Punishment

I don't own the Bible, but I'm not sure who's got the copyright on that... (The verse I used is Deuteronomy 21:18-21, in case anyone cares)

MICHAELANGELO:

"I don't like this," I mumbled as the sky continued to get lighter. "She should be here by now."

We all knew it. None of us wanted to admit it. But it had been at least two hours, and there was no sign of her. If she'd encountered Shredder, she was probably already gone. I hung my head, leaning against one of the trees surrounding the statue. The graves here were old, forgotten. They were dated back in the 1800s.

April was on her way. She had been extatic to hear from us. So much so that Leo had to hold the phone away from his ear. Raphael was with her, and he was coming whether we wanted him to or not.

"I'm surprised they haven't come looking for us yet," Donny mumbled.

"They probably think we'll come back for her."

I glanced at him. The way he said the words made it clear that he had no intention of going back. "Leo..." I started.

"No," he interrupted. "Don't."

The cell phone rang. Donny picked it up. It was April, and she was at the house down the path. Donatello hung up the phone. Leo gave one last look toward the compound. The sun broke the horizon.

RAPHAEL:

"What the hell happened to you?" I demanded as April threw her arms around Michaelangelo's neck. It was an indescribable relief to see my brothers again.

"Shredder's got a.. I don't know... village?" Donatello explained, pointing over his shoulder. "It's about three miles back."

"Well hidden," Mike added. "We never could've found it."

"Well, hell, we weren't even looking outside the city," I mumbled. "You wouldn't think he'd be this far away and still work inside the city as much as he does."

"How did you guys get away?" April asked, inspecting a cut on the side of Leo's face. They all looked pretty beat up. I could only imagine what they'd been through during their escape.

They all fell silent. One by one, their eyes dropped to the ground. April held Leonardo at arm's length. "What happened?" she questioned, softer this time.

Leo kept his head down and massaged at the back of his neck. "Kat," he mumbled. "Katarina... helped us."

I felt my eyes get wide. "She helped you escape?" I questioned, shocked.

He nodded, his eyes still down. I glanced around at the solemn faces of my brothers. "Where is she now?" I demanded.

KATARINA:

I was hurled to the ground at his feet. I didn't fight against them. I stared down at the dirt and breathed hard. Finally, I looked up. I wouldn't cower. My father glared down at me with hatred in his eyes and I glared back. I couldn't fight him, I wasn't prepared to try. I was going to die, and I was ready. The only regret I had was that I had never gotten a chance to make amends with Raphael. But Leo would take care of that. I knew he would.

My father watched me, his eyes in this slits under the metal hood. "You are a disgrace to me," he growled.

"That was the idea," I shot back.

He unsheathed his weapon. The sharp metal gleamed in the moonlight. I clenched my teeth and stared death in the face, defiant.

MICHAELANGELO:

"You left her there?" he breathed, shock and anger choking his voice.

"Raph, we don't even know that she's alive," Leo answered solemnly. "Chances are he probably killed her on sight."

"Chances, Leonardo?" he whispered. The shock was preventing him from getting angry. "You left her there on the chance that she was dead?"

"No, Raphael," Leo sighed. "I left her there because she asked for my word that I would not go back, no matter what, and I gave it to her."

Raph glanced at Donatello for confirmation, and he nodded slightly. "Oh, god," April whispered to herself. She hid her face.

Raph opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. He stood dumbfounded as we all gave Kat a moment of silence. "Where...?" he started. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "This compound," he tried again, more composed this time. "It's three miles from here?"

I immediately knew what he was thinking. I wasn't sure whether to feel relief or horror. "Raph, you can't go there," Leo sighed.

The cold, hard, determined look that was Raphael returned. "Just try and stop me, Leo," he threatened.

"Raph, come on," Donatello tried to reason. "She's gone. And that's suicide."

"I don't care," he shot back.

I was torn. There was no stopping Raphael when he got like this. But Donny was right, it was a death wish. And as much as I wanted to believe otherwise, I knew Kat was probably dead already. But I couldn't deny that I felt the same thing. Everything inside of me wanted to go back there, just to be sure. If she wasn't dead, if she could still make it out alive, then we'd abandoned her. How could we do that after she'd risked her life to save us?

"We promised her we wouldn't go back," Leo whispered. "It was what she wanted."

