A/N: Hello again! I'm sorry I haven't updated, but I've been REALLY sick again all this week, in fact I'm still kinda under the weather right now :(, but hey, I'm back with another chapter!

I'm not gonna lie, I nearly gave up on this chapter several times, but in the end, i beat myself up and FORCED myself to sit down and write it. I gotta say, I'm not entirely happy with it, but I think I handled one or two scenes very well. I hope you guys like it, and give me some feedback on how I did :)

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 36

"Humans are suspicious and jealous creatures. When they see something perfect, they want to find a flaw."

― Gosho Aoyama, Meitantei Konan

"So, what brings you to New York?"

Breaking her chopsticks apart and rubbing them together as if she were brandishing a pair of knives, Harmony, April's new acquaintance, looked up and smiled at her. "I'm with my family; my dad, my uncle and his son, but he's kinda like my little brother," she replied, looking back down at her chopsticks. "My dad's here trying to close an old deal. My uncle and my brother are trying to reconnect with a few other family members that they haven't seen in a long time."

April's brows rose with interest as she rested her elbows on the counter top, cupping her chin between her hands. "Oh, really? That sounds nice. Looks like you've got a pretty big family yourself, Harmony," she smiled. "What's your little brother like?"

At that, something in Harmony's eyes darkened. She stopped rubbing her chopsticks, and she turned her head away from April, almost as if she was unsure of what to say. April stiffened, her smile fading as she straightened up in her seat, staring at the back of Harmony's yellow-dyed head. The two of them had been talking only for a few minutes, discussing trivial matters such as the weather here compared to Tokyo, and where April went to school. During that time, Harmony had been an open book, but now, she seemed ready to close it.

Had April said something wrong? Or had she possibly asked a question that was a little too personal for their first meeting? Maybe Harmony had a bad relationship with her younger brother, one that she didn't want to talk about at all, let alone to someone she'd just met…

However, the look in her eyes was gone as quick as it had come, and Harmony looked back at her with a casual smile and a shrug of one shoulder. "He's an animal, too. The typical boy; stubborn, loud, impulsive and annoying…but he's a good kid." Then she chuckled. "He just turned fifteen this year. He's tries to act older than his age, but he just comes off as being a brat."

Coupled with relief washing over her, April slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh that threatened to erupt. That pretty much described her own brothers perfectly, especially Donatello and Raphael. Michelangelo had yet to reach that stage, and a part of her really hoped he never did, for she loved his innocence and childlike nature; a grown-up Mikey simply didn't sound right. She wondered if Splinter often felt the same way about his youngest child.

Once she was sure she wasn't going to cackle like a witch, April dropped her hand from her face. She had been tempted to ask about her right hand, since it was wrapped in bandages and she'd hardly used it all, meaning she'd either sprained it or had broken it badly. But upon deciding not to push her luck any further, she quickly diverted her thoughts elsewhere. "So, what is it that your dad does here exactly?" she asked, changing the subject.

"He's in kitchen utensils," Harmony replied. "Knives, mostly."

It was then that Murakami returned before April could ask anything else, holding a steaming bowl of soup in one hand and a long, wooden plate with gyoza in another. He placed the food down in front of the girls, before bowing once and returning to his kitchen to clear away the dishes he'd used. The sweet aroma of their delicious food filling her nose, April moved to pick up her chopsticks and dig in. But upon glancing over at Harmony, she stopped.

The other girl had her eyes closed, and her hands clasped together as if she were praying. "Itadakimasu," she recited, before opening her eyes again and lifting her head up.

Then April remembered; this was what the Japanese did before eating a meal, as a sign of respect. It meant something along the lines of 'thank you for the food'.

Mimicking Harmony, and inwardly feeling rather rude for not thinking of this earlier, April bowed her head and put her hands together, closing her eyes. "I-Idatakimasu," she stammered, wincing at her horrible mispronunciation. She'd get the hang of it sooner or later; with more practice and more lessons from Donnie and Splinter, she'd be fluent in their language in no time…probably.

"Alright," said Harmony, lifting her chopsticks up with an eager smile. "Let's see what these 'pizza-pot stickers' are all about." Taking one of the gyoza from April's board, Harmony popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly with one eye thoughtfully closed. After swallowing, the girl hummed with satisfaction, and grinned wider than she had since April had met her. "Best dumpling ever!" she crowed.

"I know, right?" April giggled. She hadn't known this girl for very long, and yet April felt that after today, they would continue to be good friends. She rather liked Harmony, and would love to get to know more about her. Heck, her little brother sounded like he'd be a lot of fun to hang out with, too.

Maybe with Harmony, April would finally find that sense of normalcy she'd been missing for so long.

