A/N: I was going to wait until sometime next week to update, but you readers have left such great reviews (most complaining that I killed you with a cliffhanger) that I decided to update a little sooner Ah, the beauty of having a few chapters already typed up. Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Three- Go Backwards to Go Forwards

Dogpound turned all around, growling as the three terrapins surrounded him. His ninjas lay unconscious on the ground, easily defeated. No matter. Kuro's had plenty of time to kill Splinter and run by now.

"You ready to talk, Dogpound?" Leo demanded.

Dogpound laughed. "I suppose. The plan's been executed anyway."

"What plan?" Donnie demanded. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll only say this: the Foot Clan honors mourning periods, even for our enemies." Dogpound said coyly.

"Mourning period?" Raph repeated with a growl. "What?"

"Give your master my regards." Dogpound turned and charged for Leo. He ducked and the dog jumped right over his head. Before the boys could follow, the mutant dog had disappeared.

"Mourning period?" Donnie repeated.

"'Give your master my regards'." Raph quoted.

Leo's eyes widened in horror. "Splinter!"

"I figured you'd betray my trust." Kuro scoffed at Mikey. "But I see you saw a loophole in my threat, and so I commend you for that. But it won't stop me."

"Miwa, we only want to help." Splinter said kindly. "That turtle charm you own is the exact same one I gave you mere days after you were born. I carved your name into it myself."

"My name is Oroku Kuro." Kuro insisted. "My father made it very clear that you were to die for what you've done to our family."

"Oh really?" Mikey huffed. "What makes you think Shredder is your father? It can't possibly be his 'fatherly' attitude towards you? Name one time he even acted like a real dad!"

"Michelangelo that is enough." Splinter said calmly. He continued to stare towards Kuro. "Answer me this: why do you approach me as you do now? You look ready to kill someone."

Kuro glared with determination. "I promised my father I would avenge my mother's death. Your sons are gone and cannot protect you. As for this one—" she jerked her head towards Mikey "—I can take care of him in minutes."

"So you are here to kill me." Splinter guessed.

"Precisely." Kuro drew her black blade katana with a sharp SHING! "Defend yourself."

Splinter remained on his knees, staring at the Japanese girl before him. "I will not strike out against my own daughter. I could never harm my child."

Kuro glared harder. "So be it."

In a flash, she sent some kunai flying. The blades hit Mikey's elbow pads and belt and pinned him to a wall. Mikey struggled, but he was stuck fast. Kuro twirled her blade, waiting for Splinter to rise. But the humanoid rat hardly moved as he kept his eyes on her. Kuro leaped into the air and raised her sword to strike Splinter down. The rat's eyes remained locked with hers, showing no fear as Kuro shouted in effort. Mikey shouted in terror, watching with horrified eyes as Kuro came down with her katana.

At the last second, Kuro realized Splinter would truly not move a centimeter.

THUNK!

Mikey stared with wide eyes.

Kuro breathed a little hard.

Splinter remained motionless.

A few hairs from Splinter's ear gently floated to the tatami mats on the floor.

Splinter smiled warmly at his daughter. He finally stood up and stared at Kuro, tears forming in his eyes. "Miwa…." He whispered, gently touching the girl's cheek lovingly.

Kuro flashed back to when she was just a baby, and her father touched her face this same way. Oroku Saki never did that; but the former human before her always did. Her katana slipped from her hands and clattered to the ground. She slowly stepped back, her eyes darting around wildly. She looked down at the gauntlets strapped to her wrists. Everything Shredder ever told her came flooding back, but wave after wave of contradicting evidence clashed with it. She felt a twitch in her eye, trying to sort out everything she heard and saw. She looked up at Splinter.

"My father….." Kuro whispered.

"Miwa, it's all right." Splinter assured. "You are safe; and you are home."

Home…..

Kuro shook her head slowly. "No…no, no, no, no, no….." She reached into her collar and grabbed her turtle charm. She stared at the name carved in the plastron for a moment before yanking it free, breaking the shoelace that kept it around her neck. She threw the charm at Splinter before turning and running from the lair.

"Miwa!" Mikey called after her.

"Leave her, Michelangelo." Splinter said sadly, gently picking up the turtle charm. "She needs time alone."

Kuro didn't stop running down the tunnels, panting and stumbling a little. How can it be? He lied to me. My own father lied to me. But he's not my father, is he? Splinter's my father. No, Shredder's my father. I mean Oroku Saki. But then…..why did….how can…

"How can this happen to me?" Kuro panted. She shouted in pain when she slammed into another being running down the tunnels. She groaned, holding her head and trying to catch her breath.

"Kuro!"

Kuro jumped when Leo suddenly grabbed her shoulders and stared fearfully into her eyes. "Kuro, what happened?"

Kuro just stared at Leo with wide eyes. Leonardo…..the son of Hamato Yoshi…..can he be my brother?

"Dogpound said something about attacking Splinter." Donnie said hurriedly. "Is he okay?"

Kuro looked up at Donnie with those same wild eyes. Donatello…..are you my brother too?

"Kuro, snap out of it!" Raph snapped.

Kuro finally glanced at Raph. Raphael….I can see you as my brother…

Leo tilted Kuro's head to look back at him. "Kuro….what happened?"

Kuro's eyes drifted. If my father is Hamato Yoshi, then these three and Mikey are my adopted brothers. They are my family. But then….. "No…..it's not true….it can't be true…"

Leo looked down the tunnels. "Father!" He ran down the tunnels, calling for his father. Donnie and Raph followed close behind, shouting "Splinter! Dad! We're coming!"

Kuro glanced after them without really seeing them. She slowly stood up and started drifting down the tunnels like a ghost.

