A/N: HELLO dear readers!

Seriously, the amount of attention this fic is getting is CRAZY! Thank you guys, I appreciate every one of you for reading this far. Your reviews inspire me to keep writing (and most of them make me laugh. I mean, nuking kittens, really? XD XD)

Anyways, without further ado, I give you chapter thirty-two! This was hard to write, so I hope you like it!

P.S: I'm visiting America next week starting Friday, and I won't be back for another week (and I might miss the Season 4 premier DX) just as a heads up!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 32

"It takes two flints to make a fire."

― Louisa May Alcott

His heart as light as a feather, and a contented smile plastered across his face, Leonardo leapt across the rooftops with a boundless enthusiasm that he hadn't felt since he was a child. Not even the thought of returning to the personified hell-hole of his nightmares that was Shredder's lair could wipe away the grin he wore, or put a stop to the spring in his stride as he jumped from water tower to lamppost.

His time spent with April was, without a doubt, the most fun-filled two hours he'd had in weeks. Together, the blue masked turtle and the redheaded human had sparred together, with Leo giving April helpful pointers and 'constructive' criticism on her form, her katas, and her overall focus, to which she'd rewarded and thanked him by 'accidentally' whacking him upside the head with her Tessen. Then they'd sat on the swings again, chatting about how their past week had been, where Leo had regaled her with the epic tale of how he, along with his brothers, Dogpound and Fishface, had braved and escaped the 'Maze of Doom'. To say that she'd been thoroughly entertained would be no exaggeration.

However, it was halfway through another compilation of hilarious cat videos (seriously, Leo couldn't get enough of those) that he'd realized how late it was. They'd been sitting in the park for too long, and Leo had only an hour before his team and Karai were supposed to go out to patrol the city in search for the other turtles, ironically enough. So it was with great reluctance that the two of them stood up and bid their goodbyes.

However, just as Leo was turning to leave, April had reached out and gently grabbed his wrist. Her crystal eyes had been wide, full of warmth and love as she pulled him towards her and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her head resting on his shoulder, she'd asked, almost pleadingly, "See you same time next week?"

He'd smiled, his arms encircling her tiny frame in kind as he nodded. "Count on it."

Now, as he leapt off the edge of the final building before landing at the foot of the stairs leading to the old church complex, the smile was still plastered on his features. Not only had he gotten the chance to sit with his new friend and feel totally relaxed, completely safe in her company, but he'd had no need to worry if he'd been watched from the shadows. He hadn't sensed any threat anywhere near him or April the entire time, which was a first.

He chuckled to himself as he climbed up the stairs and approached the front door of the church. Perhaps Shredder's so-called 'eyes and ears' weren't as watchful as he'd claimed they were. And maybe, just maybe, luck was on his side for a change.

However, just as he opened the door, his eyes went wide as he nearly walked straight into –

"Hey there, three-toes."

Leo gulped, his smile long since vanished, as he stared at Karai.

The kunoichi was standing in the doorway, blocking his path, leaning against the door-frame with her arms folded loosely across her chest. Her posture was as laid-back as ever, and her rouge coated lips were tilted upwards in a casual, welcoming smile. However, even though she seemed outwardly calm, collected, and all-around as carefree as usual whenever they were in each other's company, her eyes were a completely different story.

There was a glint of murder hidden within her amber orbs.

The turtle was frozen where he stood, at a loss for words as the two of them stared at each other, with one clearly more at ease than the other. Dread began to bubble up in the pit of his stomach as a horrible thought came to him.

What if the reason why he'd known – why he'd thought – he hadn't been watched back in the park with April, the reason why he hadn't sensed any threat…was because he'd never considered Karai to be a threat in the first place? Had she managed to slip past his senses because of their bond, their relationship…and then spy on him from afar?

No, of course not. Karai wouldn't do that. She'd promised him that she'd let him do what he needed to do on his own, without her prying. He trusted Karai to honor her word…even though he often failed to do the same in that regard…

The heavy silence was broken when Karai came off the door and regarded Leo curiously, the vicious flicker in her gaze vanishing as if it had never been there. "What's the matter, Leo? You look a little green. Well, greener than usual, anyways," she snickered at her own joke, seemingly unaware of his inner turmoil.

Leo blinked rapidly, snapping himself out of his daze and registering the horrible pun she'd thrown at him. Then he frowned, raising a brow at her. "…that was so funny, I forgot to laugh," he droned, hoping to mask his earlier shock…and doubt.

