[A/N: This story is a crossover between TMNT and the movie "It's a
Wonderful Life". I don't own anything TMNT or the idea for Frank Capra's
classic story. The only things I own are Kurai, Jaaku, and Cyrus. Hope you
enjoy this fanfic! ^.^ ]
Part III - A World Without Raph
"You've never been born."
Raph almost fell out of his chair as the words escaped Cyrus' mouth. He cocked his head and gave the man a quizzical look. "I've never been born?"
"That's right. You don't exist," the angel repeated.
Raph solemnly looked at the ground, clasping his hands together. After sitting in silence for a minute, the turtle started chuckling softly. Cyrus arched his brow slightly, wondering what Raph was laughing about. Raph looked back up at the angel, a slight smile on his face. "I get it," he told Cyrus.
"What exactly do you get?" Asked Cyrus, hoping that the turtle had already learned his lesson.
"You've had one too many drinks, haven't you?"
"Huh?" A confused angel queried.
Raphael stood up and stretched his body out. "Well angel boy, I think I've had too much fun tonight." He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "See you around." He had almost reached the door when he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked slowly to the coat in his grip before turning his attention back to Cyrus. "That's funny," he mused. "My coat's dry."
"Well of course it is! You never had to jump off the bridge to save me because you don't exist," Cyrus further clarified.
Raph shook his head. "That can't be it. That's impossible," he told Cyrus. He turned away from the angel again and continued for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To get a drink. You can tag along if you want," Raph put forward. Taking up on the offer, Cyrus trotted across the room to catch up with the fleeting turtle. They hadn't walked far before coming across an apartment complex. Raph looked at the building, which now appeared to be abandoned and run-down. "I guess Casey hasn't cleaned this place up in a while," he decided.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Cyrus stated.
Raph gazed over to his follower. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well. Without you and your brothers around to help him out, Casey never became the manager of this apartment building."
"That's a lie!" Raph fumed. He ran inside the dilapidated building, not wanting to hear another word out of the angel's mouth. Cyrus rolled his eyes, realizing that it would take a while to convince Raph that he didn't exist.
Raph continued running around the building, shouting his friend's name and looking for him. When he came across an open door, he peeked his head inside for a look. What he saw was a figure sitting in the far corner of the room, a ratty blanket covering its body. He walked into the room and took a few cautious steps towards the shrouded figure. "Casey? Is that you?" He asked in a quiet whisper.
"Who's there?!" The figure immediately jumped to his feet, revealing himself to indeed be Casey Jones. He reached for a nearby baseball bat and gripped it fiercely. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" He asked Raph, partially freaked of the mutant.
"Casey, chill. It's me, Raph," he said in a calming voice.
The obviously deranged human glared irately at the mutant. "I don't know any filthy mutants," he told Raph, spitting into his eye immediately afterwards. He gripped his bat even harder, getting ready to take a swing at Raph.
"Filthy?!" Raph was surprised by Casey's comment. What had happened to his friend? And who was this hate-filled man that had replaced him? Raph took a few steps backwards, making sure to stay out of range of the bat.
"Get out! OUT!" Casey screamed and took a wild swing at the turtle. Raph jumped back instinctively. Casey continued swinging his bat aimlessly at Raph until he drove him from the apartment complex. As the turtle walked back to the street, Casey shouted from his porch, "And don't you ever come back!"
Cyrus joined back up with Raph as they continued down the street. Raphael looked over to Cyrus, seeming sadder then he had been earlier. "What was up with Casey?" He wondered aloud.
"He never knew you. You don't exist."
"Will you stop saying that? It's impossible for me not to exist!"
Cyrus shook his head at his turtle friend. "When will you realize what has happened, Raphael? You don't exist! You wished it, so I made it happen! I wanted to show you how important you actually are to this world."
"Whatever," Raph replied. Then he turned back to Cyrus. "I know someone who will remember me!" He darted off, heading back for his sewer den.
"Wait up!" Cyrus cried, running after Raphael.
