Random tidbit: In Japanese, "Kage" is pronounced Kah-gay.

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The girl and I have fallen into a routine. Every night after my sons have gone topside, she appears out of nowhere. But when my sons return home, she is always gone before I even have the chance to warn her. I still didn't know her name, or anything about her, but still she comes. It was something I couldn't fully comprehend, why would she continue to come into my home if she wasn't going to tell me anything?

The night of our formal 'introduction', I tried to get her to open up to me. Little things, her favorite color, television show, even her favorite genre of music. She didn't speak, and slowly I came to realize this silence was ingrained into her. Had it been by choice? Necessity? Had it been for survival? Whatever the reason, it was fully locked into the mystery of her past...and for some odd reason she had simply shut off her vocal chords.

The minute my sons voices could be heard, the girl disappeared. Her name was still unknown, as well as where I could find her in the sewers.

"I taught that Dragon a lesson." Raphael was smirking.

"That was all my handiwork, thank you very much." Michelangelo retorted, rushing into our home. "Sensei, is there any pizza left?"

"A few slices, my son." I replied, and turned to my red masked son. "Raphael, remember, violence is only the last resort. A ninja should find other options before turning to lethality." I told him solemnly. Raphael shook his head, but muttered a 'Yes, Sensei' before hiding himself in his room.

"Who ate all the cheese?!" Michelangelo cried out. No, nothing has changed. I thought, smiling. As night turned to day, my thoughts turned to the girl. I wondered if I would see her again. She obviously didn't trust my sons, that much was obvious, but why? She had nodded at my request of confidence, so I knew she would come again. I contemplated telling my sons about her, but finally decided to keep her secret for my own. My sons were still training, trying to be the best they could, and I was seeing a rapid progression in their skills. They were becoming fine warriors, fine men, I was so proud of them.

The sun went down, the moon rose, and my sons left to patrol the city above. I only partially wondered if the girl would appear, and by the time I had made myself something to eat she was seated at the table.

"Ah, hello, child." I chuckled. "You startled me. Would you like some lo mien? There is some Chinese takeout left over from my sons dinner." She nodded slowly, and we ate together in silence. I watched the girl calmly, noticing the traces of unease and awkwardness that accompanied someone who felt out of place in their environment. I took her plate to the sink, and when I turned back she was gone. "Child?" I called out "Girl?"

The brunette appeared as if summoned.

"How do you do that?" I shook my head, a small smile on my face. "Would you like to go for a walk?" I asked. "I haven't been out of this house all day, and I hear there's a full moon tonight." The girl nodded, and I moved to enter the tunnels. At first, I thought the girl hadn't followed, but when I looked she was right behind me. She truly is a shadow... I marveled. I paused beneath a metal grate, letting the cool moonlight fall on me. The girl was standing at the edge of the light, hesitant, but the light above was making her subtle blond highlights stand out. "You know you have nothing to fear from me." I began. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable, child," I thought over what I just said, and frowned. "and I certainly don't want to simply call you 'Girl' like you are some wild animal. Do you have something you would like me to call you? A nickname? No?" the girl didn't respond, and I sighed. She is being unreasonable! I grumbled, but then chided my thoughts.

Leonardo had gone through a phase like this once, and my sons and I had to be patient until Leonardo found a reason to speak again. This girl had a similar case, something transpired to make her mute, and until she found the courage to talk again there was nothing I could do. I smiled at her, and nodded, and then started moving along the tunnels again.

"It's a nice night." I commented. "Not to brisk, not to cold, and the moon is simply spectacular!" I looked at the girl, who was nodding in agreement. "This is a good omen, I believe it will be quite a year, don't you agree?" the girl and I made a simple loop of the sewer, and then we entered the lair again. I was keeping up this one-sided conversation, the girl nodding every now and then, and I motioned her to sit beside me on the sofa. "If you don't have a name you would prefer me calling you, would you mind if I gave you one?" I asked her, and she looked surprised. I could practically see the question in her eyes, 'Why would you bother giving me a name?' I sighed, she had obviously not been in contact with others in quite some time. "Because," I started. "I care." her eyes widened, and then dropped to the floor. "With your unique set of skills, your disappearing act, I know a name that fits you quite perfectly." I chuckled. Ever since the tunnels, and I had asked for a name with no reply, a name had been floating in my mind. It was simple, but an identity all the same. "How do you feel about Kage? It is from my homeland, it means shadow."

She looked surprised, and almost smiled at the name. She nodded, her eyes twinkling at the prospect of a name that was exactly her. I smiled back, happy to have been able to give her a semblance of normal. And it was definitely better than calling her 'girl' or 'child' like she was some stray dog.

"We kicked the Foot outta town! They ain't gonna mess with us anytime soon." Michelangelo was laughing, and I turned to watch my sons enter the lair. I turned back to Kage, wanting to warn her even though it was to late.

She was gone.

"Kage..." I murmured, shaking my head in disbelief. There was no possible way for the girl to vanish just like that!

"Huh, ya say somethin' Masta Splintah?" Raphael asked. "Who's Kage?"

"Ah, a character in one of my stories." I chuckled. "Very unique individual. Very unique indeed."

"So you had a quiet evening?" Leonardo asked politely.

"Very tranquil, nothing amiss." I responded. "How was the world above?"

"It was actually pretty quiet for us, too. Well, until the Foot showed up..." Leonardo trailed off.

"But we sent them back to where they came from." Donatello added.

"That is good news." I murmured. "But the increase in activity is troublesome, the Dragons yesterday, Foot tonight...With the Shredder gone I would've expected things to die down. Has a new leader risen for evil?"

"We're not sure, that's why we decided to call it a night. We left a mark for whoever's in charge, we just gotta find out who that is." Donatello sighed.

"This is worrisome indeed." I mused.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Raphael spoke up. "We've kicked evil's butt once before, we can do it again."

"Yeah, don't worry, Sensei." Leonardo agreed, and my sons went to do whatever turtles do in their down time.

"Yes, but at what cost?" I whispered sadly once they had gone. "At what cost?"

The girl came each night when I was alone, and she seemed to be a little warmer than when we first met. She lit up like a Christmas tree when I called her by the name I had chosen, and I wondered when was the last time someone had called her by something endearing. I started to teach her to meditate, and some tai chi, and she seemed to like it. We were kindred spirits in a way, and she seemed to like having someone nearby. In return, she made dinner and cleaned the house, straightened up, even went into Michelangelo's disastrous room and put it in a semblance of order. She was orderly, efficient, and someone I looked forward to seeing when the sun went down.

Of course, my sons thought I was the one doing all this housework...If they knew the truth, I wondered how they would react. They had welcomed Miss April O'Neil and Casey Jones into our lives without worry while I had second guessed the decision, but this was different. This was a girl who knew everything about us, but could my sons accept her knowing that? I truthfully wasn't sure, and I worried over the consequences of breaking Kage's confidence. But when night came around, Kage appeared, and I tried to not worry, even as evil's activity starting rising on the surface world above. As much as I worried about my predicament with Kage, I was exceedingly worried each time my sons went to the surface world above. Something was beginning, something dark and twisted, and I knew a new chapter in our lives would soon begin.