Heya Readers, hope you're doing well this fine Sunday, I'm doing okay, since I got my house back in March I've been decorating and it's pretty much done now! So now my house is completed, I can focus on other things again, like my writing! And maybe getting back to somewhat normal after Covid-19 since the vaccinations have begun. I've had my two, hope you're getting yours!
Note: References to my earlier fics 'Hide and Seek' and 'Fairytale of New York' are mentioned here.
Chapter Six
Later on, Kemeko settled into bed and Leonardo pulled the duvet over her.
After they had lunch, Kemeko and Pandora had had schooling with Donatello, then of course the grown-ups had patrol which turned out to be a quiet night.
Pandora had been disappointed to learn the grown-ups had no stories of what happened topside, yet Splinter had been relieved that it had been quiet, but everyone knew silence didn't always mean no trouble.
"All settled in sweetheart?" Leonardo smiled as he handed Kemeko a geisha ragdoll which she cuddled close.
"Sure, am daddy." She said yet she looked nervous.
"You worried about another scary night Lotus?" Leonardo asked looking at his daughter's face.
"A little." Kemeko said looking around.
"Don't worry." Leonardo smiled "You got your night-light," So saying he pointed across to a small warm light in the corner keeping the room in semi darkness but Kemeko could still see around her, "and you know you can come and find me if you need me to protect you."
"I know." Kemeko said then sighed.
Leonardo's smile faded.
"Are you still thinking about earlier?" he asked.
"Yeah." Kemeko replied "I wish I could have aced the test you gave me, I wanted to show I was strong! Like you!"
"Lotus…" Leonardo breathed.
"I really want to get over this fear of the dark!" Kemeko said "I want to embrace the dark, not fear it, I want to be a ninja!"
"And you will sweetheart!" Leonardo said fervently "You will conquer this! I conquered my fear of heights! Michelangelo conquered his fear of the dark, and so can you!"
He then kissed Kemeko's head.
"Don't think about it anymore now okay?" Leonardo said softly yet sternly "It's time for you to get some sleep, and tomorrow, we'll work on your progress more alright?"
"I'll try daddy." Kemeko said as she snuggled down in her bed.
"That's my little blossom." Leonardo said nuzzling Kemeko before reaching for the lamp and switching it off.
"Sweet dreams." He said giving Kemeko another kiss then backing out of the room before closing the door and waving to Kemeko before he disappeared into the main lair.
Kemeko watched him go and then rested back in bed and stared at the ceiling. The night-light made the room see less scary and watching the soft shadows dance on the ceiling was rather therapeutic.
Watching the moving shadows, Kemeko felt her eyelids beginning to droop, and she was just on the verge of nodding off when a creaking sound was heard making her stomach lurch and she looked up to see the door creaking open and a small green hand appeared.
Kemeko squeaked in fear and almost yelled in fear until she saw who it was!
"Shh! Kemeko! It's me!"
"Pandora?"
"Yeah, who did you think?"
Kemeko saw Pandora, who was dressed in red and pink stripped pyjamas enter her room holding the teddy Bear Cuddles.
"Why you in here? You trying to scare me to death?" Kemeko demanded.
"Why would I do that?" Pandora asked raising an eyebrow ridge.
"Well, You're often copying Uncle Mike's pranks sometimes!" Kemeko snapped.
"Well not this time!" Pandora retorted "And I don't use people's fears against them in my pranks!"
Kemeko's eyes widened.
"Fears?" she asked, "How did you know about my fears?"
"Doesn't take a genius!" Pandora said hopping onto the bed and sitting opposite Kemeko "I saw your discomfort when Granddad Splinter spoke about doing some darkness training!"
Kemeko sighed.
"I guess I'm no good at hiding my feelings?"
"Nope nope!" Pandora said, "Well not yet anyway!"
"Anyway, why are you here?" Kemeko asked remembering why Pandora had come into her room in the first place "it's after hours, we're both supposed to be asleep."
"I know." Pandora asked, "I only wanted to talk to you, and also see if you wanted Cuddles tonight?"
Kemeko stared at Pandora then looked at Cuddles.
"Really?" she asked.
