Authoress' Notes: No, this is not another instalment of The Kathy Chronicles; this is just a stand-alone one-shot that's been on my mind for a while.
Summary: One typical night, Mikey runs into someone who's different from others she knows and a conversation is struck. Michelangelo-centric.
Disclaimer: No, I do not own Michelangelo or any other mentioned TMNT characters; I do own my OC and any other mentioned characters that are unfamiliar to the fans.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A Shady Acquaintance
Mikey was hiding from his brothers, and jumping rooftops, as he played "Ninja Tag" with them. He froze when he reached a rooftop and heard soft sobs; against his better judgement, he stealthily slunk towards the sound and peered around the wall that surrounded the stairway and saw a girl he guessed was a few months younger than him (A/N: He's just shy of his eighteenth birthday) quietly sobbing into her arms. He fought an internal battle before he opened his mouth, "Why're you crying?"
"Wh- who's there?" She jumped, which was impressive since she'd been sitting down. She calmed down a split second later, which Mikey found odd. "What's your name?"
He was taken aback, but answered anyway. "I'm Michelangelo; what's your name?"
"Amber," she sniffled as he slunk to the edge of the circle of light from the lamp that illuminated her. "How'd you get up here? The only way is the stairwell and you need a key for it."
"I jumped from the roof next door," Mikey answered and she could hear the smile in his voice. "What about you, Amber? How did you get up here?"
"The building manager gave me the key 'cause I help him out by cleaning and the more minor fixing in whatever apartments need it," Amber replied quietly, brushing a piece of her reddish hair away from her tear filled eyes, although Mikey was able to see a small smile on her face as she thought of the building manager. Why she was willingly sharing information with a stranger, he didn't know; what he did know was that his compassion made him feel drawn to this miserable teen.
"Why were you crying, Amber?"
"Because I'm different, Michelangelo," she sighed, staring wistfully out into the horizon.
"What's so bad about being different?" He asked, wanting to know what was so bad that she was crying.
"How would you feel if you were able to feel the emotions of those around you? You learn to block it for the most part, but some are just too strong," Amber whispered, and Mikey heard her about to cry again. "I… it's hard; day to day. Knowing you could never belong in a world that, if they ever found out that you were different, would label you a freak and never leave you in peace."
"So that's why you relaxed so quickly," Mikey stated, surprisingly serious.
"It was," she nodded, seemingly staring into nothing. "I sensed that you had no ill will towards me and was only curious as to why I was crying."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" He was grateful that she hadn't yet looked his way, because he was unconsciously moving towards her; between he and his brothers, he was the one who usually got their family into trouble via his compassion for others and accidentally showing himself.
"You're… well, for lack of a better word, Pure."
"Pure?" Mikey was confused and it must have shown in his voice, or she sensed it, because she smiled a little more.
"You have no Darkness in you; you're full of Hope, Compassion, and, surprisingly Understanding," Amber replied, her smile turning into one he often saw his brother, Donatello, wear when he came across something that puzzled him. "I've never come across someone like you."
"I'd bet," he grinned at her and she must have sensed his amusement and pride because she sighed and rolled her eyes. He absently noted that they were a dark colour, Maybe a dark brown…
"You're definitely a guy," she half-teased, feeling much better just being around her new "invisible" acquaintance; the feelings he exuded were a welcome distraction from the usual.
They talked for another hour, just about little things; like life in New York, the weather changes that'd been happening sporadically, that sort of thing. Amber was surprisingly vehement about the fact that it was all of the pollution that people created day-to-day that was causing the weather to change so drastically; he told her that his brother, who he didn't name, believed it to be that as well and how Donnie called it "The Greenhouse Effect".
Mikey saw his new friend shiver and asked, "What time is it?"
"It's," she paused, glancing at her old watch, "nearly midnight, actually. Yikes; and I have to go to school tomorrow!" He could tell that she didn't quite want their pleasant conversation to end and, truth be told, neither did he; she was one of the first people, mutant or otherwise, who didn't look down on him when he felt like being serious and spoke seriously. Unfortunately, both teens knew that other things were expected of them and knew that the time had come to part.
"I've gotta get home; my brothers and father are going to be worried by now," Mikey admitted. "It was nice meeting you, Amber."
"You, too, Michelangelo," she gave a sad smile into the distance, where she'd been staring their entire conversation, having sensed that he was wary of her looking his way. He moved carefully and silently through the shadows, and was nearing the edge of the roof when she called out to him, "Michelangelo?"
"Yeah?" He paused his movement to listen.
"Will I ever meet up with you again?" He was amusedly observant of the fact that she said "meet up with you" instead of the usual "see you" he normally got.
"Definitely, Dudette," he grinned at her and she felt his elation at her question.
"I'm glad," she sighed in relief. "Be safe, Michelangelo."
"I will," Mikey promised. "Oh, and Amber?"
"Uhm-hm?" Amber questioned.
"Call me Mikey; all my friends do," he winked, knowing she couldn't see it, before he leapt to the neighbouring roof.
"Mikey, huh?" She murmured to herself, smiling before she uncurled herself and stretched. After a few minutes of just standing there, she turned with a sigh and, using her key, re-entered her apartment building, unaware of the shadow watching her from several roofs over. The shadow gave a soft smile before it turned and disappeared into the night, the tips of its orange bandana visible for mere moments.
End.
Authoress' Notes: I have no intention of making this one-shot into a series, like I did with my one shot "Chemistry". This was just a little something that'd been on my mind for a while. Mikey is my third favourite Ninja Turtle, with my first and second being Raph and Donnie, respectively, and I don't think that there's enough stories that delve a little deeper into his more serious side; I mean, out of the four of them, Mikey has the most compassion for others, and it has gotten him into trouble before.
Anyway, again, this is a stand-alone, although I suppose you could call it a Prequel of sorts to the Kathy Chronicles, if you want to.
Please Read and Review; the more reviews an Author/ess receives on a story, the more and quicker s/he is spurred to write. I accept all reviews: Comment, Compliment, and Criticism (preferably Constructive Criticism); I accept Flames, but nothing with swearing in it, since the Default Profanity Filter is on my reviews.
Cowabunga,
Laura a.k.a. uncutetomboy