Author Notes: So a few things I think my readers should know before we dive into the story.

This is a TMNT human-AU, with original characters thrown in from a different story I've been writing for years. These original characters were originally from their own fantasy-based D&D-ish universe, so they are also AU in their own way.

I draw from a few TMNT versions: 2k3, 2k12, Mirage, and IDW primarily. I'll probably just mix those elements around as I see fit for this. I added a little dash of the 80's but it's very minimal. Might add more of others later.

I was inspired by Taisi's Problem Child, a TMNT human-AU (you should read it). I wondered what it would be like for my characters to interact with the human versions of the boys. Hopefully, you'll find it as entertaining as I do. I know original characters don't always do well, but maybe you'll give my peeps a chance.

I start out in Kira's PoV, but don't worry, I generally try to keep a lot of the focus on the Hamato brothers. On the other hand, I'm also not afraid to use my OCs, especially when they hold some key positions in the plot. My intent is to keep it balanced enough that we all have a good time.

As my anon guest reviewer suggested, I will keep the rating at T until more M rated things come up. But just know that they will.

Future M Rating: I tend to write in more serious and dark ways. You can expect particularly bad language; I have more than just Raphael who has a foul mouth. You can also expect dark and mature themes of violence, abuse of various natures, suicidal thoughts or possible actions, and references to drug and alcohol use. I don't really know if I will have any particularly sexually graphic scenes. I honestly only write sex scenes that I feel have a particularly big impact on a character and/or the story itself. But when I do, I usually don't hold back. I'll try to warn you at the top of each chapter if there is going to be any particularly hard core theme showing up (rape, suicide, etc.), just so if you're sensitive to that, you know when to stop reading (shoot me a PM if you want a less graphic summary of what occurred in a chapter so you can keep reading if you want).

This chapter has now been beta-read by myscout14, who helped me with this story from chapter 16 to chapter 18, and Dauntless Adrenaline.

Disclaimer disclaims - The usual I don't own TMNT because obviously I sit at home and write fanfiction about it.

Chapter One:
Move-In Day

A boy with long, blond hair held back with a green beanie bounded up the dingy stairs of an apartment building, cradling an enormous cardboard box. An older girl with a dark pixie cut followed him up the stairs, arms similarly laden with boxes.

"Terrin, slow down when you're carrying heavier stuff up the stairs," she called, glaring at the taped off, out-of-order elevator. "The last thing we need is for you to trip and hurt yourself."

"IknowIknow," squealed Terrin at hyper-speed over his shoulder—yet again making her nervous because he didn't stop climbing the stairs either. It didn't help that it was mid-February; the ice that still stuck to their shoes would make the steps all the more slippery. "I just can't wait to set everything up! It's our home, Kira!"

"I know, but look forward," insisted Kira as she followed him up the stairs.

Thankfully, Terrin did as she asked, his hair whipping around at an absurd angle. It was past his shoulders now, and he refused to cut it. He claimed it would be a crime to cut hair as beautiful as his, and this statement was usually accompanied by a proud hair-flip.

She was excited too, even if she wasn't quite as energetic as Terrin about it. This was going to be their first home—they were finally out of the group home and together. When she had finally turned eighteen, she took the first chance she got to get them out of the foster system. Rontu, their childhood friend and fellow foster kid, had turned eighteen a full six months or so before her. He lived with some friends and occasionally with his girlfriend while he worked and saved money so that when Kira turned eighteen, they could move into an apartment together; much to the displeasure of Tilly, Rontu's girlfriend.

Her hands were beginning to numb, even with her gloves on. Winter was not the best season to move, but they hadn't had much of a choice as her birthday was in January. By the time Kira finally reached their apartment, the door was already hanging open, and she could hear Terrin banging around inside. She looked at the brass no. 362 hanging on the door with pride; it wasn't much, but it was theirs. She stepped into the small, two bed-room apartment, surveying the sparse kitchenette and living room. There was one bathroom with a shower, no tub. They would be doing their laundry at a nearby laundromat with quarters. Rontu and Terrin had agreed to bunk-up in the larger bedroom while Kira would take the smallest.

