I received a lot of awesome reviews last chapter, so thank you all so much for it! I'll probably come back and edit this at some point, but I know you guys have been waiting a while so here it is! Enjoy!

Chapter 17: Spark

Leonardo cautiously wandered through the silent amusement park in full-alert mode, his fingers hovering over the handles of his Katana as his azure eyes scanned vacant rides and game booths for any sign of Karail. So far, she had failed to show herself, but Leo knew better than to assume she wasn't nearby. She was just as skilled at blending in with the shadows as he was, not to mention that even with her armor on she still managed to slide around like a serpent and avoid detection.

Casey watched closely from his spot behind the haunted house, his hockey stick banging absentmindedly against an open palm in case backup was needed for the possible trap. Leo might be foolish enough to trust the malicious daughter of Shredder, but Casey Jones wasn't an idiot when it came to naively trusting backstabbers, especially when one of his friends felt freaked out by said person. He spit off to the side and lowered his body down, ready for action at a moment's notice.

"Leonardo, over here."

The blue-banded terrapin relaxed when he heeded her voice, but refused to lower his guard, his grip only tightening over his Katanas' handles. "Where are you?"

"Inside the Fun House. Turns out there's an interesting little Hall of Mirrors here."

Leo frowned at the challenging tone in her voice. "I'm not here to play games. You said you wanted to speak to me, so start talking."

"Ugh, very well." Karai dropped down from the second floor and landed gracefully on her feet. She formed a mock pout on her lower lip and folded her arms over her chest. "Not one for a good time, are you?"

"Not when you scared my friend to death," he sharply retaliated in impatience. "Now, why am I here?"

The ruby-lipped teen scowled at his accusation. "It's her fault she freaks out so easily, but we'll save that for some other boring time. Right now, I need to hear what it is you're exactly doing about this whole Kraang thing."

Ah, so that's what this was all about. Leo sighed, wishing he could offer a satisfying answer. "We've been training her-"

"Training? That's it? Seriously?" Golden orbs narrowed sharply in disapproval. "You're telling me that after all this time you haven't even found where the Kraang are hiding?! What kind of Leader are you?"

"We're doing the best we can!" Leo shot back. "We'll be setting up cameras and tracking devices across the city while we continue to improve Noelle's skills, but until then we can't really do anything."

Karai heatedly bit her lower lip and clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. She had foolishly believed that Leo would've done something productive by now, whether that involved discovering the Kraang's concealed base or setting up some sort of plan to demolish whatever place the sleazeballs concealed themselves in. She inhaled and then exhaled to calm her rising temper, refusing to speak until her mind was at a reasonable state of serenity. Once she'd regained control of her emotions, she voiced the concern that had plagued her mind for many sleepless nights.

"According to you, we are supposed to die in under two months, which, believe it or not, I don't want to happen. Therefore, something needs to change if we even want to have a chance at saving our planet. I say we use the girl as bait to draw the aliens out and follow them back to their disgusting little sanctuary."

Leo had to admit, but with reluctance, that her plan was pretty clever. Not only would they be able to find the Kraang's headquarters, but there was also the chance that Noelle's mom would be rescued. He was sorely tempted to just go with the idea, but that would risk the blonde's safety. He wasn't willing to take that chance.

"I won't do anything to endanger her," he firmly responded. "She's been through enough."

"Then what is the whole point of training her? You'd rather endanger the world instead of her because she lost her mom? Well guess what Leo? She isn't the only one who lost a parent, and she won't be the last, so you better do something to put a stop to this end-of-the-world crap or so help me I will." She didn't step back when the Leader stormed up to her and drew out his Katana, the blade pointed threateningly at her.

"You come near her again, we're going to have a problem. I respect you Karai, but I will not hesitate to fight you if you threaten my family again. Do I make myself clear?" he fiercely warned.

Karai bitterly laughed and finally backed off. "Oh, you mean like how I'm supposedly your adopted sister? Do you mean that type of family?"

His gaze softened. "Karai-"

"Do something Leo. I'm done messing around." She glowered at him once more before she turned on her heel and sprinted towards the exit. Leo had raised his hand in an attempt to stop her but dropped it as soon as she took off. He didn't know what to say to her anymore, or how to convince her that Splinter really was her biological father. He pitied her, he really did, but if she wasn't willing to listen then he couldn't help her.

