Note: This story is old and it's obvious from the thin plot and how the different perspectives crop up when needed that I was making it up as I went along. Regardless, I hope you enjoy. Originally posted in the Ninja Turtles section but due to its apparently mistaken removal I'm re-posting it here.

Chapter 1: Looks Aren't Everything

Elizabeth Cassidy sighed happily as she pulled herself out of the water; today had been a wonderful day. She had gotten all of her paperwork organized, she had written a full report about the new orca the aquarium had just acquired, and she had spent hours training with Minnie, her favorite bottlenose dolphin. It had been a truly marvelous, productive day—made all the better because the aquarium she worked at was closed today. No customers to interrupt her, no employees to watch her and whisper behind her back. If only they knew that she heard every rude, unkind word they ever said about her. She heard everything, whether she wanted to or not.

"I have to go home now, Minnie," she said, her eyes sad as she knelt beside the training tank. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Minnie chattered a response; Elizabeth planted a kiss on her smooth nose and stood. She headed to the locker room, where she peeled off her wet swimsuit and turned on the shower. She was too shy to do more than just rinse off before quickly getting dressed if her fellow trainers were around, but tonight she was alone, so she took her time rubbing shower gel over her skin, then massaged shampoo into her hair. She would never hear the end of it if her boss ever caught her swimming with her hair down like she did today. She smiled to herself and began adding conditioner—a necessity when one spent as much time in the water as she did.

Once she was satisfied that she was squeaky-clean from head to toe, she twisted the shower off and grabbed a fresh towel. As she began patting herself dry, she caught sight of her own reflection in the full length mirror hanging on the far wall. She paused, her pleasant mood drooping a little as she looked at herself.

She was short even for a girl, standing just a hair over five feet even—not that anyone counted that. Years of working in the water had made her slim and toned, and while she wasn't exactly ripped, muscle was clearly visible beneath her skin as she moved. Thanks to her Irish heritage, that skin was pale and fair—ivory, her mother used to call it. Since she spent more time underwater than in the sun these days, her freckles were so pale they were almost unnoticeable unless someone was extremely close to her...and no one ever got that close. The darkest ones were on her cheeks, and her mother used to say that when she was a baby, a fairy must have come by while she was asleep, kissed her face, and left fairy dust behind as it flew away.

Her mother used to say a lot of silly things like that. It was all she could do to smother her only child with love while she tried to understand why other children always avoided her—adults, too.

Elizabeth quickly pushed the memory of her mother away and shook out her hair. Her fellow employees didn't hesitate to tell her that she was crazy to work as an aquatic animal trainer and keep her hair as long as she did. The other girls all had short bobs, the longest reaching only shoulder length. Elizabeth had grown her hair to knee-length years ago, and she planned to keep it that way. She couldn't really say why—beyond that it felt like it gave her something to hide behind. Having hair this long in New York was weird enough; that she had to braid it, coil it, and fight with it for ages before she could get it up in the regulation swim cap made it even nuttier. Knowing it raised so many eyebrows made her want to keep it all the more. She was already a freak, so why not look the part? Sometimes she was tempted to get tattoos and piercings...but she didn't really want them, so she left it at the hair.

Her lengthy locks curled tightly when she left them loose, so she usually wore it up. Her hair wasn't anything like her mother's, even though her mother's had also been red. Her mother's hair had been straight and smooth and bore highlights that shimmered like gold in the sunlight. Elizabeth's curls were just plain red, like rubies. Like blood. Her mother's eyes had been a soft, gentle blue; hers were deep green. Like the hills of Ireland, her mother used to say. Her mother often likened her daughter to the land of her roots, which was ironic, since Elizabeth had never seen it in person.

And then there was her face. It was heart-shaped, with high cheekbones and full, pouty lips. Her eyelashes were long, dark and thick. At only seventeen, she knew she had a face—and a body—most women would kill for. Looking at herself now, she couldn't deny what she saw; she was young and beautiful. She took no pride in being either.

It made what she had to endure even harder. If she ever met anyone with the slightest inclination to pity her, that pity died where it began when they saw what she had. What could someone with looks like hers possibly have to complain about? Sometimes she wished she was ugly, so her loneliness would seem justified.

