AN: Hey everyone! I'm back in the turtle fandom with a brand new story! I've been meaning to write a new TMNT fic for a while but got caught up in other things. Now, though, I've got an awesome fic planned out. This story actually started as a prompt given to me by Pistachio lover and I really loved her idea. From what I can tell, it looks like this fic will have a total of five chapters. With that said, I hope you all enjoy the story and don't forget to let me know what you think :)

Disclaimer: Nope, TMNT does not belong to me.

The moon hung low in the sky on a night that seemed the same as any other. It would have been quiet, dare we say, peaceful, if not for the incessant chatter of one young mutant. His brothers rolled their eyes, trying in vain to block out the never-ending flow of words. Even so, they found themselves smiling in the face of their youngest sibling's sunny disposition. There was no way for them to know that in a few short hours an event will occur that will cause a ripple effect which, in turn, will affect the lives of all involved. Change, such as this, can come unexpectedly and without warning, though that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. This is a lesson our young turtle friend will learn for himself as the events of this night begin to unfold.

"Come on, Mikey, keep up!" Leo called out as he noticed his younger brother hesitate as if hearing something far off in the distance.

The orange-banded turtle paused for a second longer before turning away and following. "Sure thing, Leo."

'It must've been the wind.' He thought to himself, shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts. For a moment though, Mikey could have sworn he heard a voice calling out to him on the night air.

The small group continued on their way, never noticing the silhouette watching them from the rooftop above. Minutes later a kunai flew through the air, embedding itself in the building mere inches above the youngest turtle's head.

"Eek," He gave a startled squeak, effectively alerting the others to the nearby danger.

"Get down!" Leo called, the others already reaching for their weapons as they formed a circle to protect each other's backs.

Moments later, dozens of Foot Soldiers began dropping from the rooftops into the alley the turtles were currently inhabiting. Glancing around at his siblings, Mikey noticed that they were all staring seriously at the threat, their faces taking on grim expressions as they were surrounded. Well, that just wouldn't do! Swinging his nunchaku, the teen jumped up above his enemies, ignoring the shouts of his brothers as he landed on the shoulders of one of the Foot Clan. He then banged on the guy's head like a drum, hoping to at least earn a mild chuckle from his bros. He continued with his antics as they began to fight but, sadly, it seemed to be having the opposite effect. Instead of relieving some of the worries he could see plaguing the others' minds, they just seemed to be getting angry with him. After getting yelled at for the umpteenth time to 'take things more seriously' he decided he'd better just go along with what his bros wanted. He stopped bouncing around and readied himself for his initial attack when the voice he thought he'd heard earlier came again... this time as clear as day. It felt like it was speaking directly into his brain!

'Please, I need your help.' It seemed to plead, causing him to pause as he tried to comprehend what was happening.

Raph knocked in out of the way of an attack before taking out the dude who had been about to take off his head. He then turned on his baby brother, worry fueled anger audible in his voice.

"What do ya think you're doin' freezin' like that, Mikey?" He growled, stabbing another of the soldiers that came too close. "You coulda gotten yourself killed! Either get your head in the game or get outta here. We don't need ya distracting us if you're not gonna take this seriously!"

"But, Raph, I..." The fifteen-year-old tried, only to be cut off by Donnie.

"No Mikey, he's right." The brainiac said, a fearful tone underlying his words. "That Foot Soldier nearly decapitated you because you were distracted. What would we have done if that happened?"

"I... I..." The blue-eyed turtle paled slightly at the thought, unable to vocalize what was going through his head as Raph was drawn away by several of the enemy soldiers.

'Follow me.' The voice spoke once more and he whipped his head around, trying to locate the source.

His eyes managed to locate a figure standing on top of the roof above them, dressed in the livery of the Foot Clan. They locked eyes and just like that, he found himself entranced by this nameless person, unable to move even a single muscle.

"Mikey, look out!" Leo shouted, causing the others to notice the way their baby brother was just standing on the battlefield as if in a daze.

The leader managed to make it over to the other just before the enemy could take advantage of the situation and attack. He took out the group of Foot Ninja creeping up on his little bro before taking the younger teen by the shoulders and shaking him.

"Come on, snap out of it!" The leader shouted, doing his best to defend them both even as he began to panic internally. He's supposed to be the calm, level-headed leader but right now... he just felt like a frightened older brother.

