Chapter 1.1

Almost thought we made it home,
But we don't know this place at all,
That's enough now dry your tears
It's been a long eleven years

Fire, Fire - Flyleaf

"When Tiger Claw returns, he vows to destroy the Turtles."

The impact of the next attack does not catch Karai off guard in the slightest, but her reflexes are not nearly as swift as per usual. She grunts as her tanto blocks Xevers' metal foot. The force almost sends her spiralling backwards, but she holds her own with determination. She will not lose this one, she refuses to embarrass herself yet again.

As the thought settles, Xever brings his leg back and shoves it forward just as fast. With a cry, Karai's arm shoots backwards and her tanto flies from her grasp.

"I win," Xever boasts smugly, "again."

"You got lucky," Karai counters impartially as she retrieves her tanto from the floor.

"I seem to be getting lucky quite a lot, don't you think?"

Karai ignores him while she tucks her tanto behind her back. She does not need another reminder on how her fighting skills seem to be suffering, and she sure as hell does not want to explain why.

At first, it was out of pure anger, the hatred that stemmed from seeing Splinter that night – the night Shredder would have been killed – took over. She had complained about Shredder to Leonardo, about how this vendetta had been all he thought about. Yet seeing the rat up close... she knew, she was reminded of who tore her family apart. Rage had crippled her in the worst way.

Now it was doubt. Doubt that everything she knew, may be a lie.

As she sneaked away from the abandoned church to sit behind the billboard and wait until morning, just listening to the Hamato clan discuss the night... she wanted to catch them in the lie, she just had to reassure herself and then she could go home, rest and think of new ways to make the rat pay.

Maybe one day she will believe the truth, but that is her decision.

Someone is lying to her and she will find out.

"Karai-" Xever begins, attempting to break her out of her own thoughts when the phones shrill ring interrupts him.

Karai moves to the sound and answers briskly, "fa- Shredder?" She trips over her own words. Her brows furrow at the mistake, only for a different reason than usual. Karai has accidentally called Shredder, father, many times but it never really mattered. Now that he might not be her father, it did matter.

"Karai," he answers gruffly, "you and Xever must return to the church now. We have a guest."

Her heart race picks up. Is it Splinter? Leonardo? One of the other turtles? Will she be forced to watch them perish without getting the truth first?

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she replies, "on our way."

The receiving end cuts off just as she puts the phone down on the hook. Xever already gathered his sweat towel in one hand and was half way out the door, he holds it open with his foot for her.

"Come on, team!" Leonardo whispers to his brothers as they jump from rooftop, to rooftop. Their usual brisk pace is hindered as April and Casey tag along on this evening patrol. "We are still missing a few dozen canisters, and it's on us if the whole city mutates bef-"

"We get it, Leo." Raphael growls as he leaps over the leader's head to land on a water tank. "You've only told us about a hundred times."

Leo scowls and waits for April and Casey to catch up before trailing behind, keeping a watchful eye from the rear. The deep frustration he feels at the lack of respect is, once again, pushed down. He can always take it out in the dojo.

A movement in the distance catches his attention. In a split second, he knows who it is and orders his team to stay down. Raphael shoots him an exasperated look but does as he is told, dropping to his knees next to Casey. "We ain't gonna hurt her."

A part of Leonardo knows that now, Raphael would never charge Karai without reason, but just to be sure... Leo keeps himself well hidden but with a better sight of the Kunoich jumping across a rooftop with relative ease. She stares at the ground but seems to know where she is going. The troubled tension in her body has Leonardo itch to go to her, to find out what's wrong and fix it.

At some point, he must have moved out of cover as her eyes snap to his. He sees them widen and she casts a worried glance at Fishface who hasn't seemed to notice. When her attention is drawn back to him, she mouths forcefully, "get out of here."

With a curt nod, he crouches behind his team and ignores the somewhat judgemental stares he is receiving. "Quiet, team. Wait for them to disappear and then we head back to the Lair."

"So our patrol is over?" Casey questions angrily. "What about the Kraang?"

"The Kraang can wait." The leader replies in a final statement.

"Like hell they can-" Casey attempts to stand and continue on with the mission but Donnie's hand clamps him hard on the shoulder, holding him in place. "Don-"

"I know you're new to this, Jones. But Leo's the leader, we follow his orders." There's an implied – not our own – but either way, Leo gives Donnie a nod, thankful for his help. Out of all his brothers, Donnie was the most respectful one and trusted Leonardo's authority in dire situations.