Casey abandoned his post and lifted his skull mask off of his painted face, his lips twisted into a frown and brows furrowed together. He'd almost wished that Leo had punched Karai, especially since she'd obviously stated that she was more than willing to sacrifice Noelle's safety to save the whole world.

There just had to be another way to stop the invasion that didn't involve harming his friend.

Swallowing his anger, the hockey player stood at the Leader's side and awkwardly shuffled his feet. "Hey, so, uh, we're not going to let Noelle get hurt, right? I'm just saying, because Karai seemed pretty serious."

Leo shook his head, thought whether it was to reassure himself or Casey was uncertain to him. He attempted to keep his head held high as he traipsed towards the nearest sewer entrance while Casey trailed closely behind. "Not if I can help it."

The teenage human wished that he could believe that to be the case, he really did, but he'd learned over time that things were never as easy as they seemed. He trusted Leonardo, but he couldn't help feeling like they had both been cornered against some sort of wall. "So what are we going to do?"

"Honestly, I don't know Casey."

[][][]

Moonlight provided the only illumination for the two humanoid henchmen as they ambled down the throne room's walkway and towards their intimidating master. Parallel pools of water serenely glowed on both sides of the path, rippling as the gangling canine and scaled snakehead passed by with heavy footsteps. When the lackeys reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to Shredder's throne, they both knelt and respectfully bowed their heads.

"What do you have to report?" the scarred ninja inquired in his deep baritone voice, already restless from how long his two followers had taken. He glowered brutally at them through the narrow gap of his Kuro Kabuto to remind them not to waste his time as he tapped his fingers in annoyance.

"Master Shredder, we have been following Karai as you ordered, and last night we discovered that a human girl has captured her interest for some strange reason," Razhar growled out while trying to keep his pride hidden. "She's been following the turtles around, so we assumed she was planning their demise, but she is apparently only concerned with their new blonde friend."

Anger spread like tepid fire through the masked-man's blood. His knuckles gripped the arms of his chair so tightly that the solid surface began to crack. "I gave her very specific orders, and yet she disobeyed me," Shredder snarled through clenched teeth. "I will deal with her. Make sure that this little problem is taken care of. I don't care how, just permanently remove that girl or so help me I'll destroy you both!"

"It will be done," Fishface nervously promised before he and his partner bowed and hastily exited to initiate their plan, eager to get away from the seething Oroku Saki. The fuming ninja waited till they were gone before he yelled out in frustration and punched the nearest wall until chunks of rock crumbled to the ground.

"So help me Karai I'll make sure you never disobey me again."

[][][]

"So, what do you think? Pretty nice, huh?"

Noelle beamed in agreement. "That's amazing Donnie. I can't thank you enough for helping me out."

She stood behind the turtle genius in her dad's kitchen while they both focused on all three television monitors set on the dining table. Donatello had showed up earlier with Mikey to install three miniature cameras throughout the house, and Noelle had assisted in picking out the locations so she could feel more comfortable with her privacy. One of the lens had been placed in the ceiling and pointed at her bedroom door, which she could shut or leave open whenever she felt comfortable enough to be seen. The second device was aimed at her front door from above the television screen, and the final camera was below the kitchen cabinets to secure a decent angle of the room. She giggled as she watched Mikey stand outside of her bedroom and make faces at the camera.

"Mikey, you need to come down here! We have something to go over!" Donnie called out, not having to wait long as the sound of running footsteps on stairs echoed through the silent house. The freckled terrapin skipped cheerfully into the room and settled on the opposite side of his older brother with an open can of orange soda in his hand.

"Waddup D?"

Donnie reached into the strap secured around his waist and pulled out his T-Phone. "Alright, Noelle, I need you to look at your device's screen for a moment." The blonde did as he said, unsure of what she was even supposed to be looking for. Noticing her confused expression, the purple-banded brother pointed at the phone's screen, which seemed exactly the same as before. He rapidly tapped on the "Games" symbol four times before the word "Alert" showed up in bright ivory letters. "You don't seem like the type to play around on your phone so I changed the option to something more useful and encrypted. Hit the T on this when it shows up, and it'll alert all of us, including April." To demonstrate, he poked the specific letter, prompting both his and Mikey's phones to vibrate.

