Surrounding Darkness

A/N: Here is the final Truth and Lies one shot featuring Mikey. I know it's taken me a long time to do this, but I've decided I'm inspired enough to jot it down and get it over with. Granted, this is not the end of the series by a long shot, but it is the last of the one shots. I hope that you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of the story and nothing more.

Summary: Mikey visits Murakami after April's disappearance and learns more about what has happened to his friend and gains wisdom that he must not give up hope. A Truth and Lies one shot.

Lee Murakami stirred the pot of noodles around as he always did. He had the radio on and heard about the disappearance of April O'Neil. Hearing about it made him sad for he had come to admire the young girl and thought of her as a good friend. She was the one who had introduced him to the Turtles, ad they had become good friends to him as well. He wondered how they were taking this news for April O'Neil was one of their dearest friends and someone they counted on implicitly.

Suddenly, Murakami heard footsteps and recognized that it was one of the Turtles. By the sounds of it, it sounded like the youngest, Michelangelo.

"Hey, Murakami-san," the Turtle said dejectedly. "How's it goin'?"

"As good as can be expected," he replied. "I heard about April's disappearance. Was she with you before she vanished?"

"Yeah, we were havin' a party and then she had to go home," Mikey replied. "Then her dad called and said she hadn't come home, and that worried us. We've been lookin' for her, but we don't have any leads."

"And how are your brothers holding up?"

"Not good," answered Mikey. "Leo blames himself for what happened, Don's in his lab tryin' to find her through his computer, and Raph's just plain mad about it all. I just couldn't take it, so I had to come here and see you. You're one of my best friends, and I need that right now."

Murakami's heart went out to the young mutant. This poor child was heartbroken over the loss of his friend and had no idea what had happened to her. He felt that he needed to do something to cheer him up though he couldn't think of what to do.

"Do you think she's okay, Murakami-san?" Mikey asked him.

"I do not know, Michelangelo-san," he answered honestly. "However, there is always hope no matter where you can find it."

"I used to think like that, too, but now I don't know what I believe anymore," the Turtle said sadly.

"Michelangelo-san, did I ever tell you how I came to be blind?"

"No. I never wanted to ask because Donnie said it wasn't polite to ask someone about their disability like that 'cause not everyone likes to talk about it."

"Well, I do not mind telling you. I was actually born this way, so it was not like I had to adjust to it. However, there were times where I envied others who could see and wished many times that I was like them. I often wondered about what things looked like, and though I could use my imagination to see them, it was not the same thing to me. I asked my mother once why I was born this way, and she said that I was born this way for a purpose. She said that even though I could not see, I could still use my other senses and do great things."

"That's cool, Murakami-san, but what does that have to do with April?"

"Well, after my mother said that, I learned to embrace the darkness and saw it as a friend rather than as an enemy. I saw that when it surrounded me, it was actually guiding me and filling me with hope that things would be fine. My point is that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope no matter where you may find it. Even if you may wish for something different, there is always something else that will help you. April may come back and she may not. But if she does not, just know that she is still with you and that she will always be with you."

"I don't want to think about that," Mikey said hastily. "I'm just gonna think that she'll come back to us or we'll find her. We just have to."

"And there is nothing wrong with that, my friend," Murakami said gently. "There is nothing wrong with having hope. You are still full of it, and that is a good thing. Never lose that hope, Michelangelo-san."

"I'll try not to. So, can I have some pizza gyoza?"

Murakami laughed. "I thought you would never ask." He turned and prepared some pizza gyoza for the young mutant.

"So what's going on in your life?" Mikey asked him.

"Oh, not much," Murakami replied. "My niece won her spelling bee last week."

"That's cool. Did she get a trophy?"

"Yes, and now she moves on to compete with other schools. If she wins this one, she will go on to the National Spelling Bee and compete in Washington, D.C."

"Yeah, we've seen that on TV," said Mikey. "Donnie loved it and would always close his eyes and see if he could spell the words correctly. Raph hated it and thought it was boring, but Leo was fine with it, and so was I. We loved challenging Donnie with all of it."

"I imagine that would be fun," replied Murakami. "Your brother is very intelligent."

"Oh, yeah, I imagine if he could, he'd win that spelling bee and beat everyone else. That's how awesome Donnie is."

"I am surprised your other brothers did not join you today."

"I asked them, but they didn't want to. It's kind of a bummer because I figured we could take a break from our search and just hang out with you for a while. But it's okay because at least I can talk to you by myself without them interrupting."

