Hard Lessons

A/N: This is a one-shot prequel story in my Deadly Game series. The bunny came into my head as I was plotting out Hide and Seek and some of the characters I was going to use. One such character will be Cynthia, a seven-year-old homeless girl. Though I haven't introduced her in the main fic yet, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce her here so that you can get a better idea about her before you meet her in Hide and Seek. She will play a small role in that story as well as in the other stories in the Deadly Game series that I'm planning on doing. This is her introduction, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Summary: While out on a comic book run, Michelangelo rescues a young girl from some thugs and learns that there are some things that can't be fixed no matter how hard you try to. Prequel in the Deadly Game series.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon Studios. I own Cynthia and any other characters you don't recognize.

Michelangelo ran across the rooftops feeling really excited. He had just gotten the latest Justice Force comic and couldn't wait to sit down and read about their adventures. Even at eighteen, Mikey had never really outgrown his love of comic books or cartoons. Though his brothers often teased him for it, he knew that they wouldn't have him any other way. He smiled as he thought about that and leapt another rooftop, doing a flip in the process.

"Yep, I still got it," he said. "Man, if only I could train to be in the Olympics. They sure would love me." Just as he was about to leap another rooftop, he heard a scream coming from an alley. Snapping to attention, he hurried to the edge of the rooftop and looked down. A young girl was backed up against a wall while a group of thugs blocked her escape.

"Awww, look at the little girlie," one of them taunted. "She looks so scared."

"Don't be scared, sweet pea," another one said. "Just do what we tell you to, and you won't get hurt."

Mikey could tell that these guys were up to no good, and he wasn't going to let them hurt the little girl. Before the girl could do anything, Mikey leapt down into the shadows and grabbed one of the thugs from behind. The thug let out a scream but could do no more as Mikey brought down his nunchuck on the guy's head, knocking him out.

"Who's there?" one of the other thugs demanded. He pulled out a switchblade and waved it around, hoping to intimidate whoever had hurt his friend.

Mikey snorted. "Yeah, like a switchblade is really going to do anything," he remarked. The man came at him, but Mikey dodged him and curled his nunchuck around the blade, yanking it from the guy's hand. He then knocked the guy out before he could do any more damage.

The other thugs were scared to death and didn't know what to do. One of the thugs cried, "Let's get out of here!" and started to flee, but Mikey tripped him up and pinned him to the ground with his foot.

"Let me go!" the thug begged. "Please don't hurt me."

"Why were you harassing that girl over there?" Mikey demanded.

"It was just a joke," the thug replied.

Mikey shook his head. "Wrong answer, pal," he responded.

"Look, I promise we won't hurt her no more," the thug begged. "We'll just go away and pretend this never happened."

Mikey snorted. "Yeah, right," he said. "I've heard that line so many times, it's not even funny. You need to be dealt with. The question is, what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Don't hurt me," the thug begged. "I swear, I didn't mean to."

Mikey looked down at his pleading face. He was crying, hoping that that would distract the Turtle in orange. Meanwhile, the other thugs were sneaking up on Mikey, hoping to take him by surprise.

"Look out!" the girl cried "They're behind you!"

Mikey had already sensed them before she cried out. Whirling around, he punched one of them in the face, breaking his nose in the process. The other thug tried to retaliate, but Mikey blocked his punch and flipped him over neatly. He looked around, but there were no other assailants nearby.

"Jesus, what are you, some kind of ninja?" the thug pinned beneath Mikey asked.

"You could say that," Mikey replied. He took some rope out of his coat pocket and began to tie up the thugs starting with the one he had pinned to the ground. Once they were all secured, he propped them up against a wall and took out his Shell Cell to call the cops. After the call was made, Mikey turned to the little girl who hadn't moved from her spot.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. "That was cool," she said. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My dad taught me," he replied. "You mind if I take you home?"

"Not at all," she answered.

Mikey smiled and came over to her. Even though he was disguised, he knew that he had to make sure the girl didn't get lost, so he took her hand in his.

"Your hand is funny," she remarked. "You only have three fingers, and it's kind of rough. Did you get into an accident or something?"

"Not exactly," he replied. His tone implied that he didn't really want to go into details about it.

She accepted that. "Okay, cool," she said. "My name's Cynthia by the way. What's yours?"

"Michelangelo, but everyone calls me Mikey," he responded. "So, why were those thugs bothering you?"

She shrugged. "Just being bullies I guess," she answered. "They do this all the time though. I'm used to it."

"Well, maybe they won't now that the cops are gonna catch them," Mikey told her. He studied her and noticed that she looked really young. She had blonde hair and green eyes that seemed a little dull. "How old are you?"

"Seven," she replied. "What about you?"

"Eighteen," Mikey answered. He couldn't believe that someone so young was out this late at night. Where were her parents?

"Thanks for saving me," Cynthia said. "I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," Mikey told her.

"What were you doing out anyway?" she asked him.

"Getting a comic book," he responded. "What about you?"

"Just out for a walk." Something told Mikey she wasn't telling the truth, but he decided not to press her on it.

Mikey looked around to see which home was Cynthia's. "So, where do you live?" he asked her.