The girl only shrugged in response, still smiling as she took a step towards him. "So, where've you been for the past two hours? I was sure you were gonna end up being late for our evening patrol. Did you take care of that thing you said you needed to do on your own?" she asked, looking sincerely curious as she tilted her head to the side and laced her fingers behind her back. She was the picture of innocence.

However, Leo knew better. She was a kunoichi; she was trained to use deception to her advantage. Not only that, but as far as masking one's true intentions and emotions went, Karai was a master, considering she'd learned from the best. So, if she really was trying to catch him out, Leo had to choose his next words very carefully. Even though it would mean that he had to lie to her yet again, something that was getting very exhausting, very quickly.

He looked her in the eye, and smiled with a shrug. "Uh…yeah, I did," he said dismissively, walking past her as she moved to the side to allow him inside the building. As she closed the door behind her and caught up to him, he continued. "I just wanted to scout out for any more Kraang bases."

Walking beside him as they moved through the dark, vacant hallways, Karai raised a surprised brow at him. "Oh? Is that it? That's all you wanted to do?"

Leo nodded again. "Yep."

"Then why did you go through all that trouble to keep it from me? Why didn't you wanna tell me or let me come along in case you needed backup?"

At that, Leo almost faltered, his fist clenching at his side before he could restrain it and praying that Karai hadn't noticed. Crap, he'd just trapped himself, hadn't he? He really was the worst liar. "I…uh…" he stammered, desperately raking through his brain to come up with a good, believable, explanation before Karai could catch on to his deception. "I…I was –"

"There you are!"

The young ninjas jumped out of their skins with twin gasps of surprise. Drawing to a complete stop, they looked up.

Neither of them had been paying attention to where they'd been going, and had almost bumped straight into the solid bulk of pure muscle and stripes of Tiger Claw, who stood before them with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Judging by the look he was giving them, from the deep frown to the brow impatiently raised as he regarded the teens, he'd been waiting for them for quite some time, and now, he was rather frustrated. Or perhaps he'd been worried. Or it was a combination of both, which was a bad thing, and had also earned Leo many bites on the head in the past.

Leo and Karai both cursed under their breaths, but for varying reasons as they stood to attention before the tiger mutant.

"Where have you been?" asked Tiger Claw, watching as the teenagers fidgeted uncomfortably under his harsh gaze, darting their eyes away from him. When he received no immediate answer from his son or the girl, he narrowed his eyes further as his patience began to dangerously wane. "I've been looking for the two of you for the past two hours after one of your comrades informed me that they hadn't seen you since training. You'd better have a good excuse for being absent before patrol."

Lifting a hand to scratch the back of his head nervously, Leo bit his lower lip, eyes shifting from side to side. He really should've seen this confrontation coming from a mile away. "Uh…w-well," he began, but was promptly cut off when Karai draped her left arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to her side.

"We decided we'd quickly look around for any sign of the Kraang, together," she said, flashing the tiger a guiltless lopsided smirk as she pulled the turtle closer, earning a strangled grunt from him, which went ignored. "In fact, it was all Leo's idea. He'd thought if we went out first, we'd save the other soldiers a bit of time looking for both those alien blobs and the other turtles, y'know? Give them a break after such a long day of training. Right, little brother?"

His cheek squished against her armored shoulder, Leo's wide eyes darted from Tiger Claw, who retained his exasperated yet thoughtful countenance, and then to Karai again. Even though she was still smiling brightly, there was a certain look in her eyes that screamed 'I'm offering us a way out, say something you idiot'. Finally catching on, Leo turned back to his father and nodded, mimicking Karai's smile as much as he could. "Yep, that's it!" he said, though his voice was muffled due to his cheek pressing against Karai.

He retrained the urge to groan out loud. He'd been lying a lot recently, hadn't he? First Karai, and now Tiger Claw? Yeesh. He'd be writing his will by the end of the month at this rate.

"Sorry we never told you first," said Karai, turning back to the towering mutant cat. "We just went out without thinking about anything else. We didn't worry you too much, did we?"

Humming to himself in thought, Tiger Claw looked from his son to the kunoichi, who both waited patiently – and innocently – for him to answer. With a heavy sigh and a shake of his head, he uncrossed his arms and reached out to pat them both on their heads. "Very well. Well done for thinking of the well-being of your fellow comrades," he said, with only a hint of skepticism. "Next time, remember to inform someone of your plans before running out on your own, yes?"

