A/N: The finale/epilogue-y Thingy. It's on time, in all its glory. Yeah. Just as I planned….
ET: Not!
Alix: Thanks, everyone, for reading as far as you have!
ET: And for waiting 10 years…
Chapter Sixteen (Epilogue): Instinct
Something didn't seem right. Raphael wasn't even awake, and he already knew deep in his bones that something was amiss. In dreamless sleep with all its blackness, Raphael couldn't formulate thought. He didn't need thought, since the realm of sleep consisted of emotion.
And his senses were screaming at him.
Something was wrong.
He awoke with a jump, and even after the sudden shock left him, the thoughtless dread lingered like something tangibly foul. It made his skin crawl, and to get rid of that sick, prickling sensation, he sat up.
He sat up a little too quickly for comfort, however, leaving him woozy and lightheaded. The world around him became a blurred version of its more stable and former self.
It took a few moments for the uneasiness to go, but when it finally did, that sense of alarm previously invading his sleep came back with frightening force. He massaged his head, confused and sore.
This was all very strange.
He breathed in deeply (despite the cracking, wheezy pain he got from it), feeling gauze around his ribs stretch and then gradually shrink. He looked down and studied himself: mainly just his abdomen and chest where wrapped, but one of his legs had a splint on it, as did his hand. All things considered, though, Raphael thought his injuries weren't that traumatic.
With a sloth-like slide off the couch, he took back all thoughts of his injuries being light. His ribs burned. He must have broken a lot of them. His leg hurt, of course, but not nearly as much as the ribs. With an involuntary shudder, he shut his eyes tight and stood up.
Pain shot up him immediately, but Raphael was more or less all right. He opened his eyes groggily and found to his relief a pair of crutches. He took them as quickly as his body would permit, and he made his way across the room of the Lair.
Surprised no one was screaming and shouting to see that he had finally woken up, Raphael headed out of Leonardo's room (since it was downstairs whereas Raphael's was on the second level) and into the area where everyone currently crowded.
Their backs faced him as they stared at the many TV screens—everyone was silent.
He remained still, lest the turtles hear him and greet him. He didn't want to miss whatever it was on the News that appeared so important.
"-city feels sorrow at the tragic loss of Miss Karai Saki, daughter to millionaire Oroku Saki, one of the city's most generous investors. Authorities found the remains of the young woman on the side of 16th and Madison, resulting from what the police are calling a hit-and-run incident. Saki denied that anyone would purposefully wish to hurt his daughter due to the large amount of charity work she has done for orphans throughout New York. Police are currently investigating but have found no leads. Karai Saki's funeral will be held at Clairmount Park tomorrow, and Mr. Saki says that all mourners are welcome. Karai, you will be sorely missed."
Karai's… funeral?
Oroku Saki was holding a funeral for Karai?
Karai's funeral…
So Karai was—?
She—?
"No way…" Raphael breathed to himself. So that feeling of dread… that knowledge that something was wrong…
That innocent breath did not go unnoticed, of course. "Raphael!"
"Raph?"
"RAPH'S AWAKE!"
Needless to say, they all ran at him with frightening speed: Mikey rolled off the couch's back, Leo leapt over it, Don ran around it, and Master Splinter just appeared at his side. They all swarmed about him, careful not to touch the raw and tender wounds but barely able to restrain their excitement.
"It's good to see you have returned to us, my son," nodded Master Splinter with a soft smile.
Raphael returned both the nod and the smile with true if only short-lived relief. He was safe at home now with his irreplaceable family. The family he would do anything for—even die in their place.
"What…uh… happened?"
Everyone looked to Leonardo, but the turtle refused to say anything, shaking his head silently while looking to the floor, so Donatello had to take the lead. "Well, you disappeared, and at first we weren't sure what to do. Long story short, Leo guessed it was Karai, we found a transmitter to where they were hiding you—"
"I found it Raph! I did!"
"Good boy, Mikey."
"Tha—heeeeeeeeeey!"
Don glared at his brother, who covered his mouth with a smile, "Sorry, bro."
Don cleared his throat. "—and we headed over there. But we didn't really rescue you…"
"Karai did," Mikey pointed out, despite the growl coming from Leo's direction (And Don's grunt of irritation). Right, Raphael remembered her saving him. Barely.
Don continued, "We were a few blocks away from where they were holding you when she showed up with you on her shoulders. We took you back home pretty quickly so you could heal. It's been a week or so since then, so you're still in bad shape.
"We're lucky we found you when we did. You were basically starving to death on top of all the insomnia-induced fatigue and broken bones. Well… I wouldn't say insomnia-induced but definitely some kind of sleep trauma. In any case…"
Don continued to talk more about his condition, showing off all of the research he had done while Raph had been asleep, but what Raphael really wanted to hear about was Karai. That dread started to well up inside him like indigestion, but Raph didn't want to say anything until Don was finished, lest the brain go off and pout at not being allowed to boast his findings. He let his gaze fall on Leonardo, who, what a surprise, was staring straight back at him. Honestly, you'd think they were twins the way they read each other's mind.
"What happened?" Leo asked, interrupting Don and earning himself a scowl.
"Let us sit Raphael down first." Splinter interrupted immediately afterwards as the injured began to teeter. Everyone silently agreed and helped Raphael to the couches in front of the TV. Sitting hurt just as much as standing…
"Well?" Leo insisted.
"There's not much to tell…" Raph said slowly. Each breath brought him pain. Don wasn't kidding about the broken ribs. Raph didn't know how much the others knew and decided to give them a quick sparknote-version of his stupid adventure. Then he could ask about Karai.
