Okay, so maybe you've read Book 1 of my series? No? Good. If you have, please erase it from your memory. It was a horrible story, very… romanticized. I am hoping to write something worthy of your praise.

I want to get back into writing. Please leave reviews with critiques, etc. I'm also looking for a possible Beta reader; I am good with grammar/etc, but a second pair of eyes never hurts.

These might be slightly different turtles than you're used to.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own TMNT. No, I can't make money of this. Yes, I do enjoy writing. Yes, I hope you like it, too.

Chapter One: A Dark Night

It was dark – because it was night.

Four dark, bulky shapes slipped across the entrance to the alleyway. The shapes were watching the LED street lamps splash a little color on the grey world. A flash of orange – a bang – and…

"Owww…" complained Mikey. He got up, pulling a piece of trash off his head and sniffing it. "I don't even want to know what that was…" A bit of light caught the hunter-green flesh of his arm, slightly bumped with reptilian beaded skin; his mask glowed a soft orange in the light from a sign proclaiming "Antiques!" across the street. He stood about as tall as a middle-height human female, approximately 5'4", but he weighed a lot more that an average woman, at about 250 pounds; he was the mid-weight in the family. His shell was a lot of that weight, and his compact, muscular frame did nothing to lessen that poundage. Around his knees and elbows were brown pads, as though he skateboarded a lot, and a belt around his waist held two nun-chucks.

"Shhh!"scolded another voice, this one slightly deeper and commanding. "Get out of the light, Mikey."

Michelangelo scurried back into the shadows, crouching next to Leonardo. "Sorry, bro," he breathed, smiling disarmingly. Leonardo shook his head and stood gracefully, blending into the shadows.

Mikey could barely make out his Myrtle-green skin (Mikey had printed out the Wikipedia chart with shades of green and spent a weekend trying to get Leo to let him match his color), but the blue bandana was easier to see. It was a medium-dark blue – Mikey liked to think of it as a strong blue, not a frivolous blue like the sky – and hid their leader's emotions, since the slightest betrayal was around the corner of the eyes. However, Mikey though he caught a smile before Leo turned his shell on him. The shell was missing a chunk off the upper right-hand corner, and there was a leather armor strapped over it to protect the eldest from a painful hit straight to the flesh. Leo stood at 5'6", taller than his brothers by at least two inches, and weighed the least, about 230 pounds.

Leo, too, wore the arm and leg pads around a slimmer build than his brothers, but his weapons of choice were two katanas, strapped across his back. The hilts were wrapped, and the scabbards plain – nothing could glint if Leo took to hiding. Mikey's own nun-chucks had steel caps on the ends, and the chain between could flash if he accidentally stepped into a puddle of light.

Their leader jumped and grabbed hold of a ladder, noiselessly ascending to the roof of the building. Mikey looked around, spotted his brothers, and followed Leo.

Raphael came next; the red-banded turtle was in a fairly good mood. The mountains had taken a lot of getting used to, but they beat the city's stench and dirty air any day. Though built on a more muscular frame and weighing in at 275 pounds and 5'4", and with "Hooker's green" tone of skin, according to Mikey, Raph was not as fast as his older brother; he relied more on brute strength than speed. He was, as Mikey put it, a "box(ing) turtle." His chosen weapons, the sai, were tucked into his belt, along with a few shruiken. He knew Mikey carried them – in a pouch on his belt – but he wondered briefly where the shell Leo had them, since Leo wore no belt usually. He decided he didn't really want to know and followed Mikey up the ladder.

Donatello waiting for Raph to get to the mid-way point before coming up after him. He kept an eye out for their enemy, though they had yet to meet any hostile people. It was, after all, Labor Day – perhaps thugs were enjoying a day off from thievery and rape. His skin was the darkest, a Phthalo green (which is also used in inks and such). He had given Mikey the idea of finding out which color of green they were, but Leo and Raph didn't know that – and he wasn't eager to tell him.

His five-foot-long Bo was strapped across his back at an angle; even though he and Raph were both 5'3", Donny could never figure out how Raph could manage with the Bo straight down his shell. Donny always ended up clacking it against the ground when he crouched. His bandana was a purple color, a deep manly purple, and he was the second-lightest at 235 pounds. However, after a new invention was done being built, he often weighed himself to discover he had overtaken Leo and weighed only 200-ish pounds after a few weeks of all-night "dates with the techie stuff" – a name courtesy of, of course, Mike.

Once all four brothers were on the roof and had found hiding places from anything higher than they were, they began arguing over a direction.

"Let's head to th' docks," Raph asserted, barging in on Leo's comment. Leo shot him a look that made Raph snigger.

"I think we should visit the junk yard. It's Tuesday, and…"

Mikey interrupted Don. "It was Computer Dump Day, we all know, Donnie," Mikey groaned childishly, grinning at his brother to take the sting from his words. "Why not the dump, Leo? I could maybe find some comics."

