What kind of advice will Splinter give Leo. Read on to find out. Enjoy!
(Leo's POV)
"So sensei, what do you think?" I say hesitantly and let out a sigh.
I was waiting for it. I literally just told sensei the whole thing. Sensei was still silent but looked like he was still taking in everything I just told him.
"Well, you are in quite the conundrum to say the least, Leonardo. But, you are not the first to go through a situation such as this." He replies.
"Oh, you've seen my situation before back in Japan?" I ask, feeling a little better that I wasn't alone. "No… I'm sorry but I can safely say I've never seen your situation exactly. I only mean that you are not the first to find out an almost unbelievable and shocking truth." He elaborates.
"I'm just at my whits end right now, sensei. Ever since I found out about Kaito's existence, I can't get it out of my mind and I have no idea what to do." I say and run my hand through my hair out of stress, my hands still almost shaking from nerves.
It was quiet for several moments.
"I don't know where to start. Though I do admit that this is an extremely complex and also somehow fascinating situation. In my years of being a ninja for my clan back in Japan, I have never known a situation like this. Of course there was the inevitability of two opposing sides mixing intimately in certain cases, but never have I known for children to result from them. But, I do find something that I feel I must ask now that it is in the open." He says, hovering over a thought.
"What sensei?" I ask. "If you don't mind me asking, my son. When you and Karai became intimate with one another, did you use any precautionary measures?" He asks.
Usually I would avoid discussing sexual aspects with Splinter, but I don't care anymore. I was desperate for anything.
"Well, I guess, but she mostly took care of it and me being an absolute idiot... I believed her and I never used anything." I say, still thinking of how much of an idiot I was never considering that she left because she was pregnant.
Then I felt his hand on my shoulder causing me to look up before he said, "My son, we've all made poor choices when we were younger and you are also not the first to encounter an unexpected pregnancy, like your brother and Mona for instance. Or myself too when I was a young man. Never on this scale but I also made mistakes. But, it has happened and there is nothing that can be done but try and face it." He explained.
When I was a teenager, I would have hated this conversation and cringed at the very mention of contraception type stuff with Splinter. But now as a 32 year old man who is literally this close to losing his sanity, it was comforting a little to get some sort of explanation.
But, now I had something else on my mind and I just had to get it out because it has confused me for so long.
"I just still can't believe me she never told me. You can't tell me that choice never came to her? " I say, still angry. I was. That's been one of my main emotions since I encountered Kaito and had that confrontation with Karai.
"My son, Karai had many different choices for her situation, but they were her choices and she is a person with free will. There are probably reasons that influenced her decision. But, they all involved options. She could have came to you. She could have avoided the situation entirely by doing... something I'd rather not mension. But I have to admit that I am quite surprised that the Shredder has accepted the boy despite his daughter's circumstance with the conception of the boy or not even knowing the true father of the boy as well. It seems that I still do not even fully know my own enemy, even at my present age and spending my youth along side him and along with..." Splinter kept going on, but my attention stopped and put a new thought in my head that made me really think about the situation with the two of us and our son.
Sensei was right. Karai had so many options when it came to her pregnancy with Kaito.
She could have told me, like Mona decided to do with Raph and the rest of us when she was pregnant with Molly. She could have run away from both me and her father, she could have given him away to the care of some other random family back in Japan and never spoke of it again, or…the thought of this alone tears me apart on the inside just thinking about it.
But she also could have, as sensei said, gotten rid of him.
That one makes me infuriated and painfully upset at the same time, almost heartbreaking to think of for me. The fact that she could have gone that way from us having fully and mutually wanted intimacy with each other and just nipped it in the butt from the beginning and avoided it all together.
Yet she didn't and the question was… why?
"Leonardo?" I looked up to see Splinter looking at me in concern. I decided to save that topic for a later time... and place.
"Sensei, what do I do about Kaito... or Karai? Karai has steered me and lied to me in the worst way possible, yet I still love her and Kaito's my son and he has no idea I'm his father. What am I supposed to do about him? Should I tell him?" I say, still expressing my desperation for advice.
