From the crystal clear shore Kala wades in the warm shallow water. She munches happily on the sweet piece of pineapple Michelangelo had cut from a tree. It was a welcome delicacy; much different from the pizza pot-stickers he had made for dinner. She is glad that, all though tasty, everything Earthinos eat doesn't taste like pizza.
Her black third eyelids shield her from the setting sun as she gazes out to where her green friend swims. It had taken Michelangelo about ten tries to be able to stand on the surfboard. but he finally gets his footing and pushes his hands out triumphantly.
"Look Kala! I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" Mikey shouts over the spritzy sound of rolling waves.
She calls out to him. "I see you! You are doing great!"
"Woo Hoo! Teenage Mutant Ninja Sea Turtle!" He mistakenly lifts his hands up trying to pose; he topples over in the breakwater. He and his board roll ashore.
Kala runs over to him and grabs the lip of his shell, rolling his face out of the sand.
"Did you see me?" Mikey says in a loopy drawl.
"Yes. You did very well."
Mikey sits up and brushes himself off. "Are you sure you don't wanna try next? Or maybe you can carve out another board from another palm tree with your awesome laser gun and we can go out together. Or you can let me use the laser gun." He tries to reach for and she scoots away.
"I do not think so." Kala says giggles. "I have never gone swimming. I don't know how."
"I could teach you. I'm a natural." Mikey shines a smile her way.
"I would like that, but for now, I'd like to just sit here and enjoy the view. It is so beautiful, so much like home used to be, but so very different."
"OK. I'll just join you then." Mikey leans back and lets the sand fit around his shell comfortably. He rests his hands behind his back and crosses his legs out in front of him. He closes his eyes and lets the breeze, the radiant, sinking sun, and the new sounds wash over him, the rustling palm leaves, the softly churning tide, the few tropical birds singing somewhere in the small gathering of greenery. He can't believe that he's on a deserted island, lounging on a white beach, beside sparkling, blue water… with a gorgeous girl! "Kala, what do beaches on your planet look like?" Mikey murmurs.
"Hmm." Kala thinks softly. She looks down to where her twelve golden toes press into the granules of sand. "I've never seen an actual beach on Neutron, but I have seen pictures of what they used to be; Gray, powdery sand, clean water that mirrored the color of a once bright yellow sky… Neutron and Earth would look very much alike if the colors weren't so different."
"Different huh?" Mikey wanders aloud. He sits up. "Do you think different is bad?"
She shakes her head. "No, I think it is very necessary. If everything was meant to be the same, I do not think there would be much reason to exist."
"So," He sits up fully, crossing his legs under him and facing her. "Different is good?"
She grins. "Yes, different is very good."
The young turtle takes a big gulp. "You know, you and I are different."
She rests her head on her knees and looks at him. "In some ways."
"Yeah, like our hands." He reaches out and takes one of her delicate hands in his. He studies it, noticing how soft the back of it is and how firm and calloused her palms are, from fighting and flying, Mikey wonders, but still very nice to touch. He surrounds her hand with both of his, traces her nails and finally presses his palm to hers, showing just how different they are. "See, your fingers are long like mine, but so very slim, and they are the color of, well, cheddar, my favorite kind of cheese by the way." He chuckles a bit. "And mine are the color of grass… and you have six fingers, but I only have three." He looks at her. She is blushing slightly, her skin starting to turn orange. He sees his signature color flood over her skin and a growing confidence builds within him. "I wouldn't change one thing about you."
"Y-you either, M-Michelangelo." Kala tries to control her breathing. It feels as though her mask is malfunctioning but she knows it's not the case. The feeling of his hand against hers makes her feel as if a herd of polisnips are fluttering in her belly. The way he's looking at her, those big blue eyes, entrancing her, forget the ocean; she'd drown in his eyes if she were not careful. "M-Mikey, there is something that I n-need to tell you about the customs of my people." Kala skitters.
"What is it? You can tell me, Kala." Mikey pivots his hand and laces his fingers along hers.
