She had called him "Master Splinter."
Up until now, on their few meetings, Karai had called Splinter "Father," albeit haltingly, like a child learning to speak for the first time.
And now, he had been reduced to "Master Splinter."
Splinter struggled not to let his disappointment show. He understood why his sons called him that, though he often wished he had taught them to call him 'father.' But this girl – once the little girl he held in his arms, that he dreamed of hearing her learning to say 'father' – to hear her call him "Master Splinter" so impersonally…
He couldn't even compose a coherent thought.
Drawing a deep breath, he centered himself. Acknowledge, let flow…
She was here with them now, and she was no longer an enemy. He had his daughter back, at least, in a way.
It was enough.
For now.
He watched as she took a bite of Michelangelo's culinary creation – a creation which surprisingly, had been quite good – and noticed that something in her expression was off. Something was bothering her. The news she had come to bring must have been direr than any of them thought. He repressed the urge to run to her as to a child with a skinned knee, to take her in his arms and tell her it would be all right.
While they ate, Leonardo, April, and Michelangelo dominated the conversation. Karai hardly said anything beyond 'yes' and 'no,' Raphael stared at the table as though he would detonate if he looked anywhere else, and the rest of them simply couldn't get a word in edgewise between the three teenagers who were clearly determined to have a good evening, no matter what.
Not that Splinter would have even known what to say if he could find an opportunity to talk. Instead, he spent most of the time exchanging glances with Mei in response to the teenagers' behavior.
He was gladdened to see that she looked so much better. In fact, she looked lovely – though he could not get over the fact that from some angles, she reminded him forcefully of Tang Shen. When he thought of Tang Shen, he couldn't repress a slightly guilty feeling, as if by having feelings for Mei he was somehow betraying his wife.
This – relationship, or whatever it was that they had entered into – was not going to be easy.
After all of the food was gone, and thanks to Michelangelo, none of it was left, April asked if anyone wanted to play a game.
There was a general consensus from the table. Even Raphael shrugged in assent.
But Karai slammed her fists on the table. "No! No games. There isn't time for this nonsense."
April was crestfallen. She took Donatello, who had been sitting on her shoulder, and held him in her hands. "Is – is it about Donnie?"
"Forget Donnie!" Karai glared at April. "We have much, much more important things to worry about."
Raphael looked up from the table for the first time since Karai's arrival. His face looked like murder incarnate. "'Forget Donnie?' Why, you little – "
"Raphael!" Splinter banged his fist on the table.
Shaking with barely repressed rage, Raphael glued his eyes firmly on the table again.
"Clearly, something has changed," Splinter said, keeping his own emotions in check. "Karai, what has happened?"
Karai hung her head. "A man came to see me this evening. He called himself the Ronin."
The Ronin. Splinter suppressed fear for his daughter's life. The Ronin was well known for his ruthlessness, and Splinter knew for a fact that the man bore a staggering amount of blood – Hamato blood, at that – on his hands. Dozens of Splinter's relatives in northern Japan had met their fate at the end of the Ronin's blade.
Splinter put a hand over his face. He should have known this madman would surface as soon as there was a vacuum of power. "Oroku Daiki. I know this man. He is dangerous, and an incredibly skilled swordsman."
"He said his father was the clan's leader before Fa – before the Shredder took over."
"It is true. My daughter, did he harm you?"
"He threatened me," Karai said. "I had to swear my allegiance to him, or the whole jig would have been up. He – he called me a half-breed, because of Mother." Her temples bulged slightly as she clenched her jaw.
Splinter bristled at the insult. He bit his lip; the small amount of pain allowed him to stay focused. In all honesty, he should have seen this coming. The thought that somebody like the Ronin would let a woman lead – particularly a woman of Karai's heritage, however far removed – was downright ridiculous. He should have thought of it, and he should have warned his daughter.
"That's mild," Mei said. "I've been called far worse. Wear it as a badge of honor, Karai."