"Now, you try mine," Harmony said, pushing her bowl of soup towards April and handing her the small white spoon.

Raising a curious brow, April looked into the bowl's contents. It didn't look any different from any other soup she'd ever had – apart from that pizza noodle soup that Mikey had made her a few weeks back. Now that had been quite an experience, one best left in the past lest she dry heaved what remained of her breakfast earlier that morning. Restraining the urge to gag and shudder at the unpleasant memory, April picked up the spoon and scooped up some of the murky green liquid. "What is it?" she asked, bringing the spoon to her lips.

Resting her chin in the palm of her left hand, Harmony smiled. "Suppon Nabe," she said, just as April began to softly blow on the liquid to cool it down.

Then Harmony's eyes turned dark, unfriendly, and she grinned.

"Turtle soup."

April gasped, blue eyes widened in horror as her hand shook.

"…Karai," she whispered.

Her gaze slid over to the girl sat beside her, still wearing that devilish grin that suddenly seemed to suit her.

"In person," Harmony – Karai – said, lifting her chin from her hand as she stared at April, not unlike how a snake would watch its next victim before it struck.

Swallowing thickly, April dropped the spoon into the bowl, slipped off her stool and took several cautious steps backwards. Her heart was hammering against her chest, and she was fairly certain her face had turned white as snow as Karai got up from her bench, turning to face April. Before, as Harmony, the other girl's manner had been relaxed, almost shy, until they started talking, where she then grew more confident, animated. Her eyes and her smile had been kind, inviting, and curious…but now, her shoulders were squared confidently, her stance as firm as stone, her fist clenched at her side, and her eyes…they were ablaze with emotions April couldn't properly decipher, apart from two, which only made her shiver with dread…

There was fury and murder burning within her ochre gaze.

April didn't know what Karai wanted from her exactly, or how the hell she'd managed to fool her so easily – the 'sweet girl with the 'misunderstood punk lifestyle' look' was the oldest trick in the book for crying out loud – but if the way she was looking at her, with her sadistic grin and the fire in her stare, told her anything, it was this:

She needed to get out of here. Now.

"U-Uh, I-I gotta go," April stammered, turning on her heel and making a beeline for the door.

But as soon as she turned her back, Karai's hand lashed out and grabbed her by the strap of her messenger bag, halting her in place. Whipping her head around, April gasped in fright.

Oh crap.

"I was thinking you'd come with me, April O'Neil," she said, spitting her name out as if it were a vile poison despite the confident smile she adorned. "My father would love to meet you."

April's heart sunk. Of course. Her father – the one that dealt with knives – wanted to meet her. How lovely.

Karai's arm jerked, and April was roughly dragged towards her by her bag strap with a strained grunt. "Let go of me!" she cried, fighting to pull herself out of the fierce grip the other girl had on her, but her efforts were in vain. Great, the one time her ninja skills would come in handy, and she was already defenseless –

"WHOA!"

With the steaming hot bowl of turtle soup balanced in his right hand, Murakami appeared, having heard the commotion from the kitchen, and was stumbling towards Karai with the bowl held over her head. With a feigned startled cry, he 'spilled' the soup over Karai's face. Letting out a shout of pain, Karai reeled backwards, releasing April in the process as she dropped to her knees.

Sparing only a moment to look back at the blind chef – and seriously debating on whether or not he really was blind with that kind of awesome precision and timing – April clambered back to her feet and threw the door open, her feet pounding against the concrete as she pelted down the street.

Panting as she ran faster than ever before, April mentally kicked herself over and over. How could she have been so blind? Granted, Karai was a master of deception, but even so, she'd dropped very obvious hints as to who she really was during their conversations.

She'd known that her brothers were 'animals'. She'd come to New York from Tokyo with her father, who dealt with 'knives', and was trying to close an 'old deal'. And her fifteen year old little brother, who was also an 'animal'…it was pretty obvious that she was talking about Leonardo.

She'd played April like a fool. And April had realized far too late that she was in a hell of a lot of danger.

Karai was a highly skilled kunoichi, one of the top ranking ninjas in the Foot Clan. She had years of experience behind her…and April, despite how hard she'd worked to get to where she was now, was still a beginner. She was no match against someone as strong or as ruthless as Karai, who had been raised and trained under the Shredder.

She didn't have a chance, not on her own.

Reaching into her pocket, though not once did she stop running, April dug out her phone and scrolled through her contacts before she found the picture of Donatello – with flowers and sparkles added around him as an earlier joke to make him and his brothers laugh – and with a shaking hand, she dialed the number, praying that he and the guys weren't too far away.

April often hated asking others for help. But in this case, she needed all the help she could get.

