OK people, last short chapter, I promise! I just want to have one more "Captive Ara" scene, then the next chapter will be the big rescue! (Remember this all takes place right after "Mousers Attack", which means Ara meets Karai before all the brothers, including Leo.) But I'm getting ahead of myself. On with the story, and please let me know what you think!

Abducted Pt. 7

Karai

Karai watched from the shadows as Dogpound slammed the door to the storage room shut behind him and marched off. Good. Maybe now that that freak was out of the way, she could actually get a look at the turtle up close.

After a quick glance around, Karai dashed from the darkness, slipping inside the door and pulling it shut behind her. It was pitch black inside. Wow. Bradford's a bigger jerk than I thought. That was saying something; she always underestimated people's characters.

Karai had watched from the doorway while her father talked with Ara and had seen the whole scene unfold. She didn't know why her father had been so cruel. Being cruel in and of itself was perfectly fine, but he didn't have a good reason to be so. What could he possibly gain from explaining her parents' demise? Karai sighed in the darkness, shaking her head. Him and his stupid vendettas.

Karai had felt a twang of pity when she'd seen how heartbroken Ara had been at the mention of her father's death, and that scared her. Pity was NOT good. It meant weakness and vulnerability. If you waste your time feeling sorry for the enemy, you won't be prepared when they stab you in the back. That was one of her father's favorite sayings, and she heard it often. Even so, she felt the need to apologise for her father's actions, maybe explain better how his actions had been justified.

Groping around in the darkness, Karai found a switch and flipped it. "Forget something, Bradf… oh." The turtle across the room blinked in surprise, looking her up and down.

"My name isn't Bradf, it's Karai. Nice to meet you, Slowy."

The mutant glared at her. "My name is Ara."

"I know. Slowy just fits you better."

By now Ara's glare had turned into a full-blown scowl. "Let me out of these chains and I'll show you just how fast a turtle can be."

"Believe me, I would if it wasn't against my father's orders."

Ara stared at her. "Your… father?" Ara's gaze shifted to her armor, and Karai could see the gears turning.

"Yeah. Shredder's my dad," she said finally, tired of the stare. Ara didn't say a word in reply; she only turned her head away to stare at a wall. Karai crossed the room and knelt down beside Ara so she was at the same level as the seated mutant. "Look, I'm sorry about your dad and all, but…"

Ara's head snapped around, her eyes flashing fire. "You're sorry?" she sputtered angrily. "You're sorry?! Your father tore my whole family from me and landed me in an orphanage, all alone. There hasn't been a single good thing in my life that he hasn't ruined." Ara leaned towards Karai as her voice rose, straining on her binds.

Karai stood up and backed away slightly, but found that she couldn't leave, captivated by Ara's rant. "When Shredder killed my dad, I died too. I was like an empty shell with everything sucked out of it. My dad was everything, Karai. With him gone, I had a huge empty space inside me. But then something amazing happened. I found a family again. And slowly, I realized that I wasn't empty anymore. They had filled that hole, or most of it, anyway."

Ara shook her head in disgust. "Do you know what happened then? I learned that your dad wants to kill them, too. He's working on it right now. And why? Because of a dispute that happened years ago. He wants his stupid revenge, and he doesn't care who he hurts along the way. And you're sorry, Karai?" Ara's shouts had diminished to a whisper. "I can't blame you for Shredder's actions. Nothing he did was your fault, and I understand that. But as long as you stand by his side, as long as you come here and insult me, I have no interest in anything you have to say." She turned her head, a single tear trickling down her cheek. "Just go, please. Just… go."

Karai started for the door, hurt and insulted. She jerked the exit open. "Fine. See if I care, circus FREAK." She slammed the door shut behind her, but made sure to leave on the light.