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((Author's Note: I know they don't show the boys actually KILLING someone in the movies or the TV series...but chances are, each of them had to do it at one point or another. This chapter, in a way, shows how Mikey tries to handle this dark side of being a ninja.))

Mikey knew that Goldilocks was an innocent. He knew that she was unfamiliar with the fields of battle. Thus, he was worried that she was about to flip out from actually seeing people get killed--and especially from the fact that she actually contributed to at least one death.

"You okay, babe?" he gently asked as he limped up to her. "If you need to toss your lunch, I can bring over a trashcan or two..."

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the brick wall. After a moment, she didn't look so green, and thus the hand fell away from her mouth. "I didn't expect fights to be so...so..."

"Messy? Bloody? Neither did I--at least...not at first," The turtle admitted, feeling the familiar knots forming in his stomach.

She stared at him. "...you...you felt this sick...before?" she shakily asked.

"Yeah...actually, I ended up tossing my lunch in the nearest trashcan after our first bloody battle." He chuckled. "Raph--one of my other bros--was actually nice for once, holding my head while I was heaving up my tail and tellin' me that it was gonna be okay...that none of us really had much choice other than...well..."

"Kill to survive?"

"Yeah...sadly..." Michelangelo sighed. "It's not easy, being a warrior--especially if you're a ninja. Yeah, you get to hide in shadows and do some cool moves. But...sometimes, honor demands that blood must be spilled, either in self-defence...or otherwise." He shook his head. "It's just nuts, though, how some people take honor to the extreme. It's even worse that those without honor in the first place! And then...there are times when not everything is black and white. It's all shades of gray... Oh, God! I'm startin' to sound like Leo AND Donny!" He ruefully laughed at himself for a moment.

"Leo's the other other brother, then?"

"Yeah, and our leader. There's four of us--Leo's the oldest, Donnie's the brains, Raph's the Psycho--"

"Psycho?!"

"Yeah! He goes all beserk sometimes and just wreck whoever's in his way--trees, walls, Foot soldiers trying to clobber us--the usual stuff we've been facing the last few years," he added with a quick grin.

"Sounds like he's the wild one."

"Him, wild? Naaaaah! He's actually the coolest of my big brothers--even if he's a bit mean and hot-tempered."

Goldilocks couldn't help but smile as she shook her head. "You have an odd family, Mikey... I bet all of you are pretty brave, though, to keep fighting after all you guys must've been through... I dunno if I would have that kind of strength." She sank to the ground, hugging her knees and trying not to look at the bodies.

The ninja knelt beside her. "Sometimes, babe...I'm surprised I haven't gone crazy from all the s**t we've been through. I mean, we've faced an entire clan of ninja who wants our heads, alien invaders, magical creatures, an actual dragon, a crazy government agent, and a ton of robots! And all that by the time we were 15!" He shook his head in amazement. "It's just been one shell of a rollor-coaster ride, the last three years..."

"...how do you keep moving, then?" She inquired, looking right at him. "What helps you to keep fighting through the pain and gore?"

Mikey smiled. "I always look for the silver lining. I never stop looking forward to the next sunrise. I always try my best to make light of all the dark stuff in my life. If I didn't, I probably would've snapped a long time ago. Besides, my bros are waaaaay too serious for their own good! Somebody's gotta lighten the mood once in a while! Otherwise, they'll just get depressed and be all emo, ya know?"

The blonde cracked up, wiping involuntary tears from the corners of her eyes. Mikey realized that he liked her laughs; it was very nice to hear...and it made him a little warm all over...

"Seriously, though," he continued once she calmed down a little, "if I didn't have my sense of humor, I'd probably be nutso by now. True, life ain't easy, but when it gives ya lemons, ya gotta make lemonade. Ya see what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah...yeah, I do." Goldilocks' smile lit up her face, bringing some color back to her cheeks. "Thank you, Mikey. I'm glad I met ya--for many, many reasons." She then sighed. "This is only the start, isn't it? Now that these guys want me and this...Staff they're lookin' for, they'll probably chase us all the way to your house."

Mikey grinned in reply. "I don't have a normal home, Goldi-babe. I live down below with my family. Once I call them to meet up with us on the Sewer Slider, you'll see what I mean." He managed to get up, wincing from the wound in his thigh.

"Sewer Slider?"

"Yeah--one of Donny's many inventions. It lets us get around the sewers quickly, and in force. Normally, I'd say we skate home, but your board's still busted."

"...oh, yeah! The board!" She reached into the van to pull out her anti-grav skateboard. "So...you're sure that Donny can fix this?"

"Absolutely! Though...we might be tight on money for a while, now that I'll be off my job for a bit," he added remorsefully, looking at his wrecked van.

"Tell ya what: I'll help pay for any expenses you guys have while I'm stuck with ya."

"Ya don't hafta! You'll be our guest!"

"It's only fair. I'm the source of all our future troubles; it's only fair if I pitch in for my share, at least. Besides, like I said before: why bother having money if you ain't gonna use it wisely?"

"...good point." Mikey then looked at the arrows riddling his shell. "I might have some problem gettin' through the manhole, though..."

"Oh, I know how to take care of that!" She leaned the anti-grav against the wall, and then fished out Mikey's skateboard. "Turn around; I'll break those arrows off for ya."

"Ooooh, like in 300, right?"

"Right! Now, hold still..."