splinter smiled back and hugged his young son for a moment before dismissing him from training. As Mikey left the dojo, a worrying thought crossed his mind: What if he would never be a great ninja like his brothers? What if Splinter's words weren't true, and his brothers didn't really love him?

Mikey suddenly shook those thoughts off and looked dumbfounded. "Wait, why am I thinking like this?"

He went to his room and read a comic. Just then, he felt a small ache in his head, which distracted him from the story. He held his head and groaned, 

"What is wrong with me?"

Chapter Text

Later that night, the turtles were preparing for another patrol when Leo knocked on Mikey's bedroom door. 

"Mikey, we're ready to head out. Are you coming?" 

"No thanks," Mikey called from the other side. 

Leo felt confused; Mikey usually looked forward to going to the surface every night. Hearing him say "no thanks" raised concerns for Leo, prompting him to check on his younger brother. 

"Mikey? Are you okay?" Leo asked as he peeked into the room. 

Mikey was sitting on his bed, playing with Ice Cream Kitty in her bowl. 

"What's wrong, buddy?" Leo inquired with concern. 

"It's nothing, dude; I just want to spend some time with Ice Cream Kitty," Mikey brushed him off. 

"Come on, Mikey! Quit stalling and let's go!" Raph impatiently called out from the other room. 

"Looks like he's backing out of this patrol," Leo pointed out. 

"Seriously?" Raphael asked, surprised. 

Donatello overheard the conversation and looked at Mikey curiously. "Are you alright, Mikey?" 

"Yeah, I'm just not feeling it tonight, you know?" Mikey nodded. 

"Are you feeling sick or something?" Donnie quickly asked, adopting his doctor tone. 

"This is Mikey we're talking about," Raphael joked, poking fun at his younger brother. 

Leonardo frowned, and Donnie rolled his eyes in annoyance before Mikey spoke up again. 

"I just feel like having a me night with just Kitty and me. Is that okay?" 

In truth, Mikey didn't want to go out on patrol because he worried that he would mess up again and irritate his brothers, leading them to send him away. So instead of risking another bad night, he decided to stay in tonight and avoid trouble. 

"I'll be fine; just go on without me," Mikey assured them, giving a thumbs up. 

The other brothers exchanged glances before Leo nodded slowly. "Alright, Mikey, you just rest easy tonight." 

"Fine, bye! Let's go!" Raphael cheered, being the first to leave for the surface. 

Soon, the three older turtles left for patrol while the youngest remained in his room. Ice Cream Kitty meowed in concern for her owner, but Mikey gently scratched her chin to calm her. 

"I'm alright, Kitty; I just don't want to mess up again. If I do, they'll send me back home," he confessed. 

After watching his favorite show, *Crognard the Barbarian*, for about an hour, he noticed that Ice Cream Kitty was melting and quickly put her back in the freezer to rest. However, after a while of boredom, Mikey decided to sneak out of the lair and wander around the sewers. 

Before long, he came across a familiar path he recognized from the previous night, after his encounter with the kind woman who had "saved" him from the lake. 

Misaki Towa.

Mikey thought about visiting her again if she wasn't busy. He soon followed the path that led to Central Park, where Misaki's home was located, and as he approached, he peered out from behind a large pipe to make sure no one spotted him.

He sneaked up to the front door and rang the bell, hoping that Misaki or one of her attendants would answer. Sure enough, one of Misaki's ladies-in-waiting answered the door and immediately recognized him.

"Oh, you again," she softly greeted.

"Hi," Mikey timidly replied. "I'm sorry if I'm coming at a bad time, but is Ms. Towa home?"

The woman gestured for Mikey to come in, and he politely thanked her as he entered the building. She led him to the front sliding door of the judo room and said, "Wait here."

As Mikey waited outside, the lady-in-waiting entered the room to inform her leader that Michelangelo had returned, much to Misaki's pleasure.

"Send him in," the female leader ordered her attendant.

Mikey looked at the huge spider symbol on the door and found it impressive yet a bit eerie. Moments later, the lady-in-waiting returned and motioned for him to come in.

Mikey stepped inside the judo room and saw Misaki Towa kneeling at her usual spot by the jade table.

"Ah, Michelangelo! Welcome back!" Misaki sweetly greeted him like an old friend.

"Thank you! It's good to see you again," Mikey replied happily as he knelt beside her, turning to wave at the other ladies in waiting.

"I'm surprised to see you decided to visit me again, Michelangelo. Most people don't," Misaki said.

"Well, I got bored tonight and thought it would be okay to visit you again. After all, you said I'm more than welcome anytime," Michelangelo answered, blushing.

"Indeed, you are, my friend," Misaki giggled.

"So... how was your day?" Michelangelo nervously asked, knowing he wasn't great at small talk.

"Not bad. We had a few tourists wanting to learn about our history. Nevertheless, my day was quite peaceful," Misaki replied.

"Cool," Mikey nodded.

"And how was your day?" Misaki asked him in return.

Mikey hesitated, unsure if he should be honest, as he was concerned about worrying her with his troubles. So he put on a wide grin and said, "It was great."

Misaki noticed his forced grin and smiled knowingly. "I see. And how are your brothers?"

"Oh, they're... great," Mikey sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"You seem hesitant, dear. Is something the matter?" Misaki asked sweetly.

"Not really," Mikey shook his head.

"Then I take it they apologized for how they behaved last night," Misaki said.

"Actually, they did apologize," Mikey responded.

"That's good to hear that your brothers are sorry," Misaki nodded.

"True, but it was kind of my fault that they were angry with me in the first place," Michelangelo admitted, rubbing his shoulder softly.

"It doesn't matter if it was an accident or not; your brothers should not have sent you away like that," Misaki replied.

"You sound like my pops; he said the same thing," Mikey chuckled.

"Is that so?" Misaki giggled.

"Yep," the turtle nodded.

Misaki sensed doubt and worry within him as she said, "If there is anything truly worrying you, you're more than welcome to talk to me about it."

"Ms. Towa?" Mikey asked in confusion.

"You can call me Misaki, sweetie," Misaki kindly replied. "I understand we just met yesterday, and we don't know much about each other, but I'm the kind of woman who wants to help those in need; it's in my nature. Just like I did with my girls, I wish to help anyone who worries, like you do, Mikey."

"What makes you think I'm worried about something, Ms. Towa?" The nervous mutant twiddled his turtle fingers. "I-I mean, Misaki, sorry!"

"Because the way you're expressing yourself reminds me of issues I've seen before. Your problems with your brothers that you mentioned last night reminded me of my family and my relationship with my sisters," Misaki responded.

"Your sisters?" Mikey asked, surprised.

"Yes, I have two older sisters, and I am the youngest. We used to get along, but we grew apart years ago because they saw me as nothing but a useless sister," Misaki said sadly.

Deep down, Misaki was lying; she was an only child. She spun this tale to draw Mikey closer, hoping to become a kindred spirit to him, and it seemed to be working in her favor.

"I'm... I'm sorry to hear that," Mikey said apologetically.

"Don't be. It's their fault they can't accept who I was and that they didn't want anything to do with me," Misaki sighed.

"It's just... my brothers are kind of like that too," Mikey pointed out sadly.

"I can tell," Misaki nodded while gently stroking Mikey's head. "Do you want to talk to me about it, darling?"

"I might bore you." Mikey politely shook his head.

"Nonsense; I'm all ears," Misaki sweetly insisted before turning to the ladies in waiting. "Redīsu, ocha."

The ladies bowed, and two of them left to prepare Misaki's "special" tea, with a small touch of poison to continue poisoning the unsuspecting turtle.

Michelangelo took a sip of the tea that Misaki poured for him, shook his head after drinking it, and said, "This has a weird aftertaste."

"Most teas do have a strange aftertaste, but you'll get used to it," Misaki shrugged, hiding the fact that Mikey had consumed a smaller dose of poison—just enough to make him ill.

"Now, your brothers... I assume you all get along?" she asked about the turtles.

"Well, we did most of the time, but..." Mikey shrugged.

"But?" Misaki looked up at the unsure hero.

"I don't want to speak out against my brothers; I don't want to make them look horrible or anything. They're not; they're awesome bros! It's just lately, I feel like I'm not being a good brother," Mikey explained.

"Why do you say that?" Misaki softly questioned the turtle.

"I guess it's because I've been screwing up and making decisions that either anger or annoy them. I mean, sure, I tend to be a goof and prank them often to have fun and sometimes loosen them up, but I never really meant to upset or hurt them," Mikey continued.

"Surely they must understand that you don't mean to cause mishaps and that you do try your very best, don't they?" Misaki tenderly asked, trying to pry open his misfortunes to exploit them for her purposes.

"I don't think they do... lately, I feel like I'm just an idiot to them," Mikey sighed honestly.

"Now that can't be true," Misaki shook her head. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know; maybe not, but..." Mikey was at a loss for words.

"Tell me everything about your brothers. How do you feel they each treat you?" Misaki sweetly pressed on, taking on a motherly tone.

Mikey looked up at Misaki with doubt, but she smiled warmly and reassured him, "I promise I won't say a word to anyone about this; you have my word." There was something about Misaki that made Mikey feel comfortable opening up about his feelings, which was rare for him.

He explained how each of his brothers had been acting lately. Leonardo was constantly scolding and yelling at him for his mistakes, lecturing him every night to do better. Donatello was sarcastic about Mikey's lack of intelligence and often got annoyed with him for spending too much time in his lab, warning him not to break anything. And then there was Raphael, who he felt treated him like a punching bag, bullying him most of the time.

The more Misaki listened, the more she seemed to absorb ammunition for using Michelangelo against Hamato Yoshi and the turtles. She gently petted Mikey's head when he finished and sighed, "You poor dear; it sounds like your brothers don't really appreciate you, do they?"

"I don't know; I can't be too sure if they're right about me lately," Mikey shrugged sadly.

"I feel your worries and your pain, my dear," Misaki comforted him.

"How so?" Mikey asked.

"Because my sisters were just like your brothers," Misaki revealed, explaining, "Just because they were bigger and stronger than me, they thought they could boss me around and pick on me about how weak and naive I was as a little girl. My sisters never cared for my well-being and treated me like a complete joke."

Mikey was shocked to hear this, recognizing that her experience mirrored his own feelings about his older brothers. 

"Surely they must have loved you," he tried to comfort her.

"I wish... but alas, they never did," Misaki scoffed. "They were always jealous of me because I was the creative one with great talent, and they never took my accomplishments seriously. They never believed anything I said, they hurt me with their words and physical abuse, and most of all, they always called me useless and a screw-up."

Each toxic word Misaki spoke made Michelangelo shudder in disbelief as he realized he had found someone who understood the pain and sadness he felt. "It's the same with you and your brothers, isn't it, Mikey?" Misaki coldly questioned the stunned turtle.

"Yes... it is... I just..." Mikey gasped before starting to vent. "I just want to stop being a screw-up! I want to be a better ninja and brother, but no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to do it."

"I guess we're not so different, huh?" Misaki sighed sadly.

"No, we're not," Mikey agreed, feeling down.

"You know... I can help you become a better ninja, if you wish," Misaki offered.

"How?" Mikey asked, curious.

"Believe it or not, my family was part of a ninja clan before I became a geisha, and I know a few tricks up my sleeve," Misaki explained.

"If you can help me improve, I would be really grateful," Mikey begged, feeling a glimmer of hope.

"Are you sure you want my advice to help you?" Misaki questioned.

"I'll do anything to make my brothers and even my dad happy," Mikey nodded, filled with determination.

"Then listen carefully, my child. To be the perfect ninja, you must do as I do and prove those who doubted you wrong," Misaki replied.

"How do I do that?" Mikey asked.

"Our siblings always complain that we should grow up... well... that's what I did, and I believe that's what you should do too, my child," Misaki answered.

"Grow up?" Mikey asked, confused.

"Yes. My sisters always say I'm too childish with my many ridiculous fantasies. I proved them wrong by giving it all up and becoming the strong warrior I am today," Misaki explained.

"So, to be a strong warrior, I must... give up everything my brothers consider childish?" Mikey asked anxiously.

"Sadly, yes. Only then will you begin to prove them wrong that you are not a childish fool," Misaki nodded.

Mikey didn't want to give up everything he loved just because his brothers found it annoying. He hesitated as the villain gently stood up and said, "I know it's hard, Mikey, but you need to understand that the best way to become better is to depend on yourself, just like I did."

"But..." Misaki soon hushed Mikey.

"It will be hard, I get it." She then looked away and slyly added, "Besides, aren't you tired of your family just tossing you aside for their so-called better things?"

"I guess," Mikey shrugged, although he felt tired of being pushed around by his condescending brothers ever since they were little.

"We're not so different, you and I, Michelangelo," Misaki said as she approached him and cupped his face softly. "Underappreciated, disrespected, pushed aside, and especially unloved; always misunderstood and frowned upon because we're different."

Soon, the ladies-in-waiting surrounded Mikey. Misaki then said, "My girls went through the same things we did."

"My brother wanted me to be a boy instead of a girl, so he treats me like I'm invisible," one girl said sadly.

"My parents dote on my older sister as the important child of the family; I was considered an accident," another girl vented.

"I was abandoned by my mother when I was born. She didn't want to raise me and left me in an orphanage," a third girl added miserably.

"My siblings were always jealous that I was better at things than they were and would guilt-trip me into giving up my dreams and goals," a fourth girl spoke out.

"That's horrible!" Mikey gasped. "I'm so sorry you all went through such ordeals."

"And we're sorry you're going through the same thing too," Misaki apologized. "It pains me to say it, but I fear that someday your family will abandon you without any care in the world."

Mikey looked up at the concerned mistress and whimpered, "My brothers would never abandon me... They love me... I know they do."

"I hope you're right, Michelangelo. I would hate to see you end up like me. But I must warn you now: be prepared for anything. You never know what might happen next if your brothers never give you a chance," Misaki sighed.

Eventually, Michelangelo became too anxious to continue listening. He took a step back and stuttered, "I-I best be off. I'll see you later... I guess!"

As Mikey quickly fled, Misaki desperately reached her hand out to him and cried out, "Michelangelo!"

But Michelangelo kept running, and Misaki just grinned evilly, saying, "You can run, but you can't escape the reality before you."

--------

The turtle rushed back into the sewers as fast as he could, his heart racing and his breath coming in cold, shuddering pants. He tripped and fell into a puddle in the pipe. 

As he lifted his head, he caught sight of his reflection in a puddle. He suddenly noticed his eyes looked a little bloodshot. Shaking off the moment, he continued running back home.

He felt a wave of fear at how similar he and Misaki were, especially after what she said about growing up and leaving everything he loved behind—becoming nothing but a lone warrior who depended only on himself. 

Mikey refused to believe that his brothers didn't care about him or thought of him as a useless screw-up.

It took a while, but Mikey eventually made it home before his brothers this time. Splinter seems to be asleep or meditating in the dojo for all the turtle knows.

It was the middle of the night, and although he thought about going to bed, he felt a strange, uneasy sensation in his stomach. 

He was unaware that the poison was still in his system and harming his body. Assuming he just needed a midnight snack, he was about to head to the kitchen when he heard his brothers returning, prompting him to hide in his room.

"Well, I have to say that was a very successful patrol tonight," Leo said to the other two turtles.

"Yeah, it was so quiet and peaceful, and we didn't even get spotted once," Donatello added.

"And the best part? No Mikey around to mess things up," Raph smirked proudly at his brothers.

"Really, Raph?" Leo sighed in disapproval.

"What? You guys think the same way," Raph shrugged. "I'm just saying tonight was better than last night."

"Look, last night wasn't one of our best nights. Besides, Mikey only made a simple mistake, and we were total jerks to him," Leo replied, still feeling ashamed of his behavior the previous night.

"And yet that simple mistake nearly got us squashed by a van door," Raph pointed out.

"Sssh! He might still be awake." Donnie firmly hushed Raphael.

The brothers soon went to check on Mikey but found him in bed, quiet as a mouse with his eyes shut.

"He's asleep," Leo sighed in relief.

"So? Does it matter if he heard us or not?" Raph scoffed as he left the room.

"Of course it matters, Raph!" Leo hissed. "He may not be the best sometimes, but he's still our little brother, and I won't let you speak ill of him like that!"

"He's right, Raph. You really do come across as harsh towards him," Donnie argued.

"You know what? You guys are nothing but a bunch of hypocrites," Raph shook his head.

"Excuse me?" Leo angrily questioned the hothead.

"You all act like I'm the heartless one toward Mikey, but who are you kidding? You think and say the same things to him that I do at times! And, oh wait! Remind me, who was the one who sent him home over a 'simple mistake' in the first place?" Raph argued, getting in Leo's face.

Leo glared at Raph but responded calmly, "I did... but I'm sorry for what I did."

"So you're sorry?" Raph asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, and so were you, remember?" Leo pointed out, his voice rising.

"Please! You were only sorry because Splinter got mad at you," Raph shot back.

"Oh, and you didn't feel bad?" Leo retorted.

"No! I don't! Honestly, I hope that gave the moron the wake-up call he deserves," Raph spat out defiantly.

"That's enough, Raph," Leo scolded. "You can pretend not to care about Mikey, but deep down, I know you care about him more than anything in this world."

"You're practically Mikey's hero, Raph, and yet you treat him like he's just a piece of garbage on your foot," Donnie pointed out, crossing his arms.

Raphael remained silent, looking down. He didn't hate Mikey—not at all—but there were times when he was frustrated with his little brother for messing things up or pulling silly jokes. 

He grumbled, "I'm just saying Mikey should stop screwing things up when we're trying to get things done."

"So do we, Raph, but calling him names and threatening him with violence isn't going to change anything. You need to have faith in him, just like Splinter does," Leo responded calmly, still keeping a firm stance against his hot-headed brother.

"Splinter, having faith in Mikey? That's the real question of the day," Raph rolled his eyes.

"Oh no, I can see where this is going, so you'd better drop it," Donnie warned Raph.

"Are you kidding? Remember how he said that stopping the Triceratons was more important than saving Mikey after they captured him?" Raph stated firmly.

"He had his reasons. Besides, we had to stop them from destroying the Earth with that black hole generator," Leo tried to reason with Raph.

"That may be true, but the way he sounded back there made it seem like he didn't care about Mikey's well-being." Donnie uncomfortably stated.

"Yeah, or what about that time when Mikey was actually right about something? What did he say again? I can't believe I'm saying this, either!" Raph continued, arms crossed.

"Or how about when he told you that making Mikey a leader would be a mistake? Not that I disagree with that," Donnie added.

"Will you both stop it?! Splinter loves us—all of us! You're making him sound heartless," Leo snapped at his brothers.

"I'm just saying Splinter has a valid point about Mikey," Raph argued back.

"And what point is that?!" Leo demanded.

"Mikey needs to stop being an immature idiot and grow up! Is that too much to ask? Unfortunately, I think it is," Raph angrily responded.

The room fell silent, each word making Mikey feel colder inside, his eyes stinging to the point of near tears.

"Okay...so maybe he should grow up, but we can't be jerks about it to him," Leo replied, crossing his arms firmly at Raph.

"Whatever, I'm off to bed." Raph rolled his eyes and left for his bedroom.

"He can be such an arse." Donnie shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with him, but he does have a point; Mikey is nearly eighteen. He's not a child anymore," Leo sighed.

"He's basically a manchild, by definition," Donatello replied.

"He needs to learn that one of these days, his antics will get us all into big trouble, and he'll end up regretting it. He needs to stop messing around and act his age," Leo explained as he and Donnie left the living room.

"It'll take a miracle for Mikey to grow up, though," Donnie sighed, following Leo.

Mikey couldn't believe what he had just heard. Misaki was right; they all thought he was just a childish screw-up. To make matters worse, even his father thought he was just a foolish excuse of a ninja. 

This realization made the poor turtle whimper sadly as he lay in bed, feeling too depressed to sleep properly that night. 

"Misaki was right... I need to grow up... I don't want to be a screw-up anymore," Mikey miserably whispered to himself.

Chapter Text

FLASHBACK: YEARS AGO

Somewhere deep under the city sewers, many years ago, a quartet of small turtles was asleep in a bed. All except for one little turtle with bright blue eyes, who was reading a comic that he found in the sewers.

Just then, he heard whimpering from behind him as he turned to see Leo tossing and turning in his sleep.

"S-Sensei!" The poor sleeping turtle whimpered.

Soon, Raph was awakened by Leo's movement, and he groaned, "Leo, knock it off."

"Sensei!" Leo cried in his sleep, which woke Donnie up from the noise.

"Leo?" Donnie yawned.

Mikey immediately rushes to his big brother's side and gently shakes him awake as the eldest wakes up gasping and shivering.

"Leo? Leo, it's OK," The youngest gently hushed his big brother.

"M-Mikey?" Leo shuddered.

"You had a bad dream," said Mikey.

"I-I'm OK," Leo sighed.

"You were crying out for Papa," Mikey pointed out.

"That does sound like a bad dream to me," Donnie agreed.

"Will ya both shut up? I'm trying to sleep,'' Raph groaned.

"Shame on you, Raphie! Can't you see Leo had a nightmare?" Mikey scolded the second eldest.

"Don't call me Raphie," Raph grumbled.

Mikey just scoots closer to Leo and cuddles him, "Do you wanna tell me about it?"

"I just dreamed that...we lost sensei and...we were all alone," Leo sadly explained about the nightmare.

"That is scary," Donnie gulped. "What if we do lose sensei and we end up being alone?"

"Stop talking stupid," Raph snapped, as he didn't want to admit that it scared him, too.

"Guys, it's OK. Papa is a powerful fighter, and I know he won't leave us ever," Mikey comforted his brothers.

"How do you know, Mikey?" Leo sadly asked.

"Because Papa loves us, and he always tells us that he'll be there for us no matter what," Mikey happily replied as he stroked Leo's shell for comfort.

"Thanks, Mikey," Leo thanked as he smiled at Mikey.

"Now c'mon; let's go back to sleep and let's dream of awesome things." Mikey giggled.

"If you start singing that song, Mikey, I swear..." Raph yawned, but secretly, he didn't mind Mikey's lullaby.

Mikey smiles as he cuddles Leo once more while lying down and sweetly sings:

YOUNG MIKEY:

Come stop your cryin' it'll be alright

Just take my hand, hold it tight

I will protect you from all around you,

I will be here, don't you cry

For one so small, you seem so strong

My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm,

This bond between us can't be broken,

I will be here, don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart,

Yes, you'll be in my heart,

From this day on

Now and forevermore

You'll be in my heart,

No matter what they say,

You'll be here in my heart,

Always...

The kid turtle looks over to see his three older brothers asleep soundly, and he smiles happily that he made his big brothers feel better.

YOUNG MIKEY:

Always...

--------

PRESENT TIME

Michelangelo woke up the next morning, rubbing his head and feeling a strange sensation in his stomach. He rushed to the bathroom and vomited in the toilet. 

Mikey was sweating and panting from the effort before he flushed the toilet and headed to the sink, where he washed his hands and face. Looking in the mirror, he noticed his skin looked a little pale and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. 

"Did I eat something bad?" he groaned, feeling sick. After grabbing a glass of water from his bedroom, he took a drink, which helped ease the odd sensation for now. He yawned and stretched, reminiscing about a dream he had of his brothers when they were kids.

Those were simpler times. They were not yet ninjas, and they got along so well that they were almost inseparable. But now, things had changed; they were no longer kids.

Mikey made his way to the kitchen, where Donatello was reading the newspaper before starting to make breakfast. Mikey began humming a song he used to sing for his brothers, but didn't get far before Donnie groaned, "Mikey, could you please be quiet? I'm trying to read here."

Raphael and Leonardo walked in and took their seats, with Raphael commenting, "Mikey's being annoying again."

"I was just humming that song I used to sing for you guys," Mikey sighed.

"That stupid song? Grow up, Mikey. We're not toddlers anymore," Raphael scoffed.

"Enough!" Leo scolded. He turned to Mikey and asked, "Are you okay, buddy?"

Mikey didn't want to deal with Leo, especially since he had talked badly about him the night before. He just nodded and resumed cooking breakfast.

As he prepared the meal, Mikey reflected on what Misaki and his family had talked about the previous night and came to a realization: Misaki was right. 

Not only her ... Mikey's entire family was right. 

Michelangelo needed to grow up. 

It was time to let go of his world of pure imagination, childhood wonders, and everything else his brothers deemed immature. It pained him to think this way, but he wanted to prove to his family that he could be a great brother, a great team member, and a great ninja.

No more messing up or screwing around! It was time to mature, Mikey thought to himself.

After breakfast with his family, he went to his room and quietly began packing away items he considered childish. He stuffed them into boxes, deciding to throw them out of the lair for good. By the time he was done, his room was almost empty and clean. 

Looking at the boxes one last time, he quietly snuck out of the lair. Mikey made his way to a location filled with old, rotten boxes piled up in a sewer area. 

With a heavy heart, he placed the boxes behind one of the pipes and left them there, vowing never to return to his old, useless ways.

--------

Later in the day, the orange-masked turtle looked around the lair, searching for his brothers or sensei. As usual, they were too busy with their daily lives to wonder what Mikey was doing. He had just left the lair and decided to head back to Misaki.

At the villain's home, the woman was practicing ninjutsu when she heard a bell ringing. She paused her training and took her position near the jade table.

"Enter..." she called out.

The sliding doors opened to reveal her ladies-in-waiting, who let Michelangelo in. She greeted him softly: "Hello, Michelangelo."

"Hi, Misaki," Mikey replied quietly.

The lady allowed the turtle to kneel beside her and sent her ladies-in-waiting away, so they could talk privately. Misaki looked at the turtle, cleverly disguising her concern, and said, "I just want to say that if I offended you in any way last night, I sincerely apologize."

"No... You were right," Mikey said, shaking his head sadly.

"I'm sorry?" Misaki asked, puzzled.

"You were right. I do need to grow up... it's just... after I left last night and this morning..." Mikey began, revealing everything his brothers had said about him when he returned home and how much it negatively affected him.

"I'm very sorry to hear that, my dear. It's terrible for your brothers to say such things," Misaki mustered much sympathy to lure Mikey even closer to her grasp.

"True, but they're not wrong! I'm not a child anymore, and I don't want to screw anything up," the turtle replied.

"I see," the villain nodded.

"I don't want to be a burden to you, but... can you help me? Show me how you train? It could help me become a better ninja," Mikey begged.

"You want me to teach you all about my techniques?" Misaki questioned, looking at the pleading turtle before her.

"Yes! I will do anything! I know it feels rushed, but I feel like you're the only one I can trust. I don't know; you're so kind, thoughtful, and you said you would help those in need... well, I'm in need, more than anything," Mikey desperately pleaded, kneeling and grabbing the bottom of Misaki's kimono dress.

The woman sweetly hushed Michelangelo, helped him to his feet, and embraced him like a mother comforting a depressed child. 

She responded softly, "I will help you, Michelangelo; that's what I do best—helping people in need. I will help you become stronger and better than what your brothers say you are. Just trust in me, and you will accomplish great things. Do you trust me?"

Mikey looked up at the villain, who had won his trust, and nodded as he hugged her back. "I trust you, Misaki."

"Then I will help you," Misaki replied while grinning wickedly at her ladies-in-waiting, knowing that he is at her disposal now.

She then glanced at a heart-shaped necklace with a strange glow inside. This necklace, a gift from Oroku Saki himself, had been given to her long ago. She closed her eyes and thought to herself:

It's going to plan, my love; soon I will destroy the Hamato Clan, they'll all fall one by one...

--------

Over the next few hours, Misaki taught Mikey everything she knew, instilling discipline and commands as the turtle listened and obeyed every word she spoke. 

"Remember, Michelangelo: let your focus remain empty and wide. Let your imagination die, and do not hesitate with your skills. Show no mercy to those who hurt you, for the world out there is cruel—more cruel than your brothers' poisonous words and actions," Misaki instructed the turtle before her.

"I will, Misaki," Mikey panted, maintaining his focus and obeying his friend's commands.

"You are doing very well, and soon you will surpass even your brothers' skills. Remember, rely on no one but yourself to excel and achieve your victories. Be the friendly flower on the outside to the team, but remain the deadly serpent underneath. You are unique, Michelangelo, and soon everyone will see it," Misaki twisted her words, encouraging the turtle to embrace a darker side of himself.

"Yes, Misaki," Michelangelo nodded.

"That will do for now," Misaki concluded the training.

"Thank you, Misaki; I learned a lot from you today," Michelangelo said, happily bowing before her.

The female teacher smiled at her new student and bowed back. "You are most welcome, my dear, but your training is far from complete. We will continue the next time you visit."

"Of course," Mikey nodded, taking a cup of tea handed to him by one of the ladies-in-waiting.

Misaki knew there was no poison in the cup, having chosen not to use it today. She wanted Mikey to feel well for the time being, as the poison still lingered in his system—enough to make him feel sick, but not enough to kill him. Michelangelo drank the tea with Misaki before bidding her farewell for the day and heading home.

One of the ladies approached her mistress. "Sensei, why are we catering to that thing? Shouldn't we kill him now?"

"Patience, my dear, patience," Misaki replied. "Only when he's at his most valuable will we strike. Once he falls, the others will follow."

"And when will that be?" another woman questioned.

"The way we're going, hopefully soon," Misaki sneered in anticipation.

When Michelangelo arrived home, he was not surprised by the sight that greeted him: an empty lair, as if nothing had changed since he left. 

He walked to Raph's room and saw his brother playing with his pet, Chompy. It made Mikey smile a little, knowing that Raph had found a new friend since Spike became Slash. 

Soon, Raph noticed Mikey by the door, grumpily snapping, "Get out of my room, Mikey!"

Mikey sighed and walked away. He went to Leo's room and saw Leo meditating. Mikey was about to speak when Leo strictly spoke, "Not now, Mikey; I'm meditating."

Mikey nodded and left. He approached Donnie's lab and opened the door, but as he looked at his smart brother working on something, he knew that speaking up would only result in Donnie being grumpy for barging in. 

"I told you to knock before entering, Mikey; now what do you want?" Donnie groaned, realizing Mikey had just opened the door.

Mikey sadly looked away and said, "Nothing, bro."

He closed the door, leaving Donnie to continue his work. Feeling a bit queasy, Mikey reflected on whether to visit Splinter in the dojo, but then he remembered that it would probably just be another conversation where he would be reminded that his brothers loved him and that he shouldn't let their behavior affect him. But it did affect him, and not in a good way.

Mikey chose not to go to Splinter, thinking that Splinter could never understand his feelings. After all, wasn't it Splinter who said to Leo that making Mikey a leader would be a mistake, even though he encouraged Mikey that someday, even he might make a good leader if he worked hard enough?

The sad turtle returned to his empty room and lay on the bed, feeling somewhat queasy. He didn't realize the poison was taking effect; he just assumed it was indigestion from a bad pizza or something. 

Michelangelo felt nothing but sadness and anger, thinking that his brothers didn't understand or care about him.

I will show them...I will show them all that I'm not hopeless...I AM a ninja!

--------

Another day has arrived, and strangely enough, for the orange-masked turtle, Michelangelo didn't feel sick, but he did feel a bit off. 

He got out of bed, realizing it was early in the morning again—a rarity for him, as he was never really a morning person. 

