Hey everyone so this is my first TMNT fic. Now I would like to let you know that I'm going base this roughly on the actual TMNT series picking up just after Shredder's third reappearance with a few changes in the course of events. I hope you enjoy my musings and day dreams on this matter.

Leo-

Ok I'll be the first to admit that Raph and I never got along but it's still hard to look around and believe that he's actually been gone for the better part of three years. Going through my usual routine I went and meditated in the dojo before going and getting a cup of coffee. Sitting on a mat before the shrine we erected in Master Splinters honor I thought back on when we used to fight as teens. How then we had eventually made up even if I end up with something bloodied. I never would tell him but dam did his punches hurt.

Taking a deep breath I revisited the last fight we had before his disappearance. It was two years after splinters death and we had been nineteen for all of two months when we got into a big fight with Hun and his goons. Normally this would have been no big deal but this time Stockman had given them some new tools and they were proving formidable. As the fight drug on I began to get worried that we may have to pull out. Looking around I noticed what looked like a water line and thinking it would create a good distraction I told Raph to throw his sie at it and rupture the line. It worked only instead of water it turned out to be gas and as he had to block a foot ninja's katana a spark ignited the now leaking line and cause the building to explode. All of us except for Raph and some of the foot escaped. We managed to find him battered and bruised under a pile of rubble his sie had been launched in to his plastron taking a large chunk of it out. He slept for days and when he woke he did so yelling that he wanted to kill me. I tried to apologize but the guilt I felt was stopping me. For some reason Don took my side and told Raph that it wasn't my fault and that if he couldn't accept that then he need to go cool off till he could. That was the last we saw of him.

We searched for months before accepting that he was gone. Late Christmas night we got an email saying, [I hope you're enjoying having a good holiday. I'm in the amazon for the seasons and managed to use this thing to let you know I'm alive. Raph]. It surprised all of us that he had gone so far and something about this made me glad that he could roam free and worry about him at the same time. The next time we heard from him all we got was bout the end of winter, [Never get arrested in Moscow. Raph].

It was almost a year before we heard about him again. This time it was on an illegal fighting website we watched as he advanced through the rounds his odds constantly rising. He made it all the way to the semifinals before losing to man who was about his size. It was no wonder considering he used a style of fighting that focused on taking blows and dishing out blows twice as strong as the ones we used. It was a slow and aggressive style that left no room for mistakes. Out of curiosity I watched as the man who beat Raph won the Arena, he was scared and looked as if he trained with wild animal. It certainly explained his fighting style.

The final time we heard from him it was a long one on New Year's Day last year, [Hey guys I know I haven't said much to quote Don I'm not coming back till I've cooled off. I'm sending this from my friends Sat Com so send any messages here if you need to tell me something. I've never had so much fun fighting I can't believe how tame our fights in the city were. I can't give you any details but I can say that we're not the only freaks I've seen a few that make us look normal. Raph]

It's been nearly a whole years since then and things are getting a bit rough here. We have adjusted to his absence somewhat. Mikey has quit being an idiot in combat, and Don has taken up Kunai. I have just stepped up my sword skills and learned better tactical skills to keep them safe. The shredder has been rather silent lately and it worries me as much as Raph dose.

Falling into a deeper calm I was able to finally reach a state of clam. Funny I never managed this when Raph was around.

Raph-

I pulled the large armored truck off the cargo plane as soon as we landed. Using a pass I was given I was able to slip out through the security without incident. As I drove I couldn't resist the urge to crack the window and take a deep breath of NYC air it had been way to long since I had been home. In the nearly three years since I had left I had bounced around the world making friends and enemies. My last friend had changed my life so much it wasn't believable. If all I had to do was put an end to do was come back here and look into the foots activities and fight anyone who caused to much trouble who was I to complain.

From what I was told by the guys who helped me load the truck and get my stores ready for this it's rare for the boss to trust people like this. He had even had his tracking hardware removed from the truck both to keep anyone from seeing me and to prove his trust, not that he needed to. As I pulled up to the old ware house that we had stored the battle shell in I wondered if they still used this old place. Hopping out I quickly pulled the handle hidden in the wall and watched as the door opened.

After pulling my truck into a dark corner where it would be unseen even by ninja standards I slipped out and prowled the city. It's hard to remember everything when you've been gone for so long. I kept one eye out for the foot and the other for my brothers. I wasn't quite ready to see them just yet. It didn't take me long to find the Foot's new hide out in the form of a large Japanese styled mansion. With my multi spec visor I was able to see that most of his men were now robotic and heavily armed as well.

Shaking my head I began making my way into the sewers. They hadn't changed at all and it didn't take me long to get to the lair. Using a secrete slip way just barely large enough for me to fit and silently went to my room. Going over to my hitting dummy I took off my harness and draped it over its shoulders before laying down and going to sleep.