Chapter 13

The Next Step

After having talked with master Splinter for a while, Michelangelo exited the old rat's quarters, having a lot to think about. Never once had it occurred to him that a romantic relationship with a human would be so complicated, and now that he knew, he wasn't sure what to do. He loved Shari, and didn't want to give her up, he wanted to find a way to make it work between them, even if it would be difficult.

"You sure gave us a shock, little brother." he heard Raphael say, as the red-masked turtle had decided to wait for him, while the others had gone to process everything.

"Are you angry at me, Raph?"

"I'm a lot of things right now, mostly confused and worried to tell you the truth. Never thought that you'd fall in love with a human."

"Me neither, but I did, and she did the same with me."

"Can't believe that either. So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to think of something, but no luck yet."

"Not surprising, this is something big. To be honest with you, I think you're an idiot for falling for this girl, but, looking back on things, I guess I could say the same about me when I fell for Mona. Love seems to do that, and if she feels the same way, well, I guess that's how it is then."

"So you're okay with it?"

"I don't really know, maybe. But I do know that if you really love her, you'll keep her safe, 'cause she might just need it. So be there to protect her, you hear?"

"Like you did when you ran off with Mona in Skyrim?"

"Not really my brightest moment, but like I said, love makes us stupid, so you should be fine."

"Thanks. I mean, hey! Or I mean… What do I mean? I'm lost."

"Just know this, that in the end, it's worth it. Come on, I think the others would like some details about this Shari too."

"Sure, but I have something I have to do first."

A short while later, Kate lay in her bed, having cried into the pillow since she got there. Her heart hurt greatly from learning that Michelangelo loved someone else, regretting that she couldn't win his heart, that she took it too slow.

'Why?' she thought to herself. 'Why do I keep falling for the wrong guys? Why can't I be allowed to be happy, to love and be loved? You'd think that I'd learned by now, to seal away my heart from everyone, but I don't, and in the end, it gets shattered, time and time again.'

Memories came to her mind, of previous relationships, from before her mutation, of how they had all ended badly, and her heart being crushed every time. Yet she always kept hoping, and dreaming of that which she desired, of that which her heart desired. Someone that would love her, that wouldn't leave her or break her heart, someone that could help it heal properly and fill the void which had grown each time.

She thought that she had found one that was the one she desired. The moment she laid eyes upon him, she felt that he was something special, she felt it in her heart, and the more time she spent around him, the more convinced she became that it was more than just infatuation, but she never let it show, even though she had accidentally let her guard down around him, letting him see a side of her that she hadn't shown anyone for several years, the soft side that she had hidden away to try and protect her scarred heart from more pain.

And now, Michelangelo had broken it, without even knowing it.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Hey, Kate?" she heard Michelangelo ask from outside.

"What?!" she snapped, too upset to be able to keep calm.

"Are you okay?"

"...yeah, I... just need to rest for a while... so leave me alone..."

"Oh... okay. Sorry for bothering you, I just wanted to check if you wanted to play a game like we said we would, but it's cool, we can do it when you're feeling better. Get well, okay?"

Michelangelo's words cut deep, unintentionally sowing guilt as he walked away. Despite that she was harsh to him, he was still kind and gentle, she couldn't be mad at him, as he only wanted to keep what he had promised her and still cared about her, just not in the way that she wanted.

Burrowing her face in the pillow again, she cried, not knowing what she should do any more.

Back with the others, Michelangelo told them about Shari, how they had gotten to know each other and what she liked.

"… her favourite colour is yellow, she likes to dance and go to the movies, works at a small flower shop, studies to become a fashion designer on her spare time. And she likes pizza."

"The most important trait, eh?" Raphael chuckled.

"When we asked you to tell us more about Shari, I didn't think you would give us a full list just like that." said Donatello. "You sure have committed everything about her to memory. Impressive."

"Of course I did, I love her, and it would've been rude not to remember what she's told me."

"Who would have known that you would be such a devoted boyfriend. I really hope that it works out well with her." said Sephie. While she was very worried about Kate, she was also happy for Michelangelo's sake.

"Yeah, me too." said Michelangelo, still not sure how to deal with the problems ahead of him. Then he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I've mentioned that we live down here, and that there are more than just me, and Shari's been asking when she could come here and meet you guys."

"Has she now? Hmm… I'm honestly not sure that's a good idea." said Leonardo

"Why not? You guys said you were okay with me and her being a thing."

"I meant that I think it's too soon, at least to let her into the lair. I want to meet her at least once before that, just to be on the safe side."

"There's no need for that, bro, you can trust her, I promise. But, I guess you're right either way. I'll talk with her tomorrow night, see if we can set up a meeting the night after that."

"That sounds like a good idea, Mikey. She lives close to where we ran into you the other night, right?"

"Yeah, in the apartment building just above. I usually meet her on the rooftop, so how about we have the meeting there?"

"I'd rather that we meet down in the far back of that alley, less chance of getting spotted, especially if all of us are going."

"So, us Mutopians as well?" Tyroth asked.

"Since Mikey has already mentioned you to her, I don't see any harm in it, besides, your presence alone should make any of our enemies think twice about attacking should they discover us."

"It worked the last time, I don't think I've seen Foot ninja run so fast since he wrecked their throneroom." said Michelangelo. "Shell, even I wanted to get outta there."

"Not really sure if it's wise to bring me along then, don't want to scare her." Tyroth said. "But it might still be for the best, hopefully she won't be overwhelmed by everything."

"Then it's settled. If she's okay with it, we'll meet her in the alley the night after tomorrow."

"Great! I'll let her know when I go see her tomorrow. Oh, she's gonna be so excited!" Michelangelo chimed.

Though not all were as excited as Michelangelo, as he was oblivious to how Kate felt for him, but they knew. Leonardo especially felt for the viper, as he had been in the same situation once, and he knew that they needed to do something to help her, his instincts told him so.

It seems that all but Kate are at least somewhat supportive of Mikey, but no-one has a clue to who Shari really is. And they want to meet her, I wonder how that will go.