Dis: I don't own TMNT
Rated: M

Thanks for reading!

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Alice awakened to a pounding headache. Slowly bringing her hand up to her head she moaned while sitting up. Opening her eyes she found her vision to be blurry and there was a high-pitched ring in her ears. Focusing, she gasped when seeing the state of her apartment. Her chairs and sofa were toppled over. Magazines and picture frames lay scattered on the floor. The only area in her apartment that had no damage to it was the small circumference that had surrounded her body. Lying innocently beside her was the blade and she got to her feet and immediately backed away from it.

"Shingen Takeda was a powerful man," said a clipped, female voice from behind her and Alice whipped around to see an Asian woman dressed head to toe in black, pulling back a hood to reveal short, black hair. "Legend says he was fast like the wind, as destructive as fire, fluid and agile like water, and as sturdy as a mountain. It is all true, for it is the sword by your feet that gave him the power. I have been waiting for so long to obtain this sword for my use..." She smirked humorously. "Unfortunately it seems the sword has already chosen its wielder. It only does so every century but it has been locked away for so long it has just now found a new user."

"I want nothing to do with that," said Alice, pointing at the sword on the ground.

"It is too late." The woman nodded to the hand Alice pointed with. "The sword has left its markings upon you."

Confused, Alice looked down at her hand, and gasped when seeing the black marking. She remembered, now, and looked upon her other wrist as well as her ankle.

"There is another on the back of your neck. Do you know what they say?"

"No," said Alice, dazed.

"It is the elements, Alice," said the woman. "Fire, water, air, and earth."

"Who are you?" asked Alice, cupping the black of her neck.

"How rude of me," said the woman, making a fist and putting it over her heart. "I am Karai, leader of the Foot Clan. I am here, to make you an offer."

"Oh?" asked Alice.

"I am the one that hired you to obtain the sword," she confessed. "I am well aware of who you are and what it is that you do. I… wish for you to come join me. The sword was a test for you to join my forces, but now that it has chosen you, I wish to have you even more."

Alice narrowed her eyes upon the woman. She wasn't stupid. Since this Karai person couldn't have the power for herself, she wanted Alice to join her so that she could still have a say in what the power was used for. Rubbing her wrists she met the woman's cold stare and shook her head.

"No. I don't WANT this power. I refuse-"

"You have no choice!" spat Karai, making Alice take a step back. Karai calmed herself before speaking. "You do not have the control. You are a danger and you need help to focus your energy. You do not possess such a talent."

"Oh, and you do?" asked Alice.

"I have mastered the art of meditation," said Karai, holding out her hand. "Come. Let me teach you, and in time, you may-"

"Well isn't this nice," said a sarcastic voice through Alice's broken window. A voice she knew all too well. As if her night couldn't get any worse. "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No," said Alice.

"Yes," hissed Karai.

"You were just leaving," said Alice, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You WILL come with me."

"NO. I will not."

"You heard the lady," said the Nightwatcher, fully entering the apartment, large metallic boots crunching against the broken glass of Alice's windows on the floor.

Karai wasn't pleased and she growled while drawing her weapon and Alice took another step back. The Nightwatcher took out his weapons as well and Karai smirked before launching an attack. The Nightwatcher was fast, but so was she and a well-placed kick had him toppling over the sofa. All Alice wanted to do was escape, but Karai turned to her and brought up a foot to kick Alice. Surprisingly, Alice quickly moved out of the way. The fastest she'd ever moved in her life. Karai's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again before launching another attack against Alice. Each time Alice was able to move out of the way using new-found speed.

Soon, Alice ran out of places to run to and she was cornered. Karai smirked, raising her blade up underneath Alice's chin. Before she could say anything a thick chain wound around Karai and she was pulled away. She literally flew across the room, the back of her head colliding against her apartment wall. She lay unconscious. Alice looked up to see the Nightwatcher extracting his chain from Karai.

"Why are you here?" asked Alice.

"I felt the power," said the Nighwatcher, making her eyes narrow in suspicion. "Relax, I don't want to use you in da way she did. You're like a damn beacon, though the waves are a lot lower than they were before." He looked down at Karai. "I'm sure her people are close by. We need tah go."

