[A/N: Playlist goes as follows; "Only the good die young" by Billy Joel, "Bleeding love" by Leona Lewis, "Hey soul sister" by Train and "Iris" by Goo goo dolls. It's a dance, there is music! X3]

The Spring Dance

"I do not like this…"

"Eh? Why not?"

Karai eyed Coral, who was smiling with the most devious grin Karai had ever seen. The short girl was carrying at least ten paper bags, not unusual for Coral on a trip to the Hamato house, but these did not contain food, movies, or anything like she usually brought. Karai recognized some of the labels on the sides.

"What is that in the bags?"

The grin grew (if that was even possible) even larger.

"Dresses!"

A chill went down Karai's spine as she asked, though she could guess the answer.

"Why did you bring a bunch of dresses? You never wear anything but pants."

"They ain't for me, hon!"

"I was afraid you would say that…."

Despite her cold welcoming, Karai did not mind all too much. She was happy to be forgiven by her friend, and being Coral's dress-up doll for a few hours was something she could lower herself to. As strange as it might sound, Coral had an amazing fashion sense. All the items in the bags were black, more or less. She knew Karai would never wear anything too bright in public, so there was no use even trying.

"How did you afford all this?"

"You only get one! I'm returning the rest. Think of it as a late Christmas slash birthday gift! I didn't give you one this year, remember?"

"I did not get you anything, either…"

Coral smirked and tossed one of the long garments at her.

"I know. That's why I'm picking what you're gonna wear to the dance, and you're not allowed to object!"

When Karai spoke again, she didn't even bother trying to hide the hint of panic in her voice, knowing it would please her friend. The sooner she Coral pleased, the sooner she would let her go.

"Now, remember that I will be seen with you. Nothing too eye-catching, please."

Coral nodded. Karai smiled faintly and took a closer look at the dress in her hands. Almost immediately she bit her lip and handed it back to Coral.

"I can not wear this one…"

"At least try it on!"

"No. It will not look good."

"Karai!"

"No."

Coral sighed and changed tactics, knowing better than to just keep bickering.

"Why not? What's wrong with it? You've worn lower cuts than that before."

Karai looked at the open back of the dress. No, it would not look good on her. A year ago it would have been stunning, but not now.

"Things have changed."

"Karai… Are you worrying about your figure? 'Cause if ya are, I'm 'onna hit you."

"You spend too much time with your boy. You are starting to talk like him."

"Karai!"

She took a deep breath and looked her long-haired friend in the eyes. Silently cursing Coral's stubborn nature, Karai turned around, facing the mirror hanging on the door. The rest of the room was still bare, since it was so rarely used. Splinter had told her that she could change whatever she wanted in there, but she had yet to do more than unpack her clothes. She still felt like a stranger in the Hamato house.

"Promise me you will not overreact."

Coral grunted and crossed her arms.

"I'll do my best, but if you have to ask that, I'm guessing it's more than a few extra pou… Shit…!"

With her eyes closed, Karai sensed more than heard Coral's breath suddenly stop as she was faced with the scarred back of her friend. Coral stared in absolute shock at the white, crisscrossing lash-lines that threaded across Karai's muscular shoulders. After a few seconds, Coral's aura started flaring up with anger, growing for every gust of air drawn in by her panting lungs. Then, it exploded, and there was a loud bang as the boxer's hand hit the wall. Karai turned, feeling exposed with only a bra to cover her top half. Her friend supported herself against her knuckles, growling what might have been curses aimed for the other side.

"That damned… Bastard! He's so damn lucky he's DEAD!"

Karai had no doubt that the revenge Coral would have unleashed on her father could make a seasoned torturer arch an eyebrow or two in admiration, but Oroku Saki was gone, so the poor wall had to suffer a few more not-so-gentle-pats before the girl had calmed enough to breathe properly. Karai dropped her shirt on the bed and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. Seeing her so angry touched her a little bit, reminding her that she still had a caring and loyal friend in Coral.

"Bastard… Sick bastard… I hope he burns in the deepest pit of hell."

"I think he does. Now calm down."

As ordered, Coral took a deep breath and looked up at Karai again. She noticed another permanent mark on the pale skin.

