In her entire life Karai never thought she'd find herself with such opportunity. She felt her mother's life force the second they hit the ground, like an invisible beacon summoning her and Karai would not deny herself of a second just to set eyes on a living, breathing Tang Shen. Not for anyone or anything, not for any reason. Nothing would come between her and her mother.

The earth beneath Karai's sneakers was putty depressing with each step and she pressed her toes deeper thrusting herself forward. Even as she neared the window overlooking the kitchen, catching glimpses of teenage turtles and heard her mother's voice for the first time, Karai knew she had to save her. That she would save her, them, their family, no matter what the cost.

Karai's mouth hung open, her heart beating so hard she could feel the blood pulsing to her fingertips. There she was. Her mother. Alive, and speaking to the turtles. What were they saying to her? To choose Hamato Yoshi? Why would she not? Couldn't she see what Saki was capable of?

Karai pressed her forehead against the window pane, the glass steaming with her breath. She wiped the condensation away with trembling fingers and saw a young Leonardo… holding her. An infant. Miwa. Her breath caught in her throat as Leo smiled while the baby tugged on the tails of his mask. He's been comforting me since I was born. I've dreamt of that blue all my life and never understood why until now. A great lump built in her throat, unbidden tears sprung to her eyes. How do I trade one for the other?

She turned her back to the wall and sank to the ground. I can't have them both. I'll never have them both. But I've known Leo. I never had the chance to know my Mother. This is my only chance. Surely he will understand that. He would ask me not to change the past because he and his brothers would never exist but if it weren't for them he would sacrifice himself so that I could know my mother. He would.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she tried to convince herself, all the while listening to the sweet sound of her mother's voice. This was her opportunity to have her mother and father together, to unite her family in the future and for her to have the life she'd always dreamed of.

As she sat there debating with herself and plotting her next course of action, the teen turtles were leaving Tang Shen's home.

"I have to do this. No matter the price," she whispered, getting to her feet. She glanced toward the tree line, sensing Leonardo. He would try to stop her. But not before she met her mother. Karai crept to the front porch and pushed back the door almost walking into Tang Shen.

"Oh!" Tang Shen exclaimed, stepping back, and cradling baby Miwa closer.

Karai stared at the woman, her mother. What do I do now? Do I tell her who I am? Or where I'm from? Do I tell her what's going to happen? Do I care if I destroy the present where I come from, one without either her or my father?

Karai swallowed, took a breath and said, "Tang Shen, we need to talk."

000

April gasped for breath, her side cramping horribly as she ran through the woods beside the river. She knew she should get farther away from the water. She'd be easy to track, and if caught it would be simple for Hun to toss the compound into it and destroy everything she loved.

She was unarmed, bruised, battered and seeing black spots she was so far beyond her running ability. She wasn't sure why or how Michelangelo was there to free her, but she was glad he had been. Though she hated leaving him behind with Renet. Still it was important to keep the compound from Shredder. But where was she going? Did she seek out the teen turtles at risk of messing with the future?

A shuriken whizzed by her head, just missing her cheek.

"Pretty Reporter," Hun said. "Give yourself to me."

Bile rose in April's throat as she ground to a halt. Her entire back tensed, sensing him right behind her. "Will you fight me or come along quietly?"

April dropped a bruised chin, glancing at him in her periphery. Her lip curled as she answered him. "Hun, I will fight you every single time."

Before she had any chance to catch her breath he'd grabbed her hair, jerked back her head and flung her into a tree. Bark scraped her face and she bounced off, landing in a panting heap on the ground.

Shredder had taken her tessen, babbling about returning it to Tang Shen while he was there. She was weaponless.

A ninja is never defenseless. Her Sensei's voice reminded her. How she loved and hated it when he spoke to her inner-self from beyond the grave. So bittersweet, such torture.

Hun saw fit to take his time with her, approaching her at his leisure. "I will take the compound to my Master, in exchange I get to take you home with me. Do not make me keep punishing you." He snorted. "It's not as if you can defeat me."

April scanning the ground around her spied a tree branch, long and straight. Her split lip rose into a smirk. Hun stepped closer at the same time her fingers wrapped around the wood.

"Get away from her, Hun!" Donatello's voice echoed among the trees.

April's heart soared. Donnie! They guys were there!

Hun stopped, looking toward Donatello. April seized the opportunity lifting the stick and thrusting the butt end of it into Hun's stomach pushing him back. She pulled her makeshift weapon in just a bit then swung it in a wide arc around and across the back of his legs, then moved forward aiming the end of it at Hun's throat. She didn't take her eyes off her enemy and Hun glared at her as Donnie appeared by her side, Raph beside him.

