Hearts and Swords

Chapter 1: Deadly Dance

A/N: Hey, my fellow Turtles fans! Here I am again with another story that will actually be a series with each of the Turtles and the pairings I prefer. This one will feature one shots about Leorai since I love them and think they are awesome together. I hope all of you enjoy these stories and that you leave feedback so I can see how I'm doing with it. Let's start the show!

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

Summary: A collection of one-shots featuring Leonardo and Karai. First in the Hearts series.

The rain pounded relentlessly but neither of them cared. Karai stared at her opponent and smiled. He definitely had it bad for her and she decided to use that to her advantage. She was certain that he didn't suspect how she was toying with him. Or maybe he did and he just enjoyed it as much as she did. Either way, this was definitely a fun game to her.

He thrust his sword at her and she blocked his strike. Nice try, but hat move won't work on me, she thought.

She smiled at how the rain ran in rivulets down his toned arms. She longed to take him up in those arms and squeeze them tight, but she couldn't do that now. If anyone got wind of that, she would be in huge trouble. Then again, she loved trouble and Leonardo provided a good distraction in this boring city.

"You give up yet?" she teased. She loved taunting him this way just to see his reaction.

"No," he answered. "A hero never gives up."

She rolled her eyes at the cheesiness of the quote but then smiled. He was so adorable when he quoted his favorite show like that.

"Neither do I," she said. She flipped over him and kicked him in the shell, throwing him off balance. He fell to the ground and she turned him over and pinned him, holding her sword to his throat.

"Looks like I win," she said smugly.

"Yeah, I guess you do," he conceded.

"Are you going to try and beat me again?"

"Nah, you did well."

She smirked. "What happened to your little hero complex?"

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"You just said that a hero never gives up and here you are giving up. Seems to me like someone's a hypocrite."

"No, I just like admiring you," he said. Then he blushed and said, "I mean, admiring your skills. You're really good."

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself even if you are a rookie."

He looked indignant. "I'm not a rookie! My sensei is a master ninja!"

"Maybe he is, but you haven't mastered much yet so you're still a rookie. Half the new recruits in the Foot are still learning the things you are."

"Maybe so, but I'm still skilled at what I do."

"There's no denying that."

"Why aren't you finishing me off?"

"What do you mean?" she asked him though she knew perfectly well what he meant.

"You work for Shredder and he wants us dead. Why don't you just kill me and be done with it?"

"Is that what you want me to do?" she purred as she slid the tip of her sword down his plastron.

"No, I don't want you to kill me. I just thought maybe you hated us as much as he does."

"I don't hate you, Leo," she said. "Like I said before, you're the only interesting thing in this city and a great amusement for me."

"So, how would you feel if Shredder killed us?" he asked.

"I think I'll plead the fifth on that one," she answered.

"I wasn't aware you knew what that means," he said.

"I know a lot more than you think."

"Then maybe you would like to share your knowledge with me," he offered.

"We'll see," she said. Then she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead before fleeing into the night.

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Leo lay on the rooftop after Karai had left and pondered what she had said to him. She hadn't outright answered him about how she would feel if Shredder killed them, but maybe that was because she was afraid of her answer and what it would mean. It was clear she liked him as more than a friend, and Leo couldn't help but think that there was some good in her even if his family didn't see it.

He got up and headed back to the Lair, feeling happier than he had when he'd left. He always felt happier around Karai and that was always a good thing.

When he arrived at the Lair, he found Raph reading a comic book in the beanbag chair.

"How was your run?" his brother asked.

"Good," he answered.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Nope. The city was pretty quiet tonight."

Raph lowered his comic book and stared pointedly at his brother. "You may have everybody else fooled, Leo, but don't think I don't know what you're doing when you go out alone."

"I'm not doing anything!" Leo protested.

"Oh, so you're not going out and meeting up with Little Miss Foot?"

"No, I'm not."

Raph pointed a finger at him. "Don't lie to me, bro," he said. "I know you better than that."

Leo knew he couldn't hide from Raph. "Are you going to tell Splinter?" That would really make Raph happy to see his older brother get verbally whipped for what he was doing.

"Nah, but I don't want you to get hurt. Just be careful."

"I'm always careful, Raph," Leo reassured him. He waved to his brother and left to go to his room. He knew his brother meant well, but he really needed to mind his own business and let Leo be himself for once. Leo was tired of always trying to look out for everyone else and needed his own space at times. Was that too much to ask?

22222

Karai sighed as she settled down in bed. She had just made her report to Father and was thinking about her encounter with Leo. It had been one of the best encounters ever, and she had gotten a thrill out of it just as she did every time she saw him. She also liked the idea of exploiting how he felt about her and using it to her advantage. That should put him in his place.

She wasn't quite sure if she really liked Leo in a different way or not. Sure, he was the enemy, but he did have his adorable side and looked pretty good at certain times. Karai had never been a romantic in any sense of the word and had often scoffed at the idea of falling in love. And though she really didn't feel anything romantic toward Leo, she knew he felt that way about her with the way he looked at her and the way he spoke to her. Could she return his feelings someday, or would she have to finish him off? The pure thought of what she would have to do sent a chill down her spine. She certainly didn't want to kill him and didn't want her father to kill him either. But what choice did she have? She was a member of the Foot and had to do what her father told her to do. If he told her to kill Leo, she had to do it.

Sometimes she really hated her life.

Deciding to shake off the thought, she fell asleep and dreamed about Leo once again. She was thankful that no one could read her mind or know what she dreamed about.

A/N: I'm going to end this chapter here. I hope all of you liked how this is playing out. This chapter is set a little after they first meet each other when they are still considered enemies. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.