Rebirth
A/N: I'm here with another Truth and Lies one shot. I know that I was supposed to have Mikey's up, but I also thought of this one featuring Karai after Raph rescues her and her thoughts on everything that has happened. It was something that just popped into my head, so I had to get it out before I lost it. I hope that you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of this story and nothing more.
Summary: Karai reflects on the events that have brought her to her true family and how she can gain forgiveness after all the grief she has caused them. Truth and Lies one shot.
She started around at the room. It seems to have been some sort of guest room, though now it was hers. Splinter had told her she could fix it up any way she wanted, and though she was startled at his kind words, she chose to ignore them. She didn't deserve this room or anything else from them. They shouldn't have rescued her and should have left her to die. That's what she truly deserved. She had no honor and nothing else left to give.
It had all started after Bradford and Xever accused her of working for someone else. They had somehow found out about her attack on Leonardo and had told Shredder. Shredder had been furious and had ordered that she be exiled from the clan. But then his true motives had come to light as Bradford and Xever were ready to kill her and would have succeeded had Raphael not come to her aid. She was surprised by that as Raph had always been the one who had hated her the most ever since she first met the Turtles. He had carried her away and taken her back to their Lair. She expected shock on the faces of the others, but what she didn't expect was hatred from Leonardo. She still remembered the coldness in his blue eyes as he stared at her, his katana at her throat, ready to finish her off. She heard the growl in his voice as he told her she wasn't welcome there, but then Splinter had intervened and declared that she was to remain with them.
She couldn't blame Leo for any of it, really. She had attacked him on the orders of someone else and all because of a stupid threat made to her. She didn't even know the person and yet she knew that if she didn't carry out the orders, she would have been framed for April O'Neil's murder. And if that happened, then her life would truly be over.
Her thoughts turned to that day and what had occurred. She wished that she could take it back, but she couldn't. The deed had been done, and now all she could do was try her best to make amends.
22222
It had started like any other night. Karai had been on patrol with her Foot Soldiers, but she hadn't been seeking the Turtles out. It had just been a regular patrol and nothing more. She loved being out at night and loved how the night air kissed her skin. Suddenly, her phone went off, and she figured it was probably her father or one of his henchmen calling her to give her more orders.
"Hello?" she said.
"You need to do something for me," the voice on the other end said. It was a female voice, and something about it sounded familiar, though she couldn't place it.
"Who is this?" she demanded. "How did you get my number?"
"That's not your concern," the other person said. "You need to order your soldiers to attack Leonardo. He's on the rooftop waiting for his brothers. You need to eliminate him."
"And why would I do that?" she asked. How dare this person assume she'd follow their orders! They weren't the boss of her!
"Because if you don't, I'll make sure the police know that you were responsible for the death of April O'Neil."
"But I didn't kill her!"Karai protested.
"You and I know that, but no one else does," the person taunted. "Just do it."
"Why do you want him eliminated?" Karai asked.
"Because he knows too much."
Karai was about to ask the person what she meant, but she had hung up. Karai knew she had no choice. If she was framed for April's murder, it would bring a lot of bad publicity for her father and it would also involve a court battle that would probably drag on for months. The only thing she could do was attack Leonardo. It was the only way to keep her name clear.
And so she had. She'd attacked him, watching as her soldiers attacked him and then fighting him herself. With each blow she rained upon him, a knot of guilt attacked her, feeling like a nail being struck into a coffin. She didn't want to this, but she had no choice. She wasn't sure if Leo saw the regret in her eyes as she carried out the attack, but she hoped he would see that she didn't want to do this. After it was done, she left not knowing what had happened after that. She didn't want to know, but she held out hope that his brothers would find him and that he'd receive medical attention. She called the person back and told them it was done.
As she made her way back to the tower, she still felt horrible for what she'd done. Leo didn't deserve that type of treatment from anyone. She'd always admired him and thought of him as worthy competition, though she never wanted to kill him. Now, she probably had, and if that was the case, she wished that she would die right there. She wished that one of his brothers would come and end her life. It was what she deserved. She was truly her father's daughter, a horrible person with no feeling.
22222
She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in!" she called.
The door opened and Mikey stepped in carrying a tray of food. "Here you go, sis," he said. "It's spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread. I figured you'd like it. I thought about havin' you come out, but Leo didn't want that, so I decided to serve you myself. You want me to stay with you while you eat?"
