The Red Shadow (TMNT)

The Kraang (Part One)

Addy couldn't contain her excitement and was running in circles around Raph and he just sighed and giggled, putting his helmet on.

"I can't believe it! Fighting crime every night," she said punching and kicking the air.

"Ha, it's not always rainbows and flowers, Addy, it'll be a hard road for you." He said.

"Can't be worse than puberty," she rolled her eyes and laughed.

The sun was rising over the East River and it was a beautiful, crisp morning. Raph looked at Addy and caught a glimmer of sun reflecting in her brown eyes, they looked golden, and his heart skipped, and he stopped in his tracks.

"What?" She smiled.

"Nothing," he said looking away.

"Yeah, I know I look terrible," she sighed, I didn't sleep much tonight. I was too fixed on you."

"Are you kiddin'," he laughed, that thick Brooklyn accent stealing his tongue again. "You could never, a day in your life, look terrible. Even on your worst day you're still more beautiful than Mrs. Universe."

"I know I do," she grinned from ear to ear, I just love to hear you say it."

Raph shook his finger at her and laughed it off. "You're a sneaky one, ya know that?"

Addy kept grinning, kissed him on his helmet where his lips would be, and made her way down from the rooftop with Raph not far behind.

"Uh, I'm so tired, but thankfully I called in sick last night to work. I left my boss a voicemail," she said, reaching the bottom.

"Nice, so what are you gonna do today?" He asked.

"Sleep!" She exclaimed; Raph shrugged his shoulders as if to say, yeah, not a bad plan.

They walked into her apartment and slept on her floor. Addy woke up at about 2 P.M. and she quietly went to take a shower. Raph was a heavy sleeper, but his ninja training taught him to listen for the faintest of sounds and she accidentally woke him up.

He thought about sneaking into the shower with her but decided against it; he needed to be more respectful. Instead he just stretched and did push-ups on his sais until she came out.

"Sleep well gorgeous?" He winked, finishing his last set and rolling over onto his butt.

"No thanks to your snoring, yeah," she giggled.

"Oh, whateva, I do not snore," he waved.

She raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes, "yeah, sure you don't."

"Hey you got some food?" He asked, standing up.

"No, I eat plastic," she smirked sarcastically. "Of course I have food."

"How about I make us both some pancakes and bacon while you wash up," she said.

"Sounds good to me," he winked and walked into the bathroom and quickly came out.

They both ate their breakfast in silence, but Addy looked too gorgeous and Raph was waiting until she reached for the syrup so he could touch her hand.

"Oops," he grinned, and Addy blushed. "Guess I'll have to keep holding your hand."

"Oh you," she blushed and kissed his cheek.

They finished and cleaned the dishes. "Now what?" Raph said.

"I was hoping to practice some more today for tonight when we go out for our patrol." She said. "I need a lot of practice, clearly."

"You know what," she questioned, "I don't think you've ever told me how you were mutated, something had to have happened."

"Oh that," he sighed. "I never thought I would have to tell it; it's kind of a long story."

"If you don't want to, that's fine." She said waving her hands.

"No, no I'll tell you." He said.

"Well, about 20 years ago my brothers and I were just 4 regular baby turtles in a pet shop. One day, a man came and bought us. He had just gotten over the death of his wife and daughter so he needed a hobby to keep him busy. Anyways, he saw some awkward, odd man and decided to follow him to see what he was up too. The guy had a cylindrical canister cradled in his arms, and all of a sudden the man attacked our owner causing the man to drop his container. During the fight, our owner dropped us too and the liquid in the canister poured all over us.

"So, that doesn't explain everything," she interjected.

"I'm not done," he said holding up a finger.

"You see, this ooze that these creeps had would mutate you into whatever the last organic thing that you touched was. There were some rats in the alley, so that's how our Master was transformed."

Addy's mouth opened slightly signaling that it was all coming together now.

"Ohhhh, so that's what happened to you, Splinters human DNA was the last thing you touched." She said. "That's why you're as big as a normal human."

"You got it," he smiled.

"Wow, that's fascinating." "So if I touch you, and then touch the mutagen will I be like you?" She asked.

Raphs eyes widened. "No Addy, no." "Please don't even suggest that. You don't want to be a mutant." "Everyone treats you horribly and you feel like you can't be normal, well, because you're not."

