Love is not always doing what brings pleasure; love is also doing what is good for someone, whatever the cost at the moment. Sometimes, it's leaving…for awhile and the love is shown then in the pain given. For pain is a lesson best learned from the one who loves you the most.—Linda GoodmanThe static clung for a moment before it settled, "Michelangelo…can you hear me?"
Grinning like a Cheshire cat, the ninja whispered, "Soft and clear, Dudette!" He adjusted the dimensional radio they kept tucked away in Donatello's lab to help improve the connection and her voice steadied a little, though he could still hear bits and pieces of explosion or break-up in the background. "Is everything righteous over there?" They kept in contact with their Neutrino friends as much as they could but sometimes there was a chance for communication, sometimes there wasn't. They had not heard from them for a little bit but Michelangelo and Kala had been trying to maintain some contact as often as they could, though as of late, it had to be at ungodly hours of the morning because of events in Dimension X.
Hence, his whispering. While he could get to Donatello's lab by going through the garage, his brother's room was still connected and the last thing he wanted was to wake him up. Not only out of respect (as they all knew how hard Donatello worked) but because a Donatello knocked out of sleep was a cranky Donatello and a cranky Donatello was a scary Donatello. So, if he wanted to talk with Kala, he needed to keep the volume to a low roar. It would have been nice if they could do this during the day but lately, she was only available late at night and Michelangelo reasoned that SOME time talking to her was better than none.
"I wish it was, Michelangelo," came her soft voice in response to her inquiry. "Krang's rock soldiers are totally relentless. Zender and Gizzla are, like, totally at their wits' end Michelangelo. It's all fighting, all war, every day now! Before, we got some break from this Grimsville but now, there's no break!"
Michelangelo felt his heart tighten at the news. He thought they had it pretty bad given all of Krang and Shredder's scheme but poor Kala sounded so distraught. He didn't like to hear that in her voice. He liked to hear her laugh, he liked to see her smile, he liked to watch her have fun. He could practically feel her heartache through the dimensions. It squeezed his heart and reminded him of when he had to watch her leave the first time they met, when he had thought his brothers were hurt or captured…
Tears formed in his eyes before he could stop them and he had to coach himself out of that feeling. "Well, gee, I'm really sorry Dudette. I mean…can I do anything?"
A half laugh from over the radio, "No, no, I don't want you to get involved, Michelangelo. It's our war, not you cool cats'."
Blushing a bit, even to himself, he corrected "If it's makin' you sad, Kala, it's, like, totally my war." He bit his lip instantly afterwards though. Man, that sounded corny! All the same though, it was the truth. If things were getting that bad over there, then there had to be something he or the others could do. They were the lean, green, fighting machine, right? Sure, it sounded like Dimension X had a million of Krang's rock soldiers but maybe Donatello could come with something or maybe they could at least offer SOME kind of help…
Kala broke into his thoughts with a soft giggle, "Aw, you're totally sweet, Michelangelo."
Feeling his heart skip a little bit of a beat, he offered, "Hey, Kala, maybe you, might, like…maybe you could…I dunno…come here for a day or something? Just get away from all that mondo-misery?" He hastily added "I got all kinda stuff I could show ya. We only got to show you a little of the totally righteous stuff we have here last time! We could, like…" he racked his brain, "Know that little arcade we showed you last time? It's totally puny! We've got a huge one, and we've got these parks were all you do is have fun!" He grinned "We could have a jumbo with everything from Vinnie's and…and…there's this totally bodacious ice cream parlor just around the corner from it!"
Kala's voice paused and then she teased, with more than a little faith in her tone, "What do you Earthlings call that, Michelangelo? A date?"
"Uh…" He stumbled over his words a minute "Well, yeah, I mean, I guess it would…we could…if you wanna call it…" He stammered. He felt a twinge of excitement shoot through his heart and he felt what could only be enthusiasm as well, though…it was similar to his but it _wasn't_ his… "You wanna call it that, Dudette?" Inwardly, he was chanting, 'please say yes' along with 'Dude, you sound like an idiot!' But c'mon, this was Kala! His great and dearest friend to be sure but also…the girl that haunted his sweetest dreams. Oh, he'd thought of asking her nearly every time since he had first met her but he'd never found the time or the nerve. But…this counted right? He was asking… "You wanna make it…a date?"
The girl laughed out loud this time, so loud but Michelangelo just drank it in. That was how she was supposed to sound! Happy, cheerful, carefree! He didn't even think about the fact that it might wake up Donatello. Right now, Donatello could have bashed him across the head with his bo and he probably would have laughed like a moron. All he was focused on was that whimsical sound coming from their dimensional radio. After a moment, she stopped her giggling and said, "That sounds totally hip, Michelangelo. What day is it over there?"
"Day..?" he asked, a little dazed because…she'd said yes, she'd actually said yes! He wasn't dreamin' again, was he?
Another giggle, "Yeah, you know, how you cats tell your time?"
"Oh…uh…uh…Thursday. Yeah…" he thought a moment, managed to push the image of her smiling face from his mind, "Right, it's Thursday."
"So…how's the day after today for a time for me to drop in on you, Michelangelo?" She was smiling, he could feel it.
