The cat didn't look scared at all as the usually calm, collected leader held a katana to her throat, her blue eyes glanced serenely up at him. She was prepared to die, and that sent a shiver all the way to Leonardo's bones.

"Would you kill a woman who goes nameless?" she asked softly, purposely.

That hit Leo pretty hard.

"Leo, Mike, Don, this is Ali, she's not feeling to great so can we keep blood and gore to a minimum? Did I just say that?"

Leonardo backed away, he wasn't usually this hostile, but this thing had made a play of his honor.

She sighed as she nearly collapsed down onto the sleeping back - Leo's sleeping bag, he noticed but said nothing - and crossed her legs.

Michaelangelo scratched his head slightly

"So… Raph when were ya gonna tell us you had a girlfriend?"

"?!"

*~*

They had taken the cat back to the lair, Raphael giving up his bandana so she could be blindfolded.

Now she sat on the couch like a lump, her eyes closed as the brothers argued.

"Raphael, why didn't you tell us?" Leonardo demanded.

"Raph, why didn't you just steal our stuff? You coulda asked." Donatello inquired.

"Psycho, didn't you know fur and shells don't mix?" Michaelangelo joked.

Always count on Michaelangelo to be the funny one.

Raphael stayed silent, he felt awful, he had been dishonest, he had hidden her away, and worst of all, she was sick, and he knew it. And his brothers were more concerned about their stuff?

And it was said HE was the uncaring one.

"Hey, ya know, get the heck off my shell! She got into some trouble and I was just offering her a place to stay, I didn't tell you because she asked me not to, and Mike quite frankly I don't give a damn. And she is NOT my girlfriend!"

Ali opened her eyes and looked at them.

"Raphael is right, he has been kind to me…" her voice broke slightly, becoming rough with tears "And if this is how you treat your clan members, then I wish Raphael had never found me to begin with, can't you see you're hurting him?" she said softly.

Leonardo blinked, then narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you to talk, anyway, you hadn't said a thing about yourself."

Leonardo blinked again, that didn't sound like him at all… "I'm just worried about Splinter," he thought to himself.

The cat took a shuddering sigh, then looked at him

"I didn't tell Raphael, who saved my life. Why should I…" she stopped and blinked… standing as she walked over to a wall "It can't be…" she said softly as her hand traces over something the brothers green couldn't see.

"What's she doin'?" Mike asked Leo,

Leonardo shrugged.

Ali turned, and looked at them.

"It's not safe for you around me… but I would recommend we work together, they took your teacher."

Leo, Don, Mike, and Raph blinked.

"How'd you know?"
Ali Kat turned around, a glint of fear in her eyes

"Because the ones who took your master are the ones who bought me to your world."

Raphael narrowed his eyes at Ali, she had said she didn't know where she came from, why was she telling them different?

Ali shifted her weight nervously, tense.

Mike sighed, - a rare him unless he was told to do something - then pulled his brothers into a huddle.

"Look guys, this kitten doesn't look to be too healthy, and well Splinter can take care of himself right?" he said nervously. "I think she needs better rest and food than she's been getting… uh… no offense Raph!"

"Get on with it Mike." Raph growled

"I think maybe she should stay here while we all work out a plan to get Splinter back."

Leonardo turned to Ali, who was leaning tiredly against a wall. Had he been so blind in his anger at having his honor insulted, that he did not notice she was ill? He felt guilt rising in his throat like bile, and turned back to the group.

He nodded reluctantly, thinking it over. Splinter was a Ninjitsu Master; he could take care of himself, at least for a little while.

"You're right, Mike." He said.

"Hey! Cat dudette! Pack your PJ's and prepare to party down 'till dawn!"

Ali blinked and tilted her head

"I don't understand…"

"Huh? Oh, well that means you're kinda sorta staying with us." He shrugged, and Ali stood, looking alarmed…

"No, I couldn't, I'd put you all in mortal danger!" she insisted, she stood up, looking at the ladder that could lead her to freedom.

Mike laughed

"Hey! We're Ninjas! We beat the foot clan! We protect the city from bad guys!"

"But you don't know what I know, and you can't do what I do." Ali Kat said softly. She looked to Raphael pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Ali, but Leo's right, if you don't stay you could just get sicker."

"Yeah, and Raph doesn't want the death of such a lovely cat on his head!" Donatello snickered.

"Aw stuff it Don!" Raph blushed.

"Aw! Look at 'im! He's BLUSHING!" Mike's voice rang out like a bell.