Getting to the very bottom of the East River had been no easy task. In fact, it had been one of the most tedious of tasks Donatello had undertaken in quite some time, which was truly saying something.

Donatello's latest invention, the Turtle Sub, whilst it'd been efficient enough to get them through the deep contaminated waters without them having to swim themselves, it had been rather slow-going at first; kinetic energy was the only way Donnie could power the engines, meaning he'd had to listen to Michelangelo and Raphael whine about peddling their electronic bicycles for about half an hour before they'd eventually reached the underwater Kraang base, just as Donnie feared his ears would bleed out from their relentless complaining.

Getting inside the base itself hadn't been any easier upon discovering that the Kraang had brought a giant sea-creature from their home dimension to guard the front door. However, once they'd distracted its attention from the base long enough, they'd finally snuck inside without detection by the creature or by the Kraang, which were too busy staring at their computers to notice they'd been compromised.

Now, Donnie and his team were crouched down low atop a long metal platform over the heads of the ignorant creatures, watching them cautiously as their three-fingered hands drifted towards their weapons.

"Alright, guys," Donnie whispered, turning to his brothers with narrowed eyes. "We have to be quiet."

"Do you really have to say this every time we go out on a mission?" Raph whispered back with a deep frown and a raised brow.

Donnie returned the look. "No, because, y'know, being ninjas, you'd know how to be quiet, right? But I have to regardless of that, because some people are unable to –"

The sound of a musical ringtone suddenly blaring out from Donnie's belt pocket echoed within the walls of the base, freezing all Kraang activity below, and freezing the blood in the turtles' veins.

His mouth gaping and his eyes horrified, Raph stared at Donnie speechlessly, whilst the purple clad leader blushed hard, looking down at his T-Phone vibrating in his belt. Sat in between his startled older brothers, Mikey blinked up at his leader. "Ooooh…that is embarrassing," he winced in sympathy. Well, at least it hadn't been his T-Phone ringing this time.

With their cover blown, the three of them were forced to leap and duck out of the way with cries of terror as the Kraang whirled around, raised their guns and began to shoot at them recklessly.

In the midst of all the chaos, Donnie quickly answered his phone whilst Raph and Mikey handled as much of the droids as they could. The only other two contacts they had on their lists were Splinter and April, and they only ever called if there was an emergency. Both their father and their human sister knew that they were in the middle of an important mission…which had already gone awry, thanks to Donnie forgetting to put his phone on vibrate.

So, if they felt the need to call them now, it had to be pretty important…which was somewhat unsettling.

Sure enough, he discovered that the caller was April, and after hurriedly pressing the answer button, he brought the phone up to his ear. "April, hi!" he called over the sound of firing blasters and robots being torn to pieces – namely by Raph – as he continued to jump and roll out of dodge. "It's not a great time!"

"Donnie!" said April's exhausted – and terrified – voice on the other side of the line. "Karai's after me!"

His brown eyes widening, Donnie screeched to a halt, frozen on the spot.

Karai was after April. Karai, as in the very dangerous, very crazy sister figure of his equally dangerous and crazy older brother, was after April, in broad daylight…whilst he and his team were all the way down in the East River, miles away from wherever she was, and unable to reach her.

"WHAT?!" Donnie squawked, seconds before grunting in pain as Raphael barreled into him from the side, knocking him out of the way of Kraang laser fire as they both tumbled to the floor. From on top of Donnie, Raph's irritated yet concerned emerald eyes scanned his younger brother up and down for any injuries, but Donnie diverted his attention to his phone instead as he held it up to him. "Raph, Karai is after April! We've gotta help her!" he cried.

The shock of the news that the daughter of Shredder was hunting down their friend was clear in Raph's expression, but only for a moment, before his scowl returned. "That's better said than done, Donnie! We're in the middle of a war-zone right now! Who's gonna help us?!" he barked.

Donnie opened his mouth to angrily retort, but soon snapped it closed again as he thought it through. As much as it pained him to admit it, Raph was right. There was no way they could make it to April in time, not from where they were, or in their current situation. Perhaps they could, if one of them left now…but they were barely holding the Kraang off as it is with just the three of them. And worse still, if they lost the fight and got captured, the Kraang would poison everyone in New York, which would include April regardless if she lasted against Karai or not…

Splinter often told them the reason he chose not to go up with them to the surface to fight; it was so that they could find their independence, learn to fight using their own strength rather than leaning on their father's, as they had done as small children. It was something that all parents were forced to do for their children, and the same was true for a Sensei and their students, to teach them that they wouldn't always be there to help them in times of trouble.