"Hai, Sensei," they chorused with a nod, though Leo found that to be a challenge with Karai's arm still locked around him in an iron grip.

Removing his paws from their heads, Tiger Claw offered them a weary smile only a father could pull off, before turning on his heel. "Come. We must prepare for patrol. I'm sure the other soldiers will be grateful for your…unusual act of consideration," he said over his shoulder, before walking down the hallway, expecting them to follow.

Once he was out of earshot, Karai finally released Leo, and the two of them let out a sigh of relief. Neither of them could believe that Tiger Claw had actually bought it. Even if he'd been a little doubtful, at least he'd dropped the issue for the time being, and neither of their hides were in danger. Thank goodness.

With a smile, Leo turned to Karai and punched her shoulder lightly. "Thanks. If you hadn't been here, I'd have a whole new bite-mark-shaped bruise on my head right now," he snickered. "I owe you big time, Karai."

The girl only shrugged nonchalantly, patting her brother on the shoulder as they set off after Tiger Claw together. "Don't worry about it. But hey, next time you're really going out looking for the Kraang, don't leave me out of the fun, huh?"

Rolling his eyes skyward with a grin, Leo chuckled again. "That depends. Your definition of fun is totally different from mine," he joked, before turning around to face the hall ahead of them. Inwardly, he was sighing heavily. Thanks to the ordeal with Tiger Claw – though he still felt an immense pang of guilt wash over him at the fact that they'd lied to him again – it seemed that Karai had forgotten about their earlier conversation. And even better, if she really had been spying on him, she would've continued to probe him on the matter rather than simply letting it slip her mind. So now he could conclude that she hadn't been there.

He smiled to himself. Things were still looking up for him after all.

However, unbeknownst to him, Karai's smirk had vanished, replaced with a deep scowl as she glared down at the floor, her fist clenched tightly at her side…

And the murderous gleam had returned…

Elsewhere, standing at the edge of a high rooftop, a purple clad figure was peering through a telescope, his brown eye staring intently through the lens at a tall – ridiculously tall – building in the distance.

The city was silent tonight, apart from the usual blare of car horns and sirens farther off. Not many humans ever ventured through the streets at this time of night, which left the three turtles with far less to worry about as they gathered together on the roof. Cold winds swept over them, chilling them to the bone and fluttering their mask tails, but they did their best to ignore it. They had a job to do tonight, even if only two out of three of them were actually focused on it.

"Nothing happening at TCRI yet, guys," said Donatello, lowering the telescope as he fished through his belt pocket and drew out his T-Phone, punching in a few buttons.

Raphael, ever the watchful yet easily irritable one, was standing beside him, his arms folded as he glared at the office complex beyond. Not that spying from a faraway rooftop wasn't fun or anything, but for one who loved the thrill of the fight, the blood pumping through his veins as the tip of his Sais pierced the metal rib-cage of an alien robot or two, standing on a freezing rooftop for half an hour wasn't exactly doing much for him, or his already vulgar mood.

Michelangelo, on the other hand, was sitting cross-legged behind them, not paying attention to the mission in the slightest, for he was busy with something else. "This game is awesome! The combat is so realistic!" the youngest cheered quietly, rapidly bashing the buttons on his T-Phone and grinning widely as he marveled at the game. Watching him, Donnie inwardly began to regret ever installing those games on their phones in the first place as he raised a brow and frowned.

Mirroring Donnie's expression, Raph stomped over to his little brother. "You want me to make it more realistic?" he snapped testily.

"Stop messing around, you two!" Donnie barked peevishly, tucking his telescope away as he drew up his T-Phone, his eyes narrowing at the long, complicated lines of data. It'd taken him next to an eternity for him to properly translate it from the damaged files Mikey had brought back with him from their first 'visit' to TCRI, but after going over it again and again, with help from April, he believed what he'd gathered was efficient enough a lead for him and his team to follow.

"Listen up," he began. "According to the Kraang storage device that I decrypted, some kind of scouting ship is coming through the portal, tonight. So, that means we all have to stay alert," he added dryly, giving Mikey a hard look over his shoulder, one that the youngest turtle seemed to have dismissed even as he reluctantly began to save and shut off his game.

"Yeah, you never know what could sneak up on you!"

