Chapter 5: The Foot Kunoichi
The next few weeks where the strangest Lucky had ever gone through. Splinter was happy to see Lucky back safe, and was ok with April coming down to the lair now that she knew Lucky's secret. Donnie was acting like an idiot whenever she was over though, which was a lot.
Lucky was mad Leo was the leader, so Splinter told her she could be the co-leader whenever she joined her brothers for patrol, which he and Donnie didn't want to interfere with school, so only weekends. She didn't see how that was fair, but she took it.
She also liked to roam by herself. Show some scum who really was the boss of NYC.
And speaking of scum, they learned the Foot Clan, led by the Shredder, who had almost killed Splinter but instead killed Splinter's wife and daughter, was in New York.
"Are you sure it's safe to go out alone?" April asked her once while walking to the sewer cap that led to the lair.
"If you don't know what your doing, maybe not. But you keep forgetting I've been training Ninjutsu my whole life. I can take down my brothers. I'm the best Kunoichi I know."
"How many other Kunoichi's do you know?"
"Well… if I meet one I'll let you know."
That very night, while her brothers patrolled a new side of town where some Kraang were hiding, Lucky stayed in her usual area because it was 'too dangerous'. Standing on a ledge, she heard a voice behind her.
"Nice Tanto, Kunoichi Wannabe." Looking behind her, Lucky saw a girl almost completely covered in metal, a Tanto at her side. Her sneer was something Lucky knew was meant to intimidate her as she took her time putting her mask on. Her eyes looked very familiar. But then it sunk in what that girl just called her.
"I'm no wannabe. Most people wannabe me." Lucky flashed a smile Mikey would call 'the Devil's smile' when Lucky got a better look at the girl's Tanto. The sign on the handle suddenly told her who she was working for. "A foot clan kunoichi? I thought you were all guys."
"How do you know the name of the foot clan?"
"My adopted father knew a guy."
"Adopt-So you're the person causing us trouble?"
"What do you mean by trouble?"
"I think you know." The girl drew her Tanto. Lucky did the same.
"I don't. Geez, no one tells me anything."
"So there are others like you?"
"Like me?" Lucky laughed. "I'm one of a kind, um…"
"What?" The girl asked as she ferociously lunged at her. Lucky blocked her. This girl was good. Leo level good. But she had recently taken him down too. This should be a cakewalk.
"Well the insult isn't really complete unless I use an insulting nickname, and I don't even know your real name, Foot Princess." She lunged again, but this time Lucky jumped up then kicked her in the shoulders.
"My name is Karai, and don't ever call me that again, you… you…Who are you?!"
"I'm Lucky."
"I meant your name!" Lucky stared at her. Thinking fast, she decided to lie. It wasn't like she really had a name, anyway.
"My name is-" before she could finish her sentence, a voice called out.
"Lucky! There you are!" What was Raph doing here? "Leo sent me to find you. Why do you have your Tanto out? And what's that on it?" Lucky took the note and shoved it in her pocket.
"Someone from the foot was here."
"Good thing I came around, huh?"
"I had things under control."
"Suuure you did. Come on Lady Luck. Mikey left us, so Leo told me to find you."
"I told you guys I would make a better lookout."
"I know, you know, and I bet 20 pizzas Leo knows too. But he's our 'all knowing' leader."
"Co-leader." Lucky reminded him. "And Lameonardo knows less above the sewers then I do." Suddenly a burst of rage went through her. "I should be leader and Splinter knows it!"
"Woah! Where'd this come from?" Lucky and Raph just stared at each other. Usually it was her calming him down from his 'temper-tantrums'.
"I don't know. I'm just tired of being in his majesty's shadow." Lucky signaled behind her. Raph laughed, but understood.
"Come on, Lucky. We all get tired of him, but why don't you just cool down by kicking some robotic butt with us."
"And who's going to be stuck with lookout duty?"
"You're co-leader. You tell me." Slowly, a dangerous smile spread on her face.
"Leo. Let's go."
The next day, Lucky told April everything between her and Karai. She even showed her the note, written in Japanese:
'Alright Lucky, you seem a tough Kunoichi so I'll make you a deal: I won't kill you if you lay off the foot. That includes my father: The Shredder. We have a vendetta with the man who killed my mother:Hamato Yoshi. You should know how it feels to have a broken family.'
April's first reaction was that Lucky could read, and translate, Japanese.
"That's what you're impressed about?"
"Well, yeah. I can't do it. It isn't the most common thing in New York."
"In my defense, I had a great teacher, and he was taught by Splinter."
"Can you teach me?" Lucky was in shock.
"Teach you? You know, Donnie would do a much better job."
"I know, but I feel like he has this obsession with me."
"It's his first crush April. And when Donnie gets his mind stuck on someone, he'll go all out. Once I broke my leg and he automated the lair so I never needed to get up. Everything and everyone where at my beck and call."
"So go big or go home?" Lucky laughed.
"More like go big or go bigger."
The two of them walked to the lair, Lucky's guard up the whole time. April seemed to put two and two together.
"Your last name's Hamato." She spoke in a whisper now.
"In Japan, you write your last name first." Lucky explained.
"Who's Hamato Yoshi and how are you two related?"
"He's Splinter." April just looked at her. "He wasn't always a giant rat." The rest of the way to the lair, Lucky explained the whole story of how her father and brothers became mutants, how she believed the Kraang were accidentally involved, and why she couldn't tell anyone about this.
"But they're your family!"
"I know. That's why I need to keep them out of this at all cost."
"Even Splinter?"
"Especially Splinter. He lost his family once to the Shredder. I'm not letting him lose this family."
"You realize how insane you sound?"
"Not as insane as you letting Mikey make his own friend account yesterday. You know who he keeps hanging out with? The actual Chris Bradford. We're Ninjas! We stay in the shadows!"
"Quoting Splinter again?" They had reached the lair finally, where Donnie had started making it a habit of waiting for the two of them. Annoyed, Lucky hit him in the head with her Tessen. April laughed.
"Mikey here?" April asked.
"No. He's doing 'human' stuff!" Donnie said with fake enthusiasm.
"Oh. I was going to talk to him about internet safety."
"Waste of time April. Lucky and I already tried that."
"You do know Lucky planted a virus in our school computer system?"
"I asked her to do that so I could go in her records and make it look like she's the adopted daughter of the busy therapist, Yoshi Hamato. We needed a cover story for her."
"Any chance you could change her last name?"
"Sure, but I don't see why I should. I mean, the stories working good so far, so unless Lucky has a reason-"
"One of my teachers wanted to meet with Splinter and I told her I was put back in the system and readopted!" Lucky burst out suddenly. April sighed in exasperation. Donnie just shook his head. Leo and Raph were even listening now. Splinter couldn't be seen or heard, but Lucky knew he was listening.
"Why?" Donnie asked finally.
"Because he never goes to parent teacher meetings or anything parent related. What was I supposed to do? I know we have a plan for this, but I panicked. Now I really need you to change my last name. Before someone finds out it's still Hamato."
"Alright. I'll do it. But you have to tell Sensei."
"I heard enough, Donatello. And it's alright, Lucky. You're only human. You're allowed to make mistakes. Now, let's have you and Leonardo practice."
"Is this the same Sensei that though I couldn't handle tough combat less than a month ago?"
"You're stronger now. I can see that. You grow up so fast, Miwa."
"Hmm?" Did Splinter just call her the same name she was going to use as an alibi when Karai asked her her name?
"Lucky. Hajime!"