A.N: The third chapter! In this one, as you can see from the chapter title, she meets the turtles. Or does she? Read and find out! I don't own TMNT I only own the plot and my OCs, R&R please!

The next day was pretty much like any other day.

I went to Bones Art and did tattoos almost lazily, yet I made sure it was as good and as unique as any tattoo.

Then I went home early.

It was evening but not late enough to go out on a patrol, I didn't want to practice my ninjutsu just yet, and so I decided to skate. And where was the best place to skate? The skate park.

I skated almost professionally and I made guy's knees go weak, I did scrapes, wheelies, and even a flip which made a guy catcall me.

I didn't even realize it was as late as it was. I started noticing when the homeless mean and women came out and starting sleeping on the benches around me.

I started walking back home after I put my wheels back into my shoes. Unfortunately I didn't have the best night eyes.

You know that kinda feeling when you expect the ground to be there but it suddenly isn't? It's like you're betrayed by the ground.

In a second I found myself sitting on my butt in the sewer with sewer water soaked into my clothes. "Dammit!" I cursed under my breathe. "Didn't know The Shadow cursed." A man's heavy Brooklyn accented voice said behind me.

In about two or three seconds I was running through the pitch black sewers.

I heard, not only one, but four pairs of feet following me. [Oh, for ninja's sake! Who hangs out in a sewer at this hour? Homeless guys? Was it a kid's stupid dare? Are they rapists?] I thought, I only had my yin and yang knife necklace for crying out loud! And how did they know I was The Shadow?

I got to a point where the lights from the streets came through the grates and I could see. I ran faster and when I heard them get slightly farther away, I reached down and pressed those buttons.

"See ya later, sewer freaks!" I shouted behind me before I skated off with a grin on my face. I heard them get slower and slower, all except one. I skated harder, trying and trying to lose him. But he just kept going, it was like he was as stubborn at me.

Then I heard a familiar sound, the sound of a knife cutting through the air towards it's target like an arrow. I looked behind me thinking I was the target, but no, it was my wheel.

I skidded out of control and right into the sewer's curved wall, I went up, but then I went down. I hit my head on the hard concrete, and that's all I remember.

That, and a flash of red.

The first thing that came to my mind was that I had a killer headache. Actually, first I thought something filled with swear words that my parents would turn over in their grave if they knew that I had thought that sort of stuff.

I opened my eyes hoping to find that my clothes were all intact. And they were, but I didn't have time to think about that.

Because when I opened my strange purple eyes, there was a giant humanoid turtle leaning over me. In a split second I saw that he had an orange band around his eyes that were baby blue and he had light green skin.

And after that split second, I punched him.

I jumped out off, the couch?

I looked around and observed the lay out of wherever I was in five seconds.

I had been laying on a tattered greenish blue couch, a brown coffee table was in front of it, there were two recliners on either side of the couch, an old brown one, and an even older red one. There was a kitchen behind me, but I wasn't concerned about those things.

What I was concerned about, was a door.

I soon found it and dashed towards it, but three humanoid turtles like the one I had just punched blocked my way.

There was a blue banded one with pale green skin, he had a brown belt around his shell and was holding two ninja swords, it looked like he was debating what to say.

The next one was light green skinned he had a purple band, he also had a brown belt and was holding a staff, it looked like he was observing me trying to figure out my next move.

The last one had the darkest green skin and a red band, he had a pair of diagonal sais, and he looked like he was going to stab first ask questions later.

I went in defensive mode, I wished I had my sais.

But I guessed I'd just have to steal his.

I slipped through the first two almost catlike and went for the red one.

"Hey dere hot stuff." I said in an almost drunken flirtatious tone with an equally flirty smile, he froze obviously not expecting that, and when he was shocked I grabbed his sais.

They were a bit bigger since his hands were larger then mine, but I positioned them so I could still use them comfortably.

They all went after me but I went through the door and closed it, I jammed the left sai into the door making a makeshift lock and made a wild dash.

I got pretty far looking for a way up when I heard that they had broken through my lock. They started going after me but up ahead was the latter to a manhole. [Oh, thank you, whoever's up there watching over me.] I thought looking up for a second, and I started climbing.

I climbed as fast as I could and when I got to the top I tried pushing it up, it was very heavy, I heard them getting closer.

