A/N: I'm sure you already did, but make sure you read chapter nine, or this chapter might not make sense.
Chapter Ten- The Smallest of Doubts
"To juggle the ball, all you have to do is bounce it off your feet, knees, shoulders, head, basically any body part except your arms and hands." Kuro explained. "Don't hit too hard or soft; just enough so you can control it."
"Like this?" Mikey took the soccer ball and gently kicked it up into the air. He let the ball bounce off his knee, head, and foot.
"Not bad." Kuro nodded, smiling. "I can't believe you've never played soccer before. I would assume it's easy to find a soccer ball on your scavenging."
"We do find some weird things." Mikey admitted as he and Kuro continued their juggling.
"I can't believe you never told us your name, Kuro." Leo scoffed.
"I can't believe April knew your name and she never told us." Donnie gave said redhead a look.
April giggled. "Kuro and I thought we would see how long it took for you guys to even ask for her name."
"In my defense, I never asked for your names." Kuro shrugged.
"Yet you still learned them." Raph noted. Everyone laughed.
Leo checked the time on his T-phone. "Okay guys. We should be going."
"Patrol again?" April guessed.
"As usual." Donnie shrugged, scooping up his bō and following his brothers to the gate.
"Wait up!" Kuro called, dropping her ball and jogging after them. "I wanna come!"
"No way." Leo said firmly.
"Oh, come on guys!" Kuro groaned. "Why can't I come?"
"Because if we run into Dogpound, it'll put you at risk." Leo explained simply. "April with keep you company."
Kuro opened her mouth to argue, but she knew the result tonight would be no different than the result of last night...and the night before...
The boys ran off and disappeared into the sewers. Kuro huffed as she plopped herself down beside April. "Three days since the Dogpound incident, and they still won't let me go with them."
"Don't feel too bad." April assured. "I don't go on patrol with them that often."
"But they let you when you want to go." Kuro sighed.
April thought for a moment. "How about we train a little? Get your mind off things?"
"Nah." Kuro sighed. "I don't want to hurt you. And I'm sure your training sessions with Splinter and the boys are enough. Speaking of which, where isSplinter? I haven't seen him all day."
"He's been back in his room." April shrugged. "Why?"
"Maybe he'd like to hang out with us?" Kuro suggested. "That's gotta be better than just sitting here."
"I don't think Sensei is the kind of person that just 'hangs out'." April laughed a little. "Besides, the boys said we're not supposed to bug him today."
"Why?" Kuro asked, suddenly curious. What are you hiding, Hamato?
"Well, the boys didn't give me the exact details." April shrugged. "But this is an important day for Splinter."
"Important how?" Kuro asked.
"I'm not sure. Neither the boys or Splinter would say." April sighed. "But it must be something awfully special."
Kuro glanced in the direction of the dojo. Hmm...I wonder...
Somehow, the girls found a way to pass the time: through games such as I Spy (quickly got old because there wasn't much to spy), Go Fish (some of the cards in the deck didn't even have a pair), and the pinball machine (whoever wasn't playing ran the risk of falling asleep). Soon, they started talking. April talked about her efforts to track down the Kraang, her school work ("I'm dying for summer break!"), and her recent scare with the Rat King. Kuro didn't have much to talk about. After all, the most exciting things that happened either happened with the Turtles or happened when Kuro donned her Moon Shadow alias.
I'm sorry I can't reveal more to you, April. Kuro regretfully thought. I would trust you with my life, but I don't trust Bradford or the Foot wouldn't hurt you.
April checked her phone. "It's getting late. I better head home."
"I'll walk with you." Kuro offered.
"The boys said stay here." April protested.
"C'mon, April." Kuro insisted, following her friend. "If I don't get outside, I'll start getting claustrophobic."
April smiled as she entered the dojo. She cleared her throat. "Hey Master Splinter! I'm heading home!" The sliding doors across the dojo opened, and Splinter's paw-like hand waved goodbye before the door shut again. Kuro raised an eyebrow, but followed April out of the lair and through the sewers. They reached the surface safely and April led the way to her aunt's house.
"How did your aunt handle your dad's disappearance?" Kuro asked.
"She didn't really say nor do anything." April sighed. "But I could feel it; she really misses him."
"Who wouldn't?" Kuro noted. "My dad's always doing things for his work; we don't spend much time together anymore. Sometimes I wish he could act more of a father to me." I wish he could be Oroku Saki more often than being Shredder.
"What does your dad do for a living anyway?" April asked.
Kuro paused briefly. "It's kinda hard to explain."
April raised an eyebrow, but shook it off when she finally arrived at her aunt's apartment. "Thanks for walking home with me."
"No problem." Kuro assured.
"You better get home before the boys do." April laughed as she walked inside. Kuro chuckled as she turned and walked down the street.
