Hey everyone :) It was brought to my attention in the last chapter that I didn't clarify when these chapters took place. The story as a whole takes place after the season 1 finale. Chapter 1 begins 2 weeks after the Kraang invasion and chapter 2 takes place the next day (the day Karai said that they were planning a trap for our turtles). And this chapter takes place…well you'll see ;)

Disclaimer: I still don't own the turtles.

-x-

Karai sat in total silence, the wind blowing through her cropped hair as she peered through the darkness like a hawk. She was with at least thirty of the highest ranking members of the Foot, and her father was counting on her to succeed. She was not allowed to fail him again. His deep voice echoed in her mind, "Failure comes with a stiff penalty, child."

She shuddered at how different he started sounding lately. Her father had always been very harsh and strict, rarely ever showing satisfaction with her technique or abilities. Once Leo and the others had shown up, he had become obsessed with hunting them down. But, at least to her, it seemed that ever since her father's battle against Hamato Yoshi he had become much colder. He had become more distant and harder for her to read.

Movement on the streets below caught her attention. A thin grin spread across her lips as she recognized the red headed girl on the sidewalk. 'Looks like the princess has left her castle.' Her orders were simple. Capture April and use her as bait to lure in the turtles and Hamato. She turned a glance over at the Foot all around her and gave the signal for them to follow their target. Right now, April was in the open, and Karai felt her frustration growing at the fact she had to stay hidden in the shadows.

Eventually April wandered into a darkened alley and Karai had to stifle a laugh at how naïve the princess was. 'She doesn't even realize she's being followed! How pathetic.' She felt the muscles in her legs tense in anticipation, smirking as she flipped down from where she had stayed on the rooftop. When she straightened herself back up, she found that she thoroughly enjoyed the surprised and fearful look that she inspired in the red-head's face.

"Good evening, Princess."

"Karai…!"

She bowed as she replied, "At your service." She strode toward April, keeping her stern eyes fixed on the shaken and slightly surprised girl. Even though April wasn't a huge threat, Karai had to remember that she was undergoing ninjutsu training from that rat master. And seeing as how Leo had learned under the same master, that was more than enough for Karai to at least slightly consider April's fledgling abilities.

Karai saw the expression on April's face turn from fear to a brave determination. When April whipped out her tessan, Karai performed a back flip, dodging the metal fan's sharp edge. With a smile on her face, Karai formed fists in front of her body. She knew that if she could just grab the tessan, then she could leave it where Leo would be sure to find it. A wave of pleasure swept through her as she thought of seeing him again. Leo's presence always made things more interesting for her, and she hated being bored.

As April charged her, Karai stepped to the side, easily dodging April's reckless forwardness. Though April had improved since the last time Karai had fought her, April was still a rookie who hadn't mastered the cunning patience that came with experience. She teased and taunted April with flips and jumps as she continued to lure April where she had allies in wait.

After April had tried the same tactic four times, the girl paused and narrowed her blue eyes suspiciously at Karai. "What are you up to, Karai?"

The question caught Karai completely off guard. Her brown eyes widened in shock as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've been wide open. And you haven't taken advantage. So…what are you up to?"

Karai was speechless. She had assumed that April was just being a fool for the sake of it. Her expression darkened as she retorted, "I'm hurt that you would even suggest such things."

April shook her head and continued with a glare, "Stop lying. I know you're up to something. I just don't know what yet."

With a bored sigh, Karai flicked her wrist, signaling for the Foot to go ahead and jump in. She saw April freeze as ten Foot suddenly surrounded her on all sides. She had to give April props for attempting to fight back, but the kunoichi-in-training just didn't have the skills necessary to fight off ten opponents at once. Karai strode up as the Foot had April restrained, the girl struggling vainly to free herself.

Karai bent down to pick up the abandoned tessan, and closed it quickly in front of April's face with a sneer. "Settle down, Princess. I need you in order to capture your knights in shining armor. Don't force me to mark that perfect face." She stroked April's cheek with her hand, relishing in the reproachful look she was receiving from her bait.

Karai watched as April continued to struggle with a bored expression. As she thought, things were boring whenever Leo wasn't around. Plus, she really didn't like April. It was too bothersome for her to consider the reasons as to why she felt this animosity toward the red-headed girl. All she knew was that April's very presence rubbed her the wrong way, and that was good enough for her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed hearing the voice of one of her Foot subordinates. Feeling the expectant gaze from under the mask, Karai's attention snapped to the Foot soldier and she asked very intelligently, "Huh?"

If the Foot snickered at her question, Karai didn't notice. "Lady Karai. What are your orders?"

"Oh" she stated as she tapped her chin with the closed tessan. She hummed as she quickly began to think of the next stage of the plan. This was the first time her father had entrusted her with a mission of this scale without coming up with the complete plan himself. 'All he really said was to figure it out on my own' she thought with a bizarre mix of anxiety and excitement. She turned her attention back to her prisoner as a light bulb flared to life inside her mind. "You have a cell phone, don't you?"

April's eyes widened and her gaze flicked down to her right front pocket before she managed to recompose her expression to match an indifferent mask. "Yeah. I do. So? Everyone has one."

Karai grinned, "And you have your brave knights' phone numbers?" She strode forward, ignoring April's denials and protests as she reached into April's pocket and pulled out her prize. The shape alarmed her at first. It almost looked like the phone had a shell. When her gaze moved back to April's face, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"

Karai wasn't surprised when she found herself to be the focus of a burning blue glare, and shrugged, muttering under her breath "Whatever floats your boat." She began to fiddle with the shell phone and grimaced when she discovered that the phone was locked with a four digit passcode. Tilting her head to the side, she met April's burning eyes directly and demanded, "Give me your passcode."

