- Chapter 8 -

Meet Casey Jones

In the dojo, Raph and Mikey were sparing as the rest of their family, including Kagome and Kasumi, were watching from the side. Mikey landed a solid kick to Raph's gut, knocking him flat on his shell.

"Nice fall, Raph," Mikey said smugly, cracking his knuckles.

"Lucky shot," Raph retorted, vaulting to his feet. "You ain't gonna land another!"

With that, he charged at Mikey in a rage, throwing punches and kicks, only for the orange turtle to casually dodge every blow.

"Not bad," Mikey complimented, smirking. "But you're just a little too... SLOW!"

He punctuated his statement by punching Raph in the gut. Raph doubled over, grunting in pain as he began to lose his cool.

"That's it!" he screamed, charging at Mikey to try and tackle him. "You think you're better than me, you freaking clown?!"

Mikey casually vaulted over the charging Raph.

"I know I am," he corrected, pulling down his right eyelid and sticking out his tongue.

Raph snapped at that and charged at Mikey again, who casually stepped off to the side and stuck out one foot. Raph tripped over it and fell flat on his face, right next to a section of old piping that ran through the lair. Mikey turned his back to the defeated Raph, celebrating his victory.

"Winner and still champion, Michelangelo!"

He bowed deeply and dramatically, unaware of his seething brother. Raph was seeing red as he stood up slowly, turning back towards Mikey and breathing heavily. Without realizing it, he took hold of a piece of the old pipe. Hisako perked up at that, reading her brother's deadly intent.

"Someone grab Raph NOW!" she shouted.

Before anyone could do anything, Raph leaped at Mikey, knocking him flat on his back.

"Raph!" Mikey said in horror. "What are you-?!"

"You... you cocky...!" Raph snarled in rage.

He raised up the pipe, preparing to bring it down on Mikey's head with all his might. Luckily for Mikey, Leo grabbed his arm before he could.

"Raphael!" the blue-banded turtle shouted. "Have you lost your mind?!"

Vee and Donnie quickly ran over, helping Mikey up while Kagome went over to Raph, slapping him across the face.

"What in the world were you thinking, Raph?!" she demanded, anger and worry present in her voice.

Raph's head rocked to the side from the force of the slap. His ragged breath began to even out as he lifted his free hand to his smacked cheek. His grip on the pipe loosened as he allowed it to slip from his fingers, clattering to the ground. Hisako quickly kicked it away.

"Raph, do you realize what you could have done?" she questioned, looking him straight in the eyes.

Raph looked around, horror dawning on his face.

"I..." he let out, guilt and disbelief robbing him of his words. "Leo... Mikey... Kagome... I didn't..."

Splinter came over to him, shaking his head.

"Oh, my son... so angry." he said quietly, his voice laced with disappointment. "Rage is a monster that will destroy you from within. A true warrior finds balance in all things."

"Yoshi's right," Kasumi said reproachfully. "You need to get ahold of your temper. Look what almost happened."

Raph slowly stood up, looking down at his hands as he realized what he nearly did.

"Dad... Kasumi..." he began, "I... I gotta get some air!"

He ran out of the dojo, still in shock. Kagome made to follow him, but Splinter placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"Let him go, Kagome." he insisted. "He needs time to clear his head."

Raph made it to street level, running to the top of a nearby building. He was breathing heavily, both from exertion, and from the shock and horror that was still coursing through him. Looking down at his hands, seeing them shaking hard after what he had almost done, he clenched his fists and screamed in rage at the sky.

"What is WRONG WITH ME?!"

-X-

Meanwhile, across town, a teenage boy was seated in front of his family's TV, his mother asleep in a chair as the Channel 6 news came on. Robyn's face dominated the screen as she began her report.

"In other news, more sightings of a vigilante wearing a hockey mask have been connected with several brutal attacks on the notorious Purple Dragons gang, alleged to have underworld connections."

The boy narrowed his eyes at the screen, recalling an event from years ago. Fire burned in his eyes as he remembered a similar one, a fire started in his family's shop by those very same Purple Dragons. He hadn't just lost his family store, but his father as well. He had succeeded in pulling both the boy and his mother from the flames, but had been trapped inside when the building went down. He stood up, turning off the TV in anger. He set the remote down, grabbing a paint-stained hoodie and pulling it over his slender body. Burn scars riddled his arms and licked his sides, a constant reminder of his hatred.