All three turtles froze, eyes going wide as they shared a startled glance with one another. That voice, cocky and full of trickery and mischief, was dreadfully familiar, and the terrapins all felt dismay simmer in the pit of their guts.

Their eyes darted to the source of the voice, only to find, much to their dismay, the tall armor clad figure of Karai herself standing confidently on the roof of a water tower nearby. The young woman smirked, leaping off the tower with an elegant flip, and landing in a crouch just meters away from the turtles. Straightening, she shifted her weight to one side and planted one hand on her hip, regarding them all indifferently even as they drew their weapons, watching her cautiously.

"Real cute, Karai," Donnie muttered flatly. "But, seriously, now's really not the time."

Her smirk unwavering, their only warning was the slight tilt of her head, before Karai charged straight for Donnie, her short sword drawn and aimed for his throat. With a scowl, Donnie parried her blow with a swing of his staff, backing up a few feet as he spun his weapon, flipping out the hidden naginata blade from its tip just as she came at him again, grinning all the while, though Donnie couldn't fathom why.

Wait…was she actually enjoying herself? Did she think of this as a game? Well, he and his brothers certainly didn't think so.

Raph was already on Karai's tail, sliding in between her and Donnie with his Sais bared, and their blades locked. Her arms trembling with effort to keep the sharpened tips of his pronged weapons at bay, Karai's grin widened. "My, you're getting stronger, Raphael," she said, her voice coated with mockery as she raised a brow at him. "Tell me, how long did it take for you to finally get on the same level as me?"

The red clad turtle growled through his teeth, his green eyes narrowing with rage. She was toying with him, trying to strike a nerve to make him lose his cool, he knew that…but if she wanted to play dirty, well, then he'd return the favor. Besides, her pretty little face looked like it could use a good punching.

"You can shut your trap, princess!" he shot back, his temper blazing. With a mighty shove, he sent Karai stumbling backwards, off-balance, and he charged at her, the tip of his Sai aimed for her chest.

Metal sang in the air once more, but instead of armor, Raph's Sai met the honed blade of a single katana. His green eyes widened to saucers as he stared, nonplussed, at the wielder of the blade.

"Leo?!" he barked.

Behind him, Donnie and Mikey wore similar expressions as they gawked at their oldest brother, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere in the blink of an eye, fending Raphael off without so much as batting an eye in their direction.

What was Leonardo doing out here? Better yet, what were he and his girlfriend doing out here, of all times? They couldn't have been following them this whole time, could they?

The blue clad turtle in question narrowed his eyes at his younger estranged sibling, his expression hidden by the blue scarf. Without warning, he swung his foot squarely into Raph's gut, sending him flying straight into Mikey, who'd attempted to aid his brother, but was instead crushed under his weight as they landed on the rooftop in a pile of limbs. Unsheathing his second katana, Leo then slid his eyes over to the kunoichi standing behind him.

"So, you whine at me for sneaking out on my own for two hours, and then you do the same thing half an hour later in the middle of patrol?" he snapped, clearly irritated with her.

Blinking at him once, Karai shrugged indifferently. "Hey, I was bored. Besides, wasn't our mission to find them in the first place? Plus, they looked like they were doing something pretty interesting, don't you agree?" she simpered. In response, Leo let out a frustrated groan through his scarf, his teeth ground together.

Rolling his eyes, Donnie groaned with a shake of his head. "Oh, we so do not have time for more family drama right now," he muttered, readying his staff once more as Mikey and Raph clambered to their feet, facing their opponents. That Kraang ship was going to come out any second now, and the longer they spent dillydallying with Karai and Leonardo again, the less chance they would have of actually stopping it, and a potential alien invasion. "Guys!" he called. "Let's end this!"

With that, the three of them charged.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey hollered, swinging his nunchaku wildly over his head as he darted straight for Karai, whilst Donnie and Raph took on Leo. It still baffled the young freckled terrapin to see his older brother showing up with his crazy lady friend out of nowhere, and usually, he would've been more than happy to see him, especially after the events of the 'Maze of Doom' fiasco. It would've been a chance for them to talk again, for them to convince him…if only he'd come at a different time.

Things were different tonight. Despite how little he'd paid attention to Donnie's rambling at first, they had a very important job to do. And despite how much it pained him inside to admit it, they couldn't afford to waste any more time fighting, talking or bickering. The Kraang were more important right now. And no matter what, they had to stop them. Even if it meant that he had to drive his big brother away, for now.