Waking up a few times lately at this early hour gave him a weird feeling, making him wonder if he might be starting to grow up and become more responsible, or if there was something else going on in his mind that he couldn't quite put into words.

Nevertheless, he shook off the feeling of confusion and headed straight for the empty kitchen, noticing that everyone was still asleep. He went to the freezer to check on Ice Cream Kitty, whom he hadn't seen in a while. 

Mikey gave his mutated pet whipped cream and warm, melted chocolate, as that was how she stayed alive and healthy. Ice Cream Kitty let out a concerned meow at Mikey, who sighed and said, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to get to you in a while, kitty; lately, I just feel a little down about myself."

Ice Cream Kitty let out a soft meow and licked Mikey, who didn't even bother to lick her back as he normally did. This made the mutated cat more concerned for him, prompting another meow. 

"It's my family... They said awful things about me behind my back, but the sad thing is that they're right. I am a screw-up and a childish idiot. But I'm going to show them that I can be perfect for them," Mikey sighed. 

At that point, Ice Cream Kitty sadly looked at Mikey, understanding that he was feeling depressed, and meowed softly at him. 

"Don't worry, kitty. I'm going to be fine," Mikey assured his pet.

Soon, he placed his pet back in the freezer and closed the door, but not before Ice Cream Kitty let out another sad meow at him. 

The quiet young turtle began to cook breakfast for the family as usual, and it wasn't long before they all woke up, surprised to see Mikey up early again. Splinter and the other turtles exchanged glances, wondering if Mikey was becoming an early bird or if something was wrong.

"Hey, Mikey? Are you alright?" Donatello asked his brother.

Without looking up, Mikey shrugged and replied, "I'm fine, bro,  just making breakfast. Why?"

"Nothing, it's just..." Donatello cleared his throat.

"We're just surprised to see you up early again," Splinter answered for Donnie.

"I see; well, I just couldn't get back to sleep, so I thought I would get up, you know?" the young turtle replied with a shrug. 

Michelangelo soon served breakfast as usual, but something felt off at the dining table. Mikey was quiet and taking his time eating; he usually ate faster and was a bit talkative during breakfast, but this morning, no words or soft chewing noises were coming from him.

This caught the family's attention and left them more confused, especially Raphael, as this was not the Mikey he remembered from the night before. 

Eventually, Mikey noticed his family staring at him, swallowed his food, and asked, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Raphael was about to make a snarky comment, but Splinter halted him and said, "No, son, nothing's wrong."

He looked at the other turtles, who resumed eating before they finished their meals. Mikey collected the plates and washed the dishes.

Splinter soon stood up from the table and said, "Training will begin in an hour, boys."

"Hai, Sensei!" the turtles nodded.

Mikey then approached Splinter and asked, "Sensei? If you don't mind, can I meditate with you before training?"

Donatello spat out his coffee, Leonardo dropped the newspaper he was holding, and Raphael fell off his chair. Did they just hear what they thought they heard? Michelangelo asking to meditate with Splinter? Even Splinter was taken aback by the question. 

Mikey looked at the shocked faces of his brothers and groaned, "What is with you dudes? Why are you all looking at me like that?!"

The boys glanced away, blushing, as Mikey looked up at his father and asked, "Is that okay with you, Sensei?"

Splinter smiled at Mikey and nodded, "Of course you can, son." 

Mikey smiled back and followed Splinter into the dojo, while his brothers watched, confused by their baby brother's strange behavior.

"What the heck was that?!" Raphael exclaimed.

"Um... Mikey just asked Splinter to meditate with him, I guess," Leonardo shrugged.

"But why?! Mikey hates meditating," Raphael pointed out.

"And is it just me, or has Mikey been waking up long before we have lately?" Donatello asked.

"Yeah! He's usually up after us!" Raphael agreed.

"Guys, I think you're both overreacting. Maybe Mikey's just bored and wants something to do to pass the time," Leonardo tried to ease the tension.

"Maybe," Donatello shrugged.

"I don't know, guys; something's up with Mikey," Raphael said, looking suspiciously at the dojo door.

"I'm sure he's fine," Leonardo dismissed Raph's concerns.

In the dojo, Michelangelo was meditating next to Splinter, focusing intently to keep his mind blank and quiet, as if he were in complete darkness. Splinter noticed a change in Mikey's demeanor and felt a bit worried that something was off with his son.

As an hour passed, the trio observed Mikey striving to meditate as quietly as possible. They approached Splinter, and Leo whispered to his father, "Has he been like this for a whole hour?"

"Indeed," Splinter nodded, surprised by the result.

"What's up with him lately? The Mikey I know wouldn't be so quiet during meditation," Donnie thought to himself.

Splinter looked at his silent son, feeling a mix of admiration for Mikey's effort and concern over the disturbance in his chi. It seemed as though the light in Mikey's soul was dimmer than usual.

He cleared his throat, and as Mikey opened his eyes and noticed his brothers and sensei looking at him, he grumbled, "Did I mess up again?"

"On the contrary, Michelangelo, you have done very well," Splinter informed the young turtle. "But training starts now."

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey nodded.

"Now, boys, we will go over the technique run again before we do some sparring," Splinter said.

"Again? Don't we normally do the technique run-through once a week?" Donatello questioned.

"Yes, but this time I want you boys to do it one by one," Splinter replied.

Truth be told, he wanted to observe Michelangelo's performance to see if anything was amiss with the youngest turtle.

"Leonardo, you will go first," Splinter ordered.

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo bowed and assumed his position.

Michelangelo watched as Leo, Donnie, and even Raph took turns performing the technique run. He hoped that this time he could show his brothers that he had improved, thanks to Misaki.

"Michelangelo, it is your turn," Splinter said.

Mikey took a deep breath and recalled Misaki's words: "Let your imagination die and do not hesitate to strike with no mercy."

Abandoning all thoughts, he assumed the position as Splinter banged his cane and shouted commands for Mikey to perform. The young turtle began executing the moves swiftly, with rapid reflexes and perfect timing.

The trio watched in awe as Michelangelo performed faster and more fluidly, nearly as perfectly as they did. The boy did everything he could to strive for perfection as if his life depended on it.

Splinter was impressed and continued to issue commands without hesitation. Eventually, he stopped Mikey by banging his cane and watched as Mikey stood there panting but hardly exhausted. He exhaled slowly and bowed to his sensei.

"Wow! Mikey, that was incredible!" Leo exclaimed.

"Michelangelo, you have greatly improved since the last run; I'm very impressed," Splinter praised the youngest turtle.

"Thank you, Sensei," Mikey bowed to his master.

"That being said, your behavior has been somewhat concerning. Is there anything bothering you at all, my son?" Splinter asked Mikey.

"I don't understand what you mean, Sensei," Mikey said, tilting his head slightly.

"He's wondering why you've been acting so strangely lately," Raphael interjected. "And we're wondering too. What gives, Mikey?"

"I just want to do better in training like y'all do. Is that really a huge problem for you?" Mikey replied, casting a small glance at Raphael.

Raph was about to argue that this wasn't how Mikey usually acted when Splinter interrupted him. "No, my son, it's not a problem at all. But if you need someone to talk to about anything that feels off, you can always come to me."

Someone to talk to? That's a laugh, Mikey thought to himself.

If Splinter can't truly understand how he feels and insists on letting him solve his own problems, then what's the point of talking? Mikey assumed that his sensei would never truly grasp how he felt.

"Of course, Sensei," Mikey bowed again. "I promise I shall make you all proud, no matter what."

This behavior change truly worried Splinter, but rather than pressuring Mikey to open up, he decided to let it go and hoped his son would eventually feel comfortable enough to share.

"Very well," Splinter nodded.

The turtles then assumed their positions to spar with each other, starting with Leonardo versus Michelangelo. As he looked into the eyes of his younger brother, the older siblings couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong with Mikey.

But what was it? Could they be paranoid, or was something genuinely troubling their baby brother?

Chapter Text

After a surprisingly quiet training session, Mikey left the lair and headed to the sewers to resume training with Misaki. As he walked away, Leo called out, "And where do you think you're going?" 

Mikey glanced back, unimpressed by Leo's question, and sighed. "I'm just going treasure hunting in the sewers." 

"Again?" Leonardo asked. 

"Why not? I'm bored," Mikey shrugged, lying to his brothers. 

"Alright, just don't wander off too far, and make sure you have your T-Phone with you," Leo replied.

Mikey didn't respond and left the lair, leaving Leo concerned. Raph crossed his arms and shot a sarcastic remark at Leo. "Still think we're overreacting?" 

"Okay, okay! Maybe something is wrong with Mikey, but we don't know what," Leo groaned, watching his younger brother with concern. 

"Should we follow him?" Donnie suggested. 

Just then, they noticed someone entering the lair—it was their best friend, April O'Neil. 

"Hey, you guys!" April greeted. 

"Um, hi April," Donnie said, nervously chuckling at his crush while waving. Leo and Raph rolled their eyes at the lovesick turtle. 

Noticing Mikey was missing, April asked the trio, "Where's Mikey?" 

"Gone treasure hunting in the sewers again," Raph replied. 

"Right," April nodded, then took a letter out of her bag. "Is Splinter available? I just got a letter this morning from Karai; she must have replied to Splinter's last message." 

"He's meditating at the moment, but if you stick around for a bit, you can give it to him," Leo offered. 

"Of course," April said, putting the letter back in her bag. She noticed the trio looking uneasy and asked, "What's with the long faces?" 

"It's Mikey," Donatello said. 

"What's wrong with him?" April asked, concern filling her voice. 

"Nothing, that's the problem," Raphael replied, exaggerating his shrug. 

April stared at them with a raised eyebrow before Leo explained, "He doesn't seem to be himself lately, and we don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing." 

"How is Mikey not himself?" April questioned. 

"He wakes up early, he's been rather distant from us, and while he's improved in training, there's just something about the way he behaves that doesn't seem right," Donatello explained. 

"Okay, so he wakes up early and has improved in training; why is that a bad thing?" April shrugged. 

"It shouldn't be, but it is to us," Raphael argued. 

"Why?" April asked, still puzzled by their concern. 

"Because that's not how Mikey acts! He's always been a late sleeper, always been the loudest person in the room, and he never asks Splinter to meditate with him—he hates meditation!" Raph complained angrily. 

"Maybe he's just having an off day—people have those," April pointed out.

"It would be the case, but this has happened for the last three days," Donatello responded. 

"You don't think he's still mad at us for that night, do you?" Leonardo questioned his brothers. 

"What night?" April asked, and the turtles realized she wasn't with them the night they had angrily sent Michelangelo home alone. Donatello chuckled nervously, "It's complicated." 

April understood what that meant, and with a sigh, she questioned the turtles, "What did you guys do this time?" 

Leonardo explained how Mikey had accidentally made a mistake that night, which led to the others getting angry and, in their fury, sending him home. 

After hearing all of this, April was disappointed in the turtles and argued, "So let me get this straight: you three kicked Mikey off the team because of an accident?! How could you?" 

"I know! We made a mistake," Leonardo groaned in shame.

"What do you mean, we? It was mostly you who yelled at him," Donatello argued with his brother.

"And you two sided with him," April pointed out, noticing the way Donnie flinched at her words. She sighed and continued, "If this is why Mikey has been acting differently toward you guys, then we need to fix this together."

"You're right," Leo agreed, turning to Donnie. "Can you track him down?"

"I'm on it," the smart turtle nodded, using his T-Phone to locate his younger brother.

"Well, come on! Hopefully, he hasn't gone too far," said Raphael.

The gang soon left the lair to search for Michelangelo, following the path where Mikey had walked away. They quickly found him scouting through some junk by the old sewer paths.

"Well, there he is, just like he said," Leo sighed in relief, glad they had found Mikey safe and sound.

The group approached Mikey, who had realized they would eventually follow him. He pretended to search for things before asking, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We wanted to check up on you," April replied as she stepped closer to the young turtle.

"Hi, April," Mikey greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, Mikey. I just want you to know that I heard about the incident. Are you alright?" April responded.

"What do you mean?" Mikey asked quietly.

"We told her about the incident during our last patrol," Donnie informed him.

"But you said your last patrol went well," Mikey pointed out.

"Not that night. We meant the night we were all together before... well, you know," Leonardo said, looking down in guilt for being too hard on Mikey.

"Oh... that," Mikey slowly nodded. "It's alright; I forgave you guys."

"You say that, but we're worried that you're still mad at us," Leonardo replied.

"What makes you think I'm still mad at you?" Mikey asked his brothers.

"They noticed you've been acting a little different," April said. "I heard you've been distant and a bit too serious, from what the others told me."

"Okay, so I've been quiet and focused more. Is that really so bad for you, dudes?" Mikey shrugged, crossing his arms.

The others didn't want to say anything that might hurt Mikey's feelings, but Raphael couldn't help being impatient and blurted out, "Well, yes, because that's not who you are, Mikey!"

"Raph!" Leo scolded, but the hothead continued.

"The Mikey I know was always over the top and cheerful every morning. You were always on your feet and having fun at training! Heck, you didn't even like meditation, and now suddenly you do?! I don't know why you're acting like this, but just... just cut it out!"

Raphael didn't want to admit that it scared him to see his baby brother changing from his happy self into someone he couldn't recognize. It was disturbing for him.

"Well, excuse me if my changes scare you to death, Raph," Mikey scoffed sarcastically.

"Mikey..." Donatello started, but the orange-masked turtle stepped closer to Raph and snapped, "You think how I am now is bad? I could be worse, you know."

"Oh really?" Raph retorted, firmly staring down at his younger brother.

"Yeah, being like you is the worst thing I could become," Mikey hissed out.

Leo, Donnie, and April stared in bewilderment at Michelangelo's comeback; even Raphael looked offended. Just as Michelangelo was about to walk away, 

Raphael firmly grabbed his arms and pulled them behind his shell, causing Mikey to grunt in pain.

"Say that again, you little brat," Raphael lashed out.

"Raph, leave him alone!" Leo ordered.

Raph then thought of an idea that might bring Mikey back to his usual self. He grinned deviously and chuckled. "Not until he says it."

"Say what?" Mikey scoffed.

"You know what I want to hear," Raph said, growling deviously.

"Not this again, Raph," Donatello groaned, shaking his head.

Mikey understood what Raph was referring to. As much as he hated to do it, he figured it would be best to get it over with so he could leave. "Raphael is all-wise and powerful!" Mikey groaned.

Raphael pulled him into a headlock under his arm. "Aaaand?"

"And he's better than me in every possible way!" Michelangelo sighed.

Raphael then noogies the turtle's head roughly and growled, "Aaaaaand?"

"Raph, come on! This isn't funny," April argued.

"And I'm a lonely worm beneath his feet who isn't fit to live on the same planet as him because he's so amazing, and I'm just a dirt clod!" Mikey grunted, growing angrier at Raphael's roughhousing.

Raphael then pulled him up, twisting Mikey's arm behind his back. "Aaaaaand?!"

Suddenly, something snapped inside Michelangelo. He grabbed Raphael's arm tightly, causing the hothead to stop, confused by Mikey's grip. When Raphael met his little brother's glare, Mikey growled out:

"And he's the biggest douche on the entire planet and is nothing but a bad-tempered, immature asshole!"

Mikey punched Raphael in the torso, knocking him down to the ground. As Raphael looked up in bewilderment, he could see Mikey glaring down at him, filled with a mix of fear, pain, and anger—emotions that confused the rest of the group.

"Not so tough now, are you? You're nothing but a pathetic loser," Mikey spat before turning to walk away.

"Hey! What the shell is wrong with you lately, you son of a--?!" Raphael shouted, trying to retaliate but being held back by the other turtles.

"Raph, I'm warning you!" Leo angrily exclaimed.

"Just say it! You're angry at us for what we did to you that night on patrol, aren't you?!" Raph demanded.

"No! I'm just starting to realize I should stop being a screw-up and grow up for you guys like you always wanted!" Mikey yelled back, startling the others with his response before he hissed out:

"Or maybe it's you who needs to grow up, Raphie"

The youngest turtle threw a smoke bomb, and in a flash, he disappeared from their sight as the smoke cleared. 

"Damn it, he's gone," Raph grunted. 

"And he left his T-Phone behind," Donatello said, concern for his baby brother evident as he held Mikey's device. 

"We have to find him; he's really upset about all of this," Leonardo replied. 

"What did he mean when he said he's starting to realize he should grow up?" April asked the turtles, confused by the statement. 

The turtles were momentarily at a loss until it hit Raphael, who gasped. 

"Oh no... I think he also heard what we were talking about that other night." 

"What else did you guys say to Mikey?!" April groaned. 

"We weren't saying it in front of him," Donatello answered anxiously, prompting April to give him a firm glance. 

"If he did hear us that night, I fear this might be the real reason for his behavior," Leonardo said, his concern for his baby brother deepening.

--------

Later on, Michelangelo returned to Misaki's home, where the woman continued training the young turtle using her methods. Mikey, filled with anger and frustration, lashed out, venting about his day.

"Stupid brothers! Who are they to say I can't be something else?! Do they just want me to be a screw-up forever?!" Mikey growled while sparring with Misaki.

"It seems like your brothers don't care about what you want to do, do they?" Misaki asked as she trained him.

"I've been doing what they want me to do—just shutting up and being more focused—and they still treat me like there's something wrong with me," Mikey vented to Misaki before they paused their training and bowed to one another.

"So, despite all you've done to make your brothers happy..." Misaki started.

"It's always the same... nothing's changed," Michelangelo sighed.

"Surely they should realize you are a talented and powerful ninja. After all, don't you risk your life to save them?" Misaki questioned.

"You have no idea. I've risked my life several times to save them, and what do I get in return? Nothing! Just nothing! Not even a thank you for nearly dying to save their ugly butts," Mikey replied, his voice filled with sadness.

"That's terrible! Your family should appreciate you, not treat you like you're just a worm to be trampled on," Misaki shook her head.

She approached the mutant from behind and gently petted his head. "Tell me, when was the last time you saved them?"

Mikey eventually opened up to Misaki about the times he had rescued his brothers from danger: from defeating mutated wasps, battling Squirrelanoids, facing Pizza Face, helping his brothers escape from Dimension X, and even creating the Retro-Mutagen for Donnie to change mutants back to normal, just like April's father.

Yet, despite all his accomplishments, he had never been truly thanked or praised by his brothers. All he received was the same old treatment that he suffered from daily, not just from them but also from his sensei.

"You sound like the noblest turtle of them all, and for your family to not recognize what you've done for them... It sounds to me like they don't want you as part of the family," Misaki replied.

She then slipped into Mikey's emotions like a spider capturing her prey, feeding off his despair as she whispered, "It seems to me that they'll never accept you as part of their lives. Maybe it's time you do what you do for yourself and survive on your own, like I have."

"You... you think so?" Mikey asked, shuddering in misery.

"I do, my dear," Misaki nodded. "I'm so sorry."

Mikey hugged Misaki and began to whimper, innocently unaware of how she was manipulating him to destroy his self-esteem, leaving him mentally vulnerable with her seemingly comforting words that stung like poison.

At that moment, the ladies in waiting returned with a cup of tea for Mikey, which was laced with poison to make the unsuspecting turtle sick.

"T-thanks," Mikey sniffed while gratefully accepting the tea.

As he sipped the poisoned drink, Misaki softly said, "It will be alright, Mikey. You may be alone and unwanted in the end, but I know you are a strong turtle, and you will survive this cruel world as long as you have faith in yourself."

The young turtle began to shake uncomfortably, his body drenched in cold sweat. His breathing grew rapid, his chest pounded like a hammer, and his vision became foggy and dark.

"Wha... what is...?" Michelangelo managed to gasp.

The woman lay him on the ground, stroking his cold, sweating head. "Sleep now, my dear; you are safe with me."

Mikey fought hard to stay awake, but the poison from the tea was too strong. All he could do was lie back and listen to Misaki's beautiful humming, which echoed hauntingly in his ears.

Eventually, he succumbed to sleep, though he could still hear the humming, which gradually harmonized with other voices around him.

Upon waking, Mikey found himself in a dark, crimson city unlike New York. It was filled with ruined towers, skyscrapers, and abandoned buildings, coated in black, oozing vines, reminiscent of a horror movie apocalypse.

As he wandered the empty streets, calling out for anyone, he heard a voice echoing through the air. It sounded like his own but was mixed with pain, fear, and anger.

Mikey looked around for the source of the voice until, suddenly, four shadows began to emerge before him, rising from the ground like figures. They loomed over Mikey, and one by one, they took on familiar shapes.

To his horror, he recognized the shadows as his brothers and Master Splinter, though he could only see their eyes—each a different color, representing each sibling, along with their sensei.

Mikey watched in fear as the shadows stared at him coldly. One of them, resembling Leonardo, hissed in a distorted voice while pointing an accusing finger at the young turtle:

"You will never be worthy of my team, Michelangelo."

The shadow, representing Donnie, also did the same thing, and Mikey can hear it growling out:

"You are completely useless! Why are we even stuck with you?!"

The shadow that was Raphael followed the actions of the other shadows and hauntingly spoke out:

"Some ninja! All you'll ever be is a big screw up."

Mikey whimpers and turns to the dark shadow of his master, who looks down upon him with cold, blank eyes and growls:

"You bring nothing shame and embarrassment to this family."

"I...I'm so sorry...I'm sorry! I'm trying my best, I swear!!" Michelangelo tearfully whimpered. "Please! I can change, I can be better!!" 

Soon, the poor turtle began to sink into the ground like quicksand and started falling into darkness before landing on a large spider web. 

He looks around in the darkness, hearing echoes of a deep voice calling out:

"They will never love you, they will never want you, you're all alone and will always be till you're dead"

Shadowy arms wrapped around the turtle, consuming his whole body in darkness as he continued to suffer from his nightmare. 

Meanwhile, Misaki and her ladies-in-waiting watched the sick turtle toss and turn, while the villain grinned with sadistic glee, knowing that her plan was working perfectly. Soon, it would only be a matter of time before she snuffed out the Hamato Clan for good.

Eventually, Mikey woke up, panting and sweating on Misaki's floor, as the villain gently helped him up. 

"There, there, my dear. You just had a bad dream," Misaki soothed the turtle.

"More like a nightmare... I dreamt I was denied and shamed by my family," Mikey shuddered, feeling nauseous. "I don't feel so good."

"The bathroom's that way," Misaki pointed to the left.

Mikey bolted to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet. After he finished, he panted heavily, shaking and drenched in cold sweat. His vision was a little foggy, and his mouth suddenly felt dry. 

He slowly got up, wobbling a bit, and looked in the mirror, panting: "What is wrong with me?"

Just then, he thought he saw shadows of his brothers behind him, glaring daggers. But when the frightened turtle looked back, there was no one there. Mikey shook his head, washed his face, and cleaned his mouth out with water.

"I must be working too hard," he panted before returning to the judo room.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Misaki kindly asked, secretly enjoying the turtle's suffering from the poisoning.

"I don't know... I feel sick," Mikey groaned.

"Have some water," Misaki instructed, handing him a glass.

"Thank you," Mikey replied, drinking the water.

"Maybe you just need to rest. Are you okay to head home?" she asked.

"I can walk home just fine, thank you," Mikey nodded.

"Very well," Misaki said as she stood up and stroked Mikey's head. "Remember, rely only on yourself. Your family sadly can never understand what you feel. I know it's hard to accept; believe me, I tried so hard to gain my sister's love and honor, but it hasn't been enough, and it will never be enough."

How innocently naïve the poor young turtle was! Mikey's fears and misery led him to accept Misaki's lies as if they were brutal yet honest truths.

"I understand, Misaki," Mikey whimpered.

Misaki gently stroked his head and whispered sweetly, "I have faith in you, my dear. You are stronger than they say you are. Believe me, you can be a great ninja without them."

"Of course," Mikey nodded.

"Now run along, my dear. If you ever need anything from me, my doors are always open," Misaki gently escorted Mikey out of the house.

"Thank you, Misaki," Mikey said gratefully before he left and headed straight back home through the sewers.

--------

Back in the lair, the turtles and April returned after searching for Mikey without any success. They recounted to April their conversation from the night after they went on patrol without Mikey, much to her disgust. She was offended that the brothers would speak about Mikey as if he were a problem.

"How could you say such things about him?" April demanded angrily as she walked inside the lair.

"You know we never meant it that way," Leo tried to explain.

"That's nonsense! You meant what you said, especially you, Raph," April lashed out at them.

"And what's so bad about telling Mikey to grow up?" Raphael argued back.

"You didn't have to be so hurtful about it," Donatello pointed out firmly.

"Don't you start, Donnie! You're as bad as he is sometimes," April shook her head at the purple-masked turtle.

"What?! How am I as bad as Raph?!" Donatello questioned, feeling offended by her statement.

"Maybe it has something to do with you yelling at Mikey to get out of your lab every time he visits and the fact that you make comments about his lack of intelligence," Leo replied sternly.

April decided to check if Mikey was in his room, but when she opened the door, the room's emptiness surprised her.

"Guys, you might want to see this," she called out.

The others quickly rushed in and were shocked to discover that nearly everything was stripped from the room. It looked so empty and abandoned that it hardly resembled a room anymore.

"Did Mikey clean his entire room out?" Donatello asked in bewilderment.

"It looks like it; there's hardly anything of his left in here," Leo replied.

"What did he do with all of his stuff?" Raphael asked, his concern growing as he looked around to see that there was only a bed, an empty shelf, and a table.

"Guys... I'm starting to believe Mikey did hear us that night, and this was his reaction," Leo said, shuddering with fear.

"You don't think he...?" Raphael began, a sinking feeling growing within him as he raced out of the room. 

"Raph, wait!" Leo called out as the others followed him back out of the lair.

Two minutes later, the youngest brother returned home, panting heavily. He scratched his arms as if trying to relieve an itch, and his throat felt so parched that he couldn't remember the last time he had a drink of water.

Suddenly, he heard Splinter's voice calling him over to the dojo. With a sigh, Michelangelo entered the dojo and saw his father kneeling by the table.

"You wanted to see me, Sensei?" Michelangelo asked quietly.

"Yes, I do, son," Splinter nodded, gesturing for the turtle to kneel beside him.

As soon as Mikey kneels before Splinter, the humanoid rat takes Mikey's hands. The turtle almost flinched back but ultimately stayed still. 

"Michelangelo, I sense a disturbance within you, and I must be honest; it concerns me to see you like this," Splinter softly informs his son. "The way you've been distant and unhappy worries me. I want to know what's troubling you, my son."

"Nothing is wrong with me, Sensei. I'm fine," Michelangelo assures his father.

"I call bullcrap on that, Mike," 

Suddenly, both Splinter and Michelangelo turn to see the others returning with boxes of Mikey's belongings. 

"What are you carrying there?" Splinter asks.

"These are Mikey's belongings; we found them in the junk pile," Raphael replies, staring at Mikey, who narrowed his eyes at the group. 

"Mikey cleared out his entire room—there's barely anything left to call a room in there," Leonardo adds.

Splinter stares at Michelangelo, shocked to hear what his son has done as he asks, "Michelangelo, why would you get rid of everything in your bedroom?"

"Because it's just pointless junk," Mikey shrugs.

"Pointless junk?!" Donatello exclaims, taken aback. "Mikey! These are your things, stuff you collected and kept since childhood! Why would you want to throw these away?!"

"Because I wanted to; what's the big deal?!" Mikey groans in annoyance.

"It is a very big deal to us. We're very concerned about the way you're behaving lately," Leonardo responds.

"Mikey, if you heard us back there that night after our patrol, then we're sorry," Donatello apologizes.

Mikey just angrily stares at them. Donatello notices that Mikey's pupils are dilated and bloodshot. 

After a moment, Mikey sighs and says, "Yes, I did hear you, and you were right."

"Mikey..." April begins, but he interrupts her.

"You were right; I am a screw-up, and I'm tired of making you guys feel disappointed and angry at me for my mistakes. So I took your advice and chose to grow up," Mikey responds honestly.

"My son," Splinter speaks up, glancing at his other sons before firmly demanding, "What else have you three said to him?"

Leo takes responsibility and explains the conversation, leaving Splinter feeling ashamed of how his sons spoke about their younger brother.

"I am surprised at you three; to talk about Michelangelo behind his back like that is to show a complete lack of faith in your brother!" Splinter scolds.

"I know, and we regret it," Donatello shamefully agrees.

Splinter looks sadly at his gloomy son and says, "You could have told me about this, Michelangelo."

Mikey harshly scoffs, "What difference would it make? As you said, just let words wash over you like a river over stone. It doesn't matter."

"Forgive me, Splinter, but that doesn't seem like good advice when it comes to hurtful words from your family," April awkwardly points out.

Splinter reflects on that statement and realizes he should've been more specific regarding his advice, especially considering how poorly his sons have treated Mikey lately. 

April frowns at the turtle and adds, "Mikey, maybe cruel words from other people don't mean anything, but hearing stuff like that from your family is not right."

Mikey suddenly lets out a spiteful chuckle. "Family? When have I ever been a part of this family? None of you even cares if I live or die, so don't you dare lie to me about your concerns and any of your dumb crap."

"Michelangelo!" Splinter exclaims, stopping his young son in his tracks. His voice is strict yet laced with worry as he says, "I know you're upset, but there's no need to speak like that about us. You may think we don't care, but you mean more to us than anything in this world."

"Splinter's right, Mikey! How could you say we don't care about you?!" Leo cries out.

"Because you don't! If you did care or even understand how I feel, you wouldn't treat me like I'm always a problem for you," Mikey snaps back at the family.

This new change in Mikey is becoming increasingly worrisome for everyone, especially since he has unintentionally turned into something dark and twisted because of Misaki Towa.

"You all wanted me to grow up, and I took your advice. Now that I've stopped being a screw-up, you think there's still something wrong with me?! What more do you want from me?!" Mikey vents.

"Mikey, please!" April pleads with him to at least listen.

"No! You know what? Misaki was right! The only thing I should be concerned about is myself and only myself. I don't need to impress you guys to make you happy. This is who I am now; get used to it," Mikey spitefully hisses before storming out of the dojo.

"Misaki? Who's Misaki?" Raphael asks the others.

"No idea," Leonardo shakes his head.

Splinter watches Mikey leave, feeling a deep sadness and growing concern for his son. The name Misaki lingers in his mind, as if he had heard it before.

"Sensei? Are you OK?" Leo asks his father worriedly.

"I'm fine, Leonardo, but Michelangelo is clearly hurt and needs our help! Go after him and bring him back," Splinter orders.

"Hai, Sensei," the turtles reply and go after Michelangelo.

As Mikey storms out of the lair, another friend of the turtles and Raph's best friend, Casey Jones, enters and sees Mikey leaving in a huff. 

"Hey, Mikey!" Casey calls out, but the angry turtle brushes him off, leaving Casey confused. "Um, bye, Mikey?"

"Casey?" April calls out as she spots him. "What are you doing here?"

"I haven't heard from you guys all day, so I decided to check in," Casey replies as he approaches the group. "What's with Mikey?"

"Long story," Leonardo sighs. "If you could help us bring him back, Casey, we'd really appreciate it."

"Sure, lead the way," Casey shrugs. The gang then heads off after Mikey while April fills Casey in on the details.

