Uncertainty

Night three of their capture, Nao finally woke up. Her body was sore, and she was exhausted even though she had spent the second whole day of capture asleep. She now focused on getting the weapons out of her body from her torture session. 'I hate being so weak…' she thought with a growl as she pulled the last kunai from out of her leg. Her wound's healed quickly, but the scars from her past just went back to being scars. She wondered how she had healed, the reason not registering in her mind. The hybrid looked around at her surroundings.

She was in a cell, 10ft by 10ft, and it looked so much like her past that it was the reason why her memories weren't returning as quickly even after the normal five minutes. Nao had been lying in fresh pool of blood, with dried blood all around her in layers. Someone besides her had been bleeding, had their blood flow stopped, and then restarted as they made a wrong move or were beaten.

'Who?' Nao wondered and looked further, with a better vision then what she had the day before. The stuff they had sprayed into her eyes had lasted longer than expected.

A groan alerted her and she turned to see an orange-masked turtle chained to the wall. "Angelo!" Nao cried and stood swiftly. Her hands and magic easily undid the chains and she cradled the turtle in her arms, "Mikey…" she whispered. How he was still alive was beyond her. He was a pale, pale green now, not the vibrant dark teal green his turtle skin usually was. The gash on his chest was horrid-looking and seemed to be infected. Her hands traveled along his body to try and heal his wounds, but only the bleeding stopped and the infection disappeared. The slice in his plastron refused to heal.

"Oh, Mikey, choudai," Nao pleaded with hot tears in her eyes. They made travel marks on her cheeks and then dripped onto the usually hyper and rambunctious turtle that now was broken, beaten, battered and bruised.

He hurt. He hurt everywhere. The Foot ninja really didn't seem to care if he was alright or not. Trying to get information about the whereabouts of his brothers and friends… He knew that Karai figured it out, she was a smart lady, and Mikey had a feeling that she went for a reason that could really, really be bad. He felt someone crying and knew exactly who it was.

Nao finally woke up.

He opened his eyes, pain blurring out the solidness and made everything look like liquid. He couldn't keep them open for a while, the light made his head pound and his stomach turned. "Glad you're a-awake." He murmured. "I didn't mean for you to get captured, too." He knew Rae had a vision of him. She told him and warned him. The hint was just a reminder. He knew Nao had been told too. He suspected she kept her mouth shut around his brothers, since Rae told Mikey and Nao that it was their chance……

Stupid girl… Michelangelo knew he shouldn't think of her like that, but…he chuckled weakly, the blood from his lungs hurt. He suspected he got a few broken bones and ribs. God it hurt, it hurt so much, but this pain wasn't like what Nao should be feeling, if she wasn't healed. If she was, then the pain she had gone through would be an easier statement to make. "But, I guess that's just what Fate wanted right? You talk about it a lot. We've been here for three nights. I don't think my siblings are going to be looking for us for a while……I don't think they know where we are…I think Rae and Bria know……or at least Rae…she has the visions thing." He was blabbering now. He wanted to block out the pain and talking helped. It helped a lot. It kept his mind away from how many bruises he had, and how many wounds that were or might be infected.

Nao hugged Mikey tighter, and her head turned toward the cell door. In the corner right across from her, was her bag and katana. She had everything, but that didn't surprise her. The Foot didn't care about her or if she escaped; they just wanted her orange-clad love. She remembered what she put in that bag, oh did she remember well. It made her think of what she had watched happen to each and every one of the other brothers, Raphael, Donatello, and Leonardo respectfully in that order.

Was it really fair to her to keep the remaining brother like this when she was so capable of helping him that same way? She may be weak, but she'd been through worse and had plenty of inner energy to keep her going. Nao bit her lip and as she thought she rubbed her fingers along the vein she would need to make the transformation. Why was she so afraid? If she didn't do it Mikey would die, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself or the trio back in their safe zone. More tears flowed over as she battled with the decision.

Why was she so frightened?

"I remember when April got kidnapped. Casey came to us and told she wasn't answering, and Donny couldn't get answer on the computer. We got a phone call from this chick Azami…Leo was so mad. She called us and told us she wouldn't harm April until we got there. He made her swear on his honor and we left. She took down all the barriers so we could find her, and wanted our blood. I don't know what the experiment was, I still don't. I think I missed it, or something. But she got it from us after a fight. We really wanted April back…we haven't seen or heard from her since."

