Leo's POV

It's so quiet without Raphael. And it has really started to bother me. I stare a the red numbers beaming out at me from the dark corner of the main room where the clock stands. It's only eight o'clock. On any normal day, we'd be in here together...the four of us would be here together. In all honesty, I think that Donnie and Mikey are coping by avoiding all the things we used to do together. We haven't trained in two days. They haven't had any motivation to, and I thought a break was in order. But tomorrow we begin training again. I expect nothing less. True, Raphael is gone, but I refuse to allow my brothers to fall into a complete state of decay as they did when I was gone. Then again, Raph had kept in shape, even gained some muscle during his days as Nightwatcher.

An entire week has passed. I was really hoping that we'd have heard from Raphael by now. But so far...nothing. Sensei insists that Raphael is fine, but it seems to me like something's bothering him. I've tried asking him, but he just insists that it is nothing. I must admit that the fact Raph hasn't sent any letters or anything yet is bothering me, but I didn't send any during my first few weeks in South America. I really hope that Raphael will be better at writing than I was. Then again...he hadn't sent me any letters while I was away...I just hope he realizes how hard it is for the three of us without him.

But Raphael and Sensei aren't the only ones being difficult when it comes to communicating. Donatello has barely spoken since Raph left. Mikey hangs around the purple-masked turtle constantly. Oddly enough, they've really pulled away from me. I didn't fully understand it until I really watched Mikey making breakfast this morning. As I watched my youngest sibling move lethargically around the kitchen, I realized that Mikey and Don had fallen back into the daily cycle of existence they had adapted while I was away. I was horrified by how easily they reverted to that hauntingly empty lifestyle. I can't let this go on. I can't stand seeing them hurt like this.

"Donnie!" I yelled, unable to bear staring at the clock any longer.

There was a long pause before my purple-masked sibling appeared at the door of the lab. He stared silently at me, his face creased by a deep frown. About thirty seconds passes as we gave each other a quick once-over. While I noted his bloodshot eyes and bowed shoulders, he was probably examining my unusual posture and pale skin. I'm fairly certain that he can see the worry in my eyes.

I shook those thoughts aside and frowned sternly at him. "Get Mikey and the two of you get your gear. We're going out."

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Raph's POV

I looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching my room. As Master Adachi burst into the room and rushed over to the bed I jumped up. Just in time too. He dropped about twenty books down on the bed, holding on to three smaller ones clutched in his right hand. "What's all this?"

"They are called books." He replied patronizingly. "A thick, leather or cardboard binding with loosely attached pages made of—"

"I know what books are. What the shell are they doin' in my room?" I asked, my temper flaring. I'd already had enough of his attitude in training this morning as he criticized everything I did. So excuse me if I'm not feeling particularly sociable!

"They are here to read and be written in. These are journals." He held out the three books in his right hand. "In this one," he pointed to the black one, "you will write all your physical progress from day to day. In this one," he pointed to the green one, "you will write all your emotions, in order to strengthen the spirit. And in this one you will write a comprehensive journal of whatever you feel like writing about."

I raised an eye-ridge suspiciously. "That doesn't sound too bad. What's the catch?"

Adachi smiled. Ha! I knew there was a catch! "The entirety of the first two journals must be written in Japanese. These other books are the necessary materials you will require. And I will collect and read your daily journals at the start of each training session. Good luck."

That was on my second day, almost a full week ago. Over the past week alone my Japanese has improved drastically. Which would make sense considering I'm now being forced to read, write, and speak it with a native speaker.

I still don't know what to think of this Master Adachi guy. He can be real creepy when he wants to be. One day I saw him literally levitating in the dojo. That was weird. And he keeps muttering things about some stone or something. I really don't know what to think of that. Not only that, but his training is really rough. Training begins at four in the morning and goes until eight. Then I'm expected to meditate for two hours. Then I have to write my journal entries for the following day. After that it's all independent training. Sometimes I train, sometimes I work on my Japanese. Most of the time I tend whatever injuries I received in training and then just try to rest up for the next day.

But, what can I say? I love a bit of mischief. So now, here I am. Being a rule breaker once again. Master Adachi told me that this room was off-limits and I really want to know why. So here I am, at the door, slowly pushing it open and...

Whoa. It's like some kind of shrine. Statues of faces line the circumference of the round room. Seven in total, but one lacked features. Then something off to the side started glowing and I turned towards it. It was a little, amber-colored stone. Probably about five centimetres tall and three wide and it was literally glowing. The stone seemed to be set in the head of a statue and the longer I stared at it the faster it dawned on me: Adachi, the statue of Master Adachi. Slowly I reached out and touched the stone with one finger. The next thing I knew, I was being thrown across the room and into the wall, where I slid into a deep state of unconsciousness.

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Six-thousand, seven-hundred and thirty-eight miles away, deep in the heart of New York City, an old rat's eyes widened and he fell to the floor. "Raphael!"

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Well, How was it?