Finally I pried it oped with the remaining sai, I climbed up just as someone grabbed my foot, they took my shoe off. My special shoe!

But I couldn't worry about it, thankfully I wasn't in a busy street, actually it was a back alley. Why is it always a back alley? I started running thinking they would follow me soon, but when I dared to look back, they weren't there.

I wondered about this for a second then it hit me, the sun.

People would scream and call police, (or maybe animal control) when they saw them. I smiled but I knew that wasn't the end, or the last time I would see those turtles.

And I started heading for my "home".

I got there soon once I found out where I was, and I started packing.

If those guys knew that I was The Shadow without my ninja outfit then they possibly knew where I lived and I couldn't have them come over here looking for me.

I packed up and then went over to Sparky's who I knew would let me stay at her place for a bit while I figure these things out. I had gotten a bit teary eyed when I took down the news paper clipping of the fire, but I held it back and packed it strongly.

I was soon in front of Sparky's door, I knocked on it right below the numbers 123. She had laughed so hard when she got it, I knew because she had told me when I first went there.

The door swiftly opened and she smiled when she saw me there. "Shadow! What are ya doing here?" She asked, I rolled my eyes in thought and embarrassment. "Um, is it okay if I stay here bit?" I asked sheepishly, I had never been good with asking for things like this. She only grinned like a crazed maniac. "Yeah! Of course, come in." She said moving as I went past her, I looked around her apartment.

She had a kitchen to my left, a couch that I gave to her, I found it at a junkyard I used to live in and cleaned it up for her. She had a T.V with over a hundred games for her PS2 which was clearly used everyday.

"You can have the couch all to yourself." Sparks said going over to it and picking up the game controller, she hooked up another one and held it out to me. "Oh, no thanks. I neve' really played video games." I said with a nice smile, she gaped at me and shook her head.

"I dunno how you've lived, but that's okay, jus' take it and I'll teach you." She said, I hesitated but took it.

She taught me how to play Mario kart, I picked a turtle dragon named Bowser because he looked cool and apparently he was the main enemy. I caught on pretty quickly though Sparks was a pro at every single course.

Soon it was time for bed and I laid my head on the small pillow I had used too many times out there on the street.

I laid there for a while but decided I couldn't sleep.

I got up and left a note for Sparky saying that I would probably not be going to work that day and if she could either reschedule my appointments or try to take them on her own.

Then I changed and went out, I wasn't in my ninja outfit but I still had my sais tucked gently in my belt, I was wearing a coat covering them so no one would point and scream.

I hid the sai that the turtle had under my pillow so Jessie might not find it and ask questions, my other gear was in my bag.

I went to the docks, I watched the waves crash and crumble onto the shore. Then I heard footsteps behind me.

I looked next to me, a man in a cream colored trench coat and a fendora was looking at the sea, like me.

I looked closer and couldn't decide if I was actually surprised to see that he was the red banded turtle from the sewers.

I could tell by the obvious dark green skin, three fingers, and the outline of a shell under his coat. And the one sai that's point was peeking out of the side of his coat, wasn't really helping his disguise.

He watched the waves and I wondered why he wasn't trying to kill me, that is why they were chasing me and why they brought me to their secret house in the sewers. Right?

He looked at me and I almost laughed, how didn't anyone see that he was a turtle? Even though it was still dark I could still see him.

I glanced the other way, maybe if I gave him the cold shoulder he would go away and just let me stare at the waves, alone.

He chuckled and I glared at him. "Excuse me, but I would like ta look at da waves alone if ya don' mind." I said not even trying not to be rude. He turned away before rolling his eyes but I saw it anyway.

I decided I didn't want to deal with him, I stood up and started walking away.

He however was soon behind me, then next to me, then staring at me. "Haven't ya ever heard dat staring is impolite?" I asked not even giving him a side glance, he chuckled again which just made me more mad.

I turned on my heel to face him and quickly pushed him into the water. He was surprised by it, the water was deep even though we were fairly close the shore. He pretended to not be able to swim. "Aren't ya gonna help!" He hissed up at me.

I only smirked "yer a turtle, babe, ya can swim." I said sassily and then turned on my heel, and headed back to Sparky's apartment still smirking at the oblivious turtle from the docks.