"Friday…" He grinned, all kinds of sappy thoughts rushing through his mind. He probably looked utterly drunk if anyone could see him. Friday was the night for dates anyway wasn't it? And the night for deals and oh, he bet that Vinnie would get them all set up and he could totally sweet talk Leonardo into letting him skimp out of patrol and…
"Friday's cool, pretty Dudette."
"Happening!" Her happiness bled through the radio and left him feeling light headed again, "I'll drop in on you by that sewer entrance under the bridge at sunset?" Maybe a time would have been better but it was really hard to figure out time differences between states, let alone dimensions. Sunset would be easy to gauge when she got there.
"I'll be there, Dudette." He grinned until his cheeks hurt as she cut the connection and the static went silent.
He sat there for a moment, just taking in everything. She'd said yes to a date.
Yes.
To a date.
With him.
"Yes! She said yes! Whoo-Hoo!" Twirling around on his toes, he screeched it out loud again, all thought of stealth vanished to wind, "She said yes! Whoo-Hoo! Yes, yes, yes!"
"Who said yes…what?" a cranky voice called from the door behind him. Whirling around, he found a very irritated Donatello standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes, "And what are you doing in my lab this late?" He stifled a yawn, "And incidentally, it better be a really good reason to wake me up this early." He gave his youngest brother a very fiery glare, looking very much like he would like to feed him that dimensional radio at that moment. Being awoken before dawn on one of the few days that he had planned to actually sleep in was not doing wonders for his mood.
Wincing, Michelangelo stopped in his dance, "Aw, major-league sorry, Dude." He apologized quickly, "Totally forgot you were sleepin'."
"It would appear that you have forgotten that you should be doing the same, my student," came a voice from behind Donatello. Master Splinter entered but as always, he was calm, though Michelangelo did detect a slight hint of irritation in his tone. "What are you doing up at this late an hour?" Truthfully, Splinter was all too sure of what he had been doing. His keen rodent ears had recognized Kala's voice several minutes ago and it was the only logical reason that his youngest would be slipping into Donatello's workshop this late. Contrary to Michelangelo's belief, the whole Lair was quite aware of his feelings for the Neutrino girl. All the same, he set his son with a slightly reproachful glance, tapping his walking stick slightly.
Michelangelo blushed, "Sorry, Sensei. Just…it's been hard to get ahold of Kala during the day so I hafta talk to her when I can. Usually this time of night I can get a semi-decent signal." He winced as Donatello groaned and lay his head into his hand. "Sorry, again, Bud."
Yawning, Donatello replied "Forget it, Michelangelo. Just…you woke me up because you were excited about talkin' to your girlfriend?" He shook his head.
Blanching a moment, the youngest stammered, "Sh-she isn't my girlfriend…" Though, he thought to himself, did you really go on dates with people who weren't your significant others? Could they be considered…a thing? He certainly thought of her in a…well, as much more than a dear friend and if she said yes then surely she felt at least a little like that…"Well, I mean, maybe she is…sorta?"
Donatello shook his head, "She is," he confirmed with another yawn, "I just wanna know what was so important that you felt the need to scream and wake the dead …"
"Go back to bed, my son," Splinter interrupted with a gentle pat to Donatello's hand, "I will speak with your brother regarding his…late night radio calls." He gave Michelangelo a slightly criticizing look but there was no hiding the amusement in his face. "Though, I suppose I should have been prepared for such things, given I have four teenaged boys." He trailed off with a light chuckle and gestured for his youngest child to follow which he did without question. Michelangelo did throw another 'sorry' in Donatello's direction.
They walked silently into his master's study where Splinter urged him to sit. He did so, quickly, folding his legs under his thighs, trying to figure out why he was suddenly deeply amused. He had no reason to be amused. It was kinda like when he was talking to Kala and he swore he felt his heart squeeze in pain when he had no reason to feel that amount of sadness that intensely. Shrugging it off, he opted to break the silence instead of letting his master do it. "I'm, like, really sorry, Master Splinter," he began, "I totally wasn't tryin' to wake up Donatello or anybody. I know Kala's having a mondo-hard time right now and I like talkin' to her and she likes it too so I-"
Splinter lifted a hand, silencing his son without a word. "Your intentions were quite clear my son. The enthusiasm in your voice when you speak of her tells me more than your words ever could. As does the flush in your cheeks," he added with a teasing smirk. "I do not have a problem with you speaking and conversing with Kala, my student." He paused, added "While I wish you could do so in more reasonable hours, you are responsible for your own sleep. If you choose to spend hours talking instead of sleeping, I still expect you to be alert and ready for practice, understood?"
The teenager nodded "Yes, Sensei."
The rat went on, "However, if you feel it will cut into the late night hours, may I suggest you ask your brother to borrow the radio so as not to disturb the rest of us?" He gave a slight brow raise to his suggestion.
He nodded "Right. Guess that woulda made sense." He grinned sheepishly "Sorry again, Sensei."