I'm not afraid of the Turtles, April. Kuro assured. They should be afraid of me.She turned down an alley and broke into a sprint, scurrying up a fire escape and leaping across rooftops. Her cheerful expression instantly changed into an infuriated glare as she approached her destination, waltzing right through the front door and slamming it shut behind her. Foot Ninja bowed respectfully as she passed, but she hardly glanced at them, too angry to notice. She stopped once and turned to a Foot Ninja bowing to her.
"Where's Bradford?" She demanded.
"In the training hall, madam." The Foot Ninja replied. Kuro nodded in thanks and ran off. When she reached the training hall, she burst through the doors and marched up to the circle of ninjas in the center of the room, currently surrounding a sparring session between Dogpound and some Foot. They parted as she stomped by, bowing their heads in respect. But what happened next made everyone jump in surprise: Kuro walked right up to Dogpound, pulled out a kunai, and stabbed it into his tail.
Dogpound snarled in pain and whipped around. His eyes widened in surprise, but then narrowed in a glare when he saw Kuro, her kunai dripping with his blood. "Why little Kuro. Long time, no see."
"You tried to kill me!" Kuro roared, leaping forward to kick the mutant dog's nose. He stumbled back, growling as the konoichi advanced. The Foot Ninja wisely stayed far from the battle. One of the younger trainees darted off and returned with Shredder. By then, Kuro and Dogpound's fight escalated into an all-out brawl. Kuro slashed and stabbed with her kunai; Dogpound slammed his fists down, missing the girl by inches each time he tried to strike. Kuro darted and hopped around like a kangaroo on steroids, always two moves ahead of the mutant dog. She kicked, punched, and slashed her kunai, laying down hit after hit upon him. Soon, she managed to trip him and Dogpound tumbled to the ground. She jumped onto his chest and pressed her bloodied kunai against his throat. Her breathing came out in raspy growls, her glare so hard they actually scared Dogpound and forced many ninja to step back in fear.
"Yame!" Shredder suddenly shouted.
Kuro finally noticed her father and reluctantly jumped off Dogpound. "My apologies, Master Shredder." She muttered.
"Master, she attacked me without reason!" Dogpound reported. "Her knife is enough proof!"
"I had plenty of reason." Kuro said in a low voice. "You tried to kill me!"
"You'rea traitor!" Dogpound snarled. "You were fighting with the Turtles!"
"I'm undercover! Or have you forgotten that was my plan all the time?"
"You've gone soft ya little—"
"Silence!" Shredder snapped. "Bradford, you know better than to attack my daughter. If she doesn't punish you enough, then I will." Dogpound growled a little, but kept his head bowed. "Kuro, come with me." Kuro smirked and followed her father out into the hallways. The walk was silent for a while until Shredder spoke first. "That incident with the Turtles happened three days ago. Why are you biting his head off now?"
"The Turtles kept me under sharp surveillance." Kuro explained. "They were concerned for my safety."
"And what about you?" Shredder asked.
"I could've done something, but I didn't want to blow my cover." Kuro shrugged. "The Turtles don't know about my martial arts experience yet."
Shredder suddenly stopped, and Kuro almost bumped into him. "I trust you above anyone else, Kuro Saki. So I'm trusting that this plan of yours will not fail."
"Everything is on track." Kuro nodded assuredly. "The Turtles and I trust each other. Soon, I will discover their weaknesses and tear them apart from the inside. And when they are at their weakest, I will deliver Hamato to you in chains."
Shredder turned and glared at Kuro, her dark brown eyes locked with his darker one and blind one. "Do notfail me. Remember everything I have told and taught you. Do not let Hamato and his pathetic turtles poison your mind."
Kuro, having seen this glare before and felt no fear, only nodded wordlessly.
When Kuro walked into the lair, she was immediately approached by Mikey. "Where have you been?!"
"I walked April home." Kuro shrugged.
"I thought we said to stay here." Leo came up behind his smaller brother.
"I'm fine." Kuro assured. "No trouble with anything or anyone."
"Great!" Raph called as he stood and yawned. "Kuro's fine, April's safe at home, everyone's happy. Can we go to bed now?"
Donnie rolled his eyes. "We're glad you're safe, Kuro. Goodnight."
Kuro waved as Donnie and Raph headed back to their rooms. "You guys were really worried about me?"
"Well, we couldn't very well let you get hurt." Leo shrugged. "You're under our protection." Kuro stared a little as he walked off to bed. Mikey smiled warmly and walked with Kuro to her nest/bed before going off to his own room. Kuro didn't go right to sleep; her thoughts stirred around what the boys just said. They were worried about her; they wanted to protect her. But why? They were disciples of Hamato Yoshi, and therefore just as evil as he. So why care about some semi-random girl that helped them once? What do they want from her?
