Chapter 4

Mikey ran across the rooftops lagging behind Raph and Don. He didn't feel like running, but he did anyways. Don had promised they would stop for pizza on the way home. It didn't lighten his mood as much as he thought it would. And he never thought that would happen. He skidded to a stop behind his two brothers, almost not noticing that they had stopped. "Why are we stopping?"

"Let's just get that pizza and go home," Raph growled. "There's no point in this."

"But it was your idea to come up here," Don argued.

"I never asked you come along!" Raph snapped.

Don glared. "I thought we could get back to normal."

"Normal?! It's never going to be normal again!" Raph spat.

"It can if we try."

"Raph," Mikey said looking all around them. Evil glares stared at them. Familiar evil glares.

"What?!" Raph turned his glare on him, but slowly looked up, seeing the purple dragons. His eyes narrowed.

Don gasped and slipped out his staff, spinning it once in his hand.

Mikey pulled out his chucks, eying up the dozen or so purple dragons.

"Attack!" Dragonface ordered.

Raph ripped out his sai as the purple dragons lunged for them.

Mikey ducked punches from two purple dragons and jumped over another two, swiping his leg out and knocking them flat on the ground.

One tried desperately to get up.

Mikey kicked him back down and knocked him in the head with his chuck. "And stay down."

"Mikey behind you!" Don yelled.

He spun and got a punch in the nose. "Oww…" Mikey rubbed his nose with one hand and whacked the purple dragon with the chuck in his other hand.

Three more purple dragons replaced the one Mikey whacked. They circled the orange turtle. Glaring and snickering to each other.

Mikey watched one of them dive for him as soon as they circled him once. His swung his chuck, connecting it with the thug's head. The purple dragon fell to the ground holding his head, muttering under his breath as the other two started inching closer.

Raph landed between the two dragons and jumped up hitting them with a split kick. He brushed his hands together. "That takes care of that," he muttered.

"I think you're forgetting someone," Mikey said.

Don joined them, staff in hand. "Yeah. Dragonface over there."

"Oh he won't be a problem," Raph said lowly with a smirk. "Not a problem at all." He pulled out his sai again and lurched forward for the only Purple Dragon left.

---

The rocks of the rooftop crunch under his boots as he walks to the edge of the rooftop. Shade pulls his gloves tighter over his hands and looks down at street level. The three blasted turtles were down there. Fighting one of the purple dragons. Dragonface if he remembered the name correctly. And it wasn't too hard to tell who was winning.

Raph jumped and kicked the dragon in the stomach.

Dragonface crashed into the dumpster, but got right back up. He picked up a pipe from the rooftop and caught Mikey's chuck as it was about to hit him.

Don whacked the dragon on the head with his staff just as Raph got in a good punch to Dragonface's head, making a double blow.

Dragonface staggered around for a moment, then fell to his knees before planting his face on the cold rooftop.

"Well that's done," Raph says.

Shade smiles. It wasn't done. Not at all. He jumps down to their rooftop and emerges from the shadows. "Nice work."

Raph sends him an icy glare. "Who do you work for?"

"Does it matter?"

"No. You're going down anyway!"

"Why? Just because I gave you a compliment?" Shade asks. He crosses his arms and leans against the brick chimney.

Raph looked slightly stunned.

"You new here?" Mikey asks.

"You could say that," Shade answers.

"Well what would you call it?" Don asks.

"Coming back home after a long time." Shade pauses. "A lot's changed."

"How long have you been gone?" Mikey asks.

Shade thinks quietly for a moment. For some reason he doesn't remember exactly how long. Weird. "It feels like ages."

"So what are you doing back here then?" Raph asks.

Shade shrugs. "Wanted to come home." He pushes himself off the wall and walks past the three turtles, stopping a couple steps from them.

"So you're sticking around then?" Don asks.

"Yep." Shade smirks. "I've got some work to do."

"Don't we all? I'm tired of work," Mikey says.

Smack. "Quit it," Raph growled.

Shade smiles. Same old turtles. He did remember them though. He whips around and grabs Don, pulling the turtle to him. He slips a tento from his coat and puts it dangerously close to Don's neck. "My work involves you three."

Raph and Mikey stare with round eyes, but Raph's grew hard quickly. He slips out his sai.

"Don't get too close," Shade warns, eyes dully watching them.

Foot ninjas start to fill the alley, surrounding the four. Never moving. Waiting for Shade's order.