CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CONSEQUENCES

PRESENT

RAPHAEL:

She was leaning against the ledge, staring down at the city streets, her hair whipping around her as the wind swept past. I approached her cautiously. "Katarina?"

She didn't answer, but I knew she'd heard me. Sure now that I wouldn't startle her, I stepped forward and rested my hands on her shoulders, pressing against her back. I nuzzled against her cheek and kissed her earlobe. "Kat, what's the matter, baby? Are you okay?"

She looked up slowly and I took a step back as our eyes met. "Your brother slept with Melanie," she informed quietly.

I don't know why that didn't surprise me more. Instead, a wave of sadness washed over me. I looked down and my eyes slid closed. "He told you that?" I whispered.

"Yes."

I sighed deeply and shook my head slightly. "He told me he wasn't interested in her."

She turned and sat down on the ledge, crossing her legs. "Leo said that?" she guessed.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, he wasn't lying." I looked up, confused. Kat sighed deeply, the worried expression never once leaving her face. "It wasn't Leo," she clarified.

My eyes widened slightly and I felt dread creep into the pit of my stomach. "Mikey?" I finally managed.

She nodded slightly and I swallowed hard, my head bowing again. "God, no..."

"He didn't say, but... I think it might have been his first," she continued quietly.

I buried my face in my hands. It wasn't his first, but that didn't make it hurt any less. "Oh god..."

She sighed. "I guess this kinda does away with any ideas I had of killing her. 'Cause he doesn't realize..."

I looked up and saw tears in the corners of her eyes. She shook her head slightly. "She doesn't love him, Raph," she whispered. "She's just using him to get at me, and I know it. She tried going after Leo and he refused her, so she went after Mike." She turned back to the city, hugging herself tightly. "All she had to do was tell him she loved him and he'd give her the world. He's so lonely, and I didn't see it. He's the perfect target, the perfect way to hurt me and get even with me for all the shit Mel and I went through in the foot clan." She looked down as the tears overflowed, and closed her eyes. "And it's my fault."

I felt grief overwhelm me as memories of a time when I'd said the same thing hit my emotions. I forced those feelings aside and reached toward her, cupping her cheek in my hand. I raised her face again until I was able to stare into her eyes. "Kat, Mikey is a big boy, okay?" I reminded her, and myself. "He's an adult. He made a decision, and it had nothing to do with you. You can't protect him any more than I can."

"But Raph..."

"He's not fifteen anymore," I whispered, cutting her off.

She stared at me for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I know."

I cringed at the thought of Melanie and Mike together, then pushed the idea out of my mind, pulling Kat close to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me tightly. I breathed slow as I rubbed my cheek against hers, burying my face in her hair. This couldn't be happening. Not now...

DONATELLO:

"Mikey?" He started, nearly dropping the glass in his hands. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, looking away quickly. "M'fine."

"No you're not," I corrected. "You've been standing there for the past ten minutes."

He sighed deeply. "I'm just... thinking."

I leaned against the doorframe. "About what?"

He shook his head and didn't answer. "Just... a lot of things."

"You've been kinda quiet," I reminded him. "You sure nothing's wrong?"

He glanced up at me and glared briefly. "You're one to talk, Donny."

I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came out. My jaw clamped shut again. "Least I'm not screwin' someone else over in the process," he continued, looking away.

I sighed deeply. "Mike... what happened between me and Amy is not..."

"Just stop," he shot, holding up a hand to silence me. "Stop. I really don't care."

I stared at him for a moment, saying nothing. I wasn't exactly sure how to take that. He set the glass down on the counter and stared at it for a long time. Finally, I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm..." he started. "Involved in a relationship with Melanie."

I was surprised by his words, but I managed to hide it and only nod. "How involved?" I asked.

He swallowed hard. "Very."

"Sexually?"

He lowered his head. "Yes."

"For how long?"

"Last night."

I nodded, unable to speak for a moment. I was totally caught off guard by his words. He stared down at the counter, silent. "So what's the problem?" I finally managed.

He glanced up. "The problem?" he half-laughed. "Kat hates her. Raph hates her. They..."

"Do you love her?" I interrupted.

He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped. For a moment, he was quiet. Then he looked away again. "I don't know."

I considered that for a minute, not entirely sure how to take it. "You really think you would've slept with her if you didn't?" I tried.

