Chapter 4:

"This way!" Angel jumped across the rooftops with indescribable grace. She didn't have to move very much at all to send herself through the air and landing perfectly on the ground again. She almost made me look bad considering we'd only be running for 15 minutes and already she was several strides ahead of me.

"Slowdown will yah!" I called out to her. "Jesus do yah work out in that warehouse every day?!"

"I do! I work out all the time that way I don't get chubby like you!" She laughed and did a small, sloppy flip in the air. I felt my breath escape my body as she almost landed improperly and broke something. Despite her wild speed, she might need a little bit more work on all the ninja mumbo jumbo.

"Be careful!"

"Sorry. I thought I had that one down!" She called back to me.

"You aint a fricken ninja so why you actin like one?" FINALLY I caught up to her and skid the both of us to a stop. I tried to stay on a serious note. "You almost broke your neck back there, Ange."

"I saw the other guys do it so I wanted to try it too." She dug the tip of her sneaker into the ground and saddened her expression.

"Woah wait, what? The other guys? What guys?" I put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to look at me. "What guys, Angel?"

"You never see em' cause your out being a dumbass all the time." She pushed me hand away and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hun calls them the Foot. Dumb name I know. Sometimes I see them come around the warehouse at night all flippin and bein awesome. You're always asleep though. Maybe you should stay awake sometime and watch them with me."

"The Foot?" I repeated.

"Yeah, that's what I said."

"I'll have to ask Hun about that one."

"Well worry about it later. Look across the street." Angel lifted up her pale hand and pointed to a small building sitting on a lonely corner. I wasn't too happy with what I saw. If Hun wanted to win a prize for rounding up the shittiest looking places, he certainly got it.

"I'll have to ask Hun about his pickins' too." I jumped over the side of the roof and landed in an alley across from 2nd Time Around.

"Hey! You said I could go with you this time!" Angel spat from above. Damn, I had forgotten I told her that. If I told her no now she would never let it go and drive me straight to my grave.

"Fine!...brat."

"I heard that!" She jumped down from the building and landed raucously next to me.

"Did those ninjas of yours teach you about stealth too?" I mocked her with a grin.

"Oh yeah because you're the stealth master, Raphael. 'Hi, I'm Raphael and I like to make big noise with my big feet.'" She bulked up her body and wobbled in place.

"I'm ganna make big noise with your body once I throw it under a bus!" I got up close to her face and growled. Everything with Hun was making my mood sour enough as it was. I didn't need her acting like a smartass unless she wanted to see the side of me no one ever wanted to. "Stay close to me. Always keep on hand on my left arm so I know where yah are." She obeyed wholeheartedly and smiled with delight. Once I made sure no cars or humans were nearby, we crossed the street quickly and took cover near the shop's back door.

"Oh great." I scowled while pressing my ear against the door. I could hear commotion from somewhere but it sounded like it was farther away- not in the building. The lights were on, but dim, so someone had to be home. "Alright, let's go inside." I put my hand on the doorknob and slowly twisted it. Locked.

"Damnit." I growled. "Angel. I need yah to go in the front door and scope the place out. I think there's a group in there."

"Why can't you do it?! This is my first time!"

"I just have a bad feeling about this one…I need to know there's not a lot of people inside." I trailed off. She hesitated for a minute but then ran out of the ally and to the front entrance. I walked slowly up to the corner and peeked around the edge so I could make sure she was OK. The shop was very poorly lit. I could barely see anything on the inside.

"Hello, I'm sorry sweetie but we're closing up." A soft voice came settled that wasn't Angel's.

"Yeah I'm… I'm just looking for the manager." Angel sounded unsure when she spoke. The woman, who had frizzy red hair and green eyes that I could see through the darkness, hesitated. She popped a hip, making her cargo pants sway to the side.

"I am the manager." This chick was on to Angel. I could feel it. I didn't blame her either. Angel looked like a punk to begin with. Black pants, black shirt, piercings, the whole damn package.

"Oh so…there's no one else in here? Just you?"

I face palmed then ran my hand sharply down to my neck. I had to give this girl interrogating lessons as soon as we get back to the warehouse.

