At this point in the Games, the only thing keeping Raphael going was rage.

Fury, anger, hatred–that was all he'd been able to feel since he'd watched his sister die before his very eyes.

She was too young. Why did she have to go and sacrifice herself for me? That scythe should've impaled me, not her!

His breathing grew heavy with anger. All he could see in his mind was Scarlet's bloodstained body lying dead in the snow, and Marcus' cruel expression as he stood over her. The red-clad turtle's fingers clenched into fists.

Marcus.

"If I ever lay my eyes on your sorry tail again," he whispered, voice trembling with fury, "I swear to Saki, I will DESTROY YOU!"

His voice echoed through the woods, loud and full of pure rage. The mutant turtle collapsed to his knees, burying his face in his hands. Hot tears burned at his eyes, and a sob racked his shoulders, making his entire body tremble.

"Scarlet..." he sobbed. "Scarlet..."

There was a rustling nearby, but Raphael took no notice of it. Only when he heard slow footsteps approaching did he look up. A little girl with dark skin and colorless eyes stood in front of him. A pair of antennae stuck up on her head, and her face was free of emotion. Raphael's heart ached–she looked even younger than Scarlet. She stared at him, black eyes glittering in the moonlight.

"What're you lookin' at?" the red-masked turtle snapped, getting to his feet in an instant.

"You," the girl–Kaya–replied simply. "What else would I be staring at?"

"Buzz off, you little pest. I don't feel like being sassed by a kid at the moment."

Kaya narrowed her eyes, taking a step toward him.

"What do you say I end your suffering?" she asked him.

"What in Saki's name are you talkin' about?"

"I know you lost your sister, Raphael," Kaya told him, as if it were obvious. "If I lost my sister, I'd be just as distraught as you are. I wouldn't be able to go on–and I know you can't go on right now. Not without her."

"What are you saying?" Raphael demanded, taking a step back.

"I'm saying I can end your pain. If you let me, I can make it so you can leave this Arena, and all the cruel people in it. You can be with your sister again, and this time, nothing will ever separate you again."

"Are you seriously asking permission to kill me?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Raphael's eyes widened, his heart seeming to stop beating. A gasp of shock escaped his lips. A huge part of him actually wanted to accept her offer–he didn't want to spend another minute inside that Arena. The Games were an unpredictable, terrible place to be in. It was full of ruthless, evil people who would stop at nothing to become victorious–including kill innocent little children, like Scarlet.

"So?" Kaya asked expectantly. "What'll it be, Raphael?"

He wanted his suffering to end. He really, truly did.

But at the same time...

"No!" he spat. "No, you can't kill me! Scarlet would want me to go on, not give up! I'm gonna win these Games, and I'm gonna win them for her!"

He stopped talking, catching his breath. Kaya shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay," she said coolly. "I understand. Too bad I'm gonna kill you anyway."

Before Raphael could speak, she began to transform before his very eyes. On each side of her body, another arm sprouted, each more insect-like than her previous pair. She smiled, revealing sharp, fanglike teeth that certainly were not there before. Raph backed up, his eyes widening impossibly further–Kaya no longer looked so small innocent.

The bug mutant began to advance on him, eyes glittering coldly. Raphael barely had time to draw his sais before she'd lunged at him, all four of her arms outstretched to grab him. He dodged, slashing a sai across one of her legs. His attack was not effective–Kaya landed perfectly, turning on him in an instant.

"You've got guts. Impressive," she told him. "But the odds aren't in your favor this time, buddy. My fangs are loaded with venom, y'know–one bite and you're dead."

She leaped at him again. Raphael attempted to duck underneath her, but he wasn't quick enough–Kaya's long arms grabbed him, thrusting him forward. Raphael shrieked as he was hurled across the ground, skidding through the snow until he slammed into a nearby tree and stopped. In a flash, Kaya was upon him. The mutant turtle struggled, fighting and crying out with rage, but the bug girl's four arms held him down firmly.

"I hate to do this to you, Raph," she said. "Shame you didn't accept my offer–you would've died a much more painless death. But hey, this is the Hunger Games, am I right?"

With that, she bared her fangs and plunged her head down toward Raphael's throat.

Quick as a snake, Raph yanked an arm free of his attacker's grasp. Gripping his sai, he threw his hand forward a moment before Kaya's fangs bore down on him. The sai impaled Kayenne straight through the chest just as her sharp fangs pierced Raphael's throat.

They both went limp at the exact same moment.