Nightwatcher (Part Two)

By: AndiKaneUnderwood

Skye7Diamond: I'm so sorry for this being so late, but with school and traveling and all the other prompts I have, my schedule's so packed I can barely keep up. I plan on having the rest of your prompts out ASAP; I think I only have a few left, so they should be easy to do. Again, I'm sorry and I hope this meets your standards.

Warning: Strong language and some on-screen violence.

Raph being Nightwatcher was hardly anything new, he'd been running out and playing vigilante under Casey's code name for three months now. What was new was Don coming along when Raph went out.

This night was no different, Don waited for him in full ninja gear at the dojo, patiently waiting for his older twin to show up so they could move along.

"Ready, Don?" Raph asked softly as the brunette looked up.

Brown eyes flashed brightly with amusement, worry, and guilt as the genius nodded. If Raph didn't know his twin, the ginger might think that Don had told Leo or Splinter. Seeing as how he knew Don better than anyone else in the world, Raph knew that look meant that Don was excited to get going and was eager to watch Raph wipe the floor with muggers and rapists, though he felt guilty about it because he didn't like violence at all and he worried for Raph's safety.

They silently made their way into the tunnels, both completely unaware of a silent figure watching from the shadows, nor that the figure followed them on swift and silent feet.

TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

Raph banged three times on the door and was let in by Deadbeat, who snarled at Don as the brunette passed.

Don only raised an eyebrow at Raph as they settled down in the Champions room that Raph had successfully won back from Top Dog the week after he lost it.

Raph chuckled as he darkened the window and pulled off his helmet. "He's still pissed I managed to get you in without Big Boss's knowledge or protest. You're the only person here that Big Boss doesn't make fight."

"Why's that?" Don asked as he dropped into a defensive position and started preparing for their ritual pre-fight spar.

Raph smirked. "Cause he knows I'll knock his ass to the ground if he forces you to fight when you don't want to."

Don didn't have time to reply, because Raph had distracted him with a fist to his head. Don deflected, laughed, and then swung his leg around for a round house. His hit was blocked and the fight was on.

The two brothers went all out, fighting with all the strength and know-how they possessed, neither having the upper hand and neither giving up.

The figure that followed them from their home watched them from up above, waiting for his moment to strike.

TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

Raph rolled his shoulders beneath the armor as he prepared for his fight with a new comer, Shard.

Shard was female, but anyone who made it to challenge Raph got everything Raph could dish out and more.

So, as she moved into a defensive position, Raph began analyzing her style and stance, looking for weak spots and breaks he could manipulate.

He found three. 1) Her left side, which was weak, she favored her right, 2) her legs, fairly unprotected and her knees where wobbly, likely getting over a sprained or torn ligament, and 3) her arms where shaking slightly, which was a sign of concealed anxiety, this left her face, nose, mouth, and eyes wide open for Raph to get at.

He let Shard make the first move, she came straight for his eyes like he'd seen her do to all her other opponents.

Raph ducked under her, moving fluidly as he pulled out and quickly brought his elbow up, then crashing back down her neck. She fell with a groan, landing sprawled out on the floor and Raph stood, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for Shard to get back up.

She did and Raph was immediately pouncing on her, grabbing the back of her neck and bringing his knee up to hit her stomach, then her face.

She groaned when he let her go and ducked back, blood spurting in thick waves from her nose.

Raph pounced on Shard, jabbing her eyes, then her throat, and finally shoving his fists into her stomach. If she wanted to play with the big boys, Raph would give her everything she expected.

Shard hit the floor. Blood bubbled up from her lips and Raph worried momentarily that he'd broken a rib. She spat the blood out, the lunged again, and Raph ducked again, hitting three of the pressure points in Shard's left side.

Shard groaned and hit the floor; Raph knew the fight was over. People cheered, screaming and chanting, "Nightwatcher! Nightwatcher! Nightwatcher!"

Raph grinned and stepped off the stage, heading back to the Champion's Room and back to his brother.

The bell rang and the sounds of another fight went on behind him. The last fight of the night. Raph grinned. Tonight was a good night.

TMNT~TMNT~TMNT

Tonight was a bad night.

Raph's lips curled into a snarl as he listened to Leo ranting.

