I've always liked the idea of them meeting while they were younger. Raph, being the rebel he is would sneak out by himself – to have a taste of the world above. April, staying with a family member struggling to raise her, leaving April most of the time to fend for herself. I picture April walking home late one night after hanging out with her new friends where she gets cornered by a group of punks and Raph coming to her rescue. This is my take -
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A threat, a flash of a pocket knife, a girl's bloodcurdling shriek was followed closely by a crash, a splintering of wood from a body crashing into it, the crunch of bone from the breaking of a nose, followed by the sound of splattering blood on the street – that's all it takes before it's finally over.
The punks run off, two of them with a noticeable limp while the third is holding his bleeding orifice in shaking hands, this is where things get interesting for the 12 year old April O'Neil.
Her eyes had been closed for most of the attack so she never got a good look at her rescuer, but she peers through the darkness, and becomes stuck in the moment where eyes meet. She sees his interesting amber eyes surrounded by even more interesting green hued skin from where he's hiding deep in the shadows. The young girl catching only a glimpse of the curve and landscape of his upside-down face in the dim light. Her bright blue eyes wide with curiosity of her unlikely hero, who's hanging upside down on the fire escape like a certain arachnid hero from the movie she saw recently.
"Hey." she speaks softly, still seeing his eyes peering at her through the shadows. While she's still shaken up by her traumatizing ordeal – April can't deny her curiosity at this stranger. "T-Thank you. You saved my life." she continues, noticing his growing apprehension at her unhindered staring.
The boy, or she thinks is a boy, says nothing.
"I'm April. What's your name?" she continues, daring to inch closer as she cradles the school books in her hands even closer to her body.
She notices his visible flinch at her approach, so she stops dead in her tracks. She instead smiles warmly at him and just hopes he'll answer given enough time. For a moment, she expects him to bolt – to leave her and never see her again – but April was not one to back down. She asks again. "Please. Just tell me your name. Ya know, so I can thank you properly."
He's quiet and they still have yet to break eye contact.
April's about to speak again, when in a soft rasp, he replies – "Raph."
Then he's gone.
In a blink of an eye, her rescuer is no where to be seen. April runs toward where he was only to hear the sound of someone quickly climbing the dark fire escape to the roof of the building. She sighs dejectedly, but knows she can't dawdle anymore. Her aunt's gonna kill her if she's late again.
As she makes her way home, it's almost indiscernible but she swears she hears someone following her along the rooftops. She stops suddenly and glances up to the top of the building, but sees nothing..
April is outside her home by now and hears her aunt screaming at her to get inside the house before she catches her death.
"Coming!" she screams to her aunt before she glances up to the top of the building. She narrows her eyes trying to catch one more glimpse of him, but smiles when something inside tells her it won't be the last time she sees her hero. "Thank you, Raph." she says to the top of the building before making her way inside.
On top of her apartment building, a young Raphael is crouched over the edge as he watched her make her way safely inside. His heart is in his throat and his stomach is doing cartwheels, but he's never felt better. Sure, when dad finds out, he's dead, or at least going to spend the rest of his life in the hashi, but hearing that beautiful girl say his name makes it all worth it.
"Yer welcome…. April."