Mystic Flames

By: Phoenix Ride

Ch.1: Life Fades

From the beginning, everything in her life had been a lie. It had been a hard truth, and when it was first discovered, Karai tried to reject it with all of her might. This couldn't be… Shredder couldn't be her enemy…

He had raised and cared for her since she was young. Hamato Yoshi was the villain! He had slain her mom!

But when she met the Turtles, they stood firm that this fact wasn't true, and it was only until Karai attempted to deceive them all that she finally started to believe that she was Splinter's Miwa.

The pictures in the frames, the sadness of his words, nothing could be faked like that.

Oroku Saki was the one responsible for all her pain; kidnapping her, slaying her mother, keeping the truth secret for so long. He needed to be taken down! Destroyed…once and for all!

Oh, if only it would be that easy, but there was more torment to follow, mutation, as she was strung up as bait, in order to lure the turtles to their doom.

Shredder had no qualms when it came to risking his fake daughter's life. And after that unfortunate day, he had been attempting to capture and control her ever since.

Eventually, he succeeded, but Karai knew that even though Saki stated otherwise, he cared little about curing her mutated state.

She was nothing more than a tool, a weapon that would mindlessly fight beside him, helpless to obey his every command.

The mind control serum was the symbol of that very fear. A weapon that could be used to control her at last, and anyone else who wouldn't bow to Shredder's will.

First he had used it on the Mutanimals, Raphael, and then herself. It was a terrifying experience to endure.

But the most terrifying sight of all came not to long after Shredder's mind control spell was broken on her. When she was captured and forced to suffer witness as her brothers blindly fought against each other, trying to slice each other to shreds.

She had just reunited with her family and now they were all going to suffer under the horror of Shredder's dark illusion. Their lives wouldn't end in honorable or fair combat, but by cowardice and deceit.

"We have to stop them," thought Karai desperately after Splinter freed her cell.

Like a flash, she sprinted towards Leo, and somehow managed to stop him from killing his bros. Somehow, she had managed to break through to all three of her brothers minds and shatter the dark illusion consuming their thoughts.

Relief flooded through Karai once she knew that her brothers were safe, and things could be normal again. But then, her mind shifted towards her missing brother, the one who stood mostly still while the others had fought.

"Raphael," thought Karai. What had Shredder done to him?

The red-masked turtle hadn't even moved until Splinter came in and engaged Shredder in combat. Karai looked over to the conflict right now, and grinned with relief as she spotted her real father sitting down hard upon the Shredder's chest.

Saki was defeated. They had won.

However, before Karai could even celebrate in her mind, she noticed that something seemed off about Raphael. The red-masked turtle stood just behind Splinter his eyes in, again, that vacant stare.

Silently, he triggered the trigger for the gauntlets on his hands, letting the two long, lethal blades slide out to their full length. His green eyes focused on Splinter, as he raised up his hands to strike.

Knowing that her father was unaware of the death looming towards him, Karai quickly shifted into her snake form and dashed towards Splinter at lightning speed.

Though she was moving fast, time seemed to slow, and the seconds blurred as Raphael's hand came closer and closer to Splinter's back.

The next moment Karai remembered was filled with nothing but pain, as she collapsed on the ground, eyes fighting against the darkness. Her back burned as blood spilled around her sides.

Voices faded in and out of her head as she and her family escaped back into the sewers. She could feel Splinter holding her tightly in his arms.

"Miwa," Splinter sadly breathed.

Karai smiled as she looked up at her father, determined to breathe out her last words.

"To think…" she gasped " this is the end…just after…I found….my family."

She saw her father's eyes go down as her turtle brothers also dropped their gaze. Raphael stood far away from everyone, knowing that he was the cause of her pain.

"Dad…" continued Karai, feeling the last ember of her life fade away. " I love you."

"And I love you too my little Miwa," said Master Splinter, holding Karai's hand.

After that moment, Karai breathed her last, and she was dead.