Casey and Raphael share a heavy look but stay silent. April follows Leonardo's gaze to Karai who continues to cast looks back over her shoulder, in the direction they stay in wait. During the entire exchange between himself and Casey, Leo had not taken his eyes off the Kunoich, afraid something would go wrong for her or themselves.

"Leo, maybe we should try and talk to her again?" April suggests quietly as she is the closest to Leonardo and does not want the others to overhear and interject.

He thinks so too, but what if he pushes too hard and she loses all faith in him whatsoever? "If she wants to talk, she will come to us." Leo purses his lips. He really does want to go speak to her, if not to make her see reason then to find out what has her so bothered.

Just before she ducks down another rooftop and will be out of sight, her eyes flicker to him one last time and Leonardo has to hold himself back. His hands grip the vent he is crouched behind tightly. April spares him a look, one of understanding. Something he has not seen from anyone when it concerns Karai.

Then she's gone and the feeling of disappointment, anxiety and anger – at Shredder for doing such a thing – returns in a great, big rush.

"We can't just let her go." He mumbles as he presses his forehead into his arm. He never knew quite what to do when Karai was in the picture. He had every opportunity to end her when she made things too difficult, but some part of him always whispered that deep down, there is good in her.

He lifts his head when April's hand rests on his shell. "She will be back, she seemed as if she had something to say."

Earlier when Karai had mouthed for them to leave, comes back and Leonardo stares at the ground beneath him in thought. She had thrown that rock at Tiger Claw to distract him, now she was helping them out. Could she truly believe what they are telling her?

The thought alone sends a jolt of hope through him and he stands, eager to speak with her. Alone.

"All of you, call it a night."

Raphael's eyes narrow. "What?"

Leonardo fixes his gaze onto his temperamental brother and with a firm voice, he says, "go home. I will handle this."

Donnie and Mikey both share a look but stand, prepared to follow Leo's orders. If anyone could get through to Karai, it would be Leonardo. Especially with their history.

"Why do we have to go home?" Raphael argues more.

April cuts in, quick to defend Leo's decision, "she might feel ganged up on if we are all here."

"Then why do we all have to go home?"

Before Leo even realises he has done it, his Niten Ryu are in his hands, brandishing dangerously under the moonlight's glint. His eyes – blue, that matches his bandanna – flicker white in warning. "Leave."

Mikey grabs Raphael's arm, his eyes tightened in fear, "come on, Raph. Let's just go, bro." Mikey looks to his oldest brother with some pride, although hidden beneath the terror in his heart, "Leo's got this."

Reluctantly, Raphael storms past his brother as the others follow in some sort of trance. Leo rarely gets angered – frustrated, sure – but never angry.

It takes a few beats for his eyes to return to normal and his breathing to slow from it's huffy state. The katanas in his hands are quickly sheathed away.

"I thought they would never leave," comes the familiar, teasing voice from his left.

Leonardo has a ready smile on his face as he takes in Karai, her hands behind her back as she rocks back and forth on her heels. She's nervous, despite her usual taunting self. Her lips are pursed, trying to consider her next words and Leo sits on the vent to make her feel more comfortable. He won't force her to return with him, he won't even force her to speak. She can do that in her own time, when she's ready.

Karai takes notice and her features relax subtly. Her feet become more interesting than him and he takes in how her brows furrow in deep thought, how she attempts to slow her breathing, how her arms are making small, jerky movements behind her back as she twists her fingers. This is a side of Karai that Leo has never had the pleasure of seeing. A side that makes her seem so human, so unlike the brave Kunoich he knew and, for a time, cared deeply for.

He was constantly second guessing his feelings for her when she was adamantly against him. He found himself convincing himself that she was good, more than he tried with the others. Because she was never predictable. She was bad, but with purpose. Which made something very redeemable about her. How could he not fall?

He cares now, possibly more than he did before. Now, now he knew that she was capable of redemption. She proved that herself when she helped Splinter. She threw that rock... even when all she had was a seed of doubt. But the doubt was strong enough to second guess what she was being told by Shredder, and that was enough. That was enough to possibly endanger herself should Tiger Claw ever return.

