So Guest wanted an alternate take on the "Expendable" story, where Karai dies instead of Mikey.
NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.
"I choose Michelangelo," Splinter said barely below a whisper and lowered his head.
Shredder chuckled cruelly. "Very well. The decision has been made." He walked to where Mikey knelt and stood over him, his blades extending even further.
"MIKEY, NO! NO! NO!" Leo tried so hard to break free from Tiger Claw's hold on him.
"DON'T TOUCH HIM, YOU MONSTER!" Raph bellowed at Shredder.
Donnie could only sob, "No, please. Mikey..."
"Guys, guys," Mikey spoke softly to his bros. "It's okay. I want Sensei to choose me. Please don't hate him for this."
"But...but Mikey," Leo stuttered as tears slid down his cheeks, "you-you can't do this to us."
Mikey gave them one last smile. "Bye, guys. I love-"
He then heard the sound of the blades slashing through flesh, but he didn't feel it. Confused, he turned to his left and saw Shredder standing over Karai, who was curled up on the floor and trembling. She slowly lifted her head and Mikey gasped in horror at the ugly laceration that ran across her face, blood running down and dripping to the ground.
"MIWA!" Splinter cried out, now struggling more than ever to break his chains.
Mikey looked up at Saki in fury. "What are you doing?!" he screamed. "Splinter picked me! Not her! ME!"
Shredder completely ignored him and slashed Karai once again, this time across her chest. Mikey let out a roar and although he was bound with chains, he managed to get on his feet and leapt right at Shredder. The monstrous mutant didn't even spare him a glance as he knocked the Turtle aside, slashing him across the plastron in the process.
Mikey landed painfully on his shoulder, nearly shattering it. He groaned and curled up on the floor, watching helplessly as Shredder continued his assault on Karai. Blood splattered everywhere and Karai's pained, dying groans mixed in with her father's moan of anguish and the other Turtles' angry shouting and desperate pleading. Tears spilled down Mikey's cheeks as he watched his sister slowly die in front of him.
"Please stop...please...please stop," he repeated over and over again in between sobs.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Shredder stopped, looking down at the mangled body of the girl he once called "daughter". His blades retracted and dripped with her blood.
Splinter was now sobbing uncontrollably and collapsed onto the floor, overwhelmed with grief. Leo cried softly while Raph cursed and screamed at Shredder, threatening to kill him once he broke free from Fishface's grasp. Donnie could only stare at the body, slowly shaking his head in denial.
Mikey looked up at Shredder and choked out one word: "Why?"
Shredder's cold, glowing blue eyes looked directly into his. "I knew Yoshi would choose you. He would never sacrifice his only daughter for a freak like you. But I executed her anyway because if I can't have her, then neither will Yoshi. I absolutely refuse to let him win."
"'Win'?" Leo was trembling with rage, angry tears streaming down his face. "Is that all she ever was? Just a pawn in your stupid game?" Tiger Claw tightened his grip on the Turtle, sensing his growing rage.
"Karai...?" Mikey called out to his sister in a soft, raspy voice, hoping that she was still alive somehow despite the fatal wounds that she had received. "Karai, talk to me, please...!"
The girl never responded or moved.
"I loved Karai," Shredder hissed at him, turning his back to Mikey. "Both her and her mother. But in the end, they chose Yoshi over me. Everyone I ever cared about, he stole them from me. Even Father loved him more."
He walked over to the broken rat, who remained curled up on the floor and continued to sob. He bent down on one knee and glared down at him. "You have brought this upon yourself and your daughter, Yoshi. So tell me, how does it feel to have someone you love dearly stolen from you? Now you know the pain that I have felt for years."
Splinter paid him no heed and only stared ahead at the body of his daughter with pained, dull brown eyes.
Shredder sneered underneath his mask. He had finally succeeded in breaking Hamato Yoshi. "Release them," he ordered his henchmen. Immediately, they all let go of the Turtles, who were too devastated to even attack the Foot leader and remained where they knelt, although Raph got up and ran to his sobbing little brother.
