I'd like to thank those who have reviewed, followed, and already favorited this story. It really does mean a lot, especially when I'm pretty proud of what I've done.

The sounds of metal clashing together in fast strikes sounded in the large dojo. Several who had been lightly sparring watched the duel, so absorbed in it they forgot about their own. The two combatants stood a fair distance away, the smaller breathing heavily as he clutched tightly onto the katana in his hand. Eyes zoomed in on any detail he could catch, any sign of weakness that would give him the edge. His opponent narrowed his yellow eyes, standing nearly twice his size and seemingly unfazed by vigorous battle. Both studied the other for what felt like minutes, when in reality only seconds had passed since the last onslaught of attacks.

Annoyed that his opponent wasn't fazed in the least by his attacks, the smaller let out a snarl before he charged. The upward slash of his katana was too fast for the spectators to catch, but his combatant easily blocked the attack with his own saber and quickly retaliated. The smaller let out a gasp as he struggled to defend against the strikes. He could feel his arms growing sluggish as he blocked each brutal attack with his katana. Leaping away from his enemy, he tried to regain his breath, glaring at the taller fighter. The larger warrior laughed. "You do not prove to be a very worthy opponent."

Bristling, the smaller ninja dashed towards his opponent. He lifted his katana to strike when his arm was smacked aside and a powerful kick sent him flying. He hit the ground hard, winded. A large foot suddenly appeared on him, effectively pinning him. The large saber was pointed at his neck, and he glared at the person holding it. The two stared each other down, neither backing down.

Chuckling, the larger warrior sheathed his saber and freed his opponent. He held out a giant paw, easily hauling up the child. "Well done Leonardo. Though you continue to show impatience, making it very easy to rile you."

Leo felt his face heat up. "I know." He sighed, picking up his katana he had dropped. Sheathing it along with the other, he planted his hands on his hips as he scowled. "But you totally were messing with me Tiger Claw! You know I'm not strong enough for you to go all-out on me like that."

"That is true." The tiger agreed. He patted the turtle's head before starting towards the exit. Giving the turtle a backwards glance, he smirked. "And yet I was not going all-out." Chuckling at Leo's indignant pout, the tiger left.

Instantly the three ninja that had been watching the spar practically jumped on the turtle. "Dude Leo that was intense!" The ninja said as he slapped the turtle's shell.

Leo winced at the strange congratulations, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Eh he still beat the crap out of me."

They laughed in return, still watching him in awe. "I would have been taken down in like 2 minutes. How'd you manage to last 13?"

Shrugging, the turtle couldn't help but puff out his chest slightly at the praise. "Training everyday with the best of the best. Long hours in here and you'll get there too." He admitted honestly.

"No way am I sweating in here all day. I'd die of boredom before then." The man laughed, the others joining in. Leo smiled along, but couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. While these three were free to enjoy the city and all it had to offer to cure boredom, he was stuck in this building. Training was his main hobby, if it could be called that, and he loved it yes. But the turtle desperately wanted to explore the city he had been living in for 8 years.

The men started chattering amongst themselves about some get together at a bar later as they left the dojo, leaving the turtle by himself. Watching them leave, Leo sighed. He rubbed his arm, forgetting that it was bruised from Tiger Claw's punch. Leo winced at the pain. He'd have to put something on it. Damn tiger.

The turtle left the dojo and returned to his room. His and Karai's were several floors above the dojo, in a private area of the building. The rest of the ninja that had to stay in the skyscraper, if they weren't from Tokyo, lived in much closer quarters. But with Leo and Karai being children of the Foot Clan's leader, they were practically given their own floor. The only others on this floor were other elites, such as Tiger Claw and a newer higher-up known as Bradford.

Opening his door and closing it quietly behind him, the turtle yawned, his former adrenaline gone. He removed his katana scabbards and placed them carefully on his desk that sat in the corner of his room. In all, his room was rather big. Much larger than the one he had lived in back in the small apartment. This room had plenty of room for his belongings, though he didn't have much. He didn't wear clothes and he never got out, so Leo had never really bought anything. However, over the years he had started quite a collection of weapons, each that he treasured dearly.