As Mikey drew nearer to the kunoichi, swinging his nunchaku at her face, she leapt over his head, landing inches away from him with an incredulous look on her face that Mikey had never seen before. "'Booyakasha'? What does that even mean?" she snickered, without a hint of malice or mockery Mikey noted with a confused blink. She sounded generally amused by him. Huh.

He shrugged at her. "I dunno. But it's fun to yell!"

Unwinding the chains of his kusarigama, Mikey flung it at her with the intent to trap her. However, she saw through his trick, and using her short blade, she caught the chain, brought up her leg and stomped it down to the concrete, tugging Mikey towards her. Once he was close enough, she swung her other leg and kicked him straight into Donnie, sending both turtles tumbling to the roof and leaving Raph to face Leonardo alone as they locked blades, glaring into each other's eyes.

In truth, neither turtle wanted to fight each other. None of them were in the mood or had any time for, as Donnie had phrased it, 'family drama'. Still, a part of Leonardo wondered what exactly his estranged younger brothers had been doing before Karai had intervened. He shared her curiosity, despite how peeved he was with her, though he really had no right to be.

Just what was so important about that TCRI building anyway?

Leaping backwards as Raph swiped one of his Sais just shy of slicing his face, he flipped back to his feet to stand back to back with the kunoichi, who continued to smirk even as they were surrounded. Typical.

"You three really know how to make a girl and a guy feel welcome," she quipped, earning a scoff from Raphael, and a tired roll of the eyes from Leonardo. Ignoring them both, she pointed the tip of her short blade towards Donnie. "I heard the scrawny one mention the Kraang. What's going on?"

At that, Leo raised a brow. They'd been spying on the Kraang again? Now he was interested.

"That is none of your business!" Donnie snapped as the three of them bounded for the pair again. "And I'm not scrawny! I'm svelte!"

With Leo kicking Mikey several feet away – with only a slight pang of remorse – and Karai swiftly evading several dangerously close swipes of Raph's sais, the two of them backed up the edge of the rooftop. "Actually, believe it or not, the Kraang are our business," Leo said, crouching low in front of Karai with his swords poised at his sides readily.

"Yeah, like Leo said," Karai added casually. "Oh come on, let us in on the fun."

By this point, Raph had finally had enough of this nonsense. Despite his brawling nature, he really wasn't in the mood for messing around with his long-lost and slightly insane older brother, or his obnoxious and equally insane girlfriend right now. "Look, we're a little busy trying to stop the beginning of an alien invasion here, so do us a favor and get lost!" he barked.

The playfulness in Karai's expression vanished in an instant, replaced with genuine shock as her eyes widened. Her shock was mirrored by Leo, who tugged down his scarf and stood up from his crouch, sheathing his swords as the two of them exchanged a glance.

"An alien invasion?!" they chorused, aghast. "Are you serious?!"

The other turtles blinked. That unison had admittedly startled them. Just how close were those two?

Just then, the skies turned ominously dark, and the sound of thunder boomed and rolled over the city. As blasts of lightening flashed, all eyes turned to the source of the strange phenomena. At the very peak of the TCRI building, a pair of metal doors slowly creaked open, revealing what appeared to be a large, alien aircraft that hovered soundlessly through the air. Its silver coat glistened in the remnants of moonlight, and the single, eye-shaped mechanism at the front seemed to move, as if it were seeking something out.

The turtles and the kunoichi watched with awe and growing trepidation as the ship drew closer. "Well, this can't be good," Donnie declared.

Thank you, Captain Obvious, Raph droned internally, but kept his eyes trained on the Kraang ship that hovered just above their heads, his grip on the hilts of his pronged weapons tightening.

Eyes wide, Karai and Leo watched the floating vessel, frozen where they stood. A shiver ran down Leo's spine, and he itched closer to Karai out of an intense nervousness he couldn't control. He'd thought the Kraang had been dangerous when they were on land, armed with laser guns and canons that could take his head off. But now they could fly? As if he didn't have nightmares about them already.

As if she'd sensed his growing unease, Karai wordlessly lifted a hand and braced his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, though not once did she tear her eyes away from the ship. If Leo noticed the gesture, he didn't show it.

"Um, guys?" Mikey squeaked. "I think I need to change my shell."

At that awkward piece of unneeded information, the group of ninjas finally snapped out of their trance, just as the eye of the craft began to glow, emitting a high-pitched whine. Cautiously, they all took several steps back, getting ready to make a run for it.