--------

Meanwhile, above the surface in the city, Michelangelo rested on one of the rooftops, suffering from the effects of belladonna poisoning. 

Mikey felt increasingly frightened and paranoid, unsure why he was feeling sick and cold. The poor turtle felt lonely and believed that no one could understand his pain and depression—not even his family. 

His moral beliefs are twisted by Misaki's lies, convincing him that his family didn't love him and didn't want him to be better than they were.

"Do I have to live a life where I am unloved and unwanted, like Misaki told me? What must I do? What can I do?" Mikey whimpered to himself. 

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching and turned to see the Purple Dragons behind him, armed with chains and makeshift weapons. 

"Well, well, boys," the leader of the Purple Dragons smirked. "Looks like one of the freaks is lost and alone... Let's keep him some company, shall we?" 

Michelangelo glared at the thugs, preparing to fight as Misaki's words echoed in his head.

Do not hesitate with your skills; show no mercy to your enemies.

Chapter Text

Michelangelo stood tall as he got up his nunchucks and prepared to fight the Purple Dragons in front of him.

"I'll only give you one warning...leave now, or you will suffer badly," Michelangelo threatened.

The Purple Dragons just laughed out loud at the so-called "threat" as one of the thugs sneered: "Ya call that a threat? You'll have to do better than that."

"Fine...I'll just show you no mercy," Michelangelo darkly growled.

"Suit yourself, get him!!" The leader yelled out as the thugs ambushed Mikey.

Elsewhere in the city, the gang was frantically looking for Mikey; soon, they heard cries and shrieks of agony, fearing the worst.

"You don't think that's...?!" Casey started.

"Mikey!" Raphael yelled out in fear for his baby brother.

They rushed as fast as they could to the source of the cries, only to see a sight that sent chills of terror down their spines. The Purple Dragons were violently defeated; the turtles saw blood on the ground and blood on the thugs, with broken bones and nasty wounds that added salt to their injuries.

The gang looks up in horror to see Michelangelo violently thrashing the remaining gang to the ground before confronting the frightened leader of the Purple Dragons.

"W-What have you done?! You injured my gang!!" The leader cried out.

"Yeah?! And what about all those innocent people you harmed in the past?! Did you ever care about how they felt when you beat them up?! DID YOU?!!" Michelangelo roared as he roughly pinned the leader to the brick by the throat.

"Mikey!!"

The young turtle glares at the gang looking on at the scene, distraught at what Michelangelo has become.

"Go away," Michelangelo growled.

"Mikey, this has to stop!" Leonardo commanded.

"GO AWAY!" Michelangelo roared before he glared hatefully at the thug before him. "I have unfinished business to take care of."

"Please...have mercy!" The thug whimpered.

"Mercy? Mercy is for childish, weak fools," Michelangelo growled deeply and got the blade out of his nunchakus, pointing the tip of the blade near the thug's throat.

"Mikey, no!" April desperately pleaded.

The young turtle ignores the plea and points the blade closer to the Purple Dragons' leader and growls:

"I want you to swear to me that you'll never hurt another innocent soul as long as you live, or so help me I will do something you'll regret."

The turtles watched intently at the scene before them, wanting to stop Mikey from doing something worse, but they feared that if they intervened, it would make matters worse.

"P-Please, no!" The thug pleaded as the blade was touching the skin of his neck.

"Swear it!" Michelangelo bellowed.

"OK, OK! I promised! Just don't hurt me!" The thug squealed in terror.

Michelangelo just harshly scoffed: "Look at you; you act all tough and mighty to those who are weaker than you, but inside you're just a spineless coward...You make me sick."

The ninja turtle then drops the leader of the Purple Dragon and was about to leave when the thug got out his switchblade and angrily attempted to stab Mikey; the turtle stops him by grabbing his throat again, growling out:

"Bitch move"

He violently strikes the leader's arm, breaking the bone with a sickening snap. Screaming in agony, the leader was then roughly kicked to the ground, but before Mikey could attack him further, Donnie and Raph seized Michelangelo and held him close to stop him.

"Let go of me!" Michelangelo angrily yelled.

"Mikey, enough! This isn't how we fight!" Donnie yelled back.

"Get off of me!" Michelangelo exclaimed.

"Not a chance," Raphael growled out.

April and Casey helped the duo hold Michelangelo back while Leonardo pointed his twin katanas at the Purple Dragons leader, who screamed at them all:

"You freaks are going to pay for this! Especially him!!"

Leonardo didn't even give the thug a reply as he threw a smoke bomb to cover them in smoke, and just like that, they vanished as the smoke cleared.

In the sewers, the gang struggles to bring Michelangelo back with them before he shoves them all off and yells:

"What were you guys doing?!"

"What were WE doing?! What were YOU doing?!" Donatello yelled back.

"Mikey, you injured most of the Purple Dragons!" Raphael exclaimed in disbelief.

"So?!" Michelangelo furiously snapped.

"So?!?! Mikey! That's not how we fight! We don't fight to injure people," Leonardo angrily replied.

"But wasn't Sensei saying to us that the first rule of being a ninja is to do no harm, unless you mean to do harm, then do LOTS of harm," Michelangelo growled.

"Not the harm that you just did, there is a line we don't cross, Mikey!" Leo furiously explains.

"So you killing the Shredder was just a free pass?" Michelangelo sarcastically pointed out.

"You know why I did what I had to do! Shredder was a monster and a threat to the whole city," Leonardo calmly stated.

"So are the Purple Dragons, so why should they be any different from the Shredder?!" Michelangelo lashed out before suddenly beginning to cough a bit violently, and was shivering.

"Mikey?" Leo asked as he started to grow beyond being scared for his baby brother.

"I'm fine! Just...stay away from me!" Michelangelo snapped out and stormed off back home.

"Mikey!" Leonardo yelled out, but nothing stopped their little brother.

"I don't know about you, but I'm thinking that Mikey's sick or something," Donatello replied.

"You think?" Raphael sarcastically asked. "He's gone mental."

"Not that kind of sick, Raph! I think he's ill," Donatello firmly snapped back.

"Uh, guys," Casey started before he pointed to something on the ground.

The gang saw blood from where Mikey was coughing, as they noticed that it was not there before; this only scares the gang more, before April asked:

"Did he cough out blood?"

"We've got to get Mikey to the lab," Donnie shuddered in fear for his baby brother.

"C'mon," Leo ordered as the gang rushed back to the lair.

--------

Back at home, Michelangelo furiously passes by the kitchen and drinks more water to wash the taste of blood down. He was livid at his brothers for interfering, but he was mostly scared of why he was feeling sick.

He can hear Ice Cream Kitty meowing for him in the freezer, but ignores her calls as he rubs his eyes and groans:

"Why do I feel sick all the time?! Am I truly ill?! No, I'm a strong warrior, I cannot be ill...I cannot show weakness."

Ice Cream Kitty continues meowing from the freezer, but still Michelangelo ignores her and sits down on the chair, panting heavily.

The sick turtle can hear his heartbeat speeding up as he begins to whimper and shake violently from the poison infecting his body. He tries to block out any noise hurting his ears, but eventually, overwhelmed and hearing Ice Cream Kitty meowing loudly, he suddenly roared out:

"Damn it, Ice Cream Kitty! SHUT UP!!"

"Michelangelo?!"

The sick turtle glared over to see Splinter looking at his young son, bewildered by his actions, before the young turtle bolted to his room and slammed his bedroom door shut.

Just then, the gang rushed into the lair as Splinter approached them. "What happened?!" he asked.

"Mikey is out of control, that's what happened," Raphael spoke out.

"What?!" Splinter asked in confusion.

"What Raphael means is..." Leo began, firmly looking at Raph before turning to Splinter with fear for Mikey. "We think Mikey might be ill; he's showing signs of sickness, and his behaviour is becoming too violent."

"I fear that may be the case. He just screamed at his pet to shut up," Splinter explained.

"He yelled at Ice Cream Kitty?!" April gasped. "I know it's common for some people to yell at their pets at times, but...not Mikey."

"That's nothing compared to what he did to the Purple Dragons," Casey pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Splinter demanded, now paying close attention.

"You guys explain what happened. I'm going to check on Mikey," said April.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Donnie asked.

"It's better than doing nothing, and besides, we need to make sure he's not coughing up more blood," April replied as she headed to Mikey's room. Meanwhile, the gang explained what happened on the surface, much to Splinter's shock and growing concern.

The young turtle was in his room, quiet and alone, unsure of who to trust anymore. There was a knock on the door, and he could hear April on the other side. "Mikey, it's me, April! Can I come in?"

Michelangelo lay on the bed, facing the wall, and allowed her to enter as she sat down beside him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm just tired of being treated like dirt and being held back. I just want to prove to them that I am a ninja, but it's like..." Michelangelo replied sadly.

"Like what? You can tell me," April coaxed Mikey to open up to her.

"It doesn't matter, nothing matters anymore. Those jerks will never understand me," Michelangelo darkly growled.

"Mikey, we're very worried about you. We just want to help you," April comforted the depressed turtle.

"I don't want anything from you or anyone," Michelangelo refused her help and began scratching his arms slowly. The poisoning was getting worse, affecting his mood and body negatively.

April noticed this and felt the cold sweat on his shoulder. "Mikey, you were coughing up blood; we need to get you to Donnie's lab."

"No, now leave me alone..." Michelangelo shook his head.

"Mikey, I know you don't want to hear it, but we're afraid you're very sick. You don't look well, and it's scaring us! Please let us help you," April pleaded.

"Look! I said I'm fine! Why must you always butt into everything that isn't your business to be concerned about?! So just screw off and get out!" Michelangelo yelled, turning to face the frightened human with bloodshot eyes.

April realised this wasn't going anywhere and had no choice but to leave sadly. She needed to come up with a plan to get Mikey to the lab without resorting to more violence.

The gang waited outside by Mikey's bedroom door before seeing April come out alone.

"Well? What happened?" Leo asked.

"At first, he wouldn't talk to me. Then, when I mentioned that he may be very sick, he yelled at me to get out of the room," April explained, glancing back at the bedroom door in fear for Mikey.

"He yelled at you?!" Donatello exclaimed, angry that Mikey would yell at his crush.

"Right! That's it!" Raphael growled, unable to contain himself. He was about to barge into Mikey's room when Splinter stopped him in his tracks.

"Raphael, barging into your brother's room with your temper will only make things worse."

"I'm making it worse? He's been acting like a total jerk lately!" Raphael shot back.

"Reminds you of anyone, Raph?" April asked quietly.

"Yeah, he's starting to act a lot like you," Casey pointed out.

"Who asked you?!" Raphael grumbled.

"Was there anything else he said to you?" Splinter asked April.

"He told me he was tired of being treated like dirt and we would never understand him...and you know what? He's not wrong," April replied, crossing her arms.

"What?" the trio asked in surprise.

"Ever since I met you guys, you've been like a family to me, but most of the time, ever since this whole thing with the Shredder and all we've been through, you three mostly act like total jerks to Mikey," April explained sternly.

"Ms O'Neil," Splinter began.

"And no offence to you, Splinter, but most of the time, you haven't done anything to resolve the issue yourself," April replied, speaking out to the humanoid rat.

The boys looked on in shock at April's boldness and watched as Splinter looked down at her. "Excuse me?"

"You say you love your sons and would do anything for them, yet you never really leave the dojo or seem to go out of your way to talk to Mikey. I know you offer him to come to you, but you can't rely on him to talk about his problems when he feels like he's wasting your time with his concerns. Sometimes you need to take action instead of waiting and hoping for the best," April explained calmly and collectedly.

"I can assure you, Ms O'Neil, despite what you think, I do care for my sons, especially Michelangelo," Splinter retorted, crossing his arms.

"If that's a joke, I'm not amused."

They turned to see Mikey near the door, but he looked sicker than ever. His breathing was laboured, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was sweating as if he had just come out of a sauna. 

"You think I'm the one with problems? You all need to look in a mirror," Michelangelo growled at the group. 

"Michelangelo" Splinter started, but was interrupted by Mikey:

"I am sick and tired of you guys thinking I'm nothing but a screw up, when in fact, you're all even bigger screw ups than I am!"

"Mikey, what are you talking about?" Leo asked, his voice filled with concern.

Michelangelo glared at his eldest brother and began his rant:

"You always wanted to be the perfect ninja, the perfect brother, the perfect leader; but has it ever occurred to you that you just really suck as a leader?!"

"Hey! I do my best to make sure we work as a team and to make sure you guys are safe," Leo argued.

"Oh sure (!) So sending me away from the team and treating me like I'm an idiot every time I try to help is what you call leadership?!" Michelangelo darkly lashed out: 

"You're a worthless joke! You can't even go through one day without you chastising everything we do, especially me. Sure, I do screw up at things, but at least I don't have to be an asshole to you about it like you do!"

"Mikey..." Leo gasped.

"You are nothing but a narcissist who cannot admit that you're at fault whenever something goes wrong and has to blame others, especially me, for your faults!" Michelangelo hissed right at Leo's face:

"All you care about is being a yandere for Papa, because you love being his number one son. You don't deserve to be the leader, you're just a spoiled, selfish piece of shit."

The eldest stares in shock as this was what his little brother thought of him, as he cannot find words to counter back at his little brother.

"He's kind of right about that," Casey awkwardly agreed.


"Now's not the moment, Casey," April retorted.

Michelangelo soon stumbles back against the bedroom door as Donatello rushes to him: "Mikey, please, you're not well! You look terrible."

The sick turtle just coldly laughs at Donnie and glares straight at the middle brother: "Oh, so because I'm sick and all, NOW you decided you want to worry about me?"

"Mikey, what are you talking about? You make me sound like I don't care about you," Donatello spoke out in concern.

"Well, newsflash, YOU DON'T! NONE OF YOU DO! You all think I'm just the stupid idiot that keeps messing things up, doing stupid things, and not having a brain like you," Mikey ranted as the sickness was eating him up slowly.

"I never thought of you like that!" Donatello argued.

"BULLSHIT!!!" Michelangelo bellowed.

They watch on in fright as Mikey rarely swears or gets livid at them. The young turtle coughs heavily before he glares at Donnie and continues his rant:

"You may be the smart one, Donnie, but that does not give you the right to judge me for how my mind works. If you were smart, you would figure out things and take care of the situation all by yourself"

"Mike-!" Donnie started, but Michelangelo soon snarled lividly at his face: "Your inventions have always backfired, and put us all in danger than I do! Some genius you are!"

"And hey, while I'm at it. If you're so smart, how come you couldn't even figure out how to create the retro-mutagen? Hmmm?!"

"Y-You managed to create it even by adding pizza.." Donnie stuttered.

"Well, well, well, who's the dumb one now, Donnie?!" Michelangelo angrily mocked Donatello as he noticed Donnie looking at April before the young turtle spitefully hissed:

"Oh....and for the record, you and April are never gonna happen, so just get over her, you pathetic simp!"

"M-MIKEY!!!" Donatello cried out, feeling exposed.

"What does he mean by that?" April asked Donatello.

"Oh, knock it off, April! Even YOU know Donatello is in love with you, and all you ever do is brush away his feelings; I get it that he's way out of your league, but still, you could at least be honest with him instead of just playing with his feelings!" Michelangelo snapped at April

April looks at Donnie, bewildered and blushing red in the face as she gasps out: "Y-You're in love with me?"

"I...um...." Donnie nervously gulped, only for Michelangelo to harshly scoff at him: 

"The smartest turtle in the world, and yet not smart enough to take the hint, even if it punches him in the dick! No means no!"

Raphael then angrily grabbed Michelangelo and shook him: "Mikey, enough! This isn't you!"

"It is me!! What you all thought I could never be! I am stronger and better at this now!" Michelangelo yelled back at Raph.

"No, you're acting more like an asshole," Raphael growled.

"You're one to talk, asshole," Michelangelo growled right back at Raph as he looked at his hot-headed brother straight in his eyes and added:

"You wanna know something, Raphie, you are, without a doubt, the worst big brother in the entire world. Lately, I wish you never existed to begin with."

"Is that so?" Raphael angrily replied, but secretly felt hurt by that comment.

"Yeah, I may be irritating you mostly, but when's the last time I smack you around or lose my temper to you over the stupidest things or even threaten to beat you? Hmm? Never!" Michelangelo confronted Raph for his bullying.

"He's not wrong, Raph," Casey nodded. "I mean, doing that, 'Does Mikey bend that way' is pretty messed up and cruel,"

"Says the guy who helped my brothers interrogate me like a criminal when I was trying to protect April from that Kraang who pretended to be April's mother. So spare me the pretence that you actually care; all you ever are is just a cowards who pretend to be a brave vigilante in a cheap sports mask" Michelangelo spat at the male human.

"Hey!" Casey whined.

"Knock it off, shell-for-brains," Raphael snapped and attempted to smack Mikey on the head.

Michelangelo suddenly dodges and violently smacks Raphael in the face, knocking him down:

"Shell-for-brains? I direct that insult to you!"


He then grabs Raph by the throat and leans in towards him, lividly: "So answer me this then, if you claim to be so concerned about me! Why is it that I try to be a good brother to you, you never wanted to have me involved in your life?! It's like I'm cancer to you, it's like I'm a parasite that weakens you, isn't it?!"

"Michelangelo, that's enough"  Splinter steps in to stop his son.

"No, it's not enough! You guys have always put me down like I'm not worth your time, so now I'm finally going to say what I should've done all those years ago!" Mikey angrily yelled.

He held his head in pain, then looked at his brothers and continued lashing out:

"I could've let those Kraang wasps or the Squirrelanoids destroy you, I could've left you in Dimension X for all I care, and heck, I could've even let you all be trapped by Pizza Face, but I protected and saved you all because you're my family, and I thought you would give a damn about me or even...even love me... but you don't! I can see that now"

The family watches on as Mikey lets out all of his years of hidden vents and anger, as it was a sad and shocking sight to see that everything that they have done or didn't do for Michelangelo has exploded in their faces. The poor sick turtle was near on the edge of tears as the poison was weakening him before he angrily sobbed out:

"You...You all treated me like shit, and you always left me alone for better things....You act like you love me, and then you just leave, you always abandon me, no matter how much I wanted to be a good brother or a ninja to you guys....I feel like I have done everything I could to make you all happy, and it has not been enough....and nothing....ever will.be"

Mikey stumbles back. He grips his head in agony, letting out a painful howl, to which April immediately goes over to him and tries to calm him:

"Mikey, you have every right to feel how you feel, and I don't blame you, but you need to let us help you; you're very sick."

Mikey felt like he was going to be hurt again by everyone and panicked: "Don't touch me! Misaki Towa was right about me and she was right about you guys..."

Splinter's eyes widen at that name as it finally sets off a memory of who she was, and he gasps: "Oh no...Not her"

"Sensei?" Leo quizzed.

Mikey backs away from April and attempts to bolt back to his room when Splinter grabs Michelangelo and holds him close, doing his very best to calm his young son down.

"Michelangelo! Stop!" Splinter exclaimed

"No! Just leave me alone!" Mikey cried out.

"Please, my son, let us help you! I realise now who you have been seeing! You don't know Towa Misaki as I do...I know who she is, and trust me, she is not someone who can be trusted," Splinter revealed to Mikey.

"What do you mean?" said Leo as it confuses the gang on how Splinter knows who Misaki is, and yet they don't.

Mikey tearfully glares at Splinter and hissed:

"You want to help me? ... When have YOU ever really helped me, Splinter?"

"Michelangelo! You must understand, Towa Misaki may act like she's a friend of yours, but you don't know what kind of person that woman is. She is very dangerous," Splinter revealed, trying to help Mikey:

"Believe me, my son; I know you wanted to make friends since you've always been a pure-hearted soul, but she is misleading you."

"You say you know what I am?! What do you know about me?! All this time, ever since Shredder and his minions came into our lives, I was suffering and feeling lonely that my own brothers want nothing to do with me, and you did nothing but stay in that dojo room and never wanted to listen to my problems because you just assumed I was being naive or nothing but trouble" Michelangelo cried out:

"You say you will always be there for me, yet where were you when Tiger Claw injured me?! Where were you when I was trapped in Dimension X?! Where were you when the Triceratons kidnapped me?! And where were you when my brothers kept on treating me like garbage?! You never care, so don't you dare claim that you care for me now. Misaki has cared more about me than you ever had."

"Michelangelo, you don't understand, she's using you! She's a manipulating snake who turns people against each other. I've seen it before." Splinter tried in vain to warn Mikey and the others about who Misaki Towa truly was

"No...you're lying...I don't believe you, and I don't care what you guys want anymore! Just do what you all do best and leave me alone," Mikey exclaimed and was about to leave.

Suddenly, he felt his vision getting darker as he wobbled on the floor and let out a cry as his head began to hurt more, and he was on the ground, shivering violently as he wailed in agony.

Splinter manages to hold his shivering son in fear before Donnie checks his temperature: "Holy crap! He's burning up!"

Michelangelo suddenly coughs out heavily and loudly before blood spits out with every rough cough out of Mikey, much to their horror.

"Something is hurting him," Leonardo cried.

"Something is killing him, Leo!" Raphael yelled.

"We gotta get him to the lab, help me get him up," Donatello panicked.

Michelangelo started to hallucinate as the turtles turned to visions of darkness mocking him, causing the poor, sick turtle to thrash around, crying to be let go.

Mikey suddenly loses control of his mind and goes feral as he attacks his brothers before Splinter holds him down to stop him.

"Musuko! Please! Yamete!" Splinter grunts while attempting to restrain his sick son.

Mikey screams out in rage and accidentally punches Splinter directly in the jaw, making him violently roll on the ground.

"SPLINTER!!" The group exclaimed in horror.

They rush to the humanoid rat's side as they look at Mikey, appalled at what he just did. The deranged turtle soon sees what he has done as he looks on in fear at what he has just said and done.

Splinter soon got up and looked at Mikey in deep concern as the others checked up on the sensei worryingly.

"Splinter," Leo started.

"I'm alright," Splinter assured the others before he looked at his young son with sad eyes, as he didn't want to scare Michelangelo more than he already is

"Musuko...it's alright, I'm not hurt." Splinter tried to comfort his frightened son.

"Stay away from me! I...I..." Mikey sobbed as he was scared of hurting the others.

"Michelangelo" Splinter sadly spoke out.

Mikey suddenly throws a smoke bomb to surprise the group and makes a run out of the lair in tears as Splinter frantically chases after him.

"Michelangelo! Wait!" Splinter cried out with the gang running after them.

Mikey runs as fast as he can, trying to lose the family that he selfishly hurt and manages to give them the slip, much to the others' misery as Splinter sadly hits one of the walls with his fists, ashamed of what has happened.

"My baby boy..."Splinter gasped out in a state of depression and great fear for his youngest.

"This is all my fault; Mikey was right, I failed him." Leo miserably shook his head.

"No offence, but I think all of you guys are to blame," Casey nervously points out.

"Casey, please!" April looked at Casey sadly.

"No...he's right," Raphael agreed with Casey.

"We really screwed up, tremulously," Donatello whimpered.

"Splinter, something's been bothering me; who is this Towa Misaki or Misaki Towas, as Mikey calls her, that you mentioned?" April asked the humanoid rat.

"When I first learned of Misaki by Mikey, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but the way you describe how Mikey fought the Purple Dragons suddenly made so much sense on why he is becoming the way he is," Splinter answered before he reveals who Misaki Towa is:

"Towa Misaki was meant to be the bride of Oroku Saki."

This horrifies the group that Mikey has been blindly seeing someone who works for the Shredder, and not just any person, but the bride of the Shredder.

"You mean, this woman Mikey has been seeing is the Shredder's wife?" Raphael cried out.

"Was going to be the Shredder's wife by arranged marriage, but he never married her since he was obsessed with my beloved wife... But even so, Oroku kept Towa in his grasp since Miwa needed a mother figure, and thus she told me at one point after she joined us that the Shredder was going to send Misaki over to New York to guide Miwa like a motherly teacher, but it never happened," Splinter explained.

"So if she's the reason why Mikey is like this, then surely she must be the reason why Mikey is sick. We've got to find Mikey before she does something horrible to him," Leo exclaimed.

"But we don't know where she lives except for Mikey," said Casey.

"This is why we have T-Phones since Mikey thankfully had it with him tonight," Donatello replied. "Well, I hope he still does after what just happened."

Donatello soon tracked Mikey's phone with his T-Phone and got a signal as it was pointing to Central Park.

"He's at Central Park, I hope that's not where this Misaki Towa lives," said Donnie.

Splinter turns to April and Casey and said: "I want you to remain at the lair in case Michelangelo by some miracle comes back."

"Can do," April nodded.

"Let us know if you found him," Casey agreed as he and April started to head back.

"Alert us right away if he comes back to the lair," Leonardo called out.

"Come, my sons, we must hurry, or we'll be too late," Splinter informed the trio as they followed the signal to Mikey's location.

--------

During a thunderstorm in Misaki's home, the woman was meditating in her usual spot when she heard her name in a whimpering sob.

Misaki saw the young green turtle, soaked from the storm, and his eyes shimmering with wet tears as he looked broken and lost.

"Oh my dear...what happened to you?" Misaki let out a soft gasp.

"I...I did something horrible...I ruined everything," Michelangelo cried out loud.

"My poor darling," Misaki soothed as she got up and went to embrace the poor turtle.

Mikey wraps his arms around the large woman and wept like a child in her mother's arms; Misaki soon moves him to the centre of her cushion and sits down with the teenager's upper abdomen on her lap, stroking his green head gently.

"It's OK, my dear," Misaki comforts the young turtle.

"No, it's not," The turtle sobbed. "I lost my anger at them and I...I snapped; I hurt Sensei."

"I see," Misaki nodded.

"I ruined everything...I'm the worst ninja, son, and brother to the family. I'm useless," Mikey vented out.

"I'm so sorry," Misaki apologised whilst continuing to stroke the turtle's head: "You may have screwed up again, but at least I'm still here, and you're safe here. That's all that matters''

"I...I don't know what's wrong with me lately, Ms Towa," Mikey whimpered.

"What are you talking about?" Misaki asked.

"Lately I've been feeling sick, and I'm in so much pain; I want the pain to stop." The sobbing turtle wailed out in pain.

Misaki knew that Michelangelo was close to breaking down, as it was time for the final phase of her plan to come as she looked at the sobbing turtle and gently asked: 

"How about I make you my special medicine?"

"Your special medicine?" Mikey sobbed.

"Yes, my dear. I can make a medicine that will take all the pain away, and you will feel better in no time; would you like me to do that for you?" Misaki sweetly questioned the poor turtle.

"Yes! Yes, please, anything to take this pain away!" Michelangelo whimpered, cuddling her close.

Misaki looked at the ladies in waiting and said: "Redīsu...Kusuri..."

The ladies in waiting made the special medicine for Michelangelo, but all that was in the tea was nothing but black liquid that was consumed with enough poison to give the poor turtle a slow, painful death.

Misaki hands the cup to Michelangelo and says, "Drink this, and all the pain will be gone in a flash."

The turtle looks at the cup, unsure about this, before Misaki kindly smiles and adds, "You can trust me, Mikey. Have I ever let you down before?"

Mikey tearfully shook his head and consumed the "medicine" as he put the cup down and waited. Suddenly, he felt his body slowly getting colder, and his breath was getting shorter as he started coughing violently and fell, twitching and jolting in agony.

"W-What have you done to me?!" Mikey cried out in agony.

"Just a simple case of poisoning, my dear," Misaki wickedly giggled.

"Poison...?!!" Mikey shudders out as everything suddenly makes sense.

Every time he drinks Misaki's tea, he feels sick within the next few hours or the next day, and with Misaki revealing what he just drank, he realises that Splinter was right about her all along.

The agonised turtle looks up at the wicked woman sneering at him in fear as he choked out: "It was you! You've been poisoning me! You lied to me! How could I be so stupid?! I...I should h-h-have realised t-this..."

"Sorry, my dear, but who could ever be friends with a useless mutant like yourself?" Misaki coldly scoffed at the turtle. "Even your own family has rejected you and despised you"

Mikey tries to crawl away, but the poisoning is making his body shut down into a state of unconsciousness.

"Don't try to fight it, the poison will just kill you very slowly and with great agony; there is nothing you can do to save yourself." Misaki evilly giggles.

She snatches the nunchucks from Mikey, and with her katana, which she pulls out of her robe, she cuts the chains and destroys the weapon in front of Mikey's eyes.

"I guess your weapon isn't strong enough, but then again, as you told me about what your papa told you years ago...they're perfect for you...yes, perfectly weak for a screw up like you, right?" Misaki sneered.

"P-Papa...H-H-Help!" Mikey weakly cried out.

"No one can hear you, turtle...Your family has abandoned you, and soon you'll just die as the lonely, insignificant nuisance that you always have been in the end," Misaki coldly hissed.

Soon, Michelangelo becomes unconscious from the poison as Misaki rips the mask off the turtle's face and burns it with one of the candles as she addresses the helmet of the Shredder.

"Everything is going to plan, my beloved; soon I will destroy our enemies and rule the Foot Clan in your name," Misaki wickedly laughed.

"Ma'am!" One of the ladies in waiting called out. "The Hamato Clan has found this place; they're on their way."

Misaki widens her wicked grin as she looks at the group in front of her and snaps:

"Chīmu! It is time! The moment we've all been waiting for! Tonight, we avenge our fallen leader and take back what is rightfully ours! Tonight, we kill the Hamato Clan for the Shredder!!!"

Chapter Text

Splinter and the trio approached the empty vastness of the building, cautiously looking around as candles illuminated the place, with shadows of the statues surrounding various parts of the walls and the floor.

"Is it just me, or does this place give off a sense of eeriness?" Donatello whispered.

"Stay focused, my sons; for all we know, this place could be a trap waiting to happen to us," Splinter quietly warned his sons.

Soon, they spot Mikey's T-Phone on the ground; Leo gently picks it up and looks around, but sees no sign of their baby brother.

"He has to be here, he must be," Leo softly said, making sure no one hears them.

They look towards the sliding doors, which reveal dimming lights on the other side, before Raphael says, "I got a bad feeling about this."

Splinter approaches the wide doors to the judo room, carefully pulling them open before his eyes widen in horror at the sight in front of him. 

Lying on the jaded table like a deathbed, there lies Michelangelo; his body as still as stone, his skin was completely pale to the point that his green skin had almost disappeared from its original colour, his mask was gone, and his nunchucks were destroyed in front of the table.

"MUSUKO!!" Splinter sharply gasped out and rushed to where he lay.

Leonardo and the others eventually saw their little brother; their hearts sank at the sight of Michelangelo's condition as they rushed to his side with Splinter.

"Mikey!" Raphael cried out in despair.

"Mikey, are you alright?! Say something!" Leo pleaded.

Splinter touches Michelangelo's head and shudders out loud when he realises that the young turtle's skin was cold as ice.

"What is it, sensei?" Donatello asked out.

"His body is so cold," Splinter gasped out.

Donatello touches Mikey's hand and shoulders before he panics: "Oh no, no Mikey! Please, don't be dead!"

He rests his head on Mikey's chest within the shell. Don then presses his fingers on Mikey's wrist and can feel the beats of the heart. He was still alive, but only just.