But his most prized possessions were small ornaments Karai had gotten for him in the markets. She rarely went nowadays, but each was incredibly thoughtful. That might surprise most of those that knew the girl as she often was quite reckless and mischievous, but Leo knew she was very attentive. And she couldn't resist her little brother's charms. Smiling fondly at the small carved dragon statue he loved so much, the turtle yawned once again.

Seeing no use in fighting off his exhaustion, the turtle removed the rest of his gear and collapsed onto the bed. Within seconds, he was curled up asleep.

Something poked Leo's shoulder, but he ignored it. Another poke and he lifted his arm to lazily swipe at the obtrusion. Leo faintly heard an impatient sigh and the prodding became more persistent. "Psst. Hey wake up already."

Leo whined and swiped at the hand again, missing. "Lea'me alone." He mumbled into his pillow. The prodding stopped, but his pillow was roughly pulled away. Whining at its loss but no more deterred, the turtle buried his face in his blankets. He heard a groan and a quiet "you asked for it" but wasn't prepared to be assaulted by his pillow. Leo let out a cry of surprise as he shot up, facing his attacker.

Karai gave him a smug grin. He glared at her as he snatched his pillow back, placing it down on the bed. "Why'd you do that?"

"Cause you wouldn't wake up obviously." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Now hurry up. The Shredder wants to see us."

Any drowsiness that remained in the turtle was instantly dispelled. "What? Why?"

"I don't know." Karai shrugged. She stood and headed towards the door, Leo scrambling behind her to put his gear back on.

The two left his room, quickly making their way into the elevator. Leo turned to her as the doors closed. "So any idea why he might want to see us?"

"Like I said, I don't know." She rolled her eyes. "But it's probably nothing important."

Frowning at her response, the turtle turned back towards the doors. He bit his lip, wondering why exactly their father would call for them all of a sudden. They hadn't done anything too troublesome lately had they? He couldn't think of anything, but then again if Karai had taught him anything, it was that getting into a little trouble every now and then wasn't bad. It was actually healthy. He smirked at the thought as the doors opened, and the two stepped out.

Walking side by side, they entered the 'throne room' as many called it. The Shredder sat fully garbed in his menacing armor, watching them intently as they kneeled. The two bowed their heads in respect, waiting for him to address them.

"There have been several accounts of a thief in the city that continues to successfully steal whatever he wants. The only sightings are described as a dark figure." Leo and Karai shared a quick glance, each as confused as the other. A thief? Why would the Shredder care about one thief? He began talking again, the two quickly falling back into their proper kneel. "While skilled, this thief has targeted several of our stores in the north side of town. You two are to investigate and bring this thief in. Alive."

"Hai Master Shredder." The two chorused. They stood and gave the Shredder a final bow before leaving.

The two remained silent until they entered the elevator. Karai was the first to speak as she crossed her arms. "A thief huh? I wasn't expecting that."

Leo nodded. "Yeah. I thought we got in trouble again."

The girl scowled at him. "You worry too much. I made sure no one was around remember?"

"You said that when we tried hiding all of the masks before training but we got caught then didn't we? And what about that time when Tiger Claw found us about to spray paint that one wall? Or when we-"

The turtle's words were abruptly cut off as Karai slapped a hand over his mouth. She scowled at him. "I get it Leo. But that one time was totally not my fault."

He rolled his eyes, removing the hand from his mouth. "Sure, sure. And I'm a dancing penguin on a-"

The elevator doors opened, four ninja staring wide-eyed at the pair. Leo's face flushed and he quickly scooted behind Karai. The girl snickered and the four confused ninja shuffled in to the elevator. Three seconds of awkwardness later and the poor turtle practically toppled over trying to get out. Karai stepped out much more gracefully, and the two were left alone again. Karai leaned in closer to her brother. "A dancing penguin on a what now?"

Spluttering something about sisters, Karai laughed at the flustered turtle as he stomped away. She quickly caught up to him, mood sobering. "So what time do you want to head out?"

Leo shrugged, thankful for the topic change. "I guess at dusk. But we'll have to be quick."

Karai nodded. "Well that gives us a couple hours. You should take care of that." She pointed at his arm.

He blinked. He had forgotten about said injury from Tiger Claw. "Oh yeah. Tiger Claw got me good."

