Hey, I know I shouldn't start something else, but I had this idea and I had to write it down. If you're as big a fan of Episode 14 as I am, you have probably wonder this at some point too. What would have happened if Leo had agreed to steal the sword with Karai? I apologize if this is not up to my usual quality but I am sick today and I started this at 5:35 in the morning, so cut me some slack. Anyway, read on!
Man, it's already 12:02! If I don't move my shell, I'm going to miss her. The Byerly Building is taller than I thought, but I finally make it to the top where Karai is pacing.
"I was beginning to think you were a no-show." She says before she turns around. "But you don't disappoint."
"What's this all about?" I ask warily. I don't draw my swords, giving her the benifit of the doubt.
"That." She says as she tosses me a pair of binoculars and points to an office across the street. I lift the binoculars up to my face and focus in on the selected office. It's a sword, resting on a pedestal. Wait a minute. I know that sword!
"That's the sword of Miomoto Mushashei." I almost gasp in awe.
"The greatest swordsman in the history of Japan." Karai adds with a touch of respect in her voice as well. "It's ancient, it's priceless, and it's yours. If you help me."
"Do what?" I ask hesitantly, all though I think I already know.
"You know what! We're going to steal it!"
"No we're not." I say firmly. No way would I ever steal.
"Come on, that sword's just sitting there, collecting dust. You know you deserve that katana, certainly more than some lazy rich guy that doesn't even own it.
"Then who does on it?" I ask, curious in spite of myself.
"Theoretically the National Heritage Museum of Japan has it on display. But that one's a fake, swapped for the real one a long time ago. It used to be admired everyday. Now, it sits locked away by some rich guy who can't even begin to give it the respect it deserves." Okay, gotta admit, that sounds pretty wrong.
Almost as if she knows what I'm thinking, Karai presses on. "You know you would give it proper respect. You would appreciate its history. So why shouldn't you have it?"
She has a point, my mind whispers.
But it's wrong! I tell myself.
Is it really? Is stealing from a thief wrong? And it would impress Karai if you stole it with her.
Ugh, I am seriously sick. It is wrong. What difference does it make if I have it or the rich guy?
You would respect it. You would treat it properly. And, hey! You could always send it back to the museum she was talking about! Do some good!
Okay, okay. I'm sold.
"I'll do it." I say aloud.
She smiles at me and I feel my heart melt. "Excellent." She grabs my hand and pulls me to the fire escape on the left side of the building. She's holding my hand she's holding my hand she's holding my hand! I think giddily as she leads the way to the ground. She yanks me into the shadows of the building and lets go of my hand, to my disappointment.
She looks both ways, then darts across the street into the shadows of the alleyway beside our target. She gestures for me to join her and after checking that the coast is clear, I do.
We sneak deeper into the alley until we come across a loading dock, with a door. Locked of course, with a key card reader. Karai pulls out a card covered with lights and electrical dodads that I can't even hope to recognize and sticks it in the slot. The lights on the card start flashing and soon the light on the reader turns from red to green. There's a loud click and the door opens a smidge.
"Foot Clan technology. Gotta love it." She whispers. We creep into the building, dark and full of corners to hide in. Perfect for stealth. It's almost too easy sneaking past the cameras. Still in stealth mode, Karai calls up an elevator while I watch her back. It arrives with a ding that sounds like a bomb blast to me. As soon as the doors open Karai tosses a small red ball at the camera in the corner. It splatters on impact and covers the lens in paint.
"Nice." I whisper. I'll have to remember to ask Donnie if he can make some. They would come in handy. Of course, I can't tell him where I got the idea.
"Thanks." She hisses back as we board the elevator. She hits the 12 button and we zoom up in relative silence. I can't help examining the small room. I've never been in a human building, let alone an elevator. Though I try to hide it, Karai notices and smirks at my curiousity.
"This is an elevator." She says in a slow, patronizing voice. "It uses cables and pulleys to lift heavy things and people up higher."
"Oh, shut up." I say crossly, but I smile too.
Finally the elevator stops and the doors open with a ding. We both immediately dart to the shadows. We are in a narrow hallway with about 20 doors, 10 on each side. Karai waves at me, then points at the fifth door down on the right side of the hallway. We run down the hall, Karai throwing paintballs at any cameras we can't avoid. Karai uses that keycard she used to get in again, opening the door in less than a minute. There are four cameras in the room, all aimed at the only thing in the room. The sword of Miomoto Mushashei.
