So I had like half a chapter, didn't come back to it for a few months, and then it got deleted from my doc manager. *sigh* So sorry about the wait, I'm trying to wrap up as soon as possible because of college and also season 3 is here and guh my feelings. Also, just for continuity's sake, this takes place somewhere between season 1 and 2 of TMNT, in case I never specified that earlier. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and continued to read this story!

Bō

Of Trails and Traps

Robin was now certain that New York City had no need for a Titans branch, because it had skilled mutant ninja Turtles guarding it already. (Meanwhile, Beast Boy finds a kindred spirit within this new team, and enemies team up to bring them all down...)

The vibrations from the communicator caused Robin to jump, nearly spilling his bowl of cereal. He reached for it, ignoring the curious glances of his teammates as they finished getting ready to head back to the city with some more equipment in order to find Katarou.

"Hello?"

"Robin, it's Donnie. We may have a problem. April hasn't answered her texts all night and I checked in with her dad this morning and she never came home last night, she's gone!"

"Donatello, slow down. Who is April again?"

"She's our friend, a human. I...I don't know what happened, but Robin, what if Katarou has her, and brought her to the Shredder?"

"Don, we'll figure it out. We'll be there in fifteen minutes and we can try and find out what happened then. Over and out."

"Their friend is missing?" Starfire asked after Robin quickly recapped the conversation. "Why do we not head to Shredder's lair and retrieve her? It must be he that has her; who else could it be?"

"They have other enemies, I'm sure," Robin muttered. "It is our best bet, but I don't want us running in there without knowing for certain. No one is getting hurt by this madman - not on my watch."

"We're with you, man," Cyborg said, nodding.

"Good," Robin said, letting a smile drift across his face. "Then let's go."

"This is where April's phone last registered," Donatello was saying as the Titans gathered in the cramped alleyway. "As you can see, her phone was purposely broken, and her tessen was also taken from her and left here. Foul play was obviously involved; April's too smart to leave behind her weapon."

Beast Boy was tuning the conversation out now, and was surveying the area. Even as Mikey asked him what he was doing, he let the words float by and shifted into a German Shepherd dog, scenting the air for evidence.

Immediately he picked up two female scents; one of them, an odd mix of flowers and sewage, he determined to belong to this April, as it also matched the scent on April's tessen. The other also smelled vaguely familiar, a metallic scent he had picked up on one of the scouting missions in the city. With that scent was the strong odor of Katarou.

He was aware that the conversation had halted and both the Turtles and his teammates were looking at him, so he shifted back to his normal form. "I smelled April as well as Katarou, along with another female scent I didn't recognize. She had a kind of...metallic scent."

"It's probably Karai," Raphael growled, "Shredder's daughter."

"So that means we can safely bet that Shredder is the one who ordered April's capture," Cyborg added.

"That, or Katarou took her of his own volition to use as bait," Robin pointed out. Cyborg shrugged, nodding, because that certainly was a possibility; they'd seen plenty of villain team-ups that broke apart when one did something the others hadn't approved of.

But Leo didn't see it the same way. "Katarou was hired by Shredder, though, and I'm sure he'd resort to whatever means necessary to bait us out."

Robin's gaze hardened behind the mask. "You're sure? Leo, aside from an arrow in your shell, you've never even met Katarou!"

"Well, from what you've said, he has no sense of honor, and neither does Shredder! They'd probably do whatever it takes to draw us out-"

"Enough." Raven didn't even speak loudly, but the two leaders immediately snapped their mouths closed before their altercation could grow into a full-blown argument. "This is pointless. They could be anywhere, and have done anything to April by now. I suggest that a small stealth team track April, with Beast Boy on it since he can follow their scent trail. The rest will trail after them and wait outside, ready to spring into action in case something goes wrong."

"So we're not attacking them?" Leo asked, seemingly puzzled by this turn of events.

"No, Raven's got the right idea, Leo," Donnie interjected before anyone else could speak. "If we just pull April out of there without confrontation, we show that while we're not tolerant of them, we're not going to fall into their trap."

"It could also be a trap either way," Raph piped up. "They definitely wouldn't kidnap April without major security around her cell. Even if we do find her and get in without detection, there are gonna be guards around April at every location imaginable."

Leo sighed, gnashing his teeth together in worry, but then Starfire spoke. "I believe we could still distract him. The Titans can face Katarou, as well as the Shredder if necessary, while you four rescue your friend and bring her to safety. When you have returned to a safe location, you can signal us through our communicators so that we know we can withdraw. We can also show that you are not to be messed with, as you have 'friends in high places'."

Leo contemplated this, then gave a nod. "Alright," he said, "let's go."

But it's always a trap. It always is, no matter what they try to do to avoid it.

"Karai's guarding April?!" Raph hissed, displeased, as they watched for a changing of the guard or something that would give them the upper hand in this fight. They were sorely outnumbered, but before anyone could offer a suggestion, Karai looked up - he had spoken a little too loudly.

"Hello, Turtles."

"Hello, Titans."

They had been facing off with Katarou, Beast Boy currently pinning him to the ground as a tiger. The rest of the team spun at the new voice; Beast Boy, believing the rest of them could handle it, focused on his current prey.

The man with the mask was glaring at them, while also looking excited for the challenge. Robin, despite never seeing the man before, recognized him immediately. "Shredder."