"But-"

"I can't protect ya here," he said, his Brooklyn accent thick with irritation and perhaps some urgency.

"Why would you want to protect me?" she asked.

"Cause when SHE is involved, its neva good. I have a history with this woman, and she's bad news."

Alice nodded, agreeing with him on that. She had a choice to make now. Runaway and hope to never get caught, or go with him: and she didn't even know why she had an ounce of trust for him either.

"She said she could teach me to control what I can do. Am supposed to apparently be able to do. Can you?"

"I… I don't know if I can but I know someone who could." He sighed. "Look, we gotta move now."

"Fuck," she cursed before tip-toeing around her apartment. "Let me grab some stuff, ok?"

"Fine," he said, looking out the window, keeping an eye on the unconscious woman on the floor. Five minutes later, Alice came out of her bedroom carting a duffle that contained her phone, laptop, wallet, three changes of clothes and some pajamas, as well as some toiletries. She hesitated before picking up the sword and sheathing it and strapping it to her back. She'd put on a pair of black jeans as well as her flat black boots. Over the white tank she'd pulled on her warm, black bomber jacket having stuffed the jacket she wore on jobs in her duffle.

"C'mon," said the Nightwatcher, leaving out the window. He took her elbow and seemed to be looking in the darkness, as if expecting something to come at him. And it did. Alice gasped as a throwing star barely missed her head, sparking against the wall. "SHIT!"

"Who the hell are these people?" gasped Alice as she raced down the fire escape, throwing stars barely missing her.

"Foot. The fucking Foot," cursed the Nightwatcher as they made it to the alley. Soon, they were surrounded by about fifteen men dressed in black. "Come to get your asses kicked like yer boss?"

The Foot shuffled nervously, some looking up at the window.

"She's bleeding," said Alice. "Barely conscious. You better go check on her. Perhaps call 911?"

More pausing and three of them left the group to check on their master. Better odds but the problem was that they all attacked at once with swords and Alice felt something take over her. It was so easy to draw out her sword and block the first attack. She felt a familiar warmth spread through her body and when a Foot member got too close she leapt up in the air and twisted around faster than a tornado and kicked out hard enough to have the man fly down the alley, only stopping when colliding with a dumpster.

"Holy crap," she breathed, but she didn't have time to dwell on it because two more men were attacking her. Dropping her bag she now had a free hand. The Watcher was fine on his own taking on five men and so she focused on her own self. She brought up her sword, holding it with both hands now and did her best defending. It was easy, perhaps a little too easy, and she used her newly found powerful kicks to send them both to the ground. One tossed a dagger at her and she held up a hand as if it would defend her, when a powerful force came from her hand and blasted the dagger, sending it off course into the brick wall behind her. It was as if a burst of air had come from her body and that ASS had almost killed her! So angry, she turned to the dagger thrower, rage filling her.

"Ack!" she screamed, shaking her hand as flames consumed it. In a blind panic she tried patting out the fire against her coat but it wasn't going out. It was then, she finally realized, it didn't hurt. She stood there, in an alley, with men who wanted to probably kill her: looking at her in amazement. This new power made her stiffen her spine and glare at the men wearing pajamas and masks. "Unless you all want to fry, I'd suggest leaving. NOW."

Many scrambled away. Others lingered but when seeing most of their comrades run, they followed suit. Calming slightly, Alice watched as the flame extinguished in her hand. She flexed it, and looked once more at the unmarred skin. A little giddy she grabbed her bag and turned to the Nightwatcher. She couldn't see his face, but his silence meant he was as gob smacked as the Foot had been.

"Don't ask me how I did that, because I have no idea," she said. "Let's get out of here before they figure that out."

He shook his head before placing what looked like large sais into his belt before motioning her to follow. She raced after him, feet splashing in puddles left from the rain, until coming upon a bike. Putting her arms through the handles of her duffle, Alice wore it like a backpack before climbing on behind the Watcher on his bike. He tensed as her arms went around his middle but seemed to get over it pretty fast.