"Here," she replied as they stopped beside yet another alley. She turned into it and stopped beside a cardboard box. There was a small sack which looked to hold some of her possessions, but they weren't much. "Thanks for taking me home."

Mikey couldn't believe it. "You live here?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yep," she said.

"But where are your parents?" he asked her.

"They're dead," she told him. "They died two years ago in a hit and run accident. I was lucky enough to survive. After I left the hospital, they put me in an orphanage, but I wasn't happy there at all. So, one day, I ran away from there, and here I am."

"Are they looking for you over there?" Mikey asked her.

"Probably," she replied. "That's why I stay away from where the cops are. I have to hide so they don't find me."

"But maybe it would be better if they did find you," Mikey told her. "You can't keep living like this, Cyn. It's not fair to you. You deserve to have a good home and a loving family."

"There's no such thing, Mikey," she replied. "I would just waste away in that orphanage. There's no one out there for me."

"Yes, there is," he insisted. "There has to be. Just give it a chance."

She shook her head. "No, I don't want to," she said. "I just can't get another family."

Mikey wanted to protest, but he could tell that Cynthia was stubborn about it. He sighed and shook his head. "Okay, Cyn, have it your way," he replied. "But I swear that I'm not going to let anyone hurt you ever again. I'm going to keep an eye on you and make sure you're safe whether you like it or not."

She smiled. "I can live with that," she said. "Thanks, Mikey. I know you want to help me, but I'm just afraid right now. I'm not ready for a new family just yet."

"I understand," he said softly. "Well, I better get going, or Leo's going to tear me a new one."

"Is Leo your dad?" she asked.

"No, he's my older brother," Mikey responded. "He sometimes worries about me when I don't come home right away."

"Oh, I see," she said. "Well, good luck."

"Thanks," Mikey replied. "See you later. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will," she promised. She waved to him as he left her and leapt the rooftops.

Mikey looked back and saw Cynthia looking up at him. He felt so bad for her and her situation. He wished there was something he could do to help her. He decided to talk to his brothers about it when he got home. Maybe they would have a solution to the problem.

When he arrived home, he saw all of his brothers waiting for him. He came in and shed his coat, hanging it on the hook where the other trench coats were.

"Hey, Mikey, glad you could make it back," Raphael said from where he was watching TV. "What took ya so long?"

"I ran into some trouble," Mikey answered and proceeded to tell them about Cynthia and the thugs. "So, after I took care of the thugs I walked her home," he concluded. "I thought she lived in an apartment, but I found out she's homeless. She lives in a cardboard box in an alley all by herself."

"What about her family?" Leo asked.

"Her parents are dead," Mieky replied. "She ran away from some orphanage and ended up homeless. I just don't think it's fair that she has to live like that. We have to do something for her."

"There's not much we can do, Mikey," Don pointed out. "Homelessness is a big problem, but the citizens aren't taking notice of it."

"I know, and that's why we need to help her out," Mikey protested. "Maybe we can place a call to the cops. They would help her out."

"Forget it, Mikey," Raph grumbled. "The cops don't give a shit about the homeless. They pretty much get ignored all the time."

Mikey was desperate. "Then what else can we do?" he cried. "I don't want her to die out there!"

"My son, I understand that you want to help this young lady," Splinter said, laying a paw on his youngest son's shoulder. "But if she is not ready to accept help from others, then there is nothing you can do to change that. However you can help her in small ways such as taking food to her and finding clothing for her. Perhaps that will make her see that having someone care about her is not a bad thing."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea, Mikey," Leo added. "We could even help with that if you want."

"I guess that would be okay," Mikey replied. "Thanks, guys. I think I will do that for her."

"Then it is settled," Splinter declared. "I am proud of you, my son. You are willing to help others in need even if they may not want it. It is admirable that you have such compassion in you."

"Thank you, Sensei," Mikey said. "I promise, I won't let you down."

And so, the routine began. Mikey kept an eye on Cynthia and made sure she was okay. He would sometimes bring her food and clothes as well as blankets. He even managed to buy her some comic books and other books so she'd have something to occupy her time. Although she didn't want to accept charity from anyone, she was glad that Mikey was doing this for her. She always thanked him for the items and promised to pay him back when she got the chance. A friendship blossomed between them, and Mikey was really glad about it. Eventually, he told her more about himself and his family with Splinter's permission. Sometimes, Mikey would bring one of the others to visit her, and she even got to meet Splinter on one of the outings.

"Your family's so cool, Mikey," she commented one day. "I really like them."

"Yeah, they are cool," Mieky replied. "I hope that one day you'll have a cool family, too."

"Maybe I will when I'm ready," she responded.

"Sounds like a plan," Mikey said. "Well, I gotta go. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yep," Cynthia replied. "See you later."

As Mikey headed home, he couldn't help but wonder if Cynthia would ever find that family. It definitely wasn't cool to be homeless, and it made Mikey appreciate everything he had. One day, Cynthia would find that family she was waiting for, and she would find out that having a family was one of the best things in the world. It would just take time. With that last thought in his head, Mikey went home to his family and the love that awaited him there.

A/N: And, that's it for this story. Sorry if the ending sounded a bit corny. It was the best I could think of. And I apologize if the fight scenes are kind of off. I did the best I could with them, but I'm not that good at writing them. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.