Welcome reader, new or regular! Either way, welcome to the brand new, re-written version of Shadow!

I'll try not to talk to long, but there ARE a few things to know! First, this is a Semi-AU fic. All the regular characters from The 2003 cartoon are here... however, this did takes place between The List season and Fast Forward. And yes... this IS an OC fanfic. If you guys don't like that, then you don't need to read it. Simple as that. Finally, I'm always looking for suggestions and positive critiques, so PLEASE leave reviews, or, for more personal critiques, PM me! I don't mind, guys, really!

Now, l hope you guys enjoy this Rewritten version of Shadow! Until later, this is Justine, signing out!

Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It belongs to Nickelodeon, and by writing this Fanfic, I am gaining no profit whatsoever, and I only take credit for my ORIGINAL ideas, my OC's and the plot.

I am not a super hero. I cant fly, I am not gifted with super speed... And I'm not invincible. Which makes me wonder how the hell I have survived with far.

Whats my situation? Just struggling to stay alive in my apartment, fire blocking nearly all my exits, smoke clouding my vision. You know, all normal things a seventeen year old goes though at this time of her completely normal life. Oh wait...

I duck out of the way as another loose, flaming chuck of wood falls dangerously close to my head, looking like a mini meteoroid of death. I clutch my satchel close to my chest, slowly crawling though my temporary home to the window, where I had shoved my 'rescuers' out minutes ago. They were getting in my way, and I prefer not to argue with overgrown reptiles in a burning room. But thats just me.

I hiss in pain as my hand wanders over broken glass, and I can already feel the sticky blood starting to drip from my palm. No time to whine at my minor injuries though, because the floor above me is starting to groan, beginning to give out.

I stand quickly and start pulling on my window. It doesn't budge, just like it hasn't budged ever since I moved in. I step back, ignoring the bloody hand-print now against the glass. I can worry about that later. I take a step back, then send a sharp kick to the window. The glass cracks, but doesn't give in. The ceiling is beginning to though, so i need to hurry. I send another kick, some glass falling out, but still not breaking. My temper finally takes hold of me, and I swing my already injured hand though the glass. I ignore the sharp pain winding up my arm, clearing away the rest of the glass... Just as the ceiling let out a loud, heart stopping creak.

My head snaps up, eyes widening and mouth opening in a choked scream as the ceiling caves in, my eyes squeezing shut as the scorched wood hurtles down on me.

...

How did I get to this point? Honestly, it'd take too long to tell from the very beginning, so why don't we start somewhere else? After all, who says the beginning is a very good place to begin? I prefer the midsection. Thats where the GOOD stuff happens...

It rained that night. Lighting was visible between black clouds, and thunder roared within those same clouds. The city below was still bathed in light, from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the city section of New York was just as lively as the weather outside, and neither looked like they would ever sleep.

A bit a ways from the light of the main attraction, housing and small businesses were closed up, void of the light and the fast pace of the city. No crowds of tourists, or grumpy New Yorkers resided on the streets, most sidewalks were empty... Most, not all.

April lowered her umbrella as the rain started to get more bold, falling on her clothes to soak her. She walked swiftly towards her home, groceries in her other hand. Why her boneheaded husband hadn't stopped to get milk after one of his late night escapees, was the burning question in her mind, but when he came home, bruised and totally worn out from tonight fighting, she decided to save herself a headache from yelling at him and getting the milk herself... While casually grabbing bandages and pain medication.

She cursed as the rain started to get on the bottom of her jeans, and pulled up her hood over her head. All she wanted was to get home, get warm, and get some sleep, and she didn't think she could wait another twenty or so minutes until she arrived to the shop. She looked over at the alleyway up ahead, debating quietly in her head. She would be in and out of that alley in less then a minute, then her apartment/antique shop would be less then five minutes away. Nothing would happen in the twenty seconds she had to go though to get though the alley, right?

April sighed, giving in and crossing the street, making her way swiftly towards the alley way, eyes scanning for any street thugs or punks that would cause her trouble. Taking one last look up and down the street, she looked ahead and walking into the dark alley. All she heard was the wave of raindrops overhead, and she strained to hear footsteps gaining on her as she nearly sprinted to the end of the alley. She slowed as she reached the end, smiling in relief that she had made it though without trouble... Her smile quickly faded when the end was blocked by a street punk, a purple dragon tattoo slithering over his face. "Goin' somewhere, sweetheart?" He mused as he strode towards her. April glared, looking over his shoulder. She was so close, she could see the display window. She could scream for help... And she no one would come, because she had slipped a relaxation pill in her husbands drink before she left. Which meant Casey was most likely lying unconscious on the couch, unaware his wife had left.