"Dirtbags..." the boy hissed through his teeth as he flipped the hood on over his head. "All of them."

With that, he pulled a blanket over his sleeping mother, his eyes narrowing as he saw the burns on her arms as he did. He pecked her on the forehead, then disappeared into his room. He double-checked the pillow dummy he hid under the covers, adjusting them as needed.

"Somebody's gotta stop those dicks from messing up this town," he muttered. "And it looks like it's gotta be me."

He dug around in his closet, pulling out a bag filled with various sports equipment, including hockey sticks and baseball bats. He slipped it on his shoulder, before withdrawing a white hockey mask and placing it on his face.

"Watch your asses, scumbags..." he said, slipping out his window. "'Cause Casey Jones is on the job!"

-X-

Raph was still on the roof, trying to calm himself. The images of Mikey on the ground in front of him just kept playing through his mind. What really got to him was the sight of shock and fear on Kagome's face at what he almost did. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a woman gasp below. He rushed to the fire escape and looked down, seeing a young woman being accosted by three men, all wearing a purple dragon insignia.

"Hand over the purse, lady," The leader, a man with spiky orange hair and a beard, demanded threateningly. "And we won't hurt you. Too much..."

"Please..." the woman pleaded. "Stay back."

The leader nodded to his fellow goons, who grabbed the woman and held her still as he grabbed the purse out of her hands. Raph scowled in anger at the sight.

"Man..." he snarled, "These guys picked the wrong night to piss me off."

He got ready to jump down, but another voice cut in before he could.

"Oh, Purple Dragons~!" came a male voice in a singsong voice. A figure wearing a hockey mask entered the alley, banging a trash can lid with a hockey stick to get their attention. "Come out and play~!"

"Whoa..." Raph thought to himself. "Who's this whackjob?"

The Dragons gasped in shock, recognizing the figure.

"It's that psycho punk with the hockey mask!" one of the thugs, a man with blue face paint, shouted. "Let's get 'im!"

Raph kicked back, looking on. "This oughta be good."

The figure dodged a punch from the spiky haired thug and knocked him down with the hockey stick. The blue-faced thug came at him next, but the hockey-masked person used the lid to stop him and knocked him down as well. He turned to see the last thug, a man wearing his hat sideways, and then knocked him down as well. The punk barely had time to regain his senses before the figure advanced on him menacingly, slapping his hockey stick against his hand.

"No mercy, asshat," he snarled, raising his hockey stick. "I'm puttin' you outta business! Permanently!"

He prepared to bring the hockey stick down on the man, but Raph quickly descended the fire escape and grabbed the stick before he could. The hockey-masked guy turned to see him, seemingly more annoyed with Raph's interference then surprised at the sight of a giant turtle.

"Yo, enough!" Raph exclaimed. "You've made your point. Now knock it off!"

"No!" the hockey guy snapped, freeing his stick from Raph's grip. "These jackasses need to be taught a lesson!"

"Not like that, they don't. Not from you."

The guy broke free of Raph's grip, just in time to see the Purple Dragon goons getting to their feet and taking off.

"Dammit, they're getting away!" Whirling around, he punched Raph in the gut. "Stay outta my business, freak!" The guy then began to give chase to the Dragons. "You can run, scumbags, but you can't hide from Casey Jones!"

Raph rubbed his sore gut, glaring after the guy. "Damn punk," he snarled before picking up the woman's dropped purse and awkwardly handing it to her. "Sorry about that, ma'am. Here's your purse."

The woman, shocked by the sight before her, grabbed the purse out of his hands.

"Keep away from me, you lizard-thing!" she shouted before taking off out of the alleyway.

Raph just sighed before going after Casey.

-X-

As he went on, Raph heard the sounds of someone receiving a serious pummeling. He rounded the corner to see Casey standing before the beaten and unconscious bodies of the Purple Dragons.

"Unbelievable!" Raph declared, rolling his eyes. "This guy just won't quit."

