Chapter Four:

Sometimes Karai thought she could hear Yoshi's voice.

It was faint. Soft. Calming.

It caught her off guard, when she felt it.

He'd appeared in her dreams; invaded her thoughts, even when she meditated.

It was a persistent, fatherly nagging, in the back of her skull, distracting her. But it was something else entirely that made her pick up the phone. That made her check her messages.

It'd been a busy day at the gym.

She'd picked up an extra shift and boxed for two hours after close, hoping that she could let out all the anger. She thought leaving would make it go away, subside at the very least. But she'd felt increasingly antsy lately. Always checking her lock, re-checking it. Using her peripherals to look behind her as she walked home from work… She made sure she was safe; that he'd never find her. But Saki had his ways. He always got what he wanted.

Needless to say, she immediately plopped into her springy bed in her one-room apartment when she got there, tossing the keys on her nightstand. She didn't even try to shower, or make herself some tea. Sleep welcomed her quickly.

"Miwa," she heard a voice say. It was smooth as a raindrop over a lily, quiet as a mouse. When she peeled her eyes open, she noticed the feudal-style building, the bridge, the blossom tree that reached over the stream. The woman stood at the opposite end of the bridge, her raven-colored hair flowing with the wind. Something told her legs to move, and she did. As she got closer, she smelled mint tea- her favorite. The woman before her was stunning to behold. Her pale cheeks colored in the lightest of pinks. Her amber eyes soft and beautiful. Her features, though bold, were smooth at the edges. Her hands delicately wrapped around the steaming cup, stretching out toward Karai. She was surprised at herself as she took it. She could no longer feel the hatred, the confusion, the desperate search for approval. She was safe. And accepted. She was loved. The woman said nothing, and started to walk toward the house. She followed willingly, surprising herself once again. She waited for the doubt to settle back in. For the betrayal to be in the front of her mind. But she'd left it. On the other side. When she glanced backward, over the bridge, it was dark. Foggy, uncertain. This side was bright, colorful, sure. She took a sip of the tea, smiling when she realized it was her favorite temperature. It was freshly picked and dried mint and herbs. The house before her wasn't particularly large- but was filled with open space when she walked in. The door slid shut on it's own behind her, but she didn't care. She could spot one anywhere; she was standing inside a dojo. The woman turned around again, smiling.

"Miwa," she said again.

It hit her then.

"Tang Shen. Mother."

Her cup rolled out of her hand as she sprinted for her. She didn't hear it crash to the floor- she didn't care. Her arms wrapped around the woman and she felt her eyes sting with tears. They flowed freely out of her- grief, fear, joy, rolled into one. She did not feel ashamed. She did not feel weak. She felt whole. Well, almost.

"You're not real. This is a dream?" she asked as she calmed. Her voice wavered.

When she glanced up, her mother merely smiled.

"I am real, my daughter."

For the first time, Karai felt anger.

"Then why haven't you come to find me sooner?!" she said, pulling away.

"You were not ready."

"What? I was- I was always ready. I've waited my whole life to-"

"Miwa, you do not understand. You never have. Oroku Saki has…" Karai watched as the woman stumbled back, horror twisting her face and limbs shaking as a fire ignited on her robe and a small dot of crimson turned into a pool on her abdomen. Her beautiful silk dress stained dark red, and the fire spread over her, singeing her skin. She could smell it in the air; burnt hair and burnt flesh.

"MOTHER!" she shouted, racing toward her again. Tang Shen screamed, stumbling back even further, clutching her gut with one hand, the other reaching out toward Karai. She was stopped by a large force. A strong, authoritative arm bent around her waist and she thrashed against it.

"Calm down, Miwa. It will subside."

She'd know that deep, comforting baritone anywhere.

She looked up at him angrily, but her lungs stopped working.

He was a man again.

His skin was pale, but hard like ivory.

No fur coated him.

He had no snout, no whiskers.

He was Hamato Yoshi.

Her father.

She knew because his eyes were the same; they were commanding but soft. Brutal but loving. She glanced back over where her mother was, but she had disappeared. The anger in her surged up inside her once more.

"You let her die! Again! You-"

"That is not so, my daughter."

She whirled around to see Tang Shen closing the gap between them.

