This has nothing to do with the contents of this chapter, but I'd like to dedicate this chapter to one of my BEST friends who's getting MARRIED today! It's 12:40am my time, but I couldn't fall asleep until I did this. Marge, I don't know how likely it is that you'll ever read this, but I am SO happy for you and this new adventure you're embarking on. Love ya, girl. #A6FORLYFE

And now back to your regularly scheduled LONGER chapters :)

May 25, 2012

L: anytime. i'm here for you, karai.

K: thnx

Karai ran a hand through her short hair. How lucky was she to have a friend like Leo? They'd been talking off and on for about a month now. It was getting harder to separate her feelings for Leo from her father's vendetta. What to do, what to do… She looked up at the knock at her door. Tiger Claw was the only one who gave her the respect of knocking before entering her room.

"What's up?" She hastily wiped away the tears which had snaked down her face during her conversation with Leo. Since their talk on Tiger Claw's first night with the Foot Clan, the two warriors had developed a special bond. Karai felt as if the giant cat were the protective older brother she never had.

"Master Shredder has called for a Clan Meeting. Everyone is to attend in less than an hour."

Karai glanced down at her Wicked sweatshirt and jeans before darting towards her closet. "I need to change! I'll meet you upstairs."

"Will you have time for your eye liner?" Tiger Claw teased.

Her eyes flickered with annoyed amusement. "Not the usual. I'll only have time for the bare minimum so I'll look at least presentable."

Tiger Claw chuckled. "I'll leave you to it, cub." He shut the door behind him.

Karai paused before retrieving her secret burner phone from where she had tossed it when Tiger Claw had come in. Even though she'd developed some trust with the mutant, she wasn't quite ready to trust him with this...

K: hey, i g2g. they're calling a clan meet. i'll ttyl?

L: ttyl, karai. stay safe.

K: u 2

xXx

Karai rushed to her assigned place next to Tiger Claw in Shredder's throne room just before the meeting was scheduled to begin. Glancing around revealed that there were many soldiers missing from their ranks, especially two notable absences.

"Where're Bradford and Xever?" She whispered. The girl hadn't had many interactions with the men in her lifetime, but they'd been around since… well… forever. It was unlike them to miss a summons.

Tiger Claw frowned. "I do not know. I do not recall seeing them all week…"

"And you would not have."

Everyone within the throne room automatically stood at attention at the sound of Shredder's voice. The armored man emerged from the small hallway off to the side of his throne. He waved a hand as he sat, indicating for everyone to rest. Shredder cast a shrewd eye around those gathered before him.

"Many of you have already noticed the absence of two of my long time Lieutenants: Chris Bradford and Xever Montes. They are the first to volunteer for a new collaboration between the Foot Clan and the Kraang. Gentlemen?" Shredder gestured to the dark hallway.

Gasps and murmurs were heard around the room. Tiger Claw's fur bristled, a low growl escaping. Karai's hands flew to her mouth. The two men she'd known since childhood were no more. In their place stood a red carp-like fish with a modified pair of high-powered metallic legs and breathing rig as well as a hulking skeletal werewolf who's hands and snout appeared to be made entirely out of bone. Tiger Claw subtly slid in front of Karai, continuing to growl.

"They have been getting used to their new forms this past week in preparation for tonight's mission." Shredder turned to Tiger Claw and Karai. "You two will take Bradford and Xever along with a small force of the Kranng's prototype Foot Bots and track down the turtles. One of our cameras caught the group of them out and about earlier tonight. Either bring them back alive, or beat them until they give up Splinter's location. Tiger Claw, you will take point on this operation. Karai…"

The girl could not ignore a direct summons from her father. She edged out from behind Tiger Claw. She inhaled sharply as Shredder gripped her chin, tilting her head until she met his gaze.

"Do not disappoint me, daughter."

xXx

"No, Mikey. We're not buying a zoo like in the movie!" Leo hefted himself up the fire escape onto the roof.

"Aw! Party pooper," Mikey muttered, not far behind.

April and the turtles had gone to Mai's new apartment near Lincoln Square for a movie night. She didn't have any roommates to sniff around, so it was a nice place to go to get out of the sewers for a bit. April had decided to stay the night with her friend to have some 'girl time' while the boys returned home. Donnie was bringing up the back of the pack as he had lingered behind to say good night to April.

"Did you give your girlfriend a goodnight kiss?" Raph teased as he hung from the roof's edge, waiting for his younger brother.

Donnie shrugged, a smile playing at his lips. "A gentleman never kisses and tells, Raphael…"

"So you ARE official now?" Mikey rushed up to him as the tallest turtle pulled himself up onto the roof. Donnie chuckled as he pulled his brother into a headlock.

"We haven't really talked about it, Mike. We're just… enjoying where we are right now." He pushed the orange ball of energy towards the direction of home. "And right now, we are heading home."

As the boys chattered amongst themselves, flipping over the rooftops of New York, they did not realize that they were wandering into a trap.

Bradford, Xever, Tiger Claw, Karai, and a squad of ten Foot Bots tucked themselves into the shadows of a nearby billboard, waiting for the right moment. Bradford, however, was becoming impatient.

"I don't get why we don't just charge them now. We have the numbers!"

Tiger Claw growled. "It appears you never learned the value of patience. We will take them with the element of surprise. Now quiet! Here they come…"

Karai feared that the mutants with sensitive hearing would hear her heart beating out of her chest. She hadn't been this close to Leo since their first encounter a month ago. She was excited to see him in person again, but unsure of how to keep him safe with all of her father's men surrounding her. Her heartbeat quickened as she heard Leo bring the turtles to a defensive stop.

