Well, well, well. You have returned.

I know you're on the edge of your seats for this chapter, so I'll be brief: I worked pretty hard on this one. A couple of bombs are gonna get dropped in this chapter, I'm not gonna lie. You might not even believe your eyes! Eek, excitement!

Carry on.

Summary: Raph is sure he can't take Leo's almighty attitude any longer. He channels his rage through the Nightwatcher, a mask he puts on to beat down criminals of all kinds. However, when Raph (as the Nightwatcher) is captured by desperate criminals, he begins to realize how much he really needs a leader. He also might have found love in the process. RaphxOC, M/M SLASH! Don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. I don't make money from this. Why are you so concerned, anyways?

In reality, the wait was only about ten minutes, but to Raph the short span felt like eons. He heard the door open, and his head snapped towards the noise. Raph was feeling much more aware now, and he still struggled against his bonds. They were too thick.

A human male sporting a shock of blond hair entered the room. Raph assumed this was Jet, the healer Demetri had promised him. The guy barely glanced up at Raph, his lips forming a tight line in worry or displeasure, probably both. Jet settled on the chair Flame had once occupied. He clasped his hands together.

"Nice to see you're looking a little better," Jet began. Raph snorted in response. Being tied down classified as looking better? He must have been plastered!

"Okay, I get it. You're angry with us. But you'll see, we really aren't THAT bad."

Raphael spoke for the first time. "Anger is a major understatement for what I'm feelin' right now. Y'all aren't that bad, you're worse." Raph basically spat out each word, lacing his voice with as much venom as he could muster. Jet winced, and for a moment, Raph could've sworn the guy looked genuinely sorry.

"Perhaps if you knew why this was necessary, you wouldn't judge us so," Jet spoke softly, offering Raph up a small smile. "Which hand got cut, now? Lemme see."

"Why, then?" Raph growled, though he wiggled the fingers of his hurt hand. After Jet pushed a complicated series of buttons on his own personal remote, the metal strap around Raph's injured wrist vanished into the table, only to reappear seconds later farther up his arm. Raph found he could now bend his elbow. He did so, and Jet took his hand, examining it with sharp eyes.

Jet ignored Raph for a while, his narrowed eyes raking over Raph's palms. With a precision that came only through experience, Jet plucked a pair of tweezers from a cabinet nearby and started the tedious process of tugging metal out of Raph's hand.

Just when Raph began to wonder whether Jet would answer his question at all, playful blue eyes flashed upwards to meet his. Jet grinned before he spoke.

"While some of us are more human than we appear," Jet inclined his head towards Raph, "Some of us are... Less so."

Raph's brow wrinkled at this vague answer, but the longer he watched Jet, the more his answer made sense. Jet certainly appeared human on the outside, but something in the catlike way he moved, the way his eyes lazily scanned the room but still flicked instinctively towards any minute noise, suggested there was something different about him. He wasn't quite normal.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Raph pressed. He didn't know how that gave Jet an excuse to tie him up.

Jet sighed, ceasing his work around Raph's wounds. He let Raph's hand drop, reaching up to rub his temples.

"It is..." Jet began, obviously unsure of what to say. Raph waited impatiently. "Hard to explain."

"Better start explainin'."

Jet huffed a little at this, but he continued. "Our kind has been around since olden times. We are unique creatures, able to redistribute pain throughout its many networks and avenues, yet unable to feel it ourselves. However, if we are injured, we still bleed. We can still catch disease. We still wither and grow old and die, just at a much slower rate than the common human. This presents us with a very particular problem concerning... Health care options."

Jet paused, taking a deep breath. Raph nodded, urging him to go on. He still wondered what this whole thing had to do with him.

"There are so few of us left," Jet said in a strained voice, his hands clenched into fists. "The humans invaded our ancient dwellings; they do not understand how to live without killing all in their path. We were forced to adapt, to blend in. Flame was good at that. He made us a home here. We had no choice but to believe that we are all that remains of our species; we had only one chance of surviving."

"So you act human?" Raph suddenly found himself feeling sorry for the guy, and he wasn't the one strapped to a bed.

Jet nodded. "Yes. We try to, anyways. A few of us have tried to go out and find work, but we make the humans uneasy. They avoid us by instinct. We have little money as a result. Flame has organized teams from our numbers-the most agile, usually-to secure the funds we need to feed ourselves, to supply medicine. This usually means robbing gas stations and places like that. We do feel remorse for these actions, as we are not thieves by nature, but the humans have taken too much from us."

A hardened look came over Jet's face for just a moment, but quickly vanished. He took Raph's fingers once more, now completely devoid of metal, and began to wash off grime and dried blood using a square of cloth he produced from the same cabinet in which he found the tweezers.

"As you can probably guess," Jet told him, not looking up. "This is where you come in. We can't have anyone standing between us and survival. We need just a little while, until Flame robs this museum. Then, we will have enough cash for food for a long time, and you can go back to being the Nightwatcher as normal."

Every ounce of pity Raph felt left him, and he shook his head. This was just a criminal making up lies to justify his crimes. Raph gave him points for creativity. Jet had almost had him believing his whole 'ancient race' spheal.

"No. I'm not gonna stand by while you steal. It's wrong."

Jet actually flinched at Raph's harsh words. He dropped Raph's hand again, taking a moment to compose himself as he dropped the used cloth in the trash. Raph watched Jet closely as he reached into his cabinet again, pulling out some gauze. The healer had stiffened up considerably since Raph's announcement, yet he still hadn't said anything. His bearing made Raph think of a jungle cat-one that could pounce at any given moment.

Jet returned to his former spot. Suddenly, his bright blue eyes seemed weary. Jet muttered under his breath, so quietly that Raphael almost didn't hear it.

"Flame was right. He doesn't understand."

Raph let the somber healer finish binding his wound. Jet wrapped the gauze expertly around his fingers, allowing Raph full movement of his digits. Raph gazed at his hand in wonder, wiggling his fingers in appreciation. He almost didn't notice Jet stand to leave the room until the healer placed a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"You are honorable, Raphael," Jet smiled down at him, though his eyes expressed terrible sadness. Man, he was a good actor. "I wish it hadn't come to this."

Gently, Jet pushed Raph's free arm back down, and Raph felt his bonds snap back into their normal places. He glared up at Jet, who gazed back down at him with those watery eyes.

"I'll see if I can convince Flame to do something about those. I talked with him earlier. He may have a soft spot for you."

With that, Jet left Raph alone to puzzle over his words, as well as their possible implications.

Goodness, is this girl crazy? Yeah, that's probably what you're thinking. Stick around if you wish to know more, and don't hesitate if you have any suggestions. Also, don't worry. This won't be as Mary Sue-ish as it sounds.

Things are about to get ugly.

Please R&R!

-DauntlessAdrenaline