"His heart's still beating, but it's not looking good," Donatello stated.

"We need to get him back to the lair and fix him up now," Leo commanded.

"But we don't know what's wrong with him," Raph argued, fear evident for his baby brother.

Just then, a soft voice caught the group's attention: "So you finally showed up..."

The gang turned to the sliding door to see Misaki Towa, alone. Tension arose within the family as they cautiously placed their hands on their weapons.

"And here I thought you were never going to come," Misaki mocked before glaring straight into the angry eyes of Master Splinter.

"Hamato Yoshi...we meet again," she said, a cold smile on her lips.

"Towa Misaki," Splinter growled.

"My, my, you have definitely changed so much since the last time we met," Misaki giggled coldly.

"What have you done to my son?!" Splinter demanded.

"Your son?" Misaki asked innocently. "Oh yes, you mean the black sheep of your family?"

"Who are you calling our brother a black sheep, you old hag?" Raphael snapped angrily, trying to charge at Misaki, but was held back by his brothers.

"Oh my, such a temper," Misaki chuckled devilishly. "You must be Raphael, the strong one; Michelangelo told me about you."

Her gaze shifted to the rest of the turtles. "And let me guess: Donatello, the genius, and Leonardo, the fearless leader." Misaki turned back to Splinter with a mocking smirk. "Really, Yoshi? You named your pet students after the Renaissance artists? How quaint."

"We'd rather keep the names that Splinter gave us than be loyal to the Shredder like you are," Leo said darkly.

Misaki gazed at them with a malicious smile, her position steady until she glanced at the rusted mask of the Shredder. She touched her glowing heart necklace, the last token she received as a reminder of his "love."

The woman sighed coldly: "Oroku Saki...my beloved. He was meant to be my husband. Honestly, I tried to help him overcome his obsession with your beloved Tang Shen. But it seems I didn't consider the fact that he killed her. She was just a foolish and impudent woman who couldn't save herself or her child anyway. So I couldn't care less either way,"

The trio prepared to lash out, but Splinter halted them. With calm yet controlled anger, he replied, "Oroku descended into madness, and jealousy was what led to her death and the loss of my child that night. I may not have the power to change the past, but I moved on with a heavy heart for the sake of my sons. Over the years, I became a father again to my sons, and eventually, I got my daughter back safe and sound. That's more than I could ever want for my life—even for Tang Shen to rest in peace."

"Oh, but of course; yet you're not here about the past. You're here for Michelangelo," Misaki mocked. "I'm afraid he's under the weather at the moment."

"Alright, lady! Last chance! What have you done to our brother?!" Raphael shouted furiously.

"I did what you failed to do; I was there for him in his time of need," Misaki explained.

"What are you talking about?" Donatello firmly questioned.

"I was there when he needed someone to talk to, someone to enjoy his company, and someone who cared enough to help," Misaki responded, her grin widening with each phrase.

"You didn't care for Mikey! You tricked him into turning against us!" Leo accused.

"Oh, I didn't trick him. I just told him the truth," Misaki shrugged. "That you guys never truly cared about Michelangelo whatsoever."

"What are you talking about?! We love Mikey; he's our baby brother!" Raph spat furiously at her, only to be scoffed at in return.

"A likely excuse coming from you, Raphael."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" the hotheaded turtle growled.

"I know everything about your relationship with your baby brother; he's told me everything about you three and the others, including your master," Misaki informed them.

"What...what did he say about us?" Donatello asked, dreading the answer.

"Just basic, trivial stuff about what he does with you three daily, but what I was really interested in were his accomplishments alongside you," Misaki replied, her gaze now on the dying Michelangelo. 

"The way he saved you three from those killer wasps, the Squirrelanoids, how he tried to warn you about the imposter being your friend's mother, the time he helped you escape from Dimension X, and especially creating the Retro-Mutagen. It sounds to me like he's the noblest turtle of them all, and what does he get from you?"

At that moment, Misaki's smug grin turned sadistic, and like poison, she hissed out, "Nothing...just nothing; nothing but denial, bewilderment, mockery, and ungratefulness from you three."

"That is not true," Leo protested.

"Don't deny it, fearless leader. There were times when you three couldn't save yourselves, and the only person who rescued you from meeting your demise was the brother who lies before you," Misaki scoffed. "Sure, he is completely foolish and childish, but at least he's not heartless."

"You know nothing of my sons, Misaki," Splinter sternly interjected. "They may not have always been the best of brothers from time to time, but they make a great team. As long as they have each other, they will always prevail."

The only response Splinter received from Misaki was a shrill giggle, as if she were calling his bluff. She stared at her nemesis icily before saying, "The way you speak about your sons makes you sound more like a teacher than an actual father to them. Of course, they aren't your real sons, so who am I to judge?"

"They may not be my flesh and blood, but they are my sons all the same. I will do anything to protect them and help them look after one another when I eventually depart from this world," Splinter retorted in response to Misaki's cruel words.

"Is that so?" Misaki giggled. "Tell me, Yoshi, does your youngest son ever share how his brothers treat him at times, or do you always tell him to let the harsh words wash over him like a river?"

"Look, we may have said and done things in the past that we're not proud of, but you don't know how much Mikey means to us. We do everything we can to make sure we—" Donnie started to speak, but was cut off by Misaki.

"Fix the problem? Perhaps, but tell me this—why is it that every time you do fix things with Michelangelo, you three return to your old ways as if nothing ever happened?"

"What are you even implying?" Leo demanded.

"I'm saying that the saying 'sticks and stones may break my bones' is misleading. Don't believe the part about 'words can never hurt me.' The truth is, even the tiniest harsh word can cut your soul like a knife, and you never know the damage it leaves until it's too late," Misaki warned the three brothers.

Splinter looked over at his three sons, confused by Misaki's words but fearing the worst. "Sons, what is she talking about?"

"Geez, for a wise sensei, you're so oblivious," Misaki groaned in annoyance. "Let me show you what I mean... Chīmu."

Suddenly, out of the shadows surrounding the room, six women appeared, all wearing masks similar to those worn by the turtles. 

"You want to know what happens with your sons when you're not around, Yoshi? Then enjoy the show," the villain sneered wickedly at the large humanoid rat.

As she clapped her hands twice, the women began to perform various scenarios depicting Michelangelo's painful memories with his brothers. Each scenario made the turtles shift uncomfortably, as if they were watching a painful movie play out before them.

"Are you guys OK?!" Mikey nervously questioned his brothers, who were glaring daggers at their little brothers.

"Oh, we're fine (!) Apart from almost being squashed to death by that door thanks to you," Donnie sarcastically snapped.

"Mikey, I told you to let it go, but you didn't listen!" Leo scolded his baby brother.

"I was trying to stop them from escaping," Mikey tried to explain.

"And no surprise, you let them slip away again, you moron!" Raph growled and gave Mikey a sharp smack above the head.

Mikey flinched in pain as he hated it when he messed up and got his brothers angry at him. It's been happening a lot lately, and it's not like Mikey means to let these things happen all the time.

"I...I really did my best to stop them! I didn't mean to get you guys hurt," Mikey anxiously explained.

"Well, your 'best' lately, Mikey, sucks! It's really getting on our nerves," Donnie lashed out at the guilt-ridden turtle.

"Come on, guys, we can still catch up and stop them," Leo replied.

As soon as Mikey starts to follow the trio, Leo abruptly stops him and firmly snaps, "Not you!"

"What?" Michelangelo asked in question.

"Look, Mikey, you've been messing up too many times during patrol lately, and we're getting sick of it. So do us all a favour and just go home," Leo ordered his little brother.

Mikey looked dejected at being ordered to leave as he whimpers: "But...we're a team."

"Not with you screwing us up, we're not," Raph scoffed.

"We can take it from here; just go back to the lair," Donnie sighed.

"But guys," Mikey pleaded.

"Go home! That's an order from your leader," Leo strictly replied.

"Guys, please!" Mikey whined.

"GO HOME!" The trio bellowed at Mikey, who shrank down in fright of his three brothers.

Leo looks on in shame as he never meant to be that harsh to Mikey that night, but he did it anyway, and in the end, he was not very proud of himself for how he acted to his baby brother.

Soon, the next scene was performed as it was a familiar sight to one of them, Donatello, who was not looking forward to...

It was during the time they were at the farmhouse, and Mikey tried to save April from the impostor, who almost attacked April, but she and the others thought Mikey had lost it and were angry at him.

So mad that the boys forced Mikey into the barn and interrogated him like a criminal.

"Michelangelo. You. Attacked. April's. MOTHEEEER!!!!" The actress playing Donnie screamed at the lady playing Mikey.

As the performers ended the scenario, Donatello looked down with the same guilt as the others.

They should've listened to Mikey, but instead, they hurt him, and the way they treated him was like he was the bad guy, and they almost seemed to want to hurt him badly to punish him.

Suddenly, the scene changed, and Raphael knew what this was as he gasped: "No, please."

"This is the third time you've messed the place up in a week," The performer who was Leo recites the words.

"Clean up now! And as for you!" The performer who was Raph acted the way they treated Mikey and Ice-Cream Kitty at the farmhouse, much to the other turtle's guilt. "And stay there!"

The performer points angrily at Mikey: It better be spotless by the time we get back. Some ninja. You're just a big screw-up."

Raphael looks down, deeply ashamed of that day; all his little brother was doing was having fun with his pet, and while he shouldn't have made that much of a mess. There was still no excuse to treat Mikey and Ice-Cream Kitty like that.

Each performance the women put on was stuff from what the brothers said and did to Mikey that was out of line and cruel. But the worst part was the last performance as the turtles realised where this was from.

"No...Not that", Leo gasped out.

"Hush now, this is the best part." Misaki giggled cruelly at the turtles.

They watched the scene unfold by the geishas, the way they mocked the words in a dark, comedic way, but the scenario of the past was haunting them the more they watched it.

"Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?" The performer who was Donnie acted.

"Hey!" The one who was Mikey whined.

"I don't want him. And I'm in charge!" The next one, Leo, replied.

"Hey!"

"Well, then make Raph take Mikey."

"Over my dead body!" The last one who pretended to be Raph grumbled.

"You know, I'm starting to get the feeling nobody wants to be with me" The Michelangelo actor mimicked his whiny tone.

Soon, the Michelangelo actor slipped over in an over-the-top fall before the Raphael actor hissed out: "And this is why no one wants to be with you!"

The turtles watched on, their hearts sank with every word that was spoken, like a broken record, as they watched the actors putting down the Michelangelo actor, like watching nightmares from the past.

"Stupid"

"Moron"

"Shell for brains"

"Dumbass!"

"Loser!"

"Idiot!"

"Useless"

"Pain in the ass"

"Failure"

Raphael couldn't take it anymore and bellowed out: "STOP IT!"

"SCREW-UP!" The three turtle actors spat out that last word to the Mikey actor like venom.

The Michelangelo actor soon faked out his cry and pretended to slit his throat open with a fake knife, and placed red ribbons around his neck symbolising his death.

The three performers pretending to be the other brothers cheered like Mikey's death was a joyous celebration, and soon they finished the performance and bowed to Misaki, who was clapping and laughing out loud.

"Oh my dears, you are just too much." The villain laughed before she turned to the turtles, who were livid with rage at what they saw, especially that ending: 

"Oh, alright, so that ending was completely inaccurate, but hey, artist's freedom of expression."

"You vile, evil...!" Leo growled.

Misaki just smirks at Splinter who was staring at sons in shock and disappointment, true they were times they were at each other's throats and the sensei often leaves them to sort the problems out themselves as a team...no, as brothers should; And to see what has happened just then, made his heart sank and cannot help but be ashamed at the three turtles on how far and hard their treatment with their little brother in the past have all bottled up to exploded in their faces but mostly he was disappointed in himself.

Splinter should've done something to help them understand better why they need each other, or should've done more to be there for Mikey, if only he had tried harder to get Michelangelo to tell him what was wrong instead of just leaving him be and hoping that his young son would tell him.

"Well, Yoshi, it seems you're not as good a father as you are as a teacher." Misaki viciously looks down at the rat.

Splinter lets out a furious growl at Misaki, something that the turtles knew meant that if Splinter growls, then they know that he is livid.

"While I am not proud of the way my sons treated one another in the past, you poisoned my young son and turned him against us with your false pretence and trickery, just as the Shredder did with my daughter," Splinter furiously growled out.

"Don't act so holier than thou, Yoshi, you're not innocent yourself" Misaki hissed as she then sneered:

"When you gave your sons their signature weapons, you spoke to those three there with passion and inspiration...but what did you say to Michelangelo when you gave him that pathetic weapon he wielded for years?"

Splinter's eyes widen, and the trio before him cringed, remembering that day their own father presented them with the weapons that they have mastered over the years.

The way he inspired them with wisdom and hope that they can be the greatest ninjas in the world. But when it came to Michelangelo and his nunchaku, there was no wisdom or hope in Splinter's word.

Only hesitation and perhaps false sincerity that came from the father, like he didn't had a valid reason why he would give Michelangelo such a weapon.

"You don't remember? Allow me to refresh your memory that Mikey told me" Misaki wickedly grinned and mocked him with his own words:

"The nunchaku. Because, um, they are perfect for you!"

Splinter shuts his eyes, haunted by his own words that he spoke long ago.

Why? He thought to himself. Why couldn't he think of anything valid to say for his youngest? Does he really have no faith in his own youngest son? Was Misaki right about everyone?

All this time, Splinter tried to help Michelangelo and his other sons become the best ninjas they could be. However, he has to remind himself that being a teacher and being a father are two different roles. Now, Splinter sees that he has been more of a teacher than a father, especially to Mikey.

"They're perfect for him, hmm? That’s a pleasant way of saying I have no faith in you, son. You'll never amount to anything," Misaki cruelly laughed.

"Not that I’m blaming you, though. He is pretty useless. A waste of time and effort. I would have left him behind with those dinosaur aliens that kidnapped him—whatever they're called—and just been content with your other three perfect sons. Nothing of real value would be lost, right?" she viciously added.

Splinter's eyes gleamed with rage as he let out a fierce snarl at the villainess. "How dare you! I may not have been the best father, but don’t you dare insinuate that my life, THIS FAMILY, would be better off without my youngest son!"

"Oh well, on the plus side, you won't have to worry about Mikey any longer soon enough," Misaki mocked the father.

"What do you mean?! What exactly have you done to our brother?!" Donatello demanded once more.

"For some time now, I've been serving your little brother tea, but what he didn't know is that I lace each tea with a few drops of poison to slowly weaken his senses and body. Tonight, he begged me to stop the pain, and I gave him my medicine." Misaki explained her wicked plan.

"What kind of poison did you force my son to drink?!" Splinter angrily yelled out.

"Why, Belladonna, of course," Misaki revealed with a haunting smile.

The heroes look down at their dying family member in horror as the poison is killing him slowly and painfully.

Donnie knew that Belladonna was one of the most dangerous plants that, if consumed enough of it, would cause death within hours or worst minutes if not treated urgently.

"It won't be long now till he is dead, and there is nothing you can do to save him," Misaki hissed.

"You monster!" Donatello shudders out hatefully.

"I may be a monster, but at least I'm not the one who failed to save your little brother. You three have failed no matter what you do; admit it... Your baby brother will die because you failed as brothers," Misaki snarled, narrowing her eyes at the family and continued:

"He can be annoying with his pranks and his tendency to mess things up, but let me ask you something: When was the last time he smacked you on the head? When was the last time he ordered you out of the room out of fear you might break something of his? And when was the last time he avoided hanging out with you as brothers, pushing you aside for 'better' things?"

Each cold question struck a chord in the trio's hearts, forcing them to realise that, despite all the times they were too hard or aggressive to their little brother, Mikey had never done them any actual harm. He only ever forgave them and continued as if nothing was wrong.

Now, facing the consequences of how they treated their little brother, the older brothers felt nothing but deep shame and heartache at the thought that their baby brother could die tonight, and it could be their fault. No matter how they tried to assure themselves otherwise, the harsh truth had come back to bite them.

"That's right... No poison, no tricks, no pretence—it's just the harsh truth. You're not brothers; you don't even care. And that's the truth," Misaki cruelly scoffed.

She expected them to protest, but silence slowly filled the room. Splinter was about to speak out when someone beat him to it.

"Ya know what, lady? You're right." 

The small crowd glanced at Raphael, who looked both furious and defeated. Misaki regarded the second-oldest turtle with interest as he continued, "You want the truth? Here it is: Yeah, you're right about us! We're not always great brothers. What happened to Mikey leading up to this was our fault..."

"Raph," Leo spoke up, but was interrupted by the red-masked turtle.

"It's true. He can be a pain, and we do say things out of line out of frustration and anger. We did those things to Mikey, and in the end, we're not proud of it. But you were right—we just dismiss it because we thought Mikey would always be Mikey, the lovable goofball who never holds a grudge and goes right back to normal."

"So you admit that your baby brother is just a screw-up and mostly imperfect to you?" Misaki questioned with a smug look on her face.

The others expected Raphael to lash out in anger, but surprisingly, he remained calm and collected. He sighed and replied, "Yes, I admit that Mikey is not perfect."

"I thought so," Misaki sneered.

"But ya know what, lady!" Raph suddenly exclaimed. "I'm not perfect either!"

"What?" Misaki quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

"That's right... I, Raphael, am a screw-up too!" he boldly declared.

The group stared in utter confusion as the red-masked turtle continued:

"Do you have any idea how many times I've let my anger and my big mouth ruin our plans and nearly exposed us, as well as nearly screwing up the plan while on patrol? A lot! So yeah, if you think we're not perfect brothers, you're right about that."

Eventually, Leo and Donnie began to understand what Raph was saying, and Donnie stepped forward, chiming in:  

"Y-Yeah! You know what? I'm a screw-up too!"  

Donnie stood beside Raphael with a smug grin.  

"I'm the smartest one on the team, but my intelligence comes with its own problems. I can be sarcastic, impulsive, and snarky, and despite my best efforts, most of my inventions backfire and screw us over. Often, my so-called genius ideas end up blowing up in my face, and I don't even have a solid Plan B most of the time."  

"Wanna know another thing, lady? Even fearless here is not perfect," Raphael replied, giving his older brother his typical smug grin and a wink.  

Leo frowned at Raph's grin but understood the point he was making, joining in:  

"As much as that was intended to annoy me, Raphael's right."  

"Say that again?" Raph teased, grinning wider.  

"Don't push it," Leo grumbled before turning to Misaki.  "But yeah, I'm a screw-up as well."  

The eldest brother then knelt beside the unconscious Mikey and addressed the villain with determination:  

"I'm the leader of this group, yet I allow my judgment to cloud my decisions. My arguments with my brothers often compromise my leadership skills and risk our collective failure. Another problem is that I try to be too perfect as a leader, which frequently leads to choices that negatively impact my brothers, especially Mikey."  

"OK, OK; you're all imperfect screw-ups. Congratulations," Misaki sarcastically groaned, giving the trio golf claps. "What's your point in all of this?"  

"Our point is, Misaki, we may have messed up big time with Mikey, but that doesn't mean we love him any less. He's our baby brother, and we will not abandon him or hate him," Leo replied.  

"That's right! Because we're brothers, and brothers support each other, for better or worse," Donnie added.  

"Well, of course, you'd look out for him in the end. You don't want to live with the guilt of letting someone like Michelangelo die—not because you love him," Misaki coldly called them out.

"Now that there, lady, is where you're wrong," Raph growled out before he sadly looked at the ragged breathing brother before him as the red mask turtle glared back at Misaki and ranted out:

"You say I don't care if Mikey gets hurt, but honestly, I would rather die than let him or any of my brothers get hurt or killed."

Raphael knelt beside Mikey with Leo kneeling next to him, the hothead soon poured his heart out:

"Because as much as I don't often admit it, Mikey is the best little brother I could ever ask for in my life! Yes, I should have never been so hard and hurtful to him, and I should have been there for him as much as I could have. But we're here now, and we're not going to let you poison Mikey anymore!"

"We're going to take Mikey back home and make sure he survives this," Leo joined in on the rant with Raph.

"And after that, we'll make sure you never lay your ugly hands on him again," Donnie added, speaking up for Mikey.

"Because no one—and I repeat, NO ONE—hurts our baby brother and gets away with it!" Raphael yelled at Misaki.

"For what you did to him, you will pay for this, Misaki!" Donnie vowed firmly.

"That's right, you mess with Mikey, then you mess with us!" Leonardo agreed.

"You say we're ashamed to be his brothers? Then you need to clean your ears out and believe us when we say this: We're very proud and so honoured to have our baby brother in our lives, and we'll always be there for him until the very end," Raphael concluded his rant.

"ALWAYS!" The trio vehemently exclaimed as they got their weapons out and positioned themselves around Michelangelo to protect him.

Master Splinter watched even so proudly as his sons protected their little brother. He smiled at the scene before him, but that moment quickly vanished when they noticed Misaki slowly clapping her hands and saying, "Bravo, turtles... bravo."

The turtles and Splinter looked at her in confusion until Misaki viciously added, "I never knew you three were such good actors. You really do act like you actually care for that freak."

Her words sparked a fierce glare of fury and hate from the turtles, enraged that she would call their heartfelt speeches for their baby brother a mere act. Raphael almost lashed out at her, but Leonardo stopped him from doing anything rash.

"Believe what you want, you old hag. We're taking Mikey and going home," Raphael snapped.

"Leaving so soon? I don't think so... Chīmu! Junbi!" Misaki hissed, issuing her commands.

Suddenly, the geisha women disrobed to reveal they were wearing Foot Clan gear, much to the turtles' surprise.

"Okay... geisha ninjas? That's a new one," Donatello pointed out uncomfortably.

"Kill the remaining turtles before you, but leave the rat to me!" Misaki ordered her followers.

She revealed a long katana from her robes and readied herself to fight. "He and I have unfinished business."

Splinter glared furiously at Misaki and pulled out his katana, preparing to confront her. Without turning to the turtles, he addressed his three sons: "Boys, defeat the clan and take Michelangelo home as fast as you can."

"What about you, Sensei?" Leonardo asked, worry etched on his face.

"I will be fine, Leonardo. I will handle her myself," Splinter replied, steeling himself for the fight.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time," Misaki hissed as they circled each other in the room. "Finally, Oroku Saki will be avenged, and the Foot Clan will rise to its former glory again."

She then turned to her loyal clan members and growled, "Chīmu! Kōgeki!"

The Foot Ninjas charged at the three turtles, each turtle taking on two fighters while Misaki engaged Splinter, their katanas clashing swiftly and sharply.

After a few intense minutes, the turtles knocked the remaining Foot Ninjas out cold and rushed to their ailing baby brother, who began to toss and turn in his weakened state.

"Hold on, Mikey! We're gonna save you!" Raphael panicked.

Donatello checked Michelangelo's temperature and gasped, "He's getting colder!"

"Let's go!" Leonardo ordered.

"What about Sensei?" Donatello cried out, concerned for their father.

Splinter continued to fight against Misaki with incredible pace and ferocity, enraged by what she had done to his young son. 

"Soon, you will feel the pain of loss again, just like you did with Tang Shen," Misaki hissed.

"You may think Michelangelo is weak, but I know deep down that he is stronger than you think," Splinter growled.

"Your faith in that little pest is misplaced and filled with false hope. He will never be a true ninja," Misaki cruelly spat.

"STOP!"

Suddenly, they turned to see Michelangelo awake, barely stable. To the turtles' surprise, the young turtle managed to get on his feet, trembling as he stood.

"You... you tricked me," Michelangelo panted weakly. "You... poisoned... me!"

"Isn't it nice when things are finally out of the open?" Misaki mocked the young turtle.

"Boys, get Michelangelo out of here!" Splinter cried out.

"No!" Mikey stopped them, glaring at Misaki. In a weak, raspy voice, he continued, "You... made me turn against my family. You made me become a monster. I won't let you use me to hurt them again."

"Haven't you learned anything? Your family doesn't care. After all, they failed you," Misaki growled. With one leap onto the stone dragon, she threw a ninja star at the young turtle.

Before the group could react, Mikey caught the ninja star just in time. With his remaining strength, he attempted to throw it back at Misaki, but she leapt off the stone dragon as it missed her, slicing the ropes that held it.

"You see? You can't even hit me. You're a failure," Misaki said with a harsh giggle.

Suddenly, without warning, the stone dragon began to fall forward, now that the ropes had been cut by the shuriken. Mikey passed out cold from the poison just as Splinter dashed to him, quickly scooping him up and running out of the way, much to Misaki's confusion. It was only when she saw the looming shadow behind her that she realised too late what was happening. 

Once she turned back, she let out a shriek as the stone dragon crushed her to the ground, presumably killing her. The turtles cringed in shock as they saw Splinter leaning over their young brother on the ground.

"Mikey!" Raph cried out.

"Is he still alive?!" Leo panicked.

"Yes, but for how long, I'm not sure," Splinter replied sadly.

"We'd better get back now, or we'll be too late!" Donatello shouted as he picked up Mikey in his arms.

Without hesitation, the gang fled with the dying turtle, rushing back to the sewers as fast as they could to get to the lair and save Michelangelo from certain death.

"Hold on, my son! Hold on!" Splinter whispered to Michelangelo while running with all his might alongside the other turtles.

Back at the villain's lair, green glowing goo was surrounding the body of Misaki, which came out from the heart necklace that was shattered into pieces by the stone dragon. 

Her foot ninjas watched in concern before they heard a growl from underneath the stone dragon, before it was flung off from the woman.

Misaki arises from the shadows, and seeing a change in her, she lets out a haunting, monstrous shriek while her Foot Ninjas look on in horror at this mysterious, large figure that was once their mistress...

Chapter Text

Back at the turtle's lair, Donatello was in his lab with his younger brother, Michelangelo, lying on the operating table. Frantically, Donatello was doing everything he could to flush the poison out of Michelangelo's body. 

Meanwhile, the others waited outside, explaining to April and Casey everything about Misaki Towa and what she had done to Michelangelo.

"That horrible snake! The fact that she poisoned Mikey with belladonna and used his sadness against him to turn him against us is pure evil! She's definitely the Shredder's girl," April exclaimed, feeling both angry and sad for Mikey.

"Well, she won't be hurting Mikey anymore," Raphael grunted, his eyes fixed on the front door to Donnie's lab, filled with fear for his baby brother.

"I don't follow you, man," Casey said, confused.

"She was accidentally crushed to death by one of her stone dragons in her home during the fight," Leonardo explained.

"Damn," Casey replied, cringing at the thought.

"Normally, I wouldn't wish harm on anyone, even if they were bad, but for her, good riddance," April said firmly.

Splinter watched sadly at the front door of Donatello's lab, deeply concerned about whether Michelangelo would survive. April approached the rat and gently said:

"Splinter, I just want to apologise about what I said to you back there. I know I sounded harsh, but I was just..."

"You do not need to apologize, Ms. O'Neil. You were right." Splinter looked at her with deep sadness in his eyes.

"I guess, deep down, I should have done more for my son. I always assumed, like the others, that he was a bright soul with a child-like personality. But I never considered that he might be feeling this way. I thought he would always look on the bright side of things...But I was wrong. I see now that even Michelangelo can feel darkness, just as we can. I've failed him, my baby boy..."

Splinter grips his staff tight in pain and shudders: "I failed him, Ms. O' Neil...I failed to be a father for my youngest; I should've been better for him and the rest of my sons."

April gently rubbed one of Splinter's arms. Noticing the tears welling up in his eyes, she held his paw and said with a comforting smile, "It's not too late to fix things between you and Michelangelo. He will be alright, he's strong and not willing to give up that easy; you know that,"

Splinter managed a small smile in return and hugged her. "Thank you."

Suddenly, the lab door opened, and the gang saw Donatello walk out, exhausted and trembling. They rushed to the purple-masked turtle as he panted, "I've managed to flush the poison out of his system, and he's on antibiotics to help him regain his health. He'll be okay."

The gang exhaled in relief as Donatello began to weep silently. Concerned, Leo approached him and asked, "Donnie? What's wrong?"

"I—it's just...I almost lost him," Donatello sobbed quietly.

"What?!" Raphael and Leonardo exclaimed in shock.

"The belladonna poisoning was so severe that I had to act fast," Donatello explained. "As I was flushing the toxins out, his heart almost gave out, and he nearly died. I had to use the defibrillator on him. He almost didn't make it, but he stabilized, and I managed to cure him of the poison for good." Donatello continued to sob.

April and Casey wrapped their arms around Donatello, comforting him with a hug. Raphael shuddered and asked, "B-but he's alright now, right? He's going to make it?"

"Y-Yes; he'll be OK; he's going to live," Donatello sniffed.

"It's alright, Donatello," Splinter soothed, rubbing the turtle's shell. "You saved his life. You did very well; I'm very proud of you."

"We all are," April assured Donnie, nodding in agreement.

"T-Thanks," Donnie sniffed and dried his tears.

"Can we see him?" Leo asked.

"You can, but he's asleep right now," Donnie nodded.

"Mr. Jones, could you please get some water for Donatello?" Splinter politely requested.

"Sure thing," Casey nodded and headed to the kitchen.

While April comforted the distressed Donnie on the couch, Splinter, Leo, and Raph went to the lab and approached Mikey, who was asleep on the hospital bed. He had an oxygen mask on his face and an IV hooked into his arms.

"Mikey," Raphael gasped, distraught.

"I hate to say it, but Misaki was right about one thing. We haven't been the best brothers to Michelangelo, especially recently," Leo admitted shamefully.

The eldest brother looked up at Splinter, noticing the stern frown on their father's face directed at both him and Raphael. Leonardo lowered his gaze and addressed his disappointed sensei: 

"You have every right to be angry with us, Splinter. What Misaki's ninjas showed us was the truth—everything they presented, except for the ending of that last part, was true."

Splinter sighed heavily. "I know that, and honestly, I am really disappointed in all three of you. The way you've treated your youngest brother hurts me because you see Michelangelo as nothing more than a failure. After everything you've all been through, I am truly saddened that it has come to this."

"You're right, sensei," Raphael agreed sorrowfully. "We messed up big time with Mikey, and we've never truly appreciated him."

"Not entirely. I will agree on that, but I must accept my part of the blame for what has happened to Michelangelo," Splinter said sadly.

"But you didn't do anything, Master Splinter," Leo attempted to comfort him.

"That is exactly the problem, Leonardo," Splinter frowned, gazing at Mikey. "I didn't do anything to help Michelangelo when he needed me the most. Despite asking constantly if he was alright, I should have involved myself more in his life. My past actions have alienated Michelangelo from me to the point where he no longer relies on me for support."

"How do we fix this, Splinter? How do we get Mikey to trust us again?" Raphael asked desperately.

"All we can do is try to help Michelangelo open up to us again," Splinter answered, but then firmly stated to both Leo and Raph: "That being said, I know you boys will have your moments of disagreement and arguments, but you must stop using cruel words and actions against each other, especially toward Michelangelo."

"We know, sensei." Raphael bowed his head in guilt. "I promise I will work harder on my temper and my words from now on."

"You don't have to do it alone. I can help you," Leo offered.

"It's my problem to solve, Leo, not yours," Raphael grunted.