"Hey, Donatello, you're the leader, right?" Karai asked. "I hope you have a plan for fighting that thing."

Donnie smirked. "Yeah, of course I do," he said, though his cracking voice betrayed him. "Step one –"

The eye of the ship fired a blast of jagged pink energy, aimed straight for them.

"– RUN!" Donnie squawked.

"Good plan!" Leo cried.

Without further instruction, the five of them turned tail and bolted across the roof, the ship and the beam of energy following close behind them even as they jumped off the edge of the building. All of them screaming at the top of their lungs, they bounded down the fire escape, and dropped into a dark alleyway just as the ship reappeared, floating not far behind.

Panting as they ran down the narrow alleyway, Karai spared a glance over her shoulder at the ship looming overhead. "What the heck was that?!" she cried.

Beside her, Leo shook his head, not really wanting to look behind him as the sound of yet another high-pitched whine reached his ears. "I dunno! But off the top of my head, I'd say they use it for flying and shooting at things!"

Karai shrugged. "Can't say I argue with that!"

The five teens made it out into the vacant streets, just as another purple streak of laser fired down at them. "It's right up our shells!" Mikey screamed, flipping over a car and stumbling after his two older brothers. Looking behind him, he noticed with a light gasp of surprise that Leo and Karai were no longer following them. Instead, Leo had grabbed Karai's hand and had pulled her with him towards the other side of the street.

The blue scarfed turtle spared one last look behind him, meeting Mikey's inquisitive gaze for the first time that night. After giving him the barest of nods of acknowledgment, the two of them vanished from Mikey's sight.

For the first time ever, Mikey found that had little time to feel upset over having lost an opportunity to talk to his brother again, for he had other things to worry about. For instance, making sure that he and his other brothers didn't get fried to turtle-crisps by a flying Kraang-y ship!

Turning back to follow Raph and Donnie, Mikey pushed back the familiar aching pains and near unbearable feelings of regret, and focused on getting back to the safety of the sewers with his shell intact.

Meanwhile, Leo continued to haul Karai by the hand as they ran down the street, before stumbling into a dark alleyway, pressing themselves against the wall just as the ship's detector cast its florescent lights upon the road, scanning it for any sign of them. Luckily, it hadn't noticed them, and it soon moved on to track the other turtles down.

The young pair let out a sigh of relief, letting their heads fall back against the wall as they panted with exhaustion.

They turned to look at each other. Then, Leo frowned, raising a brow. "Having fun now?" he droned sarcastically. He was rewarded with a narrowed-eyed pout from the girl.

Not long later, police sirens rang out out loud as black and white vehicles drove down the streets, followed by the bright lights of helicopters flying overhead. Someone must have reported a disturbance in the area already, and now the authorities were on high alert. Since there were no shouts or gunshots heard, the two wagered that both the Kraang and the other turtles had long since made their escape. And that was exactly what they had to do before they were spotted.

As they slowly shuffled deeper into the alleyway, Leo and Karai shared another look. They nodded in silent agreement.

They had to tell Shredder about this.

Half an hour later, Leonardo and Karai were kneeling before the Shredder seated upon his throne and regarding them impassively as usual as they reiterated the events of the night prior to their plight. To say he didn't look the least bit convinced at their 'thrilling' tale, even with his helmet masking his features, would be an understatement.

"It's true!" Karai pressed firmly. "The Kraang are plotting an invasion, we saw the ship ourselves! They've got some serious hardware!"

"Master Shredder, we have to do something about this before it's too late!" Leo added, praying that they'd managed to get something through that thick, stubborn skull of his. Not even he could allow such a dire threat to their very existence to go unheeded, right?

However, Shredder said nothing in response at first. The odds already appeared as though they were stacking against them the longer he remained silent. "…Father?" Karai probed after a moment, hoping beyond hope that he'd actually listened to them.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he said, "We shall proceed as planned."

Leo felt his jaw drop to the floor, as did Karai as they stared up at their master incredulously. "But –"

"Tomorrow night," Shredder continued, abruptly interrupting whatever argument Karai had conjured, "we'll receive a shipment of new weapons. These shall help us put an end to the turtles and Splinter."

Not for the first time, Leo felt a burst of anger bloom within the very pit of his chest as he growled lowly under his breath, his cobalt eyes narrowing. He couldn't be serious, could he? This was a freaking alien invasion they were talking about, a possible real-life apocalypse, the end of their world as they knew it! Couldn't he let go of his pathetic vendetta just this once, couldn't he see the true danger they were facing?