"So I heard." She said with a smirk. "Too bad I wasn't there to watch him wipe the floor with you."

"Oh please." The turtle waved her off. "I managed to last more than 10 minutes against him. You wouldn't have even lasted 5."

"Whatever. Now go get ready." Rolling his eyes at her, Leo did as she said, scowling when she called out. "And don't fall asleep this time!" He stuck his tongue out at her, leaving her laughing behind him.

Two hours later and the two ninja were ready to go. Karai had her usual armor on, lightweight silver plates over her torso with flexible black fabric covering the rest of her body. She had a metal covering for her lower face, but her eyes lit up with her trademark smirk. Leonardo wore the garb he had taken on soon after starting his training. Black tape encircled all of his hands except for his fingers and crept up his arms. The same tape covered his feet as well and most of his legs. A metal plate covered most of his plastron, with two smaller pads covering his shoulders, those adorned with the Foot's symbol. Two scabbards rested by his hips, attached to a black belt that also held various other weapons. The dark crimson scarf around his shoulders covered his mouth, and the black mask darkened his blue eyes. Standing on the rooftop, the two looked much older than 8 and 9.

Without a word, they sprinted towards their destination, flipping over rooftops without breaking a sweat. The sky was quickly darkening above them as they quickened their pace.

Leo took in his surroundings as he ran, thrilled to be in the fresh air. The lights of Tokyo were bright and the city was still alive for the late hour, Mount Fuji standing proud in the distance. He loved the feel of the wind on his skin as he flipped over the rooftops, feeling as free as a bird. Karai watched him out of the corner of her golden eyes in amusement. No words needed to be said as they went.

15 minutes later and the two were standing on the rooftop across from the warehouse, watching and waiting.

"Other Foot are stationed inside, but we're basically the muscle." Karai said, eyes narrowed at the building.

Leo nodded but didn't respond. Other missions were all basically the same, though he had only been on a few. Most of the time he only needed to stay in the shadows, preying on the enemy from a distance. Tonight would be no different. One thief against a dozen ninja would be easy to take down.

"Let's go." Karai leaped down into the alleyway, Leo behind her. They sprinted across the street towards the dark warehouse, making no sound. Karai leaned against the door, listening as Leo stood ready. She gave him a nod and slowly pulled the door open. It made no sound, and the two snuck inside. The turtle instantly felt the presence of the other ninja, though he could not see them hidden in the shadows.

The two children leaped onto a stack of crates and onto the rafters hanging above them, crouching down to wait. They didn't have to wait long. Only a few minutes passed, and another presence was felt in the building. Leo felt his muscles tense as he looked around for the thief. To his surprise, he couldn't find him. He lightly nudged Karai, their eyes meeting with the same question. Where was he?

A sudden movement alerted the two to a figure lurking below them. It was almost impossible to see the person, who blended into the shadows as if he was one. The figure began searching around the crates, not making a sound as he checked them over. Whatever it was he was looking for, the thief found it in a smaller chest slightly away from the rest that Leo hadn't noticed before. Deft fingers pried open the box, revealing something that the turtle couldn't see. The thief picked it up, holding it up slightly to examine. It lightly shined in the pale moonlight filtering through several windows. Squinting, Leo saw that it was a necklace of some kind, gold with a flower pendant. It seemed like a strange thing for a thief to take from a ninja clan...

Suddenly a group of foot ninja jumped out from the shadows, surrounding the startled thief. But surprise was quickly dispelled as the necklace was stored in a bag that thief had around their shoulders and a sword was whipped out. Leo was surprised to see the figure holding a wakizashi and noticed the katana strapped to his back. The foot ninja quickly moved in, attacking in fast vicious blows that seemed to have the thief on the defense. But the thief was faster, kicking a ninja into another and parrying a sword from behind. Within seconds the thief had taken out the group, and the second moved in.

Leo felt Karai tense beside him, obviously tired of watching and she leaped down to join the other ninja. The turtle stayed where he was, pulling out a handful of shuriken and several kunai. He was only to move in as a last option, staying in the shadows where the enemy couldn't see him, wouldn't know he existed.