"Sick bastard…"

Karai watched as Coral's tanned fingers gently brushed against the dark red brand on her white chest, covering the raised design that had been the symbol of her father's clan for centuries and then the symbol for "The Foot". Coral tanned in such a soft color, like caramel ice cream. Karai placed her own pale fingers over her friends', covering the mark of her father. Coral's lip was shivering, her eyes glossy with tears.

"Damn you, Karai… Suffering through all of this alone… I'm so mad at you."

Karai didn't reply, just gripped the hand tighter. both of them wished that the mark would be gone when they let go, but the world is cruel and there are no magic fixes. The three-toed foot symbol remained burned into Karai's skin. Coral composed herself and stepped back.

"Okay, no open backs! No worries!"

Smiling got easier and easier now that Karai was realizing that he was finally gone. It got easier and easier for every day she spent away from the towering dark building that had been her home.

"Thank you."

Coral rubbed her nose and looked up through her messy bangs.

"Does Leo know?"

Karai shook her head. The only one that knew was Splinter, since he was signing up as her guardian. She had no idea how to tell Leonardo exactly what she had been through.

"You should tell him. Soon!"

"Now where have I heard that before?"

Coral looked like her with a vacant expression. Karai smiled and sat down on the bed.

"Never mind. I will, but not this weekend. Even though he's not performing with the others, he is still nervous."

"Yeah! Such a worry-wart he is!"

Coral gently shoved Karai to her feet and started digging through the pile of dresses again.

"Let's make sure he at least has a nice girl on his arm. One less worry!"

"I have half a mind to send you home to change. Couldn't you have worn something that is NOT torn somewhere?"

"Sorry, bro! Gotta protect my image!"

"What image? That you're clumsy and don't know when to throw your clothes out?"

"Keep pushin', Leo, keep pushin'!"

Mikey and Don looked at each other and sighed heavily. Everything was back to normal.

The stage was all set and their classmates had begun filling the gym. All that was missing were the girls.

"I wonder how long it takes for a girl to get dressed...?"

"Then times that by four…"

"Coral gets it done in thirty seconds... Tha's all I know."

"You timed her?"

"No, but Mikey was singing on the way up the stairs so I timed it from how far he got!"

His brothers stared at him for a few seconds before Mike had to ask.

"Why was she getting dressed while I was walking up the stai...Oh!"

Leo sighed in his "We are going to talk about this later" way, Don in his "We honestly share the same DNA?" way, and Mike blushed like a tomato while Raph laughed until he almost fell off the small wall outside the gym that they were sitting on.

"They seem to have started the party without us. How rude of them!"

The four boys looked over at the group that had approached them. Raph placed his fingers between his lips and blew two short notes.

Sidney and Susie giggled as they all mingled together, Coral dropping down into Raph's knee. Leo smiled gently at Karai and looked her over.

"It's nice." He told her bashfully "I've never seen you in blue before."

Karai smiled at him, looking away from his eyes. Coral had picked a heart-cut black dress with blue, baby pearl embroideries on it. Mrs. Tetsu had lent Karai her sapphire earrings and a thin silver necklace to match. It didn't look too shabby in any way.

"Thank you."

"I never thought my date to the dance would be wearing pants…"

"Are you complaining, Raph?"

"Considering how good they make your ass look, no."

"Raph!"

"Bro, if she ain't offended, you shouldn't be either!"

There was laughing and teasing and it was not as bad as Karai had feared. Sure, she received her expected dosage of strange looks as they entered, but Leo's arm around hers kept her distracted from them. She did not care what they thought of her. The ones she cared about had forgiven her or were willing to do so when they had gotten over the hurt she had caused them. It was good enough. It was all she cared about.

But still, Karai was not a huge fan of social events, and she quickly selected a table where she could sit and watch the girls swing around on the dance floor. She had no intention of joining them. She wouldn't even be here if Leonardo had not asked her to come.

She still didn't know if it meant that he had forgiven her, but in all honesty it didn't make that big of a difference. He would tell her when he was ready. They had all the time in the world.

He sat with her for the first twenty minutes, but then Coral (the vulture) swooped down and said that just because Karai wasn't dancing didn't mean that Leo had to sit still all evening. Karai nodded in agreement, knowing that if Leo didn't dance with Coral, she would force Karai up onto the dance floor.

