Turtles' Big Sister

Owari

Father's funeral was silent, no one having words to comfort Pepper and her siblings or ease their grief. After Pepper had healed the worst of the injuries the others had sustained from Shredder, they'd all taken Father to the farmhouse outside the city, burying him under the boughs of a tree. Those who had come to pay their respects slowly left, allowing Pepper and her family to mourn the loss of their father figure.

Eventually, Pepper left and headed into the forest, stopping in a clearing and kneeling down beside the stream. She closed her eyes, her ears twitching at the sounds of the birds singing and the leaves rustling in the wind.

"Pepper."

Pepper gasped at the familiar voice. Opening her eyes, she looked down at her reflection in the stream, seeing a reflection of her father alongside it. She got to her feet and turned around. Nothing. 

"Do not fear me, my daughter."

Pepper let out a breath, turning to face the sound of the voice and finding her father standing before her. "Father? Is that really you? Or...or am I just...hallucinating?"

"You are not hallucinating," Father responded. "I have attained a higher spiritual plane of existence. Passing into death, we merge with the whole of life. We become one in all of nature, in all of the universe. Even with you."

Pepper sighed, her ears lowering. "Everyone's having a rough time, Father. I don't... I don't know how to go on without you."

"You must, Pepper. You are the sensei now. Your siblings need you. Karai needs you." He turned to face her. "Shredder is still alive."

She clenched her fists. "I figured."

"You must end it, Pepper."

"But... But what if we're not strong enough, Father?" She lifted her gaze, only to find he was gone. "Father?" A wind blew past her and her gaze landed on the cherry blossom petals gliding along the wind. She cupped her hands, the petals landing gracefully in her palms.

She closed her eyes, feeling the wind blow past her face, ruffling her hair. It's time we finish this, finish Shredder. We'll avenge Father, and my mother, once and for all.

----------

After they drove back to New York, they snuck their way into the hospital to pay Karai a visit. She was resting in a hospital bed, hooked up to a few machines with a cast around her arm.

"Karai?" Lucian asked quietly. "Karai, are you awake?" Karai slowly opened her eyes, seeing her family crowding around the bed.

"Wow, you've seen better days, that's for sure," Raph commented. Samirah elbowed his arm. "Ow!"

"I could take you, Raph, even with a broken arm," Karai chuckled.

"How are you doing, Karai?" Donnie asked.

There was a pause. "...He's gone, isn't he?" None of them answered verbally, but their expressions were answer enough. "I had a dream...that Splinter's gone."

Raya's fingers clenched around the part of the bed she leaned against. "Yes, Karai, I'm...so sorry. We..."

"Karai, listen, um, Shredder is still alive," Nyx said. "Slash told us you know where his lair is."

Karai sighed, closing her eyes. "I...wanted to help bring him down."

"Giving us the location of his lair is helping us enough," Hunter said.

"We need to know, Karai, before Super Shredder comes after you," Mikey piped up. "Or April's dad. Or Casey's family."

Karai opened her eyes, looking at them. "It's 20 miles north of here." She turned her attention to the wolf. "And Raya...?" She carefully took her sister's hand. "Give Shredder a couple of hits from me."