The thief continued to easily take on his multiple enemies, lashing out and blocking with ease. Karai however, quickly turned the tide of battle as she threw swift strikes at the figure. The thief may have been skilled, but against Karai and several others he just wouldn't hold out. Leo wasn't expecting the thief to dodge a slash from Karai's sword and return his own. He wasn't expecting Karai to get hit. But the thief managed to time his strike right and slashed at Karai's stomach, cutting through her defenses.

Karai went down and red tinted the turtle's vision. He flung a kunai at the thief's head. The thief barely dodged in time, earning a scratch across his face. His eyes flung up, meeting Leo's. Leo flung another, and the thief moved, avoiding the sharp weapon. The thief began to run towards the exit, weaving around the thrown shuriken of the turtle who stayed upon him from above, with each miss annoying Leo more. Putting on a burst of speed, the turtle jumped down, blocking the exit as he unsheathed his katana.

The thief halted, eyes widening at the giant turtle. Leo felt his own widen, shocked when he finally saw the person's face. The thief was a girl!? And not much older than him it looked like. Long black hair was pulled back into a braid, several stray pieces hanging over an oval face. The surprised brown orbs studied him, her hand tightening on her sword. "Yokai..." He heard her whisper. Leo narrowed his eyes at her, holding his katana tightly. It didn't matter who or how old she was, she had to be taken down.

The girl seemed to notice this, readying herself. Hardly a second later she was on the defense, blocking fast strikes that made her wrists hurt. Leo saw a tinge of blood on the girl's wakizashi and he growled, barreling down on the thief. He could tell she was growing tired, his strikes coming closer to hitting her. But she wasn't out of tricks, as she suddenly leaped over him, knocking him down with a quick sweep of her legs when she landed. He hit the ground hard and raised his head only to find her sword pointed at it. His blue eyes blazed as he watched her, but a tinge of fear slowly began to sprout as she watched him. Her breaths were loud, but her eyes seemed sure.

Suddenly the girl was thrown off him, surprising both of them. Leo whipped his head around to see Karai attacking the thief. Relief flooded through him, watching his sister battle. He hadn't known how bad she had been injured. Jumping up, the turtle quickly joined the fray. Striking tandem blows with Karai, the two easily took on the thief, the girl's limbs becoming more tired as her moves turned sluggish. A final slash sent the girl down with a cry, her wakizashi falling beside her. Karai kicked the sword away as Leo held his up to the girl's throat. He smiled at the sudden change of position, and the girl merely watched him warily. She clutched onto her bleeding upper left arm, where Leo had managed to slash her.

"Do it if you will." The thief said. Leo frowned, studying the weary girl. Just moments ago she had been fighting fiercely, but now she was just giving in?

Karai scoffed and cross her arms, wincing slightly from the pain in her stomach. Leo flashed her a worried glance that she waved away. "I'm fine. It's just a scratch." Golden eyes turned to the girl on the ground. "And you're not getting off that easy. We're going to take you in to see the Shredder."

The thief's eyes widened, but quickly dulled. She sighed. "Very well." Slowly the girl stood, watching Leo's katana warily.

Karai raised a brow and shared a quick glance with Leo. They hadn't expected her to go so easily, but they wouldn't question it. The girl was tired and injured. Any attempt to escape and the two would easily be able to take her down.

Leo motioned his head to the door and the thief moved towards it, still clutching her arm. Karai took the lead as the three exited the warehouse. They blinked, noticing a van nearby waiting for them. A Foot ninja was standing by it, looking up when he saw the three. He waved them over and they complied. Another ninja appeared from behind it and helped the other shackle the thief's arms and set her in the back. Leo and Karai stepped in and the ninja closed the doors, hopping into the front seat and driving off.

Karai leaned towards her brother. "I wasn't expecting a ride." She whispered so only he could hear.

"Neither was I." Leo said, shrugging. "Beats trying to take her over rooftops though."

Karai nodded, leaning back into her seat. She let out a breathy sigh, closing her eyes. Leo watched her get comfortable, noting that her injury didn't seem to be bothering her too much. Satisfied with his sister's condition, the turtle turned his attention to the thief.

