Chapter 8

Plans

Back in the lair, after some more training, the young mutants had the rest of the night free to spend as they wished, and while they would head topside for a late patrol, they still had a few hours. During this time, as they all found something to do, Monalisa noticed Michelangelo and Kate giving each other looks when they thought that the other one wasn't watching, but Monalisa saw it clearly. The looks given by Kate were affectionate but shy, almost like that of a school girl, a very strong contrast to her usual self.

The looks that Michelangelo gave Kate, on the other hand, were not very affectionate, but rather it was closer to fearful, and not without reason. While Kate had been a bit flirty towards the youngest turtle when he first stayed in Mutopia, he didn't seem to know what to think of it at the time, and Kate did have a temper rivalling that of Raphael. And venom.

But now that Michelangelo was longing for a mate of his own, and even had unwillingly looked at Monalisa, he had a certain glint in his eyes whenever he looked at Kate, hidden behind the fear and respect. Monalisa was fairly certain she knew what it was, but so far it didn't seem like the two would find each other, at least not on their own. But Monalisa had promised herself not force the two together, she really wanted to help her little brother more actively. If only there were some way of getting them together without it seeming too suspicious. Then, an opportunity dawned on her. They would go on patrol later, and while the chances were small, it wasn't impossible that Michelangelo and Kate could end up in the same group, maybe even alone.

'Now if only Leo could put them together, it would be perfect.' Monalisa thought to herself. 'Maybe if one of us suggested that it would be good if we were paired up with unlikely partners, then at least the chance would be higher. But who? Hmm… Of course!'

With an idea in mind, she walked into the dojo, and found the mutant she was looking for, Tyroth, who was lifting some weights.

"Hey, Tyroth." she said, catching his attention.

"Oh, hi, Mona. Just one moment" the dragon responded, and put down the barbell with the large amount of weights.

"Just how much is that?" Monalisa asked.

"Don't really know. Wanted to see how much I can lift, so I just took all of the heaviest disks I could find. Think it's around half a tonne or so, maybe more. But I doubt that you came here to discuss weightlifting, and I hope that it isn't about that accident the other day. I'm still very sorry about that."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean to do it, but you're right, it's not about any of that. I wanted to talk with you about you-know-what." she said, looking around to make sure that they were alone.

"I see. Okay, I'm listening, what's on your mind?"

"You see, I've been thinking of a way to get Mikey and Kate alone together, and I've gotten an idea, but I might need some help from you. Later, when we go on patrol, if they were put in the same group, maybe something might take root. Leo is the one that decides the groups, but since you're also a team leader, you could talk to him and suggest that we have partners that we normally don't."

"Like Mikey and Kate, yeah, I see where you're going, Mona. That could just work. I'll have a word with Leo and see what happens. But do you really think they can become a couple?"

"I do actually. I've seen the way Kate looks at Mikey, and it's clear that she has some feelings for him, even if he hasn't given her the same looks, but I still think it's possible."

"Good enough for me, it's worth a shot at least, I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Tyroth. And could you say that it was your idea? So that no one gets any ideas about the reason why."

"Sure."

Leonardo sat in his room, meditating in the peaceful solitude, when he was woken from it by a knock on the door.

"It's open." he said. The door opened and Tyroth walked in.

"Hi, Leo. Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"Not at all, I was just meditating a little. What can I do for you."

"I just had a thought, about tonight's patrol." Tyroth then continued by explaining what Monalisa had told him, and Leonardo listen closely.

"Mix it up a little, huh? That's not a bad idea. Do you have any ideas of what kind of pairs we should try?" said the turtle.

"One or two, still working on it. It's a bit troublesome since you guys are five, while we are three, so one pair will be only you guys, but it can't be helped. Either way, I was thinking maybe me and Donnie, and perhaps Kate and… let's say Mikey."

"Interesting pairs. That leaves the girls, Raph and me, so no matter how we mix, there will be at least one pair that has been tried before, just like you said. If we go with those pairs you suggested so far, then I'd pair up Raph and Sephie, which leaves me and Mona."

"Doesn't sound too bad if you ask me. If you're alright with it, then I say that we try it tonight."

"I agree. This should be interesting." said Leonardo.

'You have no idea.' Tyroth thought to himself.

Later that night, when the mutants headed out on patrol, Leo did split them into four pairs, just like he and Tyroth had talked about earlier. The others didn't mind the new exercise, though a few weren't overly happy with their partner, such as Raphael, who wanted to be with Monalisa, and Michelangelo, who felt a bit uncomfortable being alone with Kate. Never the less, they stuck with the pairs and headed out in different directions, with Michelangelo and Kate moving North.

For the better part of half an hour, the two reptiles jumped across the rooftops in an awkward silence, neither really knowing what to say to each other, and with no criminal activity to deal with, there was nothing to break the silence. Eventually, they stopped for a quick rest, and at that point, Kate couldn't continue to be quiet.

"Where the hell are all the crooks tonight? I was itching for a good fight." she said.

"Maybe they're all on vacation." Michelangelo said jokingly. Now, had Raphael been there, Michelangelo would have gotten a whack on the head, and he expected the same from Kate. But to his surprise, it never came, and what more, Kate actually seemed to enjoy the joke as she giggled for a few seconds. But she quickly stopped and cleared her throat, and it seemed like she actually blushed a bit. Michelangelo was confused, he had never expected someone like Kate to giggle, and definitively not a cute giggle.

"Did you just giggle?"

"N-no… I… Fuck... Okay I giggled. And don't you fucking dare tell anyone."

"W-who, me? D-don't worry, I won't." Michelangelo replied with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. But please don't tell anyone. Percy would never let me hear the end of it if he knew that I giggle."

"It's cool, I just didn't expect you to. But I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Thanks, Mikey."

"You don't seem like the kind to giggle. Can I ask why?"

"No." she said sharply. "It's part of my past, and that's nobody's business."

"Okay, sorry, I won't ask again." Michelangelo apologized.

"Look, you're a nice guy, but this is too personal for me to be comfortable to share with anyone, not even the others. One day maybe, but not now."

"It's okay. Got any ideas for what to do when we get back to the lair?" he said, trying to change the subject.

"Maybe a movie or something."

While the two mutants talked, they were unaware of that they were being watched. A group of Foot ninja had spotted the reptiles while on their own patrol, and now observed them from a nearby rooftop.

"That's one of the turtles!" said one of the ninja.

"But who's he with? Is it that lizard whore?" asked a second.

"No, and it's not the other lizard either. This is a mutant we've never seen before." said a third.

"First the dragon and his whore, and now this freak. They are really crawling out of the woodworks. We should bring her to lord Arashi, I'm certain he will reward us." said a fourth. Many ninja nodded in agreement.

Moving swiftly through the shadows, the dozen or so Foot ninja made their way toward their intended victims, unsheathing their weapons when they were close enough.

It seems like Kate is starting to soften up, more so than one would expect. And Mona continue to try and pair up her and Mikey, how will it go, I wonder, as they are all in the dark regarding Shari.

Blasted Foot! They show up when you need them the least, which is all the time. Our friends may be in quite the bind. Check back for the next chapter to see the conclusion.