Disclaimer: If I owned TMNT, the show would never be on hiatus. Also there would be even more fluff ^^


Karai wasn't sure how many days slipped by, since there was no source of time-keeping in her former room. All she knew was that, despite the fact that the room had never been too spacious, after however many days she had been chained here, it was positively claustrophobic.

Shredder's henchman came regularly to feed her, which was generally the only time she bothered to wake up. The cuisine hadn't improved from the last time she was held prisoner, but she made herself swallow it down, even with the indignation of needing to be fed by hand since she couldn't bring the food to her own lips. She wanted to clamp her mouth shut and flat out refuse, but she knew it would be counterproductive; if she wanted to escape, she needed to build her strength back up. Although, a part of her dreaded inevitably having to make her muscles move again, following however long they had remained dormant.

Occasionally, the Shredder himself would visit her, often armed with lies he wanted to instil in her and 'fond' memories from her childhood. She supposed he was trying to convert her back to his side, but it wouldn't work. She knew now that her loyalty belonged with the Hamato clan, and he would not say anything to change that. So she ignored the things he murmured to her, and ignored every little touch and kiss. Because he didn't love her; he loved the part of her mother that he saw in her.

She tried to pretend it didn't still hurt, but she knew she was lying to herself. Knowing that her life should've been with Hamato Yoshi, and that he would've loved her unconditionally had it, didn't lessen the pain that the man who had raised her had never seen her as anything other than Tang Shen's daughter, and probably never would. The knowledge left her feeling drained and empty, but it was a dull void she was accustomed to.

Her life passing her in drips and drops, however, was not something familiar, and it made her skin itch for adventure, for motion, for adrenaline. That was what she had always adored about life in the Foot clan, the constant action and excitement that came from patrols and training and missions. She'd always hated being on bedrest for injuries because it was boring and uneventful. Now she was trapped until further notice, not even able to stretch out her stiff muscles like the last time she was imprisoned in Foot HQ, and a few days of bedrest from an injury sounded blissful in comparison.

And, as opposed to last time, she didn't even have an inkling of an escape plan yet. Assuming somebody was guarding the door to her room, the window was probably her best escape, though without a weapon she had no chance of breaking the boards or even freeing herself from the handcuffs.

"Karai."

The gruff voice roused her from her slumber, but she frowned at him. "What?"

A slap to her face. "Show some respect, child." Shredder looked her in the eye. "I merely want my daughter back."

"You've never had a daughter," she told him. She'd have folded her arms angrily if she could.

Shredder gestured to somebody Karai couldn't see, and Foot-Bots adjusted the cuffs around her hands so her wrists were only connected to each-other, and she immediately sat up, the muscles down her back sighing in relief.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"I am being forced to lock you up, my daughter, but I will not treat you like a criminal." Shredder placed a hand on the bare skin of her shoulder. "I will escort you to the bathhouse, my child."

"I'm not your child!" she shouted.

"Oroku Karai, stop this nonsense now!"

"I am Hamato Miwa!"

Shredder's blades extended again, this time slashing two deep, narrow slits through her flesh. She screamed, blinking back tears and clenching her teeth. The blood trickled down her skin, the nightgown sticky against her back. Shredder was breathing as heavily as she was, apparently just as surprised by his ruthlessness. He retracted the bloodied blades and swallowed thickly.

"Learn from this, Karai," he eventually spat, before motioning for the Foot-Bots to contain her again and exiting the room. The door slammed behind him.

The five Foot-Bots advanced on her, but she smirked. "Sloppy mistake, Saki."

She swung her cuffed arms at one of the bots with enough force to break its head off, snatching its katana from its belt as it fell. She cut the chain connecting the cuffs and stabbed a second bot through the chest in a fluid motion. The blade sliced through the chains at her feet, granting her movement. She made short work of the other three bots before they could send an alert, then peered through the door's keyhole. Astoundingly, she couldn't see anybody outside.

She ransacked the room, quickly dressing in the civilian clothes she had used to masquerade as 'Harmony' when she discovered even her training clothes were gone. Her emergency first-aid kit was gone too unfortunately, so she had to leave her back bleeding and sore. But adrenaline coursed through her as she armed herself with the fallen Foot-Bots' weapons. It did not, however, go without notice or abundant hatred that there was still an open box of condoms in her bedside table.

The window had been sealed, but she worked it open with a shuriken. This meant she could slide up the window itself, and the boards were simple enough to remove when she had loosened them with a dagger. Karai was easing herself up onto the window ledge, silently thanking the stars that it was late at night, when the door opened to reveal Rahzar.