"I-I don't… Understand, I-"

"In this life, in this world… We may not speak of our foes, for they are no longer important," her father said. He laid a hand on her shoulder and her mother took her hand.

"But, I…" Realization creeped into the back of her mind, and a part of her shoved it away, unwilling to accept it. "If mother is… Then you…"

The two gave her a sad smile.

"No," she gasped.

Suddenly, it was all too much. She watched as the world tilted and felt her consciousness slip, but not before she heard the two speak in perfect unison.

"We love you, Miwa."

She jolted awake in her bed, sweat pouring down her back.

Outside, a storm voiced it's arrival, and rain slid down the window. She pressed two fingers to her carotid, counting for a minute on her watch, and she knew she wasn't dead. She wasn't in hell. She was back in Japan, in her apartment, on her creaky bed, within the four stained walls. Next to her, she felt the presence of her cell phone. She picked it up and made some calls. Thankfully, Saki would be too stupid to think she'd go back to an old number. His goons wouldn't catch her. When the phone rebooted, it heralded two voicemails. She hesitantly clicked on the first one. It was an unknown number, but she knew better.

Karai...Master Splinter… He was… Poisoned. By The Foot. I thought you should know. It could, um, be any time now. You probably won't hear this, but I guess I just…I wish you were here.

The air was sucked out of her at the hurt in his voice. The pain she felt. Tears stung her eyes and her lip quivered, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before clicking on the second. She squared her shoulders and listened.

He's gone. His raspy voice was empty, cold. He paused for a long time before continuing. We're having a ceremony in two days. At the farmhouse.

Her hand shook as she searched for the date it was received, and she cursed it. In a fit of anger, she smacked her own hand so hard, welts formed in the shape of her fingers. She swore under her breath, and saw the message was from this morning. She'd have time to get there, if she left within the hour. She immediately ran to her landlord, throwing all her rent at him. Before he questioned, she stated she was moving. And it should cover the rest of the month. At the closest stop, she hailed a cab and threw enough yen at the woman to make her tear up. When she explained she needed to be out of the city and into the airport as soon as possible, she didn't hesitate to slam her foot on the pedal, getting Karai there in a quarter of the time.

She remembered the smell of mint tea and cherry blossoms as she traced the walls of the empty dojo. A quiet serenity had settled over the lair since the turtles left. She stopped at the small shrine in the wall, running the tips of her fingers over the picture of them, holding her. Her arms ached for their embraces again, though she knew that they'd never come. Karai knew what she was doing, being in New York. The risk she was taking was not a light one, but she had to. Hadn't she? They were family, when no one else was. Yoshi was her father. She couldn't help how much of an outsider she felt, no matter how welcome Leo tried to make her. Even when she was hiding out, away from The Shredder, she knew they didn't trust her. Especially April. But despite all of that, she'd gone out of her way to make her feel welcome… The thought of her made Karai flinch. She hoped truly, that she was alright.

Guilt was a feeling that Leonardo was no stranger to. Leading a team and being the oldest brother, it went hand-in-hand. The Shellraiser was silent as they sped through the streets, and he couldn't help but think about how this night did not go as planned. Oh, don't play that. You didn't have a plan you ran away. He kept his eyes on the road, thinking of April and how he should've known something was going on. But he let himself get distracted, and now one of theirs is in danger. If hadn't made an impulsive decision to back out, then-

"Leo, watch out!" Donnie shouted just before he slammed on the brakes in front of a crowd of civilians. All of them were running the opposite way, and his gaze followed to April's building, which emitted a powerful and hot blaze that he could feel even through the glass of the van.

"Holy shit do you think-"

"Raph, Mikey, you guys go take out- Donnie! Wait!" Leo parked the van and turned it off, fumbling with his seatbelt and following Donatello outside, toward the screaming people. Most didn't notice, but some cowered away, shouting even louder as they picked up their pace. He didn't notice their cries as much, when he felt his brothers behind him. He could see the tension in the purple-banded turtle's shoulders and neck. His genius brother's brain was running at ninety miles per hour, so he shut up and fell in line behind him. He led them into an alley that stunk of the trash that was strewn everywhere, then behind the building, where they could stay out of sight. They each kept their eyes peeled for any sign of her; some red hair, her t-phone, even her father. Leonardo hoped that he was far away for the fire and the explosion. From what April had told them, he had been getting better, but his nightmares were still horrific and with all the drugs they've put him on, he hasn't really been himself. Donnie didn't say much, just when to turn and where to go. After awhile, he turned back to them, eyes wide with fear.

