His nightly outings soon became a matter of habit, roaming over rooftops in search of criminals caught in the act — a stray child being kidnapped, women being assaulted, purses being snatched, drug deals gone sour. He descended on the ones responsible like a whirlwind, his sai and his fists lashing out before they had a chance to even scream. Then, before anyone could get a good look at the shadowy figure — certainly before they could see his face — he vanished again into the night.

Raphael didn't know if the two ninja who followed him every night told Master Shredder everything he did, or whether they were just there to make sure he didn't vanish into the depths of the city. But if they did tell Shredder what Raphael did — if they even realized what exactly he was doing — the jonin didn't seem to care.

And that was a relief to Raphael. There was something about beating down petty criminals that seemed to lift a burden from his heart — it wasn't much of a challenge of his skills, but it made him feel like he was accomplishing something. It felt… right.

And it had made Mother happy when he told her. She had smiled and told him, "I am proud of you, my son. Your strength is a gift to you and to those you help." Raphael wasn't entirely sure what she meant, though — even though she was only a dream, sometimes she said things that seemed to clash with what he had always known to be true. Master Shredder had always taught him that strength and power were the only things to strive for, not gifts for others. That made no sense.

He landed lightly on a wide windowsill and crouched down, peering out across the street for signs of anything amiss. The moonlight glittered on the layer of summer rain on the dark asphalt, and caught on the open windows on the upper levels of the buildings below. The place was mostly deserted this time of night, but he could see couples clinging close as they walked to and from restaurants, families roaming the streets together, the occasional lone person walking quickly to their car.

A flutter of motion caught Raphael's eye — something in the alley down the street. Someone was lurking there, watching the people walking by. Probably a mugger. A smile crossed his face as he spun one of his sai in his hand.

It had been almost six months since Toshiro-sensei had left New York City, both more slowly and more quickly than Raphael had known time could pass. He had now spent more time as a trained ninja than he had as a student, but at the same time it felt as though little had happened during that time.

He had been sent in some missions in those six months, but only a handful — and only ones where it was anticipated that there would be a need to fight, where only a spark was needed to kindle violence. Each time, Raphael had carved his way through walls of enemies, putting his fighting skills and his bloodied sai to good use. He had trained for stealth but never seemed to use it — he was good at fighting and got a kind of savage joy out of it, but he felt as though he wasn't being used to his full potential.

But it was frustrating to him that Master Shredder sent him out so rarely. For the most part, he remained at Shredder's side nearly every day, a green shadow lurking behind the master's throne. Most of his days were spent there, following Master Shredder and doing his immediate bidding.

His thoughts of discontent flew out of his head as he saw someone cross the street, moving toward the alley — a small woman in shorts and a tank top, jingling her car keys in her hand, her purse swinging over her hip. The shadowy figure in the alley moved slightly, creeping closer as she approached. A hand was raised — something gleamed in the dark —

"Raphael?"

Raphael leaped as soon as he heard the voice, soaring over the parked cars and toward the alley. He swiped the gun from the mugger's hand with his sai and sent it flying against the wall with a clatter, then landed his fist in the man's unshaven, sweaty face.

The woman shrieked, though Raphael wasn't sure if she was screaming at him or just because two guys were suddenly fighting a few steps away.

The guy staggered back a few steps, his eyes unfocused from the sudden attack, but rallied and fumbled in his pocket for another weapon — probably a switchblade or something like that, Raphael reflected. He didn't have the opportunity to find out, because he easily pinned the man's arm behind his torso, and smashed his head against the brick wall beside him. The mugger crumpled to the ground like a withered leaf.

Raphael slipped the sai back into his belt, and glanced around himself. The woman was long gone — probably back in her car, hyperventilating in a panic. But he had nearly forgotten about her now.

He felt rather than saw two dark shapes landing lightly in the alley behind him, their faces hidden behind black masks except for their eyes. Probably the two ninja who had been tailing him for months, he thought sourly.

"Raphael," one of them said in measured tones. "Master Shredder commands you to return."

Raphael's heart leaped into his throat. For a moment he watched the two warily for some sign of further explanation, but they gave none. They merely stood and watched him in silence.

"Okay, I'm goin'," he said at last.

He sprang up onto a rusty fire escape, then up to the rooftop above. The two ninja were following him on fast, silent feet, and he could hear the faint thumps of their landings as they sprang and leaped behind him.

His mind was whirling with questions as he headed back towards the Foot Clan's headquarters, the summer wind whipping the tails of his mask back from his face. Master Shredder must know of his nightly outings — after all, he had sent guards to follow him — but perhaps he had only just learned what Raphael did on them. Perhaps he disapproved of what he had been doing — perhaps he didn't want Raphael to risk exposing himself to those outside the Foot, especially for the weaker humans who were of no use to the clan.

His stomach churned with nervousness, and for a moment he suspected he was going to throw up. Instead he threw his energy into running faster than before, finishing his run with a flying leap down to the sidewalk directly in front of the headquarters. Behind the wide, glittering glass doors, he could see swarms of ninja in the lobby, armed to the teeth and standing in small squads and formations.

And Master Shredder was there too.

Raphael walked inside gingerly, glancing at the ninja milling through the place, some of them following Karai out of the elevator. It looked like he had been wrong — it looked more like some kind of crisis had arisen, not like Master Shredder was upset over someone's nightly outings.

His confusion must have been evident on his face, because his master turned and beckoned him closer. Raphael clutched the handles of his sai, and listened anxiously for what was coming.

"Raphael, I have good news for us all," Master Shredder intoned. "Karai's efforts have finally allowed us to locate a certain treacherous enemy — one you failed to capture when you last encountered him." A hint of judgement crept into his voice, and Raphael heard the echo of an unspoken order: This will not happen again. "You will be part of the strike force to capture him — alive, for my purposes — and bring him to me. Kill the others."

A wolfish smile crossed Raphael's face, and he quickly bowed. "Master, I won't fail you this time."

"See that you do not."