The night was pitch black. No stars, no moon. Only clouds, that covered the sky entirely. The wind was performing it's marvelous dance, and few autumm colored leaves were joining to the dance. Light blowing sound reached to every street and alleyway New York City had to offer. Air was clear, and chilly. Not too cold, but just enough to make clear that colder season was about to come. Everything was ready for winter to set in. Soon white snowflakes would take over the entire city.

A lonely streetlight stood few meters away from it's friend, that was followed by another. But all the light it was shining, was a lie. Light itself is a lie. It's only here, so people would feel safer. Because all bad happens within shadows, right? Wrong. If light shines to a shadow, it disappears. Light is here to cover all the badness. All the terror and fear that looms over the city. Fear was here, and it would never leave. No matter what anyone did. Fear will be always around, no matter where you are. You can run and hide all you want, but it's still there, because fear is part of you - it's part of everyone.

Raven haired girl sighed, and continued walking on the empty streets. She was hopeless, yet, not willing to give up. Everything in her live was a lie. Every single person she knew, were using her. She was just a toy to everyone. Toy, that was now broken - and useless. And now she'd been thrown away. She didn't have any money, nor anything else in that matter. Just like said, everything was taken from her.

She didn't even know her name anymore. For years, she'd been called by the name known as Karai. But now she didn't know who she was anymore. Karai was fierce warrior of the Footclan, who never gave up on anything. She was never afraid, nor she didn't admit it. Her father was Oruku Saki, who was better known as the Shredder.

Miwa, was a sweet, innocent girl of her real father. Hamato Yoshi a.k.a Splinter. A mutant rat, who knew ninjutsu better than anyone. Miwa would love being around her four brothers, and laugh and joke with them. She had a pure heart, and she was...perfect. So damn perfect in any kind of way.

But the thing was, she wasn't neither of these girls. She wasn't fearless as Karai, or innocent and sweet as Miwa. She didn't have a name anymore. She didn't deserve father like Hamato Yoshi after all terrible things she had done. After all the people who she could have save from a terrible fate. In the claws of the Shredder. And this is why she's here now.

Few months ago, something happened. Her life made a turn to upwards, when she was united with her father. She was told everything, that the Shredder had kept hidden for 15 years. How her mother died, and who caused it. She was so furious, so blinded by revenge. She sneaked out later on the same night, and foolishy thought that she could take on the Shredder alone. The fight was a total loss; she got captured, and soon she was inside a cage that hung on a huge pool of shining green mutagen. She was terrified. She didn't want to mutate. But then her 'father' told the real plan. She was again used. Used for bait. To her own family. In that moment, all had died in her. She was nothing more than a something you use and then throw away. Her family appered soon after, but they weren't able to rescue her. She fell accidentally into the green liquid below her.

She thought she'd choke to it. That she would die surrounded by glowing green liquid, that kept her trapped in the pool filled by it. And then the pain hit. It was nothing she had ever felt. Her skin was ripped apart. Everything she once knew was taken - even herself. She managed to surface, and next thing she knew, was laying in somebody's arms. Fear filled her, and she did what any animal would do. Because that was what she now was. An animal. She struggled free, and fled. She remembered her family yelling after her.

Next few months were filled with pain and desperation. She remembered only the feelings, nothing more. One shot was clear in her mind. Her family. And Casey Jones and April O'Neil. They were trying to help. Trying. And they failed. And she left. Afraid that she'd hurt them. And in the next moment she was in a prison again. She was trapped in her own mind, and between the metal bars that didn't let her body move. And then, her mind was shut down completely. The worm, she remembered it. The fear when the mutant fly showed it to her right before it found it's way inside her brain. And she knew nothing could be worse? Maybe, that she saw everything she did. Every single movement she made was in her head, haunting her. Every single attempt to kill her whole family.

And then she was free. It all happened so suddenly, yet, it took so much time. She didn't know what to do anymore. There was no way she was going home, not after all the things she had done to her family.

So she just sit down to watch the empty sky. Emtpy, like her soul right now. It would be so easy to just jump off of that rooftop right behind him. To fall down, and let all her worries break with her body. And then she could be free. But she couldn't. She would be a loser. The one that leaved the game when it got too hard to handle. And if there's one thing that she had learned during these crappy years of her life. Live is a most beautiful gift of all. You cannot waste it, because you never get another change to try again.