"I-I don't understand, my scanner said she should be right here-"

"Donatello?" a scratchy voice asked from somewhere to their left. Their heads whipped to a car flipped upside down, and he gasped. He ran over, skidding to a stop on his knee pads.

"Mr. O'Neil?! Don't worry, I'll get this off of you in no time, I just-I need-"

"Donatello, please, I can't find April. Where is she? Was she with you?"

"Mr. O'Neil, I have to get you out-"

"No! Find A-April, please! I'll be fine! I'm fine! Just find her!" His bloodied hand reached and slapped against Donnie's arm with an iron grip.

"Guys! Try and get him out. I'm gonna go look for her."

"What?! No way. You're not going by yourself!" Raphael stepped away from the car, puffing up his chest.

"I am going by myself. April needs me." He pulled his bõ staff out and immediately started to sprint, vaulting himself onto a fire escape. Raph pulled out his sai and began stalking off toward him, when Leo spoke up.

"No, Raph! Let him go. We need to help Mr. O'Neil!" When he turned, his eyes were wild with fury and he ran back, stopping mere inches from Leo's face.

"Don't you go barkin' orders now, Fearless!" he shouted, spinning the handles around his fingers. Leonardo sighed heavily, jabbing him in the plastron with his elbow, earning a low growl.

"That doesn't matter right now, Raphael! What matters is getting Kirby out of here!"

For a moment, he stood, glancing back and forth between the fire escape and April's dad, before running toward the car. From what it looked like, it was just his legs that had been trapped. The vehicle had lodged itself on top of a trash bin, keeping it off of his back.

"Mr. O'Neil, can you crawl?" Leo asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so."

"Alright, on three Raph, Mikey and I will lift the car as much as we can. If you're free enough, start crawling, alright?" He nodded vigorously. "Ready? One, two, three!"

The brothers strained and used all their might to get the car off of the ground, but it barely budged. They set it down and glanced at each other worriedly.

"Again!" he shouted and they put all their might into it. The vehicle moved ever-so-slightly and Kirby scrambled out, leaning against the brick wall and panting. Mikey's eyes fell over something glinting in the light on his side, and ran over to inspect it.

"Guys! He's hurt, there's some glass…"

"What? No, I'm fine. I'm-"

"Mr. O'Neil! You're in shock. Don't move, I have to look at it!"

"Michelangelo, I'm fine-"

"Kirby, I need you to listen. You are not fine. You need to hold still, man. I can't help you until you stop moving." Leo blinked, gaping at the maturity in his youngest brother's voice.

"What can we do, Mikey?" he asked, crouching beside them. He finally got a good look at the wound; a large shard of glass had lodged itself between two of his ribs, and blood flowed steadily from the wound. On top of that, his shin bone was practically snapped in half.

"Raph, Splint his leg. He's gonna need us to-"

"Well, well, well… what've we got here?" asked an all-too-familiar throaty voice. They all turned to see the giant wolf stalk down the alley toward them. Everyone unsheathed their weapons and a growl-like chuckle rumbled through his chest.

"Bradford," Michelangelo spat, swinging his nunchaku at his sides, crouching low.

"Figures you'd be here to save the day," he said, inching closer. Raphael's hands gripped his sai tight enough to cause blisters. "It's all apart of Master Shredder's plan anyway… What's this? Where's the fourth? Caught in the blaze?" Leonardo's nostrils flared at his quarries. The loss of their father stung harshly still; he couldn't bear to lose another member of their family. He simply wouldn't allow it.

"One more step and you're dead." The words were out before he could stop them- not that he wanted to. The mutant froze,his face turning up in an ugly grin. He lifted his paw off the cement and slowly began pressing it closer and closer. "I mean it, DOG!" The words he'd intended to hurt no doubt did their job when he snarled, spit flying out of his mouth.

"You're gonna pay for that one, freak!" Raphael and Leonardo were on defense instantly. Without orders, Mikey stayed back to help a trembling and wide-eyed Kirby. He'd know what to do; he'd spent so much time in Don's lab, he picked up a few pointers, whether they thought him daft or not.

