TMNT Karai's Biggest Regrets

Different Path

A year later, I jolted awake with sweat running down my head. 'Something is not right?'

"Hey, Splinter!" One of the soldiers called. "Up and adam! Time to get to work!" I sighed as I was escorted out of my cell to the working grounds.

100s of mutant rats were either digging to god knows where or putting coal in the on going fire that powers a huge machine. I have no idea what it was for but I knew it was not good. I wince as I see the soldiers whip the workers and in that moment I hated myself for helping with this madness but what choice did I have? The RatKing is no longer human and I have no idea what he is capable of now. I do not want to risk putting my family in danger so...yes, I agreed to do everything the RatKing orders me to do so he will leave my family in peace.

I picked up the shovel and started throwing coal in the fire. I grunted. My body was still weak and I have not slept well since Miwa came into my mind. I started to feel as though I was going to pass out and the fire was not helping at all. Just when I took a minute to catch my breath a soldier whipped me.

I glared at him. "Come on, get to work!" He ordered.

Oh, I so badly wish I could scar his face with my claws! This is a nightmare, a terrible, horrible, nightmare that I wish I could wake up from. I miss my family, how I long to see their smiling faces again, and how I wish I could make things right with Miwa....I wish I could just...go home.

I shook my head. 'Do not give up hope just yet, Yoshi?' I told myself. 'You must remain strong, you'll find a way out of her and see them again! Just hold on, hold on.'

I have been telling myself this for a year now and I am not even close to finding a way out of this mess. My body is too weak to fight and the only exit is a big door that is guarded by 10 soldiers.

'I have to get back home, I have to!'

Karai's P.O.V.

As I was hiking up the mountains, I kept on thinking how the hell am I going to do this alone? Who knows who could have taken Splinter and who knows how powerful he/she might be? If Splinter couldn't escape from the this whole time, what made me think I could?

I shook my head. "Don't start giving up, Karai! You're a trained kunoichi! You can do this, you must do this! There is no turning back!"

I sigh. 'Please, don't let me make a stupid mistake again.' I slightly prayed

I stopped walking when I saw a huge boulder blocking my path. "Oh, come on! You have got to be kidding me!" I shouted.

Of course, what else is new! Something is always in my way!

I growled and kicked a pebble that was laying on the ground. "What now?!"

"Find a different path." A woman's voice said.

I looked around. "Who's there?!"

I turned and my eyes went wide. Standing before me was Tang Shen, my mother. She smiled at me. "Hello, my daughter."

"M-Mother? how-why-

Shen giggled. "How and why do not matter. I have come here to help you, my daughter."

"Help me, how?"

Shen walked up to me and put her hand on my forehead. "I have something to show you."She said and showed me a memory, her memory.

Teenage Yoshi and Shen were outside in the forest by a campfire. Shen was bandaging Yoshi's back as he grumbled angrily under his breath. "Yoshi, your grandfather is right. You can not keep doing this, you are going to end up greatly hurting yourself!"

Yoshi scoffed. "So, you're against me too?"

Shen rolled her eyes. "You know that's not true. I just don't want you to go over your limits."

Yoshi grunted. "But that's exactly what I want to do! I want to push my limits, to become stronger!"

Shen sighed. 'Yoshi, it is good to push yourself but not if you push yourself too far. Did your grandfather not say that ninjas must know their limits?"

"Who the hell cares what grandfather Yuuta says! He was the one who took me away from my home, I was doing just fine until he showed up out of nowhere!"

Shen put a hand on his shoulder. "Yoshi, back then you were living in the streets, without any food or water. I for one am glad he brought you here, I never would have met you if he had not."

"Well, I still would rather go back on the streets than live with him! Who is he to tell me which path I should follow?!" Yoshi yelled angrily.

Shen shaked her head. "I do not think he's telling you which path to follow, I think he's just trying to guide you to a right path because he loves you."

Yoshi turned to her and listened. "Yoshi, you are who you choose to be, not what others make you and you decide which path to follow, not where others lead you. If you think this path is the right one and I mean, truly believe it is right...then follow it but if it is not then you should find a different path."

Yoshi thought about what she said and nodded. That night Yoshi stayed up all night wondering. 'Do I think this is the right path?'

Shen took her hand off of Karai and she shook her head. "Wait, 'you are who you choose to be' those are the words Father told me."

Shen smiled. "Yes, those words I told to Yoshi when he started to feel lost."

"But why show me that?"

Shen frowned a little. "Because Miwa, that's the same exact reason he told you the words I told him because he knew you were lost and scared even from the very beginning when you two first met."

I looked down. Those words, I will cherish them always. They are the first set of wisdom my father tried to teach me. Even after I almost led Tiger-Claw to the lair, he immediately forgave me. He never once looked at me like I was a monster, he knew every bad thing I have done and yet still....I am no monster in his eyes.

"Miwa, like I told your father, if you're not sure that this path is the right one then find a different path." Shen said. "And by the way...Laila says she loves you and misses your sweet voice."

My eyes widened and got a little teary. Shen smiles and then disappears. I shook my head getting back on the task at hand and looked at the boulder.

"Find a different path." I whisper to myself as I look around.

I looked at the wall and that's when I remembered I had my grappling hook, I took it out of my bag, threw it, and started climbing the wall. "Nothing is going to stop me now!"

Little did I know that I was soon to be wrong.