He smiled softly at her and touched her shoulder before he let himself be dragged off. Karai could not help but smile when she saw the other two girls flock around him, seemingly trying to figure out if he could dance with all three of them at the same time.

Raph smiled as the song came to an end. He was still a bit nervous. He had always thought that it would be the fearless leader who would be doing the vocals for this, or at least Donnie. But no, they said Raph should do it! No use trying to pile it on Mike; he couldn't hold a tune to save his life. So there he was, but at least he had figured out a way to get back at his brothers. He looked over at Mikey behind the drum set and winked. Mikey grinned and nodded back.

"What song now, Raph?"

He held up a hand at Donnie.

"Just follow my lead."

He had no idea why Donnie looked so worried when he turned back to the mike and cleared his throat.

"Yeah! Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanna say a few things before we get right back to the jammin' and all that!"

He didn't bother to wait until the mumbles died down.

"This year has been a tough one on me and my family, and I haven't dealt with it as well as I should have. So first thing is that I want to apologize to everyone in this school for being such a bastard this year. Sorry!"

It amused him to no end to see all the people in the room stare at him like he was a UFO, including his brothers. Maybe he should apologize more often.

"Second is that I want to congratulate my brothers for finally hookin' up wit' some nice girls! Some REALLY nice girls! Give them a cheer for that, will ya?"

The still slightly stunned audience happily obliged to his wish and in a second the gym was filled with clapping hands and loud voices. Don glared at him and mimed "I'm going to get you for this!" To which Raph only replied with a smirk and a low "I ain't done yet, bro!"

Finding way to much joy in seeing Donnie's panicked face, he turned back to the mike.

"So, these next copula' songs are for the lovely ladies that actually put up with my insane brothers! And since Don can't seem to wait, this first one is for you, Sid!"

Funny how they had the same panicky look in their eyes. He hoped they could pull this song off without having practiced it for a year, but they had managed it well back then so let's pray it's like riding a bicycle. Knowing fully well things don't work like that, Raphael waited for the piano-intro he had told the sound-guy to play run its length, then Mikey hit the drums.

By now, Don knew exactly what song it was, and he was going to kill his brother for this.

"Come out Virginia

Don't let me wait!

You Catholic girls start much too late!

Oh, but sooner or later, it comes down to faith

I might as well be the one…

Well they showed you a statue

Told you to pray!

Built you a temple and locked you away!

Ah, but they never told you the price that you pay!

The things that you might have done…

Darlin' ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG!"

Sidney had snuck away from the crowd and sat herself beside Karai, one hand covering her eyes and the other with a firm grip around her waist. Even though she was so red that it clashed horribly with her dark purple dress, she was still smiling, and after a while she looked up again.

"You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd

We ain't too pretty we ain't too proud!

We might be laughing a bit too loud

But that never hurt no one…"

It was kind of fun to watch him, since he was obviously doing his best to imitate the original singer, being all 80-ish and making funny faces in the mike. Even Don had stopped looking vengeful and was smiling just as much as his brothers.

"So COME ON Virginia

Show me a sign!

Send up a signal I'll throw you a line

That stained white curtain yer hidin' behind

Never lets in the sun…

Darlin' ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG!"

Don remembered the month they had practiced like morons to master this song. It had been so much fun. It was filled with opportunities to freak out and fool around and make cool poses. It had stuck with him, and he remembered every tune.

"You got a nice white dress and a party on you're confirmation!

Yo-ou got a brand new soul…

And a cross of gold…

But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough INFORMATION!

Yo-ou didn't count on me…

(gotta find this part…)

Oh oh oh…!"

The dancing teens on the floor where twirling around like crazy hens, skirts and feet and hair ornaments everywhere.

"They say there's a heaven

For those who will wait

Some say it's better but I say it ain't!

I'd rather laugh with the sinners and CRY with the saints!"

This is where Raph managed to find the girl he was singing to, and looked her teasingly in the eyes.

"The sinners are much more fun…

You know that ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG!"

In place of what would have been a trumpet-solo, there was now Mikey, going completely mad on his drum set, making the crowd wild to the point where they screamed so loud it almost overpowered the music, but Raphy had big lungs.

"Your mother told you all that I could give you was a REPUTATION!

Ah, she never cared for me

Did she ever say a prayer for me?