With a scoff, she finished drying off and got dressed. After grabbing her bag, she carefully turned off all the lights, locked up and walked home. Even though her apartment was a good ways away from the aquarium, she never took a cab. It was always dark by the time she went home except in summer, and she liked to cut through a certain garden along the way whenever she could. Sometimes she would stay there for hours, lying next to the trickling stream that ran through it, or sitting in the branches of a tree as she watched the stars. It was quiet in the garden. She liked quiet. And that was the best she could ever find: quiet. She could never find silence.

"Hey, Frederick," she greeted as she unlocked the door to her apartment. "How was your day?"

Elizabeth smiled as she nudged the door shut with her foot. A plump rat the size of a small house cat was sitting on her kitchen table, lazily munching on a cracker. Seeing him always made her smile; if her neighbors only knew. They ostracized her as it is. If word got out that she, a New Yorker, had a pet rat, she'd be run clear out of town. Sometimes she tried to imagine what it would be like to live somewhere else. Far out in the country, maybe—or maybe she'd move to her mother's homeland. She could purchase a tiny cottage on an Irish hillside, and there would never be anyone around to bother her again.

The thought always made her sigh; she didn't have the money to move at all, let alone out of the country. Plus the animals at the aquarium needed her. A lot of animals around here needed her.

As she sat down at the kitchen table, Frederick, the giant hooded rat, sat up on his haunches and pulled the cracker out of his mouth. "Oh, you know," he sighed. "Same o', same o'."

"I'm bored, dudes."

Leonardo was sitting by himself trying to meditate—which wasn't easy when his hyper-active brother kept saying the same thing over and over and over...

On the couch, Raphael looked up wearily from the comic book he was trying to read. "Michelangelo, if you say that one more time, I'm stuffing this into your mouth."

"But I can't help it," the orange-clad turtle sitting next to him complained as he slumped into the couch cushions. "There's nowhere to go and nothing to do, so what else can I say when I'm so bored except I'm bored?"

"That does it..."

Michelangelo leaped up from the couch with a yelp as Raphael lunged at him, comic book raised ominously. They raced out of the room just as Splinter was walking in, narrowly missing being run over by his former students as he edged to the side of the round doorway. "Perhaps it would be best if each of you were to take a break," he said calmly, as a loud crash came from somewhere behind him. "From each other as well as your duties."

"What duties?" asked Donatello politely. "The city is as peaceful as a tomb."

"But he has a point," said Leonardo, getting up to step hastily between his playfully arguing brothers as they ran back into the room via another doorway. "It might do us some good to get out for a few days. Seek solitude. Reflect."

"Oh, sure," muttered Raphael with a roll of his eyes. "Our vacations have always gone so smoothly in the past."

"I'm game," said Donatello, brightening as he moved past them and grabbed the device he had been working on. "If only to find some peace and quiet so I can finish this. Maybe I could visit the planetarium while I'm at it, or a few museums..."

He left, talking to himself. Grimacing, Michelangelo dodged past Raphael. "If I stick around here I'll be eating comic books. I'm heading up for a pizza."

"Hurry back," the red-clad turtle called sarcastically before sitting down and opening his comic again. But he only sat still for a minute or two before he got up restlessly. "I feel like a movie. Catch you later."

Leonardo smiled to himself as he watched them all leave one by one. "I guess I'll be going, too. I wouldn't mind spending a few days meditating in the open air for a change. Farewell, Sen—er, Splinter."

His former teacher smiled. "I wish you well."

The blue-garbed ninja dipped his head respectfully and went up to the surface. He didn't bother grabbing a disguise—pretty much the entire city knew about them now, so there wasn't much point anymore—and kept to the shadows as he moved through the streets. The city was as it had been for ages now; quiet. Sure, radios and TVs blared, car horns honked, and people talked, laughed, and shouted—but it was all normal. The only dangers to be found these days were the occasional foolish thugs, and even those had become scarce. Although as he moved up to the rooftops and looked out over the city below, lit up brightly as the night deepened, he had to wonder if the quiet was truly meant to last.

