A/N: By popular demand (which I still cannot believe, by the way), I'm posting another chapter. I'd intended this to be only one or two, but I don't want to leave you guys hanging. Especially not with a response like this. (So thank you again!)

Sing

A few days later...

My breath comes short and fast. Every muscle screams for relief. My eyes sting with the sweat dripping off my forehead. But I keep going, keep pushing. More. Faster. Better.

I've been in the dojo for hours already. It's nearly midnight now, and everyone has long since gone to bed (or at least to their own bedrooms). Finally, I finish my last kata and sheathe my weapons.

And then I drop to the floor, panting and exhausted. The tatami mats suddenly feel more inviting and comfortable than they ever have before. Nobody would know if I just took a little nap...

The screaming is what wakes me.

My eyelids fly open and I'm running down the hall before I'm even fully awake. I burst into Mikey's bedroom, massive amounts of adrenaline surging in my veins.

He's tossing and turning, tangled up in sweat-drenched sheets. His screams are louder now - anguished. Whatever he's dreaming about isn't good. I'm next to his bed in two seconds, putting my arms around him and pulling him close. He thrashes against me to try and break my hold but I'm stronger.

"Mikey! Mikey, it's okay! You're safe! I got you, little brother. I got you. It's okay."

Slowly, so slowly, he stills and his breathing evens out. My shoulders slump a little in relief. The adrenaline is starting to wear off and it's leaving me completely drained. I scoot down in the bed, making sure that Mikey is still close. A melody fills the air, soothing and familiar - one that Sensei used to hum when we were children. Except somehow it has words this time.

I don't even realize what I've done until a startled pair of baby-blue eyes is locked onto my face. "Leo...you can sing?" he whispers.

It takes a moment before his words register. Then panic floods through me and my brain desperately searches through the memory of the past few minutes. That can't be right. Nobody knows I sing. I was careful to keep it that way. And yet...

That melody came from somewhere. And I'm beginning to realize that that somewhere was my own vocal cords. "Mikey, I-"

He sits up, then, wide-awake. And grinning. "You never told us you could sing!"

"Shh!" I hiss, reaching out to cover his mouth with my hand. "Keep it down, would you? It's after midnight now."

"Buff oo ahn eeng."

My shoulders sag and I release him, dropping my gaze to the floor. "...yes."

Mikey's smile fades as he realizes something. "You're not happy about it. Are you?" His tone is softer now. Warmer. But confused all the same.

"I'm fine with being able to sing, Mike. It's just...I'm not fine with you knowing."

"Why not?"

"Because now that you know, Donnie and Raph are gonna find out. And then Sensei will find out, and he'll make me stop because it's not an ability I should focus on as leader. And I-I don't want to stop."

"But dude...you've got an awesome talent. You should share that with other-"

"No. Not gonna happen. I'm sorry." It shouldn't have even happened in the first place. I'm so stupid.

He falls silent. But that silence is more than enough of a response. I can feel how hurt he is by my statement. A sigh escapes my lips. "Mikey...when I'm singing? That's the only time I ever feel free. The only time I'm not the leader. The time when I can actually be myself."

"...it's an amazing gift, Leo. It really is. Think about how it could help people."

"Help- Mike, we're ninja. We stick to the shadows, only coming out when necessary, and then we disappear again. Singing has no place in a world like ours."

"Look. You're scared. I get it-"

"I'm not scared!"

"Yes, you are," Mikey snaps, pinning the full weight of his icy blue eyes on me. "You're terrified. You're scared to lose the one thing that makes you a normal person. You're scared to go outside of your comfort zone. And I can understand that. I mean, shell. You think that I really wanted you guys to find out that I could cook? No. But it turns out that I'm not terrible at cooking, and even though it might suck sometimes because you guys can't cook worth a crap and I have to make all the food around here, it's not a bad thing that you know. It's helped us survive this long."

"Yeah, but singing is different, Mikey. How the shell will singing help us survive?"

"It calmed me down, didn't it?"

"Calming you down after a nightmare is not helping us survive."

"You don't know that. My screaming might have drawn the attention of Foot Ninja or Kraang, and then they would've found the Lair and wiped us out. But because you sang to me, I calmed down enough to stop screaming. That means the Lair is safe and so are we."

His theory isn't completely implausible. Which means that I can't argue with him. His expression softens some and he places a gentle hand on my cheek.

"It's okay to be scared," he whispers. "But you can't let that fear control you. It's just like Sensei told us that one time. 'A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not why ships were built.'"

A shaky breath escapes my lips and I pause for just a moment before closing my eyes. A lone tear slips down my cheek and he wipes it away with his thumb.

"...if you want, I won't tell the others. It'll stay just between you and me."

A weight lifts off my chest and I nod almost imperceptibly. "Thank you," I murmur, pulling away. "Now, are you okay? Do you want me to stay in here with you?"

Mikey offers a sheepish grin, shrugging. "Nah. I'm a big kid, Leo. But...ah...could you maybe leave the door open?"

"Of course I can."

Right before I leave his room, however, he calls me back. "Hey, Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you maybe...could you sing me to sleep?"

My heart skips a beat and my cheeks flush. He wants to hear me sing again. "Sure."

I walk back over to his bed and sit down on the edge of it, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

And I sing.

A/N: And that's it, guys. That's as far as I'm going to take this particular book...unless, of course, more is requested. ;)

Thank you once again for all of the awesome support. I really wouldn't be here without you guys - I probably would've given up on writing so long ago.

Until next time...

-KB