"What is done is done." Splinter replied simply, "If we take and learn from our mistakes then they are well-placed in our lives." Here, the teacher's gaze shifted slightly, from disciplinarian to caring father. "Now, tell me, Michelangelo, did my ears truly hear that she had accepted an invitation to spend an evening with you?"
Michelangelo's grin could have lit up the room. "She did! She totally said yes, Sensei! On Friday! Man, it's going to be totally righteous!"
"And where do you plan on going and when can I expect you home?" Splinter asked simply. As much as he wanted to know much more than that, he had been a teenager once himself. Some things were meant to be private and especially considering that Michelangelo had been not-so-secretly pining for this girl since the day they had met, the old martial arts master decided it would be hardly helpful to pry him for details. The time for that was when the date was done. Besides, seeing his youngest so full of energy and so utterly happy did his old soul good.
"Oh, I figured I'd take her to Vinnie's and then there's that great ice cream place around the corner and then that huge arcade and man, she'd LOVE all the colors and stuff in Central Park and…"
Splinter just chuckled "So I can expect you home late, my student?"
Michelangelo beamed, "Yeah, Sensei. Late."
Friday Evening
"Hey, Romeo! You're gonna be late!" Raphael called to his little brother as he headed out for the van with Donatello. Leonardo, as per usual, was already there, waiting for them behind the wheel. Normally, Raphael would have felt jealous that his youngest brother had gotten out of the patrol duty but he couldn't. Despite how he tried, he couldn't. He and the others had been pestering Michelangelo for what felt like forever to finally make a move on Kala, what with how he talked about her so much and Raphael had caught more than a few pictures of her drawn in his brother's sketchbook. Plus, there was the fact that Michelangelo had somehow gotten a picture of her, probably had asked Dask or Zak. Yep, it was high time his brother finally DID something besides day dream about the fiery haired Neutrino girl.
"Where did it go? Where did it go?" Michelangelo responded, rushing out to the garage in a near panic.
Donatello stuck his head around the van, "Where did what go, Michelangelo?"
Setting his sights on his brainy brother, the frantic teenager reported "My extra cash from what we made last week. I had it stashed in my room. Forty bucks of it and now there's only fifteen there!"
Raphael, leaning against the bumper a minute, commented, "Well, there _was_ those two extra pizzas you picked up on Wednesday night remember?" he raised a brow at his sibling. "The ones you 'couldn't live without' I believe?"
Donatello, settling into the passenger seat, commented, "Yep. That was _after_ we all had dinner, remember?"
Realization slowly settled on Michelangelo's mind and for the first time in his life, he found himself loathing a pizza that he had eaten. "The two extra…aw, maximum bummer! _That's_ where it went! Dudes, what am I gonna do? I'm gonna be late to see Kala as it is and I couldn't even get us a medium with what I have now! And I was gonna get her ice cream and take her to the arcade and…" He nearly felt like he was going to break down crying. This was supposed to be the best night of his life and now he was going to have to tell her that maybe they could get McDonald's or something…
A tap on his head made him look up and blink away the unshed tears in his eyes.
Leonardo leaned over out the window, a handful of bills in his outstretched hand "Here. Here's sixty bucks. Just don't blow it all on pizza okay?"
Accepting the offer with what could only be described as a squeal, Michelangelo proclaimed, "For real? You are totally bodacious! The best brother ever, Leonardo!"
"So I'm told," he commented simply with a smile as his youngest brother grabbed his cheapskate and headed down the tunnel. He turned back to his other two brothers as they got settled and addressed their incredulous looks. "Not all of us blow all our money at once."
***
Kala stood quietly outside the sewer entrance, waiting. It felt so weird to actually be able to wait without worrying about a bomb or laser erupting in the ground around you. The battling in Dimension X just seemed to get worse with each day. Since her last talk with Michelangelo, less than a day and half ago on Thursday night, she had lost track of the number of alarms that had been triggered. Queen Gizzla and King Zenter were pulling soldiers from anywhere they could and that was just as a defense. Their whole group of people knew and knew too well that they could not just stay on the defensive. They would be wiped out.
They would have to start to form a true Resistance. A group of warriors who were just as willing to go after Krang's warriors as they were willing to attack them. It was a fate that they were all aware of and yet dreaded. Their race was a carefree race. Before the war, before all these attacks from Krang and his soldiers, they just went about their days, playing, having fun and just overall relishing in their lives. They played with their children, they experimented with foods and their arts…oh, they had been some of the most expressive races in the dimension! Writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, the works! Yet, they had not had any of that for years. The war with Krang was sucking the life out of their race.
Which was why she looked forward to coming here, to seeing Michelangelo so much. He breathed so much life into her. She felt happy, legitimately happy, with him. He was always so excited to show her what life was like here, to indulge her in their types of entertainment, to just really soak in the moment. He was a turtle of the second, taking things as they came and she loved that about him. He truly reminded her of herself, in all the right ways. Of how she had been not so long ago, before the war really escalated. How she would look for opportunities to explore, to try something new and to just…live.
She missed it.
