Hello! So, guess what? Thanks to Nathan of all characters, it has finally been revealed to me exactly where this story is going (took long enough). I hope you enjoy this latest installment!

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 own nada.

Raph woke to the reverberating sound of humming. It took him a little while to become alert at all, his usually razor sharp ninja senses failing him. Groaning, he shifted to a more comfortable position as he blinked open his eyes, though he found he couldn't see much. Raph felt like his blood was clogged with lead, and his head pulsed unpleasantly as he tried to sit up.

A voice filled the room. It was asking him a question, but Raph couldn't tell what it was. The question dissolved in the murky white noise in his head. Raph still couldn't see properly, but everything around him was slowly coming into some kind of focus.

Hands were on him. They gripped his shoulders, and Raph instinctively reached to twist the offending arms out of their sockets. His movements were too slow, however, and his efforts were easily blocked.

Raph's memory flooded his mind with full force, then. He'd been drugged. He had willingly let that bastard drug him!

Not dead yet, Raph thought fervently. He wants me alive.

Finally, his vision cleared enough to make out Flame in all his early morning glory. The normally well-combed hair was rumpled, and the criminal had dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he had just gone through a rough night, probably with no sleep.

"You deserve that, ya know," Raph grumbled groggily. Flame's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and when he spoke this time, his voice came through.

"Deserve what?"

Raph smiled, feeling a bit hazy. "To look like that."

Flame chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I'm a mess. You're not that much better yourself, you know."

"I'm way too amazing to look like THAT," Raph countered, arching an eyeridge. "And you know it."

"You're just jealous."

At this, Raph actually snorted. "Of?"

"My dashing good looks, of course."

Flame smiled wickedly, baring his canines, and Raph had to force himself to roll his eyes. He couldn't deny the man that fact... He was good-looking, by human standards.

Raph was just about to retort to assert that no, he absolutely was not jealous, when a forceful knock at the door stopped him in his tracks. He examined Flame, whose expression had just been engulfed by a dark cloud. A huff of irritation escaped the criminal's lips.

"One moment please," Flame said politely, though it was through clenched teeth. He released his hold on Raph's shoulders, during which Raph actually realized how close Flame had actually been, before he stepped out the door.

Immediately after the door clicked shut, Raph clumsily rose from the bed and made his way across the room. He too gritted his teeth at the sheer ineffectiveness of his motions, but Raph was determined to hear this conversation. It might get him out of here.

A male voice, gruff and clipped, was speaking to Flame in low tones. Raph could barely make out snippets of their conversation.

"I was out...saw the others...too dangerous to keep him here."

"Maybe."

"We should..."

"No." This, from Flame, with finality.

"But-"

"...meant no. My decision is final."

"You'll regret it," the other man countered, his voice raised slightly.

"Perhaps."

"...think about it...We're running low..."

"...take care of it."

"Won't..."

"It will be."

"Even if...?"

"Yeah. It's my order."

The man growled, and the sound sent chills up Raph's spine. So did his next words, uttered loud and defiant.

"If you won't, I will. Better to get it over with."

"No!" Flame shouted, and there seemed to be a minor scuffle before a body was slammed up against the door Raph was listening by. Whose it was, could be anyone's guess.

The two men whispered sharply back and forth, too quiet for even Raph to pick up. Deciding that conversation was almost over, he ambled back to Flame's bed, where he shifted into the same position he had been in when Flame left him. A minute passed before Flame slipped back inside. The criminal smiled widely at Raph, though his eyes burned with something that could not be discerned.

"What was the yelling about?" Raph deemed it reasonable to ask. At the mention of it, Flame's smile only wavered slightly.

"Just a disagreement between friends," the man said quickly, waving the incident off. "Are you feeling okay? That medicine is probably wearing off just a little bit now."

Raph's eyes narrowed. He didn't trust Flame's response, and turned away when a hand reached out toward him. "It was designed to knock me out. So I wouldn't escape."

Flame flopped down on the foot of the bed rather than his customary chair, succeeding in drawing Raph's gaze to him automatically. The criminal stretched himself out and laid back, both hands behind his head. He seemed unconcerned with Raph's accusation. Why would he be? It wasn't as if he cared, Raph had to remind himself.

Still, Raph watched in ambigious curiosity as Flame considered the statement, chewing on his bottom lip in thought.

"It wasn't to knock you out. That part was a complete surprise," Flame started, and though Raph couldn't detect any deception from his tone, he couldn't completely believe him. "We just wanted to slow you down a bit. Figured it would be better than being restrained all day, yeah? That can't be good for anyone."

"I mean, I was restrained a few times. Very few times has it been pleasant. But, you know, we had to test out the beds to make sure they worked. Sometimes traders on the black market don't provide good, quality products. I'm sure you understand. I probably would have had to track them down and kill them, just to get our money back... It would have been a huge mess, you see. Yeah. So. Ummm... Sorry for that mental image, but also this one time-"

"You're rambling," Raph quipped, and that stopped Flame in his tracks. It didn't faze the criminal for long, however. He smirked up at Raph, a twinkle in his eyes that Raph decidedly did not like.

"Excuse me. It's just, I tend to get more vocal when horizontal."

"...You're an idiot."

Flame beamed up at Raph innocently, pretending he had no clue as to why Raph would be so mean to him. "Now what was that for?"

"For being an idiot!"

In hindsight, Raph hadn't meant to yell in Flame's face. He was just beginning to get irritated, and he couldn't help it. He barely had time to register the flash of confusion and hurt on Flame's face before it was gone, entirely replaced by that same smug grin.

"You know, I think I'm gonna take you home in a couple of days. You aren't as much fun as I thought you would be."

Raph's ears perked up at this, while he struggled to keep his face blank and his tone sarcastic. "Gee, wish you would have done that earlier."

"Well, it is quite simple why I haven't. There is a small matter I must attend to before I leave you once more to rage about in the streets; one that is essentially not to be interfered with."

Flame sat up slowly, his lazy smile contorting into something more serious, and also much more sinister in the shadows of the bedroom. "I like you, Raphael, but someone like you isn't safe here. People have agendas, myself included, and they will stop at nothing to bring their plans to fruition. I'm going to get you home as soon as I can."

"Why should I believe you?" Raph retorted. "You're a liar and a criminal."

Flame flinched back, his visage was expressionless in the dimmed lighting. "Guess you'll just have to wait and find out."

Now I actually have a plan, so I'm hoping the writing of this will go just a little faster at this stage! I'll post new stuff whenever I can; it's just been busy around here lately. In the meantime, please R&R!

As a side note, I've been practically dying to start a Frostiron fic. Any comments/suggestions? Let me know!

-DauntlessAdrenaline :)