Mikey laughed at the sensation before he pulled his own mobile device out and pressed it against the side of his face. "Myyy nameee isss Mikkkkkkeeeeyyyyy."

Donnie rolled his eyes and lowered his phone so both Mikey and Noelle could see. Noelle's name flashed in bright scarlet letters against a clear background. "See how it lets us all know that you're in trouble? The monitors in my lab have been set up with old police car sirens I found in the dump, so when we get the alert the lights will flash as well. It's just there in case I somehow don't know where my phone is, which rarely ever happens."

"Wait, so does that mean your bothers and April think I'm in trouble right now?"

"No way. I alerted them earlier about the little test just so they would know."

"Youuu didn'ttttt alerrrtttt meeeee!"

Donnie snatched the phone away from Mikey's face. "Take this seriously. If you ever feel the phone vibrating like this, then you need to either contact one of us or go into my lair to see what is happening on the monitor. Understand?"

"Pfft, yeah. I'm not stupid, D." Mikey grabbed the phone back and waved his older brother's concerns off. "I mean, it's not hard or anything."

"Your phone will still be in alert mode until I reach you and deactivate it. Our phones will still be vibrating, but it'll soften the closer we get to your location." He let out a sigh and revealed his gap-toothed smile. "Any questions?"

Noelle was completely stunned by how thorough and cautionary the process was. She wondered how he had been able to accomplish so much in one night, and realized with a twinge of guilt that he probably hadn't been able to sleep for very long because of her fear. She bit her lower lip and pressed the phone against her chest. "I'm so sorry that you lost sleep because of this. I really, really appreciate what you've done."

Donnie chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, it's no problem. Besides, it helps us out in a way too. If the Kraang or any of Shredder's goons get too close to you, it'll give us the advantage in taking them out, or maybe even slipping some locator device on them that could lead us to your mom. Anyways, I don't always get that much sleep. Sometimes I just get too absorbed in my work and end up crashing in the lab."

Mikey grinned and watched as his brother deactivated the alarm on Noelle's phone. "Dude, you're as smart as the doctor who created Frankenstein. Total mad genius, yo!"

Donnie cleared his throat and handed the phone back to the blonde. "Actually, the doctor is Frankenstein, and his monster technically doesn't have a name other than the occasional reference of The Creature. It's a common misconception."

"Ohhhh." The younger turtle nodded as if he understood before he turned to Noelle. "So, are ready for training later? Time to kick major butt!"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She glanced up at the kitchen clock and noticed it was already almost four. "Of course! Just let me grab my stuff real quick, okay?" When the brothers nodded she hurriedly ran upstairs to grab her training bag and change into her workout clothes. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and slipped into her gym shoes before she paused and checked her phone. She tried not to allow herself to be disappointed over the absence of texts and voicemail from her father.

"He's just really busy," she whispered to herself, unaware of just how hard she was squeezing the device.

[][][]

Her bangs slicked back against her perspiring forehead as she attempted to grip her Jitte and dodge the end of his Bo Staff while aiming a kick at his midsection. The lanky turtle retaliated by doing a shoulder roll away and whacking the stick against the blonde's upper thigh. Noelle grabbed the end to alleviate the force, and slammed her own weapon against the side of Donnie's face.

"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mikey cheered as he observed his older brother leaping back and massaging his cheek. Raph grinned like a wolf watching their cub biting back for the first time while Leo attempted to hide a smirk. Master Splinter's eyes twinkled in pride at his student's progress.

"Well done, Noelle," Splinter complimented with a nod of his head. "Usually, I would lecture you upon hitting the head and facial area, but Donatello was past due anyways."

"Sensei!"

"Besides, I am proud of how you struck back. You should be too."

Noelle blushed at the praise, but felt guilty over causing her friend physical pain. When she walked towards the intelligent turtle he shook his head and smiled to show he was alright.

"Hey, that was a good blow! Just maybe aim for below my skull next time?"

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," she apologized. "I promise I won't do it again."