To be able to take a few hours here and truly _live_ again, it was priceless beyond measure. Yet, a deeply rooted fear had settled in her heart over the past few weeks. She tried to keep it was hidden as she could but it was getting harder and harder. With the war getting worse, she and her friends had started to talk about what they could do to lend aid. Despite their young age, they had agility, flexibility and their age in itself could provide help in that they were underestimated. Perhaps as spies or to infiltrate some of the Rock Soldiers' bases. She found herself catching nightmares about it frequently. She didn't know what was worse—being forced into a battle and fighting or sitting around and doing nothing while your world burned around you.
"Hey, Kala!"
Pulling herself out of self-destructive thoughts, she greeted the turtle that ran from the sewer entrance with a huge laugh and smile. "Michelangelo!"
She rushed him, jumped at him and greeted him with a strong hug. Her race in general was very physically expressive and the fact that Michelangelo returned it in kind was so desperately needed right now. His strong embrace, the feeling of his strong heart pounding under the plastron, his protective clasp around her…she felt safe, she felt warm and it was so refreshing to her spirit. It felt like she had been dropped into a crystal clear pool after trudging endlessly through an unforgiving desert. Relief. Relief.
Michelangelo bit his tongue to keep from squealing at the strong embrace Kala greeted him with. He felt such a rush of emotion—happiness, elation, hope and relief. Relief from what he didn't know because he knew she'd wanted to come but…it felt different. A different kind of relief, like…well, like the kind of relief you saw in movies when the hero managed to escape some kind of calamity. It baffled him but sometimes his emotions did that. He opted instead to focus on the beautiful Neutrino girl in his arms.
She'd done her hair up, combed it down and put it into a side ponytail. It was a completely different look than what he was used to but man, if she didn't look great. Though, if Michelangelo were the judge, she could have shown up in a paper bag and looked fabulous. "Hey, Kala! You look as pretty as Vinnie's special!"
The girl laughed, again, setting herself on the ground. "Aw, you're sweet, Michelangelo. You look totally fab yourself!" She meant it too. Not that the turtles routinely wore much but as far as she was concerned, Michelangelo's smile was the best accessory anyone could carry. She could bathe in it all night! "How have you been, cool cat?"
Fumbling a bit at his words, "Totally righteous now that you're here, Kala." He knew he must have sounded like some corny movie character but it was the truth. He had missed her. "Talking to you is great but it's nothing compared to the genuine article."
She smiled again as he took her arm, gently. She responded by hooking her elbow through his, "Well, since I'm here, Hip, where do you go to hang? I need to build me up an appetite."
***
"So Krang is still being a major wet rag?" Kala remarked as she took a bite of the pizza in front of her. Michelangelo had not been kidding when he had said he'd show her everything. The arcade, while primitive by their standards was just so…fun. There were some shooter games but Michelangelo avoided those and she had found herself lost in some type of Earth-driving simulation. It was nothing like riding or driving an air car but it was somehow more fun. Especially with Michelangelo standing right behind her and guiding her hands until she got the hang of it.
She felt her face warm just thinking about it.
"Aw, he and Shred-Head are always being total downers," Michelangelo replied. "We just hafta keep beatin' 'em to the punch." He eyed her, trying not to get lost in her eyes. He'd made a fool of himself earlier, in the arcade when he'd kinda lost himself in her presence and hadn't even noticed that the game was done until she'd asked if he wanted a turn. It was hard though! Whenever he was laughing or smiling, her face would just lit up itself, almost like it was full of an inner fire. He wanted to keep seeing that. "So far, I think they'll be licking their wounds for a while."
Giggling, she finished her slice and said, "Well, you'd think he'd learn no to mess with you crazy turtles. Especially you, Michelangelo."
The teenager flushed, "Aw, gee, Kala, I ain't any better than any of my brothers."
Disagreeing, she shook her head, "I say you are. Not just anyone can fight some total freakoids like Krang and Shredder and still be able to laugh the next day." She was quite adamant on that. "That's something we Neutrinos really value, especially me." She couldn't stop the thought that rushed through her head—about a potential future where the battles and fighting had gotten through Michelangelo's strong spiritual barrier. Where the fighting and death and dying and all of it finally extinguished that fire of passion in his heart. A future where he broke.
Her heart clenched like a vice had clamped onto it. To picture those eyes, so full of energy and happiness to be suddenly downcast and full of doubts. Full of pain. Like she saw so many of her own kind these days. Folks that she remembered from when she was a little girl, people she had grown up watching laugh and play and paint and sing coming back home with a broken spirit and haunted eyes. She had seen one of her many cousins come back with such darkness in his eyes that she barely recognized him. People that had been fighting so long that they no longer remembered life before it.
No! He would NOT turn out that way. Not her Michelangelo.
"Kala?"
The turtle's inquiry cut her from her morbid thoughts and she gave him a forced smile. He could see something was up; he was an expert at reading her emotions, even through the radio. Now that she was in front of him, there was no way she was going to be able to hide much. "Sorry, Michelangelo," she apologized. "Lots of fighting at home, it's a total drag."
He eyed her a little bit. She could tell he wasn't convinced that was all and he was not the type to leave it at that. "How bad's the fighting gettin', Kala?"