She sat her box down on the floor of the kitchen and looked around. It was small and had those electric base-board heaters that would be racking up a ridiculously high bill for the rest of the winter—but it was like Terrin had said, it was theirs.

She smiled as she heard the boy skipping out of his soon-to-be bedroom. He was only fifteen, but he was already rather tall, just a few inches under six feet. With his lanky build, he often appeared as an awkward colt not yet used to his limbs. Kira smiled back and followed him back outside to grab another load of boxes.

The good thing was that they didn't have many possessions. Being a foster kid, you moved around a lot, and didn't really accumulate a lot of stuff. It made for light-packing and less carrying, but they'd had to buy a lot of new things for the apartment as a result. Terrin had already claimed the top bunk of the cheap bunk bed set they'd gotten from Walmart, and Kira was making do with an air mattress until they could afford a real bed.

Most of what they had found was from thriftstores: TV, couch, kitchen stuff, and the coffee-table that would double as their dinner table. Terrin had managed to save enough money to buy his own PS3 second-hand. He'd built his own computer out of various parts all on his own and for free.

Terrin broke into a sprint down the hallway, whipping around the corner without a second thought. Kira tensed as she heard him yelp "Shit!" and a deep, unfamiliar voice growl "Watch it!".

Kira jogged over curiously to find her brother sprawled across the tacky carpeted floor. Standing in front of him was a guy around her age.

He was somewhat short for a guy, no taller than Kira herself. There was a suggestion of muscle in his shoulders and arms even while cloaked in a black leather jacket and gloves. He was cradling a black motorcycle helmet in one hand, and his other hand was running through his dark hair, which was close-shaven on the sides of his head. The rest of it was medium in length and looked as if it would normally fall in his face. His eyebrow was pierced, and his dark green eyes were glowering down at her brother.

Terrin looked up as he readjusted his green beanie and grinned like an idiot up at the stranger. Used to Mr. Dark-and-Brooding (aka Rontu), Terrin didn't shrink beneath the stranger's disapproving gaze. Rontu had a piercing stare himself when he wanted to, and he often directed his displeasure toward Terrin's antics. Terrin never took Rontu's "threats" seriously, but then again that was Rontu. Who knew who this guy was.

It was hard to tell how deep Mr. Dark-and-Brooding-Version-Two's anger ran. His eyes were intense but unreadable. Yet, the stranger's glare lessened when he noticed Terrin's grin. The goofball did have the sunniest smile, and it tended to warm the hearts of everyone he met.

"Heh, sorry," chuckled Terrin. He lifted his hand up to the stranger expectantly.

There was a pause again as the guy stared at Terrin's hand and raised a confused brow. Terrin pouted up at him and then whined, "Aren't you gonna help me up?"

Kira sighed and decided to intervene, stepping forward. "Terrin, stop bothering him."

But to her surprise, the stranger took Terrin's hand and gave him an arm-up.

"It's fine," the guy said.

Terrin was beaming—after all, he got his way. "Hi! I'm Terrin. This is Kira, my sister. What's your name? Do you live here? Your piercing is so cool—"

Kira stepped up and put a hand over her brother's mouth, apology at the ready. "He literally will not stop talking if you don't make him."

The stranger smirked at this with amusement. He definitely had that tough-guy thing going for him, but there was a lot of warmth to his green eyes as he said, "Heh, yeah, he reminds me of my kid brother."

Terrin muffled something just barely restrained into Kira's hand. No doubt, this new information about the stranger has inspired a whole new rush of questions that came bursting forth despite the fact she still had her hand on his mouth.

Kira half-smiled back at him. "So what is your name?"

"Raphael, and yeah, I do live here."

Terrin muffled some more, plaintive this time. Against her better judgment, she decided to release him.

"That's so cool!" erupted Terrin as if her hand had never been silencing him. "Do you live on this floor too? We're moving into #362! You have a little brother? How old is he? What's his name—"

Kira placed her hand back over his mouth. It had been a mistake to remove it. "Don't mind him; he's just excited about the new place."

Raphael didn't seem too bothered by Terrin's exuberance. Maybe that kid brother was similar to Terrin. He just continued to smirk with amusement.

