Raph still couldn't believe he was stuck on patrol duty. As the darkness of night kept his form hidden as he leapt from roof to roof, he growled at the memory of his leader brother punishing him for fighting with Mikey. It was nothing new for him to grapple his youngest brother to the ground but what was new that time was the recklessness. When Mikey had joked on Raph's lack of patience with Splinter's newest lesson, Raph felt the need to remind his brother on why he was still better than him. Raph had forgotten about his weights being left out and when he flipped Mikey to meet the floor, the latter had his ankle meet dead on to iron. Mikey had tough skin after years of training but he still came out with a fractured ankle which left him out for patrol duty that night. Once Leo had caught wind of Mikey crying and holding onto his ankle tightly, Leo had no choice but to send Raph out instead as punishment. Raph was still furious. It's not like he meant to do that much harm as it was an accident. Regardless, he still found himself on top of a three story building trying to listen for any sirens or commotion going on in the big city. Shredder had been quiet for the better part of a week and the Kraang were just foiled two days ago as the turtles heard about their secret storage building along the port. Raph felt it was very likely that he was in for a boring night. He sat against the ledge of the building just waiting until his shift was complete and he could go home and enjoy what little video game time he would have left. It wasn't long before an alarm went off and woke him from his semi-conscious nap. He jumped up with his sais in hand and looked down to see a small convenience store with red lights flashing and a balding man shaking his fists at a boy running off.
Raph could care less about petty thievery but with nothing else going on to fill his adrenaline needs, he decided this was better than nothing. His feet took off in the same direction, running along the edge of each building while keeping an eye on the hooded figure of a young kid with his arms across his chest. He was very obviously hiding the stolen goods in his arms as his shredded jean-cladded legs kept moving without seeming to tire anytime soon. Raph was slightly impressed with his endurance but he knew he was faster and could last longer than some teenager who knew how to run. The boy suddenly turned left into an alleyway and Raph couldn't see him anymore in the darkness. He hated to do it but he needed a way across without being spotted. Lucky for Raph, the streets were starting to empty, save for a few cars coming every now and again. He climbed down the fire escape of the building he was on and waited before finding that opening to get him across the street and into the dark alley. The boy had stopped and had multiple canned items on the ground. Raph watched as the boy grabbed each can separately as if he was inspecting his loot.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you that stealing is illegal?"
Raph couldn't help but smirk at the shocked kid. The boy stood quickly but instead of running off in fear of a mutant-as Raph knew most humans would do- the boy stood his ground and took out a small stick from his hoodie pocket. Raph almost burst out laughing but felt it better to just get it over with and teach the kid a valuable lesson. Raph walked forward slowly, waiting for the boys reaction. When Raph was close enough the thief threw the stick at him but Raph easily deflected it off to the side but he was not expecting the boy to follow the stick to get super close to Raph and roundhouse kick him in the head. Feeling just a slight disorientation from the blow Raph shook his head and put his sais away into his belt and lifted his hands up to his chest, ready for a hand-to-hand battle.
"Alright then, I've been itching to fight like this anyways," Raph said with confidence. The thief mirrored his position and they started to slowly circle each other. The thief took the first move and lunged forward with his right fist out for a punch. Raph grabbed onto the wrist of that arm and easily flipped the boy connected to it behind him. Unfortunately, the thief anticipated such a thing and planted their feet so their body wasn't on the ground. They held onto Raph's hand and used their momentum to throw the turtle over themselves. Raph landed on the ground in confusion. He never expected a lowly thief to know such techniques but Raph shook out of his daze and quickly spun himself on his shell to hook a leg behind the thief's and had him on the ground as well. Raph was fast in getting on top of the thief and holding both his wrists in one of his own giant ones. The thief struggled but found it useless as Raph tightened his grip.
"Listen! I don't want to hurt you but I need you to realize that you can't go stealing from convenience stores. I don't know why you stole a whole bunch of canned food but you best believe I'm more pissed about you throwing a stick at me."
The thief growled out, "It's no business of yours on why I stole some food. I'm not going to the police if that's what you're thinking."
The thief's voice was higher than Raph was expecting but that didn't deter him from his rant. "I was thinking more along the lines of me binding your hands and delivering you to that shop owner and see what he does."
That seemed to trigger the thief into major defense mode as Raph felt the thief scoot down lower under him and use their legs to wrap around his middle and pulled him away before he could react. The thief jumped up from the ground and the gravity brought their hood down to reveal long dark hair with blue dyed ends tied up in a high ponytail. The hearted shaped face contained piercing blue eyes that were unnaturally bright and glaring straight at him. He never thought his opponent was female! If Leo knew about this he would probably get double patrols. The thief used his momentary shock to turn and grab as many cans as they could and flee. Raph forgetting protocol of giving chase decided to pick up the three cans she left behind and try to get back up onto the rooftops. He was too late though as the girl was long gone and completely out of sight.