She sighed and took a drink of her soda. Looking down at her hands, she steadied her voice. "Bad. Krang's rock soldiers are everywhere. They're always finding ways around our defenses and they're relentless." She ground her hands into tight fists. "Gizzla and Zenter are already scattering what forces we have but there's only so many of them, Michelangelo." She didn't raise her head to look at him, not trusting her eyes not to give away how very much she was afraid and feeling lost. "They just aren't satisfied until, like, all our cities are wiped out. And all we wanna do is enjoy our lives."
"Maximum bummer," Michelangelo agreed and though he was nervous about it, he reached out and wrapped a hand around hers. It felt a little weird mainly because he didn't know how she would take it but he wanted her to feel better. It was major-league unfair that she had to deal with all this! Krang and his stupid army and their stupid wanna-conquer-the-world shtick. He could _feel_ her despair. Literally, like it was rushing off her in waves. It was kinda like he'd told Doctor Goodfellow that he could sometimes 'feel' his brothers. He was 'feeling' Kala, intensely. He thought for a minute if she wasn't crying then he would be in a second. "Hey, Kala. It's…it's gonna be okay though." He smiled at her, tilted her head up a little bit. "You'll see. We'll thrash Krang and Shredder and once they're beaten, I betcha that we can help take out those miserable goons of his too!"
Kala's heart skipped a beat. No, the last thing she wanted was the turtles getting involved. They had enough on their plate without worrying about the problems in Dimension X! Taking care of one world was hard enough, let alone worrying about another. They didn't need to get involved. They couldn't! "Michelangelo, can we…not talk about that?" She asked softly. Covering her worry with a smile, she said "I came here to enjoy time with you and get away from all that, you know?" She gave a half smile "Enough Grimsville for one week, you feel me?"
"Uh…right. Right." He wasn't comforted by her avoidance of his offer but the look in her eyes…he couldn't very well say no and the Dudette was right! She'd come here to have fun. Great, his date was already sad. How to fix sad…how to fix sad…
"Say, Dudette?" He offered with a smile "That last slice of pizza is all yours."
***
"You weren't kidding," Kala said simply, walking along, staring at the stars above. She had finished up what was probably the most delicious treat she'd ever had, nothing like what they had available in her home world so she and Michelangelo had taken to the paths of Central Park. He had told her that there were all kinds of colors and things to see and she had jumped at it. Thus, here they were, late into the night, walking hand and hand in the large gathering of trees, lakes and flowers.
Michelangelo chuckled a little. "Well, I 'member you said that you Neutrinos loved anything that inspired 'art,' right?" He remembered they had had many a conversation about that. She'd told him that their whole civilization was built on basically enjoying life (which is probably why he connected so much with them) so anything that inspired you to be creative, whether it be art, music, writing, whatever, was something they strived for. Given his last look at Dimension X had not exactly screamed 'art,' he thought a walk through the park would please her. He was nearly bursting at seeing how wide her grin was.
She nodded "Before the war with Krang and his lame-o soldiers," she explained, "That was all we did, man! Painting, sketching, making all kinds of music, dances, games, that was our life, Michelangelo!" She grinned and spun around in the grass around the paths. "When I was a squirt, I used to just grab buckets of paint and we'd find any ol' plain rock and just go to town!" She smiled, her memories playing through her mind like a flowing rainbow. "Oh, you'd have a lot of fun with how we used to be, Michelangelo!"
The surfer turtle grinned, "Sounds totally bodacious." He flinched in surprise when she leaned on his shoulder but then decided to take the opportunity to squeeze her shoulder, "Betcha your towns were beautiful, Dudette."
She jerked a little and stared at him, "What?"
Feeling more than a little put on the spot, he rubbed his neck, "Uh…did I say anything wrong?" He had been truthful when he said that sounded beautiful. Man, a whole civilization full of artists and writers and stuff! He would have fit right in. No wonder when he first met them they had clicked so easily! But, apparently, he'd messed up again. Man, no one had told him that being on a date would cause so many problems! Though, he was learning a whole bunch about her people and culture! Man, when the war was over, he'd have to visit!
Kala, catching on quickly, replied "Oh, beautiful is used causally here, huh?"
Michelangelo tilted his head, intrigued "Oh, well, yeah. I mean, I'll say that a pizza is beautiful or Donatello will say that a pile of junk is beautiful because of some weird invention that he'll make outta it." He eyed her, caught the recognition in her eyes, "Not like that for your peeps, huh?"
With a shy smile, she shook her head "Nope. We have a different word for it in my language but it would translate 'beautiful' in English, I think." She kept walking, stating "Beautiful in my tongue is das'lliu."
Michelangelo paused, tried it out on his lips "Day-s-ku-lu-lee-oo?"
Kala giggled, a hand over her mouth, "Close enough. We'll just stick with 'beautiful' okay?"
"Deal, Dudette." He paused, considering, "So…what's that mean in your language?"