April looked over her shoulder as two more punks blocked the only other exit. She grimaced, then placed her groceries down. Even though she wasn't as well trained as her other ninja friends, that didn't mean she was completely defenseless. She knew how to take care of herself. The purple dragon suddenly broke his confidant spy and flashed to April, wrapping a meaty hand around her neck and slamming her up against the wall, smirking cruelly. "Now look here, Red." He said lowly, grinning at the contempt in her eyes. "We all know that you know where a certain hockey freak is. Tell us where, and well let you keep that pretty face of yours." April was about to spit in his face, when a knife suddenly flashed in the light, dangerously close to her cheek.

April looked over to it, eyes widening as the tip was slowly dragged down, leaving a white line. The thug smirked pressing the tip to the base of her neck. "Feel like spilling the beans, or do I need to spill something else?" April glared, then blinked as the other two thugs let out short yells, before going silent. Both she and the purple dragon turned and stared as the other two Dragons collapsed, groaning in pain. The ringleader glared, pulling away from April. "The hell is wrong with you two?! Get your asses up, or so help me I will-" He never finished the sentence. What he had so easily forgotten, is that a fire escape hung right over his head, and though it was rusty and the ladder was unmovable... That didn't mean it was the perfect place to perform a surprise attack.

A black army boot slammed down on his nose, causing a sickening crack to be heard as he was practically thrown back from the force of the kick. April watched, stunned into silent, then looked up as her rescuer swung down from the ladder. The first thing she noticed was that her 'savior' was shorter then she had predicted, and apparently loved the color black. They were dressed in ninja garb, and a thin backpack rested on their shoulders. The ninja slipped off the back pack and tossed it to the stunned red-head, who caught it. A second later, the black ninja lunged for the Purple Dragon.

April watched the fight for a minute, before looking down at the backpack. It was thin, and would've been very light weight, if not for its contents. Curiosity getting the better of her, she started to unzip the pack, before it was snatched from her arms. The ninja had returned, and was quickly putting her pack back on her back. They nodded to the pile of unconscious thugs on the ground. "Called the police. You should head home." They spoke lowly, in a forcefully faked voice. April blinked, grabbing her almost forgotten groceries. "Alright... Thank yo-" she paused, eyes widening at the thin, but noticeably large cut running from the ninjas hip to just below their chest. The fabric was ripped enough to show the line of blood where the weapon had made contact. "Oh my god... You're hurt!" April started to reach towards the ninja, then pulled back when they backed away from her, shaking they're head.

"I'll live, just... Please, get home safely." They muttered, before jumping over April and latching onto the fire escape, climbing up. April frowned, calling up to her. "Hey, wait! You can't run around with a cut like that!" The ninja paused at the top, then looked down at her. April could've swore she could see a smile under the mask. "Don't worry," her savior called down. "Shadow can handle anything!" With a soft laugh, they bounded up to the roof, and left Aprils sight. April stared after them for a moment, then smiled, police siren sounding close. "Shadow, huh?" She said to herself, looking amused. "Wonder if the turtles know there is another seemingly friendly ninja in New York..."

So, that was how this whole mess began. If I had never revealed myself to April, MAYBE the guys would've never found out about me. MAYBE they never would have seeked me out, and MAYBE I could've left Manhattan and live a quiet, simple life in Ohio or something...

But then we wouldn't have such a great story, now would we? Because apparently simple, easy-going stories aren't good enough...

Lucky me, right?

...

I resisted the great and tempting urge to send my foot though my stuck window. I pressed my hands against the latch and tried to pull it up, using all the strength I had... Annnnnnnd the window remained stuck. Surrendering, for now, I slipped out my emergency knife from my boot and forced in under the latch, popping the window open.

'You win this round, stupid square of glass,' I thought as I stumbled in to my darkened apartment, closing the window behind me. I paused, ears pricked for sound of intruders. After satisfied with my inspection and flicking on the lights, I wrapped my arm around my wounded abdomen, and let out a long, wonderfully long string of curses.

