Tonight was a very rough night for the turtles, the moon obscured in the thick dark clouds of the city with no light to guide them. The warehouse they had ended up in was cold and uninviting. It held the stench of dust and smoke, along with the nauseating scent of the many bodies in the room, covered in dirt and grime and the blood of others on their skin. They would have loved to leave had it not been for the thousands of these Purple Dragons surrounding them with guns and blunt weapons, ready to silence them for good should the need to rebel arise. They also knew it would just make things worse for the real victims here.
The turtles felt sick to their stomachs when they had finally awoken from consciousness, only to behold the sight of Amy lying on the floor, beaten and cut up to a bloody pulp but still barely alive. Michelangelo's heart ripped in half and he would have charged at Hun had it not been for the gun pointed at his head. Amy's sisters and band mates were also forced to share the same terror, as they struggled in their bonds with guns pointed at them and knives standing inches from their faces. It looked like the night wouldn't end without cold blood being spilled.
"Well, well, looks like we meet again, sewer freaks," Hun laughed at the turtles sadistically.
"Why do you want with us, Hun?" Leo growled back.
"Nothing but a little silence and cooperation, if you don't mind. I've been wanting to take you turtles out for years, but you've always managed to escape my clutches. But now that I have some hostages on the same page as you, I think I can be more persuasive." He pointed to the henchmen watching over Amy's friends and sisters, guards who twitched with so much agitation that their weapons shook too close to their hostages. "If you try anything funny, they'll be the first to get it."
The turtles tried to keep their mouths shut; Mikey and Raph were having the hardest time.
"Now listen up," Hun continued, "The cops are on high alert for us tonight, so killing you all at once and discarding you without leading them back to us would attract too much attention and take up too much time. So I've decided to spare only one of your groups for the night. For now." His smile turned smug. "However, I won't be deciding which one of you decides to leave here tonight alive." He moved towards Amy, picking her up by the hair and lifting her up to stand straight. "On your feet, you!"
"Amy!" Mikey cried. "You'd better let her go or I'll-" He was cut off by his brothers who were blocking his mouth before Hun's henchmen could move.
"That's right; you'd better learn to keep your mouth shut if you don't cooperate. You've already seen what I can do to her if you disobey me."
Amy's breathing was shaky and shallow as she looked back from one group to the other. Her sisters just stood there in her friends' arms, shaking and weeping silently, while her band mates looked despairingly at the floor. They would have liked to help Amy out if her sisters' lives weren't tied to theirs. These were the people she had grown up with and loved dearly with all of her life. On the other hand, the turtles had risked their lives to save her. She had only known them for such a little time, but that was no excuse for the burden she had put on them. And Mikey...oh, Mikey...
She shook her head frantically. "I can't do it."
Hun slapped her hard on her bruised cheek. "Listen, you bitch, I gave you a job to do and you will follow through!"
"I...I can't, okay? Look, you hate me the most; why not just kill me right now?"
"I said 'shut up'!" Hun was ready to swing another punch at her when she ducked under him and stole the gun from his holster. Keeping her distance away from him, she shut her eyes and pushed the gun to her forehead, her hands trembling as she hesitated to pull the trigger. Caleb, Derek, and Akira gasped in fear, but the only thing they could do was cover the girls' eyes. Hun was shocked and irritated, but simply stood there, waiting to see what would happen. Michelangelo wasn't as controlled as the others.
"Amy, don't!" Mikey cried.
"Why shouldn't it?" Amy shouted back. "You never would have been in this mess if it hadn't been for me. I can't provide for my family; I can't get by on anything else but my music; I couldn't even do anything to save my parents! If I wasn't in the way, you'd be able to save my friends and sisters in no time!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "You'd all just be better off without me!"
"That's not true! You're...kind and...headstrong. I think your music sounds awesome, and if you weren't there for your sisters, who would be? They'd go nuts without you!" He tried to find the right words. "I know what it feels like to hate yourself. Sometimes I feel like my brothers would be better off without me. I mean, I'm not as strong as them, or smart or focus or determined, but at least I try because I care enough about my family to help them out in a jam! Oh, now this is starting to sound so cheesy."
"Just get on with it, shell-for-brains!" Raph yelled, trying not to sound harsh after what Mikey had said. He thought Mikey was annoying, but he could never hate him that much.
"Please, Amy, just put the gun down! If you shoot yourself with that thing, you're only going to do more harm to the people who care about you than good! You've got a ton of people who love you! Your band loves you! Your sisters love you! I lo..." He lost his composure right there. "Lo...lo...lo..."
"Baka, just spit it out already!" Akira hissed under his breath.
Mikey's face was beat red now. "Well, you...you make me feel awesome and...special when I'm with you; let's just leave it at that."
Amy took a deep breath and wiped away her tears, slowly lowering the gun away from her head. Slowly and silently, she walked over to Michelangelo and wrapped him in her arms, the turtle returning her gesture. Nothing more needed to be said between them.