Rahzar growled in disappointment. "What a waste. I really wish he had chosen that little freak instead of-"
He was cut off when his Master suddently slashed him in the throat. The other villains gasped as the dog-mutant dropped to the floor, holding his neck and choking on his blood.
"Yo, what was that about?" Bebop whispered to Rocksteady.
"Perhaps Rahzhar struck a nerve?" The rhino shrugged.
Shredder and his henchmen merely walked around the dying Rahzhar and avoided his increasing puddle of blood. The mutant bled out within less than two minutes.
The moment he heard the doors shut, Donnie snapped out of his daze and hurried over to Mikey, who was being cradled and comforted by Raph. The poor Turtle was sobbing his heart out on Raph's plastron. "Karai...Sis...!"
"Shhhh, Mikey, it's okay," Raph whispered to him, although he knew fully well that things were far from okay. Donnie soothingly rubbed his hand over Mikey's carapace, looking sadly at Karai's disfigured body that lay just a few feet away from them.
Leo only knelt on the floor and stared numbly at the body. He wasn't crying and his eyes were still dry. Splinter on the other hand, was a complete sobbing mess, grieving for his lost daughter. His eldest son didn't even bother to remove his chains as he slowly got up and walked over to Karai. He dropped to his knees and tenderly touched a scar that ran across her cold cheek.
So many scars...but she was still beautiful.
Not caring about what his brothers would think, he gently held her up and kissed her blue lips.
He kissed her one last time before they closed the coffin and gently lowered it into the hole that they dug under the tree. As Donnie and Casey began to fill it up with dirt, Mikey, whose plastron was wrapped in bandages, started to cry again.
"I can't...I can't be here anymore...!" He then ran back into the farmhouse, sad eyes following him. Raph looked over at Splinter, hoping that their father would at least go after him and give him comfort. But the ran only stood there staring sadly at the grave. Frustrated with him but understanding his pain, Raph left the group and walked into the house.
In Leo's hand was a white rose. He used to compare Karai to the flower: beautiful and graceful yet riddled with thorns. Now she was like a rose that had been cruelly trampled on and stripped of her petals. Once they had finished the burial, he placed the rose on the mount of dirt in front of her tombstone. There were also several photos of her, as well as gifts that had been left by her brothers and best friend, Shinigami.
One by one, the others left, until only he and Splinter were left, both of them kneeling by the grave, praying and grieving. They stayed like that for hours, until Leo spoke in a hoarse voice.
"We need to go after the Shredder."
Splinter looked over at him, surprised by this sudden declaration. But he sadly shook his head. "No, my son. I've already lost one child. I cannot afford to lose another."
"So what are we supposed to do, Sensei?" Leo snapped as he stood up. "Just sit here on our butts while he continues to terrorize the city? As long as he's alive, our family is in grave danger. You know that."
Splinter firmly shook his head again. "No," he sternly said. "As your father, I am-"
"YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER!" Leo yelled, eyes full of fury and hate.
In all of his years, Splinter had never seen his eldest son full of such rage. What broke his heart was that all this rage was directed at him. He reached a hand toward Leonardo, intending to soothe his anger, but the Turtle flinched away.
"You stopped being my father the moment you chose Mikey to die," he said with bitterness. "We're doing this, with or without your consent." And then he walked away, leaving Splinter alone at the grave of Hamato Miwa.
They each wore black clothing, the color of grief as well as death. They painted black stripes all over their bodies in honor of their dead sister. Tonight, they would avenge Hamato Miwa and put an end to the Shredder once and for all. Casey and April decided to join in on their mission, and Jones even got a new look, himself: a metal hockey mask.
Leo strapped on his swords and faced the team. "You guys ready?"
"You kiddin'?" Raph snorted. "I've been anxious to kick some tail all night."
"We're not backing out now," Donnie said.
Mikey only nodded, still too devastated over Karai's death to think of something cool or even funny to say.
