A/N: Hey everyone, emeraldLINX here, with my good buddy, ET. We've been TMNT fans since the dawn of our existence so it's about time that we pay them back for our hours of entertainment.

ET: We sat down one day spoiling our brains with hours on end of TV (well, watching the whole TMNT series over again and memorizing its lines) when Alix got this look on her face, and then took out a pad of paper. I looked at what she wrote: 'TMNT fanfic ideas.' "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Alix: "I think I'm thinking what you think I'm thinking."

ET: "If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then I'm thinking we shouldn't just be thinking. What do you think?"

Alix: "Hell yeah!"

Disclaimer: We don't own any of the characters from TMNT, they belong to Mirage. HOWEVER, Raph will be ours! Eventually.-Wickedly maniacal laugh- -Cough-

ET: Kinky.

Alix: BTW, that dialogue actually occurred between us and was copied from the TV series. Yes, we obsess a LITTLE too much.

ET: Just a tad. Oh, and this is my first time writing a fanfiction. So go easy on me at least, not Alix.

Anyway, enjoy boys and girls!

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Chapter 1: Shadows

She ran… sprinted actually. The breath escaping her lips was milky white from the cold. She rubbed her black gloves together in order to warm them. Although she had been running for what seemed to be an eternity, her thin, worn jeans and burned green tank top did not keep the heat from escaping. The moon shone down on the path before her as she ran…where? Where was she trying to go?

Anywhere. Anywhere that was away from them.

She turned to look back on the skyline at the fully armored shadows that were chasing her. Their large, bug like eyes peeked out at her from under the red headbands, surrounding their temples. They were fast and seemed tireless, chasing her through the urban jungle, street by street, alley by alley.

The panic within her was so immense; she didn't notice the curb in front of her.

She tripped, going down hard, skidding around slightly, facing the way she had come. She wiped the blood from her cut lip, and then looked down at her now bare hand. Panic spread through her body. She had to find her glove, now. An unknown instinct made itself known to her. She didn't know why she had to wear it, why it was so important, but she had to find it NOW. The girl looked around her and then saw it, there, lying in front of her. She dove for it, ignoring the pain that shot up her hands and through her chest as she made a swipe with an extended arm…

But the Shadow got to it first.

He held the glove up, looking down at her fear stricken eyes. He reached for his belt, turning to alert his companions of the girl's current position. The girl quickly kicked the Shadow's shin, not waiting to see what the outcome was before once again bolting down the street, clutching her bare, bleeding hand to her aching chest.

The pain throbbed through her palm. Nothing could possibly be more insurmountably agonizing, she thought. It surged, pulsating through her body. Of all the scratches and bruises ever accumulated, for some reason, only those formed on her hands or wrists were sore. However, now it was too late for her glove. Too late to go back. Too late to survive.

The stringy child failed to notice the white hockey mask staring at her from an alleyway as she approached the next block. Nor did she notice the man behind it as he grabbed for a baseball bat out of the golf club bag on his back. What she did notice was a new pain that was smothering all thought, forcing her to lose focus. She could barely get any air and her limbs were about to give way with exhaustion.

Maybe she should just give in…she didn't know why she was running anyway… these Shadows could explain what was going on, why she had to have her gloves, why she had to get away! Now, the girl only desired to collapse and let the…things… take her. There was no point anyway. The pain was too immense. She wouldn't last much longer and might as well give in to the inevitable.

Turning, she slipped to the floor, ready to give her self up, shutting down her limbs, resigning herself to the Shadows… but instead, saw a huge golf bag filled with cricket bats, hockey sticks, and golf clubs.

"Goongala! Goongala!"

The man attached to the golf bag ran forward, swinging wildly with the baseball bat in his hands. The Shadows came at him from every side. He swung left, then right, Shadows flying everywhere with cries of pain as they hit the walls of surrounding buildings, knocking themselves out. Soon, there were none left standing, or if they were, it was because they were propped by the metal light poles that had broken their fall. Her masked savior turned to her, depositing his bat back in its sheath. He lifted up his hockey mask to reveal a relatively nice looking man of about 25 years old, with brown hair down to his shoulders and blue eyes that shown with the smile on his face.

"Hey, kid. You're ok now. Those Foot ninjas won't bother you anymore. I'll help you out."

The girl didn't know what to make of this new character. She knew that he had saved her, but was he just doing it to gain something for himself? Was he actually an enemy? Was he tricking her?

"So kid, you got a name?" The man smiled, extending his hand to her.

However, sitting on the pavement, she did not take it, or answer his question. She merely nervously smiled in return.

"Can you talk?" Once again, the girl refused to answer, merely gawking at his questionable compassion. "Oh uh… Name's Casey Jones. What's yours?"

"Um…I... I don't..." The girl at last spoke with a raspy, tired voice.

"So you do understand me kid! And all this time I thought you were an alien or something." Again, Casey extended his arm. However, when she did not accept, he put his hand around her gloved wrist and pulled her to her feet.

"What's your name, kid?"

She looked down at her bleeding palm and gingerly touched it. "My name...?"

"Ok fine. Where do you live so I can take you home?"

"Home?" She asked with an even raspier voice

Her tone confused Casey so he thought it was time for some extreme interrogation, "You're not running away from home and don't want me turn you into the police….are ya?"

"…I don't think so."

"Well then, what's your name?"

"Um…I..." She paused.

"Well…?"

The girl refused to say anything more. She merely attempted to clear her throat, stopping her raspy responses and cradling her damaged hand.

Casey sighed in defeat, slapping his forehead. He couldn't leave her. Nor could he help, if she refused to tell rudimentary information. But whatever this kid stole, saw, or did was something which interested or angered the Shredder, and so he couldn't leave her, whether she was on his side or not.