It appeared that it was April's turn to learn that lesson now, despite how much it tore at Donnie…how much it tore at all of them. But surely April could take care of herself, right? She'd been training to be a kunoichi for a while now, and she was already very good…

But against the likes of Karai…

More laser fire caught them off guard, and Raph leapt off Donnie to charge back into the fray with a loud cry. Rolling back to his feet as he ran out of the way, Donnie brought the phone back to his ear, his heart clenching painfully at his next words. He couldn't be there to help her, but at least he could give her this…

"April, I-I'm sorry! We can't get there. But don't you worry, just stay calm…"

"AND RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Donnie's voice screeched, before the connection was lost completely. Blinking hard, April gaped down at the device for a moment.

Run for my life?! Easier said than done, Donnie!

Hanging up her phone and shoving it back into her pocket, April cast a glance behind her, and immediately regretted doing so when she found that Karai wasn't far behind, her expression dark and vicious.

April should've known that her chances of getting any help from the turtles had been slim, since they were currently at the bottom of a river fighting an army of Kraang droids…but even so, she'd still hoped. Now, her hopes had been dashed to pieces, replaced with the near overwhelming fear in knowing that she was on her own this time.

Somehow, she had to either elude Karai, or face her head-on. And April wasn't overly sure if any of those options were possible.

Suddenly, like an angel descending from the heavens, a miracle presented itself in the form of a pizza delivery boy just hopping off his bike, pizza box in hand as he started to climb up the steps to the front door of the apartment building.

Her eyes widening, an idea sprung to mind as she drew closer. "Is that pizza for 'O'Neil'?" she asked.

Blinking in surprise as he stopped in his tracks, the boy shook his head at her before looking down at a piece of paper in his hand. "No, it's for…um…" he stuttered, trying and failing to read the scribbled handwriting on the sheet. His distraction gave April the opportunity she needed to quickly mount the bike, start it up (silently thanking the heavens that the boy had been forgetful enough to leave the keys in) and then drive off, remembering at the last second to put the helmet on before speeding down the street.

"Hey! What're you doing?!" the boy cried after her.

"I'll bring it back, I promise!" she called back over her shoulder, before turning her head back to face the road. Of course she felt pretty guilty for stealing the poor kid's bike, something he could get fired for and she could get arrested for…but she knew she'd never escape Karai on foot. This was probably her only chance to get away without having to fight, and despite the nagging guilt, she wasn't about to let it pass.

Not looking back once, just in case there was a slight chance Karai was faster than a motor bike – though she prayed that was just her nervous mind playing games with her – April kept driving until she hit a red light, where she skidded to a stop. Looking around, her heart still hammering, April saw no sign of the black clad kunoichi on the road or on the sidewalk.

Letting her shoulders sag, she heaved a sigh of relief, placing a hand over her heart.

Thank god, I made it. That was close…

However, no sooner had those thoughts manifested did she hear the sound of another motorbike roaring in the distance, and a new sense of dread bubbled up in the pit of her gut. Opening her eyes and lifting her head up, April turned to glance over her shoulder, and yet again regretted the action as a black and red coated bike – one that practically screamed 'made by Foot' – bounced off the hood of a taxi, heading straight for her once its wheels hit the ground again without a hitch.

And of course, the crazy driver was Karai.

April gasped in horror. Great, not only was she highly skilled and dangerous, but now she had a freaking bike?! That's not fair!

Nevertheless, Karai was getting closer, and April knew better than to stick around and wait for her to catch up. So it was without a hint of her earlier guilt that she revved up her bike and drove straight into the traffic, ignoring the red light or the blaring car horns of angry drivers as she swerved hard to the right, racing down the road with Karai still hot on her tail.

They weaved past cars and trucks as the chase resumed, and April's white knuckled grip on the handles of the bike grew tighter with panic when Karai finally managed to pull up on her left side. Behind the dark shade of her helmet, the girl's eyes were narrowed, alit with resentment as she took a swipe at April to grab her. She missed, but was quick to lash out again as she punched April's arm, earning a cry of pain and alarm from her as she wobbled unsteadily on the old bike.

With a grunt, April veered off to the right again, having no choice but to drive along the pavement. People cried out in shock and leapt out of her path as she passed, before she hit the brakes and skidded to a halt across the concrete path. She feared she'd hit a dead-end, but luckily enough she'd stopped just in front of the mouth of an alleyway leading into another street. Wasting no more time, she headed into the alley, not stopping or looking back at all this time. She knew Karai was still chasing her. She could feel her eyes burning holes into her back.

A part of April wondered if all of this was more than just an order from Shredder to capture her. The anger and hatred that lingered in the kunoichi's eyes every time they settled on her…it couldn't have been born merely from the fact that April was with the turtles and Splinter, could it? No, there was something else behind this hunt, something else that Karai didn't want April to know about, at least not until it was too late. Though if April didn't know any better, she would've thought that Karai was –

"Gyah!" April gasped when suddenly a large, white van appeared in her path, slowly backing up and blocking the exit to the alley.

