Cat was playing Old Betsy the next morning, trying to feel at ease after not playing for a year and a half.
Leo and Raph were glaring at each other from across the kitchen table, and she rolled her eyes.
'Boys…'
"Whoa…did anyone get the license of the thing that hit us last night?"
Cat smiled, amusement in her eyes, at her youngest brother.
"You mean the thing that hit YOU guys last night. I'm perfectly fine."
"…Don't rub it in, Kitty…"
"I'm not."
She nearly laughed at her brother's attempts to cover their bandages as Splinter walked through, getting some tea.
"You know…I could just heal those…"
Confused looks, especially from Don.
"Cat, I don't think that's possible…"
She smiled.
"Come over here and I'll show you."
He moved closer, and she did a strange hand sign.
Her hand glowed blue, and she looked at the bruise on her smartest brother's arm.
Placing her hand over it gently, her chakra seemed to make it disappear, and his eyes widened.
"…Whoa…"
"I needed to learn since you weren't there." She explained.
"That all? I thought you learned new ones?"
"I have. But these were essential, too." Cat answered the red-banded turtle, a warm smile on her face.
She stood up, stretching.
"I'm gonna have to heal all of you, aren't I?"
Mikey gave her the chibi turtle eyes, and she giggled.
"Okay, okay…just let me finish up Don…"
She froze, and gave a sheepish smile.
"On the other hand…see ya!!!"
And she bolted for her room.
Her brothers understood why when her door closed.
"CHILDREN!!!!!"
…Splinter wasn't happy…'
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Cat was lounging around her room, thinking of something to do, when she felt someone leave through the front door.
'Raphie…'
She sighed, stretching slightly before following him, silent as a shadow.
She saw him head to Casey and April's place, and watched as both came to the rooftop.
"Hey, guys."
Both jumped, especially Casey.
"Cat?"
A brighter smile.
"The one and only."
"It's been weird without ya here, girly."
A sound smack upside the head.
"I know I'm a girl, but since when was I girly?"
"…Well…"
Another smack.
"Rhetorical question."
"OW!!! Okay…"
She sat on the edge of the roof, smiling sweetly.
"So, what's the problem?" She asked her brother.
"…Nothing…"
Worry flickered through her eyes.
"Raphie, something's wrong…what is it?"
"…How come everyone seems to have forgotten that he abandoned us?"
"He didn't. If you come back, there's no abandonment…"
"But he was gone for longer than he needed to!"
His eyes were fiery.
"YOU came back on time!"
"I know I did…but because I knew I was ready…maybe Leo wasn't so sure back then…"
"Kitten…if I had left…would you have waited for me?"
Surprise fluttered across her face.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"
"…Even if I was gone longer than I needed?"
"Raphie…"
The white-banded turtle turned her shell to Casey, who watched the exchange intently.
"I love you…of course I'd wait…"
Her fingers gently touched his cheek, making him look into her eyes.
"There's no one else I can possibly think of that I'd want to spend my life with more than you…"
He nodded slightly, relief in his eyes, and she smiled slightly.
It fell away when she felt a strange life force, and her head snapped to the right, trying to locate the source.
'What's this strange life force? Another monster?'
"Kitten?"
He noticed her focused look, and she stood up.
"Another monster…"
Casey perked, and watched in surprise as she bolted, jumping swiftly to the next rooftop.
Raph shook off the shock first, running after her, Casey picking up the rear.
Cat stopped when a strange bat-like monster flew up, only to be dragged down by rope, screeching in retaliation.
'…Shell…'
She looked over the edge carefully, the diamond dangling a bit, and saw the Foot pulling it down, and shooting it full of darts.
'Tranquilizer darts…'
That's when the stone statues came, the largest taking a dumpster and knocking out the monster with it as Raph and Casey caught up.
"…Shell…"
"My thoughts exactly…"
Casey looked over the edge, and some rock came loose.
"Shell!"
Cat pulled him back as tranquilizer darts flew up.
"Run!!" She ordered, pushing both down the rooftop.
"But-!"
"GO!!!!" She said more forcefully, forcing the red-banded turtle into a run before following after him, one of the statues hot on their tails.
"Hide!" She ordered sharply, not leaving a moment for argument as she pushed both into a closet on the rooftop.
Before she could get in herself, the statue landed behind her, and she whirled around, punching him in the face and sending him flying.
"Lock the door!"
"But, Kitten-!"
"Raphael, just do it!!"
He was startled for a moment, seeing the fire in her eyes.
It wasn't what he'd thought it'd be.
He thought it would be something like annoyance, irritation, maybe rage…but it wasn't any of that…
It was love…
Casey pulled the door shut, and Cat turned back to the statue.
"You wear the Crystal of Inoue…"
She tensed, eyes hard.
"What of it? So I'm wearing a crystal."
"That crystal has unimaginable power. Give it to me."
She tensed.