Her eyes narrowed slightly telling Raph that she was still going to consider it.

"Don't, please," he pleaded, and Addy nodded to get him off her case, but she was still thinking about it; she couldn't help it.

Raph was trying to get her mind off of it; changing the subject.

"So how about those moves," he said. "Ready for more?" "Today I wanna teach you to listen."

"What, I know how to listen," she smirked.

"Not like a ninja, you don't," he assured her. "Here, take my bandana and tie it around your eyes so you can't see."

"Sweet," she exclaimed. "I've been needing new accessories," she laughed.

"Hey, this is serious," he said deeply, and Addy put her game face on.

Raph grabbed Addy's sais from off the coffee table and handed them to her. She heard him pull his out and give them a twirl.

"Okay, listen for my movements," he whispered. Addy got excited, thinking it was like a game.

"You weren't listening," he said, his voice across the room.

"What," Addy shrieked lifting the bandana off. "How did you..."

"You've got to listen harder," he sighed, and she sighed back, mocking him with her hands on her hips.

"Alright, I'll try again," she said lowering her mask. "I'm listening..." All of a sudden she felt a breeze blowing towards her and raised her sais instinctively just in time before Raph came down on her.

"Very good!" He exclaimed. "You did well...now do it again."

"Ha, yay!" She exclaimed wanting to take her mask off.

"This time, I want you to find me and try to fight me blindly." He said.

"Uh, that's gonna be hard, how do I do that...Uh, Raph," she pleaded.

He didn't respond, instead he crawled around on the floor quietly until he reached the back of the room.

Addy sighed and couldn't do anything but feel around for him. She tensed up on her sais and walked a few steps, and then listened. She couldn't hear anything. The silence was deafening and all she heard was the echo of nothingness.

All of a sudden she heard a whiff of air and turned around preparing for a blow, but nothing came.

"You're playing me Raph," she laughed.

But still, nothing. He was completely quiet.

"Wow you're really good at this," she laughed again hoping he would crack. "Okay, I give up, you win, I'm done."

She took off the headband and Raph was 3 inches from her face and it made her jump back and grab her chest.

"Holy cow, you're amazing at this," she laughed out loud. "You're definitely a master ninja. I can't wait till I can do that."

"It won't talk you long, Angel," he winked. "You're a natural, remember that."

"Thanks," she blushed. "Think I'm ready for the patrol tonight?"

"Yeah, don't worry, no psycho ninjas roaming the streets," he joked; he was referring to Karai. "I hate that girl, she's tried to break our family apart before with Leo, but he finally came to his senses. We had a big fist fight over it."

"Oh," Addy sighed, her voice trailing off. "Well, what can you do?" She and Raph both shrugged their shoulders.

9 PM rolled around and Addy was so excited to go out. She was jumping around, stabbing her sais in the air.

"Save some for the bad guys," Raph joked.

"Oh, I am," she winked and Raph looked away; she was just too beautiful, especially holding his old sais; it was sexy, but he kept his fantasies to himself.

"I just need to be home by midnight, I still, unfortunately have work in the morning," she said, dropping her sais by her side and then deciding to stick them in her belt.

Raph got his suit and helmet on and they gave each other a thumbs up.

"Let's roll chica," he said.

They climbed the rooftops and scouted in different directions. Addy kept a close eye on Raph though, in case anything came up.

Then Raph saw something he hoped he would never see again...The Kraang.

"Oh no," he half whispered.

"Hey, what is it handsome?" Addy jogged to his side.

"It's them," he growled.

"Them who?" She questioned.

"The ones responsible for our accident." "Wow, I had no idea they were still in the city," he said pulling out his binoculars and taking another look. "Oh those jokers are still up to their plot," and he handed the binoculars to Addy so she could see too.

"See that vile," he said, and she nodded; that's the mutagen; it's dangerous stuff, and I'm pretty sure they're not planning on making an army of unicorns with it."

Addy pulled the binoculars from her eyes, and had a straight face.

"Don't even think it Addy," Raph said, but Addy just remained silent.

"We're going to stop them, not experiment with it." "I love you the way you are, your humanness; please try and believe that."

"I know Raph," she smiled.
She thought to herself, "I have to play it cool, but as soon as I get a hold of that stuff, I'm using it..."