"What was that?"
Raph stared at the items in his hand and his memory flashed the picture of the girl in his mind. He was impressed by how well she fought and how she even got away from him. For some reason he felt a tightness in his stomach and he soon recognized it to be guilt but why? Why feel guilty at trying to stop a thief? It was starting to cloud his mind which in turn got him irritated. He growled and threw the cans away from him. He decided to finish off his patrol and head back to the sewers.
By the time Raph did get home, everyone was settling down before the sun rose. He wanted to get some sleep as well but the presence of his Master made him stop. He turned and saw Splinter staring at him with his hands behind his back. Raph sighed and trudged over to stand before his father.
"I had heard what happened from Leo. You know I taught you better than that."
"Yes Sensei, I know. It won't happen again. I swear!"
Splinter rubbed at his beard as if contemplating what to do next. Raph stood there awkwardly and wanted nothing more to lay down before his next patrol. Splinter seemed to sense something was off and looked to his son with concern. "Something seems to be troubling you."
Raph would love to get advice from someone so wise but the fear of his brothers finding out of him being bested by a girl made him clench his mouth shut. It wasn't that Raph was sexist but he saw how her form was way off and for it to be a girl smaller than him he felt his pride getting the better of his judgement. "It's nothing Sensei. Can I please go to my room now?"
Splinter nodded at him and decided it was a discussion for another time. Raph was grateful and was quick to his room and shutting his door behind him. He planted himself face-first into his pillow and groaned. For some reason, that girl's face flashed through his mind again. She was tan, from what he could tell from dim lights, and her black hair held blue dyed ends that weren't as bright as her eyes but rather a deep blue. Her eyes were what he would remember best since they were piercing and held no fear. That's what he was used to from the times some humans have caught glimpses of him. However, that girl didn't have any in her eyes. Anger? Absolutely. Fear? Not a speck of it. He was curious and when Raph was curious, he made things go his way until that interest was gone or replaced. Raph felt a hint of a smile across his mouth. He was glad he got patrol duty for the next few days because that meant he had time to track her down.
It would be three days before Raphael had a chance to see her again. He had gone to that alleyway and convenience store so many times and trying to figure out which route she possibly could have taken. He didn't get far with that idea so he decided to wait and see if she dared to come back. She might even try looking for the items that he had taken from her. Just when he had about given up, he noticed movement by that dark alley as a shadow slinked away and merged onto the walking traffic of New Yorkers. He recognized the dark hoodie and shredded jeans and just to make sure it wasn't just another moody teenager with the same style, he looked closer and noticed some blue hair peeking out from the hoodie. Thinking it too much of a coincidence he started to follow, moving right above her. He knew eventually she would find a way to get out of sight if she wanted to steal again. Raph didn't encourage thievery but if it meant catching her and finding out the answers he'd been seeking, he hoped she would slip up again and set off alarms.
However, she walked right past the store she robbed earlier that week and kept walking with the crowd. He could hear her occasional apology as she kept bumping into people but he made sure his eyes were on her. At first he thought nothing about her behavior, thinking maybe he had helped scare her away from crime; but his instincts screamed that something was different.
"What are you up to," he questioned quietly under his breath. After the sixth person she bumped into, it finally clicked in his brain what her newest scheme was about. She wasn't the best in combat but she still had enough skill and grace to impress Raph. For her to be hitting almost every person who walked by was too suspicious. This time Raph kept a close eye on her hands. She had them in her hoodie pocket but when she ran into someone else, she would apologize and take out her hands as extra emphasis on her words. Within a blink of an eye she grabbed something from a woman's purse and quickly put her hands back into the hoodie. Of course, she was pickpocketing! Raph had learned of that skill from his recent show that he found from a VHS store dumpster. The show was about a detective who said the same phrase in every episode. "To find a criminal, you must think like one."
Raph had never thought it actually happens in real life, yet here she was proving him wrong without even knowing it. She stopped and, making sure no one was fully paying attention, she slipped right back into the shadows. This time Raph was ready and knew what to expect from her. He followed her into the dark and kept a close pace without making a sound. She was blocked by a wooden fence too high to jump but this didn't deter her as she simply moved a broken board over revealing an obvious passage. She slipped through the opening and moved the board back into place. Raph waited for a few breaths before following suit. It was hard to squeeze his shell through so he loosened the board on the other side. Once he was done making sure there was no trace of him there he heard running footsteps ahead of him.
"Oh come on!" He growled out lowly and did a light jog to make sure he didn't lose her again. After so many twists and turns and hidden passages he ended up in an abandoned building. It had nothing in it but some scattered wooden crates and possibly some mice scurrying around. "Now where did you go?" His question was answered as he stood by three crates stacked on top of each other. The top one started to tip over but his ninja skills kicked in quick and Raph dodged the box before it shattered right where he used to be. He looked up and frowned at his target.