Casey raised his hockey stick above his head, but Raph charged in and kicked him aside.

"Hey! I told you to cool it!"

Casey whirled on him, his eyes blazing with anger. "And I told you to shove it! Since your ears don't seem to be workin', I guess I'll have to get my point across another way."

He advanced on Raph, hockey stick in hand. They circled one another, Raph tempted to draw his sai, but forcing himself not to for the sake of diplomacy.

"Listen," Raph tried, "I'm trying to tell you something here, but you're really working on my last nerve."

"Is that so?" Casey swung at Raph with his hockey stick, but Raph ducked it.

"Look, I know you're trying to do the right thing, but you're going about it all wrong!" Raph narrowly avoided a second attack. "You need to control yourself!"

Casey scowled under his mask. "Look, buddy, if you're protecting these rats, then you're in my way! And you're going down, too!"

He swung at Raph again, but Raph caught the stick and yanked it out of his hands.

"Hockey season's over," the red turtle growled, snapping it in two over his knee and tossing it aside.

"And now baseball's in season!" Casey declared, pulling out twin baseball bats. "Batter up!"

Raph looked the bats up and down and rolled his eyes and giving his opponent the most deadpanned expression he could muster. "José Canseco bats? Please tell me you didn't pay money for those."

"Oh, now you're gonna get it," Casey snapped. He charged at Raph, whacking him with the bats. "Strike one!" he declared before his bat connected a second time. "Strike two!"

He swung a third time, only for Raph to catch it and grab him by the collar.

"You're out." Raph hissed before flipping Casey over his shoulder.

Casey landed hard on his back before rolling over, reaching into his bag.

"Alright, pal," he said. "I got a new game for you." He pulled out a cricket paddle from his bag, spinning it in his hand. "Cricket!"

"Cricket?" Raph retorted. "Nobody understands cricket. You gotta know what a crumpet is to understand cricket!"

"Why don't I show you?" Casey shot back, advancing on him with the paddle.

Raph held up a hand. "Look, you gotta listen to me. You're angry. I can understand that, believe me, but what if you grab the wrong guy? What if you go too far and get yourself in real trouble?"

"I got my reasons for doing what I do, and they got nothing to do with you!" Casey then whacked Raph with the paddle, sending him flying. "Six run!"

Raph landed headfirst in a garbage can as Casey celebrated his victory.

"Now, I got work to do, pal." He stuck the cricket paddle back in his bag before turning towards Raph's trash can. "If you want a rematch, check me out Friday night. Central Park. Adios, freak!"

With that, he took off running as Raph pulled himself out of the can.

"Hothead's gonna get himself killed." he muttered as he made his way back home.

As he left, one of the thugs pulled himself up, having seen and heard the whole fight. He pulled out a cell phone, dialing a number.

"Yo, Dragon Face," he whispered. "It's that guy. The one with the hockey mask. He was fighting with some weirdo in a turtle costume, and I know where he'll be on Friday night."

"I want that hockey mask wearing vigilante's head on a plate," A voice on the other end demanded. "Put everybody on alert. Everybody. This guy's been screwing with our business for months. It's time we started screwing with him."

At the lair, everyone was just sitting around as Raph came in. They looked him over, seeing how battered and bruised he looked.

"Wow," Vee let out. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Let's just say I got a taste of my own medicine," Raph replied. "Where's Mikey?"

"He's in his room," Kagome answered.

Looking at her, Raph sighed, deciding to face the music. "Kagome, I just wanna say I'm sorry you saw me like that. You're… You're the last person in the world I want to be afraid of me, or think of me as a monster."

"You're not a monster, Raph," Kagome informed him, standing up. "You made a mistake. And the fact that you admitted you were wrong makes you more of a man... err, turtle." She placed a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Nothing could ever make me afraid of you, or think of you any less."

With that, she planted a small kiss on Raph's cheek, and the red-banded turtle's face turned dark green as he blushed.

"Now, go talk to Mikey," she ordered.

Raph nodded and went to Mikey's room. Kagome turned to see everyone else smirking.

"Well, it's about time, Kagome," Vee said.

Kagome glared at her. "Don't even think about it, Vee."

