One more time, just one more.
Leo lifted his katana, raised it above his head with shaking arms. He held it for a second, deep breath, then he slowly brought it down in a swoop that made something inside him crack. Just as he was hissing from the sudden pain, he heard a gentle knock on the doorframe, Raph leaning against it in the doorway.
"Watch yourself," he said, smirking, "or we're gonna have to put you back in the tub."
"I'm careful," Leo placed his sword aside, sliding it into its sheath, "just practicing, testing my limits."
"Yeah, I could tell," Raph moved to rest on his other leg, and that's when leo noticed that he was hiding something behind his back. He gave Raph a quizzical look, which just made the other shuffle more, "I-" he started, then paused, tried again; "I meant to give this to you earlier."
Leo watched as Raph brought his arm forth, holding out a ninjato with a red handle with a black, spiked edge and a delicately handcrafted sheath protecting it. A sheath that Leo himself had made. A sheath for the ninjato that had saved his life. A sheath for Karai's ninjato.
His chest ached, tightened until he could barely breathe – yet he reached out, took the weapon into his hands like he was picking up something that could shatter at any second. And that's how it felt, like the sword was just an illusion, a ghost from the past that had come to haunt him. His thumb stroked along the wooden sheath, and he remembered when he'd made it, alone in his room away from his brothers' questioning stares, carefully carving and smoothing it with sandpaper. He'd wanted to write something on it, something meaningful, but he couldn't think of one thing that would summarize Karai in just one word or sentence. And it still felt like he couldn't, because how do you really convey how amazing you think someone is in just that small amount of space?
His mind drifted to that night, how he'd fallen, flashes of Karai, of Shredder, of the falling cage, and then his body hit the ground, regaining composure just in time to see the splash of mutagen, Karai's hand pressing against the glass.
Raphael began to speak again; "We went to the lair, before we left... Don said to bring one thing with us and, you know, I thought maybe... maybe you'd want that."
There were a million things Raph could have gotten him. Family photos, something of Splinter's, anything from his Space Heroes collection. But he had his family here, his swords and mask had been granted to him by his father, and his collection could be replaced.
But Karai – Karai was not here, Karai could not be replaced, couldnever be replaced.
Leo remained silent for another moment, then he clutched the sword and raised his face, smiled, "Thanks, Raph."
