Karai looked over the map, a pleased expression oh her face. Almost all of the clan's territory was back in her hands. Just one stronghold remained, the best equipped and with the best trained soldiers.

Because Sacks could afford it with his stolen Foot Clan funds.

"But why bother with him at all?" Michi asked her as the other commanders filed in, Leonardo included. "He is old, and poses no threat to anyone. Our numbers are now enough to where we don't necessarily need this missing piece."

"Nevertheless," Karai restrained her anger as she turned to face him, how dared the old fool question her "the piece is still rightfully mine and I intend to reclaim it." She turned back to her map, completely missing the worried look Michi and Leonardo shared. And the slowly building anger on Leo's face as he noticed her war wounds from her encounter with his woman.

In her mind, the victory was already hers. She would do what she should have done much earlier and silenced those who questioned her leadership of the clan. She would return it to it's former glory, restore the reputation both in Japan and here. And once the pieces were finally all made whole, she would return the favor to Leonardo for splintering it in the first place. Since he held this woman so dear, she would take that screeching harpy from him like he took Oruku Saki away from her. And then, when he finally realizes she was the better fit for him, he would come to his senses and stay by her side. Or he would die along with the worthless wench.

If she couldn't have him as a prize, then no one would claim him. He would either join with her in their glory of rebuilding the Foot and leading it to new heights, or he would join his woman's blood with his in a gutter somewhere.

.

.

"It's the only one left." Donnie raised his eyes from the map. "From what Shen tells me, these were all the headquarters of the various factions. The only two far to reach ones were Japan and Alaska. And we all know Japan is the Foot's original homeland while Alaska was used as a secret base for experimentation. We also know that Sacks and Karai are the the largest split offs. Her tactic of going after the smaller and distant factions first was actually pretty sound. Build your forces up, then attact your equal as their superior."

"I would imagine Leonardo would have come up with that strategy." Ninjara mused. "He always was an excellent tactician, if an arrogant one."

'Well, he's mellowed out in one of those areas." Mikey grinned. "Good thing too, because I'm not sure old Leo would put up with Vicky's shenanigans."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Alright, this is what we are going to do. Ninjara, I'm going to send your clan out to watch over the Sacks estate. Keep an eye on things, and if Leo does show up see if you can pull him out of there."

Ninjara nodded, but looked a bit dubious. "Wouldn't that put his woman at risk?"

Raph sighed lightly as he looked at her. "Yeah. It would. Gonna be honest with you, I'm riding a lot on luck right now. We've got these other places already crossed off of the list. There are just these three left. I'll go scout them out. Hopefully we might get lucky and be able to bring them both in around the same time."

"I heard a hopefully and maybe in there." Aloplex side eyed the large turtle. "Not the best thing to hear when going into something like this."

"I know, Foxy. But it's the best I got. I'm not Leo, My plans ain't perfect."

"Neither are his." Mikey muttered. "Because something always goes wrong."

Raph half shrugged. "Then this should be a piece of cake then, right?"

Aloplex shared a long look with Ninjara, and sighed. "Maybe I should go with him. Something is nagging at me that he might need some help."

"Of course." Ninjara agreed, trying to hide a smile. "I do remember Raphael being one of the main reasons why Leonardo's plans have a habit of falling through on occasion."

Raph glared at them while Mikey grinned and Donnie chuckled. "Very funny, bushy butt. Mikey, you go with me too. Donnie, you'd be better off with them. They may need you to get past security."

"And how do you plan on getting past it? You do know that an important prize like Vicky will most likely be guarded."

"I'll use Mikey's head as a battering ram." He was already moving toward the van.

"Hey!" Mikey exclaimed, jogging after his brother. "Your head is harder!"

"Can it, Chucklehead." Ralph growled. "And get in the damn van."

Mikey just laughed as he happily bounced his way over, then in. A mere moment later the sound of music came on, AC/DC's Thunderstruck. And right after Raph was bellowing over the noise to yell at Mikey to turn it down.

"Men." Aloplex rolled her eyes and followed the two brothers. Ninjara just laughed lightly behind her.

Aloplex got in, and the loud mutant machine lurched into motion, probably because the two brothers were fighting over the radio. For a brief moment, Ninjara could see a resigned to her fate of brotherly squabbling as Aloplex looked out the back window. Ninjara happily waved to her friend, who gave her the finger in reply.

.

.

Leo was furious. But he found his hands tied. To a point.

Before he left to move out, he stormed into Karai's room. By kicking her door open.