Meanwhile, Mikey was trying to make sense of what was happening.

'I mean you no harm. I just want to talk.' The voice in his head proclaimed.

'Then why won't you let me move? I need to help my bros!' Mikey responded, desperation seeping into his thoughts.

'I can assure you they will be fine. No harm will come to them.' The stranger declared, the words doing little to set his mind at ease while he was still frozen in place.

'How can you be so sure? Please, just let me help them!' He cried, seeing a blade aimed at Leo's head from the corner of his eye but being unable to warn his eldest brother of the danger. Luckily Raph was able to do so in his stead.

'Do you have so little faith in them, Michelangelo?' They asked, curiously.

If he could have moved, Mikey would have flinched at that question. Of course he had faith that his family would be okay! He just didn't like to take chances. They'd all been hurt before. Heck, they'd nearly died... himself included! He never wanted anything like that to happen again. That's why being locked in place while his bros fought without him was nearly torture for the poor teen.

'It's not like that.' He denied, not planning on explaining his innermost thoughts to a potential enemy.

In his frozen state, he watched Leo slowly get lured away by the enemy. Moments later, Donnie took his place at Mikey's side, defending him in their leaders stead. His attention was drawn back to the unknown person as their voice came once more.

'No, I can see that. Now, there isn't much time. I promise that if you follow me and allow me to say my fill I will call off the Foot.' The unknown person declared, voice taking on a more commanding tone.

'You can do that!' He exclaimed, eliciting a chuckle from his captor.

'Of course, but you'll have to trust me.' They responded. 'Now, come... I'll lead you somewhere we can talk.'

Just like that, Mikey found himself able to move once more. Blocking a blow aimed at Donnie's unprotected back, he glanced up, watching the figure jump across the rooftops.

"Mikey, you finally snapped out of it!" His immediate older brother exclaimed, pulling him into a quick hug.

"Sorry, Donnie." He said in reply. "I didn't mean to worry you guys, I just..."

He trailed off, unsure how to explain what happened.

"It's okay, we'll figure it out. Right now, though, I want you to head home!" The purple-clad turtle explained. "We can't afford to let whatever that was happen again. We'll run a few tests once I make it back to the lair."

"But... what about you guys?" Mike asked, noticing the mysterious figure was waiting for him a few rooftops away.

"We'll be fine, Mikey, don't ya worry 'bout us," Raph called from where he was still taking down Foot Soldiers. They seemed to just keep coming as if there was no end.

"Donnie's right," Leo said, coming to a stop beside them. "It's best if you head home. We can't risk you blacking out like that again and getting hurt. Please, Mikey. Just do as you're told for once."

Leo's words stung a bit but he bowed his head, nodding before taking off in the direction of home. He noticed the others blocking any of the Foot that were trying to follow him. Once out off his brothers' line of sight, the young mutant changed direction. He caught sight of the stranger soon after and began following them to whatever place they'd decided to lead him to. True, this could be a trap, but his heart told him otherwise. There was just something about the person, he couldn't explain it... but it made him feel like he could trust them. After following the person for nearly half an hour, Mikey was lead into a peaceful looking park, surrounded by tall, stone walls covered in ivy. There were several benches stationed around a small koi pond in the middle of the area, flowering bushes decorating the ground and adding splashes of varying color. It was beautiful, even at nighttime, and the young turtle found himself drinking in the way the moon reflected off the rippling water.

'It's safe to talk here and yes, before you ask, I've called off the attack on your brothers.' The voice said as the person turned to face him.

This time, Mikey found that he hadn't been frozen as he had back in the alley. He let out a small sigh of relief, it wouldn't have been good if he had been. Who knows what could have happened without his bro's there to defend him. It's not nice to feel helpless during normal circumstances but even less so while in the presence of a potential enemy.

"If it's safe here then why are you still speaking in my head?" He asked aloud, his curiosity overriding his nerves.

"Oh, sorry!" A feminine voice said as the person reached up a hand to remove their mask, revealing the face of a teenage girl. "Sometimes I forget I'm doing that, it's just so natural to me."

The stranger was about seventeen with short blonde hair in a kind of pixie cut style, her green eyes shining with a mixture of emotions as she met his gaze. Her skin would have been crystal clear with no signs of imperfection if it weren't for the scar that marred her face, stretching from just under her left eye down to her chin.