Karai smiled at the Turtle's generosity. She didn't deserve even that after what she'd done, but Mikey seemed like the forgiving type. "Sure, if you want," she said.
Mikey set the tray down and then sat down next to her. She noticed he had no food of his own.
"Where's yours?" she asked him.
"Oh, I already ate," Mikey replied. "I'm a fast eater. Raph calls me a garbage disposal with how fast I eat."
"Did you make this yourself?"
"Yep," he said proudly. "I'm probably the best cook. Of course, that wasn't always the case 'cause we mostly ate algae and worms for a long time. But then we met Murakami, and he taught me how to cook stuff. He's the best. Have you ever had his stuff?"
"Yeah, I have," she said.
"Did you try the pizza gyoza? That stuff is awesome."
"I did, but that's not what my meal was. April gave me some of the pizza gyoza."
"Oh. So what did you have?"
"You don't want to know," she said evasively.
"Sure I do. You can tell me anything. I won't get mad or upset."
She sighed. "Okay, I had turtle soup."
"Dude, Murakami makes that? What's he thinkin'? We gotta tell him not to sell that. He's killing my ancestors!" For some reason, his tone is joking as though he doesn't care that she ate some of his ancestors.
Karai laughed. "Yeah, I guess we will have to tell him not to sell it. But in his defense, it is a common delicacy in Japan, so that's probably why he makes it."
"They eat that in Japan? That's weird."
"No more weird than you being a mutant turtle," she joked.
Mikey laughed at that. "Yeah, I guess not. So how are you holdin' up with all of this?"
"As good as I can be," she answered. "It's all just so new, you know? I can't seem to grasp where I am or why I'm here. I certainly don't deserve to even be here."
"Don't' say that, sis," Mikey begged. "You totally belong here. You're Splinter's daughter, and you have every right to be a part of this family as anybody."
"Even after all I've done to you guys? I mean, I attacked your brother and almost killed him! You have no right to forgive me for that."
"But you're sorry for it, and that makes all the difference. You even told Leo you were sorry, and to me, that means you feel guilty for what you did. I believe that as long as you're sorry, you deserve to be forgiven. It's the people who don't show remorse for what they do who shouldn't be forgiven until they show remorse."
"You have a point there," she conceded. "When will Leo forgive me?"
"When he's ready to," Mikey answered. "He's been through a lot lately, and it's gonna take him some time to process things."
"I just can't believe I did that. I didn't even know that person. It was a woman, and her voice sounded familiar to me."
"Who did it sound like?" Mikey asked, his blue eyes filled with curiosity.
"It sounded like April," she replied.
Mikey gasped. "It was Robyn! She was the one who ordered you to attack Leo. It totally makes sense 'cause when we got to him she sent this text that said he knew too much."
"That's what she told me when I asked her why I had to attack him!" Karai exclaimed. "So this was all a part of her game."
Mikey nodded. "Yep, and you fell for it. Don't feel bad though. She played us, too, and almost killed us for it."
"So that's what you mean when you say Leo's gone through a lot," she said softly.
"Yeah, Robyn almost killed him, and he can't get over it. Then you show up, and that's another sore point with him seein' as how you attacked him and left him for dead. His mind's just a little messed up, but he'll come through. Now, what do you think of my awesome cooking skills?"
"You're definitely really good, Mikey. If you were human, you could have your own cooking show."
He blushed. "Aww, thanks, sis. That means a lot to me comin' from you." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug.
She smiled and returned his embrace, making sure not to knock over the tray. She hadn't been hugged like this since she was a child and had missed it. She stroked Mikey's shell and marveled at how bumpy it felt. She'd never noticed that before, but then again, she'd always been in battle with them and had never embraced them. When it was over, Mikey kissed her on the cheek.
"Don't worry, sis, things are gonna be okay," he reassured her. Then he took the plate of empty food and left the room, leaving Karai to her thoughts.
She wanted to believe that Mikey was right, but some part of her still felt that it would take a long time for things to be all right again. Feeling full from the meal, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, wondering what the next day would bring her.
22222
Karai was reluctant to get up the next morning, but she knew she couldn't stay in this room forever. She could smell bacon and eggs and knew that Mikey had made them. She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. All of the family was there, and Mikey greeted her with a smile while Don, Raph, and Splinter gave her warm greetings as well. Only Leo glared at her, his eyes still cold.