Oh oh oh Come out come out come out Virginia don't let me wait!

You Catholic girls start much too late

Sooner or later it comes down to faith!

I might as well be the one…

You know that ONLY THE GOOD DIE YOUNG!"

Karai smiled leaned over to whisper to the still slightly red girl.

"I suppose that is his way of showing he appreciates us…"

"Yeah… Just wish he didn't have to do it so loudly…"

"I heard that Donatello did something similar, though..!"

Sidney looked over, and for a second she almost didn't recognize the girl next to her. Somehow she had changed. She wasn't the same as she had been the year before. She wasn't the same as she had been a week ago, either. She had grown in some way. Maybe it was because she had finally been given the space, without fear that someone would strike her down. Sidney smiled back.

"I'd put out that smile if I were you. He's bound to have one for you too…!"

Then Raphael's loud voice made it through the noise of the crowd.

"Now, Sid is a very special girl, and I'm going to be so bold as to ask you to get yer nice toosh up he… Aotch, don't hit me Don! Ehem… Sidney, get up here! Come on… Or I'll get these people chanting yer name!"

Sidney didn't even argue after that threat, but made her way straight threw the maze of people.

"Ah, there we go! Don't worry, hon, you know this one! I'll even get ya started!"

The lights dimmed down as the boys on stage slowly let out the fist tunes to what appeared to be slow dance. Karai watched as Sidney climbed the steps next to the stage and walked out to the mike Raph offered her. It had been a long time since Karai had heard her sing.

"Trying hard not to hear
But they talk so loud
Their piercing sounds fill my ears
Try to fill me with doubt
Yet I know that the goal
Is to keep me from fa-alling!"

At this moment Coral popped up beside her and pulled her short-haired friend up. Smiling, she kept tugging her arms, but Karai didn't feel like dancing. She could do it, quite well, too, but she never liked it. It was just another thing her father had taught her to do so she would be perfect for him. Coral made a grumpy face but decided to let it slide for a hug.

"But nothing's greater
Than the rush that comes with your embrace
And in this world of loneliness
I se-e your face
Yet everyone around me
Thinks that I'm going cra-azy!

Maybe, maybe…"

Karai took that moment that Coral's arms seemed dead set on braking her ribs to take in the scents she had missed during the past months. The smell of Chinese cuisine and motor oil and that dull, slightly sweet aroma that was Coral's own. Finally, she was released, and, with a joking punch on Karai's arm, the short girl turned and made her way through the crowd to find some other potential dance-partner.

"But I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open…"

Karai didn't sit back down, but stood and watched the stage, letting her mind wander and her soul be calmed by the gentle atmosphere. She still sensed him, though, coming closer.

"And it's draining all of me
Oh they find it hard to believe
I'll be wearing these scars
For everyone to se-e…!"

However, it still surprised her when, instead of just tapping her shoulder, Leonardo wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling back close to his chest, and whispering the very same words in her ear that Sidney was singing.

"I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing…"

His lips brushed against the lobe of her ear, making her knees tremble slightly, but then he turned her around and looked her in the eye. She didn't have to think about it; she smiled back. She didn't even protest when she was slowly eased out amongst the other dancing teenagers. As if she would protest against being able to be so close to him, to rest her cheek against his shoulder and feel his breath on her neck.

"You cut me open and I
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love…"

No cheers after this song, but that was more because people seemed more dazed and amazed than disapproving. Leonardo didn't let her go, and Karai did not move away.

"Yeah, forgot ta' mention who that one was for, but I see my bro got the idea anyway! Way to go, pretty boy!"

Karai snickered as she more felt than heard Leo's low growl. They still didn't let go though, just stayed like before.

"Ok! Mikey wanted to play this one, so this one's for you, Sue!"

Leo kept moving her over the floorboards, not really caring about the fact that this song had a bit of a faster pace. Karai, on the other hand, kept her eyes closed and just let herself be taken far away where scars faded away and all sins where forgiven.

"Hey soul sister!

Hey that mister mister

On the radio, stereo

The way you move ain't fair you know!

Hey soul sister…

I don't wanna miss a single thing you do-o

Tonight!"

The chanting and the clapping kept going even after the last tunes were played, but Raphael pressed down the slight panic for what he was about to do, and made his voice heard.