"Well, looks like we're neighbors," said Raphael. "I'm in #361 with my bros. So you might see my little brother sometimes. Trust me, you'll know 'im when ya see 'im."

It was then that Rontu came around the corner and paused briefly to give Raphael a once-over.

Rontu's heavily-lidded dark eyes swept over Raphael, making note of every detail, cold and analytical. He towered even over Terrin, though he was not lanky in his height. His face, long and angular, had distinct Native American attributes and appeared older than he was. He had long black hair pulled back into a low ponytail.

His eyes stayed fixed on Raphael in a steady stare that would make most people uncomfortable. It was just what he did: assess, almost like a wolf, if Raphael was a threat to his pack—herself and Terrin.

Raphael returned the favor. His own intense green eyes seemed to meet Rontu's dark brown in challenge, the warm smirk he had worn for Terrin fading. It was briefly quiet as the two gauged each other. Terrin had his perma-smile plastered on his face as he looked back and forth between them, either oblivious or just unconcerned.

It was time to break the ice. Kira cleared her throat and said, "Rontu, this is Raphael, one of our new neighbors. Raphael, this is Rontu, my roommate."

"Roommate?" Raphael looked from Rontu, to Kira, to Terrin.

It wasn't as if they looked like they could be siblings to begin with. Most people didn't even realize she and Terrin were siblings because they looked so different. While Terrin had more angular facial features, Kira's were rounder. Her eyes were blue rather than Terrin's green. Terrin was tall and wispy, while Kira was of shorter and stockier build. Though she was taller than average for a woman, the boy was like a tree with that growth spurt of his.

In any case, Kira figured Raphael was trying to figure out why Rontu was a roommate when he obviously wasn't related to them.

"Yeah!" piped Terrin at Raphael's confused tone. "He's like our brother, who's not really our brother, but is our brother. Because we were foster kids together."

Kira sighed, a bit exasperated by this point, as Raphael raised a brow and said, "Foster kids?"

Terrin bobbed his head, sunny smile still plastered across his face. Like it wasn't weird at all to mention being foster kids to someone he'd just met. "Yeah, Kira and I were abandoned when we were little. Rontu was—"

Kira's hand went safely back over her little brother's mouth as she groaned, "Terrin, you really need to not tell people uncomfortably personal stuff right when you first meet them."

She released him only to have him continue to smile cluelessly and state, "But that's not uncomfortably personal."

"It is to some people," said Kira with a pointed look and more forceful tone in her voice.

She didn't really care if people knew she had been a foster kid, but it did make people look at her differently. It depended on the person. Typically, there was pity but also like they trying to figure out how damaged you were. That aside, Rontu's story was a whole lot different than hers and Terrin's, and it was better that she didn't let him just blurt it out.

Kira did have to wonder what Terrin did consider "uncomfortably personal." Though, sometimes she thought he only pretended to be clueless and clumsy.

She looked back to Raphael and prepared to apologize, but she nearly did a double take when she looked at him. Instead of receiving yet another pitying look, as people usually did when they learned her story, he looked… she couldn't describe it. There was an almost understanding warmth to those green eyes even if he didn't smile back at her.

He shrugged casually. "It's no big deal … If ya guys need anything, we're next door."

Kira grinned. "Great, thanks. See ya around."

Raphael nodded and walked past them. He and Rontu caught each other's eyes again, as Rontu stayed still, a silent shadow against the corner. They both held the stare for a measure as Raphael walked around him. It was like watching two dogs circle each other—deciding whether or not they would bite.

Raphael's nose wrinkled as if he smelled something sour. His eyes rolled as he turned his gaze ahead toward his destination. Kira caught Rontu's gaze afterward and smiled. Rontu merely shrugged in response.

A sign he didn't find Raphael threatening, despite the eye roll, but she already knew that.

Kira had this thing about reading people. Call it a gut feeling, intuition, instinct. Whatever it was, after most interactions, she had a sense for a person's character and whether she liked or disliked them.

She liked Raphael.

After a brief moment, they heard him open the door to #361 and another boy's voice shouted into the hall, "Raph!"

Almost immediately Raph let out a surprised "oof" like something had slammed into him. "Oi, get off me, you stinkin' monkey!"

They heard laughter and then his door shut.