Leo comfortingly patted Mikey's shoulder, earning him a sad, grateful smile from his little brother. "Let's go."
"Wait."
They all turned to see Splintet standing at the doorway, his green cane in his hand.
Leo took a defiant step forward. "Sensei, we're not going to change our minds about this," he said. "This ends tonight." The others agreed, nodding and crossing their arms.
Splinter sighed tiredly and nodded his head. "I know. And I have only one thing to say." He looked at each of his sons with worried, loving brown eyes. "Be careful."
He spent the rest of the night in the dojo, praying for his sons' safe return. He also begged Tang Shen's forgiveness for failing to save their daughter. But he was somewhat comforted by the fact that Miwa was now in a much better place, where no one would ever harm her again. He smiled weakly to himself as he imagined her standing alongside her mother, both of them waiting patiently for the day when they would all be together again.
His ears perked up when he heard heavy footsteps walk into the lair. He immediately ran out of the dojo and into the living room.
The entire team was there, battered and bruised but still alive, much to his great relief. Their leader took a step forward and held up the distorted mask of the Supper Shredder for the rat to see.
"Shredder is finished," he announced. "It's done." He tossed it at Splinter's feet.
Splinter bent down to pick it up, feeling pity for the dead mutant. He had hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this, considering that they were once brothers and best friends. But Leonardo was right. Saki was a living danger to everyone around him, and he had to be put down.
He looked up at his sons and smiled proudly at them. "You did well, my sons. Tonight you have avenged your sister's death."
Mikey sighed and walked somberly to his bedroom, head bowed and not his usual bubbly self. "Yeah, well," he mumbled, "doesn't feel much like a victory to me."
Splinter's ears dropped as the door to his son's bedroom softly closed.
The next morning...
Leo stepped out of the bathroom, drying himself with a towel after a nice, long shower. He was about to pass by the dojo when his father called out to him.
"Leonardo."
Said Turtle stopped and peeked in. Splinter knelt in front of the tree, gesturing for him to come in. "I wish to have a word with you."
Leo slid the door open and knelt down in front of Splinter in his usual respectful pose. "Yes, Sensei?"
Although he dreaded to ask Leonardo this question, Splinter braced himself for whatever answered he would receive. "Leonardo, do you still hate me for choosing your brother?" he softly asked.
Leo looked down at the floor, an expression on his face that was hard for Splinter to read. "I'm not sure," he admitted.
Splinter somberly nodded. He should've known. "And...do your brothers hate me?"
Leo shrugged. "I don't know. I never asked. But I know that Mikey doesn't hate you. If anything, he hates himself for what happened to Karai."
This revelation both stunned Splinter and shattered his heart. "Michelangelo...hates himself? But he mustn't-"
"I know," Leo sighed. "I tried to talking to him, but...Sensei, he's a complete mess. He won't wash off the black stripes because he doesn't want to forget...you know. He was really looking forward to Karai moving in with us." He chuckled weakly. "He always said he wanted a sister." He then looked directly into Splinter's brown eyes. "Sensei...you have to go talk to him."
Splinter knew that his son was right, but still...
"I cannot," he shamefully turned away.
"You have to," Leo repeated, a little bit of anger in his voice now. "You're the only who can talk some sense into him. He has always looked up to you, and even after everything that has happened, he still does."
The rat sadly shook his head. "I cannot see how. After all, I am the one who-"
Leo suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his robe and pulled him close to his face to the point that they were nose to nose. "Listen," he voice shook with emotion, "you can wallow in self-pity later. But right now, your son needs you. I absolutely can't forgive you for choosing Mikey, and from this point on, I can't even bring myself to call you 'Father' anymore. But if you don't go in there right now and talk to Mikey, I swear I'll...!"
He choked and painfully closed his eyes, too upset to speak any further. He let go of Splinter and took a couple of breaths to regain his composure. When he had finally calmed down, he cleared his throat and looked up at Splinter with midnight blue eyes that glistened with unshed tears. "Please, Sensei," he softly begged. "Don't do this to Mikey."