"Maybe, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. If we are to repair the mistakes we’ve made, we need to rely more on each other. We're family, Raph, and I'll always have your back, just like everyone else."

In a rare moment of vulnerability, Raphael held Leo close, and the eldest brother hugged him back, hearing him say:

"I'm scared, Leo. What if we can't fix this with Mikey?"

"I'm scared too, Raph, but we can't give up. We're all in this together," Leo said, patting Raph's shell.

Splinter soon hugged both Leo and Raph together; it wasn't long before Donnie entered and joined in the embrace as well. They each sadly looked upon their sick brother in bed, ashamed of how their actions in the past had nearly destroyed not only him but the entire family.

They have to find a way to fix this, or everything will fall apart... 

--------

The next morning, Mikey eventually opened his eyes and noticed he was in Donnie's lab on the operating table, hooked up to an IV. He saw Donatello entering the lab with a glass of water.

"Mikey!" Donnie gasped happily as he approached his younger sibling.

"D-Donnie? W-What happened?" Mikey softly groaned.

"Long story, but for now, drink this," Donatello replied gently.

Michelangelo looked at the glass of water and shook his head, remembering that the last time he drank something, he almost died. Noticing this, Donatello petted Mikey's head reassuringly and said, "It's alright; it's just water."

Mikey eventually took the glass, and Donatello helped him drink it slowly. Once Mikey finished, Donnie stroked his head again and asked, "How are you feeling, little buddy?"

"I feel...kind of lousy and yucky," Michelangelo admitted.

"Do you remember what Misaki did to you last night?" Donatello asked, looking into his brother's eyes to see that his pupils were back to normal.

"All I remember is that she gave me some medicine, but it turned out to be poison—something called bella...um..." Mikey stammered.

"Belladonna," Donnie pointed out.

"Yes, that," Mikey nodded sadly.

"Mikey, do you know how long Misaki has been poisoning you?" Donatello asked, concerned.

"I guess...I guess since the night I met her, which was maybe last week," Michelangelo confessed, noticing the shocked look on Donatello's face. Panic began to set in. "But I didn't know she was poisoning me until last night! I swear, D, I didn't know!"

Donatello gently hushed Mikey and patted his shell to calm him down. "It's alright, Mikey; I'm not mad at you. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

Donatello then retrieved a clipboard and a pen before adding, "Now I'm going to explain the side effects of belladonna poisoning. I want you to tell me if you experienced any of those effects so I can help you feel better quicker, okay?"

Mikey nodded as Donatello patiently explained the side effects of belladonna poisoning one by one. As hard as he could, Mikey listed the effects he felt when poisoned. These included dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, loss of balance, headache, rash, flushing, severely dry mouth and throat, confusion, and mild hallucinations.

Donatello made sure that each of the effects was treated properly so they could be cured, and he gave Mikey some medication to help him as the young turtle swallowed them.

"I'll give you these a few times, and they will help you get rid of most of the side effects. The rest of them will pretty much just go away on their own," Donatello explained.

"Thanks, man," Mikey quietly replied to his smart brother.

Just then, Leo, Raph, and Splinter entered the lab, surprised and happy to see Mikey awake. They gathered around him.

"I'm glad you're alright, Mikey," Leo said happily.

"We thought we would never see your bright blue eyes again," Raphael added joyfully.

"My baby boy, we're so pleased to see you're okay," Splinter said, hugging his young son in a gentle embrace.

Mikey didn't smile back; instead, he looked down, feeling concerned about what he had said to them last night. Although he always wanted to call them out on their mistakes, as they did with him, the way he acted that night felt too horrible. He felt deep shame for how he had spoken to his family, especially when he assaulted his father.

"Mikey? Are you alright?" Raphael asked, noticing the sad look on Mikey's face.

"I-I'm just..." Mikey started.

"What's on your mind, Mikey?" Leo questioned, concern evident in his voice.

"About last night...I...I'm so sorry," Mikey sadly apologised.

"Mikey, no; don't even start!" Raphael shook his head.

"Just listen! I said things I shouldn't have said, and I was wrong about everything. You guys were right," Mikey replied.

"But that wasn't your fault. You were poisoned and manipulated by Misaki," Leonardo tried to comfort his younger brother.

"But if I hadn't met her in the first place, none of this would have happened," Mikey whimpered.

"My son, we don't blame you. You didn't know that Misaki was a dangerous person. You've always been a compassionate person," Splinter soothed his son.

"And yet because of me, I messed up again! I always screw up! Why can't I ever just... just—" Mikey began to vent before he suddenly started coughing heavily.

"Mikey! Calm down; you need to relax. Don't overexert yourself," Donnie informed him.

"B-but..." Mikey shuddered.

"Just lie down and rest. We'll talk about this when you're fully recovered, I promise," Leo gently hushed the recovering turtle.

"And no matter what, Michelangelo, just know that we love you so much," Splinter comforted Mikey, giving him a fatherly kiss on the forehead.

Soon, Leo, Raph, and Splinter left the lab to let Mikey rest while Donnie watched over him. As Mikey drifted off to sleep once more, he couldn't shake the fear that he would be in trouble for what he had done and wondered if things would just remain the same once this whole ordeal was over, as they always seemed to.

He worries so much about messing up and being a failure again that the poor turtle thinks: Would it be better if he were gone from their lives so they wouldn't be bothered to worry about someone like Mikey again?

--------

A week later, Mikey was slowly recovering but remained in the hospital bed so Donatello could ensure he was completely free of the lingering effects of belladonna poisoning. 

For a long while, he hardly spoke to his family; even friends who visited to show their love and support were met with few words and mostly silence. The emotional manipulation that Misaki inflicted on the poor turtle had left Michelangelo a shell of his former self, filled with woe and hopelessness. 

One night, as he tried to sleep in the hospital bed, he opened his eyes and realized he was no longer in the lab but in a dark, familiar place.

He was outside the house where Misaki was before he could hear whispers of his name before they began to grow louder into cries of help; Mikey looked back to the source of the voices before he could see floating bodies in the river near the house, and to his horror, it was the bodies of family, including April and Casey.

Mikey screams out in horror and rushes to each of the dead bodies floating in the bloody waters of the small river before he cradles the body of Splinter and weeps out:

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I-I never meant to hurt any of you...it's all my fault...all my fault."

Just then, two giant claws seize Mikey from the water, making him scream out in terror and looking down to see Misaki emerging from the water looking like something out of a horror movie as she snarls:

"You are nothing but a failing burden to your family! You will always be alone!!"

As she pulls Mikey into the bloody water, the poor turtle wakes up from his nightmare, panting heavily and looking around to realize he is back at the lab. The nightmare felt too real for Mikey as he began to weep silently, haunted by Misaki's words. He believes that if he stays with his family, he will only slow them down and put them in danger, or worse, get them killed.

That night, Mikey sadly chooses to leave his family for good. His depression has consumed him to the point where he is convinced by Misaki's poisonous words. He feels he will never be a true ninja like his brothers, nor will he ever be the brother they want him to be.

He doesn't bother to pack anything and sneaks out of the lab without waking Donnie, who is asleep in a chair. As he moves, he hears a loud meow coming from the kitchen. Mikey glances back towards the kitchen entrance, remembering how he lashed out at his concerned pet. He feels deep shame, believing that Ice Cream Kitty deserves better than him. 

Quietly, he sobs out, addressing his pet:

"I'm so sorry, kitty; you deserve a better owner than me...Don't worry, the others will take care of you." 

And with that, he left the lair, vowing never to return....

Not five minutes had passed when Donatello woke from his sleep in the middle of the night and suddenly noticed the empty hospital bed where Michelangelo was supposed to be.

"Mikey?! MIKEY!" Donatello went into a full panic as he looked around the lab before bolting out of the room, shouting for Mikey.

This awakened the others, and Splinter approached the panicking turtle. "Donatello! What is the matter?!"

"It's Mikey; he's gone!" Donatello cried out.

"Gone?! What do you mean he's gone?!" Raphael shouted as he rushed into the lab and saw the empty table.

"What happened, Donnie?!" Leo demanded.

"I don't know! I was asleep in my chair, and when I woke up, Mikey wasn't on the bed!" Donatello cried frantically.

Suddenly, they heard loud meowing coming from the kitchen, prompting them to rush in. Raphael opened the freezer and asked, "What is it? What's wrong, girl?"

Ice Cream Kitty looked outside the kitchen before they approached the entrance to the lair, meowing loudly for Mikey. The family followed Ice Cream Kitty's gaze and noticed an IV hook lying on the ground.

"No... he's run off again," Leonardo exclaimed.

"Why?!" Donatello cried.

"We'll figure out why he ran off later, but right now, you boys need to go out there and find Michelangelo. Bring him back safely," Splinter ordered his sons.

"What about you?!" Raphael asked loudly.

"I will stay here in case he returns. Besides..." Splinter replied, holding Ice Cream Kitty, who was in a jar filled with ice. "The way she's acting, I don't want her getting lost, too."

"Alright," Leo nodded. "Let's go, guys!"

"Be careful out there!" Splinter called out as the turtles began their search for their baby brother.

Through the cold sewers, the trio frantically searched for Mikey, calling out his name as it echoed throughout the tunnels, but there were no responses.

After five minutes, they heard familiar sobbing nearby. They approached a shut grate and saw Michelangelo near the edge of the pipe, looking down at the water below.

The turtles watched sadly as Mikey continued to sob, muttering, "Stupid... so stupid..."

"Mikey," Leo gasped sadly.

"We have to hurry before he runs off again," Raph whispered as they stealthily approached their crying brother.

Mikey shuddered in despair and was about to leave for good when he found himself blocked by his three brothers, who stood in front of him.

Mikey sighed, recognizing them. "What do you guys want?"

"Mikey, please don't run away," Raphael pleaded desperately.

"Why not? I deserve it for everything I did to you guys," Mikey sobbed.

"No, Mikey, you don't deserve this. You deserve better," Leo insisted.

"No, I don't!" Mikey cried.

"Yes, you do!" Donatello exclaimed in response.

"Just say it, you all hate me! You all think I'm a useless burden to this family! I don't belong with you guys anymore," The poor turtle screamed in despair.

Suddenly, Raph lunges forward, wrapping Mikey tightly in his embrace as he tearfully growls, 

"You listen to me, little brother! If you leave us, you better believe that I will search all over the world to find you and bring you back home, because that's what you mean to us—especially to me."

Mikey continued to sob while Raphael held him tightly in his arms. After a moment, Raphael picked him up and carried him. 

"Raph, what are you doing?" Leonardo asked, concerned. 

"We're going to talk—all of us!" Raphael grunted at his two brothers. "Now, come on!"

Leonardo and Donatello soon followed Raphael to a wide open space in the sewers, where everything was quiet, and light streamed in through the grates above. Raphael set his brother down and sat close to Michelangelo, making sure he wouldn't run off again.

Once Leonardo and Donatello settled beside them on the ground, Raphael said, "Alright, now let's talk about this."

"Do we have to...?" Mikey sniffed sadly.

"Yes, Mikey! We have to! We're not leaving this place until we solve this together," Raphael insisted firmly.

"Mikey, why did you try to run away like that?" Donatello asked with concern.

"Because I don't deserve to be with you guys," Mikey replied, his voice trembling.

"Of course you do, Mikey! You belong in this family," Leonardo assured him.

"But... you guys always get annoyed with me, angry at me, and even disappointed in me. You constantly insult everything I do, and you admit that you don't always want to be with me. You never really want to do anything together with me," Mikey said, sniffing as he looked at his brothers with teary eyes. 

"And you all have very good reasons for feeling that way. I can't seem to do anything right. I bring nothing but nuisance and bad luck. I'm just a loser who doesn't know when to shut up and grow up."

"Mikey," Raphael began. "We know we've been harsh on you, but that's not entirely your fault." 

Raphael mentally chastised himself, thinking, "Wrong answer, ya idiot."

"What Raphael means is..." Leonardo started, giving Raphael an annoyed look before turning sadly to his younger brother. "Regardless of what we've said in the past, we should have been kinder, be patient with you, and even help you. We should have listened to you and everything that concerned you from the beginning, but instead, we ended up hurting you more than you hurt us."

"You're not a loser, Mikey. We've been nothing but cruel and neglectful to you lately; you deserve way better than the way we've treated you in the past," Donatello comforted his younger brother.

"But you have very good reasons to be mad at me," Mikey protested. "I am selfish, irresponsible, a major brat, and I do stupid things even when I shouldn't."

"Mike, we've all been like that at some point while growing up," Donnie tried to reassure his B-Team partner. "That doesn't mean you're a bad person; it's just human nature."

"Well, mutant nature, but you know what we mean," Raphael pointed out.

"But you guys constantly treat me like I'm a problem, and I'm not saying you're wrong," Mikey argued as he vented his frustrations. "I always mess up on patrol, I annoy you with my loud mouth and stupid jokes, and even my presence just seems to give you guys bad vibes."

"Even Papa is ashamed of me because I can't excel like you guys in training. I feel terrible for bringing you all into this situation with Misaki and everything. I couldn't live with the guilt of hurting you all last night. I thought I was expressing my true feelings, but I realize now that I was just being selfish and immature.

"But you weren't being selfish or immature," Leo admitted. "Yes, some of the things you said were hurtful, but you were also sharing your true feelings. In a strange way, most of what you said had some truth to it."

"Plus, you were manipulated by Misaki, and how we treated you in the past only made her methods worse," Donatello added.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You all don't want me on your team or in the family for a long time, and I understand," Mikey said with a sad sigh. "Just let me go so you can resume your lives the way you always wanted."

"We're not leaving you, Mikey!" Raphael exclaimed, shaking his head angrily. "Do you think we want you to stay just because you're a punching bag for us? That's not it at all!"

"You may think you don't bring anything valuable to this family, but you do, Mikey," Leonardo comforted him. "We're really sorry we made you feel unimportant because you matter to us."

"Yeah, you're the most creative turtle out of all of us. Nothing would be the same if you left, and nothing good would come from you leaving the family," Donatello pointed out.

"Even Splinter would be miserable if you left, especially Ice Cream Kitty. She loves you so much and is very worried about you," Raphael explained.

"I didn't mean to scream at her that night, nor to hurt Papa. I feel like the worst son and pet owner in the world," Mikey said, shuddering in misery.

"No, you're not!" Raphael shook his head and stood near his two brothers. "Sensei knows you didn't mean to hurt him. He doesn't hate you, and I know Kitty understands that you didn't mean to yell at her."

"You're the best baby brother we can ever want in our lives, Mikey; no one can ever replace you, no matter what," Donatello assured Mikey.

"Besides, you can cook, you can draw, you can do things that none of us can do and—!" Leo started.

"Anyone can cook and draw...That's just childish things that even a maggot can learn...I don't bring anything important to this family," Mikey sobbed.

"Yes, you do," Donatello cried out. "C'mon, Mikey, I know we did things to you that we shouldn't have said or done, but we don't want to lose you."

"In fact, you were always caring for us even when we were just tots," Leonardo replied, sadly looking on at his brother.

Suddenly, Raphael remembered something from the past that Mikey used to do—something no one else did—that had always been a favorite of the trio, especially for Raphael, who had recently been reluctant to admit it due to his tough exterior.

"Mikey..." Raph began, his voice becoming gentler and softer than usual. "Do you remember that song you kept singing to us as a lullaby?"

"What song?" Mikey sniffed, burying his face in his arms while sitting near the wall.

"You know, that song by Phil Collins. You listened to it a few times from above the city's sewers. Since then, whenever one of us feels really down, you sing it to cheer us up," Leonardo replied.

"Yeah, you may not realize it, Mikey, but that song always brightened our spirits," Donatello agreed.

"Just stop!" Mikey exclaimed, glaring at the trio with warm tears stinging his eyes. His body shook with anger and despair. "You were always annoyed by my singing! So why does that stupid song I sang to you as kids mean anything different? It's just a childish song sung by a stupid kid like me. It meant nothing then, and it means nothing now!" he cried out firmly.

"Mikey, please, let us help you! We can work everything out together; we always do," Leo pleaded, unable to bear seeing his younger brother like this for much longer.

"That's the problem," the young turtle sobbed. "We try to make things better, and every time we do, things just revert to how they were before. Nothing changes..."

Mikey shook where he sat, sniffing through his sobs: "You just want me around because you don't want my absence—or worse, my death—on your conscience, not because you love me. And... and I don't blame you."

"Bro..." Donnie stammered, tears beginning to sting his eyes.

The depressed young turtle looked at the trio for a brief moment before continuing: "Misaki was right. You guys were right about me all along. I'm not a ninja; I'm not a warrior. I'm just the most foolish, ignorant, childish, and stupid turtle in the world. I screw everything up, and I don't contribute anything to the team or this family. I don't deserve to be anything but dead."

The trio gasped sharply at what they heard from their once happy-go-lucky brother, now a figure of deep depression and hopelessness.

"Don't you dare say such a thing, Mikey! You know that's not true!" Raph yelled, a mix of pain and anger in his voice.

"Will you stop trying to convince me otherwise?!" Mikey shouted back, silencing his older brother. He growled, "I don't want or need your pity, self-reassurance, or even your sympathetic lies. I've accepted who I am—exactly what you guys have told me. You three are always stronger together, especially with Sensei. I can only bring misery to everyone, including you guys. I don't deserve any of you or even Master Splinter."

The blue-eyed turtle buried his face in his arms and continued to cry, his sobs echoing in the sewers. It haunted his brothers to see and hear Mikey like this. 

"Just go... please... I'm nothing more than a big screw-up to you guys, and that's how it will always be until the day I die... so just do us all a favor and leave! There's nothing for me anymore... nothing..." Michelangelo sobbed, curling up into a ball.

The trio watched their baby brother crying softly, accepting his sad fate in life. It broke their hearts to see what had happened to Mikey, and each of them silently blamed themselves for it. 

Misaki was the one who poisoned his body and mind, causing their baby brother to feel this way, but each of them played a big part in why Michelangelo was now like this. The worst part was that they knew what he meant. Sure, they made up from time to time whenever someone said or did something that crossed the line, and they worked together to fix issues, but with Mikey, nothing had changed much afterward. Things just moved on as if nothing had ever happened.

With their brother's hidden sadness and feelings now exposed—having been tricked and hurt by someone working for the Shredder—the brothers feared that Mikey had been hurt worse than ever and that this time, they might not be able to undo the damage that had been done.

Raphael recalled the times he lost his temper at Mikey's childish personality and jokes, often resulting in him either hitting Mikey or saying nasty, spiteful things. Donatello remembered how he made snarky comments about Mikey's attempts at intelligence, showing little faith in his ideas. Leonardo was no better; although he mostly tried to be patient with his baby brother, he often found himself criticizing Mikey's performance as a ninja and trusting him little to accomplish things on his own.

The trio looked down, realizing how hard they had been on their youngest brother. While Mikey could be a pain to deal with at times, they did not recall him ever doing anything worse than what they had done to him. 

One thing was for sure: they couldn't lose him. A life without Mikey would leave a hole in their hearts; it would be unbearable for the turtles and the others to live without him. They all admitted that life for the mutants would never be the same again, and nothing could repair the damage in their hearts from losing the light of their family.

The brothers stared at Michelangelo, each in a state of worry and sadness for their weeping sibling, unsure of how to help him until Raphael came up with an idea. Normally, he would have told himself that he would never do anything like this for anyone, but he would be lying if he said that. He could not accept standing there doing nothing any longer. He had to do something—screw the stupid vows he had made in the past. This was his little brother, and he would do anything to fix his mistakes.

Raphael approached the crying turtle, kneeling behind him near the stone wall, and gently wrapped his big arms around him. Mikey didn't shift away; he just sobbed and told Raphael to go away as the red-masked turtle quietly hushed him.

"Leave me alone," Mikey cried coldly.

"I'm not leaving you, Mikey," Raph gently whispered, moving in closer to embrace him. "You're my baby brother, and I will never leave you behind, ya hear me?"

Mikey's only response was a loud sob. Then, Raphael pressed his forehead against Mikey's and gently stroked his head, saying, "I love you, Mikey. I love ya so much."

Leonardo and Donatello stared at the scene, surprised but pleased to see Raphael comforting their brother, when they suddenly heard Raphael softly singing to him.

RAPH:
Come stop your crying

It will be alright

Just take my hand

Hold it tight

I will protect you

From all around you

I will be here

Don't you cry

Leo and Donnie look at Raph in awe as he sings Mikey's lullaby to their little brother. Sensing Raph's gaze, Leo understands what to do and joins in, kneeling beside Mikey on the left, touching Mikey's hands and his left shoulder.

LEO:

For one so small,

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you,

Keep you safe and warm

Donatello quickly kneels on the opposite side of where his baby brother is, softly rubbing his shoulder and arm while singing along to the lullaby.

DONNIE:

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here

Don't you cry

"Guys, please..." Mikey tearfully shook his head, but the three brothers continued softly singing for their baby brother.

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

'Cause you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart.

No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart.

Always

Mikey buries his face in his arms, remembering Misaki's toxic words and whimpering no again and again to the trio before Leo cups Mikey's face and softly makes him look at the blue masked turtle:

LEO:

Why can't they understand the way we feel?

They just don't trust what they can't explain.

Donnie then gently cups one of his cheeks with his hand and makes the blue-eyed turtle look at him.

DONNIE:

I know we're different, but deep inside us

We're not that different at all

The trio each placed one hand on Mikey's hands and the other on their chest, where their hearts are, and continued the lullaby:

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

And you'll be in my heart

Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on

Now and forever more

"No, Misaki was right... I'm nothing!" Mikey cried out, feeling the urge to leave again. 

Raphael wrapped his arms around Mikey, holding him tightly but gently, and made his younger brother look into his eyes, which were brimming with tears of his own.

RAPH (LEO & DONNIE):

Don't listen to them

'Cause what do they know? (What do they know?)

We need each other

To have to hold.

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

They'll see in time

RAPH:

I know

Leo and Donnie each placed a hand on Mikey's hand and held onto it while soothing their tearful brother.

RAPH (LEO & DONNIE):

When destiny calls you

You must be strong (You gotta be strong)

I may not be with you.

But you've got to hold on

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

They'll see in time

RAPH:

I know

We'll show them together

The trio soon hugged each other, with Mikey, and continued cheering him up.

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

'Cause you'll be in my heart

RAPH:

Believe me, you'll be in my heart

LEO:

I'll be there from this day on,

DONNIE:

Now and forever more

Leo soon helps Mikey up to his feet and hugs him close.

LEO (RAPH):

Oh, you'll be in my heart (You'll be here in my heart)

Donatello also hugs Mikey from behind and nuzzles him with tears.

DONNIE (RAPH):

No matter what they say (I'll be with you)

Raphael then spreads his arms around his brothers and joins the group hug.

LEO & DONNIE (RAPH):

You'll be here in my heart (I'll be there)

Always

The trio surrounds their baby brother, who looks around at the smiling, tearful faces of his big brothers.

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

Always

Leo strokes Mikey's head, smiling warmly at his baby brother.

LEO:

I'll be with you

Donnie also presses his forehead against the back of Mikey's head for comfort.

DONNIE:

I'll be there for you always

Raphael then gives him a soft nuzzle on the forehead while smiling warmly at Mikey.

RAPH:

Always and always

LEO, DONNIE, & RAPH:

Just look over your shoulder

Just look over your shoulder

Just look over your shoulder

I'll be there always.

Mikey started to sob again, fearing that things would return to the way they were once this was all over. However, now that his older brothers knew about his depression and pain, they would help him realize that he is forever loved and cherished.

"I know it's hard to believe, but we love you so much," Leonardo soothed.

"That's right, buddy," Donnie sniffled, tears of joy in his eyes. "We'll always have each other's backs, especially yours."

"We will never give up on you. We will always be by your side," Raphael said with a warm smile as he nuzzled his baby brother's forehead with his cheek.

"But—!" Mikey whimpered before Leo gently hushed him.

"Everything is going to be alright now, we promise," Leo vowed, pressing a gentle kiss to Mikey's forehead.

It took a while to comfort Mikey, but eventually, the young turtle fell peacefully asleep in their arms, much to their relief. 

Raphael soon carried his baby brother, and the trio happily took Mikey back home. Once they arrived at the lair, they tucked Mikey into bed but decided to stay with him for the night. Leo held Mikey in his arms and lay in the middle of the bed, with Donnie and Raph joining in on either side.

They eventually drifted off to sleep, filled with joy at having brought their baby brother back home safe and sound. 

Master Splinter later found them together in Mikey's room, asleep, and couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight before him. 

Gently, he closed the bedroom door, allowing his sons to rest, knowing with pure joy and relief that Michelangelo was back home again.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Leo woke up to find Michelangelo soundly asleep, not on top of him, but rather in Raphael's arms. Leo knew that Raph was protective of Mikey, which brought a smile of glee to his face as he watched his baby brother sleep peacefully. 

It also relieved him to know that Michelangelo was not waking up from a nightmare or suffering from the aftereffects of the belladonna poisoning, which had been cured.

As Leo observed, Donatello slowly got up, yawning. When he noticed Mikey asleep, he gasped excitedly, "Mikey! He's still here!"

Leo firmly shushed Donnie, who sheepishly whispered an apology. The eldest brother then gently stroked Michelangelo's shell, and the middle brother whispered, "I'm just so happy he's going to be okay."

"Physically, yes," Leo replied quietly so as not to wake the others, "But what about his mental health?"

"That might take a long time," Donatello softly replied. "We need to help Michelangelo regain his self-esteem and happiness, but we cannot allow ourselves to ignore or hurt him again."

"I know. We swore to each other that we would help him through this, and that's what we're going to do," Leonardo nodded.

"Do you think he'll forgive us for how we treated him?" Donatello asked sadly.

"I really don't know, Donnie. All we can do is be there for him and help him recover, no matter what," Leo replied.

Donatello nodded, then smiled at Raphael, holding Mikey close. Leo quietly chuckled at the sight and remarked, "This is just like when we were younger. Whenever Mikey got sad from a nightmare or a storm, Raph would pick him up, still being the grump that he is, and put Mikey in his bed with him. No arguments or excuses—he would just do it."

Donatello grinned widely at Leo and suggested, "Hey, let's take a quick photo of them asleep together before they wake up."

"Good idea! That would make a perfect photo for Splinter," Leo snickered in agreement.

"Do that, and I swear I'll beat ya both out of ya shells."

The two look over at Raphael, who opens his eyes, firmly looking at his brothers as a warning, before he looks down to see his baby brother still asleep in his arms. 

The second eldest sighs in relief that his brother is still here. He smiles at the sleeping turtle and gently strokes his head.

"Were you uncomfortable lying there with him on top of you last night, Leo?" Raphael asked.

"Nah, he was actually quite comfortable and surprisingly lightweight," Leonardo shrugged. 

"Oh," Raphael nodded.

"Why? Were you jealous of Mikey being cuddled by Leo?" Donatello playfully teased.

"N-No! He came to me while I was asleep." Raphael excused himself while blushing red.

The other two brothers frowned at Raphael for immediately coming up with lame excuses. 

Raphael sighed, knowing better than this, and admitted, "Alright, I wanted to keep him close because I was worried he was going to run off or have a bad nightmare."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Raphael. You really do care about him," Leonardo replied, patting Raphael on the shoulder.

"Of course I do! I care about all of you. Listen, I may be a jerk, but the truth is..." Raphael started, looking down at his sleeping baby brother. 

He sadly confessed, "I don't want to live a life without my brothers, especially Mikey. I don't want to lose him."

"We all don't," Donatello agreed. "We have to make this better for all of us, especially Mikey."

"And we cannot make the same mistakes we did in the past. We won't go down that path again like we always do," Leonardo pointed out, and the other two brothers nodded in agreement.

"Should we wake him up?" Donatello asked the others.

"Maybe let him sleep for another minute or two," Leo suggested, shaking his head.

Soon, they heard soft mumbles from the youngest turtle, who was beginning to wake up. Raphael gently helped Mikey sit up on the bed beside him.

"Wha...?" Mikey yawned, looking at the sincere smiles of his three older brothers greeting him.

"Hey, little buddy, how are you feeling?" Raphael cooed in a gentle voice.

"I dunno; I guess I feel okay. I'm not feeling totally sick anymore or anything like that," Mikey replied while rubbing his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" Leo asked, rubbing the back of Mikey's shell.

"I didn't have any scary nightmares, if that's what you meant," Mikey responded.

"Mikey, I want you to come with me," said Donatello.

The purple-masked turtle helped Michelangelo get to his feet. Mikey, still yawning, replied, "I can walk fine by myself. dude"

"You're still a bit drowsy. I want to do a quick check-up on you," Donatello said while leading Mikey to his lab.

"You're not going to put another sharp needle in me, are you, D?" Mikey whined.

"No, Mikey; it's just a quick check-up," Donnie shook his head.

"Can it wait until after breakfast?" Mikey begged with puppy eyes.

Donatello chuckled and shook his head. "We'll be done in five minutes, then we can have breakfast."

"Okay," Mikey shrugged, crossing his arms.

As Donnie took Mikey to the lab, Raph and Leo headed to the kitchen to make their usual morning beverage just as Master Splinter entered the room. "Good morning, my sons," he greeted.

"Morning, Sensei," both Raph and Leo replied. 

"We found Mikey and brought him back," Leo added.

"I know; I saw all of you in Michelangelo's bed," Splinter said with a proud smile. "I'm very proud of you boys."

"Thanks, Sensei," Raphael said, smiling at his father.

"Is Michelangelo awake yet?" Splinter asked.

Just then, they heard a loud yell coming from the lab, followed by Michelangelo whining, "You said no more needles!"

"That's the last time, I promise! I need to check your blood for any infections," Donatello could be heard soothing his little brother.

"Just suck the rest of my blood, why don't you, Nosferatu?" Mikey grumbled.

Splinter chuckled heartily, glad to hear that his son was making a full recovery. Before long, Donnie and Mikey joined the others in the kitchen.

"Morning, Dad," Michelangelo greeted softly with a small smile.

"Morning, my son. How are you feeling?" Splinter asked, approaching the youngest turtle.

"I don't feel sick anymore," Mikey shrugged.

Splinter sensed that Michelangelo might still be feeling down from everything that happened, so he placed his paw on the young turtle's shoulder. "Michelangelo, after breakfast, I want you to head to the dojo with your brothers, alright?"

"Hai, Sensei," Mikey nodded, but he feared he might be in big trouble considering how he had lost control and attacked his father and brothers that night.

Splinter patted Michelangelo on the head and returned to the dojo. The older turtles noticed Mikey looking unsure and anxious.

"Are you okay, Mikey?" Leo asked.

"Is... Is Dad mad at me?" Michelangelo asked his brothers, concerned.

"He's not mad at you, Mikey; he's just very worried about you, just as we are," Leonardo assured his little brother.

"But I hurt him that night! I lost control and attacked him as I did with you guys," Mikey pointed out regretfully.

"That wasn't entirely your fault. You were affected by the poison, and we were too hard on you lately," Donatello reassured Mikey.

"It's alright, dudes; whatever punishment Splinter has for me, I'll accept it," Mikey defeatedly exhaled.

"Mike," Raph started.

"I'd better get breakfast going; I don't want to keep Sensei waiting too long," Michelangelo said, shaking his head as he went to cook.