"Who're you calling a 'freak', Fido?!" Raph shouted, landing a blow on the wolf's jaw. His giant claws slashed away at nothing, as he ducked out of reach. Leonardo ran at him at full speed, forcing his foot into Bradford's side. The bony mutant yelped and Leo felt a smug grin cross his features when he heard a snap. As he flailed his claws about, glowing green eyes glinting with hatred, Leo tried to get Raph to see. But it was too late. A sharp edge sliced through the meat of Raph's inner thigh and he cried out, his knees buckling beneath him. Seeing the opportunity, their enemy swept Raph away with a hand, making him fly across the alley and hit the brick building. Hard. Shaking with anger, the turtle in blue hit the wolf's arms away before swiftly forcing himself up beneath his torso, katana outstretched. Rahzar was caught off-guard by the smell of his brother's blood, which bought Leo time to look for a soft spot. His chink in the armor. Right between and below the protruding ribs, Leo's sword easily parted the flesh with a squelch and an outpouring of blood.

"What?!" Bradford's eyes went wide as he stumbled back, blood coating his pointed teeth. Just when Leo thought it was over, that he was done for, the wolf lunged at him. He went to block the blow, but it never came. Instead, a whirr of silver crossed his field of vision and he watched as one of Raphael's sai lodged itself between his eyes. The green in them faded and they rolled back into his head as he fell and hit the pavement with a loud thud. The turtle in blue walked over and yanked his katana from the innards of the mutant. His stomach lurched at the sight of intestines; it wasn't the first time he'd seen them. Patrolling the streets of New York City at night wasn't an easy job, which meant seeing uneasy things. Not to mention their never ending battles with the Kraang and the Foot. It was something that he wished was not as familiar to him. Still, Leonardo felt the anger, white and hot flare up inside him. The kind that resulted in his arm injury. The kind that he used to tell his brother he needed to control. He jabbed the blade into the wolf again. And again. And again. He thought he heard someone in the distance, but his vision clouded red at the edges. Blood splattered up all over his arms and plastron. Leonardo, a voice said. One that he would know anywhere. Enough.

"Sensei?" he gasped.

Nothing.

Shaking, he dropped his katana beside him, staring at his red-stained cloths. The voice echoed in his mind and his arms fell to his sides, his hands closing in fists.

"Thank you," he muttered. He turned to nod at his hothead brother, but didn't see him. His eyes searched, until they saw a flash of green on the cement. Mikey was shouting something he didn't hear; he was already on his way over. Raphael was lying on the ground, unconscious, with blood gushing from his leg. Leo remembered something Donnie had said a long time ago: The femoral artery is located in the inner thigh. If someone gets cut there, do everything you can to stop the bleeding immediately. Otherwise, they will bleed out within four minutes. His blood rushed in his ears as he shook his brother. He needed to stay awake. That's all he needed to do. Stay. Awake. Out of the small supply bag he carried, he took a roll of gauze. His left hand reached for the wound.

"This is gonna hurt. But you have to stay awake. You hear me?" His emerald green eyes lazily rolled and met Leo's. He nodded. With that, he fumbled to pinch the flesh together, his hand slipping in the unstoppable flow of blood. When his hand steadied, he put the edge of the fabric between his teeth, yanking it free from the roll. It seemed he was wrapping endlessly. The fabric soaked through immediately after every layer. Something else Donnie said popped into his mind as tears stung his eyes and sweat poured down his neck. Thankfully, our blood has many unique qualities. One of which, is the viscosity of it. It clots much faster, and easier.

"Come on, come on," he said, shakily dialing Donnie's number on his T-Phone. It went straight to voicemail. "Shit!" Above them, the building lit up again with another explosion, causing debris to fly about. Leo hunched over his brother, as a large slab of rock landed on his shell. He sucked in a sharp breath and another piece hit him in the back of the head, making his vision blur and his ears ring. Raph stirred beneath him, his browridge creasing. He heard Mikey say something to his right, but couldn't make it out, even as he glanced over. His orange-clad brother's arm pointed to a manhole cover a few yards away, and he immediately slung Raph over his back, running to it. When he dropped down into the sewer, another explosion resounded above them. Come on, Donnie!, he thought. Pick up. Holding Raph up, he pressed the phone to his ear, but it went to voicemail again.

