A.N: We got a special chapter today which marks the start of the reunions we're going to have very soon.
Nightmaster000: Thank you for taking time to review the chapters. Your words give me life and encouraged me to write up this chapter I know you'll enjoy!
I don't own TMNT
(Translation)
CHAPTER 23
Dawn's shining light broke over the quiet city of New York, not a soul in sight. Save for a Kraang patrol here and a Kraang worm the size of a truck there. Making sure where she was wouldn't have a Kraang-related thing in sight, Karai slithered out into the middle of the street in her snake form. She checked twice both ways before ducking back into an alley.
As she looked around, she noticed the lack of human-turned-Kraang creatures. They used to roam the sidewalks and alleys like emotionless zombies. Now there were none to be found. The snake part of her mind though was more on high alert than the worries of her human mind. Safe hiding spot… move on to next… hide more…..
As she continued to peek around the corner of the building, Karai got an itchy feeling on the left side of her face. Her snake hands morphing into human-like clawed hands, she used it to scratch the itch but felt something fall. She looked down to see bits of scales fall to the floor, looking like dried bits of paint. Oh yeah, that was a thing now. Shedding… new skin… fresh…
And that's how it was the last few weeks. Moving to one place and shedding in another. Without even knowing she had gone from the sewers of East Village to the subway tunnels of Midtown. Today, her snake mind thought best to explore more westward. There wasn't enough food to hunt where she had been before. Hungry… more food… hunt.
Karai heard a squeak behind her. She looked down the alley and saw a small rat sneaking out from below a dumpster. Karai got low… real low, coiling back. As soon as the rat stopped in the middle of the alley, the snake girl lunged with jaws wide open.
))))))))))))))))) Midtown Manhattan (((((((((((((((
Even if it was noon and she was outside, Fillien flew over the west side of midtown, hoping that maybe finding Karai in daylight would be easier. She had been doing so in the last week since the month of May started. At least a month since she joined the Mutanimals. Seeing as they took the mornings to sleep, Fillien thought she would use some of the daylight hours to go searching before resting for another night patrol.
And so she glided over a couple of sky scrappers before finding herself over some small shops and apartments. She did well to remain low enough in case a stealth ship flew by and she had to duck for cover. After about an hour she just stopped and took a break. She took in the few of the empty city. Even if she had been used to the hustle and bustle of popular tourist cities, she liked the quiet that the suburbs had. Yes, Midtown wasn't a suburb but it sure felt like it. "Where are all the Kraang-humans?" she wondered to herself.
Before she could think more on it she heard a shrill squeak come from inside a flower shop. Looking across the street from the roof of an apartment she had laid to rest, Fillien spotted something moving in the shadows of the store. The cat could easily see something white moving about since the large display window was broken.
Checking left and right for patrol, Fillien deemed it clear enough for her to glide down and land in front of the shop's window. Fillien stalked towards it, keeping low and her wings halfway spread out in case she had to make a quick getaway. "Hey, anyone in there?" Fillien hissed. No response. It was dead silent now. "If you're a mutant, I promise you, I'm not going to—"
Suddenly, a giant white form jumped out through the hole of the broken window. Fillien yelped and ducked, her stomach to the ground as her front paws went over her head. She waited until the shadow passed over her before she lifted her head and looked back to see none other then Karai slithering away. "Oh, my—Karai! Karai wait!"
As Fillien followed the snake across the street and into an alley, the cat's thoughts went as fast as her feet. Karai was here! She found Karai! After all this time the searching had paid off. But why was the snake girl on the run? "Karai!" Fillien chased her on foot for a couple of blocks before finally, "Ok, that's it." Fillien jumped high and used her wings to push herself forward so that she was far enough in front of Karai path. Once she landed she yelled, "Karai stop!"
The snake girl came to a halt but raised her upper body high so that she was taller then Fillien and hissing down at her. Fillien stepped back, seeing the familiar blank look in her friend's eyes that came with this odd defensive behavior. "Oh no… not again, no…" Fillien gasped as she stood up tall and her wings folded to the side.