"Unless it is against your enemy. When you are fighting your true opponents, do whatever you can to bring them down so they do not have a chance to get back up and hurt you," Splinter added on. "Your lessons are dismissed for today. Well done."

Donnie and Noelle bowed towards each other and began heading back into the den. Mikey wasted no time in fist bumping the petite blonde while he grinned at her in admiration. "Dude, you kicked butt! That's awesome!"

Leo nodded in agreement. "You've come a long ways. We'll be getting your mother back in no time."

Noelle nervously clenched her weapon, hesitant to bring the subject up again. "Thank you, but do you know when we will find her?"

The chattering group turned silent as all eyes focused on the Leader. "Well, uh, we've gotta somehow put a tracking device on one of the Kraang so that it will hopefully lead us back to their headquarters. Both times before was in the TCRI building, but I'm assuming that isn't the case now. I haven't seen a new one being put up anywhere, but there are several tall buildings in New York that can serve as their base."

It didn't really help clear away the anxious feeling in her stomach, but Noelle supposed that the answer would have to do anyways. It wasn't easy continuing to come up with excuses to her grandma, aunt and uncle on why the police shouldn't be called. She wished she could just show her grandma the turtles so that she'd understand, but it wasn't an option. She had given her word to never reveal their home and existence. It was one thing to use their names, but it was another different matter entirely when an actual face was associated with the name, and she could only imagine how her family would react towards the kind mutant turtles.

"Hey, how about I walk you home tonight?"

She blinked to dismiss her thoughts and turned in surprise to see Raph actually talking to her. Mikey appeared just as puzzled as she did on why the hothead would willingly want to walk with her by himself. "Well, sure. Mikey, are you coming with us?"

"Actually, I need to talk to you in private. Mikey, do you mind staying home? I promise she'll get back safely."

Mikey was rather disappointed about not being able to spend extra time with her, but he trusted Raph and assumed that whatever his older brother was going to talk to her about would be okay. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll catch you two later." He gave Noelle a brief hug before he pulled back and took off towards his room, though he paused on the stairwell and watched them until they disappeared from his view.

He really didn't like somebody else walking her home.

[][][]

The atmosphere was rather awkward as the reptile and human teen strolled through the murky tunnels, leaving behind the bright lair and its occupants. What Raph had to discuss privately with Noelle was beyond her, but she felt nervous.

"Hey, so what do you think about my little brother?" the brawny turtle finally asked, his emerald eyes analyzing her face like he could if she was lying or not.

Noelle hadn't at all expected him to mention anything about her thoughts towards his youngest sibling. She couldn't help but wonder if she was being put through some sort of test, and if that was the case then why? "W-well, he's very nice. He always goes out of his way to make me smile and feel better, and I don't feel so afraid when he is nearby. " She made sure she was fully looking Raph in the face so he could see how genuine she was. "He's the first best friend I've ever had, and he's really precious to me. He has a good heart." She wanted to disappear as her cheeks grew heated and her red-masked ally studied her. The blonde wasn't that much of a talker to begin with, so to speak so openly about his brother made her flustered.

Raph hummed thoughtfully and turned away as he placed his hands behind his head. "Ya know, Mikey can be a bit obnoxious at times, but he's a good person. You and him, well, you guys look good together. You make him happy, so you have my respect."

Her skin felt like it was on fire. "O-oh, w-well we're not in a relationship or anything but we are really close." She felt rather flattered that her and Mikey seemed to fit together nicely, even if it was being perceived in a different way. "We're uh, we're like Donnie and April."

The terrapin snorted. "Seriously, don't say that. I don't even know what's going on with them half the time. It's honestly nauseating how Donnie acts around her. Anyways, I didn't mean to imply that I thought you two were dating, and I've gotta say that the idea of Mikey in a relationship is a really bizarre one, but whatever happens you have my approval." He playfully nudged her in the shoulder and smirked. "I'm glad we found you, but you've gotta put up with feeling like part of our family now."

Noelle smiled cheerfully at the compliment, feeling a sort of bliss blossoming inside her. "Thanks Raph. You all mean a lot to me." And it was true. The turtles, Splinter, April and Casey had become the friends and family she'd wanted for a long time. To know that they fully accepted her meant the world to her.

