Author notes- I do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of their compadres.

ChibiLover- -Gives special Mikey breakfast- There you go!

RubyFireGem- Glad to see you're still reading, you're not annoying me at all! -Gives special Mikey breakfast also-

Coming out of her shell.

It's been a few weeks since the boys rescued me from Stockman's lab and I feel right at home. I still can't really remember anything, but as Donny says, I guess it might be for the best.

My feelings seemed to have calmed down slightly now too. Mikey & Donny are the best big brothers I could ask for, Mikey is so much fun and Donny is so sweet. Raph and Leo on the other hand… I'm not quite sure. I have feelings for both of them, but I know I better pick soon. Raph and Leo don't get on so well as it is, I don't want to give them more reason to fight.

As I lie in my bed, thinking about all this, I get jumped on by my littlest big brother Mikey.

"Karmy! Karmy! Wake up! C'mon c'mon c'mon!" The delighted squeals fill the air as he jumps on my bed, and me, in my half asleep state. My eyes fly open and I give Mikey an evil grin, pushing him off the bed. I lie back down pulling the blankets over my head. "Karmy, it's important." Mikey's voice sounds slightly sad. I sigh and sit up, facing him.

"What is it Mikey?"

"Well…" He looks uneasy, "I forgot to remind you 'bout summin?"

"Hmm?"

"THE GAME!" He grins at me and scurries towards the door. I'm out of bed, pulling on a dress made for me by April and after my brother, cursing him. He jumps down the stairs and I follow, landing only just behind him. He squeals, slightly too high pitched for a male, and scurries towards Donny's lab. The purple banded brother stands at the door, trying to figure out what has happened.

"Nuh-uh Mikey, you make Karm mad, you get yourself out of it." He grins and shuts the door. Mikey makes a quick dash towards the sofa and I lunge at him, jumping into him and knocking him onto the sofa. I sit on his stomach, both of our chests heaving with the quick burst of energy.

"You… fool… you… damn… fool." I grit my teeth at him. He grins at me sheepishly. We look up to notice the presence of Leonardo in the room, raising an eye ridge at us both.

"How old are you two again? Five?"

"Yeah! And proud!" Mikey holds his hand up to high three me, but he only gets a sarcastic look.

"I am perfectly grown up Leo." I fold my arms, looking up at the blue banded brother.

"In yer dreams, Kar." I hear Raph's voice and glance up at the top of the stairs where he's stood, grinning. I grin up at him.

"And in your dreams, you're attractive." I wink at him as I get off Mikey. I catch Mikey and Leo exchanging looks in the corner of my eye and spin round to look at them. Mikey looks at me sheepishly and Leo just smiles and walks off towards one of the dummies, drawing his sword. I head off into the kitchen where I saw Raph head into only a few seconds ago.

I sit down at the table and yawn.

"You got up late." He glances at me whilst he rummages in the fridge.

"I was up awake late last night reading my book." I stretch my wrist, trying to make it feel normal. Don took the bandages off for it a few days ago, and I still can't get used to the feeling of not having a bulky left wrist.

"How's yer wrist feelin'?" Raph says opening a can of soda and sitting next to me.

"It's okay, just feels weird that it isn't bulky." I say as he takes a drink from his soda. He nods and swallows.

"That's good." He goes to take another swig, then stops. "Oh yeah, Kar?"

"Hmm?" I look up at his brown eyes.

"Can you not nick my favourite CDs?" He grins. I go to open my mouth, going to drop Mikey in it, because I know he's the one taking them to give them to me, then stop. I'll get away with it easier than Mikey.

"Yeah, sorry," I grin back at him, "you do have a good music taste though."

"Thanks, better than Mikey's anyway. I feel sorry for Donny havin' to live in the room next door and put up with him blastin' some heavy metal shit at one in the mornin'." He swigs at his drink.

"Hey, metal isn't bad, I like it." I pull a mock shocked face but he only rolls his eyes as he drinks.

"If ya say so. Anyway, why was it when I came downstairs this mornin' I saw ya lyin' in a very sexual position with my little bro?"

