Chapter Fifty-Three
Vengeance on Both Sides
The next morning, Leonardo accompanied Karai to Donatello's laboratory so she could see Chaplin. Karai held Kemeko in her arms as fresh tears fell from her eyes.
The previous night, Karai cried herself to sleep and Leonardo never left her, he just held her and stroked her hair until she succumbed to sleep.
There had been times she had woken up from nightmares and cried again, but Leonardo continued to hold her and comfort her, and before long he too fell asleep.
Because of such a disturbed night, Leonardo felt very tired, but he brushed it off as he focused on looking after Karai.
They soon made it to the laboratory where Donatello came out, just as exhausted having worked hard on Chaplin to prepare him for burial.
"How is he?" asked Leonardo.
"I've fixed him up as best I can..." said Donatello chewing his lip as he looked at the tearful Karai, "So he can be ready for burial...He's ready to be seen now ...just...not too long okay?"
Leonardo nodded and gently guided Karai into the room.
As they entered, they saw Chaplin laying on the table covered with a sheet and his red/brown hair was combed so as to cover the wounds on his head.
The laboratory was thankfully tidy and showed no evidence of Donatello's handy work nor the jars of organs, yet both Leonardo and Karai were curious to what was covered, though they decided not to even look.
Slowly Karai walked over to Chaplin, handing Kemeko to Leonardo as she did, her eyes filled with tears again as she reached over and gently touched Chaplin's ice cold forehead.
"Chaplin..." Karai sobbed softly "I...I can't tell you how much I've missed you..." she lowered her lips to his forehead and kissed it.
"I think about you all the time...You're always in my dreams...and I wish on every star in the sky that you could be here with me...and meet our precious little treasure..."
She looked up and towards Leonardo who stepped forward with Kemeko in his arms.
"Chaplin..." she whispered "Darling...meet your new daughter...Kemeko..."
Leonardo then stepped forward and lowered Kemeko slightly so she could see her father even if he was a corpse on Donatello's table.
Kemeko blinked and looked down at her father, her innocent eyes tried to take in what she saw laying there, yet with no idea that there lay her dead father, she gurgled and cooed.
"That's right sweetheart." Karai whispered more tears erupted from her eyes almost blinding her "That's your daddy."
Leonardo walked up behind Karai and gently stroked her back in an effort to comfort her as he too looked down at Chaplin.
"Don't worry Chaplin..." he thought "I'm taking good care of her, both Karai and your daughter." he sighed sadly as he looked at Chaplin's pale face.
"Kemeko's so beautiful." he thought "There are times I feel guilty that I'm the one holding her, changing her, bathing her, feeding her and putting her to sleep when really it should be you, you're her real daddy..."
He looked at Karai who continued to mourn over Chaplin and show her baby her dead daddy, his heart sank as he thought of what was going through Karai's head and he kept stroking her back to comfort her.
After a few minutes, Karai looked up, her eyes though filled with tears narrowed as she felt a strong sense of loathing, she could see the faces of Oroku Saki, Izo Arashi, Dr William Arden, the Venomous Five, all the Foot Ninja and her heart beat faster as anger, hate and malice filled her heart.
"Bastards..." she thought "They killed Chaplin...they destroyed our family, our future...robbed Kemeko of her daddy...they will pay..."
She stroked Chaplin's face and leaned close to him.
"I promise you baby..." she whispered "Shredder will pay...as will Arashi...Dr Arden...and their reptile freaks...they will all pay for what they did to you..." he then leaned down and kissed Chaplin's lips, her tears dripping on his face as she did so.
"I love you Chaplin..." she whispered "So much..."
Leonardo sighed heavily as he looked at Karai, he then saw Karai look up and he almost jumped back in fear as he saw the look in Karai's eyes.
The memories of the fierce ninja princess he fought years back, the woman who stabbed him in the shoulder causing some of his shell to break off, the woman who was once the new Shredder, he saw the back murderous look in her eyes, and he couldn't help but feel slightly worried, especially when he heard the malice in her voice.
"They...will...pay..."
In the living area, the other turtles and Mona sat on the sofas as they contemplated what they had witnessed.
"More than likely Dr Arden's gonna realise that Chaplin's gone." said Mona.
"And the Shredder will be on the warpath!" said Michaelangelo "He'll know for sure that it was us that took Chaplin's body."
Donatello gulped in fear.
"Then we better be aware." said Raphael taking out his sai "We'll meet them again and it'll be a fight to the end!"
"That it will!" a voice sounded behind them making them all jump.
The three turtles and Mona looked around to see Karai standing behind them, her face though still showing that she had been crying was now replaced with undeniable hatred.
"Karai..." said Mona standing up, she soon saw Leonardo walking behind Karai holding Kemeko who was napping peacefully in his arms.
"The time has come..." Karai snarled "The Shredder will pay for what he has done..."
