A/N: Lethal Loyalty turns one year old!

Raph: And you guys still haven't finished this thing?

ET: But, but… we're seniors now!

Alix: No senioritis for me! Nope, nope, nope…

Mikey: They day you get senioritis is the day you get into a coma.

ET: Anyway…I have been so jaded at the fact that now the turtles are…in…the future?

Mikey; And VIDEO GAMES GALORE!! AWESOMLY RADICAL, DUDE!

Raph: I hate the future. I hate it. Too many questions! Too many gadgets!

ET: I'm going to start writing. And ignore my essays. Like this. Ignore

1/10/07

ET: That author's note was written a long while ago, before the senioritis actually kicked in. As of now, I am currently ignoring my studying for statistics and psychology, my hw for theatre class and physics, and even a group study thing for English. Kiiiiiind of a lot.

Alix: We apologize for the long, long, LOOOONG wait. But we're second semester seniors now! So hopefully, ET will blow off hw even more. As for me, I'm on an animation team every day of the week till ten for this "FIRST" competition… I am so tired, zomg….

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Chapter 14: Shattered Ties

Raphael could hardly believe this was happening. He was actually going to die here, away from his family, not knowing if he had helped them or not, under the wild fanatic eyes of the Foot clan in their crazed death dance. He closed his eyes, hoping the belief about your head still being alive after it had been chopped off wasn't true, for his sake…

Suddenly he was bouncing, and the world was silent. That was odd… he hadn't felt any pain at all, so how was his head bouncing like that? It wasn't made of rubber… He painfully opened his eyes to see what was going on. The quickly retreating image of Hat-Boy lying crumpled on the ground was definitely unexpected, to say the least. Then there was the fact that the entire arena was dead silent, stunned, apparently, just watching him. He looked down and saw Karai's boots quickly running beneath him.

Wait a minute…Karai was saving him? Right now? In front of all of these people, including the Shredder, her own master? He couldn't take it anymore. Raph's brain decided there was a bug in it somewhere and promptly shut down for repairs.

At least until things started making sense again.

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Karai ran for all she was worth, still trying to accept the fact that she had just betrayed everything that she had been raised to be. Her mind was still racing with the details. She had hurried to the Elite Ninja and caught him by the hand, disarming him immediately. With that same momentum, she had forced her fist into the Elite Ninja's stomach, putting all of her weight behind it. He had crumpled like a soggy graham cracker, tumbling to the floor wordlessly. The arena had gone absolutely silent.

And she had fled, carrying Raph on her back.

At least he was smaller than the average human. He wasn't so hard to carry.

And they had a lot of ground to cover.

Karai looked behind her. No one was following her. Yet. They were all probably still stunned from her betrayal. She winced at the thought. She was a traitor. But maybe she would redeem herself with what she was doing for Leo and the ninja family…

She looked to where the sun was peering at her from its kingdom in the sky. Damn sun, making it hard for her to hide and complete her redemption. She looked around. There just had to be a place for her to hide, even if it was only for a little while. The Foot couldn't be out in daylight, not when they were in NYC.

A sharp but furtive movement caught her eye. She kept running, only shifting the hitchhiker slightly to make it easier to reach her weapon. If it should come to blows with the Foot, she would not be caught off guard…

A small tap sounded before her, and she looked to see the purple sashed turtle before her. Donatello was his name. Relief washed over her as she stopped and looked to either side, seeing Michelangelo and Splinter, the rat, awaiting her.

"Thank goodness I have found you. Please, take your brother. I have been running too long…" Karai took a deep breath as she lay Raphael down. No sooner was he out of her grasp that he disappeared. Karai looked around, only to see Leo landing at a distance, gazing at Raphael, examining wounds, or perhaps just soothing himself with his brother's familiar face. It was eerie, the Leonardo that had been defeated, who had given up forgiveness for hatred and caution for trust, and the Leonardo as he was now, looking at his defeated image.

Two images soon joined him, and it was almost heart warming, how all four brothers looked together. All three worried, caring for the fourth, not thinking about how to take his place or gain favoritism with their Master like the relationship Karai had with her "family." If there was one image that Karai could have saved to explain what she most wanted in life, this image of such compassion would be it.

Suddenly Leo looked up, the eyes of his brothers following suit. His voice, cold as death, chilled her to the bone, making her hug her shoulders for warmth.

"You did this too him, didn't you?"

How could she answer him? How could she tell him the truth of how she tortured and cut him? Even if she had saved him at the end and made the right decision, how was one good deed to that of many bad ones? She remained silent, looking at the floor of the roof.

"You did…you actually stabbed him like this. You gave him these bruises. You almost killed him!" His voice was gaining in volume, spilling over with hatred. He was approaching her, hands straying towards his katana blades.

"Leonardo!"

Leo froze, letting his hands drop to his sides. Master Splinter was by Raphael's side, surveying the damage, but now eyeing Leonardo.

"All of you, take him home. He needs treatment. Go!" Splinter cut Leo off before he could shout any protest. With a simple glare at Karai, Leo leapt to where his brothers were. Donatello carried their injured sibling, and the three vanished into the rays of the rising sun. Splinter watched them as they left, while Karai waited, knowing he had something to say.

"I do not usually involve myself in my sons' affairs, but you have caused them enough pain already." The old rat's voice seethed with venom, but it was a different kind than her own master's. This malice came from a loving father protecting his family…his family… Karai would never have a family again. "If I ever sense you passing, see a piece of your hair, or feel a wind that betrays your presence in our home, I will be forced to momentarily forget myself and take care of you as needed." The rat turned his head slightly. "Do you understand?"

In a voice no louder than a katana slicing through the air, Karai ended any possible friendly ties she could salvage. "Yes."

…And he vanished from her sight.

A/N: Ok, we have about two more chapters and they are coming! In less than a month! We swear!