"Leonardo, I can say for a definite fact that you have probably one of the most complex situations out of any being that has ever lived. There is no denying that." He states. I snorted in frustration and indignation as I said, "Yeah, thanks, for pointing that out."
His hand was on my shoulder again as he said, "My son, I do not say these things to be harsh. I only say it because it is true and am only offering my personal opinion. But you also must realize that Kaito is in a similar situation and doesn't even know it. His mother has raised him in a cradle of unsung truths, to put it metaphorically, and she has probably given him an alternate explanation of his fraternal origins. Why she has though is something I do not quite know. You must keep that in mind about him. As for yourself and Karai, there is nothing I can say. You are no longer a boy, my son. You and Karai are both adults and what goes on between the two of you is entirely both of your concern and decision. Do you understand my son?" He asks.
"Hai sensei." I say and bow my head.
No matter how old I get or that I am a sensei myself now, Splinter is still my sensei… as well as my father. An adoptive father, but still a father to myself and my brothers.
Now I have decisions to be made and Splinter is right.
Karai and I are both adults and what goes on with us now is both of our choice and as frustrating as it still is, I'm still hopelessly in love with her and I won't be happy with any other woman as long as she walks the Earth. It's just so complicated.
As for Kaito, sensei is also right there too. I can't just waltz up to Kaito and just spit out the truth that I'm his father, it needs to be something where Kaito will accept that truth on his own.
The question is… what do I do now?
That night
(Molly's POV)
It was quiet… too quiet.
I haven't seen the face of my latest annoyance all night.
I eventually rested against a support beam for the billboard on the building that my patrol route ends at. I was taking deep breathes as I kept thinking. Thinking about… him.
Look, I've had guys flirt with me before at school and I hate it and it annoys me to no end. But, it is kind of no duh in the respect that they are all repulsive, immature, disgusting, and beyond annoying to me.
I would rather be beaten about the head with my math book repeatedly for an hour rather than spend 1 minute with any of them or 10 seconds with Nick alone.
But… I just had no idea what to do with Kaito. He went against the checklist for most guys our age.
He wasn't disgusting or repulsive entirely in personality or appearance wise. Actually… I never thought I'd say it but, he's the opposite. Actually, Kaito was clean and… fine he's… kinda… cute. There I admitted it! I think Kaito is kind of good-looking.
He also wasn't immature or at this point he's not annoying in the way I usually think of most guys I know. He actually had a fairly normal and mature thing about him when he spoke to me that one and only time so far.
He even admitted that he respected my skills in ninjutsu and I even have to admit that I have the same respect back with him. Kaito was a very skilled ninja… maybe even more than me.
I will never say that to his face ever or admit it to anyone out loud.
Then all of a sudden I felt my heart jump as I pulled out my kama when Kaito was right in front of my face.
He was hanging upside down from his feet that were hooked on the catwalk of the billboard about 5 feet above my head. His arms were crossed and his mask was still in place, but I knew he was grinning beneath it as he greeted entirely casually, "Kon'nichiwa."
I was just giving him a look, feeling that annoying feeling of frustration in the pit of my stomach again.
"Seriously, what is your problem?" I say as frustrated as I looked right at him, my heartbeat still coming down from being taken by surprise.
"What? You said that you preferred if I said hi before I talked to you." He says in the most pointedly, teasing, and 'smartalky' way possible. Then I remembered that remark I made to him last time about how people who want to talk to someone usually say hi instead of stalking them and he did say hi just now. It was 'hello' in Japanese, but still a hello.
Well played Kaito. I'll give him that.
I wasn't letting him off though with that. "You know, when I meant that people usually say hello. I meant normally like on the street. Not hanging like a bat from a billboard." I point out bluntly and point one of my kama at his face.
He quirked an eyebrow at me as he dismounted and landed on his feet in front of me. He put his hands up as he said, "Hey, just thought I'd give my greeting a little flair."