"We can deal with that later!" Karai said, just as outraged as her reptilian brother as she scowled up at her father.

"Karai is right, this is way more important than your plot for revenge!" Leo seethed. "Didn't you listen to a thing we –?"

He was further silenced as Shredder pounded his fist on the armrest of his throne once. Beside him, he felt Karai jump, a kneejerk reaction, but Leo showed no signs of intimidation.

"Silence!" Shredder snarled, his voice bounding off the walls of the room and ringing in their ears. "You two have said your piece. Now, do as I say," he added with a threatening growl, as if he were daring them to go against him again.

Of course, neither of them were stupid enough to challenge the authority of the Shredder more than once, and so reluctantly bowed their heads. "Yes, father," Karai muttered bitterly.

"Understood, Master Shredder," Leo bit out, and he and Karai stood up, considering themselves dismissed as they turned to leave the throne room in silence. Both of them felt Shredder's eyes following their every move, as if his very gaze was scorching holes into their backs, until they vanished through the automatic doors.

Once the doors had slid shut behind them, Karai let out a growl, spun on her heel and threw a solid punch into the wall on her left, her fist leaving quite the dent in the concrete. Panting with anger, she removed her hand from the hole she'd created, not caring in the slightest if she'd broken a finger or two in her fit of frustration…which, of course, she had.

She heard a sigh on her right, before Leo moved to carefully take her hand, slowly taking off the metal guard and the black glove to look at the damage. Her hand twitched in his palm, and she hissed through her teeth in pain, even though the turtle's hold was as gentle as he could manage with hands the size of her head. Dammit, she'd really done a number on it, hadn't she?

Examining her bleeding fingers for a moment, Leo then looked up at her. "Idiot," he muttered, without a hint of malice in his voice. "Did you really have to take it out on the wall?"

"Would you rather have me take it out on him instead?" she spat, jabbing the thumb of her free non-broken hand towards the doors of the throne room. His expression unchanged and unreadable, Leo followed her thumb, blinking once, and the turned back to her.

"I'd rather you lived another day."

Karai rolled her eyes, and would've crossed her arms, but settled for planting her other hand on her hip with a huff of exasperation. She didn't to admit that Leo's gentle hold on her messed up hand was almost reassuring, but she also didn't want to further the damage she'd done to it either. "He just doesn't understand!" she hissed. "I mean, he's seen what the Kraang are capable of with just their robot bodies, we've seen what they're capable of with the mutagen and their laser firing ships, and he insists that we just ignore it and go on as if we'd said nothing?! What is his problem?!"

Leo shrugged hopelessly, turning to glare at the doors as if hoping he could burn a hole through them if he stared long enough. "Beats me. Though I bet if Tiger Claw were here to hear us out, he would've believed us," he said, turning back to Karai. "He knows more about the Kraang than either of us; he would've taken our side for sure. And aside from you and Dog – Bradford, he's the only one Shredder really trusts. And that's saying quite a lot."

"You got that right. Too bad your dad's out taking the other half of the Foot soldiers to China Town negotiating with the Purple Dragons," Karai grumbled. "Damn it…he's just so stubborn."

Leo scoffed, gently tugging on Karai's hand as they began to walk down the hallway leading towards Leo and Tiger Claw's room. "Come on. We need to patch up your hand first, and then we can figure out how to stop the Kraang."

Wordlessly, Karai nodded, letting herself be led by the hand down the hall until they were in the privacy of Leo's room. Crossing the room and setting herself down on Tiger Claw's futon, she crossed her legs, resting her chin in her other hand and planting her elbow on her knee as she waited for Leo to gather the medical supplies from his father's bag. Normally, Karai would've protested against him treating her self-inflicted wounds, arguing that they had more pressing matters to attend to. However, her hand was seriously aching now, and though she would never admit it aloud, some time to cool her head and think things through for a change whilst he tended to her wouldn't hurt, right?

It was as Leo sat down opposite her and began carefully wrapping her hand in gauze that she finally had an interesting thought.

Apart from Leonardo, Tiger Claw and herself, there were only a particular group of people who hated the Kraang and intended to stop them more than anyone else. And, perhaps, they were the only ones that could help her and Leo now, even if it meant going behind Shredder's back and aiding their most hated enemies.

