A/N: Wow, it feels like forever since I've posted on here. Sorry about that. I found this old story on my computer and got the random urge to write. So I finished it (only took me like 4 years lol)! Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I know it's not my best work but I felt like it was time to finish it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah (you know how it goes)

The lair was still dark when he opened his eyes. It had been a rough night and his body still ached from the fight. Protecting the city was no small feat, but fuck did it tire him out. And the Foot Clan never seemed to take a break, which annoyed him to no end. As soon as they returned he had dragged himself to his bed and promptly flopped down, passing out as soon as he hit the mattress. His arms were still throbbing from the one guy with the bat. That was going to hurt like a bitch in the morning.

Ugh my stomach, he thought to himself. They had celebrated their victory with a pizza fest courtesy of Mikey's brilliant idea. He liked pizza, don't get him wrong, but he couldn't eat it every single night like his little brother. The guy was like an endless pit.

Need some water. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, making his way to the kitchen.

He expertly made his way through the dim lair, dodging Mikey's skateboard with ease. Growing up with these knuckleheads, he learned over the years how to navigate through all their junk that they left lying around. His brothers, although great in battle, were freaking pigs. Donnie would leave inventions lying around occasionally, Leo sometimes left his weapons, and Mikey left his comic books, skateboards, nunchucks, pizza, toys – okay, so it was mostly Mikey that was a walking pigsty. Basically though, Raphael learned how to avoid the clutter during his late-night walks.

Raph walked to the fridge and opened the ratty door. They really needed to upgrade it, but that would be a project for Donnie. Scanning his eyes over the contents, he groaned at the missing water bottles. He had just got a case not too long ago.

"Seriously guys? Do I gotta label my shit again? Fucking ridiculous." He sighed and tried to find something else to soothe his stomach.

Then he heard it.

It was barely audible, but he was certain he had heard it. A whisper, almost too quiet to hear. The voice was soft and fairly close, but he was unsure as to who it was. Turning his head, he looked around. The lair was enshrouded by darkness, only allowing him to make out the general shape of the living room and the doorways to his brothers' rooms. All of the doors were shut, except for one. The noise was coming from a room off to the side. Mostly used for storage, the room was untouched except when their human friends spent the night. But April hadn't slept there in months since she moved in with Casey.

Remaining vigilant, he slowly closed the refrigerator door and edged his way to the room. His sais were fastened to the belt with enough slack in case he needed to stand at the ready, but he didn't wield them just yet. Something in his mind told him to wait before he took his battle stance, but he wasn't sure what. It was as if his mind knew something that he didn't. Nevertheless, he listened to the advice but kept his hands close to the handle of the blades. His footsteps were practically inaudible against the concrete floor, utilizing years and years of vigorous training from his master. A ninja must never be seen or heard. One of their first lessons as kids, and by god did it stick with him.

As he reached the bedroom door, he noticed the unlocked door cracked open just a bit. Someone had been here, recently too. If it weren't for the fact that they had just been out on patrol, his first instinct would tell him it was Mikey. But if it wasn't his brothers, it must be an intruder.

"…No…"

There it was again, except louder this time. The whisper was very soft and delicate, almost as if the speaker was muttering to themselves. He pushed open the door, making sure to go slow enough that it wouldn't creak. Raph quickly ducked down low, creeping through the room so that he remained obscured by the shadows.

In the darkness, he could make out the figure of a person in the bed. They were small in frame and stature, but then again most humans were compared to the turtles. Amber eyes pierced through the darkness to try and make out the figure in their home. As he inched closer, he realized that the person was a woman, which only confused him more. Why was a girl in there lair? The only female humans that knew about them were April and –

"Raph…No…"

His expression softened instantly and he let down his guard. He knew that voice anywhere, and he was grateful that it was a friendly one. Letting out a small breath, he made his way closer to the bed, recognizing the long dark hair and small frame. Raphael was relieved that it was only Kyra, but what was she doing here so late at night?

"Kyra?" His voice was barely above a whisper, in case she was asleep. When he was met with silence, he knew she was out.

His eyes trailed over her face, taking note of the fact that her expression repeatedly scrunched up into what could only be described as either pain or fear. Scanning her body quickly, Raph could see no visible signs of injury and he couldn't smell blood. From what he could infer, she seemed okay. But her face, it troubled him.

Before he knew what was happening, his hand was reaching out for her. His mind was screaming at him to stop, that he knew better than to allow himself the pleasures that he could never indulge in. Should never indulge in. A human girl and a mutant. They were incompatible, in numerous ways that he didn't even begin to imagine. Just thinking of the contrasting skin temperatures between the two of them led him to rethink his actions, if only for a moment. How would her warm skin feel against his scales? Or her small breakable body against his battle-hardened bulk? How would they be eye level when he towered above her? Let alone how would they kiss –

STOP. Raphael clenched his eyes shut, attempting to will away such impure thoughts. He couldn't think of their friend like that. She was a friend, and nothing more. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. With a hint of hesitation, he pulled his hand back to his side.

