The Turtle and the Murderer

What are these Feelings?

Darkness; All Mikey could see was Darkness. He would open and close his eyes, but not even that helped. He felt like he was floating through thin air. He was scared, unknowing of what to expect. Suddenly, a warm light glowed in front of him. He looked at it for a while. It was the same Chestnut Brown color as his attacker's eyes. He flinched, having remembered the dead body. The light was slowly brightening, until it blinded him. He heard a soft voice giggle. He thought it sounded familiar. When his eyes finally adjusted to the lighting, he froze.

There, standing in a long, white dress, was his attacker. Her dark hair was in a high ponytail, her bangs were just above her eyes. Her Chestnut Brown orbs looked happy, as if she were happy to see him. He could have sworn her smile was the thing lighting the room. He slowly walked towards her. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to protect her. She started walking towards him, too. Once they were inches apart, Mikey grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him. She placed her arms around his neck. "Did you miss me, my Love...?" She asked softly. She sounded so innocent when she called him her, "Love". Before Mikey knew it, he nodded his head. He smiled at the beauty before him. They pulled each other closer and began to lean in. Once they were inches apart, he could hear someone say, "Wake up". That slightly confused him. However, he decided to ignore the voice. As soon as their lips touched, Mikey saw a white light. Not the same light that his attacker had. A brighter light, one that blinded him in a more awakening way. He slowly watched everything disappear before him.

Mikey's eyes fluttered open. He slowly sat up to see Donnie standing beside his bed. Mikey gave his elder Brother a confused look. Donnie smiled at Mikey happily. "Hey, Mikey. I brought you some food." Donnie said happily. Mikey looked down at the plate Donnie was holding. It was a slice of Pizza. Mikey almost forgot what Pizza looked like. He extended his arm to grab the plate, but Donnie set it on Mikey's lap instead. Mikey placed his hand next to the slice and didn't move. Donnie stared at him, causing Mikey to tell that Donnie was concerned. Mikey looked back up at Donnie and smiled sweetly. "Thanks, D..." Mikey said weakly. Donnie only smiled, nodded his head, and sat down. Mikey looked at Donnie confused. 'Why is Donnie sitting on my floor?' Mikey thought quizzically.

He was going to ask Donnie, when a voice spoke out. "What's wrong, Mikey; Aren't ya able to eat Pizza?" Mikey looked up to see Raph. He had a concerned look on his face. Mikey froze for a moment. The dream had popped in his head after Raph spoke. He couldn't get that dream out of his head. The last clip was playing over and over again. Everytime he tried shaking it out, it wouldn't move. It stayed right there, showing him what him and his attacker did. He didn't know why, but he actually kind of wanted that to happen. As if, they needed to do that. Sadly, Mikey knew that his Brothers wouldn't approve. He could feel people staring at him. When he refocused his vision, he saw his Friends/Family with looks of concern. Mikey tilted his head in confusion, earning more concern.

Splinter heavily sighed and looked towards everyone. "Could all of you give Michelangelo and I a momemt? I sense that something is troubling him..." Splinter spoke cautiously, as if he knew something that they didn't. The only one that caught the cautious tone was Mikey. Donnie stood up and left. Then, everyone else followed Donnie and shut the door behind them. Splinter faced Mikey now. He walked towards his youngest son carefully. When he sat down, he sighed. He opened his eyes while speaking. "My son, I do feel that something is troubling you. Do you mind telling me what it is that is troubling you?" Splinter asked sweetly. When it came to talking like this, Mikey only spoke about it when it was just Splinter. He never spoke about this stuff to anyone else. He felt like the others would laugh, or just ignore him. Mikey sighed wistfully before speaking.

"Have you ever felt this need to protect someone that isn't apart of your family? As in, someone that you felt like you've known for a long time, but you've just met them?" Mikey asked cautiously. He didn't know if he asked that correctly, but he knew he was still tired. Splinter stroked his beard for a moment. Mikey looked at Splinter and continued. "It's just, I recently met this female and I have this overwhelming sense to protect her at all costs. If I just met this female, then why do I have this feeling?" Mikey asked softly. Splinter looked very surprised with his son's description. The two males sat there for at least two minutes. Two whole minutes of silence. Mikey was starting to feel nervous. Splinter then broke said silence. "Is this about your attacker, my son...?" Splinter asked worriedly. Mikey looked back at his Father with a sheepish smile. Splinter sighed. Mikey looked down for a moment. He knew Splinter would be disappointed. Worst of all, his Brothers would be very disappointed in him. Mikey closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember the other parts of that Night. Suddenly, one memory popped into his mind.

