A/N: I started to write this for a friend, although it's turned out a lot longer than I intended! There's a brief mention of RaphxMira, which I suppose some may call RaphxOC, but either way it doesn't interfere with the main plot so if you're eager for a Raph-centered fic, don't let that scare you off!
I've had this plot in mind for a while, but Mira gave me a reason to write it! It's a bit different than I originally intended, as I was hoping to include other OCs when I first thought of this. However, there's only the little girl so far who interacts with Raph, and I really hope you enjoy the story!
Just another typical night in New York. Cars honkin and sirens goin off. People walkin around without a care in the world. Meanwhile I'm stuck up here on the roofs getting overlooked as some kinda… freaky gargoyle. ...Man, where'd all these damn lights come from?
No place like the big apple, Raphael thought as he stared down at the city from atop an apartment roof. The popular tourist traps ablaze with fluorescent lights weren't the safest places to be for a mutant ninja turtle, but Raph never really cared much for "safest."
Granted, he wasn't sure why he had gone to this part of the city in the first place. The only thing he remembered was leaving the lair for some fresh air after Mikey had pulled some dumb prank on him. It was the first time in a while that he was pranked and he got so ticked off by it he figured he just needed some air. The coming summer provided a nice warm night with a cool breeze, perfect for a turtle needing to cool off.
He caught himself getting lost in his own head as he stared down at the bustling life that he could never be a part of, and shook it off before suddenly disappearing to the less-populated neighborhoods back south. The life he and his brothers used to always dream about went on behind his back as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Gotta get over it. It ain't gonna happen.
The lighting became dimmer as he traveled to the grimier parts of the city, knowing he'd find trouble somewhere. That's usually all it'd take for him to cool off, and with Casey busy with his new life with April, Raph was doing this run solo.
He got caught up in his thoughts again at that; Casey and April. They had been married for a couple years now and they were starting to think about starting a family of their own. Of course, Casey needed to find a more stable job besides just helping out the neighbors if they were going to get serious about it. So, the Jones duo was pretty busy with their own things, leaving the guys to their normal routines.
Raph patrolled the same area in a circular manner, thinking about what would happen when they have their own family and how Casey'd be spending less time than he already was with him.
Not that I need 'im or nothin, he thought, catching himself for a moment. He gave into his emotions momentarily, however, and his lips unconsciously tightened in a line. But it is nice havin that bonehead out 'ere with me.
Thinking about Casey and April starting to settle down only made him think of his own possible future. An image passed through his mind of a warm Massachusetts day in the backyard of his girlfriend's house. The grass under his shell and his mask above his eyes and turned to the side as he lightheartedly laughed at some story Mira told him. He'd only been outside there once with her, and was kept on guard for the most part, but enough time in the sun can make any turtle forget about his worries- even the ol' stick-in-the-mud Leonardo.
The thing about Mira was that he almost completely forgot who he really was around her. She accepted him, treated him like a normal person. And, until he was forced to remember his shell or see his own skin, he almost believed he was just like her. Human.
He was stirred from his thoughts as a shout erupted from an ally not far from where he now stood. It's about time somethin' happened around here, he thought before starting off toward the source.
A scream sounded as he approached, different from the voice before. "Baba!" cried the voice of a little girl, obviously in terror. Raph immediately thought of the worst thing that he'd see once he got there, which drove his submerged rage as he quickly got a view of the ally from the rooftop. His hands were ready at his sais.
Below him, a little girl with short, sleek black hair was being dragged away towards a car as a nicely-dressed man- who Raph assumed was either her father or brother- lay coupled over on the ground. He looked up and reached out, obviously in pain and tried to cry out for the girl. He was stopped by a kick to the stomach before a gun was aimed at his head.
I've seen more than enough.
With perfect aim and precision, one of Raph's sai hit the rifling directly, practically rendering the weapon useless. The hit confused the man holding the gun long enough for Raph to land right in front of him and land a direct kick to the side of his head, instantly knocking him out. The only other man was the one who lay on the ground.
"P-please," he stammered with an Asian accent coupled with intense pain. "Save m-my…my daugh…ter!"
Raph had picked up his sai and began chasing after the similarly-dressed men who had taken the little girl before her father could finish his sentence. Shit, he thought, almost catching up to them before the car took off.
Damn it!
