Oh, great, another monster has spawned from the depths of my mind. When will this end?

Actually, I'm quite excited for this little story. It's going to be a collection of oneshots, very loosely related, but all can be read as stand-alone fics (unless stated otherwise in my Author's Notes).

So, this idea actually started forming a month or two ago, when I read And Your Enemies Closer by Amicticia Revenant, which explains why April invited Karai to her wedding in the episode Wedding Bells and Bytes (in Back to the Sewer). I got to thinking...well, why not write my own thing about April and Karai? And then I got ideas for other characters, too, to see what they did when they were left behind by the Turtles when they got sent to 2105.

So, this first one is a little thing about April and Karai. I think that those two will honestly be the stars of this one, though I do plan on including characters such as Leatherhead, Klunk, Angel, Casey, the Utroms (maybe), Bishop, and perhaps even the Justice League will get an appearance. Further chapters are still in the making, though...so for now, please feel free to ignore that long author's note and just read and enjoy!

Friends

Wind whipped across the rooftops, scattering a few leaves and pieces of forgotten paper. Black hair and red hair billowed in the breeze as two pairs of green eyes scanned the rooftops.

"Remind me again…why am I doing this with you?" the red-head asked.

"…In all honesty, Miss O'Neil, I was about to ask you the same question," Karai replied.

Of course, Karai knew why she was here. She and the Turtle Leonardo had been giving April O'Neil katana lessons as the red-headed shopkeeper began to learn more advanced ninjitsu skills. Now, with the Turtles having vanished…

She wouldn't admit it, but she did come to think of the Turtles as more than simply allies. Karai actually thought of the Turtles as…friends. Since the fall of the Demon Shredder, and after she and Chaplin had helped the Turtles, they were on much better terms. She had even told her Foot ninjas that they were not to attack the Turtles anymore. Instead, she announced, the Turtles were now…an ally. Some, of course, would not accept this truce, and a number of Foot ninja had left. These deserter Foot ninja still clashed with the Foot ninja remaining in her service. These 'renegade Foot ninja', led by the highest ranking ninja to leave, Khan, still donned her symbol…however, their outfits had been drastically changed, and they were using more advanced technology than she could keep up with at times. That contributed even more so to her alliance with the Turtles.

Although she and Raphael were still not able to quite see eye to eye, the two had come to a mutual understanding. Surprisingly, Leonardo and their sensei, Master Splinter, had welcomed her without any trouble at all. And, even more surprisingly, Karai found that Michelangelo and Donatello were actually very easy to get along with. Michelangelo was very easy to talk to, and seemed to know which subjects he should avoid (for the most part), while Donatello's intelligence meant she could actually engage in a scholarly conversation with someone other than Chaplin. Of course, her alliance also meant Chaplin and Donatello had actually formed a truce of their own, and would spend hours in their labs, experimenting with who knows what…

Karai, however, had found she most bonded with April O'Neil. The red-head was in training to become a ninja, and took her training very seriously. She had a don't-mess-with-me attitude, and was as smart as Donatello. And, on top of that, she was one of the only other girls Karai could talk with, excluding the younger, street-wise Angel.

However, now that the Turtles and their master had vanished inexplicably, it was left to April and Casey, along with Angel, Leatherhead, and a few other allies, to patrol the city for the occasional mob members, Purple Dragons, and renegade Foot ninja. With this lack in assistance, Karai had offered to help with patrols, and had fully taken on April's katana lessons.

"…All seems quiet," April said, snapping Karai out of her reverie. "Do you want to call it a night?"

Karai hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. We have not seen any sign of Khan in the past few nights. I am sure we can retire early this evening."

April smiled. "Great."

The two young women took off, leaping across the rooftops so fluently, it seemed almost surreal. April's shop and Karai's headquarters lay in the same direction, so the two women did not immediately split up.

Finally, however, the Second Time Around came into view, and Karai and April stopped a rooftop away.

"So, um…Karai," April said, hesitating at the fire escape down. "I…I wanted to ask you if maybe you'd like to…go out shopping or…out to see a movie sometime or…something…"

Karai arched an eyebrow. "Um…that is…most generous of you, April. Thank you. I will consider it..."

April smiled, then blinked. "Hey, wait…you just called me April."

Karai, too, blinked. "So? It is your name, yes?"

April nodded slowly. "Yes…but usually you call me Miss O'Neil."

Karai shrugged. "I…I suppose…I mean, I usually call friends by their first name…"

Blinking, April stared at Karai for a moment before smiling. "So…we're friends."

"Yes…" Karai murmured, as if just realizing what she had said. "Yes, I suppose so."

April grinned at this. "Great! …So, what do you say? Wanna see a movie together sometime? Soul Surfer looks pretty good…"

Karai smiled. "Yes. I…I would like that, my friend. I would like that very much."