In the better lighting, Leo could observe the girl more. She looked to be several years older than him, maybe a few inches taller as well. Her long black hair was pulled back into a messy looking braid with several strands hanging out of place over her face. Her face was ovular and rather plain looking. She had a thin set of lips and small brown eyes under thin eyebrows. She looked no different than many of the children he saw on TV, but this only accentuated his curiosity.

The girl noticed the eyes trained on her and she looked up, meeting his blue eyes. Her eyes roamed his body and her eyebrows furrowed together. "Are you yokai?" She asked quietly, meeting his gaze.

Karai stirred at the noise but didn't open her eyes as Leo shook his head. "I'm not any kind of spirit or demon. Just a turtle."

The girl looked ever more confused. "Turtles don't look or talk like humans."

Leo smiled, amused, as Karai let out a small laugh. "That's true." He said. "But I'm not an ordinary turtle." His smile turned into a thoughtful frown as he regarded her. "So why are you stealing things from the Foot?"

The girl's confusion melted into a cold mask. Her eyes narrowed. "They've taken things of mine. I wanted them back."

Confused, the turtle opened his mouth to ask her another question when the van's doors opened. Leo blinked. He hadn't even realized they'd stopped moving.

The turtle scooted out of the van, Karai behind him. The two Foot ninja grabbed the thief's arms, hauling her out of the van. She let out a small his of pain as one of them grabbed her still bleeding arm, but didn't try struggling. She let herself be dragged as Karai and Leo followed behind, the turtle still curious as he watched the girl.

Entering the throne room, the two Foot ninja dropped the girl who made no protest as her knees hit the floor. The ninja quickly bowed and left, leaving the girl between Leo and Karai. The Shredder stood at the top of the stairs, glaring at the girl on the floor. Tiger Claw stood nearby, watching expressionlessly.

"So," The Shredder's baritone voice sounded, making the thief slightly flinch back. "This is the thief that has been putting her hands where they don't belong."

The girl's head whipped up, fear gone as she glared at the man. "None of that belongs to you. It belongs to my Clan, not yours." Leo and Karai's eyes widened at the girl. No one ever spoke back to the Shredder. Not unless you wanted to die.

The Shredder narrowed his eyes. He walked down the short set of stairs, stopping in front of the thief. The young girl glared defiantly back, unfazed by the vast height difference. Roughly he grabbed her chin, golden eyes blazing. "The only Clan that matters is the Foot. Any pitiful thing left over is nothing."

She scowled at him, gritting her teeth. "The Lotus Clan may be much smaller than your Foot Clan, but we will never be nothing." She spat.

Silence reigned as the two glared each other down. The other three present watched, completely absorbed. Suddenly the Shredder began to laugh, surprising everyone in the room. The thief's bravado began to fade as fear set back in, watching the looming man above her. The deep laugh began to trickle off, scathing words taking its place. "The Lotus Clan has been dead for years. Anyone left in it swore their allegiance to the Foot Clan."

At the words, the girl's eyes widened, completely stunned. "N-no. I refuse to believe that." Her shoulders trembled lightly as the Shredder stepped away.

"Believe what you will. But know that whatever you may think the Lotus Clan owns now belongs to the Foot." The Shredder turned, moving back up the stairs. He turned to Tiger Claw. "Take her to the dungeon."

Nodding at the man, Tiger Claw grabbed the girl, practically dragging her as she was too stunned to walk. Leo and Karai watched them go, both immensely curious as to what just happened. The two turned towards the Shredder who had their back to them.

Karai motioned her head towards him, and Leo's eyes widened. He shook his head and motioned for her to ask him. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You two are dismissed." Shredder said, startling them.

"Hai father." Karai bowed. "But if I may, what was all that about?"

For a long moment it didn't seem like the man would respond. The three stood in silence, until the Shredder finally turned around. "The Lotus Clan was once a smaller ninja clan, alongside the Foot and Hamato." Leo tensed at the name as Karai flinched, but the Shredder continued. "They were known for having only kuniochi as warriors that specialized in stealth and poisons. However, as the two larger clans began to war, most of the smaller clans seemingly disappeared, except one. Years ago when the Foot Clan was destroyed, their Lotus Clan ally fell alongside them. Rarely have any ninja clans joined together in such a way. After the battle, any surviving ninja of the Foot or Lotus escaped, but I have seen no Lotus ninjas remaining. Until now." He closed his eyes, deep in thought. Leo and Karai shared a quick glance, curious about the story and slightly surprised he had humored them. "I would like you two to become familiar with this girl. I wish to know if she is truly of the Lotus Clan or not. She could be a valuable ally for the Foot."