"It's a special word." She said simply. "See, we talk about arts and stuff all the time back home…or we used to anyway. But beautiful was reserved for special people. You earthlings say 'I love you.' We Neutrinos say 'you're beautiful.'" She kept talking and Michelangelo latched onto every word. "See, when our race was young, like micro, time-wise, our first king worked for, like, years, to make this garden for his queen. Made it hang down from the mountain cliffs and wove paths into the flowers and made the trees form canopy tunnels!" She smiled; it was her favorite story when she was a little girl and she told her date so, "I used to love it when Papa would tell it to me. See, the queen was wanting a child, like really bad, wanting a child so the king made her the garden to help her feel better. When she saw the garden, according to the story, she turned and told the king 'it's beautiful.' That night, the story says anyway, that she gave birth to a child in the center of the garden and told her husband 'you're beautiful as the garden that gave us our heir.'" Kala smirked and found herself widening her smile at Michelangelo's completely star-dazed look. "So, you're beautiful became our term for your special someone."
"Aw, man, that's like, mondo-sweet, Kala." He grinned and lost his slightly dopey look, stretching as they walked. "I'll try not to use it again unless it's time, okay?"
Her face colored and Michelangelo definitely felt the awkwardness. A feeling of crawl-into-hole-and-hide. He slammed his head into his hand, "Man, mondo-sorry Kala. Foot-in-mouth, that's me!" what was wrong with him?! She had just gotten done telling him it was a special word that you only used with your husband, wife, mate, whatever, and he went on and said he'd only use it when it was time? Like they were gonna get married or something? God, what an idiot! He repeated again, "Mondo-sorry Dudette, I didn't….mean, I…"
Kala lay a hand on his, "Aw, it's okay. You mean well. You always do." She looked upward again, thinking. While she loved thinking about what her race used to be, it was also so disheartening to think about what they had been reduced to. "I didn't mean to get all gushy on you."
Michelangelo squeezed her hand back "Hey, I like mushy! I'm the hug-turtle, remember?"
Leaning against his side, she responded, "I remember. You've always been my crazy turtle." She felt a deep surge of fear take her heart, suddenly and immensely. He _was_ her crazy turtle and if what he had asked earlier was any indication, he meant to live up to that name. But…if Michelangelo and his family became involved in their war with Krang's rock soldiers, with his mercenaries. She shuddered, inwardly and outwardly. She had seen too much, seen too many people break and without much of an advance.
Michelangelo watched his girl with cautious concern. She had gone quiet after calling him her (Yes, she'd said he was HERS! Score!) crazy turtle. But then, she had been shifting back and forth all night. Happy and really, truly full of light but then like this, suddenly all depressed. It was worse than before. When she had come the few times before, she would get sad when she talked about what was going on at her home but never like this. She could always forget it and just lose herself in his world. Now, while she was trying, he could tell her mind was still focused on home.
Clearing his throat, he tried again, "Say, Kala, I mean, me and the others, we could totally come help you Dudes out. It sounds like you need it! We could give that Traag a run for his money and give you guys—"
"No!" Kala jerked from him, her eyes wild. "No! You can't!" She grasped onto his upper arms, "It's not your war!"
"The heck it ain't!" Michelangelo argued. "Kala, it's killing you and you're my girl." He didn't think much about that statement. It was how he felt. Hearing and knowing how much she was suffering, that wasn't okay! "We've dealt with Shred-Head and Krang before so—"
"No!" She insisted, shaking her head, her ponytail loosening a little and her hair drifting in her face. "No, you can't! It's more important that you focus on Krang and Shredder. Michelangelo, it's a horrible thing, this war but I don't want you involved in it!" She was firm, strong on that. "I've seen what this war does to people, what it does to spirits! It kills them! No! That can't happen with you!"
"Like it's doing to you?!" he argued, tears in his eyes, despite how he tried to stop them. "Kala, it's eatin' you up! Lemme do SOMETHING! I'll show that Traag and his group what happens when you mess with a turtle's babe!"
"No!" She insisted again, flashes of that horrible future—of a broken Michelangelo, cutting so deep into her heart that it physically hurt. "No, you've still got a chance! I hafta go back to that but you don't!" She begged, tears slowly leaking out of her eyes, "Please, Michelangelo, you can't get involved."
"Kala, Dudette.." he reached out, pushed some of the hairs out of her face, "I am, like, totally involved. It's beyond uncool what these Rock Soldiers are doing to you and as long as you're involved, then this Ninja Turtle is involved! Because you're important to me, get it?" He peered deep into her eyes, begging her to understand, begging her to tell him what he could do. Even if it was just a little thing, some way to alleviate some of the troubles they had to deal with it. It would be totally worth it!
Kala looked down for a long moment, her heart pounding. He wouldn't relent, she could see it in his eyes, feel it in his vice like grip. No matter what she said, he would make himself be involved. As long as she was involved, he'd be involved because he cared about her. No, she couldn't let this happen. Michelangelo had a rare spirit. A spirit you scarcely ever saw no matter how hard you hunted for it. She knew a choice few Neutrinos with a spirit even half as special as his. She had seen this war kill their spirits, every single one of them. She couldn't do anything about them, she'd been helpless to do so.
She would not be helpless now.
"Then…I can't be important to you anymore!" Kala jerked from his grip, suddenly and fiercely. "If it will keep you out of this totally grims-mess, then fine!" She hardened her voice though it still broke and it broke frequently "Don't call me on the radio anymore, Michelangelo! Don't come to Dimension X, I won't see you!" She turned on her heels and ran, trying to put as much distance between them that she could, even as she dug her transmitter from her pocket and started to type in her home dimension's coordinates.