[][][]

By the time she exited the shower it was going on eight-thirty at night. Noelle hummed as she blow-dryed her hair, refusing to feel sad even though she still hadn't heard anything from her father. She wondered why he even had a house if he wasn't home most of the time. It wasn't like she lived with him, so there wasn't really a need to have so much space. Of course, Noelle didn't mind the fact that she had her own room and a staircase to the roof, only that it was odd how one person who was barely at his home enough to sleep in his own bed felt the need for such a large building. He probably would've been better off in a studio of some sort.

She set up her easel, put her earphones in, and began spiraling red near the the upper right corner of her blank canvas. Noelle felt light-hearted and content, so she decided to be silly and let her brush go wild. She felt like all her enthusiastic energy spread through her body and out of her paintbrush to display her feelings on the board. Her jade irises glittered in delight, unaware of the pair of eyes watching her from her bedroom window.

"That's her," Razhar snarled out, his eyes narrowed threateningly at the oblivious blonde. "She looks like some boring human girl not even worth our time."

"I agree, but Master Shredder wants her eliminated, so let's hurry up and get this done and over with." Fish Face and Razhar exchanged smug looks and climbed down the brick wall until they were peering through the shadows of the dark kitchen. Razhar used the razor-sharp tips of his claws to break through the glass, scattering pointed shards along the tiled floor. Fish Face cruelly grinned while he poured gasoline into the room.

"Light it up," Razhar growled with excited eyes. He watched his partner light a match before tossing it into the room and backing away. The cabinets immediately burst into flames as the heat spread across the flooring and proceeded towards the edge of the room, where a broken smoke detector hovered over from its forgotten place on the ceiling.

[The Avengers-A Little Help]

Noelle continued her painting with a gentle smile, admiring how the colors blended in together so nicely. She dipped the bristles into yellow and was about to smear them on the canvas when she paused to sniff the air. Something smelled like it was burning, but she didn't remember cooking anything earlier. The blonde lowered her brush and paint palette so she could remove her ear buds. Her heart was caught in an icy grip as she heeded the sounded of crackling flames.

"What in the world..." her low voice trailed off as she reached towards her door handle and twisted it open. Her mouth dropped open when she took in the sight of fire licking the bottom of her staircase. She could feel her heart rapidly pounding in her chest with every quivering breath she took, her legs frozen to the floor. Tears filled her eyes, provoking her to run down the hallway until she reached the window where the stairs were, only to discover in a horrified state of dread that the steps had been completely popped off. The railing was bent and pulled away, leaving her confined inside the house.

She forced herself to move towards her room and grab her T-Phone. Following Donnie's instructions, Noelle tapped the game icon four times with trembling fingers, pressed the T, and silently prayed to herself that the brothers would arrive soon. The device dropped from her hands while screamed in fright as something crashed below her. Without thinking she grabbed the painting she'd made with Mikey and hurried out of her room.

Noelle coughed as the staircase became concealed in thickening smoke. Fighting back stinging tears, she began her descent down the steps, only to cry out at the wooden steps cracked and fell away, dropping her below and onto her back with a painful thump.

[][][]

"Donnie! What's going on?" Leo called out as he burst into the lab, followed closely behind by Raph. Donnie had already equipped himself with everything he needed, his phone heavily vibrating in his belt while the police lights flared brightly. The two brothers looked at the screens, dismayed by what they were seeing. The house was completely falling apart, and Noelle was trapped inside of it. Both of them had gripped their violently shaking phones, fully disbelieving how the shy girl was already in life-threatening peril.

"Why?"

The three turtles turned towards the doorway, where Mikey was standing with widened eyes as he took in the terrifying sights displayed across the monitors. He clenched both his teeth and fists and turned on his heel.

"We need to go now!" he yelled out over his shoulder as he sprinted out of the lair. The brothers hurried right after him as two of the monitors darkened.

[][][]

Crawling out of the crashed debris, Noelle remained close to the ground to take in as much clean air as she could. Tears poured down her face while her body shook in a coughing fit as toxic smoke infiltrated her scorched lungs. She glanced around the room to try and find her and Mikey's picture, but was saddened when she couldn't find it. It meant so much to her, but her life was more important.

