Author's notes- I own everybody in this chapter and unfortunately not the TMNT.

Hmm, so this story is coming to an end, just this chapter and another small one. Do you actually want me to write the pairing up of the boys and girls at the Farmhouse? I have quite a few ideas but if I did write it, there wouldn't be more action, it would be more revolving around family and love. Just let me know :)

It's Been A Long, Long Time...

In a quiet place across town, far away from the Lair of the newly bonding family, a solitary figure was highlighted in the early morning sun, creeping and slinking along rooftops, a little unsteadily, but efficiently. With every jump and jolt, her arm leapt in her sling, causing her to wince but she continued regardless. She'd changed into her kunoichi outfit whilst everyone else was rushing around trying to pack, and she thanked herself for packing much quicker. She'd had one last thing to attend to before she left New York for a while, and it was as she'd told her father, very important.

Karma landed almost silently on the balcony outside of the window of a modern apartment and quietly tapped on the glass. Only a few short moments later, the window was opened and a horrifically scarred and shaking hand was held out to her. With a soft smile, Karma took the hand and climbed into the small apartment.

"Innen, you returned…"

"Of course I did."

The turtle embraced the Japanese man, and tears trickled over his scarred and wrinkled face. He pulled back, hands upon her shoulders and looked at her through old eyes.

His face, hands and chest were all badly scarred from where he'd broken down a door in the fire nearly 13 years ago and the flames had licked up his upper body in a blazing pain. He had shielded the three turtle children behind him, taking the brunt of the fire and making sure they didn't sustain any injuries then managed to get them outside safely, hoping that Baxter would follow him with Innen, Shinrai and Kameko. He shushed the distressed children, hiding them in a dumpster before stumbling and hardly able to see, towards the fire-fighters standing around outside of the building. As he got to them, he passed out from the pain of the burns and the smoke constricting his lungs.

When Shinji came to in the hospital a few days later, his face, hands and chest searing with pain, he was unable to remember much. The nurses told him he had been in a fire and sustained very bad burns, but still he could hardy remember. As he recovered, he tried desperately to remember any detail, however small; he even had to be told that his daughter was in the fire too but had not survived. By the time he had recovered enough to be released, Kameko had been buried and her tombstone was written in English, something which he despised.

It was not until a year later of staying in, refusing to see the outside world that he'd had flashbacks of before the incident. He remembered the turtle children, how they giggled and called him 'sofu', and he remembered his beautiful daughter. Not all of the memories were pleasant; he'd remembered a certain man. Currently, he was the scientist of Oroku Saki, a very wealthy businessman in the city and his name was Baxter Stockman. All Shinji knew that was this man was in the fire and must have answers, but Dr. Stockman refused to talk to him and denied any such thing as 'mutant turtle children'.

Eventually, Shinji had moved back to Japan for a while, stewing bitterly, wondering why everybody he had ever loved had been cruelly ripped away from him. He spent the next few years in Japan alone, living comfortably but not happily. He felt like a monster and refused to go out of his beautiful house, even into the garden, until one day, he found himself brave enough to take a trip to the park, ignoring the stares and whispering of passers-by.

The native in his home-land had sat upon a bench, feeling self-conscious and unhappy, contemplating whether to turn back for home when a pug puppy ran up to him, barking happily and tongue lolling out of its mouth. Startled by the friendliness, he found himself lost in stroking the beige dog who wagged its tail happily, when a sweet voice knocked him out of his daze.

"Wow, that's a first!"

He looked up to see a lone woman, who looked no older than 40, smiling brightly and warmly at him. Her ashen blonde hair was swept off her face into a neat bun, sans a few strands that hung around her neck and her green eyes twinkled in the blinking sunlight. He was completely lost for words at her beauty.

"A first? For what?"

"Ah, so the dog whisperer does speak English, I was hoping you do, I'm useless at Japanese! Poncho doesn't seem to like any strangers but I'm impressed, it looks like he likes you a lot."

Shinji blinked back at her, a little wary, but continued stroking the dog who had by this time sat on his feet. He was unsure what to say; too conscious of how ugly he felt next to this beautiful woman but also scared in case she took his silence as rude.

"I, um, do not normally get along with dogs either…"

She smiled warmly and placed herself in the seat next to him.

"To tell the truth, I was apprehensive to get him. I was always a cat person but my doctor told me a dog would help me, get me active and keep my blood sugar down."

"You are diabetic?"

"Unfortunately, yeah. My fault really, spent too much of my childhood eating sweets and not enough chasing boys."

He laughed heartily at her joke, his self-consciousness melting away. Her heart warmed at seeing his bright smile; she'd known on sight that he was an unhappy man in need of cheering up, and she was hoping to do that.

"So, why would a lovely gentleman like yourself be so alone? Waiting for a lady friend?"

"Ah, no, not at all, I um, was taking a small stroll. I was actually contemplating going back home."

"Oh. Sorry, I guess I won't keep you."

Her smile fell and she clipped the lead back onto the pug puppy, gently tugging him away from Shinji's feet. The dog looked up at her, tail slowing down to a small waggle; he was equally as sad to be pulled away. Shinji's mind raced, he couldn't let this beautiful, friendly woman out of his grasp.