Michelangelo stood, frozen, for a moment, his brain not really comprehending. What was…what did she mean…she couldn't… "Kala!" he called, snapping out his daze and rushing after her, as fast as he could. She wouldn't even turn to look at him! He felt a sick feeling settle in his stomach and a burning take his heart and he knew it wasn't from the food. "Kala, c'mon Dudette, don't do this!" he heightened his voice and his speed, "I just wanna help you!"
"Then stay away!" she called, her voice quivering. "That's how you can help!"
"Kala!"
Michelangelo had never felt this before, this kind of pain. It felt like it was a fire in the center of his chest and his whole body felt like it was made of lead even while he pounded his feet against the pathways and dirt, trying to reach her. What he was gonna say, he really didn't know but she couldn't leave. Not like this! This was totally nutsoid! Mondo-bizarro! Unfair! This wasn't fair! "Please, Kala!" His own voice broke some, "Don't do this!" This was supposed to be a start, not an ending! It wasn't supposed to go like this!
Kala breathed a sigh of relief as the quivering doorway opened in front of her. She could hear Michelangelo gaining, not even three feet behind her, when she dove into the doorway, slamming her portal generator into the side of the entryway as she passed through. For a moment, a brief moment, before the doorway shimmered shut, she caught his eyes—pleading, begging, full of tears even as he reached for her and the portal slammed shut right before his fingers brushed her arm. She squeezed her own eyes shut and laid her head against the nearest wall, screeching out her pain, cursing Krang, cursing Shredder, cursing Traag, cursing them all.
Then she cried.
***
Michelangelo had trudged homeward, sluggish. This...this couldn't have happened. It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
She had left, pushed him away and left, screaming that he wasn't supposed to see her, not supposed to even talk to her. They had been doing that for like, forever! They'd been allies, always working together. The dinner had been great and once he had gotten over the nervousness, it had gone great! She'd been laughing, smiling, she'd been happy! All he'd wanted was for that to be more permanent. He wanted her to be able to at least smile a little when she was at home. He hadn't wanted her to be so sad!
Now, in a split second, all of that erased, gone. Like a sword wound right through the chest. No, he was pretty sure a sword wound would have hurt less. Least that was fast and you bled out. This one lingered. Her crying, her shouting, the way she had been quivering when that portal door had slammed shut. That had hurt. She was hurt, she was hurting so bad and she wasn't letting him help her! She wasn't going to let him help her! She was hurting and being hurt more every day and he couldn't fix it. He couldn't fix it! She wouldn't let him.
He slipped into the Lair entrance, realizing that he was still carrying his cheapskate (he hadn't even ridden the thing home) instead of dropping it in the garage and it was like that was the last draw. The last little inconvenience on a night that would not leave his dreams for a long time. With a roar more reminiscent of Raphael than himself, he tossed the thing with all his strength into the nearest corner, ignoring that it was late and it was probably gonna break the motor. He didn't care. He didn't care right now.
"Whoa! What's the matter, Hulk-Turtle?" Raphael's sarcastic tone from the living room was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. Still, he looked up and found the red banded turtle staring at him in bafflement from the other end of the room and Leonardo and Donatello peering over from the couch. Great. They'd waited up for him. Swell. Just what he needed right now.
"Nothing." He spat fiercely.
The tap of a cane on the floor came from behind Raphael as Splinter rushed into the room, obviously brought by the commotion, "Michelangelo, what is wrong, my student?"
"Nothing," he repeated with clenched teeth "Sorry about the noise Sensei, I'm cool." He kept his tone as even keel as he could.
Splinter was not convinced, nor was Raphael or his other two brothers who stood up and came around the couch.
Donatello tried next, "Michelangelo, talk to us. What happened?"
"I told ya, I'm cool, dude."
Raphael raised a brow at his youngest brother "Right. Cause when you're cool, you make a habit of tossing your cheapskate into the corner of the Lair. Especially with protective Mechanic Donatello present. Oh yeah, you're calm as hell." The red banded turtle ignored the rather sharp glare his master gave him and kept his eyes on his little brother. Throwing things around and screaming were more his territory and even he didn't do it very often, let alone this late at night. Plus, wasn't Michelangelo supposed to come home all happy-go-lucky cloud-nine and stuff?
"We don't give you crap at your attitude," the surfer turtle countered "Even when you're mondo-rude!" He refused to look at his brother, at any of his family members for that matter. He just wanted to go to his room and go to bed, let the night pass away like a nightmare. Heck, maybe he could convince himself it was one. He'd done less extreme things before!
Raphael shrugged "Eh, you're used to it from me."
"Well, I'm allowed an off day," Michelangelo argued, though he still hadn't moved to look his brother in the face. Splinter, despite reading the signs all too well, opted to let Raphael continue. While he could be quite blunt and rude, he was also a protective sibling and Splinter could feel that. Raphael may have been keeping his tough-guy act up but he was worried, concerned. The old martial arts master knew his sons well and that love and worry was practically oozing off his second eldest.
