The Red Balloon || Tmnt Fanfiction ||

Chapter three: Anatomy And Astronomy.

Leonardo didn't want to be interested in her actions, at this point it was more of a curse than anything. But those words kept echoing through his mind like an abyss drawing him closer.

"Thank you, my guardian angel."

Why was she so sure about her words, like she had seen him, or like he was a distant friend. He couldn't focus properly, instead plagued by the image of her sea green eyes watching that same red balloon. The red balloon that had peaked his interest in her, damn that balloon. If it wasn't for that singular item, he would still be the same Leo, acting under the rules, focused on justice only. But no, it had to be fate.

What other cruel twist would draw him to her, aside from his lack of knowledge on humans. Sure, he had April, Casey, and even Lilith, but was that truly enough?

Was the girl even as focused on the happenings of yesterday as him? Maybe he was overreacting or not being as graceful as he could have been. It was dark, he could tell by April who walked into the lair sporting her trademark black and yellow jump suit. One she would put on, right before she went on patrol, or a few minutes before hand. Was school out already? The male sheathed his katanas with a sigh, a nauseous feeling arising in his stomach.

That was strange, normally he would be calm about patrol unless something bad was going to happen. Though that wasn't a pleasant idea considering his distractions. The blue clad turtle whistled, beckoning his brothers and human friends to follow him out of the sewers, onto their nightly patrol. It only took a few minutes to exit the sewer and take to the roofs, each gracefully jumping the gaps between with ease. Perhaps it was the years of practice, or perhaps it was just natural talent. They'd never truly know.

Meanwhile, Harper sat on her roof, staring through the telescope she aimed at her favorite constellation. An old hardback book in hand, filled with non lined, yellow tinted papyrus. Her favorite journal for sketching and writing in general.

The female took a deep breath of chilly night air, flipping back through previous pages to study the sketches there. Most pages were covered in plain black ink, drawings of said "guardian angel" filling the pages. Information from assumed range of motion, to height, gender, and personality scribbled down.

It was odd, feeling the need to appreciate someone she didn't even know. It was a distant admiration, one that the female almost considered unhealthy. But what else did she have to depend on? Her mother? Regardless of her love for Pamela (her mom), the woman wasn't in the proper state to be protecting anyone, not even her own daughter.

The teen hummed softly, kicking up her bare feet over the edge of the building as she leaned back- ecstatic that she could actually see the stars tonight, since the smog usually impaired that vision. "Just a few more seconds and..." The female brought her cell phone up, glancing around before aiming it and tapping the screen softly. The screen of her phone now held the image of a shadow, the only color being that of two blue bandanna tails, illuminated by the moonlight. The female twisted a few loose strands of short hair around her finger, humming gently in thought.

"So you've been watching us?"

The female yelped, the upper half of her body snapping up in an attempt to identify the voice, since she hadn't recognized it in her blind panic, instead hitting her head on her telescope and knocking it over. The teen scrambled to catch the item, but it seemed as though she was too late, the sound of a shattering lens echoing across the once silent rooftop. The girl slowly picked up a small shattered fractal between her fingers, watching it glimmer beneath the moon's dull light before flicking it away.

"Well at least," She tilted her head with a curious look, "I finally get to meet my guardian angel. One of the protectors of New York- and savior of my balloon. It's a pleasure to greet you personally."

She grinned up at the male covered by shadow, her petite hand raising and extending for a handshake, though the shadow seemed to only back up instead of trusting her. What else was she to expect? He was a vigilante of sorts, not one to easily give others the upper hand, quite literally in this case.

The girl held her hands up slowly, smiling as they kept the defensive position. She would never be scared of them, no matter what.

"I get it, some girl's been watching you and it's weird. You don't know how to feel, it's adorable, honestly."

Her hands lowered, the girl standing to walk over to the roof's edge, sitting down on it to stare at the busy streets. She didn't fear anything when he was here, he was her only lifeline aside from her mother. Taking that for granted would be insane.

"My name's-"

"Harper, I know."

"Ah, I see. I suppose April told you right?"

The girl turned her head to look at him, her eyes holding a mischievous glint, one that made him shift uncomfortably.

"How did you..."

"It's pretty obvious, I mean, when I first mentioned 'my guardian angel that was shaped similar to a giant turtle' she got extremely finicky. I had to assume she was attempting to make a cover story for your existence. I mean come on, the best excuse she could muster was that I was having hallucinations from sleep deprivation."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

The girl paused, thinking over her words cautiously, counting the cars that went by simultaneously. Why did she call him that? What was the exact reason she chose to think of him as something like that?

"I suppose, the easiest answer would be from how many times you've saved me without realizing it. Whether it be your impeccable timing, or your want to protect everyone... You've managed to keep me safe many a time. Just like with that red balloon."

After a short minute of silence, something shifted, a presence suddenly beside her. Apparently, Leo was intrigued enough to sit with her, and watch the quiet New York streets.