Splinter closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "You are right." He opened his eyes again and smiled gratefully at the Turtle. "Thank you, Leonardo. From now on, I will be the father that I need to be for Michelangelo and your brothers'." He reached over and placed a loving hand on Leo's shoulder. "And I understand why you cannot see me as your father anymore. But I will always love you and think of you as my son, even if those feelings aren't reciprocated."
Leo nodded and smiled a little. "I know. And I guess deep down...even after what happened...I still love you."
Hearing those words made Splinter shed tears and he couldn't help but pull his son in a tight embrace, which Leo eventually returned.
"Michelangelo?" Splinter lightly tapped on the door to Mikey's bedroom, holding a wet rag in his hand. For a moment, there was complete silence, before he heard the Turtle's small, choked up voice respond.
"Yeah, Sensei?"
"May I come in?"
"...Sure."
Splinter slowly turned the knob and creaked the door open. It was completely dark inside, and Mikey was buried under his blanket. Scattered across the bed were drawings that were done with crayon. As Splinter walked and approached the bed, he picked one up and he almost couldn't hold back his tears when he saw what his son had drawn. It was a picture of Michelangelo and Karai sitting on the couch and eating pizza together.
"Oh, my son," he whispered as he sat down on the bed and pulled back the covers. Mikey had his orange mask back on again, but the painted black stripes were still there. The rat tenderly brushed his thumb over one. "Miwa wouldn't you to be this sad, Michelangelo. She would've wanted you to be happy."
Mikey looked up at him with blue eyes that were clouded with sorrow before closing them and shaking his head. "It should've been me," he said barely below a whisper.
"Michelangelo-"
"IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!" Mikey suddenly screamed, sitting up and taking one of the drawings. He began to rip it into pieces. "SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO MOVE INTO MY ROOM! SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE EATING PIZZA WITH US AND HAVING FUN!"
One by one, he began to tear up the drawings, but Splinter just let him, even though it greatly saddened him to watch his son be filled with so much anger and self-loathing. He needed to let his emotions out if he were to ever feel better.
"BUT SHE'S NOT!" Mikey continued to scream and sob. "SHE'S DEAD! AND IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME INSTEAD!" He then reached for the drawing that Splinter had in his hand, but the rat pulled it away before he could reach it. This only angered Mikey even further and he began to pound on Splinter's chest. "WHY DON'T YOU HATE ME?! YOU LOVED HER MORE THAN ME BUT I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS SPARED! YOU WANTED HER TO LIVE AND-!"
His father then firmly grabbed him by the shoulders, making the Turtle look into his eyes. "Michelangelo, listen to me," he sternly said before speaking in a softer voice. "I do not love any of you above the other. You are all equally precious to me, and that is why I couldn't choose between the two of you." He then took the rag and began to gently wash the black paint off his son's face. "But you made the decision for me. You were ready to lay down your life for her so that she would get a second chance. And I assure you, my son, she will always be grateful to you for that." He smiled lovingly at him. "I am grateful. But never believe for a second that I would sacrifice you so willingly. If it had been you Shredder had killed, I would've been just as devastated. Perhaps even more so."
Mikey looked up at him in shock. "Wh-what? But I'm not-"
"Miwa was my daughter," Splinter explained. "But she was abruptly taken from me as an infant, so I never had the chance to raise and get to know her. But she will always have a special place in my heart. I've raised you and your brothers for sixteen years. You boys are my whole life." He wrapped his arms around the Turtle and pulled him into a warm embrace. "And just between the two of us, you are the sunshine that always brightens up my soul during the darkest of days. I cannot imagine living in a world without you."
Mikey let those words sink in before letting the tears flow again and burying his face in his father's robe, just as he always did as a child.
"Papa...!"
Splinter heard that familiar muffled word, and it broke the dam that held back his emotions. He pulled his son even closer and sobbed along with him, silently swearing to himself, and to his daughter's spirit, that he would never let that sunshine be taken from him and his family.