Chapter Seven
The following morning, Kemeko arrived for breakfast feeling a little more positive.
After Pandora had left the room, Kemeko had held Cuddles close, and it did help having the teddy bear with her to protect her from the darkness and she had slept very well.
As she awakened earlier, she felt a sense of inspiration and thought, maybe she could try a little harder in the next test against the darkness with her father.
As Kemeko entered the kitchen, Pandora was helping Michelangelo dish out the food, and Monalisa was laying the table.
"Good morning Lotus!" Mona smiled looking across to the young Japanese girl "Did you sleep well?"
"I did thanks Aunt Mona!" Kemeko smiled "Cuddles was a big help!"
"I knew he would be!" Pandora said proudly as she placed some juice on the table.
"Well done Little Geisha." Michelangelo said as he placed a hand on Pandora's hair ruffling it, "You were a great big sister to Kemeko last night!"
Pandora just grinned.
Before long the other turtles and Splinter joined them.
"Mmmm something smells good!" Donatello commented.
"Agreed!" Raphael said "Mmmm, I can smell waffles there!"
"And with your choice of toppings!" Michelangelo called over "As well as some eggs, bacon, sausages, all the works for a big day ahead!"
"Thank you Mikey!" Leonardo said as he walked over and looked down at Kemeko.
"Morning Lotus!" he smiled "You're up early today! And you had a good sleep I see!"
"I did yes daddy!" Kemeko grinned "Pandora gave me Cuddles the Bear to protect me from the dark!"
"Did she?" Leonardo asked then looked at Pandora "Atta girl Little Geisha!" to which Pandora smiled proudly.
"So who wants Waffles?" asked Michelangelo.
"I do! I'll have syrup please." Donatello said.
"I'll have strawberries and yoghurt please." Mona requested.
"I want waffles too!" Pandora announced "Um…please Uncle Mikey!" she added quickly as Mona gave her a look reminding her to remember her manners.
"Coming right up guys!" Michelangelo said then started to place items on the table.
"I'd like Waffles too!" Kemeko called "Please! I want bananas on mine please!"
After everyone had got their orders for breakfast, Splinter sipped his Jasmine Tea then spoke up.
"Once breakfast is concluded." He said "We shall resume training, we'll start with the grown-ups, then Pandora, Kemeko, you'll get your turn!"
"Sweet!" Pandora cheered as she shoved the last piece of waffle in her mouth "I'm gonna kick some butt!" she added slightly muffled.
"Don't talk with your mouthful." Raphael scolded.
"Uncle Mikey does it!" Pandora retorted, again with her mouth full.
"That's because he's a bad influence!" Raphael replied.
"What?" Michelangelo asked, his mouth full.
Mona sighed.
"No bickering at the table!" she said before sipping some juice.
Leonardo and Donatello groaned and shook their heads but Splinter merely chuckled.
"And then of course it's schooling for the children, before you head on patrol." The old rat continued.
Pandora frowned a little at the mention of schooling, since she preferred ninja training, but she said nothing and continued to finish her breakfast.
The first half of the night passed quickly.
After the girls had finished their training and schooling and were in the playroom whilst the grown-ups were on Patrol.
Splinter was watching his soaps and said that he would prepare a snack for the girls once his first two programs were finished.
Pandora was reading a comic on the floor whilst Kemeko was sitting on one of the sofas holding a scarf in her hands.
She was thinking about the exercise Leonardo had done with her topside and had decided to give it a practice.
When they were topside, she had felt vulnerable, even though she knew her father was with her, they were in the open and surrounded by the noises of the wind and the traffic and there was also the fear of being pounced on by the Foot or the Purple Dragons.
But here she was safe inside the lair, and last night she had slept better with Cuddles protecting her, so she thought, if she tried the exercise with the blindfold here, maybe it might help her confidence?
Looking over at Pandora who was still reading her comic on the floor and not paying attention to Kemeko, the little Japanese girl picked up the blindfold and placed it over her eyes.
"Think positive thoughts." She whispered to herself "Think of nothing, just listen to the silence, see the darkness, feel the darkness."