"Leonardo, say something to your sister," Splinter ordered.
Leo mumbled a greeting, though it definitely wasn't friendly. Splinter's ears flattened at his sons' tone, but Leo ignored him and stared at his plate. Thankfully, MIkey set a place for her away from Leo so she could eat in peace. The food was just as good as yesterday's, and Karai reveled in the variety of flavors that stole over her taste buds. For mutant turtles living in a sewer, they sure did eat well.
"Do you like your room, Miwa?" Splinter asked her.
"Yes, it's fine," she replied, still feeling strange at being called Miwa. It was name that was alien to her even though it was hers and had been hers for years. "Thank you for letting me use it, Master Splinter." She still couldn't call him Father yet, and that made her feel guilty.
Splinter didn't seem to mind and smiled at her. "You are truly welcome. You may join us for practice if you like."
"I'd like that very much," she replied. Once again, she felt that twinge of not deserving his kindness. Why wasn't he yelling at her for hurting his son?
After breakfast was over they retreated to the dojo to begin their morning practice. Karai watched as the Turtles warmed up, and Splinter allowed her to join them, but she declined. She didn't think Leo would like it too much. She sat on the sidelines and watched as they began a series of katas. Some of them she was familiar with while others were foreign to her. Then Splinter put them into pairs for one on one sparring. Karai marveled at their skills and how they moved. They seemed to know each other's moves very well and were tuned into one another. She couldn't help but be amazed at Leo's match with Donnie. He definitely was skilled just as he'd been when they were in battle. Part of her longed to spar with him just as she used to , but she feared that he would be rough with her or that he'd refuse to spar with her because of his grudge against her. Why did he have to hate her so much? She had said she was sorry. What more did he want from her?
After practice was over, Raph motioned for Karai to come with him. She was curious as to what the red-clad Turtle wanted with her and followed him to his room. It was definitely typical to what she imagined Raphael's room would be like, but it still felt warm and cozy.
"So, what did you want me here for?" she asked him.
"I thought that maybe you could get me some food for Spike," Raph replied. "I'm runnin' out, and he needs it."
"Sure," she answered. "Who's Spike?"
Raph pointed to the small turtle siting under a heat lamp. Karai was surprised to see something like that, and it definitely made her smile.
"I never pictured you as the type to have a pet," she joked.
Raph laughed. "Yeah, I'm a bit of a hard ass, but Spike really helps me with things," he answered. "He's like my best friend in a way."
"How did you rescue him?"
"He was flushed down in the sewers, and I saw him while out with Sensei. I begged Splinter to let me keep him, and he said I could as long as I took care of him. My brothers teased me for it at first, but then they really began to see that Spike was a good thing for me. Whenever I'm upset or angry, I can talk to Spike about my problems. He never argues with me the way the others do, so it really is great having him here."
"I always wanted a pet of my own, but Shredder never let me have one. He said that my job wasn't to be a caretaker for some dumb animal and that it wasn't the path a kunoichi took."
"Well, now that you're here, maybe Sensei will let you have your own pet. You want anything in particular?"
"I've always been fond of cats," Karai answered. "There's always been something about them that I really like. They're kind of shrewd in their own way and yet they make good companions for humans. When I was a little girl, I would often go into the pet stores and hold the cats. I always loved the way they'd purr as I would pet them. Of course, I always had to put them back, and it just hurt me to know that I'd never have companionship like that. Do you really think Splinter would let me get a cat?"
Raph smiled. "The only way to find out is to ask him," he answered.
"Okay, I will," she said. "Do you think Leo will ever forgive me?"
"I'm sure he will. He just needs time to really adjust to everything. You know he's been through a lot lately."
"I know, but he doesn't need to act this way to me. I told him I was sorry, and he still doesn't get it. I guess I'll just have to deal with it." She looked at Spike who was chewing on his leaf. "He seems so content right now. I hope I'll be like that one day."
"You will," Raph reassured her. "You're already fitting in pretty well here."
Karai smiled and then decided to go talk to Donnie. She figured if anyone could get Leo to come out of his shell, so to speak, it would be Donatello. She found him in the lab working on some sort of invention.
"Oh, hey, Karai," Don greeted her. "Or should I call you Miwa? I really don't know which is better for you."
"Karai's fine for now," she answered. "It's going to take me a while to get used to Miwa myself."
Don stopped what he was doing and leveled her with a stare. "So what brings you here to my humble abode?"
