Disclaimer! ~ Nope, I don't own 'em. This is just for fun.

Author's Note: I had some narration mistakes that I had not caught before I posted. I think they're all fixed now. No change in the story! Thanks!

Evil Genius

My brother is an evil genius, although I have never given him such credit before. In practice, he'd always been too passive, easily giving in to the older two and even when facing me, he'd only managed a draw or two. He was an easy opponent, always had been. I foolishly assumed he just had no heart for fighting, kind of like myself.

But I have been deceived.

He lazily turns to face me and my grip tightens on my weapon. His normal smile has been replace by a fierce grin. His confidence is escalating by the second, mirroring my own unease as we face off. How long had been planning this? How long has he waited to overthrow the balance of our family? I grit my teeth, dropping my stance to defend myself and throw a look to the side.

Leo is struggling to rise from where he's recently been discarded. Raph has finally managed to gain his feet, but he's just standing there, staring at us through his wide gold eyes. His hand gently cups his side, where a kick had sent him sprawling.

A kick he'd never expected.

Movement ahead as my evil brother charges me. He leaps and strikes as he descends. I block his first and second attacks, spinning on my heel to avoid the third. He is undeterred, coming at me again and again. He's stronger now, we all are. As we're entering our teenage years, gangly legs and arms are becoming padded by hard muscle and, in Raph's case, powerful bulk.

But I hadn't noticed the changes in this brother. He's been holding back, allowing us to think we've surpassed him. This plan must have been in place for months! The fiend.

Another hit vibrates through the weapon in my hands, sending tingling jolts shooting up my arms. I stagger backward, barely keeping my feet as he presses forward. Wood cracks against wood, two shocked brothers gape at us, and then he lunges forward, tossing his weapons aside. His hands grip my bo as he thrusts his face towards mine.

Blue eyes sparkle.

"Hey, Donnie," he whispers so low the others can't possibly hear. "What type of reaction is triggered when two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus?"

My mind jars as if he's just thrown me into the wall. "W-wha- ?"

He wrenches himself backward, dragging me down with him as his shell hits the mat. His foot jams against my plastron and, using our combined momentum, sends me flipping end over end across the dojo. I hit my back with a gasp and stay where I've fallen, staring at the dark ceiling. I-It can't be…he couldn't have just…

He's there, smiling down at me. Offering my bo back. His light eyes are dancing. "Correct answer: fusion reaction."

"How c-could you…?"

He shrugs, "Found an open book on your desk and memorized the first sentence. Figured it'd be handy one day."

"Well done, Michelangelo," a soft voice from the corner says. Splinter emerges from his usual observational position, smiling at his youngest. Mikey quickly hauls me to my feet and gives our father a bow.

"Thank-you, Sensei," his voice can barely contain his excitement.

"Perhaps, though, it is a bit unorthodox. And in the future, I don't expect your ninjutsu to suffer in favor of this new technique."

"No, Sensei," Mikey says, bowing again and casting his triumphant smile towards me.

"Very good," Splinter nods. "Now, it is nearing lunchtime…"

"Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup coming up!" my little brother bellows in my ears before bolting towards the kitchen. He pauses at the door and looks back at us, "That's cool with you guys, right?" He grins again and disappears before the three of us can say anything.

Splinter smiles and makes his way towards the door and he, too, pauses and flicks his ear towards us. "It would appear you boys need to reevaluate your brother's skill." Leo's quiet agreement barely beats my own and Raph's. Barely.

When Splinter leaves, I go to my older brothers, who are both standing and stewing in their own thoughts. "So," I say, "What did he say to you?"

Leo's arms fold over his plastron, a habit he's falling into more and more as we grow. It's a light gesture, not defensive and closed like when Raph mimics the move, but just enough to show he's miffed. "He said Tzu Sun got the five fundamental factors of a successful plan wrong. He's never even looked at the 'The Art of War'."

"Raph?"

His eyes narrow in annoyance. "He jes dared me to hit 'im. Then, when I couldn', he jes kept askin' why I wouldn' hit 'im. He was like a friggin' mosquito, jes wouldn' shut-up…"

Leo and I exchange a look and I notice the same slow smile spreading across my older brother's face. He shakes his head with a tiny huff of a laugh.

I slip my bo back into its holster against my shell and fold my arms as well. Raph lets out a grunt, but even he can't keep his scowl in place as he rubs the back of his head.

"Who'da thunk it? Our little Mikey…"

"A master of distraction," Leo agrees.

* Well, it's my first fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it. I've got the guys a little younger here…around age 12 or 13, which I figured made them old enough to be honing their skills - but not as powerful as their going to get. And as a youngest, I can attest to the discovery of using annoyance against older siblings. It's a weird power trip! Mwa-ha! Anyway, thanks for reading! Reviews would be most appreciated!