Usagi bolted up in bed with a yelp. "Not again," he groaned, rubbing his tired eyes.

In the other rooms, the animals chattered and squeaked in their cages, as unhappy as he over having their sleep ruined. Three nights ago, someone had anonymously left a dog tied to the front steps. Naturally, Obento had taken the poor creature in. And they hadn't been able to sleep since.

The animal was wild and untamed, with a violent spirit. Usagi was leery of going near it; he was pretty sure the massive beast would like very much to devour him. And it barked, snarled and howled endlessly, especially at night after the rest of them had gone to bed. Just when it would finally quiet down and he would drift off to sleep—up it would start again, yanking him ruthlessly from his dreams.

As he got up from his futon bed, Usagi was amazed to see that his master was still sound asleep, and snoring quietly. The human's smaller ears were a blessing sometimes, it seemed; he could sleep through just about anything. Usagi couldn't help envying him, and he rubbed the sides of his tired head as he moved to the main part of the animal shelter. The ferocious beast in question quieted his violent snarling as he came in—Usagi thought it sounded downright demonic when it was making that noise—and eyed him curiously through the bars of its cage. Though a mere cage was proving to not be hardly enough to contain it; they'd already had to reinforce it twice. But the creature was strangely still as he drew near, its black eyes watching his every movement.

The dog was enormous—even Obento had commented on his size. A mutt, he had called it, though Usagi wasn't sure what that meant. A few other names drifted through his mind as he studied the creature...none of them pleasant. The hair of its body was black as night, while its paws, tail, and muzzle were a fiery red. Its pointed ears swiveled this way and that, giving the impression that it could hear anything and everything. Its coal black eyes seemed to threaten to burn right through him.

"It's just an animal," he reminded himself out loud.

They didn't talk, act, or think like they did in his own world. Sometimes he wondered if they thought at all. There were others, though, like his four friends. They had been ordinary animals too, once, but they had been changed. Whether that was normal or not, Usagi didn't care; better something that went against the norm than nothing at all. Without them, he would feel completely alone in this world.

No point in denying it, he thought with a sigh. I feel that way anyway, sometimes.

Of course, he had been alone in his own world too, but that had been because of the path he'd chosen. Here, he was alone because there was no one else like him. He didn't belong here, but he was stuck here, and he had no hope of ever getting home again. True, he had his master Obento now, but what if something were to happen to him? Where would he go then? He shivered and tried not to think about it.

While he was silently brooding, the enormous dog had settled down, lying with its head on its large paws, though its eyes continued to watch him. Usagi smiled faintly and dared take a step closer. "You are alone as well, yes?" he murmured. "Someone left you here because they did not want you."

He felt sorry for the creature in spite of himself. He took another step and rested a hand atop the cage. "We could be friends, if you like."

He knew the beast couldn't understand him, but extending the invitation felt right. The pointed ears swiveled, as though the dog was listening to him—and then it rose up with the force of a truck, slamming against the front of the cage as it barked and snarled fiercer than ever. Startled, Usagi jerked back. His foot caught the side of the rug and he tumbled backwards, landing on his rear. The dog stopped barking and looked at him. Creatures in this world couldn't laugh, but Usagi swore that this one was trying to. It was certainly laughing at him with its eyes.

"Very well," he muttered, brushing himself off. "I bid you goodnight."

The dog did the same, serenading him until dawn. By then his ears felt black and blue, and he groaned when Obento arose in the best of moods. "Come, Usagi," he said cheerfully. "There are chores to be done."

Elizabeth was pulled from her sleep by the harsh buzz of her alarm clock. "I don't want to go to work today," she groaned, yanking the pillow over her head.

"So don't," said Frederick as he walked across her back. "Let's go for a walk in the park. I'll pop out of your bag and scare away all the happy couples."

Elizabeth giggled in spite of herself. "You're awful," she declared.

"And hungry. You better feed me before I waste away to nothing."

"You could stand to lose a few pounds," Elizabeth muttered, but she climbed out of bed with a grin.

After breakfast, she grudgingly walked to work. When she neared the front doors of the aquarium, she bit back a groan of disappointment; Eric Blaine, her nemesis, was standing on the steps. Hitting on Stacy Miller again—naturally. She tried to duck by them, but Eric caught sight of her and dodged into her path just as she reached the top step.