The turtle ran until he reached the door of his sewer den. He opened the door and his jaw dropped to the ground at what he saw. Like Casey's apartment building, the den was in horrible shape and it appeared that no one had lived there in half a decade. Raph stepped into the den slowly, scared at what he was seeing. An out-of-breath Cyrus walked in behind him, remaining quiet as he could be.
After standing in shock for a few minutes, Raph rotated to face Cyrus. A somber look fell over his as he asked his friend, "What happened here?"
Cyrus also had a sad appearance about him. "About five years ago, a group of Foot Soldiers found this place and were able to capture your brothers and Splinter. Shredder took Leonardo and Donatello captive, but killed off splinter immediately."
"What about Mikey?"
"Michelangelo died when he fell into the sewer waters so many years ago. Since you never existed, there was no one to save him. And when the Foot Soldiers invaded the den five years ago, there were only a young Leonardo and Donatello to defend the place."
Raphael fell to his knees, not able to bear it anymore. He buried his head into his hands and broke down. A sympathetic Cyrus kneeled down beside his friend and put his arm around Raph's shoulder. Suddenly, Raph grabbed Cyrus' shoulders. "Where's Kurai?" He asked.
"I can't tell you," the angel answered and looked away from Raph quickly.
Raph started shaking Cyrus violently. "Tell me! Where is she?!" He yelled in a threatening tone of voice.
"Alright! I'll tell you!" He acquiesced. Raph let go and waited for him to answer. "Since you never turned her away from the dark side, she's still in affiliation with the Foot Clan."
"...No," Raph murmured to himself. "That can't be..." He stood up and took off running once more. This time, he was headed towards the headquarters of the Foot Clan. He continued running until he reached the large warehouse where he had first meet Kurai. He noticed that a large amount of ninjas were walking freely about the vicinity, not worried if anyone saw them, like they usually would be.
Not caring if they saw him, Raph started running again, making his way to the entrance of the warehouse. He managed to get inside without being seen, but nearly screamed at what he saw.
There, standing on a dais, were Kurai and Jaaku, both wrapped around in the other's arms.
Part III - A World Without Raph
"You've never been born."
Raph almost fell out of his chair as the words escaped Cyrus' mouth. He cocked his head and gave the man a quizzical look. "I've never been born?"
"That's right. You don't exist," the angel repeated.
Raph solemnly looked at the ground, clasping his hands together. After sitting in silence for a minute, the turtle started chuckling softly. Cyrus arched his brow slightly, wondering what Raph was laughing about. Raph looked back up at the angel, a slight smile on his face. "I get it," he told Cyrus.
"What exactly do you get?" Asked Cyrus, hoping that the turtle had already learned his lesson.
"You've had one too many drinks, haven't you?"
"Huh?" A confused angel queried.
Raphael stood up and stretched his body out. "Well angel boy, I think I've had too much fun tonight." He grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "See you around." He had almost reached the door when he stopped dead in his tracks. He looked slowly to the coat in his grip before turning his attention back to Cyrus. "That's funny," he mused. "My coat's dry."
"Well of course it is! You never had to jump off the bridge to save me because you don't exist," Cyrus further clarified.
Raph shook his head. "That can't be it. That's impossible," he told Cyrus. He turned away from the angel again and continued for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To get a drink. You can tag along if you want," Raph put forward. Taking up on the offer, Cyrus trotted across the room to catch up with the fleeting turtle. They hadn't walked far before coming across an apartment complex. Raph looked at the building, which now appeared to be abandoned and run-down. "I guess Casey hasn't cleaned this place up in a while," he decided.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Cyrus stated.
Raph gazed over to his follower. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well. Without you and your brothers around to help him out, Casey never became the manager of this apartment building."
"That's a lie!" Raph fumed. He ran inside the dilapidated building, not wanting to hear another word out of the angel's mouth. Cyrus rolled his eyes, realizing that it would take a while to convince Raph that he didn't exist.