"It's about Leo," she answered. "He just won't give up on his grudge he has for me. I was hoping you would be able to talk some sense into him."
Don sighed. "I tried, but he won't budge," he answered. "Sensei told me that Leo has to do this on his own time. We can't force him to see reason no matter how much we want to. He has to do this on his own. I'm sorry, Karai. If I could do anything, I would. You know that."
"I do," she answered. "You really seem to be a sweet person for a turtle. April was lucky to have someone like you for a friend."
"Thanks," he said. "I was definitely lucky to have her, too."
"I'm surprised you guys didn't suspect me of killing her from the first," she said. "I was waiting for you guys to confront me about it."
"Well, we had our own methods of gleaning information that didn't involve direct confrontation," Don replied. "Needless to say, if you had been involved, we would have known about it and would have confronted you immediately. But you weren't involved, so we had no reason to do so. It was just horrible not knowing who got rid of her or if she was just imprisoned. We tried all these different avenues and couldn't find anything."
"I'm so sorry for her loss," Karai whispered. "Despite the fact that she was supposed to be my enemy, I really did have a healthy respect for her and often wished we could be friends."
"I'm sure that in time, she would have been friends with you, Karai," he said softly. "I think she really admired you."
His words made her feel better and made her feel whole again. Now she wasn't an enemy to go up against but an ally and more importantly, for three of them at least, she was a family member now. She also knew that Leo needed time to reflect on things, and though she was impatient for him to suck up his pride and forgive her, she knew there was no way she could force him to do so. Deciding to leave Donnie to his work, Karai sought out Splinter in his room as he was preparing to have tea.
"Ah, it is good to see you, my daughter," he said. "Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, please," she replied and took the cup he offered her. "I never had this type of tea before. Do your sons have it with you?"
"Leonardo does, but none of the others really like it," Splinter answered. "I see you are adjusting to your new home."
She nodded. "Yeah, I never thought I would, but I really like it here. It feels so much more inviting than my other home."
Splinter took stock of her words. "You did not like living with Shredder?"
"Well, at first I did when I was younger. He used to care about me and spend time with me. Then after he started training me, he wanted me to be tough and do things on my own without him, so he left me a lot. I felt alone most of the time and really wished I could have a sibling of my own. Now I have four of them, and I'm really starting to like that idea."
"Yes, three of my sons have really taken to you, Miwa," noted Splinter. "I only hope that in time Leonardo will see that you are like family, too."
"Yeah, but he needs time to do that as you said yourself," she said. "I'm just glad I came here, and I really look forward to doing more with all of you."
"Yes, your mother would be proud of you."
"So what really happened between her, you, and my father?" Karai asked him. "He talked about her and said that you stole her from him, but I know now that's not true."
"No, it is not. Saki and I were raised as brothers after his father was killed and formed a deep bond. We met Teng Shen and became friends with her as well, though I could tell Saki really liked her as did I. She liked both of us, but in the end, she chose me. Saki could not deal with that, and swore revenge upon me for her decision. He began to taunt us and say mean things, and I lost my temper. From there, our rivalry grew until it festered and consumed both of us. Then Saki invaded our home, hoping to take Shen for his own. I fought him, and when he went to make a killing blow, your mother stepped in and took the blow instead. Saki was consumed by rage and burned our home, taking you in the process as a way to hurt me."
"And now he's lost again," Karai mused.
"He will not see it that way and will now hunt you as well. That is why you must be careful and cannot go to the surface for some time. I do not want you to run into the Foot. Is that understood?"
Karai nodded. "Yes, Father," she said, bowing to him. Then she yawned. "Well, it looks like I should turn in early."
"Yes, you really should," Splinter advised. "Good night, Miwa."
"Good night, Father," Karai said. She embraced him and then headed to her room, making sure to bid good night to the other Turtles as well. She settled into bed, happy for the first time in a long time now that she had a family who loved her. She was truly free, and that was all that mattered. Shredder had been a heartless monster, and she was glad to have escaped him when she did. She now knew that she had been nothing more than a pawn to him, a tool for revenge against his best friend for something that he could never have in the first place. It was stupid how much his hatred had blinded him to treat her the way he did, but she was past that now and was happy that she was with the man who truly loved her as a daughter. With a happy sigh, she settled down to sleep.