He was cold, tired, he wanted to sleep, but he knew it was dangerous. He shuddered; the loss of blood was getting to him faster. He needed to calm down, even breathing. Stay awake and alert. The Foot ninja might come back and he knew that the wounds would just reopen. "I also remember when we first met Rae and Bria. Bria came down and told Hun off. There wasn't a fight or anything, just a talking to. Rae just stayed on the balcony, not wanting to be in it. When they were gone and she told us her name, Rae wanted to go home…wherever home was for them. Raph called to her and told her to come down."

Mikey paused in the memory, "She wasn't very graceful, but I sensed something. I knew she could fight, I knew she wasn't as gentle as she let everyone believe, but I knew that she was the kindest girl I knew. When I told them my idea of letting them stay…I remember her falling. Rae tripped, I think on purpose." He snickered.

"Bria hit Leo. Well, she pretty much was training with Leo and they went all out on each other and she accidentally hit him where the wound was. She felt terrible." Mikey shuddered, feeling colder. "Bria doesn't talk about her hometown much, at least she didn't mention much to me. Leo and she usually spend all day training and meditating. They were always together and always doing something together. I'm sure they talked a lot. They brought me into conversations as well as Donny and Raph. Not much Don, but Raph."

He closed his eyes, trying to stop the dizziness. "I remember when I asked Rae about her drawl. She was really, really homesick and she told me about her home." He smiled, "She really, really missed the country and told me everything she knew about it. She had an accent I didn't notice before. The next day she hid the accent, and didn't mention it again. I also remember the time when Raph told me that he was thinking that he was starting to fall for Rae but he thought it was just…you know…a fling. A fleeting feeling…Three months later, Rae says the same thing. I remember when Lily was crying and was telling me that she thought she loved Don, but she forbade me to tell it and then Don asks me what a 'crush' was…he has an IQ of 637 but the poor guy didn't know what a 'crush' was?" He stopped and started coughing.

Michelangelo closed his eyes and breathed shallowly, "Lily and Don are a good pairing because they both have good heads. They're both smart, and Lily can get him to sleep. Rae only had to help her once, and Don swore that if she helped again he would hurt her. You should have seen Raph when he said that. He got really upset. Rae and Raph…They fight a lot, I know, but Rae has many secrets and many stories untold. The Informers, how they started, how she met Ian and Fireside. Raph…he tries, but I think he doesn't get it. I asked Rae once about what she saw in dates and love, and she said even though she was hopeless romantic; she doesn't know how to respond. Easily intimidated and she plays dumb and tough, because she's scared. I mean, I'd be scared too, if I were her. She loved Matt but he broke it off telling her he was gay, and she loved her father but he didn't want her because of what he considered her to be."

He paused, "Raph loves her and Rae loves him, too. They'd make a good couple if they just sat down and talk. Leo and Bria, they're mirrors, reflections. They're both the same person. They loved each other, and I knew it. I knew the minute their eyes locked that night when they first met. But……what about us? You're laid back, easy to talk to, and smart. I don't know if your personality collides with mine or what, but I want to know. What about us? Are we mirrors? You scared of me love you because someone in your past hurt you enough to make you skeptic? Or are we like Don and Lily…our personalities are just…almost the same, but not like mirrors?"

Nao paused in her movements and her hands warmed with her healing touch. If she didn't have this ability, Michelangelo would have passed out, but since his wounds wouldn't heal this way, at least she could keep him awake. She shook as she thought about the answer to his question. "There's always been a piece of my past that I never knew about, Angelo," she said softly, "From before I was five. Halfway to the age of six was when my life began. I was a happy child, like you are." Her eyes unfocused as she searched and relived it in her mind's eye, "I annoyed others with my hyper and bubbly personality, and my laugh used to be extremely loud and rambunctious; people could always tell it was me. I laughed at almost everything.

"Then I turned ten and my best friend, Kimiko, and I hung out more than we had been. We went places often late at night, and went on little one week survival trips across the country. As I tuned into my already spiritual side, I began to quiet. Others started picking on me more…or, well, I started noticing it is what I should say. It irritated me at first, and I just shrugged it off for a year. Going back to school after a close friend betrayed me over summer break; their words stung and cut deeper each time."

"I lost my spiritual connection." Nao sighed and took a tiny break before beginning again. "They started pretending that if I touched them they were diseased. 'Ew,' 'Get away from me,' 'Don't touch me'. Then even their actions or simple glances would pound into me. I became hard, and cold. I snapped at everyone…only Kimiko had entry through my walls and barriers."