The rest of that day was very busy, and I swear that I did hundreds tattoos.

I had returned right in time for an appointment, though all I could think about was that turtle.

I decided to call him, Red. Because of his ninja band, I didn't have a band, even though I was a ninja. Because a band can only be given by your sensei, it's the only way to honorably wear one. And since I did not have a sensei, and my father was dead, I didn't have a band.

"How's it lookin'?" The man I was tattooing asked, he was getting a pinup of his wife on his arm. I didn't really mind doing realistic tattoos or pinups, I just didn't like how they looked on the skin. I did some touch ups and then gave him a mirror.

"Oh, wow. Lilly's gonna like this." He said admiring my work, I smiled but for a different reason entirely. [Lilly's probably gonna make ya wear long sleeves fa da rest of ya life.] I thought, laughing on the inside.

Thankfully he was my last appointment for rest of the day. "Bye, ya tat ninjas." I said, they all laughed and returned to their work, I was always the first one done at the shop for some reason.

I opened up the door to Sparky's apartment and went through the door.

She had given me a key that morning when I had climbed in through the window because I didn't know how early she woke up.

It was getting dark and shadowed outside. I slipped on my ninja outfit and headed for the roof.

I had most of my stuff on me. I had my knife necklace, six of my throwing knives on my legs and my sais, plus the one sai that belonged to Red.

I ran across the rooftops for some exorcise, I liked running, most people hated it but I loved it.

Then I heard a scream, and I headed for it immediately, I did a sharp U turn on my heel.

Fortunately I found the source before anything bad happened, unfortunately. Those four turtles had been the reason nothing had happened.

I crouched down and watched as they strung the guys from the gang up smiling, I observed them and noticed each of them had such different personalities. I called all of them by their band color.

Orange had a very goofy personality, he liked to joke around though I could faintly see where I had punched him, in the eye. He was making sure the ropes were tight enough that if any of them gained consciousness they couldn't make it out with out getting some serious rope burns.

Purple had a very logical personality, he liked to make sensible remarks every once in a while like he was reminding everyone he was the smartest. He was tying them up with carefully tight knots that I couldn't even follow, and even if I did I hardly think I would remember any of them.

Blue had a very laid-back but in control personality, he obviously was the leader and was checking to make sure everyone was doing what they were doing correct and perfect. He looked a bit full of himself but in a different way, like he was proud of himself but had a good reason to be.

Red had a very blunt personality, he liked doing things his way and only that way, unfortunately his way was a bit too straight forward. He was looking at a lady who was passed out on the floor from the fire escape next to her, she was clearly the victim.

I watched all of them for a while, I smirked when I noticed Red was twisting his one sai in his green three fingered hand. I brought out it's match, I hadn't really looked at the sai before. It was just another weapon I had got, but I noticed personality about it then.

It was a simple diagonal sai that was bright silver, like he had polished it every day. It had dark red cord around the handle and some scratched here and there. He probably knew everyone by heart, it was obvious he cared about it so much.

I started thinking about what I would do if one of my sais had been stolen right from my hand, I would probably track he or she down and demand it back, if they didn't give it to me I always had my other sai.

I sighed, they probably didn't even want to kill me, they probably just wanted to meet another ninja.

I felt so guilty, so I took out some paper, I wrote on it.

If you want to meet me face to face.

Meet me at the docks tomorrow at noon.

The Shadow.

I stabbed the note with the sai's middle point. Then I stood up and threw it towards him, it stabbed the wood frame that held the window above him.

He jumped when the sai hit the wood and took a defensive position. He looked at the sai and then towards where I was standing.

I took off running in the other direction, I ran until I noticed there was no pursuit. I smirked knowing they had gotten it.

Then I started running again.

I was on Sparky's building's roof when it happened, it had felt like just a small prick to the neck, but when I reached my hand up there I felt something I hoped I would never have to feel.

It was a dart.

A dart meant someone was trying to capture me. Which meant someone had been waiting there for a while, which meant they had been spying on me. Which meant they wanted me.

And it probably wasn't for a date.

A.N: A cliffhanger! You can probably guess who's trying to capture her, but I won't tell you anyway! If you wanna find out what happens to Crystal please review!