"Hey, freak," he greeted cheerily. Stacy retreated inside. Elizabeth tried to follow her, but Eric kept blocking her way. "I'm going to be late," she said testily.

The black-haired researcher responded by grabbing her shoulder and shoving her hard. She stumbled and nearly toppled backwards down the stairs. "I never really thanked you for ratting on me about my affair with Alice Baker," he told her, his grin doing nothing to mask the hatred in his eyes. "I had a good thing going, and you ruined it. I don't know how you found out, but you need to learn when to keep your yap shut."

"Kathy loved you," said Elizabeth, as bravely as she could. "She had the right to know what you were up to while she waited for you at home."

Eric's grin twisted into a snarl. "It was none of your business," he said, through clenched teeth. "Or maybe," he went on, his expression suddenly smoothing, "you were just jealous. Maybe you wanted me to notice you."

He reached a hand out to her face; Elizabeth ducked away with a shudder. "I've never seen you with a man," Eric went on relentlessly. "I could fix that, you know."

I'd sooner pick my nose with a fork, thought Elizabeth.

Just then, as if out of the blue, a bird swooped down with a squawk; Eric recoiled with a yelp as it smacked into the side of his face, leaving a long scratch. While he hollered and swore in rage, Elizabeth ran by and bolted inside. She raced to the women's locker room, changed into her suit and coiled her hair into her swim cap. She then retreated to the safety of the large training tank, where the new orca was being kept.

"Hey, Mac," she greeted as she glided through the water.

"Hey," sighed Mac as he surfaced.

"How are you settling in?"

"Okay, I guess," he replied, sighing again. "It just feels weird being by myself."

Mac was just a kid, and he had recently been transferred from the aquarium he'd been born in, where he had lived with his mother. He was awfully lonely without her. Elizabeth could relate.

"Well, don't you worry. I'm here for you," she told him with a smile.

She stayed with him for several hours before moving on to Minnie's tank. Minnie, whose full name was Minerva, was actually owned by the neighboring zoo, and she was being trained here for shows they planned to put on in the fall—educational shows, of course. "See you tomorrow," she called when she climbed out at the end of the day.

While she was drying off, she noticed one of the new girls watching her. As Elizabeth pulled her swim cap off and blotted her hair, the girl leaned close to Stacy and whispered, "She's so weird. I can't put my finger on it, but..."

"I know," Stacy whispered back. "But she's the best trainer we've ever had, so the boss puts up with it. She really needs a social life, though."

They walked away, still whispering to each other. Elizabeth went to the locker room with a sigh. She rinsed off and changed in record time and clocked out. As she was heading down the hall to the exit, somebody she didn't know darted out of one of the rooms up ahead. He lingered just outside the doorway, a strange look on his face, before hurrying away. Elizabeth paused; others followed after the first guy, acting almost the same way. They all trickled out of the room one after another, some in a big hurry, others pausing to whisper to each other. Finally, the trickle stopped and silence fell, marked only by the muffled chatter of the nearby tropical fish.

Her curiosity piqued, Elizabeth shouldered her bag and strolled through the door, keeping her eyes open for just what had made everyone take off like that. Through the wide doorway was the vast room that displayed the tropical fish and other exotic sea creatures, with small tanks along the outer walls and one giant circular tank in the center of the room. Though it was still a half-hour until closing time, the room was empty except for a lone visitor.

Elizabeth stopped short, understanding the odd commotion now. The short figure wore a loose coat, but it did little to hide a simple truth; he wasn't human. He was one of them. She had heard of them, of course, but she had never seen one before. She was about to leave quietly, in case he didn't want to be disturbed, but picturing how everyone else had just run out stopped her. They had run from the differences they could see...just like they pushed her away for the ones they couldn't.

Birds of a feather, a voice inside her said.

Her heart started to thump. She had waited her whole life for a chance like this—waited so long she had all but given up hope that a chance like this would ever come. Now it was here, and she was a bundle of nerves as she took a step closer. She wet her lips, took a breath and smiled.

"Hi."