His eyes closed. "I didn't do it for love," he whispered.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was he trying to take after Raph or something? I'd never known Mike to be like that. "Well, why did you do it then?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

I sighed deeply and looked away. There was a moment of silence and he lifted the glass to his lips. He downed the water in one gulp and placed it in the sink, then walked past me, resting a hand on my shoulder as he went. "Don't worry about me, Donny," he mumbled. "I'm okay. Really."

I didn't question him as he walked to his room and closed the door. He wasn't okay, and I knew it.

KATARINA:

I awoke slowly and nuzzled against Raphael, pressing against his warm body. He was on his back, and didn't move as I buried my face in his shoulder, kissing his skin as my mind slowly returned to a conscious state. I slipped an arm across his stomach and fingered the sensitive skin on his side for a moment, breathing deep. He still smelled like that cologne I liked from late last night when he'd finally returned home. I hadn't seen Mike at all since yesterday morning, but that was a headache I wasn't ready to face yet.

I yawned as my eyes opened for the first time on the new day. I pulled away slightly and kissed along his skin, across the top of his plastron to wake him. A gentle knock on the door stopped me, and I looked up. "Who is it?" I called quietly.

"Mike," the muffled voice came back.

I pulled the blanket up from around my waist and held it over my naked chest. "Come on in."

The door opened, and Mike blinked a few times as he saw me, my arms above the blankets and my shoulders bare. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay," I interruped quietly. "He's not even awake yet."

Mike's eyes flickered to his brother and then back to me. "I... can come back."

I shook my head. "You don't need to. Unless he was the one you wanted to talk to."

He looked away. "No, not really."

I sat up, backing away from Raph so I could sit up. I held the blanket up, my bare back facing away from Mike. "Are you alright?"

"I... needed to ask you..." He sighed as he looked away, obviously not wanting to continue.

"Is it about Mel?" I asked.

He nodded, still staring at the floor, and leaned against the dresser. "She..." He drew his eyes back up to mine and stared steadily at me. "She... came in my bed last night while I was asleep. I haven't talked to her but I don't think she meant it to me a one night thing like I first thought it might and I wanted to know how you felt about that."

I stared at him for a moment. His words had come out all in a rush and it took me a minute to catch up. "How I feel about what?" I finally managed. "You having a relationship with her?"

He sighed and looked away. "I know it's stupid but..." He glanced back up at me. "I want it to work and..."

I sighed deeply. "Mike, I've got no business telling you how to live your life. You know how I feel, but I can't tell you what to do."

"Don't do it."

I glanced down at Raph, somehow not surprised that he was awake. His eyes opened and he glanced up at his brother. "Don't dig the hole any deeper for yourself. You made a mistake, now get on with it."

I cringed at Raphael's non-chalant tone. He had no idea what he was dealing with. A hurt, angry look crossed Mike's face. "That might be easy for you, but I've had a little less experience with getting over shit, okay?"

I blinked at Michaelangelo's tone. His voice was staggered, like he was on the brink of tears. Raphael tensed slightly. "I'm not saying it'll be easy, Mike," he continued, his voice a little softer. "Some things in life aren't easy."

I rested a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Please," I whispered.

Mike glared at him for a moment, then turned away. "Forget it," he mumbled as he opened the door again. "Just forget it."

"Mike, wait..." I called after him. But he didn't wait. He left, and pulled the door closed behind him. I sighed, then shot an annoyed glance at Raphael. "That was real smooth, Raph."

Raphael turned his head to the side. "You can't baby him, Kat," he informed me, staring at the clock on the bedside table. "Isn't that what you've been telling me?"

"Doesn't mean you have to be so damn cold about it," I shot back.

His eyes closed and he was quiet for a minute. "Yes," he finally whispered. "For once, I do."

RAPHAEL:

She slipped the extendable staff into her belt behind her and walked toward the door. I watched, lying on my back on the bed. "Where you going?" I asked, not entirely sure I wanted to know. The fact that she was arming herself didn't offer me much reassurance. Of course, she'd been carrying that weapon since Mel had appeared in the lair.

"I have to talk to her," she informed me.

"Her or Mike?"

"Well, I think you've just about killed any hope of getting through to Mike," she shot.

I sighed and turned my eyes to the ceiling. "You sure it's a good idea to talk to her right now?"

She glanced back at me and I turned my head toward her again. Her eyes were tired, and didn't hold the anger I'd half-expected to see. "Believe me, Raphael, I don't want to," she mumbled. "But if he's going to try for a relationship with her, I have to make an effort." She looked away. "I can't... trap him in the middle of our fight. I've got no right to do that. And if she's even remotely committed, I've got to support them."