Her eyes widened. April couldn't stop now, not with Karai still hot on her heels, and certainly not at the speed she was going at.

There was no turning back. It was now or never. Squeezing her eyes shut, April twisted the accelerator and ducked her head down, bracing herself.

Ohpleaseohpleaseohplease –

The mercy of the universe was probably shining down upon her in that moment, for when she opened her eyes again, she was already zooming down the vacant street once more, not a scratch on her, the bike, or the van that had barely missed her. And better still, Karai hadn't been able to follow her with the van blocking her path.

Her whole body shaking from exhilaration, a breathless laugh that was borderline hysterical escaped her. How had she just made that?! That was awesome! Undeniably terrifying and death defying, yes, but still awesome! Oh, how she wished the turtles could've seen that!

Still, despite that one small victory, she knew she wasn't out of hot water just yet. If the past few minutes of endless pursuit had taught April anything, it was that Karai was as persistent as she was crazy. It wouldn't be long before she caught up to her again.

Just then, her T-Phone began to vibrate in her pocket. Keeping her eyes trained on the road, April slid the device out and answered it, bringing it to her ear. She didn't get the chance to speak before Donnie's voice rang out from the speakers.

"April! What's your status?!"

April quickly glanced about her as she drove, the nerves once again bubbling inside her as the earlier adrenaline began to subside. She saw no trace of Karai, but if that odd tingling sensation in the back of her mind told her anything, it was that she was still very much in danger.

She gulped. "Could be better!" she replied shakily.

"Okay, we're on our way! We'll be there soon!"

A sudden strong wave of relief washed over April at that, and she couldn't stop the sigh that escaped her lips and the smile that began to spread across her face. Donnie and the guys were on their way. They were coming to help her. Perhaps she wouldn't have to do this on her own after all –

A three-part chorus of terrified screams blared out from the speakers of her phone, interrupting her thoughts, and April reeled back from the device in surprise. And above their screaming, she swore she could hear the roar of a very angry mutant creature. She raised a worried brow as she stared at the device. What on earth was going on…?

"Actually, there might be a slight delay!" was all Donnie had to say – or screech, again – before the connection was lost, leaving April on her own once again whilst wondering what the heck had just happened. Though knowing the turtles and what trouble they often got themselves into, she knew it couldn't have been anything good.

Suddenly, something hissed past her ear, and embedded itself into the mirror of her bike. She gasped in fright, realizing that the object in question was a very, very sharp shuriken. It had no symbol of the clan it belonged to engraved on its surface, unlike those of the Hamato Clan that she and the turtles used, but she'd seen it many times before.

It was a Foot Clan shuriken.

Her blood pumping through her veins as her heart beat faster and faster, April's frantic eyes scanned the area, searching for wherever the weapon had come from. Sure enough, she looked up, and to her horror, she spotted Karai sprinting across the rooftops, having discarded her bike despite her helmet still obscuring her features.

April let out a breath, both out of terror and mild annoyance. She'd had a hunch that Karai wouldn't have given up that easily, but even so…

Are you kidding me?!

Growling under her breath as she narrowed her eyes, April turned back to face the road, her hands gripping the handles tightly as she made a sharp turn to the left. Karai was still on her tail, but if April could keep this up for a little while longer, she was sure she could shake her off. She had to. There was no way she could take her on in battle by herself…

She just hoped that whatever was keeping her brothers at bay, they were having an easier time than she was.

Out of all the things that really weren't good, being trapped inside of a Turtle Submarine peddling away from a giant alien sea-monster from another dimension that was seemingly intent on eating them alive was really not good, not in Donnie's opinion anyways. And he was pretty certain that Mikey and Raph felt the exact same way as they huffed in exhaustion, peddling their electronic bikes as hard and as fast as they could as the creature gave chase. They'd succeeded in destroying the Kraang base, putting a stop to their latest diabolical plot to poison the city…but now, they really were in hot water.

What did this monster have against them anyways?

"Donnie, can't you make this scrap heap go any faster?!" Raphael screeched from the back of the sub. Beside him, Mikey nodded with a noise of agreement.

Sat at the control panel at the head of the sub, Donnie nodded. "Of course I can!" he replied. They had enough power from the bikes to get the engines up and running now, so they would escape the beast and be home free in no time, right?

However, as the engines powered up and glowed to life, instead of propelling the submarine through the waters like a speeding bullet, as had been expected…they fell straight off, zooming off into the distance, without the sub.