"That was completely unnecessary!"
She jumped down and stood in front of him. She pulled her hood down and his glare was met with one of her own.
"You've been following me like a stalker. It was necessary!"
Raph rolled his eyes and placed his fists on his weapons belt. "Was it also necessary to pickpocket so many people on the street?"
"What I do is still none of your business. Why are you following me?"
Raph felt his mouth go dry. How could he explain to a human about his interests in the world? Especially when one of his interests was her. "Look, I mean no harm to you. I just want to know why you keep stealing things." She scoffed at him and turned to walk away. He followed her and blocked her path when he caught up. "I didn't realize kids needed to steal, that's all."
Her tone was dark as she spoke. "And I didn't realize the store I robbed hired alien bodyguards. Also, I'm not a kid. I haven't been one for awhile now."
"Wait...you think I'm an alien?"
She pushed him to the side and reached out to open the door. He placed a hand on it and used his strength to keep her from even budging the door an inch. "Well what else are you supposed to be? A cosplayer?" She tried using both hands but still his strength was better.
"No. I'm more a mutant which people find scary," he leaned closer to her. "Yet, you don't."
"I've seen some scary things in my life and you're not even in the top ten."
He was taken aback by such a bold claim and it was one he respected. "Should I be flattered or insulted?"
"If it was an insult would you go away?" She started to pull again and this time Raph removed his hand so fast that the door swung open and she landed on her backside. Raph couldn't contain the little chuckle he had. That just infuriated her even more as she stood and got face-to-face with him. "What is your problem?! I haven't done anything to you at all but you want to mess with me? You think it's funny? I have people to take care of and you're taking up too much of my time!"
Raph cleared his throat to stop his chuckling and went back to glaring at her. "You shouldn't be stealing. It's not right."
She looked at him in disbelief. "It's not right? It's not right?!" She turned and started to pace before him. "You want to know why I steal? Alright fine! I steal to survive and to help others. What's not right is that I have to do that at all! I never planned on being so good at it and I never planned to learn how to be on the streets. Yet here I am! I do what I have to and I don't let anyone get in my way!" She looked at him pointedly. "Especially not anything."
Raph felt that blow straight to his chest. What was he doing? What did he care about some low scale robber? Raph didn't even respond to her comments and just simply walked away. His thoughts changed about her very quickly. He should've known that all humans were the same. He wasn't a person. He was just a freak.
This time when Raph got home and Splinter was waiting, he followed his Sensei to the training room. Splinter sat in his meditation pose and gestured for Raph to do the same. Once they mirrored each other, it took Raph a few deep breaths before he could even speak.
"Sensei...you were human before." He didn't phrase it as a question but as a way to prepare his father for the conversation about his past. Splinter nodded and waited. "What does it mean for people to be on the streets?"
"It's exactly as it sounds. Those who have been through tough times and couldn't find a way to get back up live on the streets and do what they can to eat and keep warm."
"But...I thought all humans lived in homes."
"Not all of them I'm afraid. Why the sudden interest?"
Raph wanted to swallow into a hole and end up in the past to tell himself to ignore the girl. That she wasn't worth the humiliation to explain himself to his Sensei. Unfortunately, the hole never came and Raph has no choice but to explain how and why he knew of such people. Splinter was surprised that his son seemed to show an affection towards a human female. Raph didn't exactly hate them but he wasn't fond of them either. To see him show a slight worry and curiosity towards one made Splinter chuckle.
"Sensei! It's not funny! Please don't tell the others."
Splinter placed a comforting hand on Raph's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't tell. As for your curiosity, it's always better to talk with someone with experience and try to be sensitive."
Raph didn't know that word could sound so disgusting. However, Sensei wouldn't have told him that if he didn't believe it to be true. Raph got up and walked out to get to his bedroom. Lately it seemed whenever his mind wasn't focused on training or missions, it was focused on the humans and their lives; one in particular being the girl. When her face popped up this time it was that glare from earlier which now contained a hint of sadness. Sadness from explaining why she stole. How was Raph supposed to know what life was like? His life was mostly viewing the above ground world from tv shows and the stories of April and his Sensei. A whole other perspective was thrown into his world and he decided it was a good idea to follow Splinter's advice.
The only place he could think of was that abondoned building she led him to. She wouldn't have done that if she wasn't familiar with the place. He started his stake out there and realized this was his first lesson on patience. For most of the afternoon and night, he hid in the rafters of the musty building while also having to find a way to pass the time. After reaching the tenth bottle on the wall out of one hundred, he heard the door creak. It seemed it was a route she took often as she was visibly comfortable in believing it was just her there. Her hair was put into a tight ponytail and he realized why when she went into one of the many basic kata forms. Raph knew of karate lessons and he figured that's where she learned her moves. She wasn't a ninja but she wasn't a bad fighter. He watched her go through ten forms before she decided to repeat the steps again.