Kala hurriedly pulls away as her face begins to glow like a pumpkin in October. "I am beginning to understand the Earthino custom that the touching of hands is for friendship. But on Neutron, the linking of hands and locking of eyes is the symbol of oneness, of matrimony… which is the most Sacred of gestures of my people."
Mikey shrugs and smiles. "Could you say that in English?"
She takes a deep breath and exhales. He is so adorable she almost can't stand it! "Giving someone your hand is the symbol of ultimate trust and companionship. It's the first thing we lend out to those in need. It's the first thing we protect from fire or ice… or the sharp, jagged teeth of a glurma."
Mikey has no idea what a glurma is and confusion splatters across his face. She looks over at him and he quickly looks attentive, nodding again for her to go on. "My mother gave her hand to my father many utrons ago and they are still together to this day." Kala looks off info the red and purple hues of the sunset, finding it strange and stunning. "When you laced your fingers with mine and looked into my eyes, we were wedded."
Mikey's skin turns a faint grayish green and he puts up his hands in defense. "Wait, Kala, I'm sorry! I, I didn't mean to marry you, honest! Geez, I held your hand like that probably ten times… I married you, like, ten times already and you didn't say anything? I'm too young for marriage! I don't have a job! Do I have to get a job on Neutron? What kind of commute is that? Do I have to meet your dad?"
Kala looks at the distraught turtle before her… and laughs in his face. "Greeeee! Gree gree greeeeee greee greee! Mikey, you make the sides of my body hurt! You must be the funniest turtle in all the universes combined!"
Best compliment ever! He looks at her; the emotionally war-scarred girl is finally laughing and looks genuinely happy. He's so glad that he made her smile.
Once able to calm herself, Kala looks out over the blue ocean, watching the planet's small yellow sun disappear under the horizon. She speaks. "This is the first time, in a long time, that I have been able to laugh unhindered by the tyranny of the Kraang ... And you should not be troubled by the customs of my people… we are not on Neutron, after all."
Mikey lets out a large sigh and slumps his shoulders. "That's great news, Kala. I'm SO glad I don't have to marry you… I mean, don't get me wrong. I think you're great but I'm TOTALLY not ready for that." He chuckles.
"So… Mikey… are you saying that you like me more than someone who would be just your friend?" She grins at him and brushes the back of her hand along his shoulder.
"Maybe," Mikey says with a small grin. Though the sun has set, her skin still holds its shining luster as if it were still noon. It reminds Michelangelo of those glow-in-the-dark stars and planets plastered over Donnie's bedroom walls. How much awesome-er can this chick get?
"What kinds of bonding rituals do you have on Earth?" She asks.
The orange-banded turtle hums in thought. "From all the movies I've seen, there's getting married and going out on dates…"
"What is a date?"
The turtle blushes. "A date is when two people go out and do fun and romantic things together."
"What is romantic?" Kala asks.
Now Mikey gulps and turns away, fidgeting with his fingers. "Romantic stuff can include, I dunno, going to the beach, laying in the sand, sharing a pineapple… hugging and holding hands. See, holding hands is a nice thing on our planet, but it's not the best thing." Mikey says as he scoots closer to the alluring alien.
"Oh?" Kala says softy as she too, slides closer to the adorably freckled turtle. "And what is the best thing?"
Mikey, not wanting to freak her out again by touching her hand, lifts his own and perches her chin on his finger. There was a split second of panic, a screaming thought announcing to him that he's about to step into unknown territory. He looks into the shimmering pools of Kala's silver eyes… they are warm with trust and anticipation. Mikey smirks and whispers. "Hold your breath."
Kala takes a breath and Mikey gently slips off the breathing mesh covering her nose and mouth. He leans in and closes his eyes and lightly presses his lips to hers.