"So…." He shrugged, deciding to try one more time. "Why were the Foot ninjas after you, kid?"

"…Foot… ninjas? What?"

Casey pointed to the crumpled heaps of the black clad warriors.

"You mean the Shadows?"

Casey grinned. "Shadows? Heh, sounds like nightmarish fantasies to me. How old are you, anyway?"

She was going to respond, to try and tell this guy that she couldn't remember anything he had asked her, but was stopped when another fleet of Foot ninjas appeared from above.

"Friends of yours? You really musta done something to get them to send this many after you. But don't worry, kid, I can take 'em!" He grinned with an air of confidence. But that grin soon faded as more and more ninja's showed up, swarming over the buildings. He pulled his hockey mask back down over his face. "On second thought… let's get out of here."

Casey grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the direction of the swarming masses of lethal darkness.

However, he did not realize that he had grabbed her un-gloved, bleeding wrist.

A flashing, bright light suddenly ensued in the girl's eyes…

Flashes of thousands of pictures entered her mind…

Those of a woman with red hair in a wedding dress….

Those of Casey in a tuxedo…

Those of four standing, walking, talking turtles…

And those of blood and gore…

She continued running with Casey's tight grip on her, but it was all fuzzy.

A sudden pain enveloped her mind. Darkness suffocated her. All she could hear were wedding bells; all she could see were turtles, and all she could feel was sorrow. Casey's sorrow? What was going on?

"Stop," she whimpered. But Casey didn't notice and dragged the half stumbling girl into Central Park.

He knew they couldn't outrun the Foot, especially since this kid wasn't really running. She must be in shock or something. How else could he explain how she was acting? In any case, those stupid guys in the black pajamas were going to catch him soon if he didn't do something. He fished a green shell shaped cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open and held it to his ear.

"Don? Casey. We got a problem in Central Park, you wanna meet me there? Naw, it's the Foot, no dragons involved. Just hurry, Don! I can't explain right now!" He snapped it shut, shoving the phone back in his jean pocket, then dove as fast as he could down the next side path, hoping to hide until help arrived.

He turned back to the girl. Her face was streaming tears and her eyes were unfocused. Poor kid, she must have gone through a lot. He deftly swung her up into his arms, carrying her through the dense trees and down the dimly lit street. Her hands grabbed chunks of his shirt so that she wouldn't fall. Casey took this as a sign that she'd be fine and kept running.

Little did he know he wouldn't be running for much longer.

When Casey let go of her arm, the girl's head had immediately begun to clear. She no longer felt the alien feelings, saw the strange sights, heard the abnormal sounds. But where had they gone? And what had prompted them in the first place?

A more pressing question made its way to the surface as she looked around at the passing trees and the occasional street light; where was Casey taking her? She didn't know if she would like the answer if she asked him. She squirmed, trying to make him fall, or loosen his grip on her just enough so that she could slip out of his grasp. Casey turned his head to look down at her.

"What are you doing? TRYING to make me drop you?"

The girl wasn't listening, just gaping ahead of her. As Casey gazed up to see what had caught her attention, he collided into something that felt as hard as a rock. He fell back, his face feeling as flat as a pancake. The girl seemed to be trying to melt into his chest, with the way she was pressing her face up against him. She was terrified, that was obvious. But why-

Then he looked up.

"Hello, Jones."

It was Hun, his long time rival, leader of the Purple Dragon Gang, and right hand man of the Shredder. One arm was wreathed by a purple dragon tattoo, and on his opposite shoulder bore the red symbol of the Foot ninja. He was built like a mountain and had a scar on his left cheek. Hun was an army in his own right and was only sent out on special missions for the Shredder. Ones that had to be done right.

"I see you have some extra baggage with you, Jones, and I've come to claim it."

Casey ground his teeth. "Wow, kid, the Shredder must REALLY like you to have sent this guy." He stood, facing the large blonde neanderthal, the girl still in his arms. "What do you want with her, Hun? She's just a kid. I never thought of the Shredder as being a pedophile."

Hun took a step forward. "It's not your business what the Master has in store for her. Now hand her over willingly and I might just let you leave with all your limbs." Another step, then another. Casey became aware of the flashing glimpses of red as he realized that he was surrounded. Casey swore under his breath. He set the girl down on her feet, but she wouldn't take her face out of his shirt. Whatever Hun intended, it seemed as if it had happened before, and she hadn't liked it. With a new resolve, Casey detached the girl from his shirt and set her just to the side of him, then pulled out two cricket bats.

The girl looked up at Casey as he stepped up, twirling his weapons. She recognized the large man with the blonde hair from earlier. He was the one who had tried to catch her first as she was running. He pulled up a tree and threw it in front of her, hoping it would slow her down. She was terrified of what he could to her out here, surrounded by trees. And Casey... she was beginning to trust this man. He had been kind to her and was now going to try and protect her from his big hulking man. He slashed in front of him, taking a solid stance.

"You ain't gettin' her without a fight!"

"If you insist," Hun cracked his knuckles, and then bent down, getting ready to charge...

…when a big camouflage covered truck crashed through the trees, sending ninjas flying this way and that before coming to park right beside her. The back door opened with a creak and 4 turtles, all with different colored eye masks and carrying ninja weapons jumped out and landed next to Casey.

Four...turtles? But...turtles can't walk and talk...so who were these guys?

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A/N: Well, what you guys think?

Alix: You better review or ET and I will sick Raphael on you!

ET: What a way to gain popularity, eh? (And it's "what do you guys think," Alix)

Raphael: She's definitely an odd ball.

Alix: Me, odd? I'm not odd, I'm eccentric.

Michelangelo: OK, stop stealing my lines!

ET & Alix: Heh, yes mother… spoiling all the fun

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