Love Game

Chapter 1: Father's Footsteps

A/N: Wow. These plot bunnies just keep on coming. Just when I think I've had enough bunnies, another one crops up. I haven't done a Leo/Karai story yet, and this bunny has been in my head for a long time. The bunny went away for a while, but now it's bitten me again, and I have to take care of it before I go nuts. I really hope you enjoy this story and give it a chance.

Disclaimer: TMNT is property of Nickelodeon Studios. I own none of the characters associated with this fic. I only own the plot of the story.

Summary: They were supposed to be enemies, but ever since their first encounter, Hamato Leonardo and Oroku Karai have felt something more. Now they question all they have been taught and all they know about each other to see if their feelings are real or just a fantasy.

Seven-year-old Oroku Karai went through the kata once again. Sometimes it was hard for her to get a kata right, and her father always told her that she had to continue to do the kata until she got it right. Doing things correctly was something her father valued. Karai loved him dearly and wanted to always impress him and make him proud. Every time he praised her, she felt her heart swell with pride. Ever since she could remember, no one had ever praised her for anything. Her parents had abandoned her at a young age, and on the streets people just passed her by. They yelled at her when she stole food and chased her away when she tried to seek shelter. She had never known love until Oroku Saki discovered her and took her in.

Now she had everything she ever wanted, and she loved it. Her father gave her proper food and shelter as well as all the toys a girl could ever want. He read her stories at bedtime and tried to spend time with her even though he was often busy. She never really knew what he did, though he told her he ran businesses and helped people out. She also noticed the men who were dressed in black and who did katas just as she did. When she asked her father about them, he told her that they were training to be ninja just like she was. Karai didn't know what a ninja was, but she knew it had to be something extra special.

"Very good Karai," her father's voice said from the entrance of the dojo. She was surprised to see him there. Had he been there the whole time?

"Thank you, Father," she replied. She bowed to him in respect just as he had taught her.

"Now do you see why it is important to do the kata correctly?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, I do, Father," she answered. "It is important to do things correctly so that you do not fail."

"Correct," her father praised her. "I am very proud of you, Karai. You will make a great warrior someday."

"Why am I being trained to be a warrior, Father?" The question had been bothering her for days, and she decided that now was the best time to ask it.

Saki smiled gently at her. "You are being trained to be a warrior in order to defend yourself, Karai," he responded. "Out there in the world there are people who often think they are bigger and better than others. These people seek to attack those who are weaker than they are. You must learn to defend yourself against them so that you can fight them and prove your worth."

"But why would they attack me?" Karai asked him. Her green eyes were filled with confusion.

"Because they will attack anyone who stands in their way," her father told her. "Do you remember the people who attacked you after you were abandoned? Do you remember how they treated you even though you needed help and care?"

Karai nodded. She wasn't likely going to forget those days in a hurry. Her scowl deepened as she recalled how horrible things had been for her then. "Yes, I remember," she said. "They were horrible."

"Yes, and there are people like that everywhere," explained her father. "You must learn to defend yourself from them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father, I do," she replied. "I will do my best to defend myself against these people."

"Good," Saki responded, giving her a pat on the head. "You are dismissed. I will call you when dinner is ready."

Karai bowed to him and then hurried out of the dojo to her room. As she played with her dolls, she couldn't help but wonder about what her father had said to her. She knew that people could often be cruel, but they weren't all like that, were they? Her father was the kindest man around. He'd been kind enough to take her in when she was all alone and had given her a good home. Yet, he was wise as well and knew the ways of the world just as she did. He knew that there were cruel people out there who could hurt her and attack her family. She vowed to learn ninjitsu and protect herself and her father from anyone who dared to be cruel to either of them. She would not let anything happen to him.

22222

Oroku Saki sat at his desk, filling out business papers. But as he tried to concentrate on the document before him, his mind drifted to his daughter. She didn't know the real reason he was training her to be a warrior because she was too young to understand. She didn't know about his enemies, the Utroms, and how he sought revenge for how they captured him. His real motive for training his daughter was that so he could find the Utroms and hunt them down. Karai would lead the Foot in his absence and would do well based on how she performed now. Yes, she did make mistakes, but she was quick to remedy them. She was far better than any of his other recruits who constantly fumbled when it came to missions.

There was a knock on his door, and he gave the person permission to enter. Two of his soldiers came in fear written on their faces.

"Master, you told us to come to you when we had news," one of them said.

"Yes, I did," Saki replied. "What have you found out?"

"There are no signs of the Utroms in Japan," the first man responded. "We have searched everywhere and cannot find them."

Saki was enraged, though he did not show it before the men. "Very well," he said. "Then that means that they are elsewhere and have not stayed in Japan. We must find their location at any cost. You have been most helpful. Thank you." He motioned to two of his Elite guards, who were standing in their respective corners. Both of them grabbed the two men and led them out of Saki's office to another room. The last thing Saki heard were their screams as the Elite guards finished them off.