Kala closes her eyes and feels Mikey's lips upon her. At first it just tickles and she finds the gesture amusing. But then he brushes a finger over her cheek, and starts to nudge her jaw this way and that with his own. And then, as he minutely opens his mouth causing her to do the same, her face begins to warm and her hands creep up to cup his face without her knowing. Her skin begins to glow a bright red. A sudden quiver runs through her, turning her spine into jelly and she begins to fall back… but Mikey's strong arms are right there to keep her afloat. She allows him to hold her tight as long as her breath will allow.
Kala takes as much as she can then pushes Mikey away. She pulls up her mask and takes a long-awaited breath. She looks at him; his once bright blue eyes are now deep and dilated. She's pretty sure it is not the lack of di-oxygen that makes her hearts flutter. She licks her lips and whispers. "What do you call that wonderful thing?"
Mikey giggles as a blush flashes over his face. "It's called a kiss. It's what we do… when we really like someone." He cannot believe he just had his first kiss!
"Kiss… I like it. And I really like you."
Mikey's face lights up with the biggest smile. "I like you too, Kala."
She doesn't know how to ask. She wants to kiss him again but something large and round and white catches her attention. She points behind Michelangelo and shouts. "Mikey, what is that?!"
"What? What!" Mikey shoot his head around, grabbing his chucks, ready for any threat... there was nothing there. "I… I don't see anything."
"No, Mikey, up there in the sky!"
Mikey looks up. "The moon?"
"The moon…"
"Yeah. It goes around our planet all the time. Donnie would know a lot more about it than me. I DO know that it has 'faces' and it is NOT made of cheese… though that would be totally awesome."
"It is beautiful. Neutron does not have moons. Very few planets in my dimension do… Can we go?"
Mikey's eyes widen. "Go where? The moon?"
"Yes! Let's go to the moon!" Kala jumps up from the sand. She leans down and takes his hand, helping him up.
"OK!" Mikey is quickly led by her. He laughs to himself. He's 'married' as far as Neutrino law proclaims, and he sealed it with an Earth kiss. Might as well take his honey to the moon.
They jump in her jet-black hotrod and blast off, leaving the tiny island behind, the only proof of their visit, a surfboard sitting upright on the beach and a secret kiss on the gentle wind.
...
How come good things never seem to last? Why do dark clouds follow so closely behind bright, beautiful days? Why, oh why did Michelangelo and Kala's time have to be cut short? Things were going great and the teen turtle could not believe his luck! But once he and his alien gal pal had seen what they saw, Kala had cloaked her ship and headed straight back to the Lair. They needed to tell Leonardo and the rest of what they had discovered, and fast!
As Kala goes to the bathroom and then to the bedroom she shares with April to rest, Michelangelo and his brothers meet in the dojo.
Leonardo takes the news as best he can, trying to keep a reign on his nerves. "Mikey, share with Raph and Donnie what you told me."
Mikey looks at Leo with surprise. He'd never been able to say anything when Leo briefed them. Mikey takes full advantage of this opportunity and puts on his best 'serious' face. "Thank you, Leonardo. At approximately O-nine twenty-three PM, while Kala and I were on our date..."
"Hold up, Sir Goof-a-lot." Raphael growls. "You and Kala on a date? Where'd you take her, skateboarding through the sewers? Or no, wait, you two shared a melted icecream cone someone threw away and sat under the dingy moonlight of the New York sky? Real romantic."
Mikey sticks his tongue out. "Geez Raph, jealous much? As a matter of fact, Kala and I flew in her awesome hotrod. We went to a deserted island in the tropics and surfed, ate freshly a cut pineapple, that I picked for her and then we FLEW to the moon." He gave a 'say something now, fool?' look at his red-masked brother and continued giving his report. "As I was saying, while Kala and I were on our date..."
"Wait a sec! You got to go fly in her cruiser?" Raph snaps.
"Well, I did first." Donnie offers. "We had to test it out to make sure it was in working order. And to show her thanks she took me to one of the great wonders of the world, the Galapagos Islands! I took samples and pictures and notes. It was very educational." Donatello cheers.