Raph harrumphed as Leo nodded slowly, indicating he was in agreement but thinking before he would make a decision. "We should bear in mind that this is a training run, not just a gathering run," he reminded them all. "Master Splinter wants us to prepare for winter's arrival." They all nodded, remembering the bitter cold of last year's winter that nearly sent them into hibernation. Leonardo shivered slightly, remembering the utter listlessness he felt. Master Splinter had finally found a goldmine of Space Heaters in the dump and Donatello had fixed them, and rewired a few, to create a "sunning" spot for each turtle.

"Let's do our training run to the Flatirons, and then we can visit the junk yard on the way back, okay?" Leo asked, looking around. He liked to make the decisions in the heat of battle, for that was when he was in his element. Otherwise, he left it up to a democratic vote. His brothers nodded their assent, and the team headed for the docks.

The run was long and arduous; they were in great shape, but constant need for secrecy and silence ran a turtle down pretty quick. By the time they looked over the sea, the salty wind blowing gently on their faces, all four were huffing and puffing.

"This… sucks…" Raph leaned against an air conditioning unit, eyeing the city below. "Why'd Maste' Splinter leave? He coulda had the fun of this run…"

Leo just looked at his brother. Raph hadn't questioned Master Splinter, either, though he growled and stomped around when their Sensei had left. All four knew Master Splinter had a reason for leaving them.

"Let's head back," Don suggested, walking in a slow circle to keep from cramping. "I don't need to visit the junk yard."

"Ya," panted Mikey, nodding.

"We can go for a few more miles, then," Leo stated simply, turning back down the hill and taking off. Don and Mikey both slipped out of the way as Raph growled at both of them and tried to smack them gently.

"Nice going, braniac," the grumpy turtle growled, taking off after Leo. Don shrugged and set to following his brothers; Mikey brought up the tail.

They were about a mile from their home – at least Raph hoped they would get to go home – when Leo suddenly stopped. He slid to a silent halt next to the leader, hands near his weapons. Don and Mikey nearly blundered on, but the two eldest grabbed them and yanked them down, muffling the gasps and blocking the automatic lashes.

"Quiet!" scolded Leo. "Down there." He pointed to an alley just ahead; they peered quietly over the edge. Below, a scene played out they had all seen before. Four thugs had a young woman cornered; she was shaking visibly, clutching a sparkling silver purse to her chest. She flung it behind the thugs, hoping they would go after the apparently expensive purse and not her, but only once looked back; the other three advanced, chuckling evilly.

Four silent shapes dropped behind the thugs; the woman shrieked as the four thugs crumpled into unconscious piles of human flesh.

"You okay?" one of the shapes asked, holding up both hands in a non-threatening way. The blonde nodded timidly.

"I'm… I'm okay…" Her voice shook. "Thank you so much… Is there anything I can do to reward you?"

One of the shapes, hidden behind a dumpster, chuckled darkly. The one standing in the open, but still just a dark blot, growled something at the other, who was quiet, and turned back to the lady.

"No, ma'am. Here." Her purse was tossed gently towards her; she fumbled and dropped it; blushing, she bent to retrieve it. Mikey wolf-whistled silently as her shapely legs peeped out from under her shirt skirt, which looked to be either a dark blue, dark green, or very dark grey – maybe black. Her shirt was either a light blue or green. Don was convinced Mikey was part color blind, but Mikey claimed he just was very specific about colors.

As if he could hear Mikey's thoughts, Donnie smacked the back of Mikey's head. They had camped out behind the blond, waiting for Leo to make sure the human was alright and escort her out to the street lights, where she would be safer.

"I'm sorry…" she apologized again, face red. "I… Thank you… I'm lost…" She looked on the verge of crying. Just then, the turtles noticed her skirt had pockets; out of one stuck a piece of paper, that was folded to look like a plane ticket.

"Where are you trying to get to?" Leo asked.

"Um…" She pulled out her planner, peering at it in the gloom. "Ohh!" She frowned, unable to read it. "It's… it's something to do with toes… Or feet…" Leo had a sinking feeling in his gut.

He looked up. Sure enough, the rooftops were covered in black-coated ninjas.

Raph cursed somewhere behind him; Donnie and Mikey stepped out from behind the blond, Mike unceremoniously cracking her in the back of the head with one nun-chuck, carefully calculated to knock out the hot woman. "That's just rude," he said, joining the circle Leo, Raph, and Don had made. "We get tricked by the dame in distress? So not cool," he yelled at the ninjas.

There looked to be about fifty ninjas coming at them, yet there was still outlines of ninajs on the roof. Leo wondered just how many there really were. He nudged Raph and shook his head; Raph narrowed his eyes and growled.

"Let's fight to get out of here," Leo said to Don and Mikey. They nodded, and Raph reluctantly agreed. They knew the closest hidden sewer entrance was a few blocks away; they couldn't risk letting the Foot follow them home.