Leonardo drums his fingers against the vent at the thought. If Tiger Claw does return... will he remember? Did he even see her? If Leo had eyebrows, that would be knitted together in worry.

"You look troubled."

He exhales with a small chuckle, "coming from you?" He eyes her once more and she looks away, embarrassed?

"It hasn't been a good a month, you know?"

He nods in understanding. He had something to do with that. Just seeing her that night... how could he possibly not tell her? When he first found out from Splinter that Karai was Miwa, it felt as if his entire world shattered. The business with the Kraang, the retro-mutagen... everything just paled in comparison. And he was not allowed to tell her a thing.

"I'm so sorry," Leo says with a sigh, his fingers rising to massage his forehead. His headache had been growing worse since the incident with Tiger Claw. "I am sorry for dropping this bomb on you, for betraying your trust... the list seems endless." He says with another sigh, raising his eyes to meet hers.

Karai looks away with a pained look, "that was all I wanted from you." Her arms drop to hang by her sides limply, "an apology."

He stand tentatively, intent on not to scare her off, "am I forgiven for now?"

"Until I figure all of this out... yes, you're forgiven." She offers him a small smile, "I need a friend right now, and I hate to admit it."

"I know you do," and that's why Leonardo smiles brightly at her and nods towards the Byerly building, just in their sights. "For old times sake?"

She follows his gesture and her face splits into a grin, one that belonged to the Karai he knew so well. "Think you can handle a race with me, turtle? Aren't you pretty slow?"

"Fast enough to beat the hare," Leo answers with a wink.

Karai laughs at the reference as she turns towards the Byerly building and crouching down, ready to take off. "Bring it, Leo."

The two race to the Byerly building with smiles on their faces. More than once, Karai attempted to cheat by tripping Leo over, and he called her out about a dozen times before she laughed and stopped, ready to play fairly. Karai would never win by cheating, honour and all that. If she won, she would earn it. Which is why Leo watches her carefully, he won't beat her, he never does and he wants to see the elated expression on her face when she does win.

"Beat ya!" She calls just as her feet land on the rooftop with a graceful thud. "As per usual," she throws a wink in his direction and swivels around, surveying the rooftop with interest.

He braces his large hands on his knees, panting, "there will come a day when I win, you know."

"We'll see," she says off handedly, her feet taking her to the edge of the rooftop as looks down with longing.

Leonardo stands carefully, careful not to jolt her, "you're not going to jump, are you?"

She chuckles softly and takes a step away from the edge for his sake. "No, just wondering what it would feel like to fly." Her eyes widen slightly, as if she couldn't believe she just said that. Her cheeks tinge pink when she looks away, her hand flies to the back of her neck, scratching her skin to ease the embarrassment. "Uh, you should know that I don't have long. I told Xever that I went to retrieve my phone and I would be back... I am sure Shredder is waiting for me."

"I'm sure he is... wait, phone? You have a phone?"

She throws him a look, "uh, yeah. Who doesn't?"

With an idea that may seem stupid later, he takes out his T-Phone and chucks it to her. Her reflexes do not fail her as she snatches it mid-air. Her fingers turn the device over in her hands and she inspects the detailed shell. "This is pretty lame," she murmurs.

His lips twitch into a would-be smirk. "Enough teasing, give me your number."

"Why?" Karai questions, looking to him for an answer.

He nods to the phone, his heart hammering in his chest as he says the next words, "in case you ever need me. For anything." Then he locks eyes with her, "and I mean, for anything. Whether something bad has happened, a warning, or if you just want to talk at four in the morning for no reason, I'm here."

She tilts her head. "Please don't make me regret forgiving you, Leo." The words are whispered, as if in secret. Like she's afraid that he will make her regret it and Leo cannot help but shake his head.

"You won't."

Karai fingers her phone on the way back to the abandoned church, her mind in the clouds. Seeing Leo was... alarming. At first, her instinct was to attack. Then she remembered everything that had went through her mind that month and she found herself wanting to protect him, which she hated. But how would she feel if he were telling the truth? How would she feel if she were forced to end one of their lives on Xever's orders and it just happened to turn out that they were right.