My cheeks flush, "Raph! It wasn't like that!"

"I know!" He laughs at me, "I just like embarassin' ya, it's too easy."

I roll my eyes at him.

"We were playing 'The Game' which is-"

"Another dumb ass Mikey game?"

"Er, no. Okay, the rules of 'The Game' is to forget about the game."

"What do you mean?" He frowns.

"You just need to forget about the fact you're playing 'The Game'."

"An' when Mikey squeals 'The Game' at ya, ya get ultimately pis-… uh, annoyed at him, because he's reminded ya?"

"Yup, that's pretty much it." I grin at the turtle scratching his head.

"Right." He takes another drink. We sit in silence for a while, both thinking about our own things, when I hear Leo's voice talking to somebody, very quietly.

"But haven't you noticed… I'm not sure how to say it… she's different?"

"I'm not sure she's different Leo," Don's voice comes into the equation, "I think she was just shy. It's like one of us going into a home full of girl turtles, with no memory of who we are… would you be relaxed?! Huh, I don't think so. She's probably just…" I hear Don laugh to himself slightly.

"Just what?"

"There's only one way I can think of saying it, and it's the most inappropriate way… Leo, I think, metaphorically speaking, Karm is, well, coming out of her shell."

I hear Leo laugh slightly too.

"I think I know what you mean."

I grin to myself and notice Raph watching me.

"What?" I look up at him.

"Ya heard that huh?"

"Yeah, coming outta my shell, ha ha, nice one Donny." I roll my eyes grinning.

"Either Donny and Leo were talkin' very loud or ya got good hearin'."

"You're all old, you all have to speak up to hear each other." I grin as Raph finishes his drink. He crushes the can in his hand and throws it in the bin.

"Sorry, what was that? I was too busy imaginin' that was your head." He grins back at me.

"You sure that's what you were imagining?"

Both of our eyes lock, him looking into my green and blue eyes whilst I look into his brown eyes.

"Raph!" Leo calls out interrupting us.

"What Leo?" Raph calls out back, breaking away from my eyes, though I still watch him with mine.

"Well, you know that noise, of the secret elevator humming? That wouldn't happen to be an unwanted guest would it?"

Raph groans to himself and gets up to head out of the kitchen when a voice rings out.

"Hey Raph! Where are you bone head? WHOA! Nice dig!"

I shudder as I recognise the voice of the second of the turtles human friends, Casey Jones.

Okay, Casey is nice, but he's gruff and he's loud and my experience of male humans isn't the best. The first time April came into the lair to visit the guys and me for the first time, I shut myself in my room for two days afterwards. I can't stand humans, even nice ones like April and Casey, my trust is way too broken with them. Unless they do something to show I can trust them, I won't. Okay, April made me some clothes, but that might be her being nice only to lull me into a false sense of security. Call me paranoid or whatever, but I don't like humans. That's what happens when one snaps your arm in two.

Raph glances behind at me and sees my uneasiness. He sighs and leaves the room, whilst I sit in the kitchen, holding myself, trying to convince myself Casey is not about to go and break my arm and that the boys wouldn't allow it anyway. I breathe in deeply, and follow Raph.

Casey is sat on the sofa, the TV remote in his hands, Mikey quivering near by whilst Leo and Don exchange looks. Raph turns to look at me also quivering in the door way and Donny notices it too. Donny comes over, and takes me back into the kitchen.

"C'mon Karm, I'll make you something to eat and a cup of coffee. Sorry I'm no Mikey, it'll just be toast."

I nod silently, still holding my arms and rubbing them with my hands.

"Hey Raph, got any beer? I could really go for some. An' where's ya chick?"

I sigh sadly at being called a 'chick'.

"No Casey, I've told ya, we don't have beer an' she isn't my chick." He hisses the last bit.

"Hey, why get huffy 'bout it huh?"

"Casey, uh, lemme s-show you my D-DVD collection." I hear Mikey stutter, almost regretting his words. I thank my little brother in my head for getting the conversation off me. Donny sighs to himself.

"So much for coming out of her shell when he's around." Don mutters softly but I say nothing about hearing his soft words.