'Do not let anyone have it, my daughter…' Her father's words echoed, ringing in her ears.
'And I won't let anyone get it…'
"You want it, you'll have to beat me…"
She heard something slam against the door behind her, and nearly cursed.
'I'll have to use a barrier…'
She did some rapid hand signs.
"Light Release: Light Barrier jutsu!"
The barrier went over the door, and she glared at her opponent.
"You gonna attack, or should I just leave?"
He charged at her, and she pulled out her blades, parrying his blow.
She kicked him away, and crouched to the ground, ready to spring.
Her enemy was hard and immortal, but she wasn't about to back down from such a challenge.
She put away her blades, doing some fast hand signs.
'Maybe this one will work…'
Lightning appeared in her right hand.
"Chidori!"
The attack went through the stone chest, charring it, but the statue hardly flinched.
'SHELL!'
She jumped back before he could strike her, and was actually relieved when she heard a helicopter coming towards them, and hid from the spotlight.
When the statue and the helicopter left, she breathed a moment, relaxing.
'Chidori takes too much chakra…'
She stood up, taking away the barrier and opening it.
She was surprised to see Raph on the floor, unconscious, until she noticed the dart in his arm.
'Damn it all!'
She lifted him up, and turned to Casey.
"Let's head to your place. Call the others."
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Cat explained what had happened to her other brothers, and Leo frowned.
"The crystal you're wearing?"
"Yes. He called it the Crystal of Inoue."
"…It's too dangerous for you to have it, then…"
"Leo, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. You weren't the only one sent on a training trip." She said stubbornly, the crystal around her neck jingling and shining like a fallen star in the lamplight.
Leo decided to just drop it, and turned to Don.
April looked at what had gotten caught in Raph's shell during the run along the rooftops, and seemed in disbelief.
"But it was just a legend…"
"What's 'just a legend'?" Cat asked curiously, turning to her human friend.
"Well…"
April explained about a warrior king and his brotherhood. He'd opened a portal, and the power had made him immortal, but turned his brotherhood to stone and unleashed thirteen monsters into their world.
"…Whoa…"
"It seems Winter's behind this…" Don noted, holding up the dart from Raph's arm.
Raph had woken up by then, but he was in a bad mood.
"I say we pay a visit to Winter's…"
"We can't. We should talk to Master Splinter about this." Leo argued.
Raph didn't seem in the mood to stay, and left.
Before Cat could follow, Casey put a hand on her shoulder.
"Give him some space…"
She forced herself to sit back down, and looked at Casey a moment, making sure the others weren't listening.
"…He's the Nightwatcher, isn't he?"
Her human friend nodded, and she sighed, her eyes drifting to the floor.
'…Please be okay, Raphie…'
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Cat sat on the couch, meditating.
She couldn't stay in that peace, however, knowing her lover was out there doing something that she guessed would probably reckless.
She loved him to death, but she still couldn't help but think that sometimes he was just a TAD stupid…
She heard someone head for the front door, and opened her eyes.
'Leo…he's probably going out to find Raphie…'
She stood up, silent as a shadow, and followed the blue-banded turtle topside.
She saw the 'Nightwatcher' come out of a restaurant, which she found a bit confusing, when Leo started pursuing him.
'Great…'
She followed them, seeing the 'Nightwatcher' get cornered on a rooftop.
She watched at first, but when Leo struck off the helmet, revealing Raph's face, her heart jumped.
Their shouted words hit her like physical blows, and she moved closer as they unsheathed their weapons.
The metal clashed, ringing in the air, and dread filled her heart.
'Oh no…'
Their weapons clashed, the weapons straining against each other.
'No…'
The katana snapped, and Raph tackled his older brother to the ground.
"RAPHIE!!!!!!!!!!"
His sai plunged into the concrete beside Leo's head, and realization hit him.
He could've killed his brother…and Cat was watching…
Panic filled him, and he stood up with a start.
Cat saw the guilt in his eyes, and stepped forward as he bolted.
"Raphie!!!!" She called, worry in her eyes as Leo stood up.
"Cat, lets follow him."
She nodded, about to do just that, when a dart flew through the air, hitting her in the arm.
She stumbled a step, but found her balance as Leo was shot with another dart.
"Statues…" She muttered, grabbing a kunai with a shaking hand.
It took too much energy to even move her hand.
The largest statue landed before her, hitting her in the chest with his hammer and knocking her back.
She fell on her shell, and the tranquilizer was doing its work only too well.
"He'll never tell the difference between him and the thirteenth monster. And once we have the crystal, he won't be able to stop us."
The supposed leader moved to her side, reaching for the crystal.
It sparked, scorching the stone of his hand, and causing him to move back.
"…It seems these two are now a package…we'll take her with us, then…"
Cat growled slightly, ready to stab him with her kunai, when one held up a giant ray gun.
'Oh shell…'
The shot set a fire in her veins that scorched her from within, and she let it out in one last scream.
"RAPH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"