She sat very still, she could hear Pandora humming as she was continuing to read her comic, but she tried to blot her out and concentrate on the darkness.
"There's nothing to fear." Kemeko said to herself "There is nothing to fear, the darkness can't hurt me."
Keeping herself focused on the inky blankness, she began to use her imagination, at first, she started to imagine monsters and evil, but she tried to push it aside, remembering where she was.
"Think positive thoughts." She whispered to herself, "Think positive thoughts."
She reminded herself where she was, safe in the lair, in her playroom with Pandora, along with her family where she was protected, where no-one could hurt her.
"The darkness cannot hurt me!" she thought "The darkness cannot hurt me, it's a friend! I want to be friends with the darkness! It will help me! It's my ally! Not my enemy!"
As she continued to imagine, she soon saw a candle in her vison, lighting her way, it's flicking flame banishing the evil away, leading her to safety.
Kemeko thought of her father, how he would protect her, she thought of her uncles, her aunt, her grandfather, as well as those in Mutopia who had sworn to keep her safe from harm.
Before long she found herself relaxing as she sat there staring at the blackness of her blindfold and she no longer felt afraid.
"There is nothing to fear." She whispered, "I'm not afraid of the dark, the dark is my friend, the dark is my ally."
Still staring at the blackness, she began to hum slightly, remembering a Japanese lullaby Leonardo would sing to her before she went to sleep.
"If I am to be a ninja," Kemeko thought as she continued to hum the lullaby "I will embrace the darkness, I will embrace it like a friend, hold it's hands, let it protect me, I have no need to fear it."
"Kemeko?"
Kemeko almost jumped out of her skin as she heard Pandora's voice and she quickly pulled the blindfold off to see her turtle/Lizard Hybrid staring at her in confusion.
"What are you doing?" Pandora asked.
"Huh?" Kemeko asked.
"Why are you sitting there humming and with a scarf over your eyes?" Pandora asked.
Kemeko looked at the scarf then back at Pandora.
"Daddy said the blindfold should help stop my fear of the dark." She said, "he said I should try and get used to the dark by covering my eyes and thinking good thoughts!"
Pandora raised an eyebrow as she looked at her human cousin.
"Really?" she asked.
Kemeko nodded.
"I tried it when topside with him." She said, "But I got scared, but I wanted to try again, this time, I may get it!"
"And did you?" Pandora asked "Are you still scared?"
"No!" Kemeko smiled "At least, not down here I'm not!"
Pandora smiled briefly then her face fell.
"Oh right." She said "Well, if you're not scared down here, that's okay, but topside?"
"I want to be brave topside!" Kemeko said "I want to say to daddy I want to try again, and this time get it right!"
Pandora grinned.
"You think you can do it?" she asked.
"I can only try!" Kemeko said "I really want to be a ninja, and fight the evils dad, Uncles, Aunt and Grandfather fight!"
"And me too!" Pandora grinned "I say go and speak to Uncle Leo! Tell him you want to do the exercise again! And I believe you can do it!"
Kemeko smiled at Pandora.
"You believe in me Pandora?" she asked.
"You bet I do!" Pandora said "You wanna be a ninja! Well go and kick that darkness's butt! Or at least, shake hands with it and work with it!"
"Okay!" smiled Kemeko "I'll do it!"
"That's the spirit!" Pandora grinned and winked.
"Girls?"
Kemeko and Pandora looked over to the doorway to see Splinter standing there.
"Hi Grandpa!" they said together.
"You both alright?" he asked, to which both girls nodded.
"You ready for your snack-time?" Splinter asked with a smile "I have some freshly made honey muffins and fruit juice?"
"Honey muffins!" Pandora squealed happily "My favourite! Thanks grandpa!"
Kemeko grinned and jumped off the sofa.
"Thank you, grandpa!" she smiled as she followed Pandora and the old rat lead the two girls to the kitchen.
So Kemeko has had another go at the exercise within the lair and has managed to do it, will she manage to do it when she tries again with Leonardo? Well keep checking in dear readers! :D