Noelle took a deep breath of the ground air before she forced herself onto her feet and tried to navigate through the room in an attempt to find an exit of some sort. As the temperature and fire increased, her hope began to lessen. She screamed and cried, willing somebody to come and find her. A miracle would be needed for anybody to reach her.

The ceiling began to crumble from the heightening blaze. Noelle cried out and jumped back, only to trip backwards over a beam that had fallen from above. She landed on her side, her head hitting the floor and producing a ringing sound in her ears. Her body felt heavy, and consciousness was slipping away with the lack of oxygen.

"I'm sorry dad," she managed to utter out of her dry throat before she began fading away. He'd be so disappointed.

Just when things were turning grim, a part of the front wall was split apart to make way for four figures. Mikey felt sick when he saw Noelle lying motionless on the floor. "Over here!" he cried out as he ran to her and turned her over. Her lids lifted halfway up to see who had moved her, a small smile on her lips as she mouthed his name once and slipped into unconsciousness.

"I've got you Noelle! I'm here" he assured her as he gathered her up in his arms. When his brothers circled around him Donnie threw down a vanishing bomb, teleporting the group away from the doomed building.

Behind the couch, two sets of painted hand prints melted away.

[][][]

The turtles and Noelle reappeared on a nearby rooftop that faced the burning house. Donnie covered Noelle's mouth with a gas mask and began checking her over for any signs of serious injuries. From what he could see she was covered in cuts and bruises, but there weren't any traces of blood, although she did have a few burn marks around her forearms. Her head rested on Mikey's lap, his worried eyes not once trailing away from her limp form.

"Leo," Raph stated in a quiet voice as he took in the burning building. A crowd had already gathered nearby to see what was happening while police officers attempted to keep the curious onlookers at bay. The fire truck and ambulance arrived with blaring sirens, the firefighters and medics wasting no time in connecting the hose to a nearby hydrant and spraying the flames.

"They should've been here five minutes ago," Raph grumbled out, absolutely infuriated on how one of their own had been personally attacked, especially one who couldn't fight as well as the others.

It was almost miraculous that the alarm had been created that day, otherwise it might have been too late. All Mikey could do was keep her close and make sure he did anything that Donnie asked of him. "Please, please tell me she is going to be okay."

Donnie noticed the fear in his little brother's eyes and wished he could just make everything right again. Nobody deserved to be put through so much. Noelle was just learning how to be happy and open up to others, but he feared she was going to sink into a darker place. He knew Mikey cared deeply for her, and could only imagine how he himself would feel if April had fallen to any harm.

"She should be able to move once she gets enough in her head and lungs," the genius declared. When he saw his little brother protectively holding her head, his expression softened. "Mikey, can you carry her back?"

Mikey nodded and carefully lifted Noelle up without knocking the mask off her face. Leo placed a comforting hand on his shoulder while Raph glared in hatred at the burning building behind them. Donnie threw down another egg, and they disappeared without a trace.

[+]

"Where is she?" April exclaimed with panic as she finally arrived at the lair. Her blue irises widened when they landed on her soot-is covered friend lying motionlessly on the couch, prompting the red head to run over and kneel in front of the girl who was just now starting to come to. "What happened?"

"A fire," Donnie exclaimed while he removed the mask from the blonde's face. "She's lucky we got there in time. She must've lost her phone somewhere because it wasn't around for me to shut the alarm off. I just used my phone to disarm the signal."

Raph slammed a fist into the abused dummy, his eyes lit with rage. "Who seriously does that?! I bet his stupid lackeys worked together with the Kraang or something. I just don't get why."

Leo leaned against the edge of the couch and watched Mikey use a washcloth on Noelle's soiled face. He couldn't help recalling the meeting he had with Karai about the possibility of using their friend as bait. He had been so against it, but she'd clearly voiced that she would do whatever it took to get the Kraang's attention. A part of him knew that she hadn't been responsible for all this chaos, but he was angry that right after she'd visited Noelle's home this fire had somehow been made. It made him sick to his stomach that she might somehow had something to do with it.