"Do you think she is?"

She shook her head. "I think she used him to get at me."

"Do you think there's even a possibility?"

"What, that she loves him?"

I nodded. She cringed slightly and shook her head, but didn't speak.

"Then why do you have to talk to her?" I asked.

She sighed. "Because I don't have the heart to tell that to Mike."

"Better he hear it now than when he discovers it was more than just a fling and he's in love with her."

She stared at me, her expression tired. "Then you tell him, Raph," she whispered. She turned and reached for the door. "I've gotta go find her."

I sighed as I watched her go, but didn't say anything more.

MELANIE:

I heard a noise behind me and spun, pressing back against the ledge of the building. A few feet away, Kiara came to a stop. Good god, she was close. I hadn't even heard her approach. I swallowed hard. "What do you want?" I demanded.

"I always thought you were afraid of heights, Mel," she mumbled, stepping aside and circling me. She walked to the ledge, a good distance away, and jumped up on it, bending one leg and leaving the other dangling over the rooftop.

"I was," I mumbled, my eyes narrowing at her. "But I figured no one would find me here and I could be alone."

"Well, of all the rooftops in New York City, you picked the most obvious one."

"Why's that?" I demanded.

She pointed down to the street below. "See that pizza shop?"

I glanced down. "Yeah."

"Mike goes there. Then he comes up here. Because it's more secluded than the surrounding buildings. This is his place to be alone. And where he brought you."

I studied her carefully. "What're you getting at?" I demanded. Her voice was emotionless and unreadable.

She turned and looked straight at me. "Why did you sleep with him?" she asked coldly.

I felt my muscles tense. I glared at her. "Why is that any of your business?"

"Because for all intents and purposes, he's my brother," she mumbled. "I care more about him than you ever will and I need to know why."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Maybe I love him," I challenged.

She studied me for a moment, then looked away, her eyes dropping to the street below. "I don't believe that for a minute, Mel," she sighed. "But he does. So if it's just a game, you win." She looked up again and met my stare. "You can walk away, hurt him and me, go back to my father, and tell him whatever the hell you want. But I just want to know if that's why. Did you really go through all of this because of me?"

I looked away first. "You knew I was alive," she continued. "You only pretended to be surprised. Why?"

I didn't confirm that. But I didn't deny it, either. There was no point in denying what she already knew. "And it had really didn't have anything to do with my father, did it?" she mumbled. "It was about me. Your personal vengeance."

There was a long silence. I stared down at the street below us, contemplating her words carefully. "You're right that it had nothing to do with Shredder," I finally answered. "He doesn't even know where I am."

"But he will," she realized quietly. "You'll tell him."

I smirked, laughing to myself in subtle disbelief. She was wrong, but that didn't change the fact that the thought was amusing. "I never expected your new family to be quite so trusting."

"Had I been here, they wouldn't have been," she assured me. Her voice still held no hint of emotion.

There was another long silence. She sighed. "I want you to leave, Mel," she whispered. "The game is over. You win."

I laughed quietly. "Just like that, huh?" I mumbled.

She sighed. "I stopped fighting my father years ago," she informed me. "I don't care what any of you think." She looked up and met my stare. "When I turned my back, I left for good. And I'm not the same person I used to be."

I studied her for a moment and for the first time, I realized how true that was. Kiara never would have backed down like this. She would have fought me to the death. But all that anger and vengeance was gone from her eyes. She wanted peace. She didn't care what she had to do to get it. I smirked at her. How weak...

"If you refuse to leave," she continued quietly, her tone still submissive and withdrawn, "I'm going to have to make you leave."

"And just how do you intend to do that?" I challenged.

She sighed deeply and shook her head. "I'll kill you if I have to," she whispered.

Those words, even said in such a weak tone and state, made me tense. I considered them very carefully, and worded my next sentence very carefully, my head bowing. "What if... I told you..." I started hesitantly. "... that you're right. About everything except..." My eyes closed. "I didn't lie to them."

"About what?" she asked.

I hesitated for a long moment. "He really is... He does want to kill me. And he will. He just... hasn't been able to find me yet."

She was silent. After the space of what seemed like a year, she looked up. "Why?" she demanded.

I stare up at the ceiling as my heartbeat slows and my breathing returns to normal. "Why are you here?"

I turn to look at the still figure beside me. My body hurts. I can feel the bruises forming on my arms where he held me to the bed. "Here as in...?"

"The states. Why did you return?"