"No," Raph pointed at him, raising his voice. "You promised. I never said word one."

Donatello couldn't let it lie. "Raph, you can't take on the entire..."

"Shut the hell up, Donny!" Raph yelled. "This doesn't concern you!"

"How does it not concern me?" Don shot back. "You're talking about suicide here!"

Raph didn't fight. He didn't argue anymore. He just spun and started to walk away. "Raphael," Leo called after him.

Raph turned and looked back, fire dancing in his eyes. Leo hesitated. "She's already gone, Raph," he finally mumbled. He sounded as defeated as he looked. "If you go in there... you won't come back out. And you won't accomplish anything."

Raphael's gaze didn't waver. After a moment of silence, he spun and ran into the woods. I stared after him, not sure what to do.

KATARINA:

I felt the tip of the blade under my chin and anger swept over me. "Are you going to kill me, Shredder?" I demanded, purposely forsaking the term "father". "Murder me? While I'm on my knees?"

"And why, exactly, are you on your knees?" he shot at me.

"You send an army of ninjas after one person and call it defeat when she is struck down?" I challenged.

"You were defeated long before my men got involved," he growled.

"Yeah, I know," I snarled. "From the moment I was born, right? Just a stupid, weak woman, right? Well I've got news for you, this woman just brought your empire crashing down, Shredder. They know where you stay now, and all the years you struggled to build this place... it all means nothing. Because of a woman."

He glared at me, fury burning in his eyes. "And I'm not sorry," I whispered.

He didn't move for a long time. Then, finally, he pulled the sword back from my neck. "Take her to the gate," he ordered. "I don't wish to spill blood on my porch."

DONATELLO:

"You guys can't just let him walk in there and get himself killed!" April cried.

Leo sighed. "What do you want us to do, April?" He sounded tired and discouraged. "We can't stop him, and I don't really want to try."

"You don't want to try?" she yelled. "Why the hell not?"

"If we stop him, April," I mumbled, "he'll spend the rest of his life feeling like he could've saved her."

"The rest of his life is about to come to an end," she reminded me, anger streaking her voice.

Leo turned away. "Go after him," April told him. "If you're not gonna stop him, at least try and help him! The four of you have a better chance together than..."

"No," Leo interrupted.

"Why?" she demanded.

"I gave my word," he mumbled quietly.

"Damn your honor, Leonardo!" she screamed. We turned to face her, all of us shocked. "You can sacrifice yourself, but you have no right to sacrifice your brother!"

With an angry, frustrated cry, she stormed away. We all watched as she walked to the van, got in the driver's seat and slammed the door. She slammed it so hard that the window shattered, spilling glass all over the dirt driveway. She rested her hands on the steering wheel, and her head on her hands, and she cried.

Her words rang in my ears. Mike started toward the van, but he thought better of it. He turned to Leo, a lost, pleading look on his face. I followed his gaze. I didn't want to admit I felt the same thing. "Leo...?" I pleaded. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

"Damn it," he whispered angrily, opening his eyes to look down at the ground.

KATARINA:

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father...

An execution. For a sin I did not repent for. Nor would I. A million thoughts flooded through my mind. A blur of motion, and I was suddenly dizzy. The voice of my father rang in my memories. "You are a disgrace to me."

Or the voice of his mother...

I'd had a mother, once. She'd read to me from a children's Bible. Stories of love and peace. My father had despised her for it. Polluting me, he'd said, with rediculous notions. Were her stories in fact the same laws that sentenced me now?

And that, when they have chastised him, will not harken unto them.

He had used her book, long after she'd died, to decend from on high and come down to my level. He'd thrown truth at me like darts, and I had not accepted his lies. Honor thy father and mother. And I did not honor him. I dishonored him, defied him, and challenged his authority. So unlike that good, sweet girl that my mother had wanted me to be. Defied my father. Not only with my spoken words, for angry thoughts had been my defiance long before I was thrown at his feet. I had defied him the moment I looked into the eyes of his enemy. And for that I would not repent.

Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him...

Jerked to my feet, I half-walked, allowing them to drag me to my well-deserved death.

And bring him out unto the elders of his city...

An execution, for a sin that even my mother would agree was punishable by death. Dishonorable, bloody, and without remorse, I accepted the fate before me.

And unto the gate of his place...