22222
Karai awoke some time later to cries coming from one of the other bedrooms. She recognized them as Leo's cries and hurried to his room. She hesitated in his doorway as she watched him in the throes of a nightmare, unsure as to whether she should go and wake him up. Then she thought about her own childhood and what happened when nightmares plagued her. In the beginning, Shredder would often comfort her and soothe her that there was nothing to be afraid of, but after he began training her, he came less and less, stating that a true kunoichi should never be afraid of anything for fear shows weakness. She decided that she wasn't going to do that to Leo and hurried into the room to abolish the horrific nightmare.
"Leo, wake up," she said. "You're having a nightmare. Please, it's okay. You're safe now."
Leo bolted upright, his eyes wide with fear and his breath coming in gasps. He saw who was there, and Karai braced herself for the tirade that was sure to be thrown her way for barging into his room when she had no business to be there.
But it didn't come as he threw his arms around her and began sobbing. She rubbed his shell in soothing circles and whispered soothing words hoping to calm him down. They stayed like that for a short time before they broke apart. Karai looked into Leo's blue eyes and saw pain that she never expected to see in the normally brave Turtle.
"I know you don't want me here, but I had to do something," she explained. "I didn't want to leave you in that nightmare. I'll leave you alone now if you want." She turned to go, but Leo called her back.
"Wait!" he cried. "You don't have to go."
She turned back, surprised by what he said. "You aren't mad at me?" she asked incredulously.
He shook his head. "No. I'm glad you came to me. I've been acting like an idiot, and I'm really sorry. I know it wasn't your fault that you attacked me that day. You had no choice, and I can understand that. I just hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive a stupid Turtle for his dumb mistake." He hung his head, ashamed at how he'd been acting towards her.
"So does that mean you forgive me?"
"Yes, I forgive you, Karai."
"Then I forgive you, too," she replied. "I can understand why you felt the way you did and can't blame you for it. I was awful to you, and I shouldn't have done that. Please know that I felt guilty about it for a long time."
"I know you did, Karai," Leo told her. "I always knew you had good in you, and I was right about that. I'm glad that you've come to our family at last. So welcome home, Karai."
"Miwa," she corrected. "My name is Miwa, not Karai. It's time I started accepting my true name instead of the false one Shredder created for me."
"As you wish, Miwa," he said, bowing to her.
She bowed back and smiled at him. "Do you want to talk about your dream?"
"I relived the night of the fire," he answered. "It's happened a lot since then and won't go away. Master Splinter's tried a few techniques to stop it, but they haven't worked."
"Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" Miwa asked him.
"Yeah, that would be nice," he answered. "Thanks."
"No problem," she said. He moved over, and she settled into the bed with him. "I always wanted to do something like this with my siblings if I had any. Did you ever do this with your brothers?"
"When we were little and shared a room together," Leo answered. "We stopped for a little while after we got older, but then the habit started up again after what happened to us. I think we all bonded together more afterwards."
"That's understandable," Miwa said. "I'm just glad I can lend you some comfort right now."
"Same here," he replied. He yawned and she did, too. "I guess we'd better get to sleep so we don't slack off on training."
She laughed. "Yeah, I bet Sensei wouldn't excuse us from it for lack of sleep." She put her arm around him and settled close to his body. She watched his eyes close as he drifted off to sleep and felt a feeling of bliss wash over her. As she closed her own eyes, she reflected on her journey to her new family and how it had come full circle. She was born again, and it felt good to have a real name and a real family. Her old life was gone, and in its place was a new one filled with hope and new beginnings. This was her rebirth, and she would never go back to who she once was. Gone was Oroku Karai, daughter of the Shredder and enemy to the Hamato clan. She was Hamato Miwa, daughter of Splinter and sister of Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, her true family who would stand by her no matter what came after this.
The End
A/N: Wow. Seventeen pages! That was a long one, but I'm glad I finally finished it. I did take some inspiration on the back story from this past week's episode but decide to tweak it a little to fit in with this universe. I hope you enjoyed this story and how Leo finally forgave Miwa for her transgression. If you haven't read the other stories in my Truth and Lies series, I suggest you do so to get more of a feel for it. They are: Truth and Lies, Liar Liar Pants on Fire, Holding Out for a Hero, Hole, The Ties That Bind, and Missing Links. Coming soon will be Surrounded by Darkness (Mikey's one shot), One Last Breath (April's one shot) and Web of Lies (Robyn's story). In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.