Inside the ship, the three turtles peered through the porthole in abject horror, staring after the fading florescent glow of the engines before they disappeared from sight.

Mikey blinked hard. "…wow, that is fast," he said.

Donnie's left eye twitched. "PEDDLE FASTER!" he hollered, startling his brothers out of their trance before they sprang into action, leaping back onto their bikes and peddling them like never before.

"Feeling the burn!" Mikey quipped through his panting, despite how wide his eyes had become due to the fear of their impending doom. However, regardless of how they peddled, the ship was no closer to losing the sea monster that was quickly gaining up on them, effortlessly gliding through the thick murky waters as it drew closer and closer. Sweat trickled down their brows as Raph and Mikey peddled harder, faster, pushing themselves to their very limits as their hearts pounded, their blood pumping, their leg muscles aching.

"Go, go, go!" Mikey cried, praying to whatever god was listening that they made it out alive and in one piece. This couldn't be how it ended for them, could it? They couldn't die by the hands – or flippers – of an alien sea monster, not while April was still in danger…not when Leonardo still needed them…not when Splinter still needed to see his eldest son again –

The monster's head rammed itself into the side of the sub, sending Mikey and Raph flying off their bikes and Donnie slamming into the porthole with a cry of pain.

The creature's flippers locked itself around the sub, crushing it within its unrelenting grip as metal screeched deafeningly.

Inside, the turtles could only sit there helplessly, their eyes wide and bodies trembling in fear. Whimpering, Mikey turned to Raph. The two of them locked gazes, before Mikey pounced on his older brother, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face into his chest. Mikey felt Raph's strong arms come around him in return, holding him close as they squeezed their eyes shut.

This was it. This was the end for them. It was all over.

"That's it, it's got us!" Donnie wailed, throwing his arms over his head as he shut his eyes. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

Silence…

And then came the sound of a very happy alien sea monster having a very good time.

Their eyes snapped open, first in confusion, as they raised their heads and listened to the creature's cooing sounds, their brows tilting upwards. What the heck? Why wasn't it eating them? Why had it gone to all that trouble just to –?

And then the ship started to vibrate oddly, as if the creature was purring like a feline…

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Slowly, as the realization finally sunk in, Donnie turned his head to exchange horrified, disgusted gazes with his brothers as the noises continued, the pitch growing higher and higher with pleasure.

"Uuugh!" Raph exclaimed with a shudder, releasing Mikey from his embrace to slap a hand over his eyes in embarrassment as he shook his head. Well, they weren't being eaten alive…but Raph wasn't so sure if this was any better.

"Hey!" Mikey then crowed, his mouth set in a scowl as he waved his arms frantically in the air. "We're not that kind of sub!"

His expression as flat as a board, Donnie stood up and moved over to a switch nearby where Mikey and Raph still sat on the floor, and he pulled it downwards with a sharp tug. Outside, two hatches opened up, dispensing a pair of miniature explosive devices that floated towards the monster, which continued to cuddle the metallic turtle unawares. The devices exploded upon contact, and the monster recoiled, roaring in pain from the shock and relinquishing its hold upon the submarine. The second they were freed from its grip, the turtles wasted no time in peddling away as fast as they could, not once pausing or daring to look back as they made a break for the city.

Once they'd gotten a safe distance away, the three brothers shared a disturbed look.

"…we shall never speak of this again," muttered Donnie.

"And we are not telling Master Splinter," added Raph. "If I have to hear another one of those talks –"

"Um, guys, I have a question," Mikey piped up, timidly raising his hand. Once his two older brothers turned to him, he pointed a thumb to the very back of the submarine. "How're we gonna fix that giant dent in the back of the sub?"

Donnie made a face, raising a brow as he looked past Mikey, narrowing his eyes in confusion as he searched for whatever Mikey was talking about.

"What do you mean? What giant de – oh, are you kidding me?!"

Karai had to give the princess a little credit. She didn't know when to give up.

She'd spent the better part of an hour chasing the redhead through the streets, and had even been forced to the rooftops in order to keep up with her after that stunt she'd pulled with that truck. A part of her had believed she would've managed to evade her, though she'd promptly waved it off. Imagine, a wannabe kunoichi like April O'Neil, escaping a highly trained warrior like Karai so easily. It was ludicrous, laughable even. Still, the thought had crossed her mind.

That is, until the foolish little girl had driven straight into a dead-end, with nowhere to run or hide from her any longer.

Finally, time to have some real fun.

Smirking confidently behind her helmet, Karai dropped down from the fire escape, landing in a crouch on her feet behind the bike. However, she was rather surprised to find that her target had disappeared, leaving the vehicle abandoned against the side of the alley. Raising a brow, she slipped her helmet off…

…and then slid her eyes to glance behind her with a sly smile.

