On the way to April's family home and settling in, Don12 had a proper look at Leo12's injuries he got from facing against a Foot ambush AND Shredder all on his own. It turns out that Leo12 sustains not just a cracked shell, which will heal over time, but also multiple broken ribs, a twisted ankle, and small cuts with shards of glass from the window crash still inside some of them. But what's most worrisome is the slightly visible claw marks located across Leo12's plastron, no doubt caused by one strike of Shredder's gauntlet.

Don12 sighs once he finished cleaning up the wounds as best as he can around Leo12's middle section and the crack on the shell for the third time on their trip due to it being badly bruised from the bumpy country road the Party Wagon's currently on. He slowly dabs the wet cloth with rubbing alcohol on the crack shell, causing Leo12 to let out a small groan in pain.

"S-Sorry Leo," Don12 apologized and this time does his work more gently to not make Leo12 face more pain than he already has.

Raph12 sees this and sighs, feeling completely useless since he's too busy with Casey running for their lives from the Kraang invasion to know about Leo12 being out there alone a little too late.

After a moment of silence, Mike12 said, "Are we almost there? I don't think Leo could hang on for much longer."

"Yeah, there it is," said April, pointing at the small farmhouse in the distance.

The place looks like a simple two-story house with a barn located near the back. The place looks a bit old due to the paintjob looking very pale and almost torn apart.

"You spent your summer there?" asked Casey, "What do you guys do, make horror movies or something?"

April groans slightly and punches Casey's shoulder playfully, "I told you, my family used to go here every summer until a few years ago when the Kraang first kidnapped me."

April the turn to look at the Turtles and said, "There should be a nice bedroom for Leo to rest in until he wakes up."

"That's too risky," protest Don12, "His shell is cracked badly, and placing him on a bed would make it worse. Do you have like some sort of pool he could easily lie down in? The water can not only soothe him from the injuries and keep him hydrated, but it also doesn't put too much pressure on his shell."

"Well, there is a bathtub in the bathroom," stated April "Is that good enough?"

"That's perfect," Don12 then turn his attention back to Leo12 with guilt written on his face.

"How is Leo anyway?" Mike12 asked.

Don12 sighs and decided to get this over with and said, "Out of all of his injuries, the most serious ones are the crack on his shell and his right leg, which I found out has a big piece of glass in it, which I managed to remove earlier. Other than that, he's fine, except…"

"Except what?" asked Raph12, looking at Don12.

"Leo's in a coma,"Don12 said, earning surprise gasp from everyone.

"What?" gasps Raph12, "H-How?"

"His body must have exposed to something freezing cold since his Turtle instincts kick in, making him go into hibernation, which is dangerous with the injuries he have right now," Don12 stated, before looking down in guilt, "I shouldn't have argued with Leo at the first place; none of this would have happened."

April notice this guilt and said, "It's not your fault this happened to us."

Don12 looks back at his battered eldest brother lying motionless in front of him, a few stray tears forming in his eyes and mumbled, "Not my fault? How can it not be when everything I ended up doing causes more harm than good?"

Flashes of memories of what happened to Timothy, April's dad, Metalhead, heck even with the Turtle Mech! If only he hasn't been so confident that the Turtle Mech would stop the invasion and go with Leo12's plan, none of this would have happened!

Don12 finally couldn't take it anymore and breaks down right on top of Leo12's body, repeatedly saying how sorry he was over and over again.

Mike12 sees this with a sad look on his face on how broken Don12 is now; making him wonder if it really was Leo12 he almost lost back at New York. Sighing, Mike12 looks outside of the van to see them parked near the entrance to the house.

Just as they're ready to move Leo12 into the house, Raph12 suddenly yanks Leo12's mask off.

"Raph, what are you doing?" wondered Don12.

"I'm going to burn this after we settle Leo in," growls Raph12.

"Dude, that's the only mask Leo has right now," pointed out Mike12, "We always feel a little bit exposed and vulnerable without our mask on."

"Yeah, but this one is a reminder of what Shredder had done to him," said Raph12, "I mean, the first time we face the Shredder and got badly hurt, I saw Leo burn the mask he wore during that time and construct a new one to replace it. I mean, you remember what I told you about what Leo said to sensei that his fear is failing us? Well, this mask will make him think he DID fail us, and I'm not letting that happen."