"Hold on!" he shouted before bolting out of the alleyway. Alice hung on for dear life, actually closing her eyes a couple times when she felt they'd gotten a little too close to a car or bus. They whizzed through the city, and after a while, she relaxed, enjoying the ride. When they got to an area where a lot of buildings had been abandoned he pulled up to one. A garage door opened and he was soon pulling in.

Turning off the bike he sat there as she crawled off. She looked around. Two vans, a couple more bikes, and what looked like a jet pack was laid out and she lifted a brow while gesturing all around her.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked. "Bruce Wayne?"

He was still on his bike, staring at her. She wondered how intense his gaze was through that helmet and she tilted her head to the side, curious. Sighing, he got off the bike. Once again, she was surprised that he wasn't taller, and that with all the bulk he could move as fast as he could.

"Look," he said, uneasily shifting on his feet. "I'm gunna take off this helmet. I look… different."

"Different how?" she asked, arms crossing over her chest, hip cocking out to the side.

"Just… don't freak out. I'm not… I'm not what yer going to expect me to be."

"Just take off the damn helmet!"

"FINE!" he shouted, whipping it off. It was dark, so she was squinting, but then he stepped forward ,her eyes widened. By the small light above her head that illuminated the garage when the door opened, she could see him clearly now. Olive green skin, beak-shaped nose, amber eyes and… He pulled off a glove to reveal three fingers. "Like I said. Ain't what you expect."

"No fucking way," she said, feeling like she was going to either faint or laugh while he undressed before her eyes, revealing more green skin and a friggen' shell! "Am I seeing things?"

"No," he said, standing in his naked turtle glory. Alice adverted her eyes. "WHAT? You gunna scream and run now?"

"No!" she said. "It's just… your naked."

"Oh… uh. Sorry. We don't dress in clothes like you humans do."

"We?" asked Alice, her brown eyes connecting with his amber. "There are more of you?"

"Look. I know you have a lot of questions and all. I'll answer them later. I'm gunna be in deep shit bringing you to my home without askin' first. My father, he's all about keeping our identities secret."

"I can understand why." Shaking her head to clear it she couldn't fight the small giggle that escaped her mouth.

"Clue me in on what's so funny."

"My life. That's what." Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose. "How… how did you find me, again?"

"I felt you." He rubbed his hand over his face when she lifted a brow in question. "You got these powers tonight, didn't ya?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I felt it. I knew that if I felt it someone else would've too. So I followed it and lo and behold it's the cat burglar that's been making my life hell for these past couple nights."

"Aww," she said, making him glare. "Okay, let's go then."

"One more thing." She waved her hand, telling him to speak. "I gotta blindfold ya."

"WHAT?"

"Can't bring a strangah intah my home. I'm not stupid. Look, it isn't that far of a walk from here. Okay?"

Alice now noticed that the more agitated he got, the thicker his accent was. She found it hot, and wasn't THAT just disturbing? Finding something a TURTLE did hot! Then again he didn't have to help her and could've left her on her own. He was risking his family being pissed at him, to help her, and she could understand wanting to keep some secrecy. What with what he was and all.

"Ugh, fine!" He walked to a locker and stuffed his gear into it. He pulled on a different belt, pads, and produced a red bandana before locking the locker back up. Walking to her, he motioned for her to turn around and she complied. He tied the red fabric around her eyes and she smirked. "Where's the handcuffs?"

"W-What?" he asked, sounding flustered.

"Blindfold a girl, gotta expect some sort of bondage," she teased.

"Look. It ain't like that okay?"

"Sure," said Alice, and she heard him mutter something. "Can you grab my bag, please?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, grabbing her by the elbow. "One more thing? They don't know I'm the Nightwatcher, so don't blow my cover. Or else…"

"Or else what?" she challenged.

A pause, then: "Please?"

From the tone of his voice she could tell he hated asking. He wasn't the type to ask something from someone and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"If that means me getting my shit together with this new mojo…" She held out her hand. "Deal."

His hand came in contact with hers, the different texture of his skin sending goosebumps up her arm. He gave her hand a squeeze and a small shake.

"Let's go," he said, and soon Alice was being led by the elbow, into the unknown, wondering what the hell she'd just gotten herself into.

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TBC…