Splinter too had been called far worse for his choice to marry Tang Shen. "Your aunt is right, Karai. We must choose to rise above such things."
April frowned in confusion. "I don't understand…why would he call you a half-breed?"
Leonardo looked at April. "'Tang' is a Chinese name, April. And Japan and China…aren't exactly famous for getting along." He kept his voice low and even; Splinter recognized it as the voice he used to try calming his brothers down. In a way, he was trying to keep the whole table from exploding.
"So, this Ronin – what does he want?" Mei's voice was gentle, taking on that same peculiar affectation that Shen's always had when she was trying to calm people down.
"I don't know," Karai said. "He told me that I could be in charge of the Foot's dealings in New York, because of the Shredder. But…he knows. He knows that I'm not Shredder's daughter. He said he was there the night that Shredder took me."
Splinter clenched his fists. He remembered looking out the window on that night, and seeing at least fifty men surrounding the house as Shredder had made his entrance.
The Ronin had been among them.
He suppressed a desire to tear the man limb from limb.
"I don't know what's going to happen now," Karai said, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know what he wants me to do, and…I don't know if I'll still be able to work with the Kraang, or if I'll be able to take down the Foot, with him leading it now. I – I –"
"Karai, listen to me," Leonardo said, calmly and deliberately. "We'll figure this out."
"Yes," Splinter said. "We will develop a plan. But we cannot act until you have learned more of his plans. Are you sure you are able to do this, Karai?"
Karai sighed. "I don't know if I have a choice. I still don't know if I erased all the evidence of the lair's location from Stockman's lab or not."
"That does not matter. We can relocate if necessary. If you do not think you can do this, then nothing matters more to us than your safety." In fact, Splinter wanted nothing more desperately for Karai to come home with them that night and never go back to the Foot Clan again. Even though it was her choice to make, her identity to decide…
She was still his little Miwa.
"I guess…I need time to think. But he wants to see me in the morning."
"I am not sure if you should. You must not underestimate this man. He has all the training of a ninja and a samurai, and on top of this, he fancies himself the reincarnation of Kono Michiari."
Leonardo tilted his head. "Like, the literal reincarnation, or just like a modern-day version of him?"
"Literally. He truly believes that he is Kono Michiari reborn." Splinter frowned. Oroku Daiki's madness made him even more unpredictable, and more dangerous. The more he thought of it, the less he wanted Karai anywhere near this man.
"Kono Michiari?" Raphael said, looking up from the table. "That samurai who single-handedly drove off an armada of Mongol ships?"
"That would be the only history lesson you ever paid attention to, Raph," Leonardo said.
"Hey – the guy went berserk with rage and killed like a hundred dudes. You can't deny that's totally epic."
"Unfortunately, Raphael," Splinter said, "the Ronin is anything but 'epic.' He calls himself that because he has all the formal training of a samurai, but has broken their honor codes by being a ninja. By their standards, he is ronin: a rogue samurai. And, rather than seeking to defend Japan from the invasion of the Mongolians, he sees himself as the one who will purify Japan of all clans inferior to the Foot – particularly, my clan." Splinter shook his head. "I fear the plans he has for you, Karai, if he knows that you are Hamato."
Karai threw her hands up in the air. "But F – Spli – Father, I can't leave the Foot Clan now – not with this madman in charge! Who knows how much damage he'll do? And besides – what about Donatello?"
"Oh, now she cares about Donnie," Raphael said, his voice growly.
"I never said I didn't!"
"Everyone calm down," Kirby said. "Clearly, there's a lot happening here, and we all just need a few minutes to process it."
There was a minute of silence around the table. Splinter made eye contact with Kirby and nodded, by way of thanking him. Kirby gave a quick nod back.
"It's obvious that we need a plan," Leonardo said. "I'm with Master Splinter on this. Whatever the Ronin has in mind for you, it can't be good. But you still have to meet him, or this whole thing falls apart."
"I'll do it." Karai said, looking at Donatello. "I don't know how much damage I can do to the Foot now, but I'll still be able to work with the Kraang. Hopefully."