I turn and press hard to his strong, muscled arm, my fingers running across his six pack abs. "I had no reason to stay in Japan once my husband died," I answer quietly.

"So you returned for what? To rejoin with the foot clan?"

I smile. "Perhaps I came back for you."

He sighs deeply. "I doubt that."

I close my eyes. I can feel him grow distant. The sensation is familiar. Years ago, this had been a regular occurance, and he had always seemed to become silent and cold after we made love. "What are you thinking of?" I whisper.

"Quiet," he orders sternly.

For a moment, it is silent. My thoughts wander. There are things I want to ask him, and one in particular. I know she's alive. And I have an idea that he knows where to find her, but I'm not entirely sure how to go about asking him. I can't imagine it is something he enjoys thinking about.

"Is Kiara still alive?" I finally ask.

"I said for you to be quiet," he snaps.

I sigh. This question is the entire reason I've come to him. It's the reason for the bruises on my arms and the soreness between my legs. He's so rough with me, but that matters very little when he has something I want. "I must know, Saki."

"Why does it matter?" he growls.

"It matters a great deal to me."

"My daughter is dead, Melanie," he snarls.

And even now, he lies to me. I know she's alive. "You know that for a fact?"

"Yes."

I sighed. "If she weren't dead," I whisper, "would you try to get her back?"

He jerks away from me. "If you continue to ask questions when you should remain silent, I am going to remove you."

I feel anger spark inside of me. After all I had done for him, he cannot answer a few simple questions for me? I glare at him as obviously as I dare to. "Kiara was..."

In a flash, he has me pinned to the bed, a sharp blade at my throat. "Get. Out," he growls. "And do not mention that name in my presence again."

My eyes are wide with fear as I realize that it would probably not break his heart in the least to slit my throat. I nod slightly, afraid to speak, and he crawls off of me. I throw the blankets aside and slip out of the bed, feeling anger replace the fear. "You would be wise to leave this place now, Melanie," he informs. "I will not provide you with shelter for much longer."

I spin to face him, surprised and even more infuriated by his suggestion. "You would throw me out on the streets?"

He smirks at me. "You mean nothing to me, onna."

I feel indignation rise up inside of me as I grab the dark blue robe from the floor and throw it over my shoulders. "If this is the way you treated Kiara, it's no wonder that she turned on you."

The words escape my mouth before I am able to stop them. I tense as his eyes narrow into slits and I suddenly realize the price of such a statement.

"I... asked about you," I whispered, bringing my mind to the presence. Kiara is watching me. I lower my eyes. "It's obviously... kind of a sore spot for him right now."

She half-laughed at that, cynical. "Yeah, it always will be."

I watched her, my eyes raised even with my head still bowed. There was another long silence as she watched the road. "So now what are you going to do?" she asked quietly. "The price of vengeance really worth your life?"

I looked away. "I thought it was. I don't know now."

She sighed. "So now you expect me to help you," she mumbled. "After you've used me, manipulated me, played all your fuckin' games, now..." She looked up and I immediately dropped my head. "Now you want my help."

I didn't answer her. She growled slightly and looked away. "And you wanna tell me where Mike fits into all this?" she demanded. "Or did you fuck with him before you decided you needed my help?"

My eyes closed slowly. "I care about Mike," I whispered. "I'm not tryin' to hurt him, he just got in the crossfire."

"So what're you gonna do about it?" she demanded. "Because the moment you want in that door, he's gonna ask you if you want to make it work."

"I don't know," I mumbled. "I don't think I'm cut out for that kind of life."

"You'd better not play him," she growled.

I shook my head. "I said I'm not tryin' to hurt him," I sighed. "I meant that. I'll just..." I searched for a solution. "... let him go. Nice and easy. He doesn't even have to know about any of this."

Her eyes narrowed at me. For a long time, it was silent. Then she looked away. I glanced up, waiting for her reaction to whatever it was she'd seen. "Don't think for a moment that I like you, Mel," she mumbled. "I hate you and I hate the games you play. And I swear to god that if you fuck with his emotions any more than you have to, I'll kill you if I have to hunt you down and chase you across the globe." She looked back up and I shrank away from her authoritative glare. "But until you cross that line, I can tell myself that it's for his sake that you're still around. Just until you find a safe harbor somewhere else."

I opened my mouth to reply, but I didn't have a chance. Instead, another voice answered her. One that I didn't in any way expect to hear. "How touching."

