Web of Lies

Changing

NOTES: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT TO THEIR ORIGINAL OWNERS

Chapter 5: Changing

After a rather surprising quiet training session, Mikey just left and began to head out to the sewers to resume training with Misaki when Leo called out to him: "And where do you think you're going?"

Mikey looked back, uninterested at Leo's question and sighed: "I'm just going treasure hunting in the sewers"

"Again?" Leonardo asked.

"Why not? I'm just bored" Michelangelo simply shrugged as he continued lying to them.

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

Mikey didn't even respond as he just left the lair much to the eldest brother's concerns before Raph just crossed his arms at the fearless leader.

"Still think we're over-reacting?" Raph sarcastically grumbled at Leo.

"OK, OK! Maybe something is wrong with Mikey but we don't know what," Leo groaned while watching his baby brother in concern.

"Should we follow him?" Donnie asked.

Suddenly they noticed someone entering the lair as it was none other than their best friend, April O'Neil.

"Hey you guys" April greeted.

"Um, hi April" Donnie nervously chuckled at his crush while waving at her which made Leo and Raph rolled their eyes at the lovesick turtle.

April notices Mikey was absent as she asks the trio: "Where's Mikey?"

"Gone treasure hunting in the sewers again" Raph answered.

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

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

"Of course" April puts the letter back in her bag then notices the trio looking uneasy as she asks: "What's with the long faces?"

"It's Mikey," said Donatello.

"What's wrong with him?" April asked, looking concerned for her friend.

"Nothing, that's the problem" Raphael answered with an exaggerating shrug.

April stares on with a raised eyebrow before Leo explains:

"It's just he doesn't seem to be himself lately and we don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing"

"How is Mikey not himself?" April quizzed.

"He wakes up early in the morning, he's lately been quiet; and while he's improved on training, there's just something about the way Mikey behaves that doesn't seem right" Donatello replied.

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

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

"Why?" April quizzed, not really understanding what the concern is about.

"Because it's not how Mikey is! Mikey's always been a late sleeper, a talkative person in the morning, and he never asks Splinter to meditate with him, he hates meditation" Raphael angrily complained.

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

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