I rolled my eyes and tried to get past him only for him to keep blocking my path, almost like he was playing with me.
"Look, don't you have anything better to do?" I say irritated. He put his hands behind his back as he shrugged. "No, not at the moment." He responds and then takes off his facial armor before clipping it to that area on his belt.
"Okay, fine. What? What do you want from me exactly to make you go away?" I demand, getting more irritated and flustered with him by the second.
His lips quirked into a smile as he started to pace in a circle around me. I gripped my kama and didn't keep my gaze off him to make sure he wasn't going to pull anything on me.
He started talking, "Like last time, I just want to talk. You see Molly, I realized the last time we talked that I told you about myself and you barely told me anything about you… and I would like to know more about you."
"Why?" I question bluntly.
"I don't know actually. You just… fascinate me. I'm usually good at reading people most of the time… except you. I look at you and all I get is this brick wall. You're very... mysterious." He elaborates.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. He's obviously trying to flirt with me right now to get in my head.
"Fine Sherlock, if I tell you some stuff about me will you leave me in peace?" I ask. "Possibly." He says vaguely with a grin.
Well, that's better than nothing. "Okay, let's see... I'm 13, my birthday is March 16th, I was born in Brooklyn, I've been training in ninjutsu since I was 3, and I'm human… pretty much." I add vaguely, deciding to throw that in so he'd think I'm weird and leave me alone.
"What does that mean, you're pretty much human?" He asks, looking intrigued.
"It involves a long, complicated story on my dad's side. But genetically I am 100% human technically speaking." I explain. "Why? Was he an alien or test tube clone... or something?" Kaito replies, approaching me more.
I took a step back. "No, like I'd even tell you." I retort. He just smirked at me and kept taking steps toward me and I kept keeping the distance.
"Okay… well, I told you more about me. So, you can like… go." I say, getting flustered again.
"Why are you so eager to get rid of me?" He asks, still approaching me with that grin.
"Um, maybe because we really aren't really supposed to be talking to each other like this. Last time I checked your in the Foot Clan, your Shredder's grandson,... need I go on here." I explain.
"I know." He responds with a grin as he kept approaching me. Then I felt like my stomach was going to fall out of my butt when I felt my back hit the brick wall of the building next door that was pressed against the one I was already on.
I wish there was a gap between the buildings so I could fall into an alley and get away from… whatever this is! He was right in front of me with that grin still on his face. My mind was screaming at me.
C'mon! Smack him! Punch him! Shove him away and take control of yourself you moron!
But my body wasn't getting it. I had no idea what to do. I've never felt like this in a situation. I was unsure, confused, and entirely irritated and flustered and yet… I kind of… liked it a little. Or... I don't know?!
It was like I lost all control when he put a hand on the wall next to my head; still grinning at me. And just like that my hands went limp and my kama hit the rooftop.
Then I felt that blush return to my face when I felt something grab my hand, his free hand. His proximity kept increasing and I was almost sweating.
No… no… he wouldn't.
He was barely 4 inches from my face when all of a sudden he stopped, still grinning at my reaction, as he lifted my hand he was holding into view. He was holding it in a weird way though, not like how people would usually hold hands. My face erupted in an inferno when he pressed his lips to the knuckles on my hand that he was holding.
My heart was beating in my throat as he still maintained eye contact with me. His Amber eyes almost hypnotizing me. He pulled away from my hand and smiled at me, probably amused by my reaction.
"O wakare, Molly." He said as he released my hand, put his facial armor back in place, and bowed his head slightly to me before just taking off.
I just stood there as I watched him vanish into the distance. I didn't move. I was frozen. I was trying to get a hold of what just happened. He was gone and I only had one thing going through my head.
What?
I hope you liked the talk between Leo and Splinter. Also, just keep in mind that Molly and Kaito still have no idea whatsoever that they are actually cousins This is just the beginning and there will be so much more to follow these events. Thank you as always for reading and please tell your thoughts on this chapter. It would be most appreciated. Have a good rest of your day!
-Dexter1995
