"Tōsan! Saki! Look! A turtle!" Yoshi ran up to where his father and brother were training. He was dripping with water from the creek. It was a pleasant spring day, and the sakura were budding in clusters along the branches of the cherry trees.

"And this is why you are late for training, my son?" Yoshi's father said, a stern look on his face. "Because you were playing with turtles?"

Yoshi felt his face get hot. His father ceased to be Tōsan the minute that training began. "I – I forgot about training, Sensei."

"You forgot, did you? And you think that this is a sufficient excuse?"

"No, Sensei."

"Go throw it back and then return immediately."

"But I chased him for over an hour. Can't I keep him?"

"No," his father said gruffly. "There is no excuse for shunning your training. You will return that turtle to where you found it, and you will train an additional two hours today."

"Hai, Sensei."

Yoshi walked back to the creek and set the little creature free. "Don't worry. I'll come back for you someday when my father isn't mad at me."

He went back later that week, but the turtle was nowhere to be found.

Splinter never did get to have a turtle. In fact, he had stopped finding them fascinating less than a year later. Shen on the other hand, had turtles when she was little, and she had wanted to get one for Miwa when she was old enough.

He never had a turtle – not until the day he bought four of them and his whole world turned upside down. That had been nearly six years ago. Now, he couldn't imagine how miserable his life would be without them.

It was about time for their training for the day to begin. Predictably, Leonardo was the first one to arrive. Shortly, he was joined by Donatello and Michelangelo.

"Where is your brother?" Splinter asked.

"I don't know, Sensei," Leonardo said. "Raph's been gone all morning. I think he's playing."

Splinter groaned. He had made the mistake of giving them a certain amount of freedom. There were specific parts of the sewers he allowed them to play in, since he knew that they were safe.

"Oooh, Raph's gonna be in trouble!" Michelangelo said, rubbing his hands eagerly.

Splinter shot Michelangelo a stern look. "One should always worry about their own discipline before considering that of another. We will begin training now."

They were nearly thirty minutes into their training session. Splinter devoted half his attention to teaching, the other half to devise an appropriate punishment for Raphael.

"Sensei! You guys!" Raphael's voice echoed through the lair from the turnstiles. Moments later, he burst into the dojo. "Look! A turtle!" Dripping wet, he was holding a small baby turtle in his hands.

"You're in big trouble, Raph," Leo said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Leonardo!" Splinter said.

Leo cringed. "Sorry, Sensei."

"Please come here, Raphael."

Raphael, still visibly trembling with excitement, ran over with the turtle. "Lookit! He's so tiny!"

Splinter crouched down so that he was at eye-level with his son. "He is tiny. As tiny as you were when I first saw you."

Raphael's eyes shone. "Do you think that he could be our baby brother?"

Splinter tried to hold back a smile. "I think he will simply be a regular turtle. Not a special turtle, like you."

"Oh." Raphael's shoulders drooped for a minute. Then he perked up again. "I chased him for over an hour! Can I please keep him, Sensei?"

Splinter paused. He needed to discipline Raphael for shunning training. But the expectant expression on Raphael's face was all too familiar to Splinter.

"Do you think you deserve to, when you have missed training?"

Raphael's whole face changed. "I – I'm sorry! I forgot all about it!"

"Do you think that is a sufficient excuse?"

"No, Sensei." He sighed. "I guess I don't deserve to keep him."

"As long as you understand that," Splinter said, with a shrug. "There is a bowl in the kitchen that should be deep enough for him to live in for now. But you will be wholly responsible for him."

Raphael looked like he was about to detonate with excitement. "Really?"

"Really?" the other three cried in protest.

"Yes. But…" Splinter paused for dramatic effect.

Dread crept across Raphael's face.

"But, you will do extra training today, and you are grounded for two weeks. Now go put your turtle in the kitchen and then come back here immediately."

Raphael ran to the kitchen. His voice drifted faintly into the dojo. "I'm going to call you Spike."

"Sensei, that's totally unfair!" Leonardo cried. "Raph shouldn't get to keep that turtle! He broke the rules!"

"Sometimes, my son," Splinter said, "there are things more important than the rules."