Hamato's turtles.

She must've been grinning to herself in her pondering, because in the next minute, Leo had paused in wrapping her hand, and was giving her a look that told her he wasn't impressed in the least. She blinked, raising her chin from her hand. "What?"

"Don't even think about it," he said.

Karai pouted. "What? You don't even know what I was–"

"Whatever you think is always bad whenever you grin like that." He pointed to her face with a raised brow.

"Oh come on, Leo, think about it," Karai pressed. "Your brothers are probably the only ones who can help us stop the Kraang now. Shredder's not gonna do anything about it, and hell knows that the two of us alone won't do much damage. Besides, it's not like anyone will find out about it."

Leo sighed heavily as his shoulders drooped. He dragged an agitated hand down his face, being mindful not to crush Karai's injured fingers in his other hand, though it appeared somewhat tempting right now. "Karai, of course someone's gonna know about it. This is the Shredder we're talking about; he's got eyes and ears everywhere around the city, and –"

"If you haven't been caught yet with all the stuff you've been up to by yourself, what are the chances we will?" Karai interjected, realizing a second too late what she'd just let slip out as Leo narrowed his eyes at her.

Damn it, Karai, think before you run your stupid mouth, she scolded herself inwardly. Apparently, she was still feeling sore after learning the truth about his earlier escapade with that redheaded princess back in the park. And of course, she'd let those intense feelings take over her before she could restrain them. She hoped, for both their sakes, that he didn't realize she'd been the one to spy on him…

Leo took a patient breath. "…that, was a different matter entirely," he muttered, his eyes roaming away from her. "I know that you might find that difficult to understand. But the thing is, back then, I hadn't been deliberately going against the clan or switching sides. And on top of that, I learned my lesson and never did it again…on purpose. Since then, I've been in the clear. But if Shredder finds us both out there helping the turtles – my brothers, who also happen to be the disciples of Hamato Yoshi – who knows what'll happen. He'll let you off easier because you're his daughter, but I might end up walking around with one less arm, and then Tiger Claw might –"

He was stopped when Karai sighed and reached out to lay her hand on his shoulder. During his rant, his expression had slowly turned from annoyance to anxiousness, and then to panic as his inner fears began to run wild. The last thing Karai wanted was for him to have a panic attack.

When he turned back to her, the look faded only slightly, the traces of doubt lingering even at her reassuring touch, but she continued.

"Sorry, Leo. That was messed up, and I shouldn't have brought it up," she admitted. "But seriously, we can't let the Kraang have their way, not this time. I understand that you and the other turtles have some serious family issues, but I'm asking you to trust me when I say that they're our only chance. And I promise you we won't get caught. We can do this."

She could feel the tensed muscles of his shoulder relaxing under her hand as he looked at her, but there was still hesitation in his gaze as he bit his lip, looking down at her bandaged hand cradled limply in his larger one. He glanced up to meet her eyes again. "…but on the slight chance that we do?" he probed.

"Then I'll take all the blame and the punishment," she replied without missing a beat.

Predictably, Leo was quick to retort. "No you won't," he said, his expression hardening once more.

"Well then I'm not letting you take the blame either. God knows what he'd do to you if you did. But trust me, it won't happen. Besides, what other choice do we have?"

"Ngggh," Leo groaned, shutting his eyes despairingly as he shook his head. Slapping his free hand to his forehead, he sighed. "Fine, whatever, okay," he relented at long last, much to Karai's delight as a grin stretched its way across her face. The urge to punch the sky with glee actually crossed her mind, until Leo said something that stopped her in her tracks.

"So how do you propose we get them to team up with us?" he asked, dropping his hand to his side. "We're not exactly friends with them if you hadn't noticed."

Her grin faltered. Pursing her lips together, she darted her eyes to the side as she hummed in thought.

When she said nothing for the longest time, Leo stared at her. "You didn't think that far ahead, did you?" he deadpanned.

Slowly, Karai shook her head. "Honestly, I didn't think you'd agree."

Groaning again, Leo smacked his hand against his face again…using the hand occupied by Karai's injured one.

"OW! Leo!"

"Ohmygod I'm so sorry!"

A/N: Wellll, on that painful note XD Looks like Karai and the turtles are gonna be teaming up soon! Well, this isn't the first time for Leo, but we'll see what happens when Karai is added to the mix.

And let's hope everything turns out alright... 0_o