Kuro looked towards the dojo, an overwhelming feeling coming over her; a feeling that told her to go in there. She soon found herself standing and walking into the training room, her bare feet tickled by the woven bamboo tatami mats on the floor. She reached the other side of the dojo and softly knocked on the sliding doors. When she heard no answer, she slid open the door and slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. She looked around, but didn't see much besides a Japanese futon bed, a small table for a nightstand, and a decorative mat (no doubt for meditation). Kuro focused on the nightstand, making mental notes about what rested on it.
First, the two candles on each end of the table, still lit and glowing softly in the dark. Then, the incense bowl, the stick still smoking and giving off the comforting scent of cherry blossoms. Next to the incense bowl rested a few bright yellow dandelions. Behind the incense and flowers, flanked with two candles on either side, was a black-and-white picture. It depicted a strong-looking Japanese man, standing with an elegant Japanese woman and a tiny baby. Kuro cocked her head at the picture, kneeling before the small alter. She stared at the photo for a long time, wondering why the man's face captivated her so much.
"Hello."
Kuro gasped and spun around to see Splinter a mere two feet behind her. She looked back and forth between the alter and the rat, at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say anyhow?
Splinter didn't say anything for a moment. He knelt down beside Kuro and stared at the picture. "Do you know how my sons and I came to be like this?"
Kuro eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You mean...how you became mutants?"
"You already know about the Kraang and their chemical known as mutagen." Splinter explained. "It was an encounter with the Kraang and the mutagen that caused the boys to transform from normal turtles to the mutants you know now. I previously stepped on the tail of a rat, and so the mutagen made me into this." He looked down at his hands. "Before, I looked like that." He pointed to the Japanese man in the picture.
Kuro blinked in surprise. "Really?"
Splinter nodded. "Why did you come in here, Kuro?"
"I'm not sure." Kuro admitted. "I just...had a feeling...that led me here."
"I see." Splinter mused. "Did the boys or April tell you why I was in here today?"
"Something about an important day?" Kuro guessed.
"You could say that." Splinter suddenly looked sad, his rat ears almost flat against his skull. "Fifteen years ago today, my family and my home were destroyed."
"Destroyed?" Kuro repeated.
"My house was burned down, and my wife and daughter were trapped inside." Splinter explained.
Kuro looked down. "Is that why you came to New York? Because your family was destroyed in Japan?" A cowardly move. One cannot run away from a problem. You confront it head on.
Splinter nodded. "It was my own fault. I turned harsh words from a former friend into weapons, and he attacked my home in hopes of finishing me off."
"'Former friend'?" Kuro asked.
"Oroku Saki." Splinter clarified. "Or, as he is commonly referred to as now, the Shredder."
Kuro fought the urge to growl and snap at Splinter. "Shredder, huh?" The man whose life you destroyed, Hamato. Not the other way around. She looked up at Splinter again and noticed the mournful look on his face. "That fight must've really hit you hard."
"It was my own fault that Shredder took my wife and daughter." Splinter sighed. "I can never forgive myself for that. Nor can I ever forget it."
Kuro looked back at the picture and stared at it for a moment. She wanted to say something, anything, but nothing helpful came to mind. After a moment, she bowed to the alter, stood, and bowed to Splinter before making her way to the door. She opened it, but then paused. "Maybe you don't need to forget. Maybe you just need to learn to accept." She offered a small smile. "I don't think your wife would want you to be sad for so long."
She shut the door behind her, leaving Splinter to his thoughts. He stared at the portrait of Tang Shen, Miwa, and himself, allowing Kuro's words to sink in. He picked up the picture and rubbed his thumb over the images of his wife and daughter, smiling a little. He leaned forward and blew out the candles, climbing into his bed with the portrait still in his hands.
Kuro's smile disappeared as she settled down into her own bed. She didn't know what to think. Her father warned her to not allow Splinter to poison her mind. But after seeing him so desolate and mournful...it contradicted everything Shredder said about his nemesis. If Hamato was so evil, why would he be upset over losing someone fifteen years ago? Who on earth would marry someone so evil? Surely, that woman had some common sense; at least enough to know that you don't even go on a date with a psychotic killer, much less marry him. He revealed such personal information to her; though she didn't have all the details, this event remained an important part of Splinter's life. Kuro groaned and tried to settle down, but sleep came slowly. Everything that happened today, all the kind words that were spoken by the Turtles and Splinter, aroused the slightest of doubts about whether or not she truly knew them. But Kuro shook it off.
I have no reason to not believe my father. She concluded as she drifted off to sleep. He wouldn't lie to me. He wouldn't.
Would he?
A/N: for future reference, when Splinter and Shredder shout "Yame!" it's pronounced "yah-meh" and it means "Stop!"