"He's not answering- why isn't he answering?!"

"No time, Leo. We need to get them to the lair. Let's go!"

Mikey picked up the pace then, with Kirby groaning on his back.

He followed suit, trying not to think about the two spaces behind him that felt empty.

When they got to the lair, Karai ran out of the dojo immediately.

"Donnie's lab! Now!" Mikey shouted. While he set Mr. O'Neil on the table, his gut twisted. Raphael almost slipped off of his shell as he stumbled back. Karai pulled up the cot, watching his face.

"Leo. Help me get Raph on here."

His chest heaved and his gaze met hers.

"Leo. Now."

He blinked. His eyes drifted back to the table where Kirby sat, then her. My son. Do as she says. He shook his head, and was moving immediately. The voice caught him off guard at how clear it was. Raph groaned at the movement, and she finally saw what had happened. Her eyes grew wide and his arm swatted at her.

"Don' touch me," he muttered. "Giddoutta here."

"I need sutures. And something to clean the wound."

"I said get out!"

"Raph, calm down-" Leo started, bringing back the supplies.

"Get your hands off me, you-you-" Suddenly, his head lolled to the side and his body went limp. She reached up, yanking the materials from his hands. He watched as she skilfully placed the material through the hook without a single flaw, poking it through his skin and tying the flesh together. To his right, Mikey was muttering under his breath, already patching up Kirby's side and getting to work on his leg.

"Mikey, do you need any-"

"No. Make sure Raph has a transfusion bag. He's lost too much blood. It's in the mini fridge over behind Donnie's desk." Leo nodded. When he opened the door, his stomach lurched slightly. Inside the color-coded (using duct tape) bags, the dark liquid sloshed and he reached for the far left, where the bags with red tape hung. Though he tried not to, his eyes drifted to the right, with the bags marked 'Splinter'. Gulping audibly, he slammed the door shut. He carefully carried it as he picked up the tubes and the needle and the sterilizing equipment. Having helped Donnie before, he knew what he had to do. His thoughts drifted to his purple-banded brother, hoping he was having better luck.

Pain woke April. A searing pain in her side. For a moment, she lay still, with her eyes squeezed shut. The heartbeat in her head pounded against her skull, but she noticed it was slow. Not good, she thought. When she tried to move, even breathe, the pain in her gut was so strong, her stomach lurched. Shakily, her arm drifted down to the source. Warm blood soaked her shirt, though it'd crusted on the outside. She'd been lying there for awhile, she gathered. Her fingers moved some more and brushed against something cold and wet. Her lungs sputtered and she coughed raggedly, something choking off her air. When she finally hacked it out, the coppery taste of blood lingered on her tongue. Again, her hand felt around her side, sliding up what she now identified as some sort of pole. She gulped as her hand continued up and up, with seemingly no end, until her forefinger got caught on a jagged edge of it. Not good at all, April. Briefly, she remembered running to the top of her father's apartment building, watching The Foot wreak their havoc. She called Donnie to- Donnie. Tears filled her eyes and a sickening thought rolled through her mind. You're going to die here. In this dark alley. Alone.

"No," she muttered, swallowing the lump in her throat. "No."

Just then, next to her, a small light flashed. She turned her head carefully, thanking whatever's up there she'd had her T-Phone on her, and that it hadn't been destroyed. She reached for it, but her bloody fingers slipped against the plastic. She strained, clenching her teeth, and picked it up, seeing his icon pop on her screen. She clicked the green button.

"April! April! Honey!"

"D-Don…" Suddenly, talking was too much effort, and her eyes stopped focusing.

"April, stay on, okay? I need to ping your location. Where are you?"

"Don… I'm… I don't know if…"

"No," he said sternly. "April, I need you to-"

"Donatello." She hated using that tone with him, but she needed him to listen. "I'm… please, will you just…" She coughed, tasting blood again. "I love you. I love you so m…" Her arm fell limp at her side, then.

She hoped he understood.

Slowly, her eyes closed and she shivered as the wind made her hairs stand on end.

You're going to die here.

Hey guys! I meant to update this earlier in the week, but music school is hard! And lots of work. I apologize! Also sorry for the short Chapter. I was gonna expand, but I was struggling with the end. Please leave any comments/suggestions/etc... Thanks for reading!