Noelle blinked and coughed as fresh air infiltrated her dry throat. Her eyes stung from the smoke but at least she could see the people around her. When she felt the damp cloth on her face and noticed a familiar face tenderly staring down at her, her drowsiness began to dissipate. "Mikey?"

"I'm here," the freckled ninja assured her before he handed the washcloth over to Donnie. Everybody gathered around the couch and watched as he placed a hand on her back to help her sit up. "Take your time." He supported her as she moved into a sitting position before he moved his hands away and watched her with tender eyes. "Are you alright?"

Noelle managed to nod before she coughed once again.

Splinter appeared out of the kitchen with a cup of water and handed it to her, making sure she had a steady grip before she gratefully began to drink. "Not too fast, my child. You have been through so much. You are safe now."

Nobody spoke until she finished swallowing the liquid and handed the cup back to her adopted father. "Thank you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," April assured her, her hands slipping into the pair of dirtied ones. "Let me help you clean up, okay? Are you too sore to move?"

Noelle attempted to move her limbs, wincing at the aching muscles and spotted bruises, but she felt like she could at least walk. With a deep breath she stood up and walked forward to prove she wasn't terribly hurt. "N-no, I'm fine. I n-need my clothes. I don't have any."

"I brought some over for you," the red head gently offered. "Come on, I'll help you out." She held out a hand and the blonde took it. As the girls headed towards the bathroom April nodded at the boys over her shoulder to show she had it under control, and then they vanished around the corner.

Once Donnie was certain the humans were out of ear shot he sighed and turned to face his brothers. "I'm worried about Noelle. She must be traumatized."

"She'll be fine," Raph declared in a bitter tone. "Karai, on the other hand, is going to wish she had never met me."

"You don't know it was her," Leo stated with arms crossed. "You don't have proof."

"Oh, okay, so it's just merely coincidence that Noelle's home goes up in flames after Karai pops in for a visit?"

"Raph, Leo's right. You don't have proof. We don't know what happened."

"Oh, I know what happened alright. She wanted to capture our attention and was willing to sacrifice our friend in order to get it. Maybe she just wanted Leo to look at her."

"Your mouth is going to get you in trouble."

"Look at you sticking up for your girl. How cute," Raph spat out. "Hope you enjoy having Shredder as your father-in-law."

"Technically, he'd be more like our uncle since he and Sensei grew up together."

"Donnie, I'm not in the mood for your stupid facts. So help me I'm going to march over to that dumb building and-"

"What? You won't do a thing because you'll get beaten."

"So what? At least I'm fighting back!"

"Raph..."

"Shutup!"

Silence infiltrated the room as Mikey faced his brothers with clenched fists and watering eyes. Leo stepped forward with an arm outstretched, only to drop it as the usually cheerfully brother glared at him.

"Who cares about Karai right now?!"

Raph scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Listen, you just need to calm down-"

"No I will not calm down!" Mikey snapped back, leaving the other reptiles in a stunned silence. "Noelle is the only person in this world who never made me feel like an idiot! All you guys do is treat me like a joke, but she told me I have a beautiful mind! Me! She has never made fun of me or called me names. She even drank hot cocoa and looked at the stars with me. Have any of you ever made me hot cocoa? I don't think so! I'm just a burden to you all, but she loves to spend time with me! She doesn't make feel like a freak the way you guys do."

Donnie drew in a sharp breath. "Mikey-"

"Don't Mikey me! My best friend almost died in a fire tonight, and you guys only seem to care if Karai is guilty or not. That's sick." The lime-green turtle bit his lower trembling lit before stomped away from the group and up to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Splinter tapped his staff onto the floor to catch his stunned sons' attention. "Michelangelo is right You are too busy bickering amongst yourselves instead of focusing on helping your friend. There will be time tomorrow to figure out who did this, but for now think about what your brother has told you. Perhaps you should be more considerate of his feelings in the future.

Donnie, Raph and Leo bowed their heads and trudged up the stairs into their rooms in disbelieving silence. Mikey had never snapped like that before, and to know they had been responsible for it brought about a nauseous feeling of regret and guilt.