Without missing a beat, he had started up the fire escape the second the tires peeled out. Making it to the rooftop in record time, he had practically forgotten about the beaten man in the ally and could only hope that the cops would get there in time to help him and catch the other man.
The car turned down the street Raph was heading for, going for the nearby group of warehouses. Hoping that was their final destination, Raph took off straight ahead for a shortcut that he hoped would put him there in time to see where they were headed.
Raphael sat perched on the roof of a distant building, giving him enough distance to see a majority of the layout of warehouses. While he noticed a shady man waiting outside one of the warehouses, he also kept watch around the buildings and the road in case they had decided to take a detour.
What kinda people take kids after beatin' up their parents right in front of 'em?! …I hope that guy's gonna be okay. I gotta get his kid back to 'im.
Determination drove the ninja turtle to stay at his post, and not to give up on finding the little girl. What if I was wrong… he thought as he closely eyed every square foot of the property. They could be halfway to Staten Island right now... Damn it's been a hell of a night already…
The same black car appeared on the road, and Raph's attention immediately turned to it as it turned onto the road leading to the warehouses. He turned his attention back to the man outside the warehouses, who noticed the car at the same time and began unlocking the garage entry.
And it ain't over yet.
He vanished from his post on the rooftop and made bounds for the warehouse that the car had entered. He slinked down the side and dashed in just before the door closed, immediately taking his place within the shadows, and behind a stack of crates, once more.
The warehouse was wide and filled with the stench of "the mob's" signature cologne along boxes that Raph could only assume contained something illegal or something that would serve illegal purposes. The Mob's back to takin kids now, are they? We'll see about that.
The door opened to the sound of the little girl struggling against one of the men, and she was speaking another language. Chinese? It ain't Japanese… Chinatown ain't too far away from 'ere… Raph reasoned in his mind as he tried to get a better view.
He gritted his teeth when he saw her face, tear-stained but still determined; almost as if she knew how to handle herself in this situation. She moaned out a weak "baba" as she was led by the man with her arms behind her back.
"Yer Daddy ain't here to protect you now, brat," the purple-suited man said, sneering. His voice alone gave Raph a headache and his dumbass tie didn't help it.
She can't be more than 8 years old or somethin, Raph thought incredulously. What the hell do they need this kid for?
The Boss came out then, still huge and in his light pink and cream suit. (Clearly, they were a mob of fashion.) "Well if it isn't the little Xiao girl," he said, his voice filling the empty space of the warehouse.
Raph watched the girl closely, wanting nothing more than to just grab her and go, but knew that it wasn't the time to reveal himself just yet. Her lip was jutted out in a forced pout as her thin, black eyebrows furrowed at the man who had to be at least four times her size.
He crouched down to her level, a menacingly smug grin on his face. "You speak English, don't ya?" he asked her. When she remained silent, he kept going. "Your father didn't have a problem talkin back to my boys," he paused as his look turned into a scowl. "And openly defyin' us and our connections back in China. Where do you think he is now?"
Raph gritted his teeth, disgusted by the way he spoke to her. Out of his view, her eyes started watering again, although she refused to cry.
"In a better place, I'm sure," the man said as he stood up again.
"You're wrong!" she cried out in anger, her voice and thick accent ringing in the warehouse.
He gave her a smirk. "Am I now?"
She continued to glare at him before bravely wiping her eyes, stopping any more tears as she recalled what she saw before being dragged into the car. "My dad... is fine! You will be... hurt!" she exclaimed, struggling to find the words.
The man's bellowing laugh echoed out as Raph started to move behind the crates. She had seen him and he knew she was counting on him now. He wasn't going to screw this up.
"Kids!" the boss chuckled out as he looked around the crowd. "Always got hope even when there's nothin worth hopin for. You'll learn. But until then…" he trailed off, gesturing for some men to take her away. "We'll keep you company."
Raph clenched his hands against the crate he had been watching behind, knowing he was too outnumbered with all the weapons around. Not that he couldn't make it; he just couldn't afford getting the girl in the crossfire. He followed their direction from the shadows, watching closely for the perfect moment to attack and get out of there. They were leading her to a makeshift office, further away from security central and Raph began working on an escape plan.
I can't get her hurt.
He glanced back just as some of the thugs passed by the crates with enough time for him to jump over some and hide. This ain't gonna be easy. He looked at the area around the office, spotting a window right above a group of crates. He went with the first idea that came to mind and thought, Good enough for me.