"No, do not apologise, I am afraid that it is me who should apologise. I have been somewhat of a recluse for a while; my social skills are not what they could be. Could I make it up to you somehow? A coffee perhaps? Your accent tells me you are an American, a New Yorker perchance?"

"Why yes… how could you tell?"

"Well, I lived in New York for a while, a few years ago."

"Oh, really? Where?"

The two began to walk across the park, conversation flowing easily between them whilst the pug puppy trotted easily alongside Shinji who had taken his lead. They kept the chat light-hearted and the Japanese man tried when he could to make his new acquaintance laugh.

"You're gonna have to stop! My cheeks hurt!"

"I am sorry, I apologise…" He paused, waiting for her name.

"Jessica." She smiled then rolled her eyes, "How could I forget to introduce myself?! Or ask what your name is…"

"Shinji."

"What a wonderful name," Jessica sighed happily, "I love Japan so much."

"I used to…"

She picked up on his unhappy tone and expression, about to ask him why when he shook his head.

"It is getting late. Could I treat you to dinner, Jessica? Oh, um, purely as new friends."

She giggled at the blushing gentleman, linked his arm and took Poncho's lead back from him.

"I would be delighted Shinji."

The two became firm friends but also quickly fell in love. Jessica moved into Shinji's beautiful house, along with Poncho the pug, who had not grown much bigger than the first day Shinji met him. They had decided against marriage; both were widowers and felt it as if it were better off that way.

Just over a year after they had met, they returned to New York, where both of their hearts called for. Shinji sold his Japanese house and brought a modern apartment in a quieter neighbourhood that was only a short walk from Central Park. The had remained there, their lives happy but unchanged until one evening, a small tapping on the window had awoken Shinji from his dreams. He clambered out of the bed, slightly dazed, leaving a deeply sleeping Jessica behind. Confused as to why they would be a tapping on his window instead of his door, he opened the curtains cautiously to see a note tucked into the window frame which read:

"If this is Imagawa Shinji, as I believe you are, I'll only ask one thing, if you don't remember me, please... don't scream..."

As the Japanese man raised his head, he met with two green-blue swirled eyes and stumbled back a little in shock. The figure, dressed in baggy street clothes but unmistakably not human, raised a single finger to her lips in the 'shush' sign. He nodded, baffled, but opened the window and allowed her inside.

"It can't be…"

"It can be." Her eyes twinkled. "I'm just glad I got the right window."

Shinji was amazed at how fluent her English was and the heavy American accent she now had, something Karma had never realised she had. She pulled down the hood on the sweater she had on, shook her hair free and smiled lightly.

Now, only days later, she stood before him once again, without the street clothes and her arm in a sling.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Hmm," she looked down at it, "it's broken. That's what you get when you try to save your sisters."

"Save them?"

"Sorry, I know I never explained a lot before and I haven't got the time to explain a lot now, but… my family and I, we need to get away for a while but I promise," she took one of his hands with hers, "I promise you, I'll return and I'll explain."

"I understand." He nodded a little sadly, "but please Innen, look after your sisters and yourself, something which I could never do."

Karma smiled sadly. She planned on telling the Japanese man about Ai and how her sisters had been taken from her, but decided against it. One day she would tell him, but not now, not as she was leaving.

"Take care of yourself too, sofu, I really should return, I don't want my father to worry."

"You remember your Japanese? And your father…?"

The turtle girl smiled slyly and cheekily, the twinkle in her eye telling Shinji there was much to tell him, and all of it was happy news.

"Of course I remember my Japanese, and my father? You'll meet him. I think you will have more in common with him than you'll first imagine."

She turned back to climb out of the window, but a hand was placed upon her shoulder. Shinji's deep brown eyes pierced hers, reminding her so much of her eldest brother, Leonardo, and how much both of them hurt right now.

"Innen, I never got to say… I am sorry."

"I don't blame you, for anything. In fact, I want to say thank you. I wouldn't have the family I do now if Stockman had never taken over. I'm sad to leave you, but I have to. When I return, I'm sure I'll be trailing a few more."

Karma hugged Shinji tightly, a few tears sprung to her eyes as well as his.

"I love you."

"I love you too, magomusume."

The kunoichi broke away from the hug and clambered through the window, pausing on the sill to look back for one last time. They exchanged a glance when Jessica's voice came echoing through the hallway. Shinji turned away to look to his wife and when he turned back, Karma was gone, only the open window with the fluttering curtains remained.

"Shinji? Who were you talking to?"

She rubbed at her eyes and yawned, earning a smile from her husband. He shut the cool morning air out, glancing out into the sleepy city he called home, then turned back.

"Nobody. Let us go back to bed."

Little did they know, a certain female turtle was perched, out of sight upon their roof, smiling to herself. She stayed for a second longer, then disappeared, making her way back home to her own family.

End notes- Just to let you know, sofu means grandfather and mugomusume means granddaughter :) I think it's fitting that Karm calls Shinji grandfather because Kameko was her adoptive mother, and I guess once upon a time, Stockman was her adoptive father.

Oh, and just in case you're going "wait, why did Baxter turn his back on Shinji?", I have three words for you; Oroku Saki's influence. You know how evil he is now and how likable I made him before, but Saki is pure evil and manipulative, hence... evil Stockman. Boo hiss!