After a minute, I grumpily stumbled to my couch, pulling out the overly packed first aid kit from under it, pulling out roll of bandage wrap. I pulled off my mask, blowing the few strand black hairs away from my eyes, before shouldering out of the top part of my ninja garb, looking down with a frown at the cut.

'A few more upwards inches, and it would've been a REALLY awkward stitching session at the hospital,' I thought humorlessly as I lifted my tank top to wrap the bandage around my midsection. I let my thoughts drift as I did the wrapping, reviewing tonight's events. The one hour stakeout by that laundry place was boring, and the two purse snatchers by Hell's Kitchen were almost too easy...

Saving my boss from some meddlesome wanna-be gang thugs was not a part of my agenda. I put the wrapping away, beginning to over-analyze THAT particular rescue. I began to wonder... Was my voice low enough to be unrecognizable? Was my garb loose enough in the, uh... Right areas, so my gender wasn't revealed? I sighed, pulling off the rest of my garb and folding it into my backpack.

There was no point in fretting about this. After all, I'm not stupid. I didn't show myself to her for long... Five minutes, tops. And most of the time was spent fighting! I tossed my pack to the side, before attending and walking over to the sink. Wiping a clean streak onto the mirror, I inspected my face for obvious bruises or cuts. I had work tomorrow, and I didn't want April to pry about minor injuries... She might try to convince me to go to the police, and that was something I would NOT do.

Cops make me nervous.

I cleaned up a cut above my eyebrow, before applying a temporary bandage. I pressed my finger against a pretty large bruise on my chin, wondering how I could explain that one. My skin was pale, very pale, which of course made the bruises and cuts even more noticeable... Lucky me. I pulled my ebony hair out of its tight bun, letting it fall loose on my shoulders. I walked over to my couch, kicking off my shoes as I walked, before turning around and falling back, legs hooked over the back of it as my head hung down, my expression bored.

I glanced over at the mirror, then scowled at the teenager I saw lounging over the couch. I looked at those irritated violet eyes, narrowing my own. "Your such an idiot." I muttered. "You think you can keep hiding it forever? Face it, Victoria... Your going to get caught, and no one is going to care about your sorry ass, because you've already made hundreds of enemies in the three mouths you've been here... And only two allies..." I trailed off, looking at my reflection. I began to realize those exhausted, dark purple eyes were not someone else... But my own. I had been berating myself, and I barely knew it.

I turned away, then shifted to lay on the couch. I sighed, the forced my eyes to close, thinking quietly to myself. "... You ARE doing your best, Victoria," I muttered as I started to drift off. "No one knows what your doing... So no one can criticize you... Except yourself." I smiled slightly at that last part, before drifting off...

...

... You would think a ninja isn't a heavy sleeper. You would think they would wake at the smallest sound, because they were trained to do so. And you are one-hundred percent right... And apparently my body forgot I was a Ninja, so when I woke up, I woke up five minutes before I had to be at work.

I vowed internally to smash my alarm clock into a million bits, as I jumped over another alley towards the antique shop I worked at. I forced more speed into my legs, rocketing over the rooftops. I was hardly ever late, and I didn't want April to be suspicious of my late appearance... The bruises and cuts were questionable enough, thank you very much. I grabbed the top of the fire escape alongside the building, before sliding down. The ladder was too short though, so I jumped down the last few feet, before rising up from my crouch and brushing off dust calmly. I walked out of the alleyway, pulling off my hood and shaking out my hair, trying to look socially presentable.

I looked up and faltered. And black and white care was parked directly in front of Second Time Around... I sped up, glancing inside the cruiser as I walked past. My heart skipped a beat as I saw no grumpy, donuts eating officer inside the car, which left only one option... I hesitated, before taking a deep breath and shouldering the door open, wincing slightly as the bell announced my presence. I walked in, pausing at the sight of April chatting quietly with the police officer in the corner of the shop.

All I wanted to do was bolt, because I knew there was two main reasons why a NYPD officer was here, at least that I could come up with... One, April finally had enough of the unexplained injuries, and the secrets I had... Or, She was informing him about the events of last night... And in return, she was piecing together that I was the vigilante who saved her. Either way, it wasn't good for me...

Maybe I should've just stayed home today...

End of the first Rewritten chapter! I won't make any promises about when the NEXT chapter is coming out... But, if I were you guys, I'd watch out for updates in the next few days ;)

Until then!

JE2