Chapter 4 - Watching

He smirked watching them from their right side. They were looking in the wrong the direction. The direction the ninja star had come from.

The wrong direction.

He had moved.

Moved as soon as he had thrown it.

It wasn't time yet.

No.

Not the right time at all.

He would watch though. He would watch because that was what he did best. And strike later. Tomorrow night in fact. And he would have fun with it. Fun because it was something he enjoyed.

Suppressing the urge to grin and laugh at the thought of the fun to come, he turned his attention back to the little group of four ninja turtles.

"I don't know," Leo was saying.

He smiled, not really knowing what Leo didn't know, but it gave him power to hear those words.

Power…

It was something he reveled in.

The power over your enemy, knowing what's going to happen next when they don't. The satisfaction to see the fear in their eyes, the uncertainty. True, Leonardo didn't have it in his eyes yet. But yet was the biggest word here.

Leonardo would.

Soon enough.

He snickered and grew quiet as Raphael shifted, gaze snapping close to his direction.

"See something Raph?" Leo asked.

The other three stared in the direction that Raphael's gaze had landed.

He kept a hand clasped over his mouth, determined to not let another snicker out. It had been faint, but the red banded turtle must have heard something.

"Nah… Must be hearing things," Raph finally conceded.

Mikey laughed. "Dude, you going insane or something?"

Raph rounded on Michelangelo in an instant. "Mikey!" he growled.

"Now now Raph. Temper temper," Mikey snickered.

Another growl escaped the red masked turtle, more dangerous than the last.

"Raph knock it off," Leo said sharply. "Let's go."

"It's been almost an hour. We should probably pick up the pizza and things and head over to April's," Don suggested.

Leo nodded. "It'd probably be best."

Mikey had by now leaped behind Leonardo, quivering like a shaky leaf.

Raphael let out another growl, but finally relaxed his stance after receiving a hard look from his older brother. "Fine," he muttered.

Leo turned, leading his brothers up the fire escape and onto the rooftops, disappearing from view.

Dark Angel smirked and waited a few moments. It wouldn't due for them to figure out they were being followed. He counted to ten slowly, then sprinted silently to the fire escape, deftly making his way upward to the rooftops. Once up there, a smile spread its way across his face as he caught a flash of orange disappearing into the distance. He began running, doing his best to keep up, yet stay far enough behind to the shadows and out of sight. There was a saying he'd once heard about not being able to sneak up on a ninja unless you were ninja yourself or something like that. Well he had no worry about that. The turtles and the Foot weren't the only ninjas hiding away in New York City. He couldn't help but snicker again. Boy was Leonardo going to get a wakeup call to that fact very soon.

He followed them to the pizza parlor.

To the snack shop.

And finally to April's place, the sore excuse of an apartment above the antique shop.

He couldn't help but shake his head. The girl could do so much better than this. And yet she didn't.

After positioning himself near the open window on the fire escape, he watched.

The movie they chose to for the night was some boring suspense covert agent movie or something of the like. He yawned within the first ten minutes, having seen this movie more than he cared to admit. Though their reactions to the movie… that was another story.

Donatello watched the screen with rapt attention, no doubt oogling all the techno gadgets the agent had on him. Occasionally you could see him make a silent 'ooooh' with his mouth, eyes going silently wider.

Sickening.

Raphael was just a little more secretive with the same fact. His eyes narrowed as he glowered at the screen, but there was no mistaking that hint of amusement in his eyes either, the slight tap of his foot once the effects instrumentals came up during the action scenes. He liked it.

Repulsing.

Michelangelo. He was an open book, gasping at the screen as soon as the bad guy came on jumping out at the agent, laughing with utter amusement once the agent had the upper hand, screaming like a little girl when he found out there wasn't just one killer, not two, but three killers all gunning for the agent. The hero.

Disgusting.

April O'Neil… she would've screamed as much as the orange banded freak if not for the hideous excuse of a man next to her, arm pressed around her, her hand tightly clenching his.

Revolting.

Which brought him to Casey Jones. He scowled at the thought of him, not to mention the look of him. The amusement danced in his eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know it was from both the movie and April being so close to him, being able to protect her from the Boogie Man, even if only for a few hours.

Detesting.