Karai hissed at her, but Fillien noticed she wasn't attacking. Ok, so she still had the ability to control her body as a snake. No sudden lash out towards the cat girl or displaying some new ability at an unnecessary time. If that wasn't the problem then it had to be mental. Her memories. "Don't forget everything we've been through these last few months, please. Africa, Tomoe, my uncle…"
At first, Karai just blinked. She stopped hissing and moved back a bit to observe Fillien who didn't attack. The cat just staid there with a worried look in her eyes. Not an enemy…. But friend… Friend who? Wait… Those words. Africa, Tomoe, Uncle… Those memories came so fast, Karai's body almost shot upward before she jumped back to recoil, her body trembling. Fillien's mouth gapped open at the sight of Karai's reaction. "Karai, it's ok it's just me…"
Karai ducked her head into the coil to shut out the light and the sight of the cat in order to concentrate. Too many memories…. But… not bad. Adventure, thrill, happiness, protection. Usually that all came with Fillien. "Ffffillien." Karai hissed with a smile as she lifted her head up and uncoiled. But before she could turn into a human, her snake senses caught a whiff of something else. Oil?
Fillien also was going to get lost in joy at seeing the snake girl smile when she too figured something was off. Her ears perked, her left ear angled up as she heard the sound of machinery. "KRAANG!" Fillien yelled before jumping towards Karai and pushing her to the ground, flat on her back. A plasma blast hit where the cat once stood. Both Fillien and Karai got up and stood back to back in time to see themselves surrounded by Kraang droids.
A long hiss echoed around the small alley they were in as Karai eyed every single droid surrounding them. Fillien was just as annoyed, "I find my friend and suddenly you all decide to be a problem. Thanks!"
That's when the Kraang began shooting. Fillien and Karai immediately went on the offense. Karai practically bulldozed her way through five of eight droids blocking the east entrance of the alley. With those in pieces, she was able to grab two other droids, one in each snake hand. She held them in front of her by their heads and then slammed their metal heads together.
The cat made a similar attack on the droids blocking the west side of the alley. She rammed her body into a couple of Kraang droids before jumping high to grab one in the head with her powerful jaws. As she came down and held the droid tight, she kicked her back feet back. Once to disarms the blasters of two droids behind her and the second time to kick those same two into the wall of a building behind them.
Only one left and she was done. Crushing the one in her jaw into pieces, she turned to face the last one she had to take out. In an instant though, a Kraang from across the alley was thrown into it. Fillien looked to see Karai standing straight, her tail coiled around her as her snake hands hissed. She herself was breathing hard, her tongue out almost hanging to the side like a dog panting after a long run.
Seeing as Karai was frazzled, Fillien looked to see the situation now. It looked as if there weren't any to begin with. All that was left were empty droids whose Kraang were long gone. So Fillien went up to Karai and said, "Relax, they're gone." The snake didn't let up, here head darted back and forth as if she were still searching. "Karai…. KARAI!"
The snake girl blinked and shook her head before her eyes focused on Fillien. "Ffffillien…."
"Yep, still me," fillien assured. Karai lowered her head to get eye level with Fillien. That's when relief finally set in since they didn't get the chance earlier. "And it's you! You're here. I can't believe I found you…" upon closer inspection she noticed bits and piece of dead skin peeling off Karai's face. "… and… you're shedding… ew…"
Karai blinked again but instead of being unresponsive she laughed. Fillien… always stating the obvious. Karai then turned into her human form, reaching out and stroking Fillien in the head. "For a second there I thought you were reverting back," Fillien added in relief. Pulling her hand back, Karai bit her lip and her eyes shifted around nervously. "What's wrong?" Fillien looked around thinking Karaiw as reacting to danger. "Maybe we should get out of here. Besides, it's still daylight—hey! I know a great place to hide. Follow me." Fillien turned tail and had Karai follow her south.