"Looks like you've got this under control, April." Raph observed.

"Are you okay?" Donnie asked her, reaching a three fingered hand for her bruised face.

She did her best to ignore the way her heart melted beneath his touch, and still watching Hun she replied, "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Donnie answered. "Do you have the compound?"

April couldn't deny that she felt like she could conquer anything with him there, but at the same time she wanted to end this, with Renet and Karai, and on their own. She couldn't explain why, if not simply to show Donatello how much she loved him and what she was capable of. He needed to know he could trust her and should've never doubted her.

"April?" Raph's voice pierced her thoughts, at the same time Donatello reached for her stick holding hand and inched it back just a bit.

April realized she'd been closing Hun's airway with the pressure she'd applied.

"Give me the compound, April," Donnie said as he took the stick from her, keeping Hun pinned.

With her hands free April looked in Donnie's cinnamon-brown eyes, opening her mouth to answer him. But she never had a chance to speak for Renet's scream pierced the forest.

"Run! Run! RUN!" she shrieked, sprinting right passed them and flinging out a hand to grab April's.

April saw Donnie jab the blunt end of the stick hard against Hun's temple, knocking him out before spinning around and running after them.

Raph looked back to where Renet had come from, reached for his sai and asked, "What're we runnin' from?"

"Ninja!" Renet answered as they dropped from the trees, encircling them.

April, Donnie, and Renet formed a back-to-back triangle while Raph, just off to the side, assumed a fighting stance.

Shredder marched forward, the ninja parting to allow him through. April eyed the crest on their masks. Foot.

"Seize the O'Neil woman. Dispatch of the mutants, and retrieve my compound and Time Master."

April's eyes fell on the scepter in Shredder's grasp, and her heart sank.

"April, give me the compound," Donnie whispered.

April inched her fingers into her pant pocket, and found it empty. "No," she gasped as the ninja crept closer.

"What do you mean no?" Donnie hissed.

April's eyes swept the ground surrounding them, stopping when they found what she was searching for. "No, I mean I don't have it. It fell out of my pocket when Hun slammed me into that tree."

"Shit," Donnie cursed and the ninja attacked.

April, feeling guilty for having dropped the vial was determined to fight her way to retrieving it. Beside her Renet charged her energy knuckles and swung at the first ninja upon her.

As fists and feet flew toward her face, April's mind cleared and her training took over. The battle she was forced into slowed to an impossible stop-motion. Her muscles remembered everything they were to do, every step was part of an intricate dance, the shift of her weight, the arc of her strike… it was all part of her, the way Donatello was part of her, the way being a fraction mutant was in her blood. She was still a kunoichi and over the years she'd become a damn good one. Faces met her fists, bodies her foot, and her reactions, counter-strikes, combinations, all of it were instinctual.

But they still weren't enough.

As she closed in on her target, the tiny vial nestled against the tree trunk, a razor-gloved hand snatched it up.

"Ha-ha-ha," Shredder held the vial up then in his other hand the scepter. "Ha! At last! Victory is mine! Seize them! Come let them watch their own demise!"

There were too many ninja. Too many. April panted with exhaustion, her heart stricken with fear and a sick sense of morbidity. They were guided to the water where Shredder held the vial over the river below.

000

Michelangelo hid behind a tree, just outside the battle with his heart thumping. He'd better get there soon. In the next few seconds Shredder would be tossing that vial into the river and he would cease to exist!

He was torn between being there, at this fight, and the urge to go back to Leo and help him with Karai. But he couldn't be in two places at once. He almost laughed at the irony of the situation, because he was in fact, in three places at that very moment.

The teen him was about to witness Tang Shen's death, and the present day him was watching this fight ready to save the day… if he'd just had what he was waiting for… Why hadn't he packed more Shuriken? And- oh good- there he was!

Michelangelo sensed who he'd been waiting for, found it odd that he was so close, and knew better than to look. He reached back and opened his hand, felt the cool metal object fall into his palm and closed his fingers around it.

"This wasn't easy to get," his visitor said in an all too familiar voice.

"I know," Mikey replied.

"Good luck," the voice encouraged him.

Michelangelo couldn't help himself and grinned, but never looked behind him. "Thanks, you too."

"Booyakasha, Mikey," the voice said.

"Booyakasha, Michelangelo," he replied.