Next night, Naomi came up to me stretching. Raph had been avoiding her ever since she returned from the pool last night, and I’ve been dying to know what happened. Did Naomi beat Raph up so bad he never wanted to talk with her again?

“We going up?” she asked.

“Duh.” Leo said, coming from behind me. “But let’s ask the one that hasn’t said a word since last night coming back.” Naomi tilted her head, thinking Leo meant her. “I meant Raph.”

“That’s what I thought.” Naomi sighed.

“Wow,” Mikey said, coming up to Naomi. “You didn’t read someone’s mind!”

With a solid thump, Naomi whacked Mikey and he flinched away by me. I looked strangely at my partner. Both of them changed yesterday… Raph not saying a word and Naomi acting less creepy.

She must’ve sensed this because she turned around and started heading up without us. I didn’t chase after her either this time.

Raph peeked out from his room. “She gone?”

“What is up?” Leo asked. “You’re never this hidden.”

The warrior fully came into view and rocked on his heels. “I’m thinking, okay? Can I not think?”

“You think?” Mikey comes up behind Leo. “Does it hurt?”

Raph glared at Mikey, took a step toward him, then thought otherwise. “Yes I think, Mikey, more than you at least. And it doesn’t hurt because at least I have a brain.”

“Hey!” Mikey exclaimed.

Donnie chuckled as he walked into view, putting his staff in the pocket holder on the back of his shell. He looked around like he was looking for something, “Naomi leave already?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “She’s not herself.”

“How?”

“Less creepy.”

Donnie just blinked and then looked at all of us, “I’m ready, Leo.”

“Couldn’t tell.” Leo said. He looked at Raph. Raph seemed about to jump out of his shell. “You ready?”

Raph spun on him. “Yes.”

“Even if Naomi suddenly appeared?” Mikey pressed.

“Mikey, I will slap the green off you if you don’t stop.” Raph growled.

Mikey laughed and followed the long-gone Naomi out up into the surface. We all followed after him. Going to the roofs, Naomi wasn’t there. Running around doing some patrol, Naomi still didn’t show up.

Donnie nudged us all, “Look. A Kraang droid.” he pointed at a street and, sure enough, there was a Kraang droid. I haven’t really fought them, but I knew the were robots with alien brains.

“Let’s see where he goes.” Leo ordered.

We all nodded. As they jumped down, I saw a turtle-like shadow crouching on the opposite building. It was looking right at me. I thought it was Naomi so I waved before I stopped, closing my hand and looking carefully at the details I could see.

Silver eyes instead of blue, a lighter shade of black from my angle, and no staff jutting out from the back of its shell like there usually is. With a blink, the shadow stood up, looked left and then disappeared.

“Mikito!” Mikey called from on the street.

With a careful look back at the roof, the shadow was gone, but another one was coming. This one was the normal Naomi I know. She looked at me and blinked before looking in the direction the first shadow went.

Things were not right in this town. With a final look at Naomi, I jumped down and followed Mikey and them.

The Kraang led us to its hideout like Leo predicted. We came in through the windows, by my hint, and pointed at them.

We climbed through, but then the windows fell off their hinges and crashed down below where some Kraang were walking around with their purple-bullet guns. Raph looked at me and shook his head before he grabbed his Sais and jumped down, stabbing a droid in the shoulder blades.

It fell and then each of us joined the battle. I saw Donnie’s staff bang uselessly against a head of a droid. “You gotta be kidding me! I hate this thing!”

“Now you know why Naomi said that stuff!” I called out to him.

Donnie glared at me then rolled to avoid a shot. I spun around skillfully and jabbed at a Kraang. When I did, I saw Naomi standing on the window frame, looking at the broken piece while shaking her head.

I looked up at her and she gestured to the battle. What was she doing? Leaving us to fight on our own? Turning around, I saw Raph pause a little before getting a little mad.

“Keep moving! Don’t let them surround you!” Leo yelled at each of us. “Failure is not an option!”

“Technically, failure is always an option.” Donnie commented, running by him before flipping over a droid, whacking him uselessly.

“You know what else is an option?” Raph snapped. “Slapping you.”

“You mean Donnie or Naomi?” I snickered.

He glared at me and dove at me. I ducked and he hit a droid. The metal clump collapsed and when I looked back at Naomi, she was gone.

The Kraang exchanged words about an energy cannon. They brought it out and then we held our ground.

“Run!” Leo yelled as they fired it.

We all jumped out of its way. Donnie’s staff broke in two and he threw it away.

“Dude, your weapon just exploded!” Mikey pointed at him.

I picked it up and gave it back to him and he slipped it into its pocket and then they had us cornered.

Leo saw a power lift, but before he could get a ninja star out, another one flew from nowhere and whacked a button, sending it forward and into the Kraang and their cannon.

Looking up, I saw Naomi put her hand on her forehead then give me a salute before heading out again. With an angry glare, I tried to follow her, but she was already gone.

Leo, Raph, and Mikey came out.

“Dumb luck.” Raph muttered.

“Wasn’t luck my friend, and dumb had nothing to do with it.” Leo shook his head.

Donnie was getting something out from the window as I tried to get out. “Could you help me with this?”

“With what?” Raph asked.

“A Kraang droid!” I growled from inside the building.

He helped reluctantly and on our way to the lair, Raph asked why he brought this thing with.

“Don’t you wanna see how these things work?” Donnie replied to Raph’s question.

“Of course!” Raph smiled as he carried the metal clump. “You hit them until the brainy toy surprise pops out.”

“That’s your problem, Raph.” Donnie said, putting the Droid in a man cover hole. “You don’t think things through.”

Raph and Donnie looked at the stuck droid. Raph blinked then looked at Donnie, “That supposed to fit?”

Donnie tried kicking it a few times and then gave up. Something landed behind him and Naomi came up, jumping into the air and then bringing her weight down on the droid. She called up, “That good?”

“Fine, Naomi, thanks.” Donnie sighed.

Then she was silent.

Raph looked in the hole before going after her. Donnie then Leo, then me and Mikey were last. Mikey put the cover on. We walked in silence, Raph had disappeared for nobody knew what reason.

“Do you think something bad happened between those two?” Donnie asked, making Leo help him carry the droid to the lair.

“Now why would you say that?” I asked sarcastically.

“Have you seen the way Raph’s been acting?”

“Shh, we’re almost there and I hear voices.” Leo shushed.

We grew closer and we heard Naomi and Raph talking in low voices. They paused and Naomi looked at us. “Welcome back.”

“Should say the same to you.” I snapped.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she growled.

“I don’t what game you’re playing at, but I’m tired of you being a spy!”

“I’m not a spy!” Naomi countered.

Donnie and Leo slowly put the droid down in front of the TV. Raph went in his room to receive Spike and Mikey just read a magazine.

“Then why, every time you leave us, you’re not back within an hour?”

“I have things to do!”

“Like?”

“Train!” Naomi ended it with her fist clenching. She spun around and stomped off. When she reached the dojo, she sat down behind the tree and away from sight.