You walked behind the rat-man, careful not to step on the long tail that dragged behind him, which had proven itself a dangerous weapon in your training. He sat down in front of a small table and beckoned you to sit as well. You knelt down and placed your hands on your lap, trying to sit as straight as possible without falling over. You looked up, and on the table there was a cup of tea, steam billowing from it. You were slightly surprised at how it appeared so quickly, and opened your mouth to ask, but he cut you off, saying,

 "Y/n." You fell quiet, the look of shock clear on your face. Splinter exhaled and continued. 

"Do you know why I have called you here?"

 You didn't think before giving an answer.

 "So I wouldn't go after the guys? You know, I am a well- trained kunoichi and I think I deserve to at least-" 

"Y/n." Splinter said again, sharper this time. You gulped and fell quiet again, staring into your lap to avoid eye contact, in case he was going to yell at you.  

"I'm sorry.." You said quietly, almost a whisper. 

Splinter sighed and gave you a small smile. "I understand why you would think that. " You looked up, confused. Were you right? "But no," He went on. "That isn't why. I kept you here for a much more important reason." 

You looked up into the rat's brown eyes, as they softened into sadness. "I never actually knew you." Knew? Past tense.. "True." You replied with a smile. "Well, for starters, do you not like tea? I prepared it ahead of time and you haven't touched it. I have sugar.." You looked down, to see that the tea was no longer emitting steam. You touched the side of the cup. It was still warm enough to drink. You decided you'd rather not hurt Sensei's feelings, and took a sip. Normally you wouldn't like plain tea, but this was very different. Not too sweet, and not too rich, either. You took another drink, deeper this time. 

Splinter chuckled and asked, "I suppose you like it?" 

You blushed and put the cup down, embarassed. 

"Yes," You said.

 "Thats nice to know." Splinter said and went on. 

He asked you about your favorite things to do and when your birthday and zodiac were. Then he asked about your parents. You told him everything you knew. The room had gone into an awkward silence after you had been talking to him for an hour, and it became obvious that you two were thinking the same thing. 

Where were the turtles?   You thought, vaguely worried. They had been on plenty of missions and usually made it home sooner than this. 

"Sensei," You asked. "The..the shredder thingy isn't, like, murderous or anything, right? Like, the guys are gonna make it, right?" 

The question sat for a minute, before Splinter answered.

 "I am not sure." 

You felt a wave of dread fill your body. 

You stood up, automatically. "I- I have to go." You told him, and turned away. You walked towards the doorway leading to the lair, but Splinter beat you there. 

"Do you know the way?" He asked. You shook your head, embarassed again.

 "Then I will lead you there. " He said, giving you a small rod. "It's called a tanto." He said, "The knife's in here," He continued, and pulled out a small blade. "It's a foldable weapon, so it won't hurt you while you're running." You touched the blade, and a drop of blood formed on your finger. You gasped and wiped it off on your shirt, before refolding the knife and putting it in your pocket.

 "Let's go then, I guess." You said quietly, but Splinter was already ahead of you.