Past the razor wire, I was hurled to the dirt. The crowd had disbersed, each to his own home with the threat no longer present. They were long gone. Thank god, they were long gone. And all of my father's work, to build his secret fortress, had come to nothing. For now they knew where he hid.

And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious...

He stood over me. I glared up at him, hatred and rebellion surging through me in a steady stream. I would go to my death, for I knew it was deserved.

He will not obey our voice...

"{You have no remorse?}" he challenged, seemingly amused.

"{I would do it again,}" I spat at him.

He is a glutton and a drunkard...

I remembered Raphael, and the climax of my rebellion as I had given myself to the enemy. The emotions that rushed over me, and the high that I felt as my entire body reacted to him. The way he had kissed me, his hands roaming over me so gently. He had taken me to a place I had never wanted to leave. Drunk on his presence, and the wine of his kisses, I had made a choice. And I would do it again.

And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones...

The sword caught the early morning light and I stared at it, unafraid.

That he die...

LEONARDO:

"Raph! Raphael, wait!"

Raph slowed, but didn't look back. We ran to catch up with him. "You know this is insane, right?" Mike asked. "You gonna just walk right up to Shredder and tell him he was bad for killing her?"

"She's not dead," he mumbled.

I sighed. "Okay, Raph, I understand why you're doing this," I muttered. "But you have to accept the fact that this might not turn out happily ever after."

He stopped and spun to me, gripping my shoulder. "We were fifteen," he shot. "You came bursting through the front door of April's farmhouse, rambling about how you knew Splinter was alive. How did you know that?"

I stared at him, the challenge ringing in my ears along with the memory of that morning. There was no answer to that question, and he knew it. "I don't know," I resigned. "I just did."

"Then don't ask me to explain to you how I know she's alive."

He turned and continued walking. I sighed as I followed him, hoping he was right.

MADONNA:

I knew what he was going to do. I knew he was perfectly serious about it. But I also knew that I could not stand by and watch as he murdered his own daughter... and my best friend.

With a sudden and determined burst of willpower, I stepped in front of her. He stopped and stared at me, shocked. "No," I said.

That was all. It was all he needed. Anger flooded his face. Instinctively, I was afraid. Of what, Madonna? I challenged myself. Death?

"Get out of the way," he ordered.

I reached into the jacket, and produced a gun. He stepped back, shocked. He hadn't known that I had a gun. In reality, I didn't relish the thought. But throughout my entire life, my father had discouraged me from the martial arts. And I had to have some way to defend myself. So I had learned how to use a gun. I had never needed it before now.

Anger overwhelmed me. He had taken everything from me. My entire life, from the start, had been subject to him. I hated him. And I hated what I had become because of him. "I won't live like this," I whispered, thinking out loud.

"No," he glared. The threat in his voice was evident. I steadied my finger on the trigger, fully prepared to defend myself if he made a move. But there was no time. Before I could blink, much less make my fingers work, he had the gun out of my hand. I couldn't tell what he'd done. All I knew was that I was suddenly defenseless. "No, you won't," he repeated.

And it was over.

LEONARDO:

I heard gunshot, and all four of us froze. My breathing stopped. Why on earth would there be a gun in a camp full of ninjas? Another two shots, and an angry cry, followed by a long string of Japanese expletives not normally heard in public.

"Kat," Mikey whispered. Raphael jerked to attention at the sound of her voice

Suddenly, she cut off. None of us breathed. The silence that followed was eerie. "Come on," Raphael whispered, determined.

SHREDDER:

She fell silent and glared at the gun that was now pointed at her. On her feet again, anger shining in her eyes, she breathed hard. "{You're a murderer,}" she whispered threateningly. "{You have no honor!}"

I dropped the gun on the body that lie bleeding in the dirt. Normally, I would never have used such a weapon. But it seemed fitting that she should die by the same instrument she used to threaten me. "{She was already dead,}" I informed Kiara. "{She was dead the moment she disgraced me. Much the same as you.}"

"Monshi!" (AN: Die in agony!)

"{As you shall,}" I guaranteed.