Brows knitting together, Karai tucks her phone into the purple sash at her hips. The lie was easy to get away with, Xever didn't really care about where she went anyway, but she offered the explanation just in case. If Shredder asked, he would be suspicious and the last thing Karai needed was for him to distrust her more than he seemed to already.

The way she and Leo seemed to fall back into their routine so easily was even more alarming. Of course, she would never forget the betrayal and it sucked to admit how much that hurt her. It took her a long time to admit that. Her lips tilt upwards as the memory of the night rushes back. Chasing, bantering, laughing... it was just so easy with Leo.

And now she had his number. He was at her constant beck and call if she wanted... Any time she needed to let loose, just forget the problems at home and be herself, he would be willing to be there. A friend.

"Look who decided to show up," Bradford drawls just as Karai walks in, head held high.

"Can it, dog." She mocks carelessly, eyes focused on her father that seems very impatient as she takes her sweet time dropping to her knees at the steps. "Master," her words are slightly sarcastic but he lets it slide, he usually does.

"Karai," Shredder begins, "I believe you remember Tiger Claw."

All at once, it feels like all the air in the room is being shoved down her throat. Her head whips to the side and Tiger Claw emerges from the darkness. He has never properly intimidated her, but now, she has to focus really hard on not cowering under his gaze. His one eyed gaze. Caused because of her.

Does he remember?

She swallows down the onslaught of anxiety when she answers, "I thought you were worm food. Did you scratch your way out?"

To her great relief, he chuckles, "something like that."

"Did Shredder fix you with the eye-patch?"

Tiger Claw's paw goes to the side of his face, one large claw taps the patch over his right eye. "He did." The words are tense, thick. Something secretive lurks within the meaning, a warning of sorts and Karai pushes down the urge to comment on it.

"Karai," her father regains her attention, "nothing has changed. You answer to him, is that clear?"

"Crystal." She quips, unpleased with the circumstances but overall, not surprised.

"Good. You are free to go."

Tiger Claw moves down the steps so quickly that Karai scrambles to her feet rather ungracefully. Shredder makes a sound of disapproval but says nothing. The anxiety nestles itself within her stomach, not prepared to leave until her fears were confronted. He couldn't have possibly seen her throw that rock to distract him... he would have outed her to Shredder immediately. Or had he when she took the extra time to arrive? What if this was all a test?

As she follows Tiger Claw out of the church and onto the empty street, Karai digs out her phone and sends a quick text message to Leonardo. Tiger Claw is back. Stay inside. Simple and to the point. It just wasn't safe for him or the others to be caught outside now. She would have no choice but to engage in the fight, no matter how she feels about the situation.

Her phone lights up with a reply. How is he alive? She can almost hear the whine in his voice and her lips turn into a half smile as she texts back, he's back but not without faults. He is wearing an eye-patch. Courtesy of us.

"Who are you talking to, child?"

"Karai," she corrects, her phone going into sleep mode as she twirls it in her fingers. "I met some guy a week ago, we're just chatting about his homework."

"A guy?" Tiger Claw has his back to her, but he watches from over his shoulder as they walk down the alleyway.

"Student, in his last year at high school." With all the personality she can muster, her brows flick up in amusement as she says, "don't tell daddy."

"I did not know that dorks were your thing." His tone is uncaring but he says this carefully, waiting for her to slip up most likely.

"They have their moments." Karai shrugs, looking down at her phone and the message displayed.

Tell me when he starts saying savvy?

She stifles a laugh. Dork. She appreciates his attempt to lighten the mood. But as she pockets her phone, the feeling of dread washes over her. Somehow, she needs to find out what Tiger Claw remembers. She kept herself out of sight, but a billboard was not going to make her invisible. He could have seen her and that was the harsh truth.

"So," Tiger Claw says when the duo are on the rooftops hours later with no sign of the turtles. "Care to explain yourself?"

Karai looks up from her spot on the vent in disinterest, her fingers tapping against the metal beneath her as she counted the stars. "Explain what?"

Tiger Claw comes to a stand in front of her and she pales almost instantly.

"Explain why you threw the rock?"

First story for TMNT :) Have had this in my mind for a great deal of time! The new synopsis' that have come out for the next four episodes had my mind buzzing with how it will turn out! This may not stick so true to Ciro's vision, especially later chapters, but enjoy anyway!

Will have a poster out for the story sometime tomorrow.

Review?

Thank you, lovelies x