There she is.

Spinning on her heel, Karai ducked her head in time to avoid a blow from a helmet as April clumsily swung it back and forth, before she threw it at her with all her might. Karai barely had to move an inch to dodge the flying helmet, letting it slam against the brick wall behind them before clattering uselessly to the ground.

She inwardly smirked. How pathetic. The poor girl had chosen to stand her ground and fight her after all. Her bravery was commendable…but she had no idea what she was in for.

"You've got guts," she said, setting her helmet down before sauntering towards April, her smile growing into something wicked and foreboding. "Let's see if I can pound that out of you."

April remained undeterred by her threat, and attained a fighting stance as she drew out a weapon from her pocket. With her jaw set determinedly and her brows furrowed, she flicked her metal weapon out.

At the sight of the familiar weapon, the one that the witch had used to charm Leo – her brother – so easily, Karai then grinned. "A Tessen. Beautiful, unassuming, but very powerful…in the right hands," she added tauntingly, knowing that the girl would take the bait.

Narrowing her eyes, April charged for her head-on, swiping the Tessen towards her face with a loud cry. Karai ducked under her attack, before grabbing her outstretched arm and flipping her over her shoulder, snatching the Tessen from her hand in the process. April rolled to a crouch, letting out a grunt of pain before climbing back to her feet, attaining another stance. Karai smirked at her, tossing the Tessen to the ground with a flick of her wrist without averting her mocking gaze.

Growling, April charged for Karai yet again, throwing ungainly punches at her, which she dodged with ease as she chuckled darkly under her breath. Honestly, this was just too funny, cute if anything. The little whelp actually believed she could beat her? She could barely keep hold of her own weapon for more than five seconds before being disarmed, so how the hell –

WHACK!

With a grunt, Karai stumbled backwards after a direct blow to the face by April's boot.

For a moment, she could only stare at the ground, amber eyes narrowed as blood trickled from the side of her mouth. The princess had actually managed to land a hit on her. And it had actually hurt. It seemed that Karai had been underestimating her opponent…but only slightly.

A part of her was somewhat impressed. She'd never had a beginner hit her so hard before. But it also made her very, very mad.

Flicking the blood trail off her chin with her thumb, Karai turned to April, her grin returning despite the fury boiling inside of her. "Good one," she said.

Blinking hard, April had the grace to look that little bit surprised at her lucky hit, before her confident façade returned. "Glad you enjoyed it," she barked.

Karai huffed. That confidence wouldn't last for long.

"Now it's my turn."

Her grin vanished, replaced with a deep scowl as she attained her own fighting stance, squaring her shoulders and clenching her fists as she narrowed her eyes at her rival. She was done playing games with this girl now. The thought of entertaining herself in watching her squirm underneath her boot was long gone, replaced with the desire of simply beating her to a bloody pulp for daring to think that she could beat her, that she could replace her…

That way, she would learn more than not to mess with Oroku Karai. She would learn not mess with, or get anywhere near her brother, to never seduce him with her pretty face and useless talents ever again.

She would learn that she wasn't as perfect as she believed.

When April charged for her a third time, Karai spun on her heel and delivered a kick to her stomach, sending her crashing and rolling along the ground with strangled cry of pain. Karai didn't give her the chance to get on her feet properly before throwing yet another kick at her aimed for her face, slamming her into the wall before unleashing a wave of furious punches to her chest, her arms, her face, a knee to her stomach, before the girl finally slid to the ground, curling up into a pitiful ball of agony.

Though a part of her knew that what she was feeling was wrong, that perhaps she was taking this surge of foul emotions a little too far, Karai couldn't hold back the sick satisfaction she felt in watching the other girl suffer. Perhaps now she'd learned her lesson, that she was no match for someone clearly faster, stronger, better than she was, or would ever be?

However, it was only seconds later that April climbed back to her feet again, her legs trembling with effort beneath her. Bruises were already marring her face, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and she was clearly in a fair amount of pain…yet, she raised her fists once more, pressing forward as she suppressed a whimper.

Her brows furrowing, Karai found that she was surprised, but dared not give April the satisfaction in seeing it outwardly. She was still willing to get up and fight, after all that Karai had dished out?

Huh. That was…almost admirable, for someone like her, who was just starting out in ninjitsu…and yet, it only made Karai angrier.

April stumbled closer, throwing a weak punch at Karai that was easily dodged as she spun, dragging April down by her ponytail before pinning her across her knee and slamming her elbow down into her stomach. A strangled gasp of agony escaped the redhead, before Karai let her flop to the ground.