[][][]

"Are you feeling a little better?" April kindly asked as she considerately scrubbed the last remaining bit of soot off Noelle's bare dripping back. The blonde had remained silent the entire time, her jade eyes blank and lacking movement while she stood with a towel wrapped around her soaked form.

"I think so. Thank you."

"You don't need to lie to me, you know. It's okay to feel sad." April circled around her friend until they were eye-to-eye. "It's okay now. We're all here for you." She tucked a loose strand behind the blonde's ear and attempted to smile reassuringly. "You know, I bet Mikey would love to see you. He'll make you feel better."

Noelle had considered that during her shower while she washed away all the grime she could reach. She had thought about how being around him would probably cheer her up, but the mere thought made her want to hide away in a corner somewhere. She was tired, cold and shivering in just a towel while the firemen took care of the piles of ash her dad's house had been reduced to. It was just too much, and to push that on somebody else, especially Mikey, just didn't seem right.

"I don't want to do that to him though. I don't want to be a burden," she shakily breathed out. "That's not fair."

The red head retrieved some clothes from the counter and handed them over to the morose girl while shaking her head. "No, it isn't fair for us to have to watch you be sad and not be given the chance to help you. Mikey thinks the world of you, so I know he would much rather do what he could for you out right now than know he'd been unable to help you at all. I know this is hard for you, but believe me when I say you aren't a burden. We all love you and will do whatever it takes to help. We support each other, so please go see him okay? Promise me?"

Noelle was so exhausted that she didn't have it in her to fight, not to mention that April's pleading eyes left no room for argument. She remembered how Mikey had assured her on the roof that she wasn't alone and could talk to him about anything. The mere thought of revealing her emotions to somebody when people in the past hadn't cared really freaked her out, but Mikey and April were different.

[][][]

[Big Hero 6-Family Reunion]

Her legs felt like lead as she forced herself to move up the stairs, grateful that nobody had stopped her along the way. After she'd gotten dressed, April had helped dry her hair and pull it into a ponytail before urging the blonde to go see Mikey. Noelle felt like she was losing air with each step she took, making her insides feel like they were shaking and coated by an unpleasant cold sweat.

When she reached the top she paced back and forth in front of the freckled turtle's door, still unsure on how to even ask him for help. Nobody wanted to deal with a crying girl; her parents certainly hadn't. Then again, Mikey wasn't at all like her parents. He liked spending time with her, and he made her feel special. She had nothing to be afraid of. She could do this.

She took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles against the door, already cringing over her decision. The door was flung back by , revealing a worried looking Michelangelo. "I'm so glad you're able to move around. I was worried! Are you alright?" He observed her hesitant movements with anxious eyes as she entered his room, closing the door softly behind her and enshrouding the area in a dim light provided by a meager lamp.

Noelle swallowed in an attempt to moisten her dry throat and properly answer. "I-I'm fine. I'm okay. I just hope...dad will be so angry. I-I don't know...I'm just..." she took a deep breath and willed her pounding heart to slow down. "He'll be even more disappointed in me. I'm-I'm just so sorry."

Mikey slowly walked towards the front of her as he heard the tremble in her soft voice, his eyes softening into a gentle and compassionate gaze when he looked at her face and saw tears sliding down her cheeks, her lids lowered as she attempted to focus on the ground. She let out a little sob as another tear rolled out, tugging at his heart. He raised a hand up and tenderly wiped the fresh tear away, prompting her to look up at him with pleading eyes.

"Mikey...I'm so scared," she whimpered. He encircled his arms around her and pulled her against him with one hand cradling the back of her head gently. "Our p-painting is-it's gone. I tri-tried to save it but it fell."

"We can make another one. You're more important." He firmly held her as she sagged against him and broke down into heavy sobs. His eyes also watered as he listened to the heartbreaking sound of her crying, but he remained silent since she was in far worse pain than he was. He needed to be her strength right now. He carefully picked her up bridal style and lowered them both to the ground until they were sitting against the side of his bed. He rubbed her back soothingly as she buried her face into his neck and let out all the anxiety and heartbreak that had built up inside of her for so long.

"I'm here, I'm here," he reassured her, and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, not even minding the wet droplets falls onto his verdant skin. He promised himself that he'd do whatever it took to make sure something like this didn't happen again.

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