Another hand on 2k12 TMNT and AprilxKarai~

TMNT and related characters © Viacom
story © RenaRoo

An Endangered Species

Karai had very particular habits. The kind that could easily work on the nerves of jumpier, less well prepared ninja. And what would certainly frighten the kind of unexpected kunoichi who played with fans instead of swords.

Among those habits included sticking to the shadows and crawling around the edges of the periphery when it was obvious that someone wanted to travel alone — or at the very least was working to travel without Karai specifically.

These sorts of habits were precisely what Karai had come to rely upon during her tumultuous stay with the Hamato Clan, the family she never knew and the brothers and father that she had never desired before. Keeping to the shadows, keeping hidden, helped Karai stray away from conversations and questions she was not ready to have. With bonds she was not ready to nurture. And with people she had spent a not insignificant amount of time attempting to murder.

But among those complications, none seemed stranger and more aggravating to Karai's sensibilities than April O'Neil, or the fellow teen's absolute refusal to give Karai that second chance that Master Splinter — Hamato Yoshi — was so adamant that Karai be allowed to have.

In a way, Karai felt this made April by far the most intelligent of the subterranean family. She hadn't done enough to deserve the level of trust they tried so desperately to hand over to her.

In another way, Karai wanted to just strangle the perfect little starchild for being a nut Karai simply did not have the power to crack.

So instead, she settled for following. Creepily. Stalkerishly. In the shadows, like a complete villain despite reformation.

With a deep sigh, Karai realized that perhaps old habits were not ideal to slip back into and was prepared to step out of the shadows and reveal herself when April tensed up and spun around toward Karai. The redhead's tessens extended and her stance rigidly set for battle.

It was enough to make the more trained ninja roll her eyes before stepping forward. "Drop the theatrics," Karai advised.

"Karai," April sniffed before straightening up and crossing her arms. Her chin raised slightly as she looked down her nose at Karai. "I should have guessed it was you. I could hear you from a mile away."

"You heard me from four feet away, Red," Karai corrected her, stopping short and putting a hand on her hip. "And that was only because I breathed heavily on purpose. I was getting bored of testing your skills. You failed."

"Maybe I was testing your stealth and was aware ever since we left the lair that you were following me and only turned around because you finally proved to be so loud that I couldn't take it anymore!" April countered, pursing her lips defiantly.

Raising her brow, Karai waited for April's facade to break first.

To her surprise, the freckled girl maintained stubbornly. Even with the most boldfaced and ridiculous lie."

Rolling her eyes, Karai stepped forward toward April again, disarming the girl with surprise. "Whatever, you don't want to admit you're failing ninjitsu training it's between you and my… between you and Master Splinter. I'm just here for the actually interesting bits."

"I'm not failing ninjitsu—" April began to argue impatiently just before Karai snatched the tracker that April had firmly stuck to her belt loop. "Hey! Karai! Give that back!"

"Ninja drop out," Karai taunted, opening the tracker and looking at the red alarm silently going off on the map. "What's this all about?"

Through some small miracle, April managed to swipe the tracker back and give Karai a look of complete ire before glancing down to the tracker. "It's the alarm system signal I was going to check on. Donatello and I spent weeks placing alarm systems in the mile radius around the lair so that we'd have a good chance of catching any intruders."

"Sounds nerdy," Karai joked. "And boring. It took you weeks?"

"It covers a lot of sewer," April admitted. "Too much, honestly. Because that that's what got us alarms constantly going off for regular sewer rats and roaches all the time. They were too sensitive and just too far out." She stopped and squinted as a shiver went down her body. "Then there was this whole mold problem when the lights on the alarms kept going off that taught me things about Mikey's diet I will never be able to unlearn now."

"So why didn't you take them all down if it's such a hassle?" Karai asked. "Obviously it did nothing to stop myself and the Foot… back when I was with the Foot and not a member of the Hamato clan. Obviously."

It was April's turn to raise a suspicious eyebrow. "Mhmm," she hummed in return. "Yeah, well, Don and I did go around and pick up most of the alarms, starting with the faulty ones that went off all the time, then the less active ones. I thought we'd gotten all of them, but this sensor just started going off a little while ago so I figured I'd go ahead and snag it myself while the boys were all out." She then looked expectantly at Karai. "I can do that, because I'm not a ninja drop out and can take care of myself."