"Oh please, Kagome," Hisako said, rolling her eyes. "It's all you've been thinking about since we hit puberty. 'Raphael is so strong.' 'I wonder if Raphael will like this outfit.' 'I hope Raphael enjoys my dance recital'."

Everyone cracked up laughing at that as Kagome turned beet-red.

"Oh my God, Hisako!" she shouted.

"What?" Hisako said casually. "It's the truth."

"Stay out of my head!"

"Why? It's so entertaining."

Vee grabbed her sister's arm and they both took off running, laughing as Kagome chased after them.

"I'm gonna kick your asses!" she shouted.

-X-

In his room, Mikey was curled up on his bed, reading a comic book. He heard a knock on his door, and looked up to see Raph there.

"Uh... hey," he let out.

"Hey, Raph," Mikey said uncertainly.

"Can I come in?"

Mikey nodded, and Raph entered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Look... I'm sorry I went so postal earlier," Raph told him quietly. "I lost my cool."

Mikey shrugged. "I was kinda egging you on."

"Doesn't matter," Raph replied. "I could've handled it better."

Mikey nodded. "And I could've been a bit less..." he tried to think of the right words.

"Like yourself?" Raph offered.

"Yeah..." Mikey said before realizing what Raph had just said. "Hey!"

Raph smirked, wrapping an arm around Mikey's shoulder. "We cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool," Mikey replied before taking note of Raph's bruises. "So, what happened? You look like you got the shell kicked outta you."

"I'll fill everyone in over dinner," Raph said simply.

On Friday night, the Turtles, alongside Hisako and Kagome, were preparing to go topside.

"You sure your new friend will be there?" Leo asked.

"Either way, we have to find that vigilante whack bag and stop him," Raph replied. "He's not a bad guy. Just a little misguided, so for his own good, we need to find him before he gets himself in serious trouble."

"You said his name was Casey Jones, right?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, why?" Raph replied.

"He goes to Roosevelt High with me and April," Kagome explained. "He's in the sports club."

"Yeah, that fits," Raph remarked, recalling Casey's vast arsenal of sports equipment.

"Do you know why he hates the Purple Dragons so much?" Mikey questioned.

"I... heard some stories," Kagome said, a somber look on her face. "A few years back, they hassled his dad for protection money on the store he ran. When Mr. Jones wouldn't pay up, they torched the place. His dad didn't make it out."

Hisako put a hand over her mouth in horror. "That's awful..."

"No wonder he hates them," Leo remarked.

"It still doesn't excuse what he's doing," Donnie declared.

"Which is why we need to stop him," Raph concluded.

-X-

Across the city, Casey had just arrived in Central Park, unaware that a Purple Dragon thug was lurking behind a tree, watching.

"He's here," the thug said over the phone.

"We're on our way," Dragon Face replied. "He ain't getting outta that park. Not on two feet anyway."

Casey sat on a bench, waiting casually as Raph and the others showed up.

"So, you made it," Casey declared before spotting Kagome among them. "Kagome Lee? What the hell?"

"Hey Casey," Kagome said simply. "I see you met my friend Raphael."

Casey looked back and forth between them in confusion. Raph took the opportunity to step forward, trying yet again to reason with the hotheaded vigilante. "Look, I'm no fan of the Purple Dragons either. I'll help you take them down, but we gotta exercise just a little restraint."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Casey hissed.

"Yes, we do," Leo cut in. "Kagome told us everything, about your family store and how they killed your father."

Casey glared at Kagome at that.

"I had to tell them, Casey. Believe me, they understand," Kagome assured him. "And I know how you feel. My dad was murdered by a crook when I was just a baby. But this isn't the way."

"Your anger could take you down, make you act just like them," Raph added. "My father once told me a true warrior finds balance in all things."

"Balance, huh?" Casey asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you know, as much balance as a couple of hot-headed whack-bags like us can manage," Raph smirked.

"Me?" Casey retorted, smiling. "You're the only whack-bag around here, Doc."

"Hey, I'm not half as crazy as you," Raph replied, playfully punching Casey in the arm.

"Sorry, but for a little green dude, you are totally nuts," Casey said, punching Raph back.

Raph's siblings and Kagome looked on at the spectacle.