"I heard Karai had orders to kill Leo, and I knew since Leo is…was so…fond of her," Mikey inserted a giggle but was cut off, "he'd give himself up easily. I took his place and… it kind of backfired. Karai was actually pretty torn up about the whole thing, which really put her in a bad spot, especially since this one ninja—you know those funky dudes with the mushroom things on their heads? Yeah, one of those. Well, he was out to get her rank. When Karai couldn't kill me or whatever, Hat-Boy was ordered to kill me in this large arena. I couldn't fight back since I was already pretty beat up from one of Karai's interrogation sessions. He was about to chop my head off when Karai came and… uh, rescued me." He was painfully aware of how ridiculous that sounded. "Don't know what else to say."
"Despite that being the dumbest plan I've ever heard," Mikey laughed. "I'm glad you're not dead."
"Yeah, me too," Raph rolled his eyes, but then winced from the sudden pain as he tried to shift his weight.
"You should rest, my son." Splinter's eyes were concerned as he tried to urge the infidel up and back to his room.
"Wait…" Raph took a few breaths, ignoring Master Splinter's concern. "What about Karai?"
This time Leonardo answered: his voice shaking with a mixture of confusion, hatred, and betrayal. "She's dead. She betrayed us. She even tried to kill us by searching our old lair. Then she had the nerve… the NERVE… to jump sides again. The woman could never pick a side. She…she deserved her fate."
In a sudden burst of anger, so different from the calm turtle that took control, he kicked a footstool across the room, whispering almost to himself: "She deserved it."
"Hey, come on Leo…" Don started, but not very strongly. He clearly felt the same way, and decided to trail off his thought.
Raph remained silent, beating down that dread which had somehow transformed into overwhelming pity and sadness. That girl. He never understood her. He hated her. Hated her. But this emotion he felt now was so fitting. He didn't know why he felt so sad despite his hatred, but he knew it was how he should feel.
"How'd she die?" Raph asked.
"Didn't you hear on the TV?" Mikey turned to face him. "She was..uh… hit… by a car… As un-Karai like as that sounds…"
Raph's eyes narrowed behind his red mask (oh, his rightful mask…haha! His mask was back!). "Do you know how she actually died?"
"No," Don said this time, as Leo was still fuming in the background. "We separated from her shortly after we got you. I'd assume that one of the Foot got her, especially if that 'Hat-Boy' guy was after her as you say…"
"She wouldn't lose to him…" Raph said under his breath. This feeling he felt… His gut instinct was telling him otherwise. He just knew. "She… killed herself."
A momentary silence followed. The family held their breath.
"That's ridiculous!" Mikey shouted before Leo could say it himself.
"That traitor! She wouldn't have!" Leo began, searching the eyes of his family for the same anger and pain he felt, to find only pity projected onto him. "What?"
"Why the sudden change of heart, Leo?" Raph said under his breath. Leo brushed past Don and the others to look Raphael cold in the face.
"We were just arguing about this a few weeks ago! And now you're taking her side?!"
"She didn't know what to do!"
"And she had to make a decision for the last time!"
"Well, it looks like she picked neither, especially since both sides rejected her. I guess she wasn't as bad as I thought. Something's just telling me she wasn't!"
"Something is just telling you? Well, your instincts have a tendency to be wrong on multiple occasions! So don't go—"
"What is wrong with you?! You had this infinite compassion for her, no matter what she did, and right when she needed it most, when she would have been on our side for keeps, you turn her away? That ain't like you, Leo. Not one bit."
"Well maybe torturing one of my family members was a bit out of my pity zone. I take people for their word." They were nose to nose, and Raph looked ready to battle it all out, with Leo quickly settling into the cold, biting person he became in long, drawn out arguments.
Raph took a deep breath and bottled his anger for another time. He didn't want this, not now when he'd just gotten home. He just wanted things to be right again, and arguing wasn't going to make it all go away.
"Whatever, Leo. You can hold onto Karai's betrayal for as long as you want. But she had something good in her that deserves respect… even if it's just the smallest bit." Raphael started to get up despite the pain and the concern of everyone else. Leo, helpless and ruffled from his state, walked after his brother and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Where're you going?"
Raph looked at him, eyes hidden once again behind his bad-boy red.
"Her funeral. Where else?"
It was a somber procession that arrived for Karai's burial. Oroku Saki looked around, wondering how humans could become so attached to each other and mourn like this. Yes, he felt an absence, but it was just from missing a superb fighter…wasn't it? This empty feeling… like something was now missing from his life…
He would have to modify his human body. It was beginning to make him feel like one.
The service was beautiful, with women sniffling, men wiping away tears, nothing was spared to see off this generous young woman who was taken before her time. Oroku Saki himself even spoke, and everyone cried except an old man sitting at the back of the audience in his wheelchair and his retainer. When the service was over, the procession filed off to their respective cars to head to Saki's and enjoy the food that would rid them of their misery.
Only the man in the wheelchair remained. He was covered with a blanket and turtle necked sweater, with a hat and sunglasses guarding him from the sun. His caretaker, wearing long black pants, sunglasses, a beanie, and a high-necked jacket, stood next to him, both of them staring at the grave. Both of them held a single rose.
They didn't speak. They didn't have to.
Eventually the caretaker pushed the man a little closer to the grave. Carefully, as if in great pain, the man in the wheelchair tossed the rose into the gaping grave. The caretaker took a step forward and did the same.
He stood there, with his hand on the armrest of the wheelchair. His hand tightened as a sob escaped his lips. His companion placed his hand on his arm, gripping it in assurance.
They stood there for a long time, in silence, these two brother's who understood; understood what they had done for each other, what a person could do to another, and what a poor, lost girl had done for them.
In the world of ninja, actions should always speak louder than words.