"Hai Master Shredder." The two bowed, and left the room.

Heading towards the dungeons, Karai turned to Leo. "I wasn't expecting our thief to be some member of an old ninja clan."

"Well seeing how neither of us have heard about it before, it's not that big of a surprise." Leo scoffed at her, but he looked thoughtful. "It does seem weird though. But I guess it makes sense she was stealing from the Foot."

Karai nodded. "True. But hey we never saw what she took."

Leo blinked. "I kinda forgot about that. I was just focused on fighting her." The turtle tensed a bit, worry pooling in his blue eyes. "Is your stomach okay? I mean you came back into the fight and it didn't seem to be a big bother but-"

Waving him off, the girl rolled her eyes. "Jeez you worry too much. But I'm fine. It was just a light scratch. I went down more cause I was surprised, not hurt."

"Alright, but you should probably get it taken care of. I can head down to the dungeons while you go do that quick."

Karai hummed, tapping her chin. "Well it's not like we have to see her right now anyway. Besides it's pretty late." She shrugged. "I think I'll just get some sleep."

Leo frowned. "Alright, but I want to head down there tonight."

"Why?" Karai asked, placing her hands on her hips. "It's not like she won't be there tomorrow."

The turtle shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just really curious about her, that's all."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow then." The girl gave her brother a final wave before heading off to her room.

The turtle watched her go before heading down to the dungeons. They were located several floors beneath the garage, making them nearly impossible to escape. Leo had only been in the dungeon once or twice before. The dim lighting and close walls made him feel trapped like an animal, and he shivered at the thought. Sure he technically was one, but he felt trapped enough as it was.

The dungeon was eerily quiet, sending chills down the turtle's spine. Quickly walking past the various cells, most which were empty, he came to a stop beside one. He could barely make out the girl hiding in the dark corner, curled up as small as she could be it seemed. Chocolate eyes lifted as she noticed his presence. Surprise lit up her face for a moment as she saw who it was. Neither said anything for a moment, merely studying the other. The girl let out a quiet sigh and placed her head back where it sat upon her knees that she had hugged to her chest.

Leo noticed the dark crimson staining her arm and he frowned. "Is it still bleeding?"

The girl didn't move. "Yeah."

Guilt washed through the turtle as he bit his lip. He reached up to untie his mask, pulling it off and throwing it between the bars. It landed in front of the girl, who looked up in surprise. Leo turned his head and crossed his arms. "I think that will work for now."

The girl stared at him for a moment longer before gently picking up the cloth. She sent another quick glance at him before tying the mask tightly around her arm, surprisingly well for only using one arm. "Thank you." She said, looking back at him. She blinked, slightly tilting her head to the side. "You look very different without it."

Leo turned back to her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged with her good arm. "I don't know really. You just look younger I guess."

"How old does it make me look?" Genuine curiosity lit up his blue eyes.

"How old are you now?"

"Eight."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're only eight?" Leo nodded, unsure how to feel about her surprise. She seemed to notice this and quickly clarified. "You fight extremely well for your age. I know a lot of people three times your age that aren't close to your level."

Leo smiled at the praise. "Thanks. I train everyday. What about you?"

The girl bit her lip. "When I can. Sometimes I don't get a chance to."

The turtle frowned at her answer. "You don't have anyone to train with?"

Sadness filled her brown orbs "I don't have anyone." She whispered, hugging her knees closer.

"Oh..." Sympathy filled the turtle as he watched the girl. "How old are you?"

"Eleven." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I've been on my own for awhile. My parents died when I was young."

Leo wanted to hug the girl. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a small smile and shook her head. "It doesn't really bother me anymore. So what about you? Do you have a family?"

The turtle hesitated, not sure how the girl would respond to knowing the man who had her thrown in here was his father. "Well...uh you've sorta already met them..."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She opened her mouth to ask him what he meant when the answer hit her. "That girl right?"