"Hold up, guys… Anyone else get the feeling we're being watched?"

"You must be the one to give the order, cub." Tiger Claw whispered, slowly withdrawing one of his larger swords.

Karai sighed before steeling her nerves. She'd have to be the one to attack Leo and keep him busy. Everyone else would take up arms against a different turtle. "Foot! ATTACK!" She yelled.

The turtles drew their weapons as their enemies descended. Karai was right in that the fighters appeared to pair off. She and Tiger Claw went after Leo, Bradford lunged for Mikey, Xver fought with Raph. That left Donnie against all of the Foot Soldiers.

"Just great," The gangly turtle muttered. After hitting a few with force enough to render a grown man unconscious with little results, Donnie tried a different tactic.

"Raph! Sai Switch!" Without a second thought, Raph tossed Donnie his sais while he chucked his bo staff at his brother. The turtles had been working on a way to broaden their weapon dexterity in case they were ever without their normal weapons. Donnie dodged a punch from a Foot, trapping its arm within the prongs of the sai. He drove the sai and the arm downwards. This tore the arm from the torso in a shower of pink sparks. The Foot Bot looked at its empty arm socket then back at Donnie. It took a step back at the grin on Donnie's face.

"Guys! These Foot are actually robots!"

"Great news, Dee! Kinda busy here!" Mikey tucked his head into his shell as he avoided a swipe of Bradford's bone-like claws. "Whoa! Dude, your hands're like razors!"

Bradford roared in frustration at Mikey's unpredictable antics. "STAND STILL!"

The turtle giggled. "I think I'll call you Rahzar!"

Raph twirled Donnie's bo staff, parrying the switchblade Xver lunged at him with. "In that case, I'll call mine Fishface."

"The name is Xver, tiny turtle." The carp expertly twirled his switchblade along his webbed fingers. "I believe it's time to turn you into soup!"

Everyone was too busy to notice the two-on-one battle between Karai, Tiger Claw, and Leo. He was having to use both katanas, one against each opponent. Tiger Claw hissed as one swipe was a bit too close for comfort.

"Where is your master, Blue? I have been tasked with dragging Splinter before Master Shredder for his crimes!"

"That's none of your BUSINESS!" Leo spun and kicked Tiger Claw in the gut with as much force as he could, sending the giant tiger over the edge of the roof. He didn't have much time to recover as Karai shouted and brought her tanto down at his head. The two continued fighting, moving towards a more secluded area of the rooftop under one of the water towers.

"Hey Karai."

The girl smirked. "Hey Leo." Their swords clashed again; they spun away to catch their breath.

"Who's the cat?"

Karai cracked her neck. "That's Tiger Claw, one of Shredder's newer recruits. He's a friend of mine."

Leo lazily twirled one of his katanas with a flick of his wrist. "Seems like Shredder's gathering mutants. Know what that's about?"

"Nope." The girl spun towards Leo, tanto outstretched. "Found out they were mutated just before getting sent out. I don't know much more than you do right now."

Leo caught her sword arm, spinning her farther into his personal space. "Much more? Anything you wanta to share?" He grinned flirtatiously.

"Not at the moment." Karai purred. She spun out, raising her tanto to block an incoming attack.

"Okay… then what'd Tiger Claw mean about Splinter's crimes? What's he talking about?"

Karai lowered her blade briefly. "You mean Splinter never told you?"

"Told us what?"

"That he killed the only woman The Shredder ever loved."

"WHAT?"

One of Leo's katanas clattered to the ground. Karai took advantage of his stunned silence, kneeing him in the stomach. He went down gasping for breath. Karai impaled her blade into the soft concrete of the roof next to Leo's head as she knelt atop him.

"Sorry about that," She hissed. She hated seeing the confused and heartbroken look on her friend's face.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Splinter would NEVER have done something like that! Wait - is that why you asked about him?"

"KARAI!" Both teens were distracted by the roar of Tiger Claw running towards them.

Leo pushed Karai off of him while grabbing both of his blades, blocking the strike Tiger Claw brought down. The larger mutant increased the pressure on the interlocked blades, leaning in closer to the turtle caught on his back.

"If you truly care for the girl, you will end things."

Leo blinked in surprise. He couldn't mean… "I'm sorry?"

"It is dangerous for the two of you to continue this dance. The Shredder will not go easy on his daughter if she is caught with the son of his greatest enemy."

"I don't know what you're talking about, you giant fluff-" Leo trailed off mid insult. He saw Rahzar slash a boned-claw at Mikey, missing the turtle but slicing through the smokestack Mikey had been backed up against. It was getting ready to collapse right on top of… "KARAI!" Leo managed to shove Tiger Claw away before running for the girl. He spun her around before throwing her as far away as possible. As she tumbled to a stop next to Tiger Claw, the smokestack and its debris landed where she had last seen Leo.

Her heart wanted to cry out his name, go dig through the rubble until she made sure he was okay. Tiger Claw kept a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from doing just that.

"Do not expose yourself in this way," He whispered. "Look, his brothers will take care of this."

Tiger Claw was right. Raph and Donnie, having switched weapons back, took up defensive positions in front of the pile of rubble while Mikey started digging Leo out.

"Foot Clan! Fall back to the compound!" The mutant roared.

Karai shared one look with Raph before running after the other mutants. Leo just had to be okay… right?

Right?