"My name is Hope." The girl spoke once again, holding out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Michelangelo."

"Uh, you can just call me Mikey." He replied, reaching forward slowly to grasp her hand in his, slightly surprised when she didn't recoil at his touch. "What did you want to talk about?"

The light in her eyes seemed to dim as she released the handshake, her voice was a low monotone as she began to speak.

"I never wanted to be a member of the Foot Clan." She revealed, causing the turtle to narrow his eyes at her, still slightly suspicious. "My mother died when I was little, I can't even remember what she looked like anymore, and my father was addicted to gambling and booze. I bet you can see where this is heading..."

She snorted, causing Mike to wince at the derisive sound. No one should feel such contempt for their family. He knew that it happened more often than he'd care to admit, it made him so very thankful that his family was the way it was. Sure, they argued and sometimes they said mean things to each other, but that didn't mean they didn't care. They always made up in the end. So to hear someone speak about their relative like that made Mikey's heart ache. This girl must have been through something terrible to put that expression on her face.

"Dear ol' dad borrowed money from the wrong people and you know what he did when he couldn't repay it?" She continued, breaking Mike free from his thoughts. "He gave them me."

The boy gasped, hands flying up to cover his mouth. He couldn't even imagine something like that happening to him or his brothers! Without thinking about the consequences, Mikey moved forward and wrapped his arms around the girl before him. He felt her stiffen in his hold for a moment before her body relaxed and she reached up to return the embrace, her face nestling into the side of his neck above his shell. He was surprised to find that she was slightly taller than he was but that didn't matter... what mattered was the wetness he felt against his skin as Hope began to cry.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." He said, patting her back slightly awkwardly.

He'd followed her thinking she was leading him into a trap. Even with that in mind, he'd done it in order to help his brothers. He'd never expected this!

"I've been forced to work for the man known as Shredder since I was eight-years-old. Eight! Can you imagine it?" She asked, her voice somewhat muffled. Mikey merely held her tighter as she began to sob. "I tried... I tried so hard at first to get away... but he always found me. He punished me so badly that at one point I nearly died. I couldn't move for weeks due to all the cuts and bruises... not to mention a few broken bones. After a while, I gave up. I decided that the only way I'd be able to stay alive was to do what he asked."

Here, she shrugged off his hold, taking a step back as she turned away from him.

"Hope?" Mikey questioned, his voice cracking with emotion.

"I'm not a good person... not anymore," The girl admitted, head hung low as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I've stolen, lied, cheated and fought. Mikey... I've killed people."

The last is said in a whisper, her voice nearly too low to hear. His blue eyes widen in shock and, yet, he finds he can't muster any negative feelings towards the individual before him. Looking at her now, he can see that Hope had never wanted to do any of that. She'd been a little girl, lost and alone in the cruel world, and Shredder had broken her. He'd taken the child she'd once been and bent her to his whims, turning her into a weapon she'd never wanted to be. When she turns back to face him he can see it in her emerald eyes, the self-hate she's kept hidden from him until now. It's hard to spot but once he knew it was there he couldn't miss it. He'd felt something similar in the past... every time his older brothers would tell him he was useless or that he only gets in the way... this is on a far grander scale, though. What he'd felt doesn't even compare to this girl's suffering. At that moment, Mikey decided he would do everything within his power to help the lost soul before him. For some reason, he feels a sort of kinship with her and he knows he will do anything to bring the light back into Hope's eyes, even if it's the last thing he does. Now he just has to figure out how.

'That can wait till later, right now I need to figure out a way to convince Hope that she's not a bad person.' He thinks to himself, completely forgetting that they'd previously been speaking through thoughts.

'That's really nice of you Mikey... but don't bother. Three people are dead by my hand and my hand alone.' The other teen's voice speaks in his head.

There's an awkward silence after that with Hope shuffling her feet in shame while Mikey attempts to come up with a proper response to the girl's admission. Finally, he lets out a quiet sigh, deciding just to speak his mind as he always has before.

"So what!" He declares, moving forward to place a three-fingered hand on the female's shoulder. "That wasn't your choice... I'm sure you only did it to stay alive. Self-preservation is a powerful emotion. Not many people, especially kids that are so young, would willingly lay down and die when there's an alternative. Now, I'm sure you're not telling me everything and that's fine, I don't mind. But, even though I just met you a short while ago, I can't picture you killing someone who's innocent."