"Umm…well my boyfriend is upstairs in our apartment."

That's where I heard the voices. There's an apartment above the shop. I was pretty sure I heard more than one voice though.

"Your boyfriend? Cool. I had a boyfriend once. Except he died from drug abuse…" Angel looked at the ground and made an awkward smile. The woman's jaw dropped and she called out for someone. She said a name. A few moments later, a punk looking man came walking down the stairs. He smiled at her charmingly and then dropped his gaze to the petite child standing in the doorway. His jaw made awkward twists until it finally dropped into an "O".

"Angel?!" He cried out in surprise.

"Casey?!" She cried out in horror.

Oh Shit.

::

"What are yah doin out so late?! Your grandma is worried sick!" The man's long black hair fell over his eyes so that he had to move it out of the way just to see the visitor. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her small waste.

Alright, now I'm a little angry.

"Let go!" She pulled away. That's my girl. "I'm fine. It's not even 10 o'clock yet!"

Someone was watching. Somewhere, I could feel a presence. I looked around outside but couldn't see anything. I returned my attention back to the scene inside the shop.

"I'm callin' your grandma right now. She's been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been?!" The man walked over behind the shop counter and pulled a white phone off the wall.

"Oh my God you're so annoying!" Angel pulled on her pigtails and grumbled.

"Excuse me young lady but if your…"

"Don't butt in ok, Lady!" Angel yelled at the woman who recoiled back in shock. I was about two nerves away from bursting in that door and handling the situation on my own.

"I'm sorry Casey but how do you know this girl?" She asked.

"Her names Angel Bridge and I promised my neighbor I would watch after her since her parents died. God, I'm the worst babysitter ever! Look at yah! It looks like he rolling stones ate you up and then spit you out!" He gestured to her outfit. Alright, now I'm a little angrier.

"Look at you giving lessons on humanity Mr. Vigilante!" Angel leaned her body over and cocked her head back and forth.

"Yeah well at least I don't look like I'm about to mug somebody!"

"God, I'm leaving!" Angel threw her hands down and stomped one foot.

"Oh no you aint!"

When Angel tried to head for the door, the man grabbed ahold of her arm and pulled her back into the shop. That was it. My last straw had been pulled. See, it doesn't take much to really piss me off.

I walked in through the door calmly with my arms across my chest. Angel immediately took cover behind me while I stared down the two characters before me. I can see now that the woman was unnaturally thin and the man was unnaturally large. It was a good thing it was hard for us to see each other or my green pigment might send them packing.

"Purple Dragons, huh?" Casey moved towards me slowly, occasionally looking down at my leg to Angel. His expression changed drastically from angry to manic in only a few seconds. To imagine all it took was me walking in. He gestured to the Dragon's symbol running up my leg. "I use to fight Purple Dragons. As a matter a fact, I still do, especially when they try to keep me and my friend here, apart." This guy was a party on legs. I could probably have one hell of a time with him if I wanted. But unlike me, I stayed quiet waiting to see what he would do, watching for his weaknesses, and learning how he moved.

"Leave him alone, Casey!" Angel spoke up but then I used my hand to push her back behind me.

"Angel, why the hell are you with the Purple Dragons?! They're no good lying sons of bitches!" Casey spat on me as he said that. I calmly pulled my arm up and ran it across my face to wipe away his pathetic human DNA. Oh how I wanted to just curl my fingers around his neck and choke the life out of him. I probably would to, had Angel not been watching.

"Casey, should I get…" The woman started.

"No, I can handle this. They don't need to see what I'm about to do to this punk." Casey grinned while rolling up his sleeves.

They? Who was they? Hopefully more people for me to beat the shit out of. Casey reached behind his back and pulled out a long, wooden baseball bat. He tapped it in his hand a few times and took a few steps back. The longer he made a fool of himself the longer I wanted to kill him. It took every muscle in me to hold back the want, the desire to strike him.

"You just ganna stand there and be a coward? Come on!" Casey took one swing with his bat that I dodged with no problem. He ended up smacking a very expensive looking vase into a million pieces. I now had no choice; I had to beat this guy senseless, for my honor's sake.