"How dare you!" She screeched at him, coming to her feet from the vanity she was sitting at.

By now he had a light snarl formed on his lips, and his katana came out and snapped sharply right into her face, the tip pointing to her cheek. "What did you do."

"I do not see where that is your concern." She hissed at him, turning back to her vanity. Big mistake.

Leo grabbed her by the back of her shirt and yanked her to the floor, his foot now resting firmly on her chest to hold her down. "Release me!"

"Don't think me to be a fool, Karai." His tone was dangerous, something that even Karai has learned to fear. Her eyes widened lightly as the sword came back to her face, to her cheek. "I'm not going to ask again." He almost growled. "What did you do."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'll have her killed for this!" She snarled back at him.

"No, you won't." His growl was just as nasty. "Because if you do, I'll finished what Vicky started with your face."

She gaped at him, and that was all the confirmation Leo needed. "How-" She caught herself and resumed her glare.

"Did I know?" Leo's foot was firm. He knew very well he could put her out of commission, but he had no idea what the orders were on what to do with Vicky if he did. Just as he knew Karai couldn't really kill Vicky for fear of him turning on her, Leo also knew the other way around was just as dangerous. The clan could have Vicky killed for taking out Karai. Damn this fucking game. "Not hard to figure out. I pissed you off, that same night you storm out of here. And you come back with scratches on your face. Marks that even I can tell came from a woman's nails. I told you to not think me for a fool."

Karai was silent as she glared up at him.

Leo just moved his blade from her cheek to her throat. "She better be alive." He spoke again in that deadly tone. "Or you won't have your head much longer."

"She lives." Karai snapped. "Now let me up!"

He gave her another hard glare, but removed his foot. Then, a small smirk twisted one side of his mouth up. "Not quite the worthless warrior you thought she was, is she."

Karai's glare deepened as she got to her feet and walked back towards her vanity and sat back down. "She fights like some uncouth street criminal." She then took on a superior expression as she proceeded to reach for something.

Leo narrowed his eyes when he noticed that it was concealer. Before her hand could grab it, the bottle was taken swiftly out of her reach, to slam against the wall. The glass shattering while the kunai stuck in the wall. She spun back around, her dark eyes blazing. "I don't think so." He resheathed his katana calmly. "You will live with, and face your clan, with that mark. As a reminder of what your are trying to tear apart."

"And what would that be?" She spat at him as he turned to leave.

He just calmly turned back. "A unity that is more than our relationship ever had a very minor chance at becoming."

Leo then turned and walked back out. Leaving a fuming Karai behind.

.

.

"Another storm approaches." Ninjara pointed off to the west. The sky seemed angry to her, as if the gods themselves were venting their rage over something.

"And they will for a while." Donnie turned off his wrist device and joined the fox in watching.

"Does your science tell you this?" Ninjara asked, her tall lean form turning to look at him in mild amusement.

"Actually," he now looked up at the scene of heavenly fury "I haven't checked the weather in a long while. I'm going off of intuition here."

Shocked, she raised one of her brows at him before looking back out. "This seems odd hearing this from you." She admitted. "You've always been one to have explanations and reasonings for everything. Scientific ones."

"True enough." He nodded, crossing his arms now. His amber eyes a bit somber behind his glasses. "But, thunderstorms have a special meaning for Leo and Vicky. Not unsurprising since they met because of a nasty one. I really don't have anything to back my hunch up, but what happened that night wasn't natural. There are no way to calculate the odds of it ever happening, because it never physically should have."

"So, what are your thoughts on the event then?" She was honestly curious. Ninjara wasn't as science minded as Donnie. She could, and have, placed her faith in things out of her immediate control.

"Something intervened." Donnie, finally after a few years and not to his own family, admitted. "Some higher power had to have had a hand in it all. Because this was a freak accident that never should have happened."

Ninjara's eyes softened. Out of respect and a bit of awe. "Divine intervention?"

Donnie shrugged. "I don't know for sure, all I don know is that storms are now special in that particular family, and this one coming has all the earmarks of someone, somewhere, being extremely unhappy."

"If what you suspect is true, then let us hope that those forces are still with us."

"Oh, I have that unexplainable feeling that they are." He gave a light smile. "Hunches seem to work out for Leo, maybe I'll follow his lead and let this one play out."

Ninjara nodded, her attention now focused on the storm as it rapidly approached the Sacks estate. If what he was suggesting was possible, the next few days, hours, would be very interesting.