"Sure!" said Pandora "Well, I know we share him anyway, but since you got issues with the dark, I thought you'd need him more than I do, since I'm not scared of the dark, and Uncle Mikey did say Cuddles helped protect him, so I thought maybe he could help you?"
"Aww thanks!" said Kemeko holding her hands out to Cuddles and Pandora placed the bear in the little girl's arms.
"Why are you scared of the dark anyways?" Pandora asked.
"I just feel uncomfortable in it." Kemeko replied "My imagination runs away."
Pandora chewed her lip.
"Imagination." She said, "I know the feeling!"
She then remembered a few years back an incident in the sewers before Kemeko came into the picture where she was lost in the dark and how she had been scared.
"You know Kemeko." She said, " I know what it's like to be scared and your imagination runs away with you sometimes."
"You do?" Kemeko asked, staring at her nine-year-old mutant cousin.
"yeah!" Pandora said, "When I was a tot, I accidently ran into the sewers chasing a sewer rat whilst playing Hide and Seek with Uncle Mikey, when I lost the rat, I realised I had lost my way in the dark sewers!"
Kemeko shivered in fear.
"The dark sewers?" she asked, her thoughts turned to the long dark, damp tunnels of the sewers, the dripping pipes, the smelly walls and the running waters, and the many sounds of insects, and sewer rats scuttling around.
Pandora nodded.
"I thought I would be lost forever, and I thought there were monsters and demons in there ready to pounce on me and eat me."
"Monsters?" Kemeko asked.
"Yeah." Said Pandora "But luckily Uncle Leo found me, and took me back to the lair, and I soon learned there are no monsters in the sewers."
"Unless you count the V5?" asked Kemeko, a slight shiver running up her spine as she thought of those dishonourable and evil reptiles created by Dr Arden.
"They have come into the sewer before." Pandora said "Mum and dad told me so, but those stupid morons could never find us down here! It's a huge place, and they wouldn't even know where to look!"
Kemeko chuckled.
"They are stupid!" she said.
Pandora nodded and a proud smirk crossed her face as she thought about that Christmas time when she had managed to outwit and humiliate the Venomous Five by using her surroundings, including getting them covered in paint, varnish and beat each other up.
She still had the photograph Michelangelo took that night of Nile Monitor, Gila Monster, Black Mamba and Cobra covered in a mess of substances trying to pull Komodo Dragon's head out of a Vent when she managed to get him to chase her into it and he ended up getting his head stuck inside!
"Anyway Kemeko." Said Pandora "You'll get over this fear! And you and I will be great ninjas! I wanna be a ninja and I can't have you cramping my style if you're scared of the dark!" she punched Kemeko's arm and Kemeko gave a playful frown before punching Pandora back.
"Watch it Pandora!" she retorted "I'll be such a great ninja you'll be chasing your tail and getting tangled in your rope dart trying to keep up with me!"
"What's going on here!?"
Both girls yelped and almost jumped out of their skins when they heard the voice of Mona who had come in to check on the girls to see if they were asleep and saw them engaged in conversation.
"Mum!?" cried Pandora
"Aunt Mona?!" squeaked Kemeko.
"What are you doing in here Pandora?" Mona asked with a deep frown and her arms folded, "You're supposed to be asleep!"
"Sorry mum." Pandora simpered as she climbed off Kemeko's bed "I was only giving Kemeko Cuddles because she's scared of the dark!"
"Yeah!" Kemeko backed her up "And she was telling me stories, so I felt less scared."
Mona's frown softened and she felt pleased with her daughter that she was being nice to Kemeko, not that she wasn't nice to her cousin, but she was being mature about it rather than teasing Kemeko about her fear of the dark.
"That's very nice of you Pandora." Mona replied "and I'm very proud of you for being a big girl, but you must get some sleep now okay? You can tell Kemeko more stories in the morning."
"Okay mum." Pandora agreed walking to the door and Mona watched her walk towards her own room before turning to Kemeko.
"Sleep tight Lotus Blossom!" she smiled "See you morning."
"Night Aunt Mona." Kemeko replied as Mona walked out of the room and closed the door leaving the little Japanese girl alone in her room holding Cuddles close to her, and feeling a little more inspired that she had been moments ago.
Awww! Sweet moments between Kemeko and Pandora there, and Pandora was being a mature older sister!
See you next chapter!