Ali herself was blushing, but one couldn't see it through her fur.

*~*

And so Ali was staying in the living room of the turtles, sleeping on the ragged couch, but she didn't seem to mind at all, well… sleeping yes. Ali wanted to be up and around, she wanted to get rid of the threat as soon as possible.

Raphael couldn't agree more.

*~*

The orange bandana-ed turtle skateboarded through the sewers, it was just before dawn and although he had a long night, helping to move the Kitten's stuff from the dead-ended tunnel to the living room of the Turtle Lair, he was up. His almost endless amount of energy from all that pepperoni and ice cream pizza was probably what attributed to this.

He paused under a grating, and took up a map.

"Yup! This looks like the place!" he mummered softly. He put the board to the side, and pushed up on the grating.

He was just above eye-level with the ground, and he saw what he was after.

It was white with a yellow center, hanging there simple and beautiful.

He grabbed one daisy, and returned to the darkness of the sewers.

*~*

"Hum ha da de da du…" Michaelangelo hummed as he came out of the kitchen with a bowl of Lucky Charms, half a bagel, an apple, a tall glass of orange juice, and an old root beer bottle with the aforementioned daisy in water.

"Oh Alllllllllllllllllllllli!" he said, drawing out the name of the mutant cat. "Time to wake up and smell the daisies!"

He set the breakfast tray on the coffee table, and turned to the lump.

"Ah man, c'mon Ali don't just lay there like a bump on a log!"

He placed his hand down on Ali's shoulder, and felt it sink in.

"What the…" he narrowed his eyes slightly and pulled back the flap of the sleeping bag

He found a bunch of throw pillows in her place.

"GAH! LEO! DON! RAPH! THE CAT'S NOT IN THE BAG!"

Don poked his head, without his violet bandana, out of his room.

"Mike, it's 'the cat's outta the…' ALI'S GONE?"

"DUH!" Mike exclaimed,

Raphael was the first one totally out of his room, tying his bandana, a snarl on his lips.

"Ali!" he barked, as if expecting an answer.

Leonardo was out a second later, placing his katana in their place on his back. Donatello came out of his room, bo in hand.

The four turtles were in a panic; did the same people who took Splinter take Ali too?

"I'm right here, Raphael." Came a small voice from the shadows…

Every head turned to the voice, and seeming materializing out of nowhere came the gray-and-white body of Ali Kat, wearing the same brown leather top and chain mail-leather skirt. Her eyes were indeed glazed over, and she seemed even sicker this morning.

"Uh… hey Dudette, I made ya a little breakfast? We got yer lucky charms, your Manhattan bagel…"

"Mike, what's that burning…?" Leonardo said, sniffing the air.

"GAH! THE PANCAKES!" Mike exclaimed, and ran back to the kitchen.

Ali raised what would have been her eyebrows as she stood shakily, and ran a hand through her silvery hair.

"I don't feel very well." She commented absently.

"Queen of the Obvious." Raph said, he was a little bit peeved at having to be woken up for nothing. With a wave of his hand he dismissed the whole event "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going back to bed." He muttered, and walked back into his room.

Leo sighed, and glanced at Ali. He felt better today than he did yesterday after his walk, he felt less tired then he wanted to feel.

Donatello rubbed his head.

"Guess that means I should maybe get to the lab." He shrugged.

Michaelangelo came back with a frown on his face. He rubbed the back of his head.

"I did have pancakes for the rest of us… but uh… I kinda forgot about them."

Ali smiled at him, and Mike melted. She had such a cute smile!

"It's OK, Mike." Leo said that with almost a yawn forming, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't go disappearing on us again, Ali." He said, and Ali could detect a tone of maliciousness in his voice. "I don't want to have to go looking for you."

Ali frowned, but nodded and retreated to the comfort of the couch.

"Mike, keep an eye on her." Leonardo said, glancing at her "I don't trust her."

Ali scowled at Leonardo then, laying her ears back.

"I can hear well, I don't know about you, shellback." She said, then lay down inside the sleeping bag.

"I can hear just fine, and my name is Leonard… OH!"

Leo ducked just in time to miss a pillow being thrown at him.

Leonardo scowled, then walked into his room to meditate; this would be an interesting problem…

Mike shrugged, and walked over to Ali.

"Feelin' a LITTLE better?"

"No. I don't want to fight him." She said softly. She looked up to the closed door "He is strong; but he's troubled by the disappearance of his teacher."

"You psychic or something?"

The gray cat smiled at Mike slightly

"Maybe."