"Wow," Mikey commented. "It's like there are two Raphs."

"This'll be fun, won't it?" Hisako said flatly.

"Yep," Leo said simply.

"Well, isn't this romantic?" came a new voice.

They all turned to see several Purple Dragon thugs approaching, all carrying weapons. The one who spoke, obviously the leader, was bald except for a small green ponytail and a matching goatee. His purple dragon tattoo was a large one that extended down the left side of his face and neck.

"So..." Casey let out casually, "When you said I'd go too far, get myself into trouble, you meant something like this?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Raph replied.

"Well, good thing we're here," Vee said, drawing her kamas.

"This should be fun," Mikey smirked, a hand on his nunchakus.

Dragon Face glared at Casey. "You've been a thorn in our operation for way too long, you sports freak. By the time we're done with you, they'll be sending you to the morgue in a matchbox."

"And what about us?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah, the eight of us against all of you?" Mikey added. "Just doesn't seem fair."

"For them," said Raph and Casey simultaneously.

The Purple Dragons all charged at them, one coming at Hisako with a baseball bat. Hisako ducked one swing, and as he tried again, she lashed out with a tessen, slicing part of it off before punching him out.

"That's one for me!" she declared.

Kagome found herself facing off with a particularly burly thug built like a linebacker. She spun around, appearing to go for a roundhouse kick, before lashing out with a side-kick that struck the thug right in the groin. The thug winced and collapsed, cupping his crotch.

"Oooooh..." Leo winced. "You know that's not where the Dragon's Tail is supposed to connect, right?"

Kagome shrugged. "Whatever works."

Leo found himself surrounded by multiple thugs. Sheathing his swords, he jumped into the air repeatedly and pulled off multiple split kicks, knocking them all out cold.

"Nice one!" Raph said, holding up all six fingers.

"Hey, only a six, Raph?" Leo asked, casually backhanding a thug trying to attack him from behind (1).

"Bro, six is all I got!" Raph shot back.

"I give ya a ten!" Casey declared, elbowing another thug in the gut before holding up all ten fingers.

Another thug charged at Vee, who slammed her open palm into his nose. As he reeled back, clutching his now-bleeding nose, Vee got behind him and wrapped her arms around his midsection before throwing them both back in a belly-to-back suplex, knocking him out.

"Hey sis, is this ninjutsu or wrestling?" Mikey asked as he flipped one thug over his shoulder.

"Hey, when in Rome," Vee replied as she vaulted to her feet.

Donnie rapidly spun his staff, cracking one thug over the head with it before hitting him in the hip, knocking him flat.

"Oh yeah!" Donnie declared. "Screwball in the side pocket!"

"Another baseball fan, huh?" Casey mused with a grin. "Well, have a curveball on me!"

He smacked a thug in Donnie's direction.

"Anyone for stickball?" Donnie asked, readying his staff. "I have a stick, you be the ball!"

He whacked the thug with his staff. Leo faced off against Dragon Face, the only one left standing. They clashed for a bit, before Leo sliced the piece of pipe in his hands in two and kicked him in the face, knocking him out. With all the thugs incapacitated, Raph approached Casey.

"I know I'm gonna regret saying this..." he chuckled, "but I'm glad I met you, crazy man."

"Me too, freako," Casey replied, putting a hand on Raph's shoulder. "And you know what? I'm starting to see what you're all about."

"About balance? Self-control?" Raph asked.

"No, that you're a green mutant freak," Casey said, laughing and punching Raph in the shoulder. "But I like you."

The two started laughing and trading playful punches as the others looked on.

"So," Vee said to Kagome, "what exactly do you see in him?"

"Yeah, Raph's a hothead," Kagome said, before smiling. "But he's my hothead."

Author's Note:

(1): For a better visual, think like Batman doing it.

Well, another one bites the dust. And yes, Raph and Kagome are meant to be a couple eventually; that's how her creator depicts it.

Next chapter, the Foot Clan comes to New York. Dun dun DUN...

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Dragon Face: Justin Cook (Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho, Totomaru from Fairy Tail, Super Buu, adult Dende, and Raditz from Dragon Ball Z, Hatsuharu Sohma from Fruits Basket)

Please R&R. Until next time!