"See, my trip with her WAS a date. WE had fun." Mikey retorts.
"Education can be fun..." Donatello murmurs.
"Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, Kala and I were on our date when..."
"We flew to Japan and walked through the Cherry Blossom Festival together." Leonardo recalls. "We 'borrowed' kimonos and masks and ate pocco and rice balls and watched traditional Japanese fighting and plays. It was her first time seeing fireworks. It was an amazing time for both of us. I'm sure she forgot about her troubles, even for a little while." He smiles, happy that he was able to forget his troubles as well.
"And I repeat, we FLEW TO THE MOON!" Mikey tries to argue. "So, my DATE was still better, and on my DATE with Kala we saw..."
"Not fair! I'm gonna go on a Kala Trip too. We'll go to a hockey game or go see an action movie!"
"You don't need to take her hotrod to do those things, Raph." Donnie explains.
"Yeah, why would Kala want to go on a date to a loud and rowdy hockey game when she's already been to the MOON with me?" Mikey taunts.
"We'll go to MARS then and we'll stand three miles apart from each other and play catch with my football! Then we'll go to Antarctica and build a giant snow turtle!" Raphael roars.
Mikey's eye grow wide. "Dude... that sounds awesome... still not better than MY date but tons better that Leo's or Don's."
Leonardo slides a palm over his face. "We weren't on a date, Mikey. Just two people, forgetting the cares of the world for a moment. Just two people who understand the struggles of being a leader... now are you going to give your report or will I?"
"I got it, I got it!" The freckled turtle raises his palms. "So... KalaAndMeWereOnaDateWhen..."
"For the record, I NEVER said I wanted to go on a date with Kala! I just wanna take a ride in her cool spaceship." Raphael crosses is arms and sneers at them.
Place Awkward Moment Here
"...When we saw that huge Kraang ship being repaired, hiding within the dark side of the moon!" Mikey exclaims.
"The Kraang have a moon base? They've infiltrated our moon!?" Donnie exclaims.
"Sure, I even took some pics with my T-phone." Mikey hands his phone to Donnie.
Donnie looks at the screen, turns it sideways and back again. It's a black screen with a blurry, green thumb in the corner. "This is a terrible picture of your thumb, Mikey."
"Go to the next one."
"Gah." Donnie sees the image of a huge blue eyeball.
"Sorry, go to the next one."
"Wha…?" Donnie sighs as he sees Kala smiling with Mikey beside her, flashing a 'peace' sign, the earth shining behind them. "First 'selfie' in space, congrats Mikey." He says dully.
"Sorry, I'm sure it's the next one."
"Hmm." In the background Donnie sees the small image of the ship, not the ship itself, but its faint, pink lights portraying the massive outline of the ship. In the foreground is Mikey's large hand, surrounding the ship as if it's about to 'eat' it. "Mikey, you're a goofball." He huffs.
"So what do we do?" Raph asks.
Leonardo had known that once Kala told him that the Kraang could teleport, they would see that ship again. "There's a reason why that ship came here. Whatever that reason is we need to find out and stop the Kraang before it comes back."
"But how? It's not like we can fly up there with some fancy spaceship, undetected, sneak into the Colossal Kraang Castle and blow it up."
"Mikey, that's exactly what we have to do... with Kala's help." Leo says.
"With Kala piloting her cruiser we can fly right up to the..." Donatello stumbles and looks at Mikey. "Colossal Kraang Castle... under her cloaking device. All we would have to do is find its core generator and cause it to overload."
"That sounds like a great plan, but you're all forgettin' one small issue." Raph points out. He looks at them like they're loony. "Hello? Ain't it obvious? I'm the only one who DIDN'T get to ride in her hotrod and I know there's only room for TWO people in the cockpit! If we're doin' this, only one of us get's to go with her."
"Hmm." Donnie thinks, then gasps. "That's not entirely true! I have an idea!"
…
…
A/N: How do you like it so far? Is it cool or does it stink? Any comments are welcome!