No one protest at what Rph12 reveals and decided to let him do it. After Raph12 tucks the mask away securely, he helps move Leo12 into the house, right into the bathroom where a bathtub is located like April said. While April's filling the tub with water, Raph12, Don12 and Mike12 removes Leo12's other gears and put him in the tub, after April checks to make sure it's at the right temperature first.

After burning Leo12's mask like he said he would, Raph12 went back to the bathroom and sits on a stool to watch after Leo12 until the older Turtle wakes up. He spent the whole day looking after Leo12 that he didn't even realize he fell asleep on the stool he's sitting on.

Later that evening, Raph12 wakes up to a very cheerful Mike12 knocking on the bathroom door, asking him to wake up and have dinner in the kitchen with everyone else.

"What's gotten you so happy?" Raph12 asked, clearly annoyed with Mike12's behavior.

"Dude, don't tell me you've forgotten?" said Mike12, "It's our Mutation Day tomorrow and we're turning 17!"

Raph12 groans and said, "Mikey, our home is destroyed, New York's being taken over by the Kraang with Shredder along the ride, Sensei's probably dead, Leo's badly wounded and still unconscious, and all you could think about is that we're turning 17 tomorrow?!" Raph12 turns to face the door and shouted, "Now's not the time to be thinking about something like this!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" snaps Mike12 after a moment of silence, "Do you think I don't know how bad our situation is right now?! Believe me; I'm trying my best to not even let it go over my head like how sensei had done back in Japan where he lost Tang Shen and his daughter to the Shredder! You're not the only one taking what's happening to us hard you know?!"

Raph12 opens the door and looks at Mike12 in complete shock, noticing the dry tear marks on Mike12's cheeks and how red and puffy his baby brother's eyes look, indicating he's been crying a lot recently.

"You know what, just forget it," Mike12 sighs before leaving Raph12 and headed back to the kitchen.

Raph12 watch Mike12's retreating form and that's when it hits him that Mike12's only distracting himself from the pain they're facing right now by hiding it behind his smiles like he always does. Raph12 groans in anger at himself for lashing out at his baby brother, when he's already broken enough before!

"Agh, I'm such an idiot!" Raph12 mumble, burying his face against his arms as he silently let the tears he's been holding since leaving New York loose.

But what Rap12 didn't know is that Mike12 listen to his older brother crying in the bathroom. Finally couldn't take it anymore, Mike12 starts running to the kitchen with tears running down his cheeks before he accidentally trip on his own two feet, right in front of the dining table where April, Casey and Don12 were eating.

"Mikey, what's wrong?" asked Don12, kneeling down to help Mike12 up.

Mike12 didn't say anything and only hug Don12 and cries on his shoulder. Don12 is in complete lost on what's going on until he hears Mike12 said, "Our family's being tearing apart Donnie. I-I don't know what to do to help cheer everyone up anymore."

Don12 just stay there in silence, slowly rubbing his baby brother's shell and let Mike12 continue to try on his shoulder, knowing that's the only benefit thing he could do now towards any of his brothers.

/ (In one of the other four Dimensions,)

That respective Turtle group is watching what's going on with the 2012 square Turtles every day since the invasion with concern and pity, wishing so desperately to be there and give comfort towards their counterpart.

"Man, if even Mikey couldn't be cheerful for a special day despite what happened to them, then this is serious," said Mike?.

"You would know seeing as you're always so cheerful despite all of the hardship we've faced in the past," said Raph?.

"I think we should make an unexpected visit like we've done in the past once," suggested Don?.

Back after the experience with the mutant fungus where they face their greatest fears, all four square Turtles are having a hard time to sleep at night, so this group decided to go and comfort them when they're asleep so they'll not only help the square guys overcome their nightmare, but also keep their identity from them a secret.

"Let's go and see them early in the morning since it's their Mutation Day," suggested Leo?, "We'll not only be able to help them, but also we can spent their Mutation Day together like we were supposed to last year."

"I bet you can't wait to be with your Ototo again after so long huh?" Raph? asked, nudging Leo?'s shoulder slightly.

Leo? let out a small laugh and said, "Yeah, I don't want to miss another anniversary of the day we first met again."

/ (Early the next day in the 2012 dimension,)

A portal opens up outside of the farmhouse with the other Turtle group walking out of it. Don? looks at the device he's holding to close the portal behind them.

"Alright guys, we'll do what we have to do with our respective counterpart, meet back here at this spot and get back to our own dimension by sunrise like we've done last time," instructed Leo?.

"We got it Leo," said Don?, "but remind me again why you want to separate our presents for them in three different boxes?"