"Then even my friends and acquaintances started ignoring me, and I was left out more and more. The disappearances of Ryuu, Atsushi, Daisuke and the others happened. There was never a report on any of it. It was as if they all knew what was going on.

"I forgot how to laugh." Nao closed her eyes, "I lost Kimiko not too long after, and that made me forget who I was. Then a year and a half ago, Azami took over after Karai had been gone for so long. I was allowed to do what I pleased, just as long I didn't take any longer than three days. I started finding my identity again as I traveled along the country side like I had done over and over with Kimi. I carved my flute, and then started wearing my Foot symbol upside down in the Dragon's Talons sign."

Nao smiled softly, "Then the most amazing thing happened. I was captured and taken to the abandoned TGRI building. The blood from your brothers and Lily was mixed with the ooze, and then transferred into me, making me a Hybrid. I was able to heal, courtesy of Donatello, got the ability to tap into my ki arigato to Leonardo, and then also able to turn into the wind, all to Lily. Last but not least, I was able to fight longer and harder, with more passion, speed, and vigor thanks to Raphael."

Nao gripped Michelangelo's hand, "I defeated and took down the Foot in Japan, and then came here last year in early November. I met you then, Angelo, and my life brightened exponentially. I had giggled before because of Ryuu's antics, but you made me able to find laughter and light again. I have yet to truly laugh, like I used to, but I will find it soon. So long as you stay with me," she added urgently as he coughed hard.

"I guess we're opposites, but not ridiculously so," Nao answered his question, finally able to bypass her 'a cat never gives a straight answer' quirk. "You're light, I'm night. You laugh freely and even during battle you goof around, make it fun, and I've seen through their memories that that's how you keep your brother's going. They hide the fact that you are the actual heart and spirit of the team. Raphael's the fist and power, Donatello is the planer and peacemaker, and Leonardo is the enlightenment, the leader. They all protect you, Angelo. I've been on my own since the beginning. I don't know what solid families like that is. You do."

"It gets tiring, being the one always protected." Mikey said softly, regrettably. "It also gets tiring that they don't seem to have faith in me. I mean, yeah, okay I can fight, I keep them together, that's good and great and everything, but……do they know me?" He looked at Nao and shook his head, "You and Rae are the only ones that can see through and know that I'm hurting when I'm cheerful. None of them know. I can't let them know."

He sighed, "They don't see how lonely it is, being the one different. I envy Matt sometimes and I know she gets hurt a lot. I'm sure she hears things about what she is and it hurts. The snide remarks and everything like that. Yet, she doesn't do anything. She likes…no she loves being different. I can't stand it!" He started coughing when he accidentally made his voice go higher than it usually went.

Nao closed her eyes as the words sunk in. She felt something trying to connect to her, tell her something, something secret but soothing. It was telling her not to be afraid. She bit her lip as she gripped Michelangelo to support him, "Do you…want me to…change you, Mikey?" she asked, her throat tight with emotion.

Mikey blinked at the emotion, and frowned. "Not if it's too dangerous……but I'm sure I'm going to need blood anyway, the ninja are going to come back I'm sure…and torture us again…or well me." He sighed. "Yes, I want you to change me. Please?"

Nao's chest felt tight and she closed her eyes. "If it is your desire, then I will do it," she told him. She gently set him down on the cell floor and then took off her cloak. She bunched it and put it under his head as a pillow and then shifted to be next to him, "You've seen it done, so you know it'll be painful, right?" she asked seriously as she lengthened a nail and held it against his arm.

Mikey just gave her a soft smile, "It's not as painful as it looks. I asked Raph, Don, and Leo. They all said the same thing…well I had to ask Rae and she was the only one that said that she was in pain. Leo said he didn't feel anything and Don told me that he only felt a small pinch."

Nao smiled back weakly, "They were all unconscious," she pointed out and bit her lip but yet still did nothing, "I'm afraid…to hurt you…" she admitted softly.

He shook his head, "Here's a quote I need to throw back in Rae's face when I get a chance." He told her seriously. "Pain is only an excuse to get away from something you don't like such as love or confrontation." He shook his head again, "I'll be fine Nao, and we'll all be fine. We just should hurry before the ninja come back."

"Alright…" Nao sighed shakily. There was more to it, but decided to keep it to herself. Mikey had given her life back to her, and if this went badly and her Hybrid blood didn't mix well with his, and she lost him, she wouldn't know what to do. If she lost him, she would lose herself in the process. Shaking her head of her depressing thoughts, she swiftly cut his wrist and then hers without another word. She then grabbed his hand and pressed their arms together before her vein closed.