"Karai, your father-"

She swore in Japanese, then flung herself off the ledge just in time to hear Rahzar barking orders into a communicator. The girl used the various outcroppings in the walls of the building to climb down, her movements clumsier and jerkier than they should have been but effective nonetheless. When she heard soldiers approaching, she dropped down into the dark alley below, landing better than she anticipated. The girl took off running immediately, trying to keep her footfall silent as she travelled. They were chasing her, she knew it, but she had to block out their voices or she would fall down.

The lair in the sewers flashed through her mind, but she couldn't go there yet. Her hair bounced wildly around her face, not held back as it usually was, and it was weird for her. But she kept running, trying to formulate a plan that didn't involve collapsing from fatigue. She wove in and out of alleyways, attempting to throw them off fruitlessly.

"Give up, cub!" Tiger Claw roared above her.

"Never!" she shrieked at him, diving aside as he lunged at her. She didn't even know where she was anymore, but it didn't matter, as long as she kept going.

"Hey, Foot!"

Karai recognised the voice, of course she did, but she didn't stop running for it. She did, nonetheless, use the split second it distracted her pursuers to dodge into an alley and hid inside a dumpster. Part of her noted it wasn't a good decision with open wounds, but she couldn't change places now.

"No!" howled Tiger Claw, once he realised she was gone. "Foot-Bots, find her, now!" He growled. "You will pay for that, turtle scum!"

"Pay for what?" remarked Mikey's voice.

"What were you chasing?" demanded who she assumed was Leo, though she was still somewhat unaccustomed to his new, deep voice.

Tiger Claw snarled. "That is none of your business, cubs."

Karai listened to the ensuing battle intently, her muscles itching to leap in and join them, though the ache in her back reminded her she could not. It sounded like Leo and his team were losing, until the blue-clad leader ordered Mikey to throw a smoke bomb. From Tiger Claw's outraged cry, she could presume they escaped safely. She peeked through a gap and saw their figures rush past, slipping beneath the manhole cover adjacent to her. Relief and longing washed over her, and she let her head rest against the side of the dumpster.

When Karai opened her eyes again, she felt more refreshed, and she wondered if she had fallen asleep.

"What? Why are you only telling me now, Raph?!" she heard a hushed voice demand.

She squinted through the gap again and saw the masked vigilante with the hockey sticks – Casey, she thought his name was – whispering fervently into his phone.

"Leo said we were searching again tonight – I've been out over an hour! You could've told me sooner!" Raph said something, and Casey sighed. "Well, whatever. I'm out now anyway; I might as well keep looking."

They're not looking for me, are they? Karai thought, nibbling her lower lip.

"But- Fine, fine, whatever. Yeah, mom, I'm going home. Chill." Casey hung up the phone and kicked the side of the dumpster.

"Ow!" exclaimed Karai, without thinking.

Casey blinked. "What the…?" He hooked his fingers under the lid and lifted it, revealing a sheepish and dishevelled Karai hiding within. His eyes widened beneath the mask. "No way… You're Karai, right?"

She shrugged, wincing at the pain in her back. "I used to be. I don't know who I am now."

His dark eyes softened, and he extended a hand to her. "Come on, I'll get you out of here."

Karai hauled herself up, grabbing his hand for support. He fixed his arms around her waist and gathered her into his arms, very pleased that she was easy enough to hold. His hand slipped beneath her jacket, and he blanched when he felt the warm blood seeping into his glove. "A-Are you, uh… okay?"

"Shredder cut my back."

Casey carefully tucked her legs around his waist, and she folded her arms around his neck, muttering thanks into his ear. "Don't worry; Donnie'll patch it up no problem."

"No!" she gasped softly. "No, don't take me back there."

She tried to break out of his grasp, but he merely adjusted his hold on her. "Okay, okay, relax. You don't have to go back if you don't want to."

"I want to," she told him, "but I can't."

"Of course you can, Karai." But Casey walked away from the manhole cover anyway, cupping a hand over her head. "But hey, if you don't want to, I'm sure Angel would love to see you at ours."

"Angel?" She glanced up at him.

He nodded. "My little sister. She told me you looked after her in the invasion." He hugged her closer. "And thanks for that, by the way."

She tried to shake her head, but it just made the world fuzzy. "Don't thank me; if it wasn't for Angel, I'd have lost sapience months sooner." Her head lolled into his shoulder, and he smiled. "Oh, and for the record," Karai yawned, "the only reason I'm letting you carry me is because I think I might pass out."

"Go right ahead," Casey assured her. "You can sleep for a bit if you want." He awkwardly mounted his bike, balancing her on his lap.