"No!" came the expected refusal.

"Princess, don't force me to hurt you. Damaged bait is far less appetizing."

April swallowed audibly, and Karai believed that April was cracking. However, that was not what she ended up discovering.

"Do your worst! I know you're going to use me to lure Don and the others into a trap! I'd rather die!" April spat angrily.

A wave of newfound respect and admiration for her enemy swelled in Karai. She grinned maliciously and handed the phone to the bowed Foot next to her and ordered, "Get this to headquarters. Father will want it thoroughly examined." When the Foot soldier left, Karai turned her attention back to the others that were both restraining and surrounding April. "Take the princess with you. I will let you know when and where to bring her later."

Karai watched as the Foot began to take April away, the fiery red-head walking determinedly on her own as she held tight to her pride as a kunoichi. She lightly tossed the tessan into the air, catching it when it began to fall. She had a slightly crazy idea as to how to make the turtles go frantic with worry before she returned their princess back to them. Confident the plan would work, she strode through the streets until she reached Murakami's Noodle Shop a few blocks away.

The blind owner was busy sweeping the dining area of his establishment, and Karai took a moment to appreciate the fact that the place was as clean as it was considering the owner couldn't see. He stopped when he heard her footsteps on the hardwood floor and turned toward her. A friendly smile appeared on his face as he hollered, "Welcome, my friends."

Karai looked at the clock on the wall, feeling quite proud for accurately guessing that the owner was a friend to the turtles. After all, it was late and no one but Leo and his brothers would be out and about in this part of town at 8 pm. 'Jackpot' she thought smugly. "I apologize, Murakami-san. I'm not who you think I am."

The expression on Murakami-san's face instantly transformed into one of complete horror as Karai's words hung in the room. "It's you!" he said with a gasp. His hands clenched his broom handle tightly, knuckles turning white as the man straightened up so he stood taller.

Karai regarded him thoughtfully as she noted the change in Murakami-san's demeanor. With a toss of her head she asked, "Isn't business slow after 6?" Silence filled the empty room and Karai could feel frustration burning within her. She wasn't used to being ignored, and she decided that she didn't like it. Her eyes narrowed and she growled, "You will answer every one of my questions! I have your friend April in my care!"

That got a reaction from the blind man. "You have April-chan?" A shudder passed through him while he took in deep breaths. "What do you want?"

"You're friends with the turtles, are you not?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering sullenly, "H-hai."

"I take it they were supposed to stop by here at some point tonight?"

His short nod was all the answer Karai needed. "Perfect. When they do arrive, tell them to meet me at the Bradford dojo right away." She slammed April's tessan on the table, smirking as the old man flinched visibly at the sound. She whirled around, striding gracefully across the freshly swept floor, only pausing just before the entrance to get in one last jab at the defeated chef. "Please remind them to hurry. I get bored easily and I'm sure they wouldn't want their princess to become my new toy."

Without waiting to hear whatever response would have greeted her, Karai took to the rooftops and felt her face brighten with excitement. She couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces when they came after her to save April…

Her chest tightened as a feeling similar to grief sliced through the carefully constructed barrier she kept around her heart. "Damn" she cursed silently, hating the fact that deep down in her heart she regretted how things had ended up between her and Leo. A furious blush colored her face a deep crimson as her mind started to consider how much of a relationship she desired. "It's not like I loved him! He was fun," she growled half-heartedly, her mind and heart racing.

After managing to calm her thoughts and slow her heart rate back down, Karai continued on toward where she was to come face to face with her prey. It didn't take her long to arrive, and she went straight to the upper window of the dojo, perfectly blending into the shadows as she stealthily broke in using her tanto knife.

She strode confidently into the center of the dark room, feeling perfectly calm and just the tiniest bit excited. Finding a comfortable chair in the corner, she sat down and crossed her legs as her eyes continued to adjust to the darkness. With a grin on her face, she whipped out her own cellphone and called HQ. "Is the princess there?" she asked the instant she heard a voice pick up on the other line.

She rolled her eyes and bobbed her head up and down as the voice explained all that had happened in the past few minutes and demanding to know where she was. Growing impatient, Karai snapped, "Quiet! I can do whatever I want, remember? Now I need everyone who was out with me earlier to come to the Bradford dojo immediately and to bring the princess."

There was a reluctantly obedient sound that emanated from the voice's lips, but Karai pretended not to hear it. With a mental shrug she ordered, "Make sure you bring the items. It's time for us to set the trap and catch a few turtles for my father." She hung up without waiting to hear if her orders would be obeyed, but she didn't have a doubt they would be. Everyone in the Foot feared her father, and since this was a matter that he held most dear to his heart, Karai knew that only a fool with a death wish would even dare to be the reason this mission fell through. Humming a Japanese lullaby she remembered from her childhood, Karai allowed herself to daydream and counted down the minutes until she saw Leonardo again.

-x-

I am so sorry for the long wait everyone! I have had no free time these past two weeks and then I had a small issue with writer's block on top of it. I had a really hard time getting into the mindset for Karai for some reason, but I think I'm generally pleased with how this turned out in the end. –bows apologetically repeatedly— I will try not to keep you guys waiting this long anymore. On the bright side you got a little Karai vs April action in here, huh? :) …okay. Well the next chapter will be in one of our turtle's perspective (hint it isn't Leo hahaha). As always let me know if you have any thoughts/ideas/concerns/curiosities/questions (even if they aren't about this story at all lol)! I love you guys! And I'll see all of you next time ;)

-Ariane