Leo burst into the lair, almost slamming into the turntables. He tripped over himself as he rushed into the dojo. "Father! Mikey! Where are you?"

"Oof!" Splinter grunted as Leo suddenly slammed into him. He held his son out at arm's length. "Leonardo, what's wrong?"

Leo stared at Splinter for a moment before suddenly hugging his father. "You're safe…you're alive and you're safe…."

Splinter held his son close. "I am fine, Leonardo."

Donnie and Raph rounded the corner. "Sensei!" Donnie cried happily, but his eyes widened when he saw his smaller brother still stuck to the wall. "Mikey! What happened?"

"Miwa happened." Mikey said as Leo jerked him free.

"Oh, Mikey don't tell me you told Splinter." Raph groaned.

"Boys, what Michelangelo told me was true." Splinter told his sons. "Kuro is in fact my daughter Miwa."

Leo, Donnie, and Raph exchanged glances. "How can you be sure?" Donnie asked.

Splinter solemnly looked down at the silver and green turtle charm in his palm. "Come, my sons. We have much to talk about."

"What about Miwa?" Mikey asked.

"Let her have some space." Splinter assured. "She needs it."

Kuro continued her slow, steady stride through the sewer tunnels, staring at the floor. She hardly looked up at all, even when a sewer rat ran across her foot. The only thing that stopped her was the puddle on the ground and made her feet slip from under her. She hit the ground hard, but hardly groaned as she pushed herself to a sitting position, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them. She stared at the sewer water, listening to the sounds of the sewer all around her.

Minutes later, a scaly green head and a pair of eyes peered from the water's surface. Kuro didn't move; she didn't even blink in surprise. The eyes blinked twice, staring at the girl. Still, Kuro refused to move. She just watched as a monstrous crocodile slowly rose from the water and sniff in her direction.

"I remember you." Leatherhead said. "I believe I scared you once, and I apologize for that."

"Don't worry about it." Kuro sighed.

Leatherhead blinked in surprise. For the first time in a long time, someone didn't take a look at him and run away screaming. "My name is Leatherhead. What's yours?"

Kuro hugged her knees tighter. "I hardly know anymore."

Leatherhead eyed the girl quizzically. "What troubles you, young one?"

Kuro didn't see any point in talking to a mutant crocodile like he was a psychiatrist, but uncurled her legs and sat cross-legged before the reptile. "I just discovered something that contradicts everything I was raised by. It's like everything I know is a lie, and I don't know what to believe."

"I see." Leatherhead nodded. "Go on."

Kuro didn't really look at Leatherhead, but rather at the floor. "I was raised by a man who called himself my father for years. I respect him and want to make him proud. He told me all about the Turtles and Splinter, so I shouldn't trust what they say. But I can't help but think about how their words make sense. My father, or at least Oroku Saki, never answered my questions directly; it's like he wanted to make sure his answers always coincided with his desires for me. And when Splinter talks to me, he sounds so...familiar...like I heard his voice before when I was a baby." Kuro leaned back against the wall, sighing. "Everything that's happened tests what I learned from Oroku Saki raising me. What if it's all true? What if my entire life has been nothing but a lie? Where am I supposed to go from here if who I am is nothing more than someone else's pawn?"

Leatherhead thought for a moment. It seemed odd that this girl, this human girl, would know anything about his turtle friends and their rat master, but he decided to drop it for now. He focused on the girl's words for a long minute before locking his algae green eyes with the girl's dark brown ones. "It seems as though your thoughts are like a raging river. I am not very wise, but I believe that going backwards is a very good way to go forwards."

Kuro's eyebrows furrowed. "Go backwards to go forwards?"

Leatherhead nodded with a soft smile. "Do what your heart tells you."

Kuro stared at the floor for a moment. Then she stood and bowed to Leatherhead. "Thank you."

"Good luck, young one." Leatherhead bid Kuro farewell before dipping below the surface once more.

Kuro looked up and noticed streetlight streaming in from a sewer grate. She found a ladder soon after and climbed up to the surface. She resumed her ghost-like drift through the city, across many blocks for almost an hour. Few people passed her as she walked, and she hardly looked at them. She didn't stop until she reached the Shredder's headquarters. A Foot Ninja answered the door and bowed as she entered. As she drifted through the hallways, every ninja she passed bowed reverently. But Kuro paid them no attention. She just wanted to get to her room and lock herself in it for the rest of her life.

"Hey, hey!" Dogpound suddenly appeared before Kuro, a wide smile on his face. "Look who's home!"

"Victory for the Foot Clan!" Karai appeared from behind Dogpound, pulling Kuro into a side hug. "I knew you could do it! Nobody beats my sister!"

"How'd you do it?" Dogpound asked excitedly. "Did he see you coming? I bet he didn't! Not with your stealth skills!"

"Come on!" Karai scoffed. "Not even Splinter could see my older sister coming! She's silent like a shadow! Even I can't detect her!" She gave Kuro a friendly shake, hugging her tighter. "Way to go, sis!"

"Kuro."

Karai and Dogpound stepped back and bowed to Shredder as he approached. Shredder walked up to Kuro and stared down at her. "Well done, my daughter. You have made me proud." He bowed to the Japanese girl before him, surprising everyone in the room, especially Kuro. She looked down, avoiding Shredder's gaze. Shredder's eyebrows furrowed under his helmet, and he placed a hand on Kuro's shoulder. "What troubles you, Kuro?"

Kuro didn't answer. She just pushed past Shredder and walked to her room, slowly closing the door behind her and leaving everyone outside confused and a little concerned.

A/N: Well, this is an interesting turn of events, huh? Tell me what you think please!