"No, I-" The girl cut herself off with another yawn. The adrenaline was wearing off, and she was suddenly aware of how tired and hurt she actually was. She wondered idly if they had been administrating a sedative to her regularly. Suddenly, Casey's shoulder was a welcome pillow, and the girl found herself drifting again.

Casey peddled quickly but steadily, taking care not to jolt the sleeping girl he held. He too speculated about some kind of drug, but decided it didn't matter for now. He watched vigilantly, making sure nobody was spying on them. He had texted Raph to ask where they were, and the turtle had told him patrol was off because the Foot were out and about. Needless to say, the teenager was very glad he had gone out anyway.

He secured his bike in the bike rack and took Karai into his arms bridal-style. She was blessedly light, and he carried her and his equipment up the stairs with ease. Upon entering his apartment, he was conflicted. He knew his father was asleep, and hoped Angel was too, but he didn't know what to do with Karai.

Luckily, she was beginning to wake anyway. "Mmm…"

"Hey," he whispered to her, petting her head in the hopes it would rouse her faster.

"Where…?"

"We're in my apartment." He thought for a moment, before adding, "You remember I'm Casey, don't you?"

Karai smirked. "Yeah, I remember. I have an injury, not amnesia."

"Smart-mouth…" he muttered, before walking to his room and laying her on the bed. Upon his request, she disarmed herself and handed him her weapons. He retrieved a first-aid kit from the bottom of his wardrobe and leaned over her, gently peeling away her bloody jacket.

To his surprise, she chuckled. "This escalated quickly. Don't you think you should take me to dinner first?"

He blushed, but continued on to remove the black top, pretending not to notice how it sopped with blood. Lastly, he unfastened her bra, and replied, "Actually, I was planning to get you something to eat after I fix this mess."

She tried to turn to him, but he gently cradled her head, slipping some painkillers into her mouth before he started to clean the wounds out. "Jeez, why the hell were you lyin' in garbage with your back like this?!"

"I didn't have a choice. I had to hide and it was the first place I saw."

"Why were you hiding?"

The girl gritted her teeth. "Because they were chasing me."

"Who?"

"The Foot." Her lips formed a sly grin. "I escaped."

Satisfied that the wounds was clear, Casey began bandaging her. "How did they find you?"

"Shredder's newest freaks caught me, I think. Not long after I left you guys. I'm not sure, my memory's a bit blurry…"

"The warthog and the rhino?" inquired Casey, and she voiced her agreement. "Wow, I thought those guys were idiots. Guess they're better than Rahzar and Fishface, then."

"Hmm." Karai rubbed her arms subconsciously. "I suppose. Though it isn't too hard a task, really."

Casey hummed. "Guess not."

He finished the treatment in silence, then fetched an oversized jersey and some tracksuit bottoms for Karai to change into. "Sorry, I don't have any, y'know, girl-clothes, or underwear…" He trailed off, glancing at the blood-stained bra.

She smiled. "No problem. Thanks for helping me."

"It's alri- Whoa!" Casey spun around, his face bright red. "What the heck was that?!"

"What? You wanted me to get changed, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't gonna watch you! I was planning to leave!"

"Sure you were."

Casey heard fabric rustling, with a few soft groans from Karai, but he didn't look even after it became silent. Her hand found his shoulder. "Everything okay?"

He glowered at her. "Apart from the random flashing, yeah, I'm good."

She winked. "Don't act like you didn't like it."

"I didn't! It's weird!" He sighed in defeat, leading her by the arm to his kitchen. "Whatever. Let's just get you some food, then you can sleep."

"Can't I just sleep now?"

"Hey, you're the one that asked for dinner," he teased.

Aware that his cooking skills were not divine, Casey decided to just whip up a cheese sandwich with a glass of lukewarm milk. Karai had given him and the food a blank stare at first, but her appetite seemed to improve after he glared at her. When she had finished eating and drank the milk, she felt even drowsier than she had prior, and Casey literally had to carry her back to his bed.

"No… You…" Karai struggled to argue, but by the time her head hit the pillow, she was practically asleep. Casey smiled as he tucked her in and ruffled her short hair. She was already slumbering when he left the room.

He washed off the face-paint and found a sleeping bag, returning to his room triumphant. Once he was certain Karai was out of it, he changed into the undershirt and boxers he usually slept in, turned out the lights, and wriggled into the sleeping bag. His arm serving as a pillow, the boy fell asleep with a smirk on his face.


I hope you enjoyed this longer-than-usual chapter :) Thanks for reading, and please review; it really helps to get feedback.