"I will make sure to make a bag for you to take home to them and I'll give some tea for Leonardo and your father as well."

"That's awesome, Murakami-san. You're the best."

"And the same goes for you and your brothers, Michelangelo-san. It is a shame that the world cannot know of you for you are all decent beings with kind hearts."

"I know, but that's the way it is. Most humans hate things that are different and even turn on each other. I think that's why Raph hates most humans."

"Yes, it is a shame how my kind treat others," Murakami said sadly. "If only kindness and compassion were taught in schools, I believe our world would be a better place for it. If you were a human, I believe you would either be a wonderful cook or a mentor to children. You are pure of heart, and I can see you doing great things for others. That is your gift, Michelangelo-san, and it is a shame that it cannot be shared."

"Well, maybe not with everyone, but I can still do good in the world," Mikey told him. "That's what my brothers and I want to do."

"And you will. I know that April often spoke highly of all of you whenever she would come in here."

"How did she meet you anyway? She never told us."

"Well, she came into my shop and wanted to try something, so she tried the noodles. After she realized I was blind, she told me about the friends she had made and that she wanted to bring them here. I told her that would be fine, and then she left. After that, she brought the four of you to me."

"She's visited you without us though, right?"

Murakami nodded. "Yes, she has, and each time she would tell me more about the four of you and what she did with all of you. She told me about studying to be a kunoichi and how Splinter was teaching her so many things. I believe that if she was captured, she did not go down without a fight, for that is not how she seemed to me."

"No, she was awesome at what she did, even if she wasn't a full kunoichi yet. She was getting there, and she was so proud of herself when she would master a lesson."

"That shows that she was dedicated to what she was asked to do."

"Did you ever study ninjitsu, Murakami-san?"

"No not formally because no one wanted to take a chance on me due to my blindness. They felt I was a liability and that I would not be able to perform the tasks. I really wanted to because I was bullied a lot in my younger days and wanted a means to defend myself. But my father felt I could still do it, and so he taught me himself using his own techniques to teach me. I was very good at it and was able to defend myself against the bullies. My father was proud of me and always tried to teach me that there were no limits to what I could do. But I also liked cooking and wanted to try that as well. So I also learned how to cook and that's how I came to move to America and opened this very shop when I was older."

"That's so cool, Murakami-san. Maybe one day I could take you down to the Lair and you could show Sensei what you could do. I'm sure he'd love to teach you a thing or two you may not have learned."

"I would like that, but only if it is okay with your father first."

"Don't worry, I'll ask him."

"Good. That is all I want for you to do."

"Well, I better get going before Leo gets mad at me. It was nice talking to you, Murakami-san, and I'll remember what you said."

"It was nice talking to you as well, Michelangelo-san. I hope to see you again soon, and if you can, bring your brothers next time."

"I'll try."

Murakami heard him grab his bag of gyoza and the tea and listened as he left the shop. It felt empty without that youthful presence, and Murakami felt old once again and no longer younger. He noticed that when the Turtles were around, he forgot how old he was and often forgot the troubles of the world as he absorbed their youthful energy. But he knew that something had changed and that though Michelangelo was trying his best to remain positive, he felt that the Turtle was having a hard time keeping hope alive. His wish was that the young Turtle would heed his words and do his best to never give up hope no matter how bleak things may seem. He couldn't imagine the young Turtle feeling down for he was always filled with energy and life. His other hope was that April would come back to them, so that the family could find peace and feel whole again.

Sighing, the noodle owner closed up his shop and left for his own home where he dwelt alone. But though he didn't have anyone of his own to be with he always thought of the Turtles and kept their spirits with him to help him through the dark times. That was what he clung to, and that was what he clung to now after listening to the news and that there were no new leads on April's disappearance. He had faith the Turtles would find her and that they would fight to bring her home like the valiant warriors they were. With that last thought in his head, Lee Murakami settled down to sleep and clung to the hope that had helped him through many dark days throughout his life. The Turtles would succeed and they would become whole again.

"Honorable Ancestors, please watch over my friends and guide them as they search for their best friend," he prayed. "I do not ask for much from you, but I do hope that you will watch over them for they need your guidance as they continue on this quest. Give them the strength and courage to keep on searching and to not lose hope even in the darkest of times."

After finishing his prayer, he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.

The End

A/N: So that's the end of the one shots. I hope that you enjoyed this and that it gave you a sense of who Murakami is. He's one of my favorite characters and I thought it would be cool to explore him more and get inside his head for once. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.