*Shredder's POV*
"Why can't I return to New York yet, father?" Karai's hologram asked me.
"Have you completed the assignment?" I bellowed back. She had to stay away as long as possible. Otherwise her sister could...
"Yes. Those robots are hard to crack, but I persuaded them into helping us... When and if needed, of course," she replied.
"Good job, daughter. You may return to New York, but on one condition," I responded.
"Yes, father?" She asked.
"Have some more recruits ready for battle. Hamato Yoshi will be in for the surprise of a lifetime."
"Yes, father." And she hung up.
"More recruits? We have at least two hundred already! Why do we need more Foot soldiers?" Bradford questioned.
"If, and I mean if, they squirm out of this one, they will be in for a real treat," I responded laughing. This child was hard to catch, but she had to be destroyed.
As did Hamato Yoshi. With both gone, I could finally rest knowing the secret was safe. And that my daughter would never know.
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*Leo's POV*
The silence was eating at my head. The only sound that we heard was the dainty steps of our feet hitting the roof as we ran. Before the quiet became to overwhelming, she broke the silence.
"Why Casey is following us?" Kitanna asked me.
I stopped in my tracks. I gulped. "What do you mean?" I asked as clueless as I could.
"You know what I mean, Leonardo. Casey is over on that building," she pointed to the building right behind us. "And he is following us at a distance. My question is, why?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, a little more uneasy.
Casey decided at that moment to poke his head out from behind the other building's vent. He quickly ducted back down, slipped and fell onto a loose piece of metal which slid from the top of that building into the one we were standing on.
Kitanna gave me her 'really?' look. "You were saying?"
I felt myself turn red. I had to do something. "Casey! Why are you-?!"
"Oh, stop this nonsense, Leonardo. I know why he is following us. I can't believe after everything that's happened, you still don't trust me!" She turned and jumped onto the building in front of us.
I swear I could see the steam coming off of her head through the disguise cloak she was wearing.
What was so big about trust? Why did she value it so much?
Casey stood and laughed nervously.
"Get back to the lair, Jones." I said and ran over to the building Kitanna was on.
She was grumbling something along with shaking her head. She was staring a into the distance.
I rubbed the back of my neck. What was I supposed to say? I was stupid? Why did I care what she thought of me?
Raph. Oh man, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I was worried that this would hurt him, not her. But... why? "Hey..." I began. I didn't know what to do.
She turned to face me. "Why?"
"Why... what?" I asked monotonously.
"Why am I so hard to be trusted? Is it because my personality? Do I make you feel uncomfortable? Is it my sister? Why do you not trust me?"
I knew what I had to say, but the words wouldn't form. I sighed. "I'll answer your question if you promise to answer mine," I explained.
She nodded, keeping her eyes on me the whole time.
"Why do you value trust so much?"
Her shoulders lowered. The steam dissipated. "Trust is one of the hardest things to gain, easiest things to break, and the hardest to be forgiven for if broken. Trust is all I run on. Not glory, not pride, not 'mutant energy'."
She sighed. "And I feel that if someone does not trust me, that I cannot trust them. I want to trust you, Leonardo, but I every time I try to appeal to your nature for the good of your brothers, your heart turns to ice and soul fills with hate. I'm not asking for you to like me, just to trust that I will be there when you fall."
I stood in awe. I was frozen in place. I really felt like a jerk now. I remember back to earlier when I began beating her, thinking she was attacking April. I remember the feeling I had. It wasn't protectiveness, it wasn't justice, it was dis-trust and hate. Hate.
"I..." I began. I needed to apologize. I wanted to, but... I couldn't. Why couldn't I?!
"Your turn. Why don't you trust me?" She stated, not waiting for anything out of me.
"I... I..." I took a deep breath. "I feel that you are like your... kidnapper or whatever. I feel weird that you are the sister of the girl I kind of like, and that my brother..." I shook my head. I can't ruin it for him, "Trusts you very much, probably with his life! I just feel..." I found the word. Finally. "Jealous."
Kitanna's whole body language softened. "Leonardo..."
I looked up into her eyes. I smiled the best I could. "Leo. It's Leo."
She smiled slightly as well. "Leo... There is no need to be jealous of me. What is there to me that is not in you? In fact, I must say that I have been wishing to be more like you ever since I met you!"
I looked at her in shock. "Wh-what?"
"I've always had a bad temper. Meditation calmed me down, and it still is, but I have a jar in me and I place all of my emotions in there until it's on the verge of bursting. I've been wanting to be level headed and calm in a stressful situation for so long, I can't remember the last time it didn't occur to me. Karai had the fun, sparatic side, and the calm, collected leader-worthy characteristic, and I have always envied her, just like I envy you!
"And about being like Shredder," she said taking him a deep breath. "I never trusted him as a father, anyway. He was always teaching me about honor, but the lessons... didn't sound right. Killing innocent people for something they couldn't help is just wrong."
I stood there, frozen, my mind flying thoughts around a million miles per hour.
Before I could collect myself, Kitanna continued. "I'll show you something that only April and Casey know, just to prove I am trustworthy. But... please try to keep it hidden from your Sensei... he might freak out." She slowly wiped her hair where her black hair showed again. Not only did her hair come back, but two triangles on top of her head.
Ears. Cat ears.
"Woah."
***End Seventeen***
