Hi, guys. I'm sorry about this chapter; it is a little too short for my liking. However, I felt like this was a nice filler scene I just couldn't resist adding on. You'll get inside Nathan's head a bit, which is majorly creepy... I even felt creepy writing him. He's such a jerk! Anyhow, please enjoy!

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 anything.

This guy just won't let up, Flame thought furiously. Truthfully, only half of him was focused on the ninja turtle in front of him, and as a result he was barely rolling with the punches. The other half of him... Well.

He listened to Jet's frantic voice through his miniscule earpiece, his anger escalating by the minute. Nathan, his own second-in-command, had dared to defy him on this? Last time Flame checked, he was the leader of that operation.

His face contorted into an evil grimace as he heard the sound of wood shattering, listened as Nathan killed one of his best friends. Jet's final cries would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Through the speaker, Nathan laughed and laughed.

You're next.

Suddenly, Flame's sense of priority drowned out the grief that had flooded his mind for just a moment. Raph! He would be in terrible danger, and here Flame was, fighting with his overprotective brother. He had to get back to HQ, fast.

Flame swiftly blocked yet another thrust that had come dangerously close to mortally wounding him. One thing was for sure: he would have to flee the fight. It would take to long to best the ninja, and Flame wasn't about to murder one of Raph's brothers, anyhow.

The Camaro was out of the question. Cops would have him blockaded in two seconds flat. Whether they acted like it or not, policemen weren't stupid. They wouldn't be fooled twice.

He was running out of time; Nathan would shift his attention toward Raph any minute now. Flame put all of his strength into a twisting move he had learned from the elders, and managed to get the turtle to drop on of his weapons. The blue-banded ninja stared at him in shock.

"If you want to save your brother, follow me," Flame puffed before the turtle could recover. "He's in trouble."

With that, he took off sprinting across the rooftops. After a few moments, a second pair of feet joined him.

He hoped he wouldn't be too late.

xxx

Nathan took a minute to bask in his victory. He envisioned the startled look that would be on Flame's face when he returned, only to find that he had been overthrown. The tears the former authority figure would shed later, whether through news of the death of the thing, or the pain that would come soon thereafter.

Oh, yes. Nathan smirked to himself, causing the pathetic creature to scramble to get away. Its' movements were far too slow-medicated, then. Yes, Flame would have to be tortured for his association with this freak, this anomaly. An example would have to be made out of him...

A public execution fit the job description quite nicely.

For just a sliver of a second, Nathan allowed his eyes to wander to Jet. The healer slumped in a pool of his own blood against the far wall, a permanent expression of fear frozen upon his features. Jet's death had been unfortunate. Nathan had really enjoyed his company.

Without the interference of the creature, of course, Jet would still be alive. Flame would still be in his right mind. All would have been well, but Jet and Flame were weak. They were not fit for their positions, and Nathan couldn't be lenient on them just because they were once great childhood friends.

He must not feel a thing.

With renewed resolve, Nathan turned to face the freak of nature once again, schooling his expression into an appropriate military indifference. The turtle's eyes widened, and he tried in vain to back away. Nathan sneered. Pathetic.

"Do not fight me, mutant, and I will make it clean and painless," Nathan hissed. The offer he made was a good one. Too merciful, really, for a monstrosity such as this.

It was something Nathan simply had to do, to ensure the future survival of his own race. The killing in itself really wouldn't be anything personal, just a fact of life. This was reality, and in the real world, only the strong could survive.

His hand reached out for the turtle, who flinched away from him. Nathan growled deep in his throat.

Pain it was, then. With expert precision, Nathan made another grab for the creature. It snarled as he caught hold of the wrist, but the snarl quickly turned into a gasp of agony.

The bone snapped with a gratifying sound, and Nathan allowed himself a sneer. This would be a piece of cake.

However, Nathan's hopes were quickly dashed with the sound of breaking glass. The noise echoed from just down the hall, stopping Nathan in his tracks. Hurried footsteps were running, coming closer. He stood to face the new threat.

In the door-frame, Flame appeared. The leader was breathing heavily, and the look on his face made Nathan's subconscious scream at him to run. The scowl that covered his countenance was too dark for words-only a certain image Demetri had described to him came to mind, when the old man was advising Nathan to use caution, to do the deed while Flame was out.

Demetri had told him of a time when their kind had been at war with the humans, a time of constant gore and loss. The rule of Flame's forefathers: the Bloody Dynasty, they were nicknamed. Nathan had always wondered why Flame had never shown any homicidal tendencies, how he held himself back. Demetri told him that one random day, Flame would finally crack, and yield to his ancestral insanity. One look in Flame's eyes now, narrowed and a glinting yellow, gave Nathan an explicit picture. Suddenly, he was very, very afraid.

Yes, Nathan had better watch out. Flame does NOT look happy, happy, happy (to throw a quick Duck Dynasty quote in there... Goodness, I'm addicted to that show). And guess who is right behind him? You guessed it. You see, I got this wonderful review from a reader who just couldn't decide if they wanted Flame or Leo to rescue Raph. I thought about it, finally deciding, why not both?

The next chapter will be much more intense, I promise. In the meantime, don't just sit back and twiddle your thumbs. Write me a review! I could deal with a few more around here, por favor.

Until next time!

-DauntlessAdrenaline