It had been another fruitless night.
Karai felt anger stewing inside her as she stepped into the headquarters, her chin-length black hair blowing across her face. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning, and she hadn't found a trace of Hamato Yoshi and his three turtle sons. Earlier that day, the Foot had received reports of mutants by the docks, and had she had scoured the area for any sign of their enemies.
Nothing. Nothing at all. If Yoshi and his turtles had been there before, they weren't there now. And now she was tired, sore and irritable, storming her way through the squad of ninja she had brought with her to the docks.
Her grandfather likely wouldn't allow her to hunt his enemies much longer if she didn't produce something for her efforts. She already suspected that he considered her nightly searches to be completely pointless, but so far had allowed her to put her anger to good use. The Foot Clan had other fish to fry, though, and he would want her to focus on the clan's business rather than her own vendetta against Leonardo and his family.
By the time she reached her grandfather's rooftop garden, her body was screaming out for sleep and rest. But she couldn't sleep until she had informed her grandfather of her failure, and accepted whatever decision he made about her future searches.
He was standing silhouetted against the night sky, his favorite hawk resting on one steel gauntlet. Koya screeched upon seeing Karai, and she wrinkled her nose at the bird's strident cry.
"Karai," her grandfather said, inclining his head. "Have you found any trace of Hamato Yoshi?"
She bowed. "No, grandfather. I was… unsuccessful."
He stroked the bird's feathers with his fingertips, before launching her into the air with a flick of his wrist. She soared overhead into the night sky, before swooping down at something scampering across the rooftop. Karai caught a glimpse of gray fur and a long wormlike tail. A common rat. The hawk swept down towards it, and there was a splash of blood and a loud squeak.
"Failure again," he said.
Karai grimaced. It was coming.
"You have wasted enough of the clan's time and resources on this search," Shredder said, watching as Koya flew back to her perch with the rat in her talons. Karai couldn't help but wonder if he had chosen this particular moment to kill the vermin, just to make a point.
"I only wished to destroy the enemies of the Foot Clan," she said.
"Hamato Yoshi will not be able to hide from us," Shredder predicted confidently. "But we will not need to find him. He will expose himself and his children to us in his own time. He will not be able to resist."
"How do you know this, Grandfather?"
She heard the smile in her grandfather's voice, the satisfaction that came with thinking of his old enemy dead at his feet. "Because we have Raphael," he said quietly. "He will never rest until he has stolen Raphael from us — and that will be his downfall. His desperation will drive him to risk everything in an effort to claim his son, and he will deliver himself into my hands." His eyes hardened into black pebbles. "And the last thing he will see before he dies will be that same son, serving his true master."
"And his other sons?"
"With time, they may be… compelled into the Foot Clan's service," Shredder said. "Raphael may again be useful in that pursuit."
He sounded pleased by the idea, but Karai was not. She felt her lip curling as she thought of three more mutant turtles infesting the Foot Clan, worming their way into her grandfather's favor. Raphael was bad enough, but she could only imagine how bad the others would be. Especially — she clenched her teeth — Leonardo.
She could tell that her grandfather had noticed her displeasure, but he said nothing about it. Her opinion on the matter meant nothing to him — if he wished for the Turtles to serve him, then the only opinion that mattered was his own. So he simply watched Koya feasting on the rat's flesh, as if imagining that she was gorging herself on Hamato Yoshi.
Then she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Two genin rushed by, and immediately dropped to their knees before their master.
"What is this?" Shredder said.
"Master, we have failed you," one of them said, his voice trembling. "Raphael is… gone."
Karai's eyes widened, and she turned her head quickly to look at the two men. She had known — as had her grandfather — that Raphael was in the habit of sneaking out at night. She had no idea what he did when he was out, and cared even less. But despite his confidence in Raphael's loyalty, her grandfather had assigned two ninja to follow him on his nightly outings, just to make absolutely sure that the Turtle did not get ideas about leaving, and to track him down if he did.
But the news that he was gone… did that mean he had slipped his leash, either defeating or eluding his shadows?
Her grandfather's arm lashed out like a striking snake, dragging the errant ninja up to his face. "Gone? How?" he roared.
"Th-the other turtles," the ninja stammered. "They have him. He left our sight for only a moment, but when we caught up, he was in a van speeding away from the place?"
"And you did not follow?" Shredder growled. His grip tightened, and the claws cut easily through the ninja's uniform.
"W-we did, Master. We followed the van for several blocks, so that we could discover where he was being taken. But two of the other Turtles emerged from it and defeated us. When we regained consciousness, they were long gone," the man sniveled, bowing his head, expecting his master to strike him dead.
For a long moment, Shredder was still, absorbing what the ninja had said to him. Then with a snarl he buried his claws in the man's shoulder, sending him reeling back with blood spurting from two wounds. He collapsed to the ground, and the other ninja immediately darted forward to help him.
"Useless," her grandfather said in a low voice.
Karai took a step forward, her voice rising quickly, before the man had a chance to pass out. "How did Raphael leave with them?"
"I-I don't understand," the ninja said faintly.
"Was Raphael kidnapped, or did he leave with them of his own free will?" she elaborated.
"W-we didn't s-see."
Karai swiftly looked at her grandfather's back, his red cape whipping furiously in the wind. He was still again, but she could see the gears in his mind working furiously at the unanswered question of whether Raphael had chosen to leave with the other Turtles, or been taken by them. Whether he was still loyal, or whether he had chosen his family.
The Shredder slowly turned his head toward her. "Redouble efforts to find Hamato Yoshi and his Turtles. I want Raphael found and brought back here to me," he said in a low, vicious tone.
Despite the fatigue coursing through her body, Karai bowed. "It will be done, grandfather."
She turned sharply and walked from the rooftop, feeling a smile curving her lips. He had not said so, but she knew that doubts were now blooming in her grandfather's mind about Raphael's loyalties. He had been so sure that Raphael's family would not sway him from the Foot Clan, but now he was with them, and they had no way of knowing whether he had chosen to abandon his clan of his own free will.
Even if Raphael returned, she knew that it would not be easy for him to prove that he had not betrayed them. At best, he would be a prisoner. At worst, the Shredder would have his life.