"Allow me." I say, and proceed to slice the cameras in half. Feeling Karai's eyes on me, I add in a couple of unnecessary flips and some exaggerated swings.
When I finish, she claps mockingly and walks to the center of the room. "Miomoto Mushashei's sword. The Sword of Tengu. Beautiful." She breathes. She waves her hands over it like it's a prize in a gameshow. "Your sword."
I start to reach for it, then stop. Am I really going to do this? Steal this sword? Even though I know it's wrong?
"Come on Leo! Take it! You've come this far. Go big or go home."
This is wrong.
No it's not. Remember? You're going to send it back to the museum. You'll be like Robin Hood. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
That seals the deal. My hand touchs the cool metal of the sheath and I lift the sword. For a moment, pure silence. Then a blaring alarm fills the air.
"What is that?!" I ask, panicked.
"Lifting the sword must have triggered some sort of alarm. Come on, we've got to get out of here." We fly into the hallway and see the elevator zooming up. The sound of pounding feet is coming from the stairwell. We're surrounded. There's no way out.
"We're trapped!" I yell.
"No we're not." Karai says determinedly. She grabs my wrist and pulls me back into the room. She takes her sword out and starts slamming it into the glass. It cracks, but stays intact. Getting the idea, I shove The Sword of Tengu into my belt, secure it, and draw my own two swords. I join Karai in pounding on the glass, and with an extra kick, the glass breaks. I resheath my swords, pull out my grappling hook and fire it at the Byerly Building. It catches on the roof ledge and holds.
Turning to Karai, I offer her my hand. She hesitantly accepts. I wrap my arm around her and pull her close as I jump out the window. For once, Karai loses her composure and clings to me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
For one, two, three seconds pass in free fall. Then the rope becomes taut, and we start falling sideways. I pull my legs in close, and when we're about to slam into the wall, I push off. We bounce a couple of times, then come to a stop against the building. I flick the switch on the grappling hook and we zoom up to the rooftop. Karai pulls herself onto the roof and I do the same. We are both panting hard from all the excitement. I think my heart had stopped at some point, it was that tense.
"That was awesome." Karai gasps out, a wicked grin on her face.
"Awesome? We almost got caught." I retort.
"That's what makes it fun." She smirks even wider. "Don't tell me you don't love the adrenaline rushing through you right now." Once again, she's hit the nail on the head. The thrill of the escape has left me with a pulsing, daredevil-like feeling. I wonder if this is how Raph feels in fights, and that's why he likes them so much. Or maybe he just likes to pound people.
"Okay, I admit it. That was kinda fun." I confess. She just stares at me. "What?" I ask.
"Aren't you going to look at the prize?" She asks excitedly. The Sword of Tengu. I had almost forgotten about it. It's still secured in my belt. I grasp the hilt and unsheathe it with a shing! It's absolutely amazing. Even after a thousand years, it gleams like it was made yesterday. The flawless metal arches slightly, creating a deadly weapon.
"Whoa." I whisper.
"Nice, isn't it?" Karai says softly in awe. "And it's yours Leo." For a moment, I'm tempted to keep it. It's an amazing piece of histroy and a fine weapon. But I know that would be wrong. I will not keep it. I resheath the sword though, and salute Karai.
"Thanks for a wonderful night on the town Karai."
"We should do this again sometime." She says.
I shake my head slowly. "I think one heist is enough for this turtles life. But yeah, we should totally hang out again sometime."
She shakes her head back at me. "You're such a goody-goody. All right, but you're missing out."
I roll my eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."
Karai starts to walk past me, then stops. Quick as a whip, she punches my arm.
"Ow! I thought we were cool."
"That's for when you return the sword to the museum instead of keeping it." How did she know I'm planning to do that? She steps a little closer and kisses me on the cheek. "That's for getting us out of there."
My face flushes red. I gape like an idiot and slowly reach my hand up to the spot her lips brushed against my cheek.
She smirks evilly, yet kindly at me, then fades into the shadows. "Sayonara."
Oh my gosh, she kissed me! She kissed my cheek! This is the best day of my life!
I had originally intended for this to be a oneshot with Raph finding out about Karai at the end, but when I started writing that part, it kept getting longer and going into a whole new direction, so I decided to cut it out and post it as a second chapter. If I get enough reviews, I might continue making it a story. So please review, tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time!