And finally Leonardo… his prize. He smirked to himself, keeping a faint giggle of anticipation silent. Leonardo acted tough like his brother Raphael, but he still saw the fear and disgust for the killer's ways in his eyes. The rejection, the judgement…

Loathsome.

He had thought that Leonardo out of all of them would've been more understanding, more in tune with the views and thoughts of a killer. He had nearly been a killer himself, taking his brother hostage, delivering them to the Shredder. Memory or not, Leonardo had nearly once become a killer. And yet the blue banded turtle still had disgust for those who were. But he would be more understanding.

Soon enough.

The movie ended, they shuffled around, the lights came on, and he watched with a detached interest as they laughed, joked, and teased each other.

"Dude, you totally screamed like a girl at the end there Raphie boy," Mikey laughed.

"I did not scream," Raph grumbled.

"Perhaps a gasp Raphael?" Don questioned with a sly smirk.

"Who's side are you on brainiak?"

Don shrugged, that smile still fixed to his face.

"But you have to admit," Leo spoke up slyly. "It was something."

Raph growled and lunged forward. "Oh that's it Fearless!"

"Oooh what're you going to do about it?" Leo asked smugly, sidestepping his hotheaded brother.

Raph spun, lashing out again. "This!"

Leo ducked once more.

"Aw, so close Raphie. Way to go Leo!" Mikey cheered.

Raph let out another growl as lunged for Leonard.

"Not the china cabinet!" April shrieked.

Thud!

Even Dark Angel winced from his view near the open window. The plates inside the cabinet clattering noisily against the glass doors as it toppled.

Leo jerked around, catching one side. "Raph!"

Raph jumped, catching the other side. "Got it!"

Together the two managed to steady it and backed away slowly.

April rushed forward, carefully yanking the doors open. After looking inside, she sighed, melting away the tension in the room. "Nothing's broken."

"Sorry April," Leo said softly.

"Yeah sorry there Ape," Raph murmured.

April shook her head. "Just keep off the macho antics in here."

A round of chuckles erupted as the six of them began to clean up their mess from the movie.

Dark Angel shook his head. So typical behavior. It was sad really. He could actually predict what would happen next.

Mikey backed up, his hands full with trash and crashed into the far window, the curtains coming down on both him and Raphael, the both of them falling over.

'Of course,' Dark Angel thought.

"Dudes! Raph's gone mental!" Mikey cried looking horrified at his trash covered and steaming brother. He jumped up racing to the other end of the room.

April slapped a hand against her forehead.

"We'll fix that April," Don reassured her.

She sighed. "It's late, why don't you just fix it in the morning?"

Leo shook his head. "We're here now, we'll get it fixed for you."

"Be my guest then."

Dark Angel watched. He watched as the blue and orange banded turtle lifted the curtain rod while the purple one fixed it back to the wall. He watched as the red one borrowed the bathroom to shower. He watched as they finally left the building and finally followed at a distance behind them.

"Wait to go chucklehead," Raph growled, slapping Mikey upside the head.

"Hey, what was that for?" Mikey complained and stopped walking.

"Fer knocking the curtain down."

"Well I wasn't the one to nearly knock down the china cabinet," Mikey taunted.

"It wasn't my fault."

"Oh sure, blame it on Leo," Don snickered. "Real mature Raph."

Raph let loose another fierce growl, shaking his fist at Donny.

"Enough!" Leo snapped, stopping beside his brothers.

Raph's angry gaze flicked to his brother, though he didn't say anything.

"Dudes?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah Mike?" Don answered.

"Run!" Mikey yelled, sprinting off.

Raphael tore off after his brother.

Dark Angel almost felt sorry for the orange banded one. Almost. His feelings would never change.

"We should probably keep up with them," Leo sighed.

"I agree. I'd rather not have to stitch one of them tonight."

Leo nodded. "Let's go." He darted off at a jog, before increasing his speed. Donatello sped up behind him, not passing his older brother, but not falling too far behind either.

Dark Angel himself kept far back and silent. It would not do for Leonardo to notice him yet.

He followed the turtles across the rooftops, crossing city blocks and making insane jumps between large buildings. Though hating to admit it, he was enjoying himself more than he thought he would as he kept up his speed against theirs. Having a good idea on where they were going after jumping a familiar gap a third time, he broke of pursuit and headed back the way they came come. Michelangelo seemed to be leading his family in one large circle. A sneer crossed his face. It was time to give Leonardo his second message.


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