Leo blurred forward, his unsheathed katana shining in the scant streetlight filtering into the alley. He took out several ninja, slamming his hilt-clenched fists into jaws and noses. Several screamed as their noses shattered; others gurgled as the blood ran back into their throats when they fell onto their back and lay there, stunned. He caught blades, shruiken, and a few ninjakas on his katanas, deflecting the attacks fluidly.

Raph's victims often found chunks of their faces and hands missing when they tried to block his blunt Sai. Not meant for cutting, his weapons yanked chunks of flesh off instead of cutting cleanly through it. They screamed and fell over. Raph felt a thud on his shell, slightly painful, and he shoved backwards, turning on a dime to plunge his Sai into the thigh of a Foot soldier.

Mikey's 'chucks whirled and spun as he expertly tapped skulls and temples, knocking out the men attacking him and his brothers. His was bloodless, unless he caught someone's cheek or nose, and he was proud of the fact; he hated the sight of blood. He could handle patching someone up, but making the blood flow was against his very being.

Donatello was lying about with his Bo, skillfully whipping it into knees, backs, and shoulders. He rarely went for the head; it was a small target. However, a broken kneecap would hinder a Foot longer than a concussion. He heard a spine crack as he drove the blunt point of his Bo into a Foot soldier's fleeing back, and then spun it to whap another man across the chest, crushing the air from him.

All four fought their way out of the alley and took off towards the man hole; the Foot gave chase. Leo flinched as he heard a dart fly past, whistling, as he zig-zagged over the rooftops; he suddenly felt a sting in his calf. He almost cussed, but instead kicked it out mid-flight, hoping it wouldn't have gotten much drug in his system. He sheathed his swords, tucked his arms in, and matched his brothers' paces. He could have out-run them, but the Foot were close – though, on a backwards glance, he could see that they were losing ground.

Soon, they were not visible on the roofs; all four turtles hunkered down when Leo muttered a quiet command, breathing hard. He inspected himself for any changes – blurriness of vision, dizziness, panting – well, they had just run hard – but felt nothing. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, he watched to the north, where the ninjas had last been, for an hour before giving the command to take to the sewers.

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey descending gratefully, worn out and looking forward to a day of quiet sleep and rest. Leo followed, frowning as the moon dropped past the skyscrapers; it was a few hours before sunrise, and he wanted to stay out, but the drug possibly in his system cautioned him.

He pulled Donnie back silently, letting Raph and Mikey race for the TV. Don looked at his big brother quizzically, asking the silent question.

"I think I got hit with a dart," Leo said simply. "I got it out, but…" Don nodded.

"I'll watch you," he promised, smiling. It was rare Leo asked for help; Don knew he was doing it to protect his family, so he wouldn't collapse suddenly and they run about like chickens with their head cut off.

"Thanks." Leo smiled gently. Their home was just ahead, and he could feel the bruises he had sustained in the fight – a few blows he had decided to let land in order to protect against another, more lethal, strike. Raph had been bleeding from a cut on one shoulder; Mikey's knee was swelling slightly, but Leo could only guess what had hit him; Mikey didn't seem to be feeling it. Don's third knuckle looked swollen and bruised.

Don noticed Leo's glance and smiled slightly, blushing. "Mikey's nunchuck," he explained quietly. "I didn't see him and he got my knuckle accidentally. He doesn't know." Leo nodded; he wouldn't tell Mike. They had all accidentally hurt each other, but it didn't make it feel any better to know you'd hit a friend accidentally in battle.

They got to the door to find Raph and Mikey sprawled on the ground, wrestling over the priviledge of TV. Don and Leo went in – Don went straight to his lab to grab medical supplies, and Leo went into the dojo to meditate and clean his swords, and not in that order.

Raph and Mikey finally made it in, Raph looking triumphant. He took over the couch, spreading out and letting Donnie clean and bandage his shoulder, and flicked through the channels. Mikey, pouting, went into the kitchen. Donnie checked his knee while Mike chomped his way through a Rice Krispie, putting an ice pack on the side, where the bruising was worst.

He went to check on Leo, and the leader let him apply some bandaging – no antibiotics because their immune systems needed to stay strong – while he meditated. Don finally took a look at his own hand, diagnosed himself with a bruised bone, and took a couple Tylenol to kill the swelling and pain; he also accepting his own medication and joined Mikey in the kitched with an ice pack over his hand, his other flipping the pages of a large book.

Mikey left and came back with a comic book. They read together – vastly different subjects, one reading about the exploits of the elves of Elf Quest, the other learning about quantum physics and duality – in silence, comforted by the snoring of their red-banded brother on the couch and the silent thumps as Leo practiced in the dojo with the door open.

It had been a good night.

Well, what do you think? Please review if you'd like to see more!