HELLO FELLOW TMNT LOVERS! This fanfiction is inspired by the song Gunpowder and Lead by Miranda Lambert, as seen from the title, and by the episode where Hun comes to ask Karai why she was still loyal to the Shredder even though he was an alien. I do not own TMNT. If I did, I would be a millionaire and all my OCs(, who I am probably never going to actually get around to writing about,) would be part of the series.
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THUD! The door to my boyfriend's cell slammed shut. I winced at the loud noise, my headache worsening. Something told me this wasn't going to be a pleasant visit. Then again, where any of them?
"I thought the guards were not allowed to leave us alone."
"I have friends here. Powerful friends." his hulking shadow loomed over me as he stood. "You sound nervous, Karai."
"It is nothing, Hun. I am fine. Your imagination must be playing tricks on you." I tried to keep my voice steady.
"Tricks, eh? Oh, someone is play tricks on me, but it isn't my imagination." Suddenly, his hand was clenched around my throat, constricting my airways and making it difficult to breath. Leaning forward, he whispered in my ear.
"What have you been up to, dear? This is the first time you have visited me in two weeks. Where have you been? Why hasn't my bail been payed yet?" All I could do was gasp for breath as his grip tightened. After a few seconds, he released his hold, and I fell to the hard cement floor.
"This is all that is left of the mighty Karai? Reduced to gasping for air on your knees like a weakling. You disgust me." I had been hearing comments such as those for some time now, though usually they only came out when my "boyfriend" was intoxicated. This was a first for his sober self. Taking a deep breath, I ignored the remark that reminded me so much of my late father, and stood.
"I have been assembling what is left of our Purple Dragons. The police had scattered them, but there are still a few left loyal to our cause."
"Most likely hoping to see that blue-masked freak you love so much." Hun scoffed.
"Those turtles killed my father and are the reason you are in here. If I do harbor any hope to see any of them, it is only out of a wish for vengeance!" Why must I defend myself?
"Hmm. You still haven't told me why I'm still in here."
"You said you have powerful friends here. You tell me." This comment earned me a hard slap across the face, pushing me off balance and onto the floor again, but it was worth it. I slowly got to my feet again, then said, "The bail cannot be paid. We do not have enough money. Not yet."
"How is that even possible? After all those raids and robberies, we should have a fortune!" he thundered.
"Do not look at me. It was your gambling and drinking that led us to such meager funds."
"Don't test me, Karai. You should have warned me sooner we were running low."
"I did. Many times! But you would not listen. The Dragons are hard at work, though. Soon, you will be free." Whipping around, Hun's eyes bored into mine, our faces almost touching. Roughly grabbing my shoulders, he shook me hard, each one punctuating each of his words.
"I had better. Or YOU'RE the one who will be paying the price." Anger filled me at this.
"How dare you! I am Karai, leader of the Foot Clan and daughter to Oroku Saki, one of the most respected men in the world! I will not be treated like this." I hissed back, pulling free. What I wouldn't give to have my katana with me! "For the past six weeks I have single handedly assembled the Purple Dragons and have been working the entire time to rebuild the funds you have lost us. All without ignoring the needs of the Foot Clan! And how have you thanked me for my efforts? Every time I have come to visit you, all you have done is undermine me or injure me. I will not tolerate this any longer!"
"WOMAN! You are mine, and you will serve me! And it is time you where put in your place!" Hun raged loudly, backing me into a corner and raising both of his gigantic, meaty fists. I steeled myself, ready for a fight. I became very conscious of the throbbing in my left cheek; I wouldn't have been surprised if it had already turned into a bruise.
"Umm, ma'am? Is everything alright?" a panicked voice sounded from across the cell. Leaning around my would-be attacker, I saw a new guard standing in the doorway, a shocked expression on his youthful face. The guard from earlier was being chewed out in the background by a gruff look older officer.
"Everything is fine. I was just leaving." My boyfriend glanced back at me, his eyes narrowing.
"Yes, ma'am. I'll escort you out." the young man walked forward, stopping in between Hun and I. I could tell he was uneasy about what little he had just seen, and was afraid for my safety. So was I. Once we were out of sight of the older guard, he paused and turned to eye me worriedly.
"Ma'am, do you mind telling me if that there bruise was there when you got here?"
"Yes, I do." This silenced the kind young man, and we continued down the hall devoid of conversation.
The knot in my gut didn't ease until I was safely outside of the jail. Back in my jet black sports car, I thought back. I thought back to when dating Hun had actually seemed like a good idea. A wonderful idea, even. We were both in pain: him having lost his master, and I, my father. While we both found something to do in his absence, something just wasn't right. Naturally, we simply gravitated toward each other, seeking comfort in familiar faces. We had been enemies before, fighting for favor in the eyes of the Shredder. But now, with that dividing force gone, I found him to be a bit of a lost puppy dog, so to speak. It was endearing, in an odd, unexpected way. In truth, I had been sort of lost myself, but years of ninja training and learning from my father had taught me how to cope, and to hide what I couldn't afford for my underlings to see. Whether it was love or just a need for companionship, I wasn't sure.
Good things never last, though. Soon afterward, those accursed turtles ruined a large bank job his dragons were pulling. Half of his recruits were jailed, and his anger got the best of him. That night, for the first time in the entire course of our short romantic relationship, he took it out on me. Hun blamed me for his failure, for not sending the Foot Ninjas to help, despite his arrogant refusal that his dragons needed none. I fought him that time, talked to him, trying to calm him down. It worked, to an extent. He cooled off eventually, but things only got worse from there. The defeat triggered something deep inside of him, and Hun began drinking heavily and gambling non-stop. Our fights became more and more numerous, though I never harmed him, hoping he would soon be getting better, hoping he would soon come to his senses. But I was wrong. The man who had once been my friend was now gambling away half our fortune, coming in every night in either a drunken rage or about to pass out. Doubts came with his new habits, and he accused me of numerous affairs with anyone from Doctor Chaplin to Dragon Face to every single one of the turtles and their rat master. Pushing past the hurt and anger, I was worried for him...worried he would loose his place among the gang...worried that one day he would loose control completely.
"I cannot live like this. Not anymore." I thought of my father. I could not continue like this and still claim to be his daughter. Something had to change.
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Sooooooooo... what do y'all think? This is a repost of a story by the same name I did earlier. I changed some things to make it more plausible, and raised the rating to T, for safety and the fact that one of my previous readers recommended it. I promise you, though, the next chapters are longer! So R&R!