"Well, that's not true. Because I failed you. Which is obviously why I'm joining you now," Karai said, snatching the device again and leading the walk down the sewer tunnel. "That and the lair is excruciatingly dull at the moment. I don't know if I can handle one more soap opera for the sake of my…. Master Splinter."

When Karai glanced to her side, she found April looking at her with a fairly unfamiliar look. It was unnerving in its lack of snark.

"What?" she demanded in irritation.

"You can call Master Splinter father, you know," April answered softly. "He's a father to all of us in a lot of ways but… I mean for you… it's a different level."

"Yeah," Karai gritted out before glaring April's way. "Know what else it is? Complicated. I'm calling him Master Splinter. That's an improvement enough for now."

April looked unconvinced but she allowed silence to lapse between them.

After a few moments, Karai stopped at the sight of a flashing, silent light on the left wall of the tunnel. Then she glanced over to April. "That it?"

"Yeah," April answered, stepping forward to begin her nerd thing to deactivate the alarm. "Weird, though. I wonder what set it off — usually the culprit leaves at least a trace."

"Does it matter?" Karai asked. "One annoyance or another, it's just a distraction at the end of the day."

With an aggravated groan, April turned enough to look at Karai over her shoulder. "You know, not everything between us has to be complete sass—" Her green eyes widened to the size of saucers and she let out a shaky gasp as she looked over Karai's head. "Karai! Behind you!"

Karai furrowed her brows before turning around, hand on the hilt of her katana to be drawn, when she froze in place. Her jaw dropped and eyes widened as she found herself staring at a large, black, scaly mutant snake with bright red eyes and a thick red hood that extended just behind its head to reveal the tattoos of the Foot emblem.

But despite herself, what Karai saw was a pristine look back into a mirror she had long since convinced herself she shattered.

"No," Karai shuddered.

The hissing serpent mutant began to launch forward toward her, and Karai was still without even a drawn sword.

But the same teeth which sought purchase in Karai's skin were stopped with a metallic CHING as April stood between them, her tessens each entrapping the snake's fangs.

"April," Karai gasped.

"I used to watch Animal Planet all the time," April gritted out as she fought the snake, circling with its fangs still stuck in her war fans. "The experts always said… if you control a snake's head, you control everything else!"

Sure enough, the snake followed each jerk of April's hands, hissing and snarling as it tried to pull back. But before it could, April quickly used her own momentum to flip herself over, and with that, flipped the Foot assassin with her, slamming its back against the sewer brick.

Finally able to gather her wits, Karai quickly unsheathed her katana and raced forward, leaping onto the exposed belly of the assassin and holding her blades against its throat. The snake looked at her wide eyed.

"Slither back to your master and tell him that no mind games will work on me again, I am free of him, and I am free of what he made me," Karai ordered. For additional motivation, she pressed her blades against his scales even more. "And do it very quickly. For you wore our patience thin."

With that, Karai jumped to the side and April released her grip on the snake's fangs to stand beside her. The mutant hesitated, as if considering to attempt to complete its mission anyway, but then quickly thought better, slithering away at an alarming speed and slipping into the darkness.

The two women of the Hamato Clan watched, on guard, until they were both certain that there was nothing else lurking for them.

"Looks like you failed ninjitsu," April spoke up first.

Karai, confused, looked at April sternly. "What?"

"Obviously this was a practical test for your skills and you didn't notice the giant snake monster in the shadows following us," April continued, sliding her fans closed as she rotated her wrists. "So you flunked ninjitsu. Sorry."

Silence fell between them as April finally looked back at Karai, reading her face for an expression. Karai was so befuddled she could hardly offer one before she could no longer help herself.

She burst out laughing, gut busting laughter as she doubled over her stomach, a face splitting grin on her face as she couldn't contain it.

"Hey," April laughed with her. "You're laughing! And smiling! At me! And here I thought Karai Smiles were on the endangered species list. Never knew all I had to do for one was be a little twerp."

"Not a twerp," Karai laughed, wiping her eyes roughly with the back of her hand. "Just… just you. I just need to be… liked by you."

April seemed caught off guard for a moment but then a satisfied smile crossed her face and she reached toward Karai with an open hand. "Well, I have to say that you're well on your way."

"That's enough for now," Karai agreed, accepting her hand and gripping it tightly. "More than enough. Thank you… April."

Once April helped Karai stand back up, they put away their respective weapons and began to return home without the sensor.

It seemed to have been well placed after all.