He sat down on the floor beside the bed, carefully so as not to disturb her slumber. Kyra appeared to be deep in sleep, but her brow occasionally furrowed from time to time. That, along with the whispering, worried him. A bad dream perhaps?

He continued to gaze at the young girl as her slumber continued. He began to focus on her face. It looked so fragile and delicate in the darkness. The small amount of light from the kitchen barely reached her face in the small room, but when it did it gave her an almost angelic glow. Raphael was captivated.

She's so beautiful…

The thoughts within his head were ones that he knew were forbidden. He knew that his brothers and him were destined to remain mate-less for their entire lives. This was a fate that they had been aware of since they hit puberty. They could not enjoy the same pleasures that humans could, or even animals for that matter. The turtles were the only kind of beings like themselves that had ever existed. They were unique, special, alone…

Raphael knew that he could not indulge in such fantasies. But God did he want to. Kyra was not just a piece of meat to him. She was … unique. Like him. He had never met anyone like her before in his entire life. Her sarcasm matched his perfectly, a fact that led to numerous matches between the two of them. He still remembered the Batman vs. Superman argument that took place last week. The memory brought a smile to his face and a small blush. He had wanted to kiss her so bad. And from the way her eyelashes has fluttered close when they leaned into one another gave him a glimpse of hope that she wanted to kiss him back. Then again, he was used to getting his hopes crushed.

As he examined her features in the darkness, he noticed that she still seemed distressed within her dreams. He wanted to help, but how?

Her hand slowly shifted from underneath the blanket and moved towards him. When it landed on his shoulder, she grabbed on to it tightly.

Oh no.

His eyes widened. Well he sure as hell didn't expect that. Here he was, sitting beside the bed with her hand grabbing his shoulder. Now what was he supposed to do?

"Raph… please…"

Intrigued, he leaned in closer to Kyra. At this point, he might as well make the best of the situation. If anything, maybe he could help her relax and sleep peacefully.

"Kyra? It's Raph," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

The brunette turned in her sleep, so that she was closer to him. Her head was only a few inches away from his own. He waited patiently to see how she reacted.

"Don't…leave…me."

What? Okay, correction. He wasn't expecting that.

Raphael slowly reached towards her and laid a large hand on her small head. Just the sheer size differences between the two of them made him worry sometimes. He knew that what he wanted was impossible, and seeing how massive he was in comparison to her small frame reaffirmed that thought. Attempting to be as gentle as he could, he lightly stroked her hair. It was something that he had seen on an old romance movie once. It was worth a shot.

He figured that if anything, maybe a light touch would give the young girl some comfort. Hopefully, anyway. He had never been good at the comforting stuff. When they were kids, Raphael would always tease and pick on his younger brother. When the teasing became too much and Mikey started to cry, Raph did not know how to react. He was always uncomfortable when other people started to cry or showed any sign of anguish. It just wasn't his strong suit. But seeing Kyra like this, worried and troubled, he couldn't help but want to ease her discomfort in some form or fashion. The sight of her like that made him feel … well he wasn't sure what the feeling was. All he knew was that it wasn't good and he didn't like it. At all.

Kyra's face softened somewhat once he began to stroke her hair. Her features did not reflect any discomfort from the weight of his hand, which he was thankful for. Within minutes, her face did not show any signs of distress.

There we go smart mouth. Raphael smirked at the sight of the young woman. You got nothing to worry about.

He debated returning to his room for the night, but he couldn't help but worry about Kyra. There was always the chance that if he left her alone then she would return to her distressed state. Raph knew that she wasn't in immediate danger for sure, but just the sight of her face twisted into one of discomfort made him uneasy. He didn't want to leave her like that. He couldn't leave her like that. Kyra was their friend and he would make sure that she experienced nothing but peace and serenity when she stayed at their home. It was only the appropriate thing to do for a house guest. At least that's what Raphael kept telling himself.

His hand continued to trail over the dark tresses of her hair as she calmly slept on. The image before him gave him a warm feeling. Kyra was something else, that was certain. Raphael knew that what he wanted would never happen, but in this moment, with the beauty before him soundly asleep, he couldn't help but dream. Dream of what would never happen due to the odds stacked against him. But what a beautiful dream it was. And as he watched her slumber, Raph allowed himself just a moment of freedom to think of his dream.

I could get used to this.