Almost thought we made it home,
But we don't know this place at all,
That's enough now dry your tears
It's been a long eleven years
Fire, Fire - Flyleaf
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The impact of the next attack does not catch Karai off guard in the slightest, but her reflexes are not nearly as swift as per usual. She grunts as her tanto blocks Xevers' metal foot. The force almost sends her spiralling backwards, but she holds her own with determination. She will not lose this one, she refuses to embarrass herself yet again.
As the thought settles, Xever brings his leg back and shoves it forward just as fast. With a cry, Karai's arm shoots backwards and her tanto flies from her grasp.
“I win,” Xever boasts smugly, “again.”
“You got lucky,” Karai counters impartially as she retrieves her tanto from the floor.
“I seem to be getting lucky quite a lot, don't you think?”
Karai ignores him while she tucks her tanto behind her back. She does not need another reminder on how her fighting skills seem to be suffering, and she sure as hell does not want to explain why.
At first, it was out of pure anger, the hatred that stemmed from seeing Splinter that night – the night Shredder would have been killed – took over. She had complained about Shredder to Leonardo, about how this vendetta had been all he thought about. Yet seeing the rat up close... she knew, she was reminded of who tore her family apart. Rage had crippled her in the worst way.
Now it was doubt. Doubt that everything she knew, may be a lie.
As she sneaked away from the abandoned church to sit behind the billboard and wait until morning, just listening to the Hamato clan discuss the night... she wanted to catch them in the lie, she just had to reassure herself and then she could go home, rest and think of new ways to make the rat pay.
Maybe one day she will believe the truth, but that is her decision.
Someone is lying to her and she will find out.
“Karai-” Xever begins, attempting to break her out of her own thoughts when the phones shrill ring interrupts him.
Karai moves to the sound and answers briskly, “fa- Shredder?” She trips over her own words. Her brows furrow at the mistake, only for a different reason than usual. Karai has accidentally called Shredder, father, many times but it never really mattered. Now that he might not be her father, itdid matter.
“Karai,” he answers gruffly, “you and Xever must return to the church now. We have a guest.”
Her heart race picks up. Is it Splinter? Leonardo? One of the other turtles? Will she be forced to watch them perish without getting the truth first?
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she replies, “on our way.”
The receiving end cuts off just as she puts the phone down on the hook. Xever already gathered his sweat towel in one hand and was half way out the door, he holds it open with his foot for her.
_____________________________________________________________________________
“Come on, team!” Leonardo whispers to his brothers as they jump from rooftop, to rooftop. Their usual brisk pace is hindered as April and Casey tag along on this evening patrol. “We are still missing a few dozen canisters, and it's on us if the whole city mutates bef-”