"Yeah." Leo nodded. "That's Karai. She's my sister. Not like actual sister, but we grew up together so that's enough for me."

The girl nodded. "I can see that. But who else? You said they and I could only tell she was one."

Leo twiddled his fingers nervously. "Oh, uh, he's um, sorta the one that had you brought down here."

"Wait..." The girl's eyes widened. "The Shredder? He's your father?"

"Yeah. It's sort of a long story but he's my father. It's the same thing with Karai, but they're actually related." Leo noticed she seemed tense. "He may seem like a mean guy but he's really not." He added quickly. "He does everything for his family."

The girl didn't seem totally convinced, her eyes growing suspicious as she narrowed them at him. "And did he tell you to come down here and talk to me?"

Leo hesitated, the girl noticing it. "He did yeah, but I wanted to come down here anyway."

"Why?" She glanced around at their surroundings. "To see me?"

The turtle smiled at her. "Yeah. You seemed interesting and I wanted to talk to you more. I uh, don't really talk to many new people." He scratched the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed.

The girl, however, looked stunned. "You thought I was interesting?"

He nodded furiously. "Totally! I've never seen someone that wasn't a ninja sneak around so well. But then I guess you are a ninja huh?"

"Not really. I know some ninja things from my mom but not much."

"Wow seriously? That's awesome that you've become ninja on your own!"

The girl's face flushed and Leo let out a small laugh. She was surprised how quickly he managed to flip the dark mood 180 degrees, though embarrassed by his praise. "Yeah I guess..."

"Oh my name's Leo by the way. I mean it's Leonardo but everybody just calls me Leo." The turtle flashed her a bright smile.

The girl returned it, though hers was much smaller. "My name is Lotus."

Leo cocked his head to the side. "Lotus of the Lotus Clan?"

She turned her head to the side as her eyes dulled. "I was given the name in honor of the Lotus Clan, but I didn't realize it was actually gone. Your father said that remember?"

The turtle frowned, wanting to comfort the girl. He closed his eyes, thinking of something to say when the Shredder's words came back to him. "But in a way it still does."

Lotus turned back towards him, her brown eyes filled with confusion. But there was a small tinge of hope in there. "What do you mean?"

"Well after you were taken away, Karai asked what the Lotus Clan was. Back when the Foot Clan got taken down by the Hamato Clan..." The name left the turtle's tongue bitter as he paused, but quickly continued. "The Lotus Clan was helping the Foot Clan fight. Ninja clans didn't work together very often I guess so it was kinda special. But they got taken down together."

Lotus seemed stunned, turning her eyes to the ground. Leo watched her, curious as to what she was thinking. She bit her lip, meeting the turtle's eyes. "So the Lotus Clan and Foot Clan were working together when they were both destroyed?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah. The Foot Clan only got put back together a few years ago actually, by the Shredder. He's been working ever since I could remember to rebuild it."

"So he's made all of this happen in only a few years?" Leo couldn't read her expression, but nodded again. Lotus returned her gaze to the ground. "So the Lotus Clan could still be rebuilt too?"

The turtle opened his mouth but closed it, startled by her question. "Well yeah I guess so."

The girl's brown eyes lit up as she smiled at the turtle. "Then I'll rebuild my clan. Just like your father did for his."

Leo gaped at her, stunned. "What? But how are you gonna do that?"

Lotus shook her head. "I don't know. But I'll do whatever it takes."

Her optimism surprised the turtle, but he smiled at her, an idea forming in his mind. "It'll be hard y'know. You're just one person and you're still young."

The girl didn't seem fazed, determination lighting up her brown eyes. "So? If your father could do it, so could I. No matter how long it takes I'll rebuild the Lotus Clan."

Leo nodded, smiling brightly at the girl. "It'll be easier with help. A lot of it, but I know just what you can do."

Lotus furrowed her brows. "What's that?"

"What do you think about joining the Foot Clan?"

Yes, Lotus will be a character. If you didn't know, she appeared in the first cartoon and can be seen as that cartoon's version of Karai. So both of them, you may be wondering. Well, I wanted Leo to have his own team and why not another cool kunoichi?
Anyway, in the next chapter another familiar face shows up and it just might be a surprise...