"Aww, how touching," Hun laughed as he towered over them. "Too bad I'm not a fan of sappy moments."
He aimed his fist, ready to strike at the two, but Michelangelo blocked him and kicked him under his jaw, sending him flying toward the ground. He ordered his men to finish them off, but the other turtles saw their moment to escape and swiftly disarmed the gunmen before they could kill anyone. Michelangelo lead Amy and the others to a safe corner away from the other dragons, while Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael managed to distract them and fight them off until the number of henchmen decreased significantly. Each time a Purple Dragon got too close to Amy or her family, Michelangelo would fight them back with the utmost focus, not even stopping to make a wisecrack.
The real trouble came when one of the gang members took out a flamethrower that forced Michelangelo to back into the corner with everyone else. He tried to fight him off, but another gang member had snuck up behind him and knocked him back onto his shell. Fearing the worst, Amy took the gun she had stolen from Hun and shot at the two, one in the arm, the other in the leg. The other turtles came to their aid, knocking the henchmen out and disposing of the flamethrower. However, the still-lit flamethrower had landed next to flammable equipment, causing a large explosion inside the warehouse and spreading fire all over.
"Everybody out!" Leo cried over the flames.
They reached for the closest exit, getting everyone out as safely as they could. Michelangelo and Amy were the last to leave when Hun had emerged from the flames, charging at Amy and hoping to take her down with him. Michelangelo was quick to notice and, with all of his fury, sent Hun flying with one strong punch to his gut, knocking him back into the inferno. Getting out safely, they joined the others hiding on the rooftop of a nearby building. No one knew if Hun ever managed to escape the fire.
Sometime later, Amy and her sisters returned to the city to a new home, where they would be under the supervision of a new social worker to ensure that Danielle, Molly, and Sam were getting the right care they needed to keep living with her sister. She also returned to playing in the Dark Angels, still singing dreary rock songs, but having much more heart in her voice. Most nights they played, the turtles were welcome to special seats in the shadows of the theatre, with Michelangelo trying to sit as close as he could without getting caught. When Amy wasn't spending time with the band or taking care of her sisters, she would be out with Michelangelo, exploring the city in the night hour. It was during this time that the two got to know each other more, sharing their interests and history to the other. The more time they spent together, the deeper their bond became and the deeper their love for each other.
Sadly, their time together wasn't meant to last. Amy eventually got a call from her band telling them that they had received a deal from a record company to sell their music to the general public and tour nation-wide. Amy was ecstatic about travelling the country and being able to play her music while her sisters could come along, but that would mean that she wouldn't be able to see Michelangelo, maybe not for the longest time. So the night before she left, she invited him up to the rooftops and told him the sad news. He held his head low in unhappiness, but waited until she was done speaking.
"I really do like being with you, Mikey, but.." she hesitated. "this could be the opportunity of a lifetime for me, and if I go, my sisters will be set for life." She held his hand. "But I don't want to go if it means if I have to leave you."
"W-W-Wait a minute!" Mikey cried. "You're about to hit the big time! Don't pass this up because of me! You've got dreams to fulfill, kid, live a little!"
"But Mikey-"
"Hey, hey, hey, let me finish! I mean, of course I'll be bummed out, but I know it must be weird holding on to a relationship with a turtle for this. I mean, think of the tabloids!"
Amy smiled. "Well, don't think I'm breaking up with you or anything. You'll always be my number one turtle, no matter what. I'll try to see you in New York as much as I can."
Mikey turned away shyly. "You'll think about me while you're on tour, won't you?"
Amy took his face in her hands. "Promise." She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his, while he returned her kiss and brushed his fingers in her hair, neither wanting to forget this moment.
After Amy said goodbye and headed off the rooftop back home, Michelangelo waved behind her, tears falling from his eyes. Just behind him, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael were watching him with pity. Sure their brother was goofy, but they still loved him nonetheless. When they thought Michelangelo was ready to talk, they snuck up behind them and patted him on the back.
"Hey, Mikey, why the long face?" Raph teased, "You didn't do anything to make her dump ya, did ya?"
"Raph, don't be so harsh," Don rebuked, "You know Mikey knows the ladies better than to do something like that."
The four of them all laughed together into the night.
"Well, we should head back," said Leo. "Master Splinter's probably waiting for us."
As they headed through the streets of New York City, leaping effortlessly from rooftop to rooftop, Michelangelo spotted a flower shop that had black roses displayed in its front window, the same kind of flowers he had gotten for Amy, and he smiled. They reminded him so much of her, dark and thorny like her attitude, but beautiful and sweetly fragranced like her inner aura. Every time he felt upset or alone, he would look at these black roses and think of Amy, just as much as she would think of him, and these shadowed lovers would await for their reunion on the horizon.