"Your form is all off."
He hadn't meant to speak but it was now or never. She jumped and looked up to find him giving her a little salute before carefully coming down a few feet in front of her. She was tense and refused to relax but it's not like he could blame her.
"Are you seriously still stalking me?"
Raph took a breath in and remembered why he was there. He had to stay calm and show her he wasn't here as a foe. "I wasn't stalking. I just want to talk with you. Can we at least do that?"
"You? Talk? You seem more the type to hit first then talk later if they're still conscious."
He had to smirk at that because she wasn't far off. "Usually I am like that. You should consider yourself lucky."
She put on a face of mock happiness. "Oh lucky me indeed! Thank you so much your highness." She bowed dramatically but when she came back up, her joking face was gone. "Why should I talk with you? I don't know you and from our encounters so far I don't like you."
"You want to talk because you're curious about mutants, just like I'm curious about you."
She considered his statement for a moment then went to grab a crate and set it in front of him. "Sit and we'll see how it goes." She grabbed another one and placed it in front of his crate but distant enough that she could get to the door quickly. Smart.
Once they sat down, it grew silent. Neither spoke a word and Raph couldn't help but notice some mold growing in a damp corner. She cleared her throat and he realized she wanted him to start. Which was fair since he was the one who sought her out just to ask invasive questions about her life. "I guess we should start with names. We never told each other after all."
"Kind of hard to when you have a giant turtle trying to hit you."
He sighed and just went with it, "My name is Raphael but I prefer Raph."
"Okay Raph, my name is Artemis but I prefer my friends call me Art or Arty."
"Alright then Arty I just wanted-"
She frowned at him and spoke low, "You're not my friend."
Raph felt a little twitch of his mouth and knew to count backwards in his head before he snapped. "Fine then; how about you start the questions since you seem so eager."
She watched his face closely as if she was purposely trying to test him. Which was probably what she was doing but failed to realize he is a master ninja and knew how to be patient, even if his brothers believed otherwise. "How do you exist?"
It wasn't surprising that she started like this and Raph had practiced so many times what to say so he wouldn't expose his brothers and his Sensei. He started out about how he was from a pet shop and that some aliens chemicals called mutagen had transformed him into a mutant. She sat in silence fully immersed in the story of him growing and living underground, keeping hidden in the shadows so no one would freak out. The conversation relaxed them to a point that they kept asking questions back and forth without restraint. Him talking about Shredder and the Kraang, and how there are more mutants out there; her talking about her homeless community and how she ended up there. It turns out she had a relatively normal life. Her parents weren't overly rich but they were comfortable until her mother ran off with no warning and leaving just her and her father. For years they tried to keep their home but her father couldn't handle it anymore of raising the child alone, especially since she looked so much like her mother. He left one night and just never came home. That happened two years ago and she's been with her community ever since. Raph attempted to stop her in the middle of the story but she assured him she wasn't upset about it anymore. She just lives her life as best she can and does what she can for those who actually care for her.
The conversation strayed away from serious to a lighter tone. Just little facts like his favorite pizza and how many years she has tried karate. It went on for hours and she was the one to notice it. "Okay master ninja, we should be heading back to our homes." He looked around and saw how the building was getting brighter from the rising sun. She got up and walked towards the door and grabbed the handle. "Does this mean you'll stop stalking me now?" She gave him a small smile.
"Only if I can help it."
She shook her head in exasperation and waved over her shoulder. "Thanks for the talk Raph. I'll see ya around." And just like that she was gone again. He stared at that dented door with chipped paint for a while longer. He went over in his head all the information he just gained about her and about people on the streets. He had gotten his answers and yet still felt empty. He didn't know what to call this feeling but decided against any soul searching. As dusk was approaching Raph had to be even more careful not to be seen and went full speed to getting home. Once the smells of the sewers hit him, he slowed down and entered the main entryway of his home.
"And where have you been young man?"
Raph groaned and turned to see his youngest brother hobbling over to him on makeshift crutches. "Not now Mikey, I'm not in the mood." He turned to go to his own room but was stopped by a crutch placed on his plastron.
"Oh no you don't bro! Leo says you have to help me out for the day since this-" he pointed to his newspaper cast- "is all your fault."
"Well tell Leo he can kiss my shell and we can do the chores later after some rest."
Raph grabbed the crutch and tugged making Mikey fall with a comedic flair. Raph had all but scurried to his room before Leo came to check on the noise. He didn't have time to deal with annoying leaders and their punishments; he had other things to deal with at the moment. His workout equipment was nearby and looked like it hadn't been used in awhile. Raph planned to remedy that for the remainder of his day.