Raph continued running around the building, shouting his friend's name and looking for him. When he came across an open door, he peeked his head inside for a look. What he saw was a figure sitting in the far corner of the room, a ratty blanket covering its body. He walked into the room and took a few cautious steps towards the shrouded figure. "Casey? Is that you?" He asked in a quiet whisper.
"Who's there?!" The figure immediately jumped to his feet, revealing himself to indeed be Casey Jones. He reached for a nearby baseball bat and gripped it fiercely. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" He asked Raph, partially freaked of the mutant.
"Casey, chill. It's me, Raph," he said in a calming voice.
The obviously deranged human glared irately at the mutant. "I don't know any filthy mutants," he told Raph, spitting into his eye immediately afterwards. He gripped his bat even harder, getting ready to take a swing at Raph.
"Filthy?!" Raph was surprised by Casey's comment. What had happened to his friend? And who was this hate-filled man that had replaced him? Raph took a few steps backwards, making sure to stay out of range of the bat.
"Get out! OUT!" Casey screamed and took a wild swing at the turtle. Raph jumped back instinctively. Casey continued swinging his bat aimlessly at Raph until he drove him from the apartment complex. As the turtle walked back to the street, Casey shouted from his porch, "And don't you ever come back!"
Cyrus joined back up with Raph as they continued down the street. Raphael looked over to Cyrus, seeming sadder then he had been earlier. "What was up with Casey?" He wondered aloud.
"He never knew you. You don't exist."
"Will you stop saying that? It's impossible for me not to exist!"
Cyrus shook his head at his turtle friend. "When will you realize what has happened, Raphael? You don't exist! You wished it, so I made it happen! I wanted to show you how important you actually are to this world."
"Whatever," Raph replied. Then he turned back to Cyrus. "I know someone who will remember me!" He darted off, heading back for his sewer den.
"Wait up!" Cyrus cried, running after Raphael.
The turtle ran until he reached the door of his sewer den. He opened the door and his jaw dropped to the ground at what he saw. Like Casey's apartment building, the den was in horrible shape and it appeared that no one had lived there in half a decade. Raph stepped into the den slowly, scared at what he was seeing. An out-of-breath Cyrus walked in behind him, remaining quiet as he could be.
After standing in shock for a few minutes, Raph rotated to face Cyrus. A somber look fell over his as he asked his friend, "What happened here?"
Cyrus also had a sad appearance about him. "About five years ago, a group of Foot Soldiers found this place and were able to capture your brothers and Splinter. Shredder took Leonardo and Donatello captive, but killed off splinter immediately."
"What about Mikey?"
"Michelangelo died when he fell into the sewer waters so many years ago. Since you never existed, there was no one to save him. And when the Foot Soldiers invaded the den five years ago, there were only a young Leonardo and Donatello to defend the place."
Raphael fell to his knees, not able to bear it anymore. He buried his head into his hands and broke down. A sympathetic Cyrus kneeled down beside his friend and put his arm around Raph's shoulder. Suddenly, Raph grabbed Cyrus' shoulders. "Where's Kurai?" He asked.
"I can't tell you," the angel answered and looked away from Raph quickly.
Raph started shaking Cyrus violently. "Tell me! Where is she?!" He yelled in a threatening tone of voice.
"Alright! I'll tell you!" He acquiesced. Raph let go and waited for him to answer. "Since you never turned her away from the dark side, she's still in affiliation with the Foot Clan."
"...No," Raph murmured to himself. "That can't be..." He stood up and took off running once more. This time, he was headed towards the headquarters of the Foot Clan. He continued running until he reached the large warehouse where he had first meet Kurai. He noticed that a large amount of ninjas were walking freely about the vicinity, not worried if anyone saw them, like they usually would be.
Not caring if they saw him, Raph started running again, making his way to the entrance of the warehouse. He managed to get inside without being seen, but nearly screamed at what he saw.
There, standing on a dais, were Kurai and Jaaku, both wrapped around in the other's arms.