Author's notes- I don't own the TMNT, yadda yadda. I do own my character, soon to be characters, so no commandeering please.

I thought I'd try a different style. Third person, a different main turtle for the story and a human counterpart. I might not work on this one as often as my Karma stories, but i'll try. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

She was running. She had to run. If she didn't run, they'd have her; they'd claw at her flesh and sneer in her face, they'd snatch her bag and steal her money. After a kick or two, they would leave her, shaking and broken on the floor where a few minutes later, she would pick everything up, including herself. She would jam the broken pieces together and rearrange them until she had a happy façade once again, the one she would wear until she reached her home and until she could crawl into her sanctuary. It was there that the jigsaw of who she was would inevitably crumble into a mess of salt water and pieces that didn't fit.

Anouska had to keep running.

'Please God, please, not today.'

As she inwardly pleaded, she shut her sapphire eyes to force her weakness back down. Those small droplets of water were her weakness; she'd always known that, she couldn't ever cry in front of anybody.

For that short moment of darkness, Anouska would pay, it was just her luck. A fallen twig would seek her out to trip her or one of the stones that were falling like rain would sting her, but today it was her feet to betray her. Her left foot clumsily collided with her right, causing her to crash to the ground. The concrete peeled her bare knees and her hands smacked down. It was over.

Instinctively, the chocolate-brown haired girl curled into a ball to protect her ribs so instead, the sneaker found her spine. She howled out in pain as the pack circled her, then closed in. She clung hopelessly to her bag; her blue eyes leaking with her weakness as she tried to hold on.

"Hey!" A squeaky male voice cried.

The pack stopped. The leader cocked his baseball cap clad head at someone Anouska couldn't see.

"Yeah?"

"Um," the voice squeaked, "that's not nice."

"So?"

The rest of the pack sneered and snickered.

"So," he cleared his voice, the squeak temporarily gone, "how about you… um, start… being nice?"

They roared and howled with laughter, their vulnerable prey forgotten for the moment.

"Yer one helluva joker, man." The leader folded his arms. "Why should we play nice?"

"Yeah!"

"Make us!"

Dizzily, Anouska got up, her bag still clutched to her chest and her back complaining from the sting. She rubbed at her eyes roughly, her blurry vision clearing to see the much older kids surrounding someone.

"Why should you play nice? Ha, ha… G-good question, lemme go find out."

The pack closed in.

"Yer funny… funny lookin'."

A snigger rippled around the group.

"Oh wow, did you write that yourself? You did a good job, for a monkey."

"Huh?"

"Um, Tyrone, he's callin' ya a monkey."

Pride hurt, the leader's eyes narrowed dangerously at the one to just insult him.

"Yer toast!"

"Oh, so you get it, good for you!"

"Are ya tryin' ta get yer ass kicked?"

"No thanks!"

In an angry rage, Tyrone lunged forward. Anouska tried desperately to watch the scene unfolding, her height putting her at a disadvantage. As she balanced on her tiptoes, the crowd parted to make way to for a bloody lipped Tyrone stumbling backwards. He lunged again, unsteadily, and the crowd closed. The teenager squeezed through gaps in the group, fighting for a front seat to find herself gazing at a beaten Tyrone.

"Man, he's tough!"

"Beat it!"

As quickly as they'd swarmed, the crowd dispersed, shoving and bumping into an astounded Anouska. Dazed and muttering, the leader stumbled to his feet, eyes widening in fear as he glanced at the only figure left other than the girl he bullies. He whimpered and ran without a glance behind.

"Yeah, um, you better run!"

The petite girl cocked her head at her saviour; bundled up in an outfit more fitting for winter than summer. He finally realised she was looking at him; then tugged his hat down and his scarf up.

"Eep! H-hi." He stammered whilst shuffling his feet.

"Why did you help me?"

He jumped at her voice, blue eyes drifting to meet with hers, then falling back to the ground.

"You needed help… my dad tells me I should help people if they're in trouble."

"But…" Anouska scrunched her face up. "You could have been hurt…"

He merely shrugged, his feet still shuffling nervously. As the young teenager reached out for her rescuer, he shrunk back.

"I'm not gunna hurt you, I-I couldn't…"

She glances nervously in the direction Tyrone ran off in, wondering how this small, strange boy in front of her could fight against somebody so big, and win.

"I won't hurt you!"

He suddenly squeaked out, his head snapping up to look at her and his feet finally staying still. She jumped a little at the outburst, then blinked at him.

"W-what's your name?"

"Anouska."

"I'm M-Michelangelo- I mean, Mikey!"

He resumed his shuffling.

"Michelangelo?"

"Uh, my dad likes strange names…"

"Heh, same here."

"Anoush… Anouks… Anouka…"

"Anouska, Anne-ooh-ska."

"An-An…"

"Call me Anouk."

"You're a girl." He blurted.

A little baffled, but also amused, the blue eyed girl nodded, a small smile playing across her face.

"Uh, yeah, I am. Are you a boy? I can't tell, you're wrapped up like a mummy."

As she dipped her head to look under the peak of his hat, he shrunk back and sub-consciously tugged at his scarf again. The girl, who rarely got to show her funny side, giggled a little at the strange boy in front of her, her bad day put to the back of her mind, for now.

"Thanks… Mikey."

"How do you know my name?!"

His voice squeaked once again and Anouska couldn't help but giggle.

"You told me… about 5 seconds ago."

"Oh. I knew that."

"You beat up those bad kids for me."

Her smile faded and Mikey frowned a little. He knew he shouldn't have stepped out of the shadows, but he couldn't have watched her get beaten up, and he knew he should have run ages ago, but curiosity glued him to the spot.

"Did they hurt you?"

This time, Anouska was the one to shy away.

"Well, they won't do it again... not after I kicked their butts!"

"Yeah they will, they do it every day after school..."

"Somebody should walk you-"

Mikey stopped, realising he'd walked into his own trap and his heart sunk as her eyes lit up into bright blue spheres.

"Would you?"

"I-I can't do it!"

"Why?"

"I-I-I'm home schooled and I'm late for class now, gotta go, bye!"

The strange boy bolted but the young girl quickly followed. She needed to know more about him. She was strangely drawn to him, he was the first person to show her kindness since she could remember, yet, as quickly as he'd appeared in her life, he had disappeared out of it.

She stood in the mouth of the alleyway, her sapphire eyes frantically searching for him, but it was though he'd been gobbled up.

Grudgingly, Anouska slumped home.