KATARINA:

I heard his voice and immediately, every muscle in my body went rigid. How had I not heard him approach? He was still a good distance away, and I was able to turn slowly, giving my mind a chance to prepare. He stood still in the center of the rooftop, his hands at his sides. A katana was at his waist, easily accessible, but he had not unsheathed it.

Melanie stepped back, pressing against the ledge. I moved very slowly, sliding off of the ledge to my feet. I stood rigid and lowered my head slightly in a forced, formalized bow. "Otousan," I greeted, my voice low.

He nodded once in reply. "Musume." (AN: father/daughter)

I narrowed my eyes at him and he looked to Melanie. "I have been looking for you."

I felt her movement as she stepped behind me, and I hoped to god I didn't have an enemy at my back. I still didn't trust her. Her mind games were impossible to predict, and there was no way to know if they had planned this. I reached behind me, sliding one foot forward, and gripped my weapon. I pulled it from my belt and his eyes locked on me. "I do not wish to do battle with you, Kiara," he informed plainly. "There will be another time for that. You are not the one I've come for."

That thought was tempting. He could take Mel, kill her, and solve all my problems. Justice would be served and we'd all live happily ever after. Unfortunately, there was a part of me that knew it would not be nearly so easy. Even if I could push aside the moral wrong of doing that after I'd already agreed to help her, there was the ever-present issue that if she was lying, or even if she wasn't, she knew how to get to the lair. And I had no doubt that she'd tell him that to save her life.

I opened my weapon to its full length and locked it into place. I braced defensively, my eyes narrowing. "Kutabare," I hissed at him.

He glared at me and his head lowered a fraction. I saw his hand reach across to his weapon. "Do not test me, Kiara," he warned. "Stand down and I will leave you be."

I tensed, fully prepared for battle. "I didn't stand down when I knew you could beat me," I growled. "What makes you think I'll do it now?"

"I would have thought your brush with death would have taught you some common sense," he snapped.

"Sorry," I snarled back at him. "Common sense just ain't in my genes."

He was on me in a flash. There was no time to blink, much less to think of what to do. I acted on instinct, blocking his weapon with mine. I spun to the side, attempting to hook his foot, but failed. There was no time to think of how. I raised the staff again, caught the side of his weapon, and rode it down and to the side. I spun in that direction and roundhouse kicked, holding the staff strong behind my leg. He was holding a bladed weapon, and fast enough to use it. If he caught my leg with it, I was done for.

As I'd expected, he did strike. Metal clanged against metal and my blow connected with his upper arm as he attempted to spin away. My foot came down and I braced again, grinning at him. "You're getting old, Saki. You must be, what, in your fifties now?"

I didn't have a chance to think of the accuracy of that statement. He lunged at me again and I blocked, jumped back, and jabbed at his midsection. He knocked my weapon away with his and I changed tactics, moving the attacking end back in toward me and stepping forward. I was in close, way closer than I ever would have been comfortable with before, and I brought the other end of the staff toward him forcefully. He was trapped, His arms and weapon were lowered in front of him and he had no room to raise them except to the side. By the time he'd considered that, I had already connected and he stumbled back, struggling to regain his balance.

I swept at his feet, and he fell to his back. For a moment, I was surprised. I hadn't expected it to be that easy. In the fraction of a second that I stood over him, staring blankly, he rolled away and back to his feet. He came at me with a force that almost made me fall over backward. In spite of the fact that I'd caught his weapon easily, he was forcing me to my knees. I used every ouce of strength I had to push him back far enough so that I could brace, then I kicked forward with as much force as I could. I connected. He stumbled back and I let out a loud cry as I ran at him again.

I had no idea what I did wrong. Somehow, he managed to grab my weapon between my hands. He held it tightly with one hand, and the other hand brought the katana toward me. He wouldn't have to strike very hard, at this distance, to kill me. I had no choice but to let go.

I released my grip and spun away. Before I'd even regained my balance, much less figure out what to do next, I was bent back over the ledge, the edge of the sword at my throat. My eyes darted to Melanie. She stood a few feet away, watching calmly.

She steps between us. I look up as her shadow comes over me. "No."

It's suicide. I know she knows that. I can't stop her. "Get out of the way."

She pulls a gun. I want to jump up and stop her, but I can't move. "I won't live like this."

"No." He wretches the gun away, the speed of his movements making me dizzy. "No, you won't."

Gunshot. She falls. I scream. "Yarou! Chikusho! Omae o koruso!"

The gun turns to point at me and I fall silent.