"Because the first one, which they'll open when they wake up, might help cheer them up a little on this special day of theirs," said Mike?, referring to the white box he's holding, "I would know since Leo told me to prepare it specially for their Mutation Day."

"Knowing my Ototo, he's going to fall down in depression as soon as he wakes up from his coma for believing he's a failure," said Leo?, looking at the present wrapped in blue in his hands, "This gift I'm holding is something that I want him to open when he manage to pick himself up again."

"And the last one?" asked Raph?, referring to the last box that's in green wrapping paper he's holding.

"That's when all four of them are ready to take things to the next level in their quest to save New York," replied Leo?, "Now come one, we'd better move if we want to spend more time with our 'little' brothers."

Nobody protest and all four of them immediately move to find their respective counterpart; though Leo? and Raph? sticks together since they know Raph12 is still watching over Leo12 in the bathroom.

/ (Near the barn,)

Don? slowly open the door, but not without making the door let out a small creak. Don? froze in place, making sure he didn't accidentally get the attention of anyone that might hear him. Once he's sure he's completely safe, Don? sighs in relief and enters the barn to be greeted by a sleeping Don12. Don12 is on the table near some equipment he manages to gather to build a makeshift lab there, with his head on some sort of notebook.

Chuckling softly, Don? slowly walks up to his sleeping counterpart and remove the notebook before Don12 might accidentally drool on it. Once the book is removed, Don? finds a blanket nearby and drapes Don12 with it since inside the barn's getting a little chilly at night. When the blanket's place on Don12, the square Turtle only sighs and subconsciously wraps up in the blanket.

Don? was about to close the notebook when what's written inside got his attention. It turns out that its notes on creating a mutagenic medicine for Leo12, though there are some calculations that are a bit off.

'He must be working himself too hard again,' sighs Don?, looking back at Don12, 'Well, I'm sure he doesn't mind if I correct it for him.'

Don? grabs the pencil on the table and starts working on fixing the mistakes on the formula, until he suddenly felt Don12 slowly move closer to him, making him stop to look. Don12 snuggles close to Don?, a smile form on his face when his head is right above where Don?'s heart is. Don? only smile in return and get back to work, giving Don12 a small rub on his shell every once in a while.

/ (At the house,)

Leo? opens the door to let himself, Raph?, and Mike? in the house, only to be greeted by the sound of the TV coming from the living room.

"Who could that be this early in the morning?" whispers Mike? with Leo? slowly walk up to the living room.

Upon seeing who's at the TV, Leo? smiles and whisper back, "Why don't you guys come see for yourself."

Raph? and Mike? walks up behind Leo? to see that the TV is on, but with a sleeping Mike12 on the sofa, holding a pillow to his chest.

"Well, this is your stop Mikey," whispers Raph?, "We'll leave you here while Leo and I head towards the bathroom where the other two are."

Mike? bit his two brothers' farewell and promises to meet back where the portal back to their dimension will open later. He then turns and walk up to sit next to the sleeping form of Mike12, after placing the white box he's holding into the fridge first. Mike? sees what the younger Turtle was watching and giggles when he notice it's a Fantasy base show that looks like it was created at the same timeline as Space Heroes and Super Robo Mecha Force Five.

Midway watching the episode that's on, Mike? felt something nudging at his side, catching his attention. Mike? turns and smiles upon seeing Mike12 snuggling next to him.

'Now I know how my brothers feel when they're in this position I'm in,' thought Mike?, rubbing Mike12's head gently, 'the feeling of holding your little brother protectively in your arms.'

Mike? then give Mike12 a side hug, making said Turtle snuggle closer, a genuine smile imprinted on his face. Mike? close his eyes, enjoying this moment he wish could last forever.

/ (In the bathroom,)

Raph12 rubs his eyes furiously, trying to get rid of the sleep forming in them. When that doesn't work, Raph12 splash some water on his face, not realizing he took the water in the tub Leo12's in until his vision is clear enough to see what he's done.

"Yikes, sorry Leo," Raph12 turns the tab back on, making sure it's at the right temperature seeing as the water turns a bit cold.

Once he's done, Raph12 sits back on the stool he was sitting on, not realizing two pair of eyes watching him from the door.

"We can't go in there with him still awake," whispers Leo?, "he'll see us."

After a moment of thought, Raph? whispers, "I've got an idea."

Without waiting for a response, Raph? slowly walks up to Raph12 and hits a few places on his counterpart, knocking Raph12 unconscious.