Raph and Don left the Fighting Place at midnight, the shadow following them all the way back. The shadow turned out to be Leo, who'd gotten suspicious that Raph and Don where getting themselves into trouble. He tore into them when they where three blocks away from the Lair.

"Raph, I expected something like this from you, but Don?" Leo turned to the brother in purple, who looked startled that Leo even acknowledged he was there, so far, Leo had just been yelling at Raph. "Don, I expected something much different, but not this."

"Don't you go bringing Don into this, Fearless!" Raph snapped.

"And why not? Did you drag him to your fight club?"

"And if I did? He didn't fight there, this is all on me. You're just pissed I'm doing something you didn't know about!" Raph snarled, teeth bared and lips drawn back, just like the first night Don had gone with him to the fights.

"He's right." Don spoke up suddenly, looking Raph right in the eyes.

"What?" Raph asked.

"He's right."

"Donny..."

"No. He's right. We need to stop. I can't keep doing this." Don told the ginger.

"Donny, this isn't hurting anyone. What we've been doing isn't exactly legal but it isn't doing any harm to innocents." Raph told his twin, reminding him.

"There's the point. It's not legal, it hurts people. Sure it hurts muggers and bad guys, but it hurts people, Raph. I... I don't..." Donny looked up at Raph with the pleading puppy dog eyes only little brothers could do. Raph realized that Don was trying to tell him that Don couldn't keep doing this.

Raph remembered that Don was the very definition of a pacifist, non violent, conflict avoiding and guilty when he hurt people in self defense unless it was his right to do so and he knew he didn't have any other choice.

Raph knew Don was begging him not to go out, Don was worried. Raph suddenly understood. Leo was his eldest brother, the commanding one, the one in charge.

Don was younger and self-conscious and insecure and would do just about anything in the face of what the family referred to as a direct order. Raph went over Leo's words and how he'd said them. And immediately, he pegged the moment that Leo slipped the right amount of authority into his voice to get his way*.

Raph turned his harsh stare to Leo. "Get the fuck outta my face Leonardo. Or I'll rearrange it permanently." He snarled.

Leo's eyes flashed a light blue and then he was scrambling away.

Don came just a bit closer and reached out hesitantly, "Raph?"

Raph turned on him, so angry that he didn't register what he was saying before the words where flying past his lips. "And you! If I'd have known you where such a pussy, I never would've brought you with me in the first place!"

Don's eyes widened, tears filling them before they where angrily blinked away and Don's face flushed pink. "Well, it's good to know someone has my back, Raphael. Even if all they do is stick a knife in it." He snarled. "Good luck at your next match. Maybe some fucker will get lucky and send you to the hospital instead of the other way around."

Then he was rushing off down the sewer tunnels and Raph felt the anger and hurt radiating off of him even from twenty feet away. Raph's shoulders shook with the effort it took to hold himself back.

He wanted to run off after his brother and apologize, but it wouldn't do a lick of good. When Don was upset enough to curse, he was upset enough to fight and upset enough to not care if he hurt anyone.

Raph sighed. "Good job, Raph. You've just pissed off the only person who actually cares." He sighed again and started heading home.

In the morning, he'd apologize and beg for Donny to forgive him and hopefully get Don to understand why he'd been so harsh, not an excuse, but at least he'd know why it had happened.

Right now, he'd let Don cool off.

Raph looked at his helmet as he stood in his room with the door opened slightly, letting Don know he was welcome to come in if he happened to have a change of heart that night.

Maybe it was time to let Nightwatcher just be Casey.

It was clear to Raph that from there, it would only cause more problems.

Raph grunted as he hurled the thing across the room, it hit the sound proof wall and slid down, and sat down on his bed with a defeated sigh.

When this all blew over, he was never taking the title of Nightwatcher again.

*No, Leo is not a selfish asshole who manipulates and lies to get his way. He knows that the best way to get Raph to do anything is to get Don to ask/tell him to do so. This is literally just Leo's misguided attempt at protect his younger brothers. He's just trying very hard and failing spectacularly to protect them, I swear.

Skye7Diamond: Part three is underway, I promise. I'm not leaving it like this; I would never be able to live with myself if I did. The rest of your prompts are also underway, I'm just so busy apparently and honestly, I misplaced my prompt paper and actually forgot. I am so sorry, I'll get them to you asap, I swear.