A low whine escaped the girl's mouth even though it was obvious that she'd been trying to hold it in. She sank to the ground in a crouch, face tucked into her knees with her arms still wrapped around her trembling frame.

"You're right, they weren't nice people." She acknowledged, her voice shaky. "But that doesn't excuse my actions. I'm a horrible person."

"I don't think that's true," Mike said, voice gentle as he knelt beside her. "You were driven by your circumstances and, if you still don't believe me, then just do everything you can to make up for it in the future. Then, someday, you'll be the person you've wanted to be for so long... someone who is good."

A small, broken chuckle escaped the blonde's mouth, causing her shoulders to shake slightly. After a moment, Hope took a deep breath before raising her gaze to meet Mikey's eyes.

"When did you become so wise? From what I've heard of you four, your brother Donatello is supposed to be the smart one." She said, her mouth turning upwards with the hint of a smile.

"Hey! I can be smart when I want to." Mikey replied, fake indignation coloring his words before he broke out laughing. "You're right though, Donnie's something else. Without his brains, we'd be in a lot of trouble. Same goes for Raph's instincts and Leo's leadership. Compared to them... I'm nothing special."

Now it was Hope's turn to comfort him. She moved closer, reaching out slowly to tilt his face up so he was once more meeting her eyes with his own.

"I highly doubt that, Michelangelo." She said, her emotions now fully under her control. "From what I've seen tonight... you have more heart than anyone I've ever met. I'm sure your brothers see that as well."

"Yea, maybe." He replied, still uncertain of himself.

Hope moved her hand down until it was holding his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Do you trust me?" She asked, her emerald eyes swirling with emotions too numerous to name and, as silly as it may be, Mikey felt himself nod as he stared into their seemingly endless depths.

They'd only just met, she was wearing the mark of their greatest enemy, had admitted to working for him, had previously killed three people and, yet, he couldn't find it in himself to doubt her. The pain he'd seen on her face had been too raw... too all-encompassing... there was no way she'd faked it.

"Yea... I...I trust you." He said, at last, returning the gentle squeeze with one of his own while hoping with all his heart that he wasn't making a huge mistake.

"Good. Now, we don't have much time. If I don't return soon, Shredder will know something's up. Ever since I first heard about you guys I've wanted to find you. Hearing about a group that opposed Shredder gave me hope that one day I could escape him and be free so, ever since then, I've been searching for you. I had to be discreet as to not let on what I was planning but now, I did it! You're here, talking to me and I wanted to ask for your help escaping him." She revealed, causing the fifteen-year-old mutant's eyes to widen once more. "I approached you because, from what I've heard about your brothers, it didn't sound like they'd give me a chance. No offense, but they seem a lot more wary and quick to judge than you do."

"Um, none taken. I can see where you'd get that." He conceded, knowing that that's how it would seem to anyone who didn't know his bros. "They're awesome once you get to know them but they can be a bit suspicious when it comes to strangers... ya know... takes a bit for them to warm up."

"I don't blame them." The other teen agreed before continuing. "As you know from my story, I can't just run away. I'd be hunted down and, this time, I doubt I'd survive... though if I can't escape I'd rather die anyway. I don't want to continue living like this."

Mikey winced, horror filling his entire being as those words registered in his brain. There was no way he'd let that happen! He was going to help Hope no matter what!

"I promise Hope, I will not stop until we get you out of there. I think you'll have to be patient though." He replied, knowing it was a lot to ask. "I may not be the smartest but I know that if we try to rush then things won't work out well for either of us. We need to take our time, come up with a plan, find an opening... something like that."

"You're right. In the meantime, we can leave each other coded messages. Here, this is a key code I made when I decided I wanted to ask for your help. If you need to reach me, just use this to help you write a note and leave it on the underside of this bench." She declared handing him a slightly crumpled piece of paper before gesturing toward said bench. "We shouldn't use our names, either, we don't want to risk it. I'll be Dawn and you can be Dusk. Those can be our time slots to leave messages as well. That way we won't run into each other if we're being followed. It's safer that way."

The humanoid turtle cocked his head to the side, a slightly confused look on his face.

"Um, okay... but why don't you just do that whole 'mind speak' thing like you did before? Wouldn't that be easier?" He questioned, rubbing the back of his head with one hand.