Saki sighed. Failure could not be tolerated when it came to the Utroms, and he would make sure that anyone who failed him would pay. It made him think of his daughter and what would happen if she ever failed him. Would he be able to dispose of her the way he had those two men? Saki shook his head, ridding himself of that thought. His daughter would never fail him. She was too skilled and knew all too well that failure wouldn't be tolerated. He didn't need to fear that from her. She would make a fine warrior and would do what was expected of her. There was no doubt about that. Saki dropped his eyes back to the document and continued to read. Business had to go on no matter what. There was no time to dwell on the past.

22222

Seven-year-old Hamato Leonardo worked through the kata, trying to get it right. Practice hadn't gone well today, and Leo knew that he'd messed up a move Splinter had taught them two days ago. Why couldn't he get it right? He continued to do the move until he felt it was perfect. He had to show Father and tell him how he got it right.

"Leo, why are you still doin' that move?" his brother Raphael asked him. "Practice is over."

"I got the move wrong, Raph," replied Leo. "I have to do it right. Maybe if you did this, you could be just as good as me."

Raph's eyes narrowed in anger. "I am as good as you," he retorted. "Maybe even better than you. You're just suckin' up to Splinter by stayin' here and tryin' to perfect that move, Leo."

"I am not!" Leo protested. Raph just didn't understand. Leo was the oldest, and he had to do well to please Splinter. Splinter was training all of them to be ninja to defend themselves against the outside world. If he didn't know how to do the moves correctly, he could never protect himself and his brothers from harm.

"You are too!" Raph countered.

"My sons, what is the meaning of this?" Splinter demanded.

"Leo's still doin' the kata even though practice is over," Raph replied. He hoped that maybe Splinter would yell at Leo for continuing to practice and maybe Leo would get in trouble. That would make Raph feel better, and it would teach Leo not to suck up to Splinter so much.

Splinter looked at his oldest son. "Why are you still here, Leonardo?" he asked.

"Because I got the move wrong, and I wanted to get it right," Leo replied. "I finally mastered it, Sensei." He showed his father how he'd mastered the move and looked up in expectation of his father's praise.

"Very good, Leonardo," Splinter said. "I am glad you mastered that move. However, you do not have to stay and practice it after practice has ended. You must remember that your body needs rest and that is cannot get that rest if you strain the muscles. If you do not master a move right away, give yourself time to rest and then try again. Do you understand?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, Father," he said.

"Good," Splinter responded. "You may go join your brothers now."

Leo nodded again and bowed to his father. He waited until his father returned the bow before heading off to join Mikey and Donnie, who were building blocks. Raph was disappointed that Leo didn't get yelled at, but he knew that Splinter must have had a reason for not yelling at Leo like that. Still, it wasn't fair. Leo was no better than any of them, yet he was still treated like the favorite. The red-clad Turtle decided to banish these thoughts for now and joined his brothers in their play.

22222

Splinter retired to his chambers after talking to Leonardo. He felt bad about the fact that Leonardo felt pressured to do well, and Splinter was worried about the years to come. He had already decided to make Leonardo the leader of the clan when they became older because he could see that his oldest son had great leadership skills. But even his sons didn't know why he was really training them in ninjitsu. His greatest hope was that they would be able to avenge Master Yoshi's death and get rid of the one who murdered him. Was it right for him to do this to his sons? What would they think when they found out the truth?

Splinter shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. They wouldn't know the truth for a long time yet. They were still young enough not to be burdened with the weight of Splinter's past. But Splinter feared the day that they would be burdened with that weight. He was especially worried for Leonardo. As the leader, he would be responsible for leading his brothers and protecting them from harm. Would he be ready to do so? Would he be able to take on such a burden? The rat remembered how Leonardo looked in the dojo and how he strived to get that kata right. Yes, he decided, his son would be ready for anything. He already had the makings of a great warrior and leader. Nothing would be too difficult for him to accomplish.

But Splinter would soon be proven wrong and would wonder in later years if he'd done the right thing for his son by shouldering that much responsibility on him. He would struggle with this conflict for a long time and watch as his son continued to bear burdens that were essentially not his to bear. And in the end, Splinter would carry a great weight of guilt for putting his son through all of it. No one should have to suffer like that, and Splinter knew that Leonardo would suffer greatly. And because of that, Splinter would also suffer the immense guilt and wonder if he had been a good parent for his sons.

A/N: And so the first chapter is finished. What did you think? Please feel free to leave a review after you have finished reading. And if you're wondering about their ages, I often thought Karai was at least in her twenties when Leo was fifteen, so I'm going to estimate that she's at least twenty years old. That makes Leo two when Karai had the talk with her father and makes Karai to be twelve when Leo talked to Splinter. Have a shelltastic day.