"Are you sure you're alright to cook, Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"I'm not going to throw up while cooking, if that's what you're thinking, Don," Mikey irritably groaned and resumed making breakfast.

"Okay, okay; calm down. We're just making sure you're okay," Donnie replied slowly, watching Mikey with concern for his sad little brother.

Eventually, Michelangelo made breakfast for everyone. This time, the turtles genuinely thanked him, and they all dug in. 

--------

A while later, after breakfast, the trio escorted Mikey to the dojo where Splinter awaited them. Michelangelo knelt beside Splinter, with his brothers surrounding him. Mikey was scared of what was going to happen since he had sadly attacked his family that night due to hallucinations caused by belladonna poisoning.

"Michelangelo, your brothers and I want to talk to you about everything that happened, even before Towa Misaki slithered her way into our lives," Splinter began.

"What's there to talk about? Misaki is defeated, and we're all alright now. End of story," Mikey gulped.

"But Mikey, you're still hurting, and we want to help you," Leonardo pointed out, looking at his younger brother with deep concern.

"Leonardo is correct; you've been through so much pain and sadness that it's affecting not only your mind and body but also your soul. I fear for you, and so do your brothers, because we realize deep down that we are mostly the ones who caused you this pain," Splinter confessed shamefully.

"What? No, you didn't! You guys didn't do anything," Michelangelo shook his head.

"On the contrary, little brother, we did hurt you in ways we didn't realize would actually be painful for you," Donatello replied.

Leonardo knelt beside his younger brother, taking Mikey's hand in his own as he began to confess. "You were right about me; I pushed myself too hard to be a perfect leader for this team, yet I treated you like you were just a liability to us. You are far from that, but I was ignorant of how my actions were affecting you and the others until it was too late."

"Leo—!" Mikey sighed sadly. "I don't blame you for how you treated me; I always mess up and never get anything right. I always screw up during patrol and risk everyone's lives because of my stupidity. I'm so sorry for not being a good ninja or brother to you guys."

"No, no, Mikey, you have nothing to be sorry for! You are a great ninja and a great brother. We all make mistakes, but I was always too harsh on you when you didn't deserve it," Leo said as he hugged Mikey tightly. 

"I was supposed to be guiding you, showing you how to fix the mistakes we made. Instead, I pushed you away and treated you like you were a hopeless case. That's not what a leader—or a brother—is supposed to do. I am deeply ashamed of what I have done, and I promise I will never treat you like a liability ever again."

"Leo," Mikey sniffed, cuddling his eldest brother.

"I'm so sorry, Mikey." Leonardo deeply apologised to his baby brother: "I love you so much, Otōto."

Soon, Donatello approaches Michelangelo as Leonardo lets their baby brother go. Donatello puts an arm around Mikey and begins his confession. 

"You were right about me, too," he says. "I may be smart, but that doesn't give me the right to judge you. Most of the time, you've been very helpful with my creations, so in a way, you're smart like me."

"But I kept doing things you told me not to do," Mikey points out. "I broke your stuff, and I always did the opposite of what you asked. So I'm really sorry for every mess I made in your lab and for touching your inventions without permission, Donnie."

"I appreciate your apology," Donatello replies. "You indeed do those things, but we both know you always make up for the accidents. However, I realize that I often took things too far with you, treating you poorly because of those mistakes. Sure, my lab isn't the safest place to be, but I also said and did things that hurt you more than just these simple accidents."

"As I look back now, I can see how harsh I was to you, and it wasn't fair. You were never that harsh or cruel to me; you were always willing to help because we're the B-Team, and you'd always have my back—even when I often turned my back on you."

"Donnie," Mikey says, shuddering, wanting to stop Donatello from feeling sad.

"Without you, Mikey, many of my inventions would never have been possible, especially the retro-mutagen. I never thanked you for any of that! What kind of brother am I to be so ungrateful to someone who helped me so much? So, thank you, Mikey, for all the wonders you've brought to my inventions. I'm really sorry that I was an ungrateful brother to you."

Donatello cuddles Mikey, nuzzling his forehead. Then it's Raphael's turn, to which Mikey whimpers, "Raph, you don't have to say anything."

Raphael hushes Michelangelo, cuddling him close as he begins to share his feelings. 

"Mikey," he starts, "Out of all the guys, I've finally accepted that I feel like I was the worst big brother of them all. I treated you so badly and so cruelly; I saw you more as a nuisance than as my little brother, and I'm not proud of that."

"But you have every reason to be mad at me," Michelangelo counters. "I always prank you and do silly things to annoy you. I was a brat, and I'm really sorry for making you mad and for everything."

"Sometimes, yes, you can be annoying, and I get upset about your pranks," Raphael admits. He presses his forehead against Mikey's in a gesture of vulnerability. "But most of the time, I've been a bully to you. I realize now that I hurt you not just with my fists, but also with my words. I allowed my anger to lash out at you without caring about the consequences, and I didn't consider how deeply it affected you."

"Despite the pranks and everything, you've been the best little brother. Looking back, I know I don't deserve to be your big brother. You've been kind and have done everything in your power to make me happy. You've always assured me that I'm not alone in this world, which I once believed. Instead, all I ever gave you in return was suffering and neglect. I've been the most selfish and horrible big brother in the entire family, and I can never forgive myself for all the pain I've caused you."

Warm tears sting Raphael's eyes as Mikey looks up at his weeping big brother. Holding him closer, Raphael can no longer hold back and silently cries, while the rest of the family watches sadly from a distance.

"I'm so sorry, Mikey; I'm so very sorry for everything...I know I kept on saying that I don't care, and I know I sometimes said I wished you weren't my brother, but it's all nothing but lies because I'm just an egotistical, angry moron who can't shut up. The truth is, Mikey, you mean everything to me, and I was your hero...but instead I was just a villain to you." Raphael sobbed in deep shame of how he hurt his baby brother.

"It's okay, Raph," Mikey tried to calm his older brother down.

"No! No, it's not okay!" Raphael cried out before he began to weep again. "I know you don't want me to feel bad, Mikey, but I need to because I don't want to make the same mistake of hurting you like that again. I promise I'll be a better big brother to you from now on."

Mikey touches Raphael's mask, wiping the tears away before the red masked turtle sniffed: "Just please...don't run away again, please; I'm so sorry, Mikey"

Mikey couldn't hold back his tears as he hugged Raphael, sobbing alongside him. "I won't run away again... I'm so sorry too," he said. 

Eventually, Leonardo and Donatello joined the hug, wrapping their arms around Mikey and assuring him that he was loved and safe. 

"I promise I'll do better. I promise I won't screw up ever again. I promise I'll pay more attention and stop being so stupid—!" Mikey cried out.

"Mikey, don't say things like that. You're not stupid," Raphael sobbed.

"You're not a screw-up, Mikey; you never were. We all make mistakes, but we should never have been harsh towards you," Leonardo gently reassured him.

"But what if I make a mistake again? What if I screw up and you guys get mad at me? What if you eventually regret having me on the team again and—?!" Mikey cried out, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Musuko!" Splinter cried out and joined in the hug. "Peace, my son, peace...If you make a mistake, it's alright; we will help you through it."

"Father's right, Mikey. We're a family, and we promised that we're going to treat you better and help you through this together," Donatello said, sniffing back tears of happiness.

"Can you ever forgive us, Mikey? For everything we said and did to you?" Leonardo asked sadly, looking at his younger brother.

Mikey looked around at the family holding him close, surrounding him with comfort and love. He decided to let go of the darkness, allowing the light to return to his heart and soul. With a joyful sob, he replied, "Of course, I forgive you. You're my family, and I love you guys so very much."

"We love you too, little brother, always," Raphael said, tears of happiness filling his eyes.

Splinter smiled warmly as he sensed Mikey's exhale of joy. It would be a long and challenging journey to eliminate the toxic environment created by the family's past behavior. Still, they were all willing to do whatever it takes to make peace with each other and work towards becoming a healthy, loving family again.

Now, the healing can truly begin...

--------

Later on, the family helped Mikey put his things back in his room, taking their time as he explained to Master Splinter how he had encountered Misaki Towa and what she had done to him during their meeting.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Sensei. I was just under the impression that... you guys don't love me anymore," Mikey sadly apologized to his father.

The humanoid rat gently stroked his son's head and reassured him, "I do not blame you for feeling this way, Michelangelo; she was manipulative and exploited your feelings, causing you more pain."

"I just wish I had never met her at all," Mikey sighed.

"It doesn't matter now; she's gone, and you're safe with us," Splinter comforted the young turtle.

"Papa..." Mikey began, his voice rising with panic. "About that night... I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I didn't mean to attack you."

Splinter gently hushed Mikey to prevent him from spiraling into a panic attack, holding him closer on the bed while their other brothers looked on with pity for their baby brother.

"It's alright, my son; you didn't hurt me at all. I was surprised, but I was unharmed nonetheless. Again, I do not blame you for your actions," Splinter comforted Mikey before looking at his son's sad face and confessing, "I must also admit that you were correct about me, Michelangelo."

"Papa?" Mikey sniffed.

"I may be your sensei, but I am also your father. I know I can be strict and hard, but that's because I want to ensure you boys are trained to face whatever is out there in this world and to work together as a team and a family. That said, there are times I should have been there for you as a father."

Mikey began to apologize, "But I never tried hard enough to excel like my brothers. You have every reason to be hard on me because I always mess up in training and such. I should have worked harder and stopped being lazy."

"We all have different strengths in combat, but you've always been a great student. Make no mistake," Splinter assured him. "But I must confess, I too have been hard on you, and I should have been more supportive and patient. I never acknowledged your feelings in the end, and I am truly sorry, my son."

Splinter gently cupped Mikey's chin and smiled sadly at him. "You are similar to how my beloved Tang Shen was in life; like her, you are strong, free-spirited, and noble, with a pure heart. But seeing how I failed to be there for you in your time of need, as I did with your other brothers, fills me with shame."

Mikey looked at his regretful sensei as Splinter continued, "I only wish I could turn back the clock to fix my mistakes, but I cannot. I hope, like your brothers, to rekindle the light within you and help you through your darkness and pain whenever you feel alone and need guidance—not as a teacher, but as your father."

Michelangelo embraced Splinter tightly, nuzzling his father's chest as tears streamed down his face. Splinter then said, "For all that has happened, I am truly sorry, my son. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course, I forgive you, Papa," Mikey sniffed. "I just hope I can make you happy and proud to be your son, as my brothers do."

Splinter lifted Mikey's chin, meeting his gaze, and gave him the most sincere, warm smile, tears brimming in his own eyes. "I am already proud to be your father."

"The same goes for your brothers, I'll always be happy and proud to have you as my Musuko...always."

The father and son held each other close, loving as the trio smiled at the scene before them. Raphael sniffed happily and wiped away a tear, to which Mikey playfully teased, "I saw that, Raphie."

"Okay, so I'm not made entirely out of stone. Give me a break," Raphael chuckled, blushing red.

Soon, Mikey found a large notebook in one of the boxes and pulled it out. As he opened it, he saw photos from their past and drawings he had done of his family. "I remember this book! I thought I lost it... I guess I was too depressed to notice it when I first packed it away," Mikey said.

Leonardo then noticed a particular drawing that caught his eye. He picked it up from the notebook and saw that it depicted himself suited up as a space hero from his favorite TV show, *Space Heroes*, standing next to his favorite character, Captain Ryan. 

"Mikey... did you draw this for me?" Leo asked in bewilderment.

"Yeah, I felt bad for what I did to your comic when you guys got infected by the wasps, so I thought I would do something to repay you. But... I didn't think you would want it," Mikey gulped, looking down embarrassingly.

Leo remembered how he had reacted at that time and cringed at how badly he had treated Mikey over a small comic of his favorite show. Even Splinter wasn't impressed by Leo's behavior toward Mikey when he learned what happened and punished him with two extra hours of training that night.

 Feeling deeply ashamed for his ungratefulness towards Mikey, Leo wrapped an arm around him. "Mikey, about that day after you saved us... I want you to know that I'm truly sorry for how I acted."

"It's alright, dude. It was your favorite comic; I get it," Mikey shrugged.

"I know, but you mean more than that comic. I was selfish and ungrateful to you, and that should've never been my intention when you saved us." Leonardo deeply apologized.

"We all should have been thankful for all you did to save us, and we're sorry too," Donnie added.

"Without you, we'd be goners, so thank you for everything," Raphael winked proudly at his younger brother.

Mikey smiled joyfully at his brothers' acknowledgment before noticing Leo smiling at the drawing he made for him. Then he said, "I have to say, Mikey, this drawing is the most amazing thing I've ever seen."

"Really?" Mikey asked, blushing.

"Really! I love it. Thank you so much," Leo sincerely said, hugging Mikey once more.

Soon, Mikey remembered something and opened another page from the notebook. Donnie noticed a picture that Mikey drew of him in his lab, which amazed him. 

"Is that me?" Donnie asked his younger brother.

"Yeah, in your lab, creating amazing inventions," Mikey nodded before nervously chuckling. "If you don't like it, I can draw you something else."

"No, no! It's okay; it's wonderful. I love it," Donnie assured his younger brother, smiling happily at the drawing before hugging Mikey as well. "Thanks, buddy."

Mikey smiled and then looked at Raphael, blushing even more. "I hope you don't mind, but I made a drawing of you, too."

"Okay," Raphael simply nodded.

"I didn't draw anything embarrassing, I promise," Mikey gulped as he opened the next page to show Raphael the drawing.

Raphael picked it up, and to his surprise, it was a depiction of him in metal battle gear, standing on a skyscraper in New York City, titled: *Raphael – The Nightwatcher*.

"You were always my hero since we were kids, so lately, I wanted to draw you as one. But I didn't want it to look too campy, so I tried to design it to look awesome," Mikey explained.

"Nightwatcher?" Raphael asked with interest.

"The Nightwatcher is a protector of the innocent in New York City. He rides a cool motorcycle and beats the bad guys with his sais, chain whips, and cool fighting moves," Michelangelo happily explained.

"And you chose me to be the Nightwatcher?" Raphael chuckled.

"Of course, dude! He's like you: brave, tough, and not afraid to kick some bad guys' butts," Mikey grinned at his red-masked brother.

Raphael felt touched and honored that Mikey created something amazing for him. He wrapped his arms around his little brother and happily said, "Thanks, little buddy! This is the most awesome thing you've done for me."

"Really?" Mikey asked gleefully.

"Yeah, I love it," Raphael winked at Mikey.

"You're welcome, bro," Mikey replied.

Soon, the young turtle looked at Splinter and said, "Don't worry, Papa; I made one for you too, and this one took much time and effort to make it look great."

"I'm sure it'll look amazing no matter how long you took to make it, my son," Splinter assured him.

Mikey took a deep breath and handed Splinter the drawing. The humanoid rat and the other turtles gasped in unison as they looked at the drawing. It was none other than Splinter with his beloved Tang Shen, and it looked as if it were made by a professional sketch artist.

"Michelangelo... did you...?" Splinter gasped.

"I'll be honest; this took me a lot of tries," Mikey nervously replied. "I've been watching artists online to learn how to draw, and I decided to give it a go. I know it's not perfect, but I hope you like it."

"How did you manage to draw Tang Shen like that?" Leonardo asked, intrigued.

"To be honest, I went into Splinter's room and looked at the photo of her a few times to get a sense of how to draw her," Mikey explained. He then glanced at Splinter, who was in awe of the drawing of him and his beloved wife together. 

"I drew this because I know how much she meant to you. You once told me that you almost lost the photo that night with Tang Shen. I thought that if anything bad were to happen to the photo, at least you would have this as a backup so you can look at her whenever you wish."

Tears began to fill Splinter's eyes and fall freely as he wrapped his arms around the young turtle, nuzzling him lovingly. "Thank you so much, my son. I will always keep this close to me," Splinter said gratefully.

"I'm glad you love it, Papa," Mikey sighed in relief.

"I am overjoyed with this wonderful gift. You, my son, are truly talented, and I'm so proud of you," Splinter replied with pride.

"We all are, buddy," Leo said in agreement with the others.

"Thank you, guys," Mikey said, feeling happy that his gifts had touched their hearts with joy and love.

--------

Later that night, the turtles gathered at April's house since her dad was out for the night with work. She also invited Casey to join in the fun and help Mikey with his healing process by providing some peace and enjoyment.

The group was playing Cards Against Humanity, and it was Donnie's turn. He read the prompt: "Well, if you excuse me, gentlemen, I have to go on a date with... [blank]." The friends submitted their answers privately to Donnie, who began reading them aloud.

"First up, we have: Well, if you excuse me, gentlemen, I have to go on a date with cheating at the Special Olympics." 

"That's just dark," Leo chuckled.

Donnie continued, "Well, if you excuse me, gentlemen, I have to go on a date with Asians who aren't good at math." As he revealed the card, he put his hand on his face, shaking his head in disbelief while laughing.

"Who had that card?!" April demanded, laughing along with everyone else at the dark humor.

Leo and Donnie looked at Raph, who raised his hands defensively and said, "What? That's not my card!"

Donatello kept reading the hilarious answers, and then he revealed the last one: "And finally, well, if you excuse me, gentlemen, I have to go on a date with Casey's mom." 

This answer made the group laugh out loud, except for Casey, who looked dumbfounded and blushed red.

"H-Hey! My mom's a good woman!" Casey protested.

"I chose that one—who had that card?" Donatello asked the group.

No one answered until they noticed Michelangelo nervously looking away. Raph grinned devilishly and leaned closer to his younger brother: "Mikey... was that your answer?"

Mikey looked up and raised his hand, nervously chuckling, "Guilty."

The group burst into laughter, with Raph giving Mikey a high-three, while Casey shot him a sarcastic look and an evil grin: "Very funny."

"Lighten up, Casey; it's just a game," April giggled, patting him on the back.

"Thank God it's not UNO," Casey pointed out, and everyone voiced their agreement.

"That tends to bring out the worst in people," Raphael replied.

"Yeah, like him," Leo added, pointing at Raphael.

"Ah, shut up, fearless," Raphael grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Well, how about I make some popcorn?" Mikey offered.

"Sure, I'll help you," April nodded.

The two went to the kitchen to make popcorn, and as April looked at Mikey, she asked, "So how are you feeling, Mikey?"

"Much better," Mikey replied, before looking at April with concern and saying, "Listen, April, about that night... I know you were trying to help me, and I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"It's alright, Mikey; Donnie filled me in on the details. It's not your fault," April assured the orange-masked turtle.

"Speaking of Donnie, have you both talked about that moment when I angrily... You know... revealed the secret?" Mikey asked nervously.

April looked down at the pan, blushing at the question, and then nervously giggled. "Well, it's no secret that Donnie has a crush on me, but... I don't know, it's complicated."

"Look, I get it. He's not human, and he was clingy in the past, but he genuinely cares about you and loves you for who you are," Mikey explained.

"Well, I'm not fully human myself, remember?" April pointed out. "And besides, I know he's sweet and caring, and even for a mutant turtle, I will admit he is rather handsome and a little charming in a quirky way."

"So what's the issue, if you don't mind me asking?" Mikey inquired.

"I don't know... I mean, I'm just not interested in dating anyone," April shrugged.

"Well, I don't mean to make you feel negative, but you've been playing with Donnie's feelings for quite a while," Mikey pointed out.

April was about to protest when Mikey halted her: "Please don't deny it, April; I know it, you know it, and even Leo and Raph know it."

"I just..." April sighed.

"I understand that you're not interested in Donnie, but wouldn't it be better to tell him how you feel instead of playing with his emotions? You may think he would take the hint, but this is Donnie we're talking about—he's lovesick over you. I know it sounds hard to tell him without him overreacting, but sometimes, to prevent people from getting hurt, we have to be honest with each other, as I have recently learned." Mikey responded.

"I'm just worried that Donnie won't take the message if I confess about this," April frowned.

"I can't make the decision for you, April, but you need to decide if sparing Donatello the pain of endless toying is worth it for your friendship with us, especially with him," Mikey replied.

Suddenly, they heard the popcorn finish cooking. April put it in a bowl and handed it to Mikey, who headed for the bedroom door.

"Popcorn's ready, guys!" Mikey called out.

At that moment, the bedroom door swung open wildly, accidentally smacking Mikey in the face, accidentally causing him to drop the glass bowl, which shattered on the ground.

"Mikey!" the turtles exclaimed.

Panicking, Mikey tried to pick up the broken pieces but yelped in pain as a sharp shard cut into the skin of one of his fingers. He backed away, whimpering and trembling on the ground.

Frantically, his brothers approached him, asking if he was alright. Mikey whimpered, "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to mess up again! Please d-don't be mad!"

Leo gently hushed his brother while he and the others helped Mikey to his feet and sat him down. Donnie examined his bleeding finger and asked April for a first-aid kit. Raph then put an arm around his younger brother and asked, "You okay, little bro?"

"Y-You're not mad at me?" Mikey asked, shuddering.

"Of course we're not mad at you," Raph replied, shaking his head.

"But I messed up again; I broke April's bowl," Mikey said sadly.

"It was an accident, Mikey," Leonardo assured him.

"You'll be fine; it's just a small cut. But please, don't try to pick up any broken glass in the future for us, okay?" Donatello gently requested.

"OK," Mikey nodded.

"I'll get the broom and pan," Casey called out as he went to clean up the mess.

"Thanks, Casey," Raphael replied.

April returned with the first-aid kit as Donatello cleaned the cut and wrapped a Band-Aid around Mikey's finger. The smart turtle smiled at his little brother, who was starting to calm down.

"There you go, all better."

"Thanks, Donnie," Mikey said gratefully. He then turned to April, ready to apologize for the broken bowl, but she stopped him.

"You don't need to apologize, Mike; as Leo said, it's not your fault."

Michelangelo looked around at the smiling faces of his brothers and friends, feeling comforted and reassured that he was safe and loved, just as he always had been, making them feel the same way.

Chapter Text

As the turtles were heading back to the lair late at night, they suddenly noticed that one of the areas they passed was completely covered in threads of web, making it look like a giant nesting ground for spiders.

"Okay... am I the only one noticing that this place wasn't entirely covered in web when we passed by here just a few hours ago?" Donatello asked, confused.

"Obviously," Raphael replied, rolling his eyes. "No way was this area like that before."

"I have a bad feeling about this, you guys," Leo said, looking around for any potential threats.

Suddenly, eerie humming echoed through the web-covered space like a haunting melody. Michelangelo froze in horror, realising who was humming. He began to panic and quiver, prompting Raphael to notice his brother's distress and approach him worriedly.

"Mikey? What is it?! What's wrong?!" Raphael asked, concerned as the other turtles noticed Mikey looking around frantically.

"No... nonononono-!" Mikey whimpered.

"Mikey, calm down; it's alright," Donatello comforted him, petting his shell.

"No, you don't get it! It's her! She's back!" Mikey cried out.

"Who's back?!" Leonardo exclaimed, starting to understand what the youngest was implying: "Wait, are you saying that Misaki Towa is still alive?!"

"It has to be her! She used to hum like that to me," Mikey panicked, and Raphael held him close to provide comfort.

"But that can't be her! She was crushed to death by that stone dragon the night we fought her," Donatello protested.

"Are you quite certain of that, Donatello?" a cold voice responded, sending chills down the turtles' spines. 

Leo, Donnie, and Raph quickly drew their weapons and formed a protective circle around Mikey.

"I don't know how you survived that, Misaki, but we won't let you lay a finger on Mikey again!" Leonardo called out angrily, scanning the area for her.

"Yet I'm not surprised you healed that little pest of yours," the wicked woman hissed.

"The only pest around here is you! If you want to settle the score, then bring it on! I'll be more than happy to bring you down for Mikey!" Donatello demanded furiously.

"Just like how you did with Oroku Saki?" she coldly retorted.

The turtles searched everywhere, even the dark corners of the area, but Misaki was nowhere to be found. Then Mikey heard her icy voice speaking directly to him:

"You know, Mikey, you and I are much alike: lost, alone, with no one to care about our existence... Since I was tragically denied my happiness, I will now deny you yours."

"Don't you dare use your poisonous words on my baby bro again!" Raphael yelled before turning to his shivering brother. 

He gently added, "Don't listen to her, Mikey. Everything she says is just a bunch of crap."

Mikey nodded and leaned against Raphael, who then looked around and angrily demanded, "Why don't you show yourself, ya coward! You can't hide from us forever!"

"Who says I was hiding from you? I've been right near you this whole time," Misaki replied.

The turtles froze at her comment and slowly looked straight up. They suddenly saw a monstrous figure falling toward them, prompting them to quickly dodge what appeared to be Misaki.

"What the—?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Is that—?!" Donatello gulped.

"Holy shell!" Raphael shouted in horror.

Michelangelo whimpered loudly at the sight of the mutated figure that was Misaki Towa.

The villain had transformed into a huge, mutated spider-humanoid creature. Her upper body was human, but her lower half was that of a spider, complete with eight large legs. Her hair, still black as ink, flowed down instead of being in a bun. Her skin was a pure titanium white, her eyes entirely black with ghostly white pupils. 

Her teeth were razor-sharp, and her hands resembled knives. Most of her waist was covered in some sort of black bug-like armour. Her head had horns like a spider's fangs, with small spikes trailing from her back. Her wrists and arms were wrapped in a pointy wristband-like structure. 

Misaki's mutated form looked like something out of a horror movie, reminiscent of the Greek Mythology tale of Arachne.

The turtles kept their distance from the large, looming figure of Misaki, whose voice sounded raspier and colder, as if she were some sort of malevolent witch. 

"Well, I must say this is quite a strange turn of events. So what should I do now? Should I torture you like before, or should I simply kill you right here, Michelangelo?" The mutated monster snarled at the frightened turtle.

"T-This can't be...It can't be you!" Mikey cried out in horror.

"But it is," Misaki hissed, her eyes narrowing darkly at the teen.

"Y-You're...!" Mikey gulped, struggling to comprehend the situation.

"I know what I am! The real question is: What are you? Because if you're going to be just a scared, weak little turtle, then I'm going to be very disappointed," Misaki growled.

"I don't understand! How did you become like this?!" Donatello demanded, eyes wide.

Suddenly, Michelangelo remembered Misaki wearing a strange, glowing heart necklace. "Didn't you use to have a heart-shaped necklace?" he asked.

"A gift from my beloved Oroku Saki, but it's destroyed because of you," Misaki hissed.

Suddenly, everything clicked for Mikey. The glowing substance inside the heart-shaped necklace was actually mutagen. The night the stone dragon crushed Misaki, the heart necklace shattered, allowing the mutagen to swarm over her like a living parasite, transforming her into the monstrous insect-like creature she was now.

"That necklace she was wearing had a green glow inside it because it was infused with mutagen! That's how she became what she is now!" Mikey gasped to his brothers.

"That makes way too much sense," Donatello pointed out. Mikey looked at Donnie, confused if he was being sarcastic, but Donnie quickly added, "I'm just saying you're right."

"Mutagen? But... I don't understand! Why on earth would my beloved Oroku give me a necklace full of that stuff?!" Misaki demanded.

"I'm going to be honest with you, lady; Shredder never loved anyone but Tang Shen!" Raphael replied firmly.

"He's right, Misaki! You were just a liability to him. I bet the reason he gave you that necklace wasn't out of love but rather as leverage to keep you in line. If you betrayed or failed him, he would have punished you by transforming you into a mutant," Mikey deduced.

"Yep, that sounds exactly like what Shredder would plan," Leonardo agreed with Mikey's theory.

"A likely story coming from a childish mind like yours," Misaki rebuffed, though unbeknownst to her, what Mikey deduced was actually the truth.

"It doesn't matter now; we won't let you hurt Mikey again," Donatello vowed angrily.

"If only I had never crossed that gas leak and passed out that night, then I never would have met you," Mikey whimpered.

Misaki suddenly let out a loud cackle and sneered at the young turtle. "You still think our meeting was just a pure coincidence? Of course not. Meeting me was part of my plan to destroy your family."

"I don't understand," Mikey shook his head.

"That night when your brothers sent you away, I had my clan follow you to the sewers. Let's say that wasn't a gas leak you were exposed to; it was a small canister of chloroform my clan used on you," Misaki confessed.

Suddenly, Michelangelo remembered the smell he sensed that night—the smoke revealing bright lights that looked like eyes. They were Misaki's ninjas, ambushing him with the chloroform trap.

"So your clan knocked Mikey out and brought him to your place?" Leo exclaimed angrily.

"Bingo," Misaki giggled wickedly.

"But why me?" Mikey demanded.

"Because, my dear, out of the team, you were the weakest. It made perfect sense to try and twist your mind into submission; the way your family treated you made it ten times easier for me to manipulate you and destroy the Hamato Clan," Misaki snarled at Mikey.

"So... all that tea you gave me had belladonna in it," Mikey gagged, to which Misaki nodded.

"And the stories you told me about my family?!" Mikey continued.

"Fantasies," Misaki shrugged.

"The tale of your sisters?" Mikey pressed on.

"Fiction," Misaki replied.

"The tale of your suffering?!"

"Fictional fantasies, all just fictional fantasies," Misaki cruelly laughed. "What can I say? I'm quite the storyteller for suckers like you."

"You're a twisted hag," Raphael growled. "I'll never forgive you for what you did to him."

"And you think he's forgiven you guys?" Misaki mocked.

"Of course, I forgive them. They're my family, and I will always have their backs, no matter what," Mikey spoke up for his brothers, who smiled at the young turtle in return.

The young turtle then angrily added to Misaki, "Unlike you, you're nothing but a spiteful, lonely widow—actually, you're more of a Black Widow now, to be exact."

"Excuse me?" Misaki scoffed.

"Yeah, that's what I'll call you now—Black Widow. It suits you," Mikey teased as the other turtles chuckled with him.

Misaki, unimpressed, spitefully hissed, "Very funny. Your humour is as insignificant as your skills as a ninja."

Raphael growled at Misaki, "Lady, one thing you need to know about our kid brother. Don't EVER underestimate Mikey; he's a badass ninja like us."

"That's right! You may think he's a weak ninja, but even when push comes to shove, he's a fantastic fighter and a great teammate," Donatello vouchsafed for Mikey.

"He might not always be perfect, but neither are we, and that's OK. Mikey is wonderful the way he is," Leo smiles at Mikey.

"So get that stuck in your head, Black Widow! Without Mikey, our team would never thrive the way we do," Raphael proudly winks at Mikey before turning his glare at the villain.

"So you can just join your beloved Shredder in hell, where monsters like you belong!" 

"Enough!" Misaki angrily exclaimed, her voice echoing throughout the place. "It's time for you lot to perish, and you three will be the first to go before your little brat!!" 

With that, Misaki lunged at the turtles, who were ready to fight. The Black Widow's knife-like claws clashed with their weapons as her spider legs kicked Leonardo and Donatello away. Then, she released a thread of web from her nails and snatched Michelangelo away from Raphael.

"Mikey!" Raphael yelled, rage surging through him at the villainess. "Get your claws off my brother!"

Raphael lunged at the mutated spider, his sais aimed at her. Misaki countered, clashing her claws with his weapons, and used one of her legs to kick him down. She began spinning Mikey around, trapping him in her web as he cried for help.