She stood before me, her eyes flaming. "{You are a liar,}" she accused. "{And a murderer. One of us will die now, and let our fates decide it.}"

She clenched her fists tightly at her sides and breathed hard. "{Or are you aftraid,}" she growled, "{of a woman!}"

I studied her, considering the challenge. She wished to die in battle. It would be brief, and no more exerting than killing her where she stood. I nodded slightly. "{Send your children away,}" she threatened, sarcastically. "{This is between you and me, not your soldiers.}"

LEONARDO:

She was lying on the ground, just outside of the gate. "Oh, god," Mikey whispered.

I felt Raph's hand on my shoulder. "Go," he permitted. "See if she's alive. We'll cover you."

I darted toward the figure, glad that the fence was solid. I would not be seen unless someone came out of the gate. There was no presence nearby, except for the one on the ground. I swallowed hard as I approached, already knowing what I would find, dreading to see it.

Madonna was lying in a pool of her own blood. I hit my knees at her side and her eyes fluttered open as I touched the side of her face. She was alive. But I could tell that she was hanging by a thread that was about to snap. There was no way in hell she was going to survive, and I knew it. Blood poured from two holes in her chest and one in her neck. I stared at the face of death as she choked and coughed blood. Pain and sadness clouded her dimming eyes.

I took her hand, unable to say anything. What could I say to her? She'd made her decision, she'd reaped the consequences. But that didn't ease the burning in my chest. "Leo," she gasped. She coughed again and moaned in pain. "I'm so... sorry."

I shook my head and held her hand tighter, tears burning my eyes. I could say nothing. "You have to know..." she tried. "It wasn't... my father... dishonored..." Again, she choked. I cringed as blood ran from her mouth. "It was you... And I die..." She cringed and gave a high-pitched, weak moan. "...in dishonor... forgive me..."

"You're forgiven," I assured her, pain choking my voice. The blood spilled and I felt tears sting my eyes. Shot down, by the man she'd sacrificed everything for.

I saw her fingers move as she lifted her hand. I was surprised at the strength she still seemed to possess.

"Then... help me..."

I stopped my breath, my chest tightening. I knew what she wanted. She wasn't clinging to life. She was ready to die, but not in dishonor. Not shot with three bullets from her father's gun. She craved honor. It was all she had ever wanted. She'd sacrificed her life for it. How could I deny her? Especially since I knew I would want the same thing. It didn't make it any easier.

I swallowed hard as she closed her eyes. "Please... Leo... Help me..."

I leaned over her and kissed her gently, tasting the blood on my lips. The warm essence of life coated my fingertips as I touched her neck. "I love you," I choked, tears streaming down my face. I wasn't ashamed of them. This pain was more intense than anything I'd ever felt in my life.

But still, I realized that I was calm. I was at peace, knowing that she wasn't fighting to cling to life. She was ready to go, and I had to think that she'd considered this long before she'd stepped in front of his gun. I knew she had. She had only left me in order to protect her honor, and in so doing only further defiled it. Then she realized it. And maybe she felt there was no way to undo it. Was it possible to be forgiven of lost honor? Yes, it was. But could she forgive herself? And did it matter now?

Death before dishonor. It was me she had betrayed, but he had put her to death. And her sacrifice to make amends with him had amounted to nothing. Rather than forgive her, he had left her to bleed to death through wounds from a gun. A gun. It was an insult, and she knew it. But she understood what she was dying for, even if he did not. She had chosen death, rather than to live with him in dishonor of me. And now, she would die an honorable death... even if she and I were the only ones in the world who knew that.

I had not yet loosened my grip on the katana Kat had placed in my hand. But now, I relinquished it. I breathed deep as I placed the hilt in her outstretched hand. She wrapped her fingers around it tightly and I cringed. I turned my head and closed my eyes, unable to watch as she silently, calmly died. I heard the last breath escape her lips and felt her life pool around me, drenching me in her blood. Eyes closed, I felt the tears burn.

I felt her hand fall away from mine as life escaped her body, flowing into the ground. I didn't want to look back at her. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek and swallowed hard. It was over. She was at peace. God, how I wished I could say the same! I retrieved my katana and laid it next to her. Then I turned to see her. A calm surrender covered her face. She looked like she did when she was asleep... in my arms after hours of whispered words and stolen kisses... passion and heat mixed with a calm, shared trust forever unspoken between us.

"Madonna..."

I touched the side of her face gently. Her blood was still warm, but there was no presence. And I felt incredibly alone.