A/N: Seems I just can't stay away from the computer, can I? I've had this idea for a while though. This story is a little bit darker than my usual stuff, but nothing too bad. I'd say the turtles are about ten here.

…….

Raphael sighed as he performed yet another martial arts kata. He had been doing the same routine for almost an hour.

"Raphael, you may stop now." Splinter came in, quiet as ever, but still stern. Raph gratefully dropped his stance and stood at attention. "I hope you have learned your lesson." The old master admonished. "You are too young and inexperienced to have weapons yet. If used incorrectly, even the simplest weapon can cause extreme damage. Please believe me when I tell you this. I am not keeping you from the weapons for my own enjoyment. Understand?"

"Hai, sensei." Raph said sullenly.

"Good." Splinter smiled gently at his rebellious son. "You may join your

brothers. Play quietly." Raph nodded and hurried out of the room.

"Hey Raph, how'd it go?" Leonardo asked, walking up to his brother. Raph just looked at him in disbelief. Leo crossed his arms. "Well I told you not to go near the weapons! It's Master Splinter's biggest rule, next to not leaving the lair without permission."

"Will you just shove it?" Raph asked tiredly. "Yeah, you told me. Congratulations. I still got in trouble."

"That's 'cause you didn't listen to me." Leo muttered.

"Whatever." Raph said, waving a hand carelessly.

"Hey, you guys wanna ask Master Splinter if we can play outside the lair today?" Don asked quietly, coming up to his other two brothers. Raph and Leo looked at each other. "Only if you do it." Raph said. Don looked uncertain. "C'mon Donnie….I dare ya."

Don gulped. Daring had become popular between the three boys, and Raph and Leo were always trying to out-do each other in the dare department. If a dare was refused, the person on the receiving end was labeled a coward for the next few days, or until they could come up with a better dare. Don usually tried to stay out of it, but he sometimes got caught up in it as well.

"Raph…." He tried, but Raph was having none of it. "Just ask him, Donnie!"

"Ask me what?" Splinter had appeared in the doorway to the living room and was looking down at the three turtles, his arms crossed and his face puzzled.

Raph subtly pushed Don in front. "Donnie wanted ta ask ya somethin' sensei."

Don glared at Raph, then said something barely audible, even with Splinter's sensitive hearing. "I am sorry Donatello, would you mind repeating that?"

With another death glare at his brothers, Don sighed and raised his voice. "Could…could we maybe um…play outside the lair today?"

Splinter thought about this for a moment. "I don't see why not. Just remember to stay near the lair door."

"We will, sensei," Leo assured the rat, already ushering his brothers out the door.

Once they were safely out, Splinter shook his head and collapsed into his armchair. Kids.

…

"Ninety-eight…..ninety-nine……one hundred! Ready or not, here I come!" Don shouted as loud as he could into the echoey sewers where his brothers were hiding.

Raph drew back more into the shadows as Don's search neared his hiding spot. Not wanting to be found first, Raph climbed up into the piping overhead, carefully and silently making his way through the sewers, unseen and unheard by either brother.

When Raph felt as though he could no longer climb around the piping, he stopped to take a break and figure out where he was. It was dark, and he couldn't see much. He could hear the sound of running water, but that was common in the sewers. Try as he might, Raph began to panic slightly when he couldn't figure out where he was. Suddenly a slightly high voice began to echo around him, and his skin prickled. Raph drew more into the shadows and listened to the voice.

"Suzy plays on her swingset, she doesn't like her slide. 'Cause when the sun comes out, Suzy will burn her backside!"

Raph's brow furrowed at the strange song. "Hello?" he called softly. "Is anybody there?"

Silence, except for the constant dripping of water. Raph frowned. Had the song just been in his mind? Raph had the distinct feeling of someone watching him. "Is someone there?" he tried again. Nothing. He jumped as a new song started, bouncing off the cement walls of the sewer.

"C-C-O playmate, come out and play with me…climb up my apple tree. Slide down my rainbow, into my cellar door, and we'll be playmates, forever more!"

Raph sat absolutely still, staring into the darkness. He still could see no one, although the voice sounded like it belonged to someone his age.

"Bit jumpy, aren'tcha?" A voice said right next to his ear. Raph yelped and nearly fell out of the piping he sat in. The voice giggled. "Scaredy."

"I'm not scared!" Raph told the voice indignantly, and tried to slow his heart rate. "I just uh…uh….sat on a nail!"

"Right." The voice giggled again. "Sure you did."

"Where are you?" Raph asked, craning his neck.

"Here, there, everywhere…" came the sing-song reply. "Are you lost?"

"No!" Raph said, "Of course I'm not lost. I just…uh…don't know where I am."

"Where do you live?"

Raph scoffed. "I can't tell you that! Now come on, show me where you are."

The voice sighed in annoyance. "I can't, stupid!"

"Why not?"

It was silent for a moment, then, "I dunno." There was a pause, and the voice asked, "Do you live in that chamber? With that big rat and the other turtles?"

Raph blinked. "How'd you know that?"

More silence. Raph jumped down from the piping and turned in circles. "Hellooo…hey! You….person! Where are you? Where did you go?"

Nothing answered him. The turtle frowned. The kid who had been talking to him couldn't have just disappeared into thin air!

Footsteps behind him distracted Raph from the amazing disappearing voice. Quickly he turned and was about to melt into the shadows when he realized it was Splinter, with Leo and Don trailing behind him.

"Raphael…" Splinter said sternly, "I have told you all that this is not a safe part of the sewers. Workers come down here very often." He glanced around as if expecting to see something. "You…should not be here. Come along, we are going home."

Raph followed slowly behind his brothers and sensei. He figured the voice was probably just some worker's kid who had found his way down there and then climbed back up the ladder when his dad called him.

He knew the possibility was absurd, but Raph clung to it, being the only rational thing he could possibly think of.

….

"A voice?" Donnie looked skeptical. Raph had told his brothers about the strange voice that he had talked to in the sewers, but now he was wishing he hadn't.

"Voices don't just…come out of thin air!" Leo insisted, "A body has to go with it."

"But…maybe I just couldn't see the person?" Raph countered, trying to make any of this make sense.

"I don't think so." Don said, "From the angle you were sitting, you should have been able to see someone."

"He probably just imagined it," Leo said, brushing it off.

Raph was sure he hadn't imagined it, but he kept his mouth shut. He decided to investigate it himself, later in the night. No point in telling his brothers – they would just tell him it was his imagination again.

Raph's thoughts continued to plague him as he went through evening practice with his brothers. What if someone had been lost down there, and they just didn't want to tell him? He could have helped. Or what if-

"Raphael." Raph looked up into the stern face of his sensei. "What did I just say?"

"Uh…" He had been so caught up in his thoughts, Raph had not been aware that Splinter was speaking. Splinter frowned. "Five flips, then join Donatello for sparring."

Something's not right. Raph thought as he flipped, And I'm gonna find out what.

…..

A/N: I know, I know, you're all wondering where Mikey is. Don't. All will be revealed in time….mwahahahaha. Except most of you probably guessed already...well whatever. Review please!