"Raph," gasps Leo?.

"What? You think you and sensei are the only ones that know how to knock someone out by hitting pressure points?" asked Raph?.

Leo? just smile and watch as Raph? carefully carry Raph12 off of the stool onto the floor so that Raph12's shell is leaning against the bath tub.

"This way he can get some rest and still be near his brother if he wakes up," stated Raph?.

"I think you mean 'when' he wakes up," corrected Leo?, looking directly at Leo12, "I know he will, but he's going to be very broken when he does…"

Raph? sees this and place a hand on Leo?'s shoulder in comfort, saying, "He'll pull through Leo. I mean, that's the reason why you leave the present you have for him until he does."

"Yeah, you made a good point Raph," said Leo?, giving his brother a thankful smile.

"Now come on, we'd better place these gifts where they can easily find and open when the time is right," said Raph?, earning a nod from Leo?.

After placing the blue and green present in the room where they find Leo12's gear, both of them headed back to where their counterparts are, but not before Raph? snags a blanket from the room they were in. Once they arrive, Raph? drapes the blanket over Raph12.

"I know you may feel guilty for not being able to prevent what happened to Leo back in New York Raph," Raph? whispers to Raph12, tucking the smaller Turtle securely in the blanket, "But keeping a constant visual on him until you lost some sleep isn't going to help make things better. You still need to rest if you want to give a proper pay back when you face the Kraang and Shredder again."

Leo? watch as Raph? gives Raph12 a side-hug while rubbing his counterpart's shoulder in comfort before heading to the other side of the tub and kneel before Leo12.

"Hey Ototo, it's me, Aniki" Leo? whispers softly at Leo12, "I saw what happened to you back in New York, and all I can say is that I'm really worried about you. I'm not sure if you could hear me, but I hope you realize that you've fought bravely and hard against the Foot, but you were in an ambush and Shredder attacks you when you're already almost out of energy."

Leo? sighs and continues, "Look, I understand if you can't forgive yourself for getting hurt like this, even if you think you'll never be the same again. But you have to remember that you're not alone in this. Your brothers need you just as much as you need them, you just need to realize it yourself." Leo? gently rubs Leo12's cheek and concluded, "I know you can do it. You're stronger than you think, little one."

Leo? slowly close his eyes and starts singing a Japanese lullaby his sensei used to sing to him and his brothers back when they're younger, which is also the same one that helps Leo12 to discover that his Aniki he met in the spirit realm is actually Leo?.

"Leo," Raph? calls out, getting Leo?'s attention after a moment of silence once the song ends, "we have to get going, it's almost sunrise."

Looking outside the window, Leo? can see a small orange line in the horizon, indicating the sun's coming up. Giving Leo12 a small kiss on the forehead, Leo? leaves the room with Raph? and meet up with Mike?, who already got the door open for the three of them to leave the house. Once they're outside, they quickly rush up to meet Don? at where they arrive at that dimension and let their brainiac brother re-open the portal back home. All four of them take one final look at the farmhouse and barn before entering the portal, which closes behind them and shows no trace of it being there at the first place.

/ (A few hours later,)

Raph12 wakes up to the sun rays hitting directly at his face. Groaning, Raph12 place a hand above his eyes before sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Once his vision is cleared enough for him to realize where he is, Raph12 gasp and got up to his feet, knocking the blanket off of him. Raph12 looks down at the blanket in confusion, wondering how it got there at the first place.

Picking the blanket up, Raph12 suddenly hears someone calling up to him. Deciding that he could leave Leo12 for a short while, Raph12 heads out of the bathroom towards the kitchen where the two humans in the house are already located.

"What is it April?" Don12 asked, walking in the kitchen with a half-awake Mike12 right behind him.

"I woke up and was about to prepare breakfast when I found this in the fridge," April said, taking out a white box for everyone to see.

"Whoa, where did that came from red?" asked Casey.

"I'm not sure," admitted April, "I mean, this box wasn't in there the last time I checked inside the fridge last night."

"Hey there's something attach to the box," Don12 pointed out, referring to the folded piece of paper on the box.

Yanking it off, Raph12 starts unfolding the paper and starts reading through it. But when he finished, all Raph12 said is, "Open the box, it's for all of us."

Feeling a little unsure, April decides to do what Raph12 said and opens. Everyone in the room gasp once they see what's inside of it.