"Okay! Those were for the amazing women putting up with my looser brothers! Can't thank ya enough for that…!"

He gripped the mike tightly and flipped a coin in his mind. Heads, it works, tails, she gets pissed. Pray for luck.

"But this one, this one is for my own girl! For my red gem, my little fighter! For the girl that, the second she gets out of collage, I'm marrying, damnit!"

Karai looked up, shocked. She wasn't the only one either. Most the students were listening and cheering. She looked around. She wanted to see her friend's face after hearing something like that.

"And I'd give up forever to touch you

Cause I know that you feel me somehow…

You're the closest to heaven

That I'll ever be

And I don't want to go home right now…"

Leo suddenly turned her face back towards him and kissed her forehead. He smiled at her and held her a bit closer, not willing to let her run off just yet. It was hard to say no to his big pleading eyes. Too hard. Coral was a big girl. Karai put her cheek back on his shoulder again.

"And I don't want the world to see me!

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's meant to be broken

I just want you to know who I am…!"

She found her friend later, when she stepped outside for some fresh air. Raph had finally caved and called Leo up on stage to take over. Karai had watched them for a while, but oxygen was running out between the masses of bodies, so she made a bee-line for the door.

Coral was on the little wall that they had found the boys sitting on hours before. The sun had set and the decorative lighting made the place look like something out of a fairy-tale. Karai walked over and sat down beside her.

"You were just proposed to, congratulations."

Coral took a deep breath through her nose, making Karai think that she had been crying not too long ago.

"Thanks, Kara."

She knew how much Karai hated it when she shortened down her name like that, but she allowed it just this once.

"I really didn't see it commin', ya know! I didn't even dream he was thinking about stuff like that!"

Karai smiled as she saw the huge grin that spread itself over Coral's flushed face. It seemed like everyone was happy tonight.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Coral shook her head and looked teasingly at her best friend.

"If I start I won't stop 'till sunrise, and I doubt you'll put up with me for that long!"

"Point, then I have something else I want to tell you."

"Hm? You proposing too? Sorry, I can only marry so many people!"

Karai shot her a glare, but the only response was a giggle. Karai sighed and kicked off her shoes. Those things hurt like crazy after a few hours, but she couldn't have worn boots in this dress.

"I wanted to thank you for being my friend."

"We've been through this…!"

"I am not speaking of your irrational forgiveness. I mean that I thank you for bothering in the first place. Your friendship is something I treasure, something I missed dearly when I thought it lost and, I believe that without it, I would have been a very different person."

"Different how?"

Typical Coral not to get embarrassed until she had a chance to think it over.

"I would probably have been a lot colder and a lot more lonely."

Coral hissed a bit and threw her hair over her shoulder.

"You should save speeches like that for Leo. They don't work on me!"

Karai noted the blush on her friend's cheeks and let it go. She had said what she should have said years ago. That was all that mattered.

No, there was one more thing.

"Coral?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you hate your first name so much?"

Coral scratched her nose and grinned.

"That's a long and boring story…"

"I am not in the hurry to get back to the dance floor…"

Karai waved at her sore feet.

"And it is nice and cool out here. I have time for your silly stories."

"That's a first…!"

Despite her words, Coral still smiled and turned so she was facing her friend and started telling.

"Ya see, it was way back in kindergarten…!"

In that moment, Karai didn't think she could have been more content even if she had found herself in Nirvana.

The End.

[A/N: No, you never get to know! I'm evil that way! XD
It feels a bit sureal to type in the ending notes on this, cause it's the first writen work that I have ever completed! I want to thank Chao-pal for being pure amazing and betaing this ENTIRE story! (it's exactly 200 pages btw…) I love you forever! I also want to thank all the pepole who read this far, and especialy those who commented and pushed me along! Having fans is awesome, yes! XP

I'm thinking about doing a "Directors Cut" type of thing, and make a drabble colection of all the little scenes that just didn't fit in the main story, so if you have requests, things you want to know how they went down in detail, voice em here! In the name of shameless adverticing I now ask you to go to my DA, same username, and have a look at the art for this story I'm gonna put up as soon as I finish it! I take requets for those too BTW! ;P

Thanx for sticking by me and see ya next time! #T]