"Sorry, Mikey, that only works if we're close to one another. I can probably reach up to a block away but not any further." The seventeen-year-old sighs regretfully.

"Oh, okay." The boy nods in understanding before another thought strikes him. "How did you ever learn to do that anyway?"

"I didn't, I was born with my abilities." She revealed, self-consciously. "It's the reason Shredder was interested in me in the first place."

"Sorry." Mike apologized, upset that he'd brought up painful memories.

"No, it's okay." She assured, locking her gaze on him once more. "I guess we're both mutants in a way."

The male smiled warmly, his eyes shining like the sun. "That's just another reason we should stick together, after all, we mutants need to watch out for one another. It's almost like we're family!"

Hope stared at him, eyes wide, before smiling gently in return.

"You know what, Mikey? You're absolutely right. I think I'd like to have a pesky little brother like you. Life's already getting more interesting and I've only just met you." She joked but the warmth in her eyes betrayed the happiness she felt in that moment.

"Cool! I'm gonna call you big sis from now on, 'kay Hope?" He proclaimed, not giving her a choice in that matter. "That means that you can't go dying on me, otherwise I'll be left alone with only brothers again. I can't lose my sister right after meeting her."

Tears shown in the girl's eyes at the easy acceptance and she nodded, swallowing thickly before turning away.

"I've got to go, Mikey, but I'll keep an eye out. If anything happens with the Foot I'll leave you a message." She spoke before jumping up onto the wall with a final call of... "See ya later, kid."

"You're not even that much older than me!" He called after her, hearing the echo of a laugh in his head in return.

The orange-clad turtle watched her until she was but a speck in the distance, determination filling his soul as she disappeared into the waiting night. His brothers would probably say he was an idiot for trusting her but he didn't care. Hope needed him and there was no way he'd let his new big sis down. He'd already decided after he'd heard her story that he was going to help her. It wasn't much of a jump to just adopt her into his family, after all, she deserved someone who truly cared for her! If no one else was gonna do it, it might as well be him, right? With that thought in mind, Mikey turned his sights towards home, knowing that he was in for an earful from his big bros once got there but also knowing he now had a sister who would have his back.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

As soon as he opened the door into the lair and stepped foot into the common room he heard a voice call out his name.

"Michelangelo! Where have you been?" Leo exclaimed, arms folded across his chest as his other two brothers turned to face him as well.

"Uh, I just needed some fresh air so I was... um... hanging out on the rooftops." He said, figuring it would be best not to let the others know about Hope just yet, though his excuse ended up sounding more like a question even to him.

"We told you to come home," Donnie spoke up, turning worried brown eyes on the younger mutant. "Do you have any idea how worried we were when we got here and found out you hadn't made it back?"

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time," Mike said in defense of his actions, yet it seemed the others weren't buying it.

"Next time we tell ya to do something, ya knucklehead, ya do it, no questions asked... got it?" Raph demanded, his voice taking on a bit of a snarl and Mikey gulped, nodding quickly.

His hot-headed brother growled lowly before heading off in the direction of the dojo, muttering insults under his breath the entire way. The young teen bowed his head, feeling as if his siblings didn't trust him to take care of himself.

"Hey, are you sure you're doing alright?" Don asked, pressing his hand to his little brother's forehead. "I still want to run a few tests. I really don't like how you zoned out on us earlier. It's like you went catatonic for a while there."

"I'm okay, Donnie, just tired." He answered honestly, pushing the other teen's hand off his forehead.

"Get some rest," Leo spoke up once more, his posture more relaxed now that he knew his youngest brother was safely back home.

Mikey had just hedged his way past his remaining brothers when a hand on his shoulder stopped him and he was forced to turn back and meet his leader's blue gaze.

"And Mikey?" The katana-wielder asked, waiting for his brother's nod before continuing. "Don't ever disappear like that again, we were really worried about you."

Nodding once more, he bowed his head and hurried to his room, not wanting the others to see the tears forming in his eyes. Was he that much of a nuisance? Did they truly think so little of him? No, he told himself, they were just worried. He would be too, if one of them vanished without him knowing where they'd gone. He'd just have to be better! He'd work even harder and prove he can be just as good as them. Maybe then, they'll finally respect him and stop treating him like a baby.

AN: Well, that's the end of the first chapter. I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment letting me know what you think, thanks :)