What's inside a box is a cake decorated in green icing with gummy worms all over it, and icing that's spelled 'HAPPY 17TH MUTATION DAY' in red icing. But what's even more shocking is the figurine on the cake that looks like the four brothers sitting in a line from eldest to youngest, with Casey in between Leo12 and Raph12, and April in between Don12 and Mike12, all with a smile on their face.

"Dude, I love the detail done on the figurine," said Mike12, looking at it in awe.

"Whoever that had done it must have put a lot of hard work in getting it just right, because this is a masterpiece," stated Don12.

"What does that piece of paper say anyway Raph?" Casey asked, turning everyone's attention towards the said Turtle.

"Well, basically it says that the person responsible for making this cake wants us to be happy and grateful that despite what happened to us, we're all still together," said Raph12, looking back at the cake, "And also this is something sensei wanted us to continue doing every year no matter what."

Everyone then look back at the cake, the last sentence Raph12 said still echoing in their minds. After a while, Mike12 suddenly spoke up and said, "So, when can we have some cake?"

That brought a smile on everyone's face since they now know Mike12's back to his cheerful self again. April said she's going to get the knife to cut the cake while Casey gets the plates. After making sure it's only him and his remaining brothers, Raph12 pulls Don12 and Mike12 to the living room and said, "That's not all that's written on the paper."

"What else is on it?" asked Don12.

"Yeah, and why you don't want April and Casey to know what's on it?" asked Mike12.

"Because that cake is a mutation day present from some of the people that gave us that scrapbook last year," explains Raph12, making Don12 and Mike12 gasp in shock.

"Wait, so that's where the cake came from?" asked Mike12, earning a nod from Raph12.

"The rest of the paper is a message for the three of us since they said the one for Leo is with another gift he'll open when he's ready," said Raph12.

"What does it say?" asked Don12.

"The message for me is that I have to be strong for you guys and that I shouldn't spent all of my time here just watching over Leo since I still have two more brothers that are hurting just as much as I am," Raph12 stated, before turning to look at Don12.

"The one for you is that you shouldn't give up hope and that the whole incident back in New York is not your fault but the Kraang and Shredder's," Raph12 said, making Don12 look down slightly, "They say you should just learn to accept it and move on as long as you still have your family with you."

"And for Mikey," started Raph12, facing Mike12, "they want you to have some faith that everything's going to be alright like you always do, and that you shouldn't stop being the goofball you are since you look a lot better with a smile instead of a frown on your face."

Both Don12 and Mike12 try to process the information they just heard before they look up with a smile on their face.

"You know what, they're right," said Don12, "if I keep moping like this, I might never be able to create the special mutagenic medicine for Leo if he wakes up."

"More like 'when' Leo wakes up," corrected Mike12, "Leo's strong, he won't go down without a fight, not like this at least."

"Yeah, when," agreed Raph12, before an idea comes into his mind, "You know what, why don't' we have a little sparring session outside? I don't' know about you guys, but I want to start training so I can give Shredder a piece of my mind for what he'd done to Leo and Master Splinter."

"I'm in!" shouted Mike12, raising his hand up high.

"I guess I could put making the medicine on hold for a while," said Don12.

"Good, we'll start after I make sure Leo's comfortable in the tub," stated Raph12, until a grumbling sound could be heard.

Don12 looks down at his stomach and holds it in embarrassment before saying, "I think we should have breakfast first."

"Dude that sounds a lot louder than MY stomach when it's hungry, "said Mike12," and that's saying something!"

"Hey, I haven't been eating much for the past few days alright," protested Don12, but both of his brothers are already laughing at him, until both of THEIR stomachs start growling, making Don12 laugh back at them.

"Come on, let's get something to eat first," said Raph12, "I think April got the knife ready for us to cut the cake."

The other two agrees and all three of them headed back to the kitchen to get something to fuel them up for the day.

/ (In another Turtle dimension,)

All four Turtles are watching the exchange between the three brothers with a smile on their face, knowing that their plan to cheer them up on the square Turtles special day is a success. Now all that's left is to wait for when Leo12 wakes up, and for the other two presents to be unwrapped.

(^_^)(-_-)

HAPPY MUTATION DAY EVERYONE! I know the ending's rushed, but I'm running out of time to finish and submit this today. Anyway, I want to tell you guys which Turtle group that help the '12 version in this chapter, but that would give away spoilers for my story.

Anyway, the next chapter will be submitted after I watch 'Within The Woods' when it comes out this week.

Until then, see ya!