I glared at the figure that looked so much like my best friend, but acted so much like the enemy that she had always been. She made no move toward me. Damn her! She deserved him! And she deserved whatever hell he would put her through. Maybe he would kill her. She deserved that, too.

He was talking to me. I wasn't listening. I felt myself bend back further and realized for the first time how close I was to death. The blades on his wrist ran down my arm, scraping lightly. I felt blood trickle after them in thin streams, but the adrenaline hardly allowed me to feel the pain. But I wasn't ready to go down yet. From somewhere nearby, I could feel a new presence. A familiar spirit. Shock him, Kat... Give me an opportunity...

I swallowed hard. What was there I could say? I forced myself to hear his words, and realized he wasn't talking to me. "You've done well, Melanie," he smirked. "I must say I never would have thought you'd develop such an intricate plan. And completely without my assistance."

She smiled. She'd gained his approval, and that was all she'd ever wanted. "You sent her, then?" I hissed at him. The blade of the katana pressed slightly harder to my throat. My only chance was to hit his legs, and I'd run the risk of his hand slipping. Don't make any sudden moves... He couldn't attack until I set it up for him. Without that moment of shock, the reflex action would slice my throat.

"Not at all," he snarled at me, his eyes blazing beneath the metal hood. "In fact, I've been looking for her for quite some time now." His eyes remained on me as he spoke to her. "Where have you been, Melanie?"

I didn't give her a chance to answer. "You know where she's been?" I growled, seeing my opportunity. "She's been fuckin' your enemies, baby, just like me."

The surprise hit. Whether from the wording, the tone, or the content, I didn't know or care. The pressure let up just slightly and he moved back just slightly. I felt a rush of wind, saw him turn, and there was a blur of motion as he flew to the side. I sprang forward, swept my weapon off the surface of the rooftop, and spun to him. Mike. I wasn't surprised. I'd known it was either him or Raph. It didn't feel like Leo and I couldn't think of why Donny would have come up here.

Michaelangelo was fast. He was faster than all of us and he was faster than Saki. But even so, he couldn't get a good shot. I stood back, fully prepared to step in if I was needed, knowing I wouldn't be. Suddenly, my father's hand fell to his belt. Mike saw it and he jumped back, prepared to dodge the incoming array of shaken. But that wasn't what he was reaching for. He threw his hand down, and there was a hiss as a cloud of grey surrounded him.

Engulfed by the cloud, Mike fell back. I knew he could've fought without his sight, but the smokescreen made it difficult to breathe, and he was at a disadvantage, being unprepared. He moved beside me, coughing and choking, and I stepped in front of him, braced and fully prepared for an attack to come out of the haze. But as it cleared, I saw nothing.

I remained still, eyes darting. But there was no sign of him. Anger surged inside of me as I felt blood drip down my arm from the thin, superficial scratches. "I do not wish to do battle with you, Kiara..." His voice echoed in the absolute silence around us. "There will be another time for that. You are not the one I've come for."

The fury overwhelmed me and I spun, hitting the brick of the ledge with the metal staff, full force. It crumbled under the impact. "Damn it!"

MELANIE:

He turned and faced me as we slowed, a good distance from the rooftop he had battled on. My side hurt from running, and my legs felt like they were about to give out. I pressed against the alley wall and doubled over, gasping for air. He didn't seem the slightest bit phased by the exercise.

There was a long, uneasy silence and I looked up to see him watching me. I froze as I read the look in his eyes. It was a warning, dangerous. I shrank back. "Saki?"

"I suppose now you are going to tell me that I have reason to want you alive," he growled.

I tensed at his tone and pressed back against the wall, fear flooding through me. "I..." I stammered. "But I thought..."

He raised his hand, and the blades on the back of his wrist came up under my chin. "Foolish woman," he whispered. "Do you really think you have anything that I want?" The look in his eyes was cold. It sent a chill down my spine. I didn't dare breathe, much less speak. "If I had wanted to use you in order to combat my enemies, I would have done it years ago," he hissed. "But I didn't. And why do you think that is?"

I swallowed hard. "I..." I struggled. "I don't know."

He leaned in close and I cringed as blood began to trickle from beneath his claws. "Don't you think I can fight my own battles, bitch?" he growled. "You've been more trouble to me than your sex is worth."

I felt pain. I screamed. Memories flashed across my mind as I took a final breath, drawing blood into my lungs.

A locker room. Another life. A dagger. A threat. "If I slit your throat, Mel, you think my father would forgive me?"

Assurance. Careless faith. "You'd better hope so if you try it..."

And it's over.