"I've been staying with this group of mutants. Besides the… eccentric name that is Mutanimals, they aren't all bad." Fillien stopped around the corner of a building and peeked down 7th Avenue. Karai right next to her, still on two feet. Fillien continued, "Even Slash turned out to be a nice guy—" She never got to finish.
Karai only had to hear the name Slash to see herself in front of said mutant. She stepped back and held her head in her hands as she remembered the giant… turtle… the angry big one. And enemy. Mace in hand… ready to kill… her… because of Shredder. Karai's eyes went wide, Fillien looking back to see her body shifting into a snake. "Karai… what's going on why are you-?"
Hissing at Fillien, she turned around and hid behind a big dumpster. Curling up, she tried her best to get rid of the memories. Shredder… the lier… trickster… murder…
Being cautious as to not make sudden movements, Fillien tiptoed to where Karai coiled herself into a shivering mess of shedding skin by the dumpster. "What happened… all I said was… oh… oh no… you are reverting back. And it's because of your memories…"
))))))))))))))))))))) Abandoned Apartment Complex, Midtown (((((((((((((((((((
(Song: Stand By You by Rachel Platton)
"So PTSD…. It's not a problem… Its just…. well people who have it can still live life," Fillien said to Karai as she laid on the used mattress in the little, dusty room. Karai was in her human form, which made it easier for Fillien to see the deadpan that crossed her friend's face. "Well, a life of their own choosing." Fillien stepped around the mattress and looked out the space in the boarded-up window. The evening sun was starting to set.
Fillien thought it best not to go back to the Mutanimals at the moment and just stake out at her old hideout for the time being. It took Fillien little time to adjust to Slash but Karai was going to take a lot longer. And knowing Karai didn't like 'burdening' others with her problems, Fillien knew the Mutanimals weren't going to be of help even if they tried.
"We just have to think of the next thing to do. I mean it's obvious it should be the same thing we set out to do before we got separated. Reunite with your family. Donnie said they would come back to New York City soon from wherever they went. It should be soon… hopefully. And when they do, we can finally get their help."
Karai pulled her knees to her chest as she kept laying on her side, not looking up. She heard every word. She understood. But… "Better idea."
"Ok, shoot."
"Maybe… avoid problemsssss… all together. I… sssssstay… here. It was Fillien's turn to look away from the window and give Karai a deadpan. Karai gave a sheepish smile in return. "No bad memoriessss here."
Fillien went and laid down on the mattress next to Karai, saying, "Can't keep avoiding them. I thought we agreed we were finally ready to see your family."
"I wasssss….. 'til now. Might hurt… turtles…might hurt…" Karai mentally blocked out the image and the name that would follow to avoid any lash out.
"I know who you mean…" Fillien said, knowing Karai still had a problem being around Splinter. "But we don't have to go all in right away. How about just the turtles for now. Besides, you said yourself you last saw… him… not in such a good state of mind. The turtles will have to help him, too. But for now Spl—I mean— he can't help you. The turtles will be your best bet."
As always, Karai couldn't help but doubt. But there was a new feeling. Not in her head but her chest. One she hadn't felt in so long time. Hope. Hope that came with friendship. Karai sat up and scooted closer to Fillien so that she could lay against the cat's left side. Fillien smiled at Karai as the Kunoichi wrapped an arm around the back of the cat's neck and smiled back. "Happy… to sssssee you."
"You and me both," Fillien said as she rested her head on her paws and let Karai pet her on the head. "Everything is going to be fine now."
"I know… I got you…"
Fillien gave a sheepish smirk which made Karai giggle. She couldn't be more lucky to have Fillien there to bring some real good memoires to calm her down. Karai closed her eyes, remembering all the times they stood by each other in a fight. Yes, they were fights against enemies, but Fillien was there standing by her. It made Karai rest easy as the sun set and the darkness outside set into the little room.
That night, without the girl's knowledge, the turtle's returned to New York
A.N: And that's why Stand By You is the song I chose for this chapter! We at least have the girls reunited because it's been WAY too long, don't you think? And it's time to get back on track because turtles next time, yip, yip! I'm KikaKatTIOI, peace out!