"She had remorse in her eyes..." Mikey softly added. Splinter looked at him confused. Mikey avoided eye contact. He reluctantly continued. "When she looked at me after she cut my second arm, she had remorse in her eyes. She looked - I don't know - guilty for hurting me. That was before my Brothers got there." Mikey spoke in almost a whisper. Splinter's eyes widened. Mikey didn't bother looking at him, for he felt that his Father would yell at him. Splinter grabbed Mikey and pulled him close. This surprised both of them. Mikey looked up at his Father, only to be met with tears. Mikey was shocked. Splinter never cried! At least, not in front of him and his Brothers. Splinter smiled at his confused son. Splinter used his sleeve to wipe the tears away. He looked back at Mikey and spoke.

"My son... I am so, very proud of you..." Splinter stated happily. Mikey looked at his Father in confusion. 'Didn't I just admit that I wanted to protect my attacker?' Mikey thought confused. He began to chew on his cheek in confusion. Splinter knew that his son was still confused, so he continued. "Michelangelo, is it possible that you love this female...?" Splinter asked calmly. Mikey's eyes grew wide. 'Love? I can't be in Love; I don't know what kind of Love this is!' Mikey thought frantically. He looked a little scared. Splinter looked at Mikey confused. There was a brief pause before Mikey sighed in defeat. "What kind of Love is this...?" Mikey asked, hoping his Father would know. Splinter stroked his beard, deep in thought. He hummed softly. 'Michelangelo seems new to this situation. I shouldn't interfere too much.' Splinter thought wisely. He opened his eyes to see Baby Blue eyes filled with sorrow. Splinter sighed heavily to this. "My son... This is called, 'True Love'..." Splinter stated calmly. Seeing his youngest in such distress was heartbreaking. Mikey softly blushed, making Splinter raise a brow. Mikey looked down for a while, not really knowing what to do. The two sat there for a while, neither breaking the glass of silence. Splinter waited patiently for Mikey to speak again.

"What will the guys say about this...?" Mikey squeaked. Splinter looked down to see tears in Mikey's eyes. Before he knew it, Mikey started talking again. "What if they won't understand this? What if they go after her? If she dies, I would blame myself for it! I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, knowing that she died because of me! I would rather be the one in Death's grasp than her! I really would, Splinter; I really would!" Mikey frantically yelled. Splinter looked at Mikey in pure Shock. He didn't know what to do. Mikey was going hysterical, his tears growing more evident now. He couldn't even stop talking. "I can't lose her! I don't even know why I can't, I just met her! If I just met her, then I shouldn't be ending my Life over it, right? I don't even know anymore!" Mikey shouted, too caught up in tears to notice his Father was still holding him. Splinter sighed. 'Thank goodness these walls are soundproof.' Splinter thought. He didn't want his elder sons to know of this. If they were to know, then Mikey would be in a lot of trouble. Mikey was already scared enough, he didn't need more pressure than he had. Mikey sobbed for what felt like ages, though it was only an hour. All the while, Splinter held Mikey close, comforting the distressed teen. After Mikey fully calmed down, Splinter spoke again. "Michelangelo, if you feel this way about her, then you are in Love. I just wish it wasn't under such a situation." Splinter stated reassuringly. Mikey looked up at his Father with a sniffle. Mikey wiped his eyes to calm himself more.

Splinter let go of Mikey and stood up. He handed Mikey his plate. "Here, You must eat. After you eat, you may rest." Splinter spoke softly. Mikey nodded and took the plate gingerly. Splinter left the room while Mikey ate. Once Splinter shut the door, he placed his back on it. He sighed. "Is Mikey okay, Master Splinter?" Splinter looked up to see Leo. Behind Leo stood everyone else. Splinter sighed once again. He stood up properly before speaking. "Michelangelo was still upset about the corpse. I made sure he ate, though." Splinter lied. He didn't want to lie to his Family, but Mikey was torn. Everyone sighed and went to find ways of calming their nerves. Splinter still stood there, unwilling to move. He really had wished that this Love wasn't under such a dire situation. Mikey was already scarred over the corpse, now he had to deal with this newfound Love? Splinter held back his staff from hitting the floor. 'If Michelangelo is going through so much in so little time, then I must be there for him!' 'He must understand that finding Love is natural, but this is just baffling...' 'How does someone fall in Love with a murderer...?' Splinter thought quizzically. He slowly walked towards the Dojo, still thinking about his youngest's situation. 'I am certain that this will end in a better light, eventually...' Splinter thought passionately. He smiled, knowing how his son is with others. That smile almost faded. 'I hope his Brothers understand...' Splinter thought worriedly.