Hey, readers! Here's just a short story that has some fluffy turtle tot moments but has a serious end. It also is based off of TMNT 2012. Tell me what you think in a review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (as if that wasn't obvious).

I Remember

Silence filled the dojo. Four turtles stood in a line, perfecting a kata. Concentration was printed on their faces. Sweat beaded slightly on their foreheads. Hanging in the air was a thick tension, the heavy atmosphere consuming the room.

That is, until the youngest Hamato slipped.

Mikey's feet swept out from under him, causing him to land hard on his shell. His flailing arm happened to trip Leonardo, who squeaked in shock.

"Mikey!" Leo whined in his young voice. "I almost had it perfect!"

The orange masked youth's rounded cheeks flushed. As he climbed to his feet, Donnie's large brown eyes stared blankly at him. He had a thirst to learn, even as a mere child. Michelangelo could sense he was absorbing every moment of the humiliating scene. Simply raising a mask-ridge, Raphael didn't seem too surprised at the event. After all, the youngest hadn't performed a kata correctly in a while. Master Splinter and Leonardo wore matching expressions of disappointment.

All eyes were on Mikey.

The tiny terrapin who, once again, made a mistake.

"I'm sorry, Leo," he whimpered, bottom lip sticking out. "I didn't mean to, I just… just…"

The Hamato family knew the ending to his sentence.

He just messed up. As always.

"Michelangelo, I expect more of you," the wise sensei scolded. "Your brothers are improving quickly, while you lag behind. If you are not willing to take ninjitsu seriously and work hard-"

"No! I'll work hard and be serious, I promise!" Mikey squealed. Master Splinter nodded in approval.

"Good," he said curtly. "Today's training is finished. You all are dismissed."

Without another word, Master Splinter strode into his room and closed the door behind him. Leo sent the guilty turtle a withering look. How was he ever to improve if his brothers, namely Mikey, got in his way? With a huff, Leonardo marched out of the dojo. Donatello followed, pausing on the way to rest a hand on his only younger brother's shoulder.

Desperately, Michelangelo searched Donnie's warm eyes, craving for some form of comfort.

Pity. All he saw was pity.

The purple banded terrapin walked out, leaving Mikey to dejectedly gaze after him.

'Why are my brothers always better than me?' he thought, as his mind gained a gloomy tint. He began to sink deep into his miserable thoughts, much deeper than any child should.

"Ya know, Leo's just angry that he messed up," a voice behind him commented, yanking him out of his miserable thoughts. "He's not actually mad at you. He'll get over it."

Michelangelo twisted around quickly, searching for the source of the voice. When he spotted the speaker, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Raph?" he said, not expecting that he, of all his family members, would try to console him.

"I'd even have to disagree with Sensei," Raphael continued on nonchalantly. "Up until you slipped, you were doing great. You're working hard to be a ninja, just like us."

Staring, Mikey was at a loss for words. Although he wanted someone to relieve his guilt, he would have never guessed his hotheaded brother would do it for him.

"Just because you mess up once in a while, it doesn't mean you're a failure," Raph offered in the softest voice Michelangelo had ever heard him use.

Tears burst from his baby blue eyes. His initial surprise had faded away and his emotions flooded him.

But, within seconds, Raphael's short arms were wrapped around him.

"Why are y-you being nice to me?" Mikey asked his older brother between sobs. Hurt flashed through the red-wearing child's eyes. He knew he didn't seem very caring. But, the fact that his freckled brother was stunned by his loving words wounded him. Was he really that cruel to his family?

"Because I love you, little brother," Raph admitted. "And none of my brothers are allowed to be sad on my watch."

A fresh set of tears leapt from Michelangelo's eyes. But, this time, they were tears of joy.

"Thank you, Raphie," Mikey whispered to the brother who embraced him. A tiny smile lightened Raphael's normally harsh features.

"Any time, Mike," the second eldest turtle said, releasing him. "I'm here whenever you need me."

The crying ceased to a stop. The blue eyed youngster's cheerful aura had returned.

"Well, I need someone to play with!" Mikey grinned. Raph playfully rolled his eyes.

"Race ya to the pit!" the short-tempered turtle yelled before darting away.

"No fair!" Michelangelo yelped and raced after his brother.

The sound of their laughter rang through the lair. As predicted, Leo didn't hold a grudge for long. By the end of the day, both Donnie and Leo joined their brothers in their antics. Balance was restored in their small home. The four boys became equal once more, a single unit, bonded by love.

They remained that way for a long while.

Together.

Sighing, Raphael shifts where he lies under his blanket. Oh, how he craves to have that connection with his brothers back. He desires to be able to reveal his affection for his family once again.

But, growing up has changed Raph's brothers.

Leo became distant. He is blinded by the fact that he has to be leader, has to be perfect. The elder turtle obsesses over their enemies and missions, forgetting to love and laugh.

Always in his lab, Donatello is lost in his own world. He drowns in his own mind, producing inventions and incredible works of science. The only emotion he ever displays is when April is over, grinning a gap-tooth smile and blushing at her words. Donnie refuses to come back to reality, where there is more to life than logic.

Michelangelo's transformation pains Raph most of all. He used to be so joyful, so content with his little family. Now, he won't pull his head out of the clouds. The youngest wants his dreams, as impossible as they seem, to be real. He wishes to be friends with humans, be a chef and so much more. When did his family become not good enough for him?

A long time ago, Mikey had accepted that if he ever needed anything, Raph would be there for him. He would shower him in unconditional love, fetch him the stars and the moon. Currently, Michelangelo's ambitions are so large that Raphael stands minuscule in comparison.

When did the Hamatos become a team, not a family?

Raphael remembers it all. The giggles they once shared. The nights they snuck out of their rooms just so they could play longer. The hugs they gifted each other. Every smile, every laugh, everything. And now, those moments have faded into the background.

Raph just wants his brothers back. Their childhood may be gone but his love for them still burns.

Before sliding his weary eyes close, he whispers to the darkness of the night. The inky black eagerly devours his words before silencing them for eternity.

"I remember."