Standing up, Karai watched coldly as she lay there, struggling to regain her breath. That should keep her down…

But she was quickly proven wrong when April staggered to her feet, again, her fists raised.

It took everything Karai had in her to suppress the growl that threatened to burst from her throat as her fists shook with rage. Why couldn't she just stay down? Couldn't she see that she was outmatched in every way, that she had no hope of winning? Couldn't she just give up?

What was with this stupid girl?! She'd taken everything Karai had thrown at her, blow after blow, and continued to get up for more. What was she trying to prove exactly? That she was better because she could still stand?! That she was better because she'd been trained by Hamato Yoshi?! That she was special because a bunch of alien freaks were after her?! Because she'd gained the attention – affection – of Leonardo, her little brother, her best friend?!

With a yell, Karai threw a kick at April's chest that sent her flying out of the alley and into the open, landing flat on her back with another pathetic cry. She lay there for a moment, heaving exhausted breaths, before she slowly lifted her head up again. Karai bristled.

Oh no, you're not getting up again!

This time, Karai did growl as she lifted her foot, planting on April's forehead. "What makes you so special?!" she spat, shoving April back down to the concrete again before walking around her helpless form, scowling deeply. "You're the center of an alien conspiracy, protected by mutants, and trained by a great ninja master. Why?"

The only answer she got was a searing pain as her hair was tugged viciously, fingers digging mercilessly into her scalp. With a sharp cry, she spun around as much as she was able to, and dug her hands into April's hair, pulling with all her might as the two girls stumbled back and forth unsteadily, getting dangerously close to the stairs of the underground subway.

"I don't know!" April shouted, her voice strained with what sounded like one trying to suppress tears, not of pain, but of frustration. "I flunk in trig…my friends are mutants…aliens got my dad –"

She was cut off when Karai released her death-grip on her hair, and instead twisted April's arm backwards into a lock, taking them both to the ground as Karai held her down, with no chance of getting up again. Gritting her teeth, Karai gripped April's wrist tightly, with no intention of letting her go, not this time.

Finally, she had her. There was no way –

"– and I lost my mother!"

Karai froze. Her eyes widened, her grip on April's hand slackening as she stared down at her. In that moment, everything she'd felt beforehand, all of her anger, her resentment – her jealousy – had vanished, replaced with something else, something she hadn't felt towards anyone else on such a level since the day she'd met Leonardo.

What was it? Pity? No…it was deep, deep, understanding. And underneath it all, despite her best efforts to quell such thoughts, there was…

"…What?" she muttered faintly. "You lost your mother?"

She realized her mistake far too late as suddenly, April's hand twisted out of her grip and grabbed her by the collar of her jacket, tugging her forwards before planting her knee into her stomach, launching her over her head and down the subway stairs. The world was a blur of black and white as she tumbled down the concrete steps, until she finally hit the bottom, crashing into a trashcan.

For a time, she just laid there on the cold hard ground with trash littered about her prone form, her head spinning, her limbs and other internal organs aching fiercely as she let out a ragged cough. Damn, she hadn't felt this much pain since she'd broken her hand…

"Not bad, for a nobody," she heard echoing from the top of the stairs, before unsteady footsteps followed by the sound of a bike engine trailed off into the distance, leaving Karai on her own.

It was only then that she found the will to get back on her feet again, limping over to the nearest wall before leaning heavily against it. Weakly, she lifted her head up to the top of the stairs for a fleeting moment, before she averted her gaze down to her right hand, which had begun to bleed again through the folds of the dirtied bandages.

As she stood there at the bottom of the stairs, surrounded by garbage, darkness, and her own thoughts clouding her reeling mind, Karai fought the urge to punch another wall as she finally realized what it was that she was feeling. It was more than her jealousy, more than her pity or understanding.

It was sympathy. Sympathy for a girl that, just like Karai herself, had lost her mother.

And regret. Regret for fueling her false assumptions, justifying them, with hatred, rage…and letting them loose on one that, probably, didn't really deserve it to begin with.

Make that two people, Karai…

Letting her head fall, Karai released a long and weary sigh, before setting off to the task of climbing the stairs without collapsing. She was tired, hungry, hurt in more ways than one, and more than anything, she just wanted to go home, curl up in bed, and forget any of this had ever happened. She wanted to forget about April's words ringing in her ears, forget about April, and forget about the mission she'd failed to complete and the consequences that were sure to follow…

But in the back of her mind, she knew she still had one more job to do before she could find any sort of peace…

A/N: Wow...that was a rollercoaster, wasn't it? XD

Well, I hope you guys liked it, it took FOREVER.

Next Chapter: Siblings have their chance to fix their bond and set things right once more, whilst a certain redhead has to come to terms with another unsuspected twist...