As the girl was locked up in the room, tied down to the chair like the usual cliché, two goons stood outside the office to keep watch around the area. Raph snuck behind the crates to get around the side of the room, his figure hardly noticeable from the shadows as he watched the goons closely.
His large hands twitched near his sais, but he knew he wouldn't need them for a quick take-down, so long as it was silent. A sudden thought crossed his mind, I don't even know where her dad is right now.
He gritted his teeth slightly, his eyes locked on his first target before crouching and jumping off the balls of his feet in a swift and silent manner. He landed a kick to the back of the first one, knocking him directly to the ground with a thud and instantly swinging a kick to the head of the other just as he turned around.
He stole a glance to the girl through the door's window, her back facing to him. She doesn't look hurt. Good.
He lifted the two men and stashed their unconscious bodies behind a couple crates, then slid their dropped guns off in the opposite direction. He tried the door to see if it was locked and, finding it open he slipped inside and closed the door behind him, checking to make sure no one had seen.
The little girl sat in place, thinking it was one of the gang members that had walked in. Raph's hand lingered over his sai as he stepped forward, to glance out the window of the office to check again. When he saw no one, he took out his sai, twirling it.
As he did so, the girl turned around and gasped when she saw him. She began to babble off in Chinese, but stopped when he lifted his sai. A look of horror flashed over her face before she realized her hands had been freed and the handcuffs that had kept her stuck to the chair were laying on the floor.
"I ain't here to hurt ya," he said as she stood up and stretched. "But we gotta get outta here quick before anymore goons show up." He glanced out of the window again, a bad feeling beginning to sink in as time went on.
"Are you a... turtle... or man?" she asked curiously, tilting her head.
Raph looked back at her, trying not to let his face show his thoughts. Did she not just hear what I said?
"Turtle," he answered blatantly as he walked toward the door. "There's an open window behind this office. We'll get out through there and I'll take ya somewhere safe."
"What about... my dad?" she asked, now behind him.
He opened the door and looked out, seeing movement close by. "We'll find 'im, I promise. But ya gotta stick with me and stay quiet, alright?"
He glanced back to the girl, a look of sadness and anger on her face as she pouted up at him. Her brown eyes seemed to have grown bigger even as they narrowed. "Where are you taking me?" she asked angrily, enunciating each word and standing firmly in place.
He sighed. "Out'a here," he replied with an annoyed tone. "Or did ya wanna stay here?" He raised a brow at her before looking back out.
Knowing she had no other choice, the girl nodded reluctantly. "I will go."
Raph nodded once and opened the door slightly to let her out before he left and began leading her around to the back of the crates. He heard men approaching as they arrived and knew they didn't have much time. "We gotta go," he started as he watched her attempting to climb the large boxes.
Sighing, he helped her onto one of the boxes before telling her to get on his shell and hold on tight. When she started to protest, he gestured to the men approaching the office before putting a finger in front of his lips. Still feeling reluctant but knowing she had no choice at that point, she quietly got onto his back, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck.
Her short legs also tightened around his shell as he began leaping from crate to crate, then a final leap from a beam to the ledge just before the window. He looked out to get a layout of the outside. "Alright kid," he started. "The window ain't big enough for both of us to-"
Just as he was starting to explain, shots were fired in their direction, causing a scream from the little girl. Raph looked in the direction of the shots and saw the men starting to run their way.
"Don't hit the kid! We need her alive!"
Raph grabbed the girl and turned so that his back was facing the men. "Ya gotta trust me," he told her before he pushed her out the window.
In shock from what had just happened, the girl's fall was silent, but Raph fell close behind her. The goons ran around to the closest door as Raph got ahold of her and pulled her to his chest once again.
She reflexively pulled herself closer to him as they continued to fall, a scream finally sounding as Raph summersaulted in the air, landing on a dumpster and jumping off to land on the ground. She was still screaming.
Knowing they'd be caught at any moment, Raph set her down and tried to keep her quiet. "Look it's over now kid, stop screamin'! You want 'em to find us?"
She looked at him, adrenaline pumping through her small frame, and breathed heavily as she stopped screaming. Shouting was heard as the men started to run around the building and Raph grabbed her again and took off through the maze of buildings in the hope of losing them.