"Cept it isn't an off day." Raphael went on, stepping forward and laying a hand on his youngest sibling's shoulder. "You were happier than a deep fried pizza earlier. Kala has that effect on you-"
"SHUT UP!"
The command was shrill, sharp and so out of character that it caught Raphael off guard. He stumbled back a bit and Splinter stepped forward, catching Michelangelo's hand as he flung Raphael's grip off. "My son," he began but Michelangelo wasn't done though the dam had been broken. He was crying.
"Please! All of you, j-just shut up. She...we...she's...got other important things in her life right now. She…she won't let me help her." He still didn't turn around but his head dipped and he took Splinter's strong squeeze of comfort to his heart. God, why wouldn't they just leave him alone? "So, ju-just drop it."
A surge of pity flooded Raphael's heart but right on its heels was anger. Mind-numbingly strong anger. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...you mean she broke up with you?!"
Leonardo face-palmed. "Way to be sensitive Raph..."
Michelangelo whirled around, tearing his hand out of Splinter's, cursing the tears rolling down his face. "Yes, yes she did. Go on and rub it in Dude!"
Donatello spoke out, softly and asked again "What happened?"
"I tol' ya!" He snapped, head down.
Splinter spoke, gently, his heart aching for his youngest, "My son, the pains of the heart are the deepest wounds but before they can be mended, they must be made clear to those who care to mend them." He kept his tone soft and as comforting as he could, gently taking his child's hand again, "Please, talk to us, Michelangelo."
"What's there to talk about?" He shouted, head down even as his body began to quiver with restrained sobs. "She said I couldn't help her with all the mondo-problems she's having at home. I said I hadda find some way to help her because I cared about her and she said then she couldn't be important to me anymore. Tol' me not to come see her, not to talk to her, not to call her on the radio or anything. Complete total cut off! And she slammed the portal closed behind her soon as she made it through it. Saw her break her summoner-portal-thingie too. She's serious about it. No more Romeo-Michelangelo…"
Raphael cut in "C'mon, Mike, you're stronger than this. We're the heroes in the half shell, not the Housewives of New York...geez, Wailing over an alien chick you didn't see much anyway..." It killed his heart to speak that way but he needed to. He saw the need in his brother that he had every so often. The restrained emotion that would burst if you didn't let it out. And if Michelangelo was going to be stubborn about it, then he would make it come out.
"RAPHAEL!" Donatello and Leonardo cried out as one but Splinter merely looked at him and Raphael was grateful for the understanding that flickered through his father's eyes. It was very subtle but Splinter saw exactly what his hot-blooded son was doing. While it was unorthodox, it might be what was needed for the moment. So he gave Raphael a simple half bob of the head in recognition.
"No, this is ridiculous!" Raphael threw out again though if it had been anyone else saying the same thing toi his brother right now, he would have clobbered them. It looked like Leonardo was ready to do that to him when Splinter lay a hand on his arm and Raphael added, "Her loss, no big deal—"
Michelangelo' fist came in hard, full force as his brother caught it. Raphael held his stance though it made his palm sting. Stared at his brother's quivering arm, his leaking eyes, his shaking body.
"Do it again."
Now Leonardo understood. The teasing was gone from his red banded brother's voice. After a moment, Donatello joined him in recognition.
Michelangelo punched again. Harder this time.
"Harder." Raphael's tone was even, cold, firm.
Again
"C'mon, knock the sadistic jerk right outta me, Mikey."
One, two, three punches, with alternating fists. While Raphael may have used anger at him to get it started, Michelangelo's anger was now completely directed at another. With each punch, he pictured Traag. Or Krang. Or Shredder. He pictured the pain he felt in his heart being something physical, something with a face. Just so long as it was SOMETHING he could take all this maddening energy out on. This anger, this anger that he had nothing to direct at! Despite how he should have...maybe was even justified at being angry at Kala, he couldn't. He was angry at how she hurt. How she hurt and he couldn't stop it.
Yes. That was who deserved his anger. Himself. He couldn't help her. He couldn't make her see that he could help her. He couldn't help her.
Raphael's palm was starting to shift from green to blue but he held it firm with each blow from his sibling, coaching "Show me you can take down anything!"
Punch after punch until sweat poured down Mike's face and Raphael winced at each blow. Leonardo had slipped out and returned with an ice pack at the ready. Then finally, Michelangelo fell to his knees, panting, that energy spent. Raphael massaged his palm and accepted the ice pack from Leonardo wordlessly, Splinter stepped forward and laid a hand on Michelangelo's shoulder as Donatello did the same to his other shoulder and Leonardo fell to his knees and took his littlest brother in an embrace. A strong, firm hug, one that would drive out anything that dared cause pain to his brother's heart.
"Feel better?" Raphael remarked.
Michelangelo did not reply.
Splinter moved his hand from the youngest turtle's shoulder to stroke his head. "You are among family, my child." He had not called any of the turtles 'my child' since they were quite young but it was needed here. Needed desperately. "Let us help you."
Michelangelo just laid his face into Leonardo's neck and cried.