During these thoughts, she had climbed to the rooftop, and sat to the edge. That's ironic. The situation was close to her mind. She was walking on the edge, too stubborn to let go of the only thing she had; life.

"Karai?"

The voice behind her took her by surprise, yet it did not. Footsteps echoed closer to her, and she had to force herself not to look. She knew excatly who was behind her, and she didn't need her kunoichi skills to figure that out. A hand touched her shoulder, and she still gave no reaction. At first, the hand was unceartain, then it relaxed. Someone sat next to her.

"Karai"

"That is not my name"

Words slipped past her lips, and her eyes gave no emotion at all. Her words were chilly like the wind. His ocean blue eyes studied her, and she could feel his eyes burning holes that dig straight into her soul. Her eyes slipped, and they met his. His eyes were calm, gentle and deep. So deep, she felt like drowning.

"Miwa?"

She shook her head. She's not that perfect daughter that Splinter once had. She's everything but perfect. She was everything but Miwa.

She heard a soft sigh next to her. Then a hand wrapped around her shoulders, and he pulled her body closer to his, and forced her to look at her.

"I might not know who you are, or what is your name. But I know, that you are the same girl I have known for almost two years. Maybe you have changed. Maybe it's not bad thing, maybe it is. It's up to you decide. Remember; You are who you choose to be, not what others make you"

His words are like a dawn for her eternal night. She relaxed slightly, and leaned his head to her shoulder. That was the life lesson her real father thought her. She couldn't help but smile a bit. At least someone cared.

"You are Karai if you decide that way, or you can be Miwa. You can be whoever you want, there's no limit. But whatever you become, you are always part of the Hamato clan, and our family"

She gave him a small nod.

"What if i want to change. I want to change, but I want to be me"

"Then you will do it"

So simple. And that was it in a nutshell. If she wanted to change, she could only do it by herself. Everyone she knew could help, but no-one could do the job for her. No-one could take any breath for her, but they could help other ways. Support her. Be there for her. And -she just knew- it would all end well.

"I have missed you Leo", she whispered softly.

"I have missed you too. And I'm not the only one. Everyone have. Father, all your brothers, April, and even Casey"

"Even?"

She chuckled, and thought about the time she met the hockey player for the first time. It ended t a kiss, but to a kiss which existed because she needed to kill him. It was a long story, which made her now smile. And the boy didn't even complain.

"Yeah, even. We're still teasing him about it"

He knew excatly what she was talking about, and it made her laugh.

"Remember when we met the first time?"

"Yeah, you were surely a trouble"

His teasing grin was so adorable, that she couldn't think of any sarcastic response. He probably noticed it as well, because the grin on his face grew. She rolled her eyes, trying to hide a growing smile.

"And you were adorable, and you haven't changed"

His grin left, and his cheeks turned red. Yep, he hasn't changed one bit. Blushing had become something very daily to the leader in blue.

"Still? S-so you say I'm adorable..?" His stutter was shy and hopeful, and it made her grin even more. He surely was.

"Stupid, but adorable", and with that, she landed a kiss to his cheek. Leo was so stunned, that he fell backwards to the rooftop, and his eyes turned to white. She tried so hard not to giggle at the sight.

"I've heard that all of your brothers have already..achieved something with different girls. And all yu have gotten is a smoke bomb to a face from me. That didn't seem quite fair, am I correct?"

He however couldn't answer, since he still travelled in his own realms. When he about a minute later woke up from his daydreams, she could only grin.

"Was it that awful?"

"No! I-i mean that i-it was nice and all, but...", he thought awhile. "..we should go home now! Yes! I mean.. father wants to see you.."

His stuttering made her laugh, which made him blush again.

"Okay, okay. Let's go then. I don't want to tease you anymore. But whatever you say, I know you liked it"

She stood up, and was soon followed by the leader himself. He didn't answer to her, but she didn't even need to look to him to know that his cheeks were red again.

The walk to the lair was silent. Not because it was awkward or something, but because they both enjoyed silence. That was one of the few things that they shared. They were really different, yet they fitted together so well. Like puzzle pieces. Footsteps echoed beautifully in the sewers as they walked, and the flowing made the atmosphere even more enjoyable. There was just two of them, and this little walk would open a whole new chapter in this huge adventure. Called the life.