The brothers regained their footing and charged at Misaki again, jumping on her and struggling to pull her away from their trapped sibling below.

"You will not hurt him again!" Leonardo grunted at her.

"Fools! You'll never win against me!" Misaki roared, grabbing each of them and violently tossing them aside, letting them hit the wall.

The Black Widow then approached the cocooned young turtle, who was desperately trying to break free from her web. "Struggle all you want; my web is stronger than ordinary webs. You'll never break free," she hissed at the panicking Mikey.

"No!" Mikey cried out in fear.

Just as Misaki reached out with her sharp claws to grab the trapped turtle, she was suddenly high-kicked away by another fighter joining the battle. 

The turtles looked to see Master Splinter growling furiously and standing protectively behind Michelangelo, defending him from the monster in front of them.

"Get away from my sons, you vile beast!!!" He angrily exclaimed.

"Papa!" Michelangelo gasped happily. 

Black Widow snarled at the deeply furious father and growled, "Hamato Yoshi; you always knew how to make an entrance." 

"Well, as you said before... You and I have unfinished business," Splinter furiously retorted. 

"Papa, Misaki Towa! She—" Michelangelo began to share the details, but Splinter interrupted him, saying, "It's okay, my son; I heard everything." 

"So the great sensei waited until the last minute to fight and let his sons do most of the dirty work. Why am I not surprised?" Misaki mocked.

"I trained my sons to be strong and determined to fight as a team because I have faith in them and support their right to make their own choices, even when it comes to battles. But you, Misaki, made this personal when you nearly killed my youngest son," Splinter exclaimed angrily, gripping the katana tightly in his paws.

"So I guess the choice of handing your little brat over in exchange for sparing your life is off the table?" Misaki responded sarcastically.

"And so is my option of being compassionate and showing mercy toward you," Splinter retorted, facing the mutated spider.

"So be it," Black Widow hissed as she charged at Splinter.

The humanoid rat rushed at Black Widow, engaging in a fierce battle with the monstrous foe. Meanwhile, the older brothers approached Mikey, and Raphael used his sais to cut open the web cocoon, freeing their little brother.

"Thanks, Raph," Mikey said gratefully.

"Boys! Get Michelangelo back to the lair and protect him at all costs!" Splinter ordered.

"What about you, Papa?!" Mikey cried out in concern.

"I can handle her myself. Just do as I say," Splinter grunted, continuing to fight against the mutated villain.

"But Sensei—!" Donatello exclaimed, worried.

"Go now!" Splinter shouted firmly.

"Come on, let's go!" Leonardo urged as they fled the area with Mikey, who looked back in fear for his father.

"You won't protect him from me, Yoshi! I will kill him if it's the last thing I do!" Misaki shrieked at the humanoid rat.

"You will not lay your filthy hands on him again," Splinter yelled back, fighting as hard as he could to defeat the monster.

--------

Back at the lair, the turtles rushed to the dojo, stopping to catch their breath. Mikey whimpered for his father, prompting Leo to approach him with a comforting voice. "Don't worry about Sensei, Mikey; he's stronger than all of us. He'll be fine. I know he will."

"And I thought my nightmares with Misaki were over," Mikey shuddered.

"We thought so too. Regardless, we'll make sure she doesn't hurt you again," Donatello reassured him.

"But I don't want you to risk your lives for me," Mikey protested, shaking his head as he prepared to help Splinter.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Raphael firmly stopped his younger brother.

"What happened to Misaki was my fault. I threw the shuriken at the ropes holding that stone dragon, which caused it to crush her. Because of that, her necklace containing mutagen mutated her into the monster she is now," Mikey explained sadly.

Raphael grabbed Mikey by the shoulders, expressing a mix of concern and anger. "When are you going to understand, Mikey?! We're all in this together, no matter what."

"He's right, Mikey. You don't need to do this alone; let us help you," Leonardo assured his little brother.

"You guys always protect me from danger... All I want now is to protect you from Misaki," Mikey sighed sadly.

"Mikey," Donnie began.

"I appreciate everything you do for me, but I don't want to just stand by and do nothing; I want to fight her so she doesn't hurt you guys or Papa! Let me protect you, please," Mikey cried.

The other brothers looked at him with sympathy and each embraced him, before Leo said, "You do protect us from harm, Mikey. Even in the darkest times, you shield us from danger and despair."

"I do?" Mikey asked, surprised.

"Of course you do! Remember how you saved us from those Kraang wasps and the Squirrelnoids?" Donnie said happily. "You were so brave and protective."

"You also protected us in Dimension X and saved our lives from Kavaxas," Raphael added.

"You don't have to fight this battle alone, buddy. We want to help you because we love you, and we work better as a team," Leo winked at Mikey.

Mikey smiled at his brothers and nodded. "You're right! Let's go squash that bug!"

"Yeah!" the turtles loudly exclaimed.

Suddenly, they heard meowing from the kitchen as Mikey gasped in bewilderment: "Ice Cream Kitty!"

Mikey rushed to the kitchen with his brother right behind him. He opened the freezer and was greeted by Ice Cream Kitty, meowing happily at the sight of her owner. 

"Oh, Kitty, I'm so sorry," Mikey said, feeling regretful. "I didn't mean to yell at you that night, and I'm sorry for ignoring you lately." As he crouched down to pet her, he continued, "Can you ever forgive your foolish pal?"

Ice Cream Kitty soon lets out a sweet meow before she licks Mikey on the face and nuzzles him, purring.

"It looks like she forgives you, Mikey," Donatello warmly responded.

"I love you, girl." Mikey sweetly licks Ice Cream Kitty back and nuzzles her as well.

Just then, Ice Cream Kitty's ears twitched as she looked toward the entrance of the kitchen and let out a loud hiss.

"Kitty? What's the matter?" Michelangelo asked in concern. 

The mutated cat started growling and hissing, sensing that something evil was approaching. 

"Guys, I think she senses something terrible heading this way," Leo cautiously warned. 

"You don't think it's Black Widow, do you?!" Donatello gulped. 

"But it can't be her! Splinter would have kicked her butt by now," Raphael exclaimed. 

Ice Cream Kitty then let out an angry meow, prompting Mikey to pick her up and hide her in her usual cooler to keep her safe and cold, as her mutated body required the ice. 

"Quick! Back to the dojo, now!" Leo commanded as the group fled to the dojo and retrieved their weapons. 

"Mikey, get behind us," Raphael whispered to his younger brother. Mikey went behind the trio, clutching the cooler with his pet inside close to him. 

Suddenly, the dojo door slid open, and to their shock, Black Widow entered the arena, holding Master Splinter hostage in a web cocoon. 

"Papa!" Mikey gasped in horror. 

"Sorry to disappoint you boys, but I'm afraid even your sensei is no match for me," Misaki wickedly sneered at the trapped rat, who struggled to break free. 

"Master Splinter! Are you alright?!" Leo cried out. 

"Forgive me, my sons," Master Splinter grunted, trying to escape. "I did everything I could." 

"Unfortunately, I have the advantage over him," Misaki coldly laughed. 

"Release Splinter now, you old hag!" Raphael angrily yelled, itching to attack the mutated spider to save Splinter. 

"You want to save him? Then hand over your baby brother," Misaki coaxed the turtles. 

"Oh sure! When hell freezes over," Donatello sarcastically scoffed. 

"Sorry, what?" Mikey asked, not understanding Donnie's remark. 

"He was being sarcastic, Mikey," Leo softly explained. 

"Oh, right," the young turtle nodded in understanding. 

"You fools just don't see it. I have defeated your master, so what makes you think you four have a chance against me?!" Misaki growled. 

"Because we never give up in the face of evil, come what may, we'll stand together against evil like you till the day we die! In the name of all that is good, you will be stopped!" Leo heroically replied, mimicking Captain Ryan from Space Heroes. 

"Can you please not quote anything from that show for once?!" Raphael groaned in annoyance.

Misaki pins the trapped, cocooned Splinter on the wall like glue as she hisses out: "Very well, but don't say I didn't warn you!"

She jumps forward as the turtles team up to fight Black Widow; Mikey places the cooler by the dojo tree to protect Ice Cream Kitty and then joins his brothers in battling the monster. 

Black Widow's sharp claws clash with the turtles' weapons, which are strong like steel, making it difficult for the turtles to defeat the mutated spider. Her eight legs allow Misaki to dodge the turtles' attacks and counter with her claws and legs. 

When Leo is knocked down, he notices Splinter still struggling to free himself from Misaki's powerful spider web.

"Hold on, sensei," Leo called out and was about to help his master out.

"Oh no, you don't!" Misaki growls and fires her web out of her fingers, and catches Leo by the arms and legs.

"Leonardo!" Splinter cried out as he watched helplessly as his eldest son was getting trapped in Misaki's web, just like the humanoid rat himself.

"Get off my brother!" Donatello yelled out and hit Misaki on the head with his bo-staff.

Suddenly, Misaki fires her web again at Donnie, trapping him in a web cocoon too. Raphael knew this was a losing match as he could not allow Misaki to kill Mikey before he grabbed his little brother, then opened a trap door that led to a hiding place behind the tree.

"Raph!" Mikey gasped as he was put into the hiding place.

"Stay here, and whatever you do, do not make a sound," Raphael ordered Mikey, giving him one last hug before closing the trapdoor to keep his little brother safe. 

Fueled by anger, Raphael charged at Misaki, fighting as hard as he could against the mutated spider. 

However, his rage only made him more vulnerable, and soon Misaki managed to trap Raphael in a web cocoon. She held the captured hothead and growled, "Where's your little brother?"

"I ain't telling you anything!" Raphael growled back, spitting in her face. 

Misaki raised her sharp claws to strike Raphael for that insult when, suddenly, Ice Cream Kitty threw ice cream at Misaki's face, meowing furiously and hissing at the mutated spider.

"You little freak!" Misaki snarled, using her web to trap the cooler's lid and pulling it close to her.

"You'd better listen carefully, Michelangelo! I have trapped all your family, especially your precious pet!" Misaki exclaimed, trying to draw Mikey out of hiding.

Gasping in horror, the young turtle almost emerged from his hiding spot to save them, but Raphael yelled, "Don't worry about us! Just stay hidden!"

"Be quiet!" Misaki hissed, looking around but failing to spot the young turtle. Growing impatient, she let out a frustrated growl.

"You listen to me, and you listen to me good, Michelangelo! If you ever want to see your family or your pet alive again, then you will come and find me in the sewers so we can finally end this once and for all."

Before leaving with the trapped Hamato Clan and Ice Cream Kitty, she notices the T-Phones on the ground. She uses her web to pick them up and smashes them into pieces. 

The mutated monster then creates a web-like ammo belt and attaches the turtles' and Splinter's weapons to it, ensuring that no one can use them.

"And you'd best hurry, boy; I get hungry in this mutant form quickly, so you'd better come soon, or I'll eat your entire family, including that ugly pet of yours. I will tear them all, piece by piece." Misaki evilly threatened and escaped the lair with the Hamato Clan and Ice Cream Kitty trapped in her grasp.

Mikey could hear his family calling out his name and Ice Cream Kitty meowing loudly before their voices faded away. He cautiously peeked out from his hiding spot and emerged from the trap door, gazing at the devastation in the dojo room, with broken T-Phones scattered on the ground. 

Michelangelo felt utterly alone now. How was he going to save his family and pet from the monstrous Black Widow?

Chapter Text

The young turtle paces back and forward, panicking about what to do now. For the first time since Dimension X, he was all alone and was the family's last hope to save them. 

He can't call April or Casey on the T-Phones since Misaki destroyed them, and even if he does get them to help, Mikey fears he'll be too late to save the others.

The young turtle was close to having a panic attack as he then cried out in frustration and fell backwards on the couch, whimpering and curling up into a ball-like position.

"What do I do?! I don't know if I can defeat Misaki and save the others on my own; I mean, sure, I did well being stuck at Dimension X all by myself, but to fight the widow of the Shredder? If the others can't beat her, how can I?!" He cried.

Mikey felt that all was lost at that point as he couldn't bear to imagine his family getting eaten by the Black Widow herself. As he whimpered, he suddenly noticed a small box containing some of his jokes and pranks inside before seeing another that had something written on it as Mikey read aloud: "Family treasures by Michelangelo."

Mikey opens the box and sees that it is filled with the things that Mikey made for the family in safekeeping, like a treasure chest.

He picks up a small handmade comic that has Leo as a space hero based on his favourite TV show; Mikey was surprised that Leo kept this comic that he made all those years ago, as the eldest treasured the gift Mikey made for him always, along with the recent drawing of Leo with Captain Ryan that Mikey made.

He then sees a lava lamp that has shiny cuttings of science-looking flakes inside the lamp. This was what Michelangelo and Donatello made as kids before Mikey gave it to Donnie to keep. He almost forgot about it, but the fact that Donnie kept it in the special box means that Donnie cherished it always.

Just then, he notices a plush T-Rex that Mikey once gave to Raphael, again when they were tots; the young turtle gave this to Raphael when he once had a nightmare and refused to say anything about it, but Mikey knew, somehow, that Raphael had suffered a nightmare and was scared. 

So he gave Raphael his plush T-Rex as a gift to help him sleep better since the T-Rex was the bravest and strongest dinosaur Mikey imagined, just like Raphael.

Mikey thought Raphael misplaced it when they were older, but to see it in that special box containing the precious memories that the family kept of Mikey meant so much to Raphael that he didn't want to lose it.

And finally, he picks up a drawing of himself and Splinter since this was the very first drawing he ever did, and it was good considering how Mikey was just a tot, he gives it to Splinter one night during the anniversary of Tang Shen's passing.

Seeing the picture that Mikey drew with the words "Dada and me" made the humanoid rat's heart and soul brighten, as he realized how blessed he was to have a second chance at life with four wonderful sons.

The young turtle warmly smiles and sniffs as he tries his hardest not to cry again when he looks back at the box containing his things and then eyes the chest full of the precious memories.

 Suddenly, an epiphany washes over the young turtle as he suddenly begins to understand what his role and true strength are...

"Heart..." Mikey gasped. "That's it...I'm the heart of the family! Of course, Leo's the leader, Raph's the brawl, Donnie's the brain, Splinter's the teacher, and I'm....I'm the heart of the team."

Mikey suddenly laughs happily and hugs the box as he cheers:

"Of course! How could I not see it sooner?! My pranks and jokes, my love for family and friends, my kindness, and my imagination! This is what makes me a true ninja! My creativity is my true strength as a ninja!"

Mikey then sees the box containing his pranks and ideas as he grins deviously and chuckles: "And that's how I'm going to beat Misaki and save my family, but first...I'm gonna need to change."

Mikey soon puts on some epic music from his stereo and soon starts letting his creativity flow as he makes handmade weapons and prank weapons that he can use to fight Misaki.

Then, once that was done, he went to Donnie's lab and, being his usual care-free self, he recreated retro-mutagen as backup to stop the monster.

Knowing he lost his mask and signature weapon, he has one more option left; the young turtle changes into his Shinobi gear that he wore when he and the team battled the Super Shredder.

He stood proudly and prepared as he awesomely growled out:

"Booyakasha..."

Meanwhile, deep within the sewers where the turtles recently confronted the Black Widow, the gang was stuck to the wall as prisoners trapped in the web cocoons. They watched as Misaki feasted on the bones of her ninja clan, whom she lashed out with her anger and hunger, being the monstrous, mutated spider that she is now.

"You really ate your clan like that?!" Raphael gagged in disgust.

"I can't help it...This form makes me hungry quicker than my human form; besides, they were useless to me now anyway," Misaki snarled as she threw away a human bone on the ground.

The monster soon looks around to see if Michelangelo was coming to save them, but was nowhere to be seen, much to her impatience and frustration: "This is very tiresome; your little runt of a brother should've come here by now, I didn't leave those claw marks on the pipes for nothing."

She then goes to Raphael furiously and snarls out, "Last chance, where did you hide that little brat?!"

"Ya can just forget it; I ain't telling you anything," Raphael angrily refused.

Misaki just grabbed Raphael's throat and growled: "Very well, perhaps I should eat you first."

She opens up her mouth, revealing her sharp, monstrous teeth, which Raphael panics and struggles to get loose.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging nearby, stopping Misaki from killing Raphael and making her turn to the source of the noise, as it came from one of the large pipes.

Suspecting that Michelangelo was near, she made her way to the large pipe and looked inside the dark pipe but nothing was there. 

She looks around at the place and, with an evil grin, the mutated villain eerily coaxes out: "Michelangelo, come out, come out to play."

Suddenly, something smacks Misaki in the face and splashes her with liquid, making the mutated spider howl in shock and pain. She writhes around a bit before noticing on her claws, a bright blue liquid that had a familiar smell to it.

"Is that...paint?" Donatello asked in bewilderment.

"Paint?! What gives?!" Misaki angrily demanded.

Just then, another miniature balloon smacks at Misaki's face again and splashes her with green paint this time, as it stings her eyes, causing her to howl in agony before she roars out:

"Who dares?!"

"I dare"

From the shadows near the wall, Michelangelo stood forward, all geared up with hand-made pranks and everything he could use to his advantage.

His left arm was covered in a shield that he used from his skateboard, combined with his arm pads, and his right arm had a certain kitchen knife that acts like a long switchblade wrapped around the front wrist like a hidden blade.

He stood out of the shadows, holding a slingshot with a bag of water balloons filled with paint or water in them.

"Did you miss me?" Mikey mocked Misaki.

"Mikey!" The brothers happily cried out.

"Son!" Splinter called out in amazement.

"Don't worry, you guys; I'll get you all out of here," Michelangelo assured his family before glaring at the mutated spider:

"But first things first, I'm gonna go bug her for a bit"

"Be careful, Mikey," Leo cried out.

Mikey took a few steps forward, to which Misaki hissed: "So you decided to show up after all, and you brought your little toys with you. I must say that you're really desperately pathetic, my dear."

"Funny; you call them toys" Mikey started before grinning deviously at Misaki: "I call them weapons"

He fires another mini balloon at the villain, who ducks and mocks him with: "Ha! You miss--!"

As soon as she turns back, another balloon splashes her face with more paint, causing her to howl in pain again.

"You brat! That hurts!" Misaki shrieked.

Mikey then fires another paint-filled balloon, which hits her face again, and she furiously adds, "Ah, not again!"

Another one fires, and another one flies, both hitting Misaki and drenching her face and hair with paint before she bellows, "What are you, a childish idiot?!"

"Nah, I'm just being creative," Mikey shrugged with a smug look.

The family soon chuckles with Mikey as Misaki just lets out a shriek of fury and attempts to shoot a web at Mikey from her fingers, before the turtle uses the skateboard shield to block the web and quickly cuts them down with the hidden blade on his right arm.

"Nice try, but I know your web is not as strong as you think it is." Mikey shook his head.

Misaki growls and exclaims out in frustration as she throws her discarded web all over the floor before Mikey said: "OK, I know the saying that's no use crying over spilled milk but this is just ridiculous"

Raphael suddenly let out a guffaw, and the brothers soon giggled at Mikey's joke, as they did admit that it was a bit funny.

"Mock me? Will you?! You'll regret that," Misaki growled dangerously.

"Are you gonna fight me, or are you just going to complain every time?" Mikey groaned.

"Son of a--!!" Misaki yelled in annoyance and lunged at Mikey again.

The turtle dodges underneath Misaki and lays mouse traps behind her; once she turns around and takes a few steps, one of her eight legs gets caught as she shrieks in pain before looking down to see the trap.

 She tries to move more, but her legs soon get snapped by mouse traps before she rolls around in pain as Mikey shrugs:

"Surely she should have seen this coming."

"That's got to hurt," Donnie chuckled.

Soon, the villain tears the mousetraps as she glares ferociously at the young turtle, who then pulls out a red cape and pretends to be a matador. He wiggles the red cape teasingly at the infuriated monster.

"What's wrong, Misaki? Does the colour red not make you mad? Oh wait! How about this?" Mikey teased before he turned the cape over and showed what he had drawn on the other side.

The other turtles, at that point, suddenly started laughing at what Mikey just drawn; even Splinter couldn't help but chuckle as Misaki looks on at the drawing of Shredder in a tutu which results in her getting extremely livid and yells:

"You dare make a fool out of my beloved Oroku Saki?!"

"Well, he didn't need my help for that," Mikey shrugged.

The monster's rage made her blind to the point that she charges at Mikey before he moves aside with the cape, and the Black Widow suddenly collides into a giant pipe, knocking her down as Mikey took a bow and playfully cried out: "Olé!"

The family was laughing and cheering for Mikey as he was defeating Misaki with his creative mind and moves.

"You can win this, Mikey! We know you can!" Raphael encouraged his baby brother.

"Just don't lose your focus!" Donatello points out.

"I won't, I'm prepared." Mikey nodded and stood clear of the growling monster before him.

"You think your silly little games make you a true warrior?! It doesn't! You want to beat me, you'll have to fight me as I trained you. Only then could you overpower someone like me because your little toys will not save you or your family," Misaki growled.

"Your so-called training made me harm my family...I will not end up making that mistake again; my true strength comes from my creativity and my heart for those I love. As long as I'm still standing with my ideas around, I will overcome anything, no matter what...So if I were you, I would give up now because I won't surrender to your terms ever!" Mikey shook his head, standing his ground.

"Is that so?" Misaki hissed but soon showed a wicked grin to the turtle and coldly giggled: "Very well then...I shall have to force you then, shall I?"

Suddenly, Misaki fires another rope of web at the cooler that has Ice Cream Kitty in it as the villain leaps over to the edge of the area where there is a giant hole near the edge of the sewer area that has water down below like a well, as she hoists the cooler over the hole.

"Ice Cream Kitty!! No!" Mikey cried out in fear.

"I warned you about this, my dear! So here's the thing: you wanna save that little pest of yours, then you will surrender your toys and fight me like a true ninja would, or else she goes in and drowns," Misaki threatened.

Mikey looks upon the trapped, mutated cat, meowing at Mikey in fear and sadness. The poor turtle feels helpless now that he has to make a choice since he has to surrender his weapons or let Ice Cream Kitty die in the sewage waters.

"Mikey!" Raphael cried out.

"Do what you have to do, my son; just don't give up," Splinter called out.

Mikey knew what he must do as he discarded the skateboard shield, the switchblade sleeve sword, and then pointed to one of the pipes and sadly said:

"In there is where the rest of my weapons are."

The mutated spider fires another web rope in the pipe and pulls out a box full of Mikey's handmade weapons and pranks as she soon discards each of them into the hole, including the box.

"OK, I held my end of your bargain, now let Ice Cream Kitty go!!" Mikey cried out.

Misaki just evilly smiles and shrugs: "Gladly..."

Suddenly, without warning, she lets go of the cooler holding Ice Cream Kitty inside as it starts to fall into the hole.

"No!!!" Mikey cried.

With one big leap, Mikey attempts to grab the cooler to stop it from going into the hole, but it is too late. Mikey watches in horror as Ice Cream Kitty falls into the darkness below.

"KITTY!!!" Mikey screamed out.

The mutated cat lets out a tearful meow before disappearing deeper into the dark hole, vanishing out of sight.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

The family watches in horror and distraught at what Misaki has done, to which the villain just cruelly laughs at the distraught, crying turtle before her...

Michelangelo looks down at the darkness of where his fallen pet was, and knowing that there is nothing but water down below, for all Mikey knows, he believes that Ice Cream Kitty is dead because of the monster in front of him.

"And this is what happens when you let your foolish child-like mind interfere with someone like me, you selfishly let others die," Misaki spat out, her voice sounding pure venom.

"YOU MONSTER!!! YOU HEARTLESS MURDERER!!!" Raphael bellowed out in livid rage at Misaki, trying to break free to attack her.

"Mikey!" Donatello and Leonardo shudder out for their poor, heartbroken brother while Splinter furiously yelled at Misaki with such livid rage: "How could you, you vile creature!!!"

The extremely distraught fighter shook violently and sobbed at the loss of his pet before Black Widow sneered at the broken ninja before her:

"Oh, don't start crying like a toddler now...you failed to save her, and now your hideous freak of a pet is dead...Because of you!"

Suddenly, growling can be heard as Black Widow and the others saw Mikey's eyes turn white in rage as he was no longer crying, he was beyond livid as his rage surfaced to the monster before him; his fists clenched tightly as he snarled out:

"How...dare....you!!!"

Misaki coldly laughs at the livid ninja and mocks: "Is that really how you're going to fight me now, my dear?"

Michelangelo suddenly screams out in pure rage and bellows out: "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!"

In a flash of an eye, Mikey lunges at Misaki and tackles the monster down on the ground as he begins to wildly punch the mutated spider with such fury and strength, again and again, until Misaki whacks the turtle away from him.

The two fighters stood their guard before Mikey lashes out again and high kicks Misaki down, then grabs two of her spider legs and violently judo flips the beast to the ground, earning a scream of agony from Misaki.

The family helplessly watches from the trapped cocoons as Mikey loses control of his rage and begins to become the violent turtle that Misaki trained him to use against the mutated spider herself. 

No matter how hard she fights back, Mikey beats her down in fury of what she did to Ice Cream Kitty, but the way he was quickly losing control to the darkness and hatred inside of the young turtle was scaring the family so much that they fear he'll spiral down into the dark of hate, pain and vengeance as the Shredder did.

After Mikey beats the agonized creature down, he picks up Splinter's katana from where the other weapons have been webbed to the wall and dangerously approaches the mutated spider, who was laughing wickedly at Mikey while grunting in pain.

"And there he is...the ninja I have trained! You are just like Oroku Saki now, it's amazing," She sneered at him.

Mikey just growls and points the tip of the katana near her chest before the monster growls: "So what now? You plan to kill me?! Go ahead, it won't bring back that stupid cat of yours....But go ahead, show me that you're a true ninja! Finish what you have started!"

"Prepare to join your precious Oroku Saki....IN HELL!!!" Mikey roared and was about to strike her down with the katana.

"NO, MY SON!!!" Splinter bellowed in sheer fear for his son as it stopped Mikey from killing Misaki, as the young turtle stared into the sad, pleading eyes of his father. "No Musuko...Not like this."

"Sensei...This monster...She-!" Mikey growled.

"I understand, my son! I really do...You have every right to be angry and upset because of what she did to all of us, especially you, but this is not who you are; you're not a murderer! This is what she wants you to do; she's luring you into the path of hatred like the Shredder followed" Splinter explained, doing everything he can to help his grieving son.

"But she's a monster like the Shredder, she's dangerous to us all, she must be destroyed!" Mikey angrily cried out.

"Not like this, Mikey! She wants you to do this because she wants you to become just like the Shredder, don't give in to her temptations," Leonardo cried out.

"But..." Mikey angrily sobbed.

"Believe me, Mikey, I may have killed the Shredder myself to save the family, but I'm not proud of taking a life. I felt nothing but darkness and fear for my future path and where it would lead me now...But thanks to you and the others, you helped me regain that light in my path and lead me out of the darkness that I felt since I destroyed the Shredder," Leo confessed about his feelings to his little brother.

"Leo's right, bro; this is not who you are, you are so much better than this! We know it, Sensei knows it, and even Ice Cream Kitty knows it, '' Donnie added, hoping to make Mikey see what he would become.

"Kitty wouldn't want you to become worse than the Shredder, Mikey; Misaki's a monster like him, but you can be better than what they say you are. Look at yourself, you know who you are," Raphael comforted Mikey.

"Please, my son, you are a great ninja, now show it to her," Splinter pleaded, hoping it's not too late for Mikey to regain his senses.

The young warrior glares at the monster below her before eventually he slowly realizes that his family was right. He is better than what Misaki says he is, and destroying her as he was going to would only spiral the turtle into a path much like the Shredder took, and he is anything but a monster like them.

Mikey stood back and pointed the katana down as he angrily said to Misaki: "I will not allow myself to be a monster like you or Oroku Saki."

The Black Widow shrieks furiously and hits Mikey with her claws, sending the turtle backwards on the ground with claw marks on his plastron.

"You are stupider than I thought you were, Michelangelo! You could have finished me right there, but you chose to back away like a coward! You're no warrior, you're NOTHING!" Misaki spitefully snarled out before she grabbed the turtle by the throat, lifting him and continuing her rant:

"You wanna know why I despise people like you, Michelangelo? Self-pitying dreamers such as you cannot be true warriors; they cannot survive the cruel world out there like I can. You are just delusional, childish, irresponsible, and have no redeeming features that anyone, including your family, could ever find any good within you!"

"You're just a hopeless runt, just an expendable tool, your child play things are no match to any true fighter than you could ever accomplish, and why?! Because you're just a useless screw up! You were born a screw up and you'll die a screw up! Your foolish attempts to save your family have failed once more, showing all of us how weak and naive you truly are!"

"MIKEY!" "MICHELANGELO!" The family cried out in fear for their family member.

"So surrender now, and your death shall be quick and painless, resist, and I will tear you limb from limb!! YOU WILL NEVER BE A TRUE NINJA! EVER!!!" Misaki furiously roared at the suffocating turtle.

Finally, having had enough of Misaki using her toxic words, Mikey grabs Splinter's katana with his foot and uses it to slash one of Misaki's spider legs, causing her to shriek in pain and letting Mikey go before he stood back from the monster and snapped:

"You're wrong about me, Misaki! You have always been wrong!"

"Is that so?!" Misaki growled.

"YEAH! YOU WANNA KNOW WHO I REALLY AM??!!" Mikey bellowed out in fury.

The insect-like monster glares furiously at the young turtle confronting her. Holding the katana of Master Splinter's, Michelangelo takes a deep breath and speaks with a voice so calm and with determination:

"I am...the youngest brother of my family, friend to those I open my heart to, owner of a wonderful pet that you selfishly killed; protector of the innocent in need of help."

Black Widow growled at the turtle in front of him. She realized he's not afraid of her anymore and will not listen to her poison words anymore:

"I am the little brother to my wonderful, loving, sometimes pain in the ass big brothers, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael..."

Michelangelo looked up at his trapped brothers, smiling happily at them as they smiled back with such glee and were proud of their baby brother at this moment.

"And I am the son of the bravest and wisest ninja of all time; My sensei, my father: Hamato Yoshi."

Michelangelo looks at his father, who had the same reaction as his brothers had for him before the youngest turtle glared directly at Black Widow and yelled out with pride and self-esteem:

"So who am I?! I am Hamato Michelangelo! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!!!"

"And you will die as one," Black Widow shrieked out hatefully and charged at the young turtle, who then screamed out: "BOOYAKASHA!!!"

Mikey leaps over the villain, and with such speed, the two fighters begin their final confrontation; the katana that Mikey holds clashes with the monster's sharp sword-like claws. The hero focused as hard as he could while fighting the monster that was worse than Rahzar himself.

The family watches as Michelangelo bravely fights the beast with such focus, determination, and ferocity that it makes them proud to see that Mikey has finally become what they practiced him to be...a great ninja.

"Keep going, my son! You can win this!" Splinter loudly encourages his son.

"You can do it, Mikey!" Leo loudly cheered.

"Go, Mikey, go!" Donatello also cheered on.

Soon, Mikey dodges Misaki's web shooting with such speed and high kicks her away, making her slam into the sewer walls.

"Yeah!! That's it, bro! You got this!!" Raphael cheered for his little brother.