"Alright, Angel." My sudden speaking took him off guard. "Raphie's ganna show yah how to make the annoying pain in my ass disappear." I pounded my fists together and approached him.

"Oh, so you do talk?"

"Guys…" The woman's voice called out but it sounded more like she was calling for help, not for us to stop. I pulled out my Sais and twisted them through my fingers. The blade in the middle of the three was long enough to shorten the distance between Casey and I. For a quick second, I took my eye off him and pointed to the woman cowering in the corner.

"You're next, sweetheart."

"Oh that's it!" In an instant, Casey was on top of me. He weighed just about much as I did and more. He was strong, but I was stronger. Within a few seconds I had him off me and onto the ground in a headlock. He kicked his legs out as to try and get free but I kept my deathly grip on him.

"CASEY!" The woman shrieked. I held on tighter and tighter, letting all my anger out on this one man.

"Raph stop! STOP!" I saw Angel run over to me and start whaling her fists on my arms. "Let him go! You're killing him!"

I heard her but didn't react. I didn't realize what tight of a grip I had on the man before something/ someone came down the stairs and into the shop. I saw him in slow motion as he ran over to me and landed one huge fist across my face. I flew back farther than expected and smashed through the store window. Blood flooded my taste buds and overwhelmed me. I've never seen my own blood since the day I got mugged in the ally. I felt my body begin to wheeze and I felt my own brain shut off as I tried to process what had just happened.

I crawled onto my belly and got up on all fours with my one hand catching the falling blood. That bastard really got me good. He was about to do it again too. I saw his shadow come behind me and he was on top before I had the chance to react. I was still traumatized from the pool of blood all around me and let his assault happen. He pinned my arms to my sides with his knees and pulled out something from behind his back. I wish I could just see his face but everything's a blur. He said something to me before pressing cold, sharp metal to my neck.

"Raph!" Angel cried. "Raphael!" I could see the blurred movements of two other figures holding her back. Whether it was Casey and that woman or two other people, I didn't know.

"I should skin you right now." The person on top of me sounded furious but calm at the same time. Two of the things put together that I hated the most. "How dare you walk in here and threaten us! What did we do to you?!"

"Get off…"

"Are you listening to me?!" He used his free hand to pound me in the face again. I felt completely under his control. My body wasn't even responding to me, it was just lying there allowing itself to be taken over. "Answer!" He raised his fist again, threating yet another blow.

"Sure thing." I said cockily. Thankfully before he could bring his hand down, I managed to get my feet moving and throw him off. But he landed so gracefully, nothing I had ever seen a human do before. I could see his build in the dark. He was almost my height, muscular and professional looking. I had smelt him too and it was different…it was…me.

"Get out of here!" He pointed at me what I could now see was a sword. Who used swords anymore?

"Come on, Angel!" I called to her.

"She aint goin anywhere, bub!" Casey chimed in. That bastard was really starting to get on my nerves.

"What did you just say?" I challenged his response but when I took a step towards the shop, the guy with the sword took one as well.

"Let me go!" Angel struggled in her captor's arms. "Raph!"

"Leave!" I saw the quick flash of a sword nearly scrape my plastron had I not jumped back. I couldn't believe it…I was outnumbered. There were four in the shop and then this yahoo here was obviously a Navy Seal once upon a time. He grew impatient from my silence and planted his foot on my chest with one powerful movement. I flew back again and onto the building across the street.

"Raph! Wake up! What are you doing?!" Angel screamed and I didn't blame her. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Why wasn't I fighting back?! I got up off the ground slower this time and staggered in different directions. I took one last look and started to back away. Even though I was violent in every way and loved throwing the hits, I knew it was a dumbass idea to pick a fight you couldn't win. This sword guy meant business and I needed to get away and recover before showing him who was boss. Don't forget that Casey bastard too. I wouldn't let them have the last word either; I never would one way or another. That's just who I am and you can bet I'll see them again whether we cross paths or I hunt them down.

R-E-V-I-E-W and make a girl happy! (Muaw) No, that wasn't a kiss…unless you wanted it to be…