The other turtles stood to attention, although Raphael started to show some excitement as he gripped his sai.
"I must face my father..." Karai said "The man who was my father...and make him pay..."
"But Karai..." said Donatello.
"I must!" Karai said "I can't keep running and hiding forever! He must be stopped! For the sake of my child! He must be stopped!"
Leonardo cradled Kemeko close as he looked at Karai, he could see there was no way anyone was changing her mind, she was willing to go out there and face the Shredder and his followers, despite the danger she was in.
"Karai." he said stepping forward "I know how you wish to go about this...but..."
"You won't stop me Leonardo..." Karai said "I must confront the Shredder!"
"I know." said Leonardo "And we won't stop you, we will join you!"
"Yeah!" said Raphael spinning his sai "I've been dying to give that monster and his followers a good thrashing!"
"I'm with you!" said Mona "As a mother myself, I wish to fight for the protection of the children!"
"I also!" said Michelangelo.
"And as shall I!" said Donatello.
"We're a family!" said Leonardo "We stick together! We fight together!"
Karai looked at the reptiles as they rallied around her all willing to follow her into battle and she smiled softly.
"Thank you..." she said "But I can't let you risk your lives for me..."
"We shall and we will, Karai!" sad Leonardo "It's our honour to do so!"
The other reptiles nodded.
"Then let's kick some Foot Ninja butt!" Raphael smirked.
"Yeah! And Venomous Five ass!" said Michaelangelo spinning his nun-chucks.
"But we're gonna need a plan first!" said Donatello.
"And some help!" said Mona "We'll get April and Casey to assist." she checked the clock "The sun will rise soon, once they're awake we'll get them down here."
"And I'll get Master Splinter in on the plan too." said Leonardo as he walked to Splinter's room, as he did, he began to wonder what was going on back at Foot Headquarters and if the Shredder and his followers realized what happened to Chaplins's body.
Meanwhile back at Foot Headquarters, the turtles and Mona were correct about the Shredder being furious that Chaplin's corpse had disappeared from Dr Arden's laboratory.
About half an hour after the turtles and Mona had fled the laboratory with Chaplin's corpse, Dr Arden had returned and realised that his experiment was gone.
"Those turtles!" Dr Arden snarled as he flexed his syringe fingers "They stole the experiment!"
"And how did those creatures get into your laboratory Dr Arden!?" Arashi asked furiously.
"Damned if I know!" Dr Arden snapped "They found some way to sneak into the building! Despite the heavy security"
Oroku Saki glowered as he watched Dr Arden and Arashi talk furiously over Chaplin's disappearance.
Arashi noticed his master looking at both him and Dr Arden but he continued to speak.
"The whole buildings always surrounded!" he said "Ninja at every door, there was no way they could have gotten in! Or out for that matter!"
"Your incompetence is most taxing!" Oroku Saki hissed, he sipped his saki and his eyes never left the two men as they looked up at him.
"Master..." Arashi grovelled "They will be found...I guarantee it!"
"You guarantee it?" Oroku Saki glared "You guarantee that the turtles and Karai will be found? Along with Chaplin's corpse?"
Arashi nodded.
"After the death of Chaplin by our hands." he said "More than likely Karai will come looking for us, and she will have the turtles, the lizard whore and that rat of theirs in tow..."
Dr Arden smirked as he thought about what Arashi was saying.
"You have a good point Arashi." he said, his burnt side of his face wrinkling horribly "Karai will want vengeance for her dead husband."
Shredder thought for a moment.
"If Karai wishes vengeance...then we will let her have her vengeance." Oroku Saki hissed as he looked at the Shredder armour "I believe the time it almost upon us, we will meet the turtles and their friends once again and they will see with their own eyes that have truly returned!"
Arashi felt a smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he felt pleased he had planted that thought into Shredder's head.
Dr Arden also smirked.
Oroku Saki then turned to Arashi and Dr Arden, a dangerous yet lust for blood in his eyes.
"Prepare the ninja!" he said "And make sure the Venomous Five are ready..." he snarled "When the sun sets, we will scour the streets for the turtles and their friends and we make them wish they ere never born."
"Yes Master." said Arashi and Dr Arden together.
"I have many serums to give them." said Dr Arden "Especially the healing serum, it will make them harder to kill!"
"Do what you must with our soldiers." said Oroku Saki as he looked at the armour almost lovingly "As long as they are prepared!"
The two men bowed to The Shredder and quickly left the throne room, as they did, Oroku Saki narrowed his eyes as thoughts of Karai, the turtles, Splinter and their friends circled in his mind.
"When we meet..." he snarled "None of you, will leave the battle alive!" he then lifted his hand to which a knuckle guard rested on it with long razor sharp spikes on it.
"You thought you were rid of me...but now I have returned...and I shall have my revenge!"
So...the time has come! Looks like a deadly battle will take place...stay tuned as both heroes and villains prepare for a showdown!