"I do not think that you should meet the Ronin alone, Karai," Splinter said.
"That's just what I was thinking," Leonardo said. "Me, Raph, and Mikey will be on site in case anything goes wrong."
"Are you crazy? He knows about you guys – apparently the Shredder was keeping him informed on everything. If he sees even a glimpse of green – "
"Relax, we got this," Michelangelo said. "We got mad stealth skills."
"And even if he does see us, as far as he knows, we're there to scope him, not help you," Leonardo added.
"Yeah, but he's already suspicious," Karai said. "He told me that he thought it was weird that Shredder was killed but I wasn't. I'm on seriously thin ice."
"We're coming with you, Karai, and you can't stop us."
"Really? 'Cause you could stop me pretty easily," Raphael said.
"What's your problem?" Leonardo snarled.
"What's your problem?"
"Enough!" Splinter banged his fist on the table again. "The three of you will go with Karai. End of story."
"Hai, Sensei," the three boys chorused immediately, though Raphael's was more of a mutter than anything.
Karai nodded. "Okay. But I don't know what time he's coming in the morning."
"We'll just go with you as soon as we're done here, and sort of keep watch until he shows up," Leonardo said. "I mean, if that's okay with you."
Something in Karai's expression softened. "Yeah, that sounds good."
"So, Karai – I don't want to be rude or anything," April said, "but if all this business with the Ronin is new, then what was the thing you wanted to talk to us about before?"
"Oh, that," Karai said. Her eyes returned to Donatello. "I talked to the Kraang early this morning, asking them if there was any way to reduplicate a mutation exactly, but they said it was impossible."
April's face fell.
"That can't be the whole story, right?" Michelangelo said.
"I honestly don't know," Karai said. "I'm sort of on thin ice with them, too. They said that they would work with me again, but that I am 'what is known as "indebted" to Kraang.' So who knows what that means. Anyway, I told them that I want to reduplicate Xever's mutation, and they said that an approximation might be possible. But, 'it is only that which is known as "hypothetical."' I'll have to work with them a little more on it."
"So…the best we can hope for is an 'approximation' of Donnie?" April asked.
"I just don't know. The Kraang said that they would research it, and I'm still willing to work with them in case there's a chance…but that's what it sounds like right now."
Splinter sighed. An "approximation" of Donatello would still not be Donatello. His chest hurt at the thought.
"But there's still a chance they're wrong," Michelangelo said. "Even if they can't find a cure, then you guys can, right?" He looked back and forth between April, Mei, and Kirby.
"We can try," Mei said, "but I am still not sure. I need to get at Donatello's computer, but I can't until, well, until I'm out of this wheelchair."
"Are you feeling better?" Karai asked, her voice small.
"I am." Mei smiled. "Especially now that I've seen you."
And with that, somehow, the evening shifted back into a pleasant one. They ended up playing a round of cards before Karai decided that she needed to go. After she and the boys had left, Kirby declared that it was time for April to go to bed. April protested, but finally she gave in.
"Teenagers," Kirby muttered. "Mei, do you need any help tonight?"
"I will be more than happy to help you," Splinter said.
"That would be nice, Yoshi. Thank you."
Splinter smiled. "Of course."
"All right. Well, if you need anything, call me," Kirby said. With that, he left.
There were a few moments of silence.
"I'm glad you stayed," Mei said. "I was hoping you would. We have not really had much of a chance to talk to each other alone since…well, since the party."
"I know, and I am sorry. Would you like to sit on the couch?"
"I would like that."
Splinter helped Mei onto the couch and then sat down beside her. On the other side of the room, Donatello was sleeping on the floor. Something about it made Splinter remember a night that he and Tang Shen sat together on the couch while Miwa slept.
When Mei took his hand and squeezed it, he felt another pang of guilt, as if he was betraying his wife. But Tang Shen was gone; it was something he needed to acknowledge once again, and focus on the present.
Whatever his past had been, whatever the future would be, he was happy in this moment.