As Misaki stumbles back up to her feet, she grunts out in pain: "How...could this be?! I'm supposed to be stronger than you!! Where on earth did you manage to learn to fight like that?!"

"What can I say? I have a very good photographic memory," Michelangelo sternly responded before he stood still and added:

"Misaki...It's over; you cannot beat me because I know every one of your moves and how you fight. I don't want to do something we'll both regret, but I'm giving you one final chance to surrender, and if I were you, I'd be very careful about what you wish to do next...Now make your choice."

The Black Widow just snarls out in pure hatred at Mikey before she growls: "The only choice I'm making, Michelangelo, is choosing to kill you slowly and painfully if it's the last thing I do...No No one humiliates me and gets away with it... NO ONE!"

She soon retreats into the darkness and vanishes without a trace; suddenly, they hear her scurrying around the sewers like an invisible predator.

"Mikey, be careful," Leo called out.

Mikey cautiously approaches another pipe near the one he first entered to confront Black Widow and pulls out a lidded jar full of retro-mutagen.

"Mikey, you--!" Donnie gasped.

Mikey firmly hushes Donnie before he moves to the centre of the sewer area, hearing the snarls, growls, and rapid movements of the monster echoing around the sewers before he closes his eyes and meditates to focus.

"What's he doing?" Raphael asked.

"He's...He's focusing through meditation," Splinter gasped.

Michelangelo took deep breaths in and out, focusing as hard as he could before all he could hear was the sounds of water, movement, and breathing. 

Being allowed to close his mind and hear the surroundings of the place, it's like he knows exactly where almost everything is; it wasn't long before he felt small vibrations under his feet, and behind him was a large grate, where down below was a passageway to another large pipe where rapid waters rush by. 

The vibrations were increasing, and he could hear small growling coming closer from the large sewer grate as he realized that Black Widow was coming up behind him from below the large grate.

Suddenly, without warning, Black Widow lunges out of the large grate that she bashed open and was about to attack Mikey when, in a flash, the young turtle pulls the lid off the jar and throws the retro-mutagen all over Misaki's torso and face, but not before he was stabbed on his right shoulder by two of Misaki's sharp claws.

The family exclaimed Mikey's name in despair, as the injured turtle screamed out in agony from the stab.

Misaki violently snaps her two sharp claws off, trying to pull them out of Mikey's shoulder, and notices the retro-mutagen was growing and consuming her as she shrieks out: "What is this?! What have you done to me?!"

"Just a little something I called: Retro-mutagen!" Mikey grunted in pain, holding his wounded shoulder.

"What?!?!" Misaki cried out.

"Let's just say your days as a mutated spider are through!" Mikey angrily points out.

"Nooooo!!" Misaki screamed before the retro-mutagen consumed her whole body.

The family watches as Misaki soon turns back to normal, as she was before the mutagen changed her to Black Widow, in her kimono robe and all.

"He did it...He won," Leo gasped in awe.

Mikey cautiously approached the weak villain, groaning and shuddering weakly as she looked up at the injured turtle with vile rage.

"I hate you...so much," She snarled out venomously.

"I don't care," Mikey firmly shrugged.

The evil woman looks at the katana that Mikey picked up again and hissed, "Still planning to kill me?"

"No...I'm not like you." Mikey shook his head as he pulled out the two sharp claws in his shoulder and threw them aside while holding onto the wound before he continued:

"You poisoned me and almost turned me against my family, then you hurt them and killed my dear pet...You don't deserve to live, in my opinion, but I'm better than what you expected...That's why I'm giving one final warning; you leave my family alone and never return...you can just live out the rest of your miserable, hated life for the rest of your days. While I, on the other hand, am going to free my family, then we're going home...and maybe have a pizza when I get back."

Mikey begins to walk past Misaki before he threatens her with: "But if you ever dare hurt my family or myself again, I won't hesitate to do what I must...And so for both of our sakes, let us never meet again...Farewell, Misaki Towa."

Mikey continues walking off, heading to his family as the villain, completely insane, growls out: "No...I won't surrender..."

As soon as Mikey hops up on one of the big pipes to reach the others, Misaki quickly grabs the two broken claws of hers and lunges straight at Mikey and his family, screaming out: "I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!!!"

"Noooo!" Mikey cried out.

With no choice but to save his family from getting killed, Mikey reluctantly points the katana straight at Misaki as she immediately thrusts into it in her path without realizing it until it is too late. 

The villain halted when she felt the weapon going through her chest as she rapidly shuddered and gasped heavily at the critical wound in her.

"I...I warned you," Mikey sharply shudders out.

Blood begins to trickle out of Misaki's mouth, and her robe begins to soak up the blood on her stabbed chest as she pulls herself out of Splinter's katana and stumbles backward to the edge of the large open grate below before she gasps out:

"Gomen'nasai...Oroku Saki"

Her body soon gave up as she went backwards and fell into the large sewer grate below, splashing into the rapid waters.

Misaki Towa was officially dead, her body disappearing into the rapid sewer waters forever...

Chapter Text

The young turtle quietly frees his family from the web cocoons with the katana as he looks down, ashamed of what he did to stop Misaki, especially how he almost lost himself to his rage back there.

Sure, he wanted to stop Misaki, but to take a life, even from a monster like her, it didn't feel right for Mikey.

 He felt like a hypocrite.

The family soon gathered around Mikey, knowing how he was feeling at the moment, before Leo put a comforting hand on his shoulder:

"It's alright, Mikey; you did what you had to do."

"It's just...you guys didn't want me to kill Misaki back there," Mikey sadly pointed out.

"That was because she was trying to turn you into a killer like the Shredder, but you stopped her because she was going to kill us, and you did what you had to do to protect us from further harm," Leonardo gently points out.

"You made a tough call, but you did what was necessary, my son," Splinter assured him. "You didn't give in to rage and hatred."

"Yeah, man, she was a monster, and you gave her so many warnings that she was too crazy to take them seriously and almost killed us," Raphael comforted his baby brother.

"It was her or us, Mikey; you did what we would've done in that situation too," Donatello also comforted Mikey.

"It just doesn't feel right to take a life like that, no matter how evil the person is...I guess I now know what Leo felt like when he killed the Shredder to save us," Mikey sighed, unsure of himself now that he'd taken a life, even if it was a villain's.

"Don't worry, Mikey; we'll help you through this, just like you guys did with me; I promise," Leo hugged Mikey.

"Thanks," Mikey said softly.

Soon, he walked over to the giant hole where Ice Cream Kitty had been dropped to her demise. The rest of the family followed, each of them apologizing sincerely for his loss. Before Raphael spoke, he said:

"I'm so sorry about Kitty, Mikey; she was such a loving pet to you, and I'm sure she's at peace now."

"It's just not fair...she didn't deserve to die," Mikey sobbed, and Splinter held his grieving son close.

"I'm really sorry, my son; she was such a beautiful and loving pet that had ever lived in our home," Splinter said, giving Mikey his condolences.

"I can still hear her meowing sweetly to me," Mikey sobbed.

"Meow..."

"See? Even from heaven, she's meowing to me," Mikey cried.

"Meow!"

"Mikey! Wait!" Leonardo gasped.

"Listen," Donnie added as the group leaned down in the giant hole before they heard another meow that made Mikey gasp out loudly:

"It's Ice Cream Kitty! She's still alive!"

Mikey leaned further down and cried out: "Kitty?! Is that you?!"

Soon, he heard Ice Cream Kitty meowing back in response, and Mikey's heart lightened again in joy that his beloved pet was still alive, but then he began to panic that she was stuck down the dark hole.

"Hold on, Kitty! I'm gonna save you!!" Mikey panicked.

"Mikey, wait! You're hurt, and we need to think of a plan." Donatello halted Mikey from doing anything rash.

"B-But Kitty-!" Michelangelo whimpered.

Raphael gently hushes his baby brother: "It's alright, little bro; we're going to save Ice Cream Kitty, no matter what it takes."

The young turtle eventually calms down a bit and nods, holding onto his shoulder wound, before Splinter gently sits his son down to relax, and the trio gets together to think of a plan.

"So we need to get some rope and a flashlight to grab her; do we have any of those at the lair?" Leonardo asked.

"I'll go check, I'll be back in a flash," Donnie said before taking off to the lair.

"So, answer me this, Mikey: if the retro-mutagen didn't work on the Super Shredder when we tried it, how did you know it would work on Misaki when she was Black Widow?" Raphael curiously quizzed.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if it would work since it was just a backup plan I had, in case something went wrong," the young turtle admitted.

"So basically, her transformation back to human was just a stroke of luck?" Leo asked.

"Something like that, I guess," Michelangelo shrugged.

"Well, it worked, and we're really proud of you, Michelangelo," Splinter said proudly.

"We all are, buddy. You fought really well, and you fought her in your own unique way," Raphael added.

"I finally found my true strength, dudes, my creativity," Mikey nodded happily.

"Indeed, you have, little brother," Leonardo winked.

Soon, Donatello returned with a large amount of rope and a headlamp to use in the dark hole.

"Tie the rope around me, please," Donnie immediately requested.

"I take it you volunteered to go down there and find Ice Cream Kitty?" Leonardo deduced.

"Well, of course. I'm light, and you two have more strength to hold the rope," Donnie said.

"Fair enough, let's do this," Raphael shrugged.

Leo and Raph helped tie the rope to Donnie's waist before attaching it to a nearby pipe. As soon as Donnie leaned over the edge of the large, dark hole, he looked back at Mikey and said,

"I'm going to get her out of there, Mikey, don't worry."

"Be careful, D," Mikey said, and Donnie gave him a reassuring wink and thumbs up.

The smart turtle then turned to Leo and Raph, holding onto parts of the rope, and said, "When I say now, grab that rope as hard as you can and wait for my instructions."

"You got it," Leo nodded.

"Good luck, Donnie," Raphael nodded.

Donnie took a deep breath before letting himself fall forward and diving into the giant hole below. He fell for three seconds before shouting,

"Now!"

Leo and Raph then gripped the rope as hard as they could before Splinter called out, "Are you alright, Donatello?"

"I'm alright" Donnie calls back out as he turns on the head-torch and looks down below.

"Do you see her?!" Leo cried out.

"No, all I can see is darkness! Start slowly lowering me down," Donnie instructed.

Leo and Raph slowly and carefully lower Donnie down further into the giant hole as he keeps on looking to see if Ice Cream Kitty is nearby and hopefully safe.

"Kitty!" Donnie called out.

Soon, Donnie hears her meowing as it sounds closer as he goes lower: "She sounds close, keep lowering me down."

As the smart turtle got lower and lower, he suddenly could see something blocking the giant hole. It was the box that Misaki dropped down there that used to have Mikey's pranks and handmade weapons.

Inside the cramped box was the cooler, and peeking out of it was Ice Cream Kitty, alive and hanging on.

"I see her! I see her!" Donnie cheered.

"You hear that, Mikey?! Donnie's found her!" Raphael happily exclaimed to Mikey.

"Is she OK?!" Mikey cried out.

"You're not gonna believe this, Mike, but remember that box Misaki dropped down here? It's wedged in between the walls of the hole here, and guess what broke Ice Cream Kitty's fall?" Donnie laughed as he was almost close to the cooler.

"Well, I'll be! She is one lucky cat," Leo heartily laughed.

"Alright, a little lower, I'm almost up to her," Donnie called out.

Soon, he carefully picks up the cooler, and just in time, as the moment Donnie picks the cooler up and brings it close to him, the box finally becomes loose and continues falling into the hole.

"Phew...that was close," Donnie exhaled in relief.

Ice Cream Kitty sticks her head out of the cooler and licks Donnie on the face.

"Aww, you're welcome, girl; just stay in the cooler while we go back up." Donnie chuckled and gently closed the cooler lid to make sure Ice Cream Kitty stayed safe.

"You got her, Donnie?!" Raphael exclaimed.

"I got her! Start pulling me up!" Donnie cried out.

Leo and Raph carefully start pulling the rope back to let Donnie come back up, and as soon as he reaches the surface, Splinter takes the cooler before he puts it down and helps Donnie back onto his feet at the surface.

As soon as Donnie unties himself from the rope, he approaches Mikey on the ground with the cooler and opens it to reveal Ice Cream Kitty alive and well.

"Here she is, Mikey; safe and sound," Donnie warmly spoke to his baby brother.

Tears of relief and joy fall on Mikey's face as he happily takes the cooler that had his cat in it and gives her kisses, crying happily: "Oh Kitty, I thought I'd lost you forever."

The mutated cat sweetly meows and licks Mikey on the face, much to the family's happiness; everyone accounted for was safe at last.

"It's OK, darling; she's gone, and she won't hurt you again," Mikey sniffed.

Mikey soon motivates Donnie to come over and hugs his middle brother: "Thank you, D, and thank you all so much."

"Anytime, Mikey," Donatello chuckled, then suddenly let out a sharp gasp when he saw Mikey's stab wound start to bleed out again.

"Mikey, your shoulder's bleeding badly!" He exclaimed.

As Mikey tries to stand up, he yelps in pain from the stab wound on his shoulder that he had just let go of holding.

"Son, don't get up. You need medical attention with that shoulder." Splinter soon picks up Mikey, who handed Donnie the cooler with his cat.

"I'll stitch that wound up good in no time," Donnie assured.

"I can walk myself fine, Papa," Mikey assured Splinter.

"I'd rather carry you home, no excuse and no argument, understand?" Splinter replied.

"Yes, Papa," Mikey nodded at his father, who smiled back at his young son.

As soon as the gang receives their weapons back, and with Mikey holding the cooler with his pet again in Splinter's arms, the family starts to head back to the lair, knowing that now the worst is over and they can live peacefully again.

Chapter Text

TWO MONTHS LATER – NOVEMBER 26th, 2017

When the family returned home after the battle, Donnie stitched up Mikey's stab wound and had him wear a bandaged cast for an entire month. Mikey was disappointed that he couldn’t train or go out to the surface with his brothers; however, he was grateful to have Splinter to keep him company, and the brothers spent half of their time at home as well.

The family explained the events to a surprised April and Casey, who were relieved and proud of Mikey for saving his family. Eventually, Mikey cheered up and moved past his doubts about what he had done to defeat the villain.

Ever since the events where Mikey's true feelings were out in the open with the family, the Hamato Clan did everything they said and more to help Mikey remember and be reminded that he is loved and accepted by his family.

Raphael worked very hard not to lose his temper much at Mikey, Leonardo was more patient and helpful with Mikey, Donatello allowed Mikey in the lab more often and guides him whenever he needed to be, and Splinter, still being the sensei to his sons, does take the time to speak more with his sons and made sure he really listens to every problem and help them as much as he could as a father he promised to be for them.

Michelangelo, much to the family's surprise, has made significant progress. Ever since his conflict with Misaki, the young turtle has matured more than he was before. 

While he still enjoys his pranks and jokes, he has recently limited them instead of going overboard. He is making a concerted effort to listen and follow instructions, such as keeping his hands to himself in Donnie's lab most of the time. 

Although he remains the same lovable goofball, his family has noticed that he is happier, calmer, and improving in the activities he loves, including ninjutsu.

After two months, Mikey was finally ready to train with his brothers. During that time, he had practised at a slower pace with Splinter to regain his strength and confidence.

He also recently received a new orange mask, crafted by Splinter himself, and a new pair of dual nunchaku that Karai had shipped from Japan after receiving a letter from her father requesting one for Michelangelo.

"Alright, my sons, we will start with the technique run, and then each of you will spar against one another today," Splinter announced, outlining the usual schedule for their weekly training.

"Hai sensei." The turtles bowed.

Soon they started the technique run once again, and this time, Mikey was performing the same as his brothers instead of falling behind this time. When Splinter ceases the run, he paces in front of his sons and addresses them:

"Well done, my sons, once again you have excelled beyond your expectations"

He then stops at Mikey, to whom the young turtle gulps that he may get lectured for falling behind again, until Splinter adds:

"Especially you, Michelangelo; I am very impressed with how far you've come with your brothers, well done, my son"

The older brothers exchanged pleased smiles as their younger brother reacted in surprise to their father's words. Mikey wasn’t sure if Splinter was being genuine or if he was just trying to soften the blow so that Mikey wouldn’t feel bad.

“You’re sure, Sensei? You can be honest,” Mikey said with a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his head.

Splinter leaned forward, giving Mikey a serious yet warm gaze. “I was being honest, my son; you did excellent on your technique run,” he replied.

Mikey beamed with happiness, grateful to have impressed his brothers, and bowed to Sensei in thanks.

“Now, it’s time for some sparring! Leonardo and Michelangelo, you two will go first,” Splinter announced.

Leonardo and Michelangelo took their positions to battle, and the eldest brother gave Mikey a playful, mischievous grin. “You ready for this, Mikey?”

“Don’t go easy on me now, fearless leader,” Mikey chuckled.

“You know me, Mikey; I never go easy,” Leo replied with a laugh.

"Hajime!" Splinter began the match.

The oldest and youngest turtles began sparring as Mikey tested his expanded training. To the family's surprise, he overpowered Leonardo and emerged victorious.

"Yamate! Michelangelo is the victor!" Splinter announced.

Mikey helped Leo to his feet as the eldest brother stared at his youngest sibling in surprise.

"S-Sorry, big bro," Mikey said nervously with a chuckle.

"Why are you sorry? You won the match! Great job, buddy," Leo congratulated Mikey, giving him a pat on the shell.

"Donatello! You'll spar with Mikey next," Splinter called out.

"Hai, Sensei," Donatello replied, nodding and taking his position.

"Donnie, don't worry; I won't use any of my pranks on you," Mikey assured his middle brother.

"Are you serious?" Donatello asked.

"Yep," Mikey nodded with a playful grin. "That comes after sparring."

"And there he is," Donatello chuckled.

"Hajime!" Splinter began the second match.

Eventually, as the second match goes on, even Mikey outsmarts Donnie this time; again, surprising the family with Mikey's new confidence and improved training that he has done with them.

"Wow, Mikey, that was some sparring." Donnie pants and smiles at Mikey.

"You did great yourself," Mikey replied and bro-fists Donnie.

Soon it was Raphael's turn as he stood in position and deviously growled: "OK, knucklehead; ya may have gotten the best of fearless and Einstein back there, but ya know you'll no match for me"

Mikey just grins deviously back at Raphael and chuckled: "Well, you know what they say, Raphie; Third time's the charm"

"Oh yeah? Bring it," Raphael dared.

"Hajime!" Splinter starts the last match.

The sparring match between Mikey and Raph went on longer than it usually did, much to even Raph's surprise, as he did everything he could to bring Mikey down, but the youngest one was prepared this time.

 He focuses on Raph's temper and sees how wide open he was, mostly leaving himself. Mikey takes the chance to strike back at Raph and eventually knocks him down, winning the entire sparring match.

"You...You did it...You won!" Raphael pants out in bewilderment.

"I...I guess I did," Mikey pants, surprised as well.

"My sons," Splinter started. "You've made excellent progress today, so we shall start advancing more of our training to the, how you say, next level."

"Hai sensei." The turtles bowed.

"You are dismissed," Splinter said before he stopped Mikey and added, "But may I speak with you for a moment first, Michelangelo?"

Mikey nodded, starting to get worried that he might be in trouble again.

The older brothers left the dojo, eyeing their little brother as they could not help but admit that they were surprised and also proud of their baby brother advancing greatly with them. 

Once they leave, Mikey looks up at his father and sadly says, "I'm in trouble again, am I?"

"What makes you say that?" Splinter asked.

"Most of the time you tell me to stay for a moment, you normally lecture me or tell me I need to improve more...So, please be honest, I failed again, did I?" Mikey sadly replied.

Splinter warmly smiles at his young son and strokes the turtle's head before answering him: "You have not failed me, my son; in fact, you did the opposite. You surprised me today, and I want to tell you that I am very proud of you."

"You are? You really meant what you said back there?!" Mikey asked in bewilderment.

"Of course I did, you really have shone over these last two months, and I can tell that you are happier than before. So I just want to ask you, as your father, are you feeling alright with everything, Michelangelo?" Splinter replied.

Mikey smiled happily and nodded truthfully as he said, "Yes, Papa. My brothers and I have been spending more time together, and we work well as a team. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I truly belong with you guys, like I'm home with people I love."

Mikey looked at his father with tears of joy in his eyes before sniffling, "Sorry, I try to keep things from getting too sentimental lately. I'm afraid I might come across as too childish if I cry too much."

Splinter reassured Mikey, "There's no shame in showing your emotions. It shows us the strong and noble person you really are." He gently pulled Mikey into a warm hug.

"And yes, you're home, and all of us here love you. My little sunshine, seeing the amazing ninja and son you've become, just like your brothers, brings me more joy and pride than I ever thought possible. You and your brothers are a blessing to me, and I wouldn't trade you for anything."

Splinter looked at Michelangelo's nunchaku and said, "Michelangelo, let me explain why you were chosen for the nunchaku."

He took both nunchakus and handed them to Mikey. "The nunchaku is one of the hardest weapons to master in the world. But you, Michelangelo, possess the most raw talent of anyone. Your uniqueness inspires you to achieve the impossible, and your skills come naturally, almost like a miracle—something even I aspire to achieve."

He warmly pressed his forehead against his son's. "Your creativity knows no bounds, and your heart is as pure as the heavens. You are the wild card and the heart of our team and family. I am very proud to hand you the nunchaku because you are unique and strong in your own wonderful way."

"Y-You really mean that?" Mikey sniffed, feeling tearfully emotional from his father's speech.

"I do. I'm sorry I didn't say this to you before. Can you ever forgive this foolish rodent?" Splinter sincerely apologised.

"Of course, I forgive you, Sensei. You're my dad, and I love you," Mikey happily responded.

Splinter then fatherly kissed his son on the forehead and added: "Always remember that I love you and your brothers so very much, Musuko."

"I love you too, so very much, Otōsan," Mikey happily replied, hugging his father close.

After a while of loving embrace, the father lets his son go and said: "Now, if you don't mind, I wish to meditate alone."

"OK," Mikey nodded and left the dojo, but not before giving his father one last warm smile and then left.

Splinter smiles warmly at the front door of the dojo before kneeling beside his table and meditating peacefully, as he knows that the peace and contentment have returned to their hearts and souls for good.

When Mikey left the dojo, he saw Raphael and Leonardo waiting for him, to whom Leo asked: "Is everything OK, Mikey?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," The young turtle nodded. "Where's D?"

"Talking to April," Raphael replied

Donatello was talking with April about everything that they had been through, with certain feelings about each other.

"Look, Donnie, I'm really sorry that I played with your feelings, but I'm just not interested in dating anyone. It's nothing to do with you as a mutant turtle; you're very sweet at times, but--" April apologised.

"I was clingy and always invading your space and everything. I know, and I see that it was wrong of me to do so, and I apologise." Donnie also apologised for his behaviour.

"Someday the right person will find us, but I'm still happy being a single teenage girl, you know what I mean?" April patted Donnie on the back for comfort.

"I know," Donnie nodded.

"Are you OK?" April asked in deep concern.

"I'm a little sad, but I understand. We're still best friends, right?" Donnie asked.

"Always," April offered Donnie a sincere hug.

The two best friends cuddled one another as they felt a certain weight being lifted off their chests; it may not be what Donnie wanted, but if he was honest, he was actually happy that April was still his best friend that she could count on, and that's all that matters to Don.

"Thanks," Donnie thanked.

"Anytime," April winked.

"Is everything alright with you two?" Leo asked the duo.

"Yep, everything's cool." Donnie sincerely smiled, and he truly meant it.

"Well, I'm starving; anyone hungry for pizza?" Mikey asked his brothers.

"Yeah!!" The others loudly and gleefully voiced their agreement.

--------

Later at night, Mikey was given the green light to return to patrol with his brothers after so long, and the older brothers are gleeful to have their baby brother back again. 

Unfortunately, the night was interrupted again by the purple dragons, who had a score to settle with them after their last encounter, but this time the brothers were ready to work as a team.

They used their inner strength to counter the Purple Dragons, and things were going so well before Mikey saw one of the large thugs of the Purple Dragon lifting up a familiar van door and aimed it at the turtles.

As the van door was thrown, the trio realised too late that it was coming to them as Mikey had a sense of déjà vu again, with everyone expecting the young turtle to duck down again.

"Not this time!" Michelangelo angrily growled.

With quick thinking and reflexes, Michelangelo jumps high in the air at the upcoming van door, and with all of his strength, he manages to roundhouse kick the van door straight back at the Purple Dragons, knocking them down and knocking them out.

Mikey landed on his feet and snapped out, "This time I slam the door on you!"

The remaining conscious thugs fled the area as the turtles were victorious; the older brothers stared in awe of Mikey before they loudly cheered, gathering around the baby brother with excitement.

"Mikey, you did it!" Donatello happily cried.

"Y-Yeah! I did" Mikey couldn't believe what just happened himself.

"Bro! That was one of the most epic things I've ever seen you do!" Raphael gasped out.

"You really did so well tonight," Leo proudly said, petting his little brother on the head.

"Really?" Mikey happily asked.

"Of course you did, bro," Raph winked at him.

"It's great to have you here with us again, Mikey," Donnie gleefully cuddled his B-Team partner.

"It's great to be back with you guys, too," Michelangelo warmly smiled at his older brothers.

"I'm surprised you didn't even bother to do any pranks on the Purple Dragons," Donatello chuckled.

"Well, I did plan one, but I wasn't going to use it'' Michelangelo confessed as he pointed up to the awning above them.

"I see," Leo nodded. "What did you put up there?"

"Water balloon, just don't pull that rope," Mikey points to the rope.

Suddenly, three more Purple Dragons lunged to attack the gang as Leo noticed they were above the water balloon.

"Mikey, pull the rope! Pull it!" Leo ordered.

Mikey did as Leo said and pulled the rope, but instead of the big water balloon falling onto the Purple Dragons, the awning was suddenly tilted by the weight of the water balloon and fell straight onto the older brothers, saturating them with water.

"Oh man!" Donnie whined.

"What the shell?!" Leo cried out.

"Are you kidding me?!" Raphael angrily exclaimed.

Mikey flinched back at what just happened with the purple dragons laughing at the trio, who in return beat down the remaining three Purple Dragons.

As soon as the trio turns to face Mikey, he is gone before they notice he was frantically hopping up from each fire escape in the alleyways. Suddenly worried, they follow him before they catch up with him on top of the building and stop him.

"Mikey! Wait, where are you going?!" Leo asked in confusion.

Just as Leo turns Mikey around, the brothers see the guilt and sadness on Mikey's face, making them more concerned about their baby brother.

"Hey, what's wrong, buddy?" Raphael gently asked.

"I'm so sorry, bros," Mikey shamefully apologised.

"What do you mean you're sorry?" Donnie questioned.

"I messed up again," Mikey confessed.

"No, you didn't." Leo shook his head.

"Yes, I did!" Mikey cried, beginning to panic in front of his brothers: 

"I pulled the rope and instead of the water balloon hitting them, it hit you guys, and you got mad at me; after all that, I promised myself that I'd never make another mistake or upset you guys again, and I failed--!"

Leo wraps his arms around his baby brother and gently hushes him to calm down before he said: "It's alright, Otōto; we weren't mad at you, and you didn't mess up."

"I...I didn't?" Mikey whimpered. "But you guys sounded angry."

"Well, we were surprised and a tad bit annoyed, but that wasn't your fault, bro," Donnie assured him.

"He's right, Mikey; you just did as fearless here told you to do," Raphael added.

"So...I didn't screw up? You guys don't hate me?" Mikey asked with hopeful eyes.

"Mikey, even if you make a thousand mistakes, it will never change how we feel about you," Leo reassured.

"We love you, Mikey, and you'll always be our baby brother," Donnie winked at Mikey.

"And we're telling you right now, you are not and never will be a screw up! You are an awesome ninja and an awesome little brother," Raphael added, rubbing the young one's head.

"And you guys are the best big brothers I could ever ask for," Mikey chuckled.

The brothers smiled at one another before Leo led Mikey over to sit on one of the outside chairs on the roof and said:

"So, Mikey, we actually have a little surprise for you; remember when we sang your song when you were feeling depressed?"

"Yeah, and really, thank you; that was so awesome of you guys," Mikey thanked.

"Yeah, well, that was your song, Mikey, to us; Recently we found a song that's just for you," Donnie replied.

"What?" Mikey asked in confusion.

'Got the music ready, Donnie?" Leo asked Donnie.

"All set," Donnie winked, showing his T-Phone.

"Oh no, dudes; you don't have to do this for my sake." Mikey shook his head and was about to walk off when Raphael stopped him.

"Oh no, ya don't! We were 'tortured'  by your constant singing, and now it's your turn, buddy," Raphael playfully teased and sat Mikey back down.

Mikey chuckled before he just let his brothers do what they wanted to do. As soon as Donnie plays the music, the older brothers surround their baby brother and sing the song they found that best describes their brotherly love for their Otōto:

LEO:
When we were growing up

I said a lot of things that I didn't mean

I tried to make you tough

But instead, I left you crying and lonely

DONNIE:

With the heart that's beating

Inside of you

It's too good to be true

You're more beautiful than anything I've seen

LEO, DONNIE & RAPH:

Hey little brother

I was cruel and mean to you

But hey, little brother

I need to say I love you

LEO:

I just want you to know that

DONNIE:

Want you to know that

RAPH:

Want you to know that

LEO:
I just want you to know that

DONNIE:

Want you to know that

RAPH:

Want you to know that

Raphael sat down by Mikey's side and put an arm around the young turtle's shoulder.

RAPH:

When we were little

I did a lot of things

That I regret now

I was your hero

I always found a way to hurt you somehow

LEO:

But the man you've grown up

And you have become

DONNIE (LEO & RAPH):

Since you were young (I'm blown away)

You're more beautiful than anything I've seen

LEO, DONNIE & RAPH:

Hey little brother

I was cruel and mean to you

But hey little brother

I need to say I love you

LEO:

I just want you to know that

DONNIE:

Want you to know that

RAPH:

Want you to know that

LEO:
I just want you to know that

DONNIE:

Want you to know that

RAPH:

Want you to know that

Raphael soon helps Mikey to his feet and smiles lovingly at his baby brother with pride.

RAPH:

And the tables have turned now

DONNIE:

I'm wishing I could be like you

LEO:

Hey little brother

I just want you to know....

At that point, the three older brothers grouped hug Mikey and sang with all their hearts content:

LEO, DONNIE & RAPH:

I'm so proud

I'm so proud of you

So hey little brother

I was cruel and mean to you

But hey little brother

I need to say I love you

LEO:

I just want you to know that

DONNIE:

Want you to know that

RAPH:

Want you to know that

LEO:

I just want you to know that

DONNIE:
Want you to know that

RAPH:

Want you to know...

LEO, DONNIE & RAPH:
Kiddo

Mikey smiles with tears of happiness as he embraces his three older brothers back and sniffles:

"Aww, dudes, I love you too, so very much."

The brothers embraced each other, knowing that their love and friendship had been restored. They were determined to maintain this bond for the rest of their lives, no matter what challenges they might face. Whatever good or bad happens, they will always have each other.

In the end, they train together, they work together, they hang out together, and they live together, not just as a team but as a family, and most of all...

As brothers.

THE END