The Enemy

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Chapter Twenty One - It comes to this

Kirra:

I wanted to run, to hide away from everyone and everything but I knew, no place would ever be safe for father would find me, no matter where I went, and he'd make me pay for betraying him.

But how could I even think of being loyal to him, when he wasn't even loyal to me. Did two wrongs make a right, could I possibly shrug off all I owed my father for a few lies?

A few lies! Your whole life is a lie.

Father couldn't hurt me, he wouldn't hurt me. Besides he may have lied to me but as a leader he has his own plans and reasoning there has to be some reasonable explanation. I swore a sacred oath as a ninja, to serve him to the best of my abilities. I can't betray him for I would be breaking my vow.

' He thinks nothing of betraying you. The truth is he doesn't give a damn about you.'

" Shut up just leave me alone!" I yelled in fury.

' I can't Ramiela I am doing this for you.'

I looked at the papers scattered across my bedspread and I longed to grab those papers up rip them into confetti and burn it, so that, that way I wouldn't have to see it and maybe I could convince myself that it wasn't true.

' Like hell perhaps when pigs fly.'

I shuddered whimpering slightly as I burst into tears again.

I couldn't recall crying like this before and I didn't know why I was crying so much now. I couldn't seem to stop it or control it. Truly I was weak, and showing it but I was exhausted from lack of sleep and the constant barrage.

I had no one to talk to, no one I could turn to, there was no one who I could trust to offer me any advice or even an understanding ear for that matter. Father had taught me that friendships were meaningless to those who had to rule. For one could not afford to allow friendship to get in the way of important decisions, a friend could lead you astray or end up stabbing you in the back. I had been taught to rely on myself, go with gut instincts and use my mental skills to my advantage and that was far more important.

Now though I longed to have someone I could turn to, especially now that I felt I was falling apart.

I was supposed to be a kunoichi, but I felt far more like a frightened lost little girl. As a ninja I was supposed to be obedient to my clan and thinking such thoughts of betrayal was dangerous.

I had been raised to honour and respect my father. He reminded me on a daily basis how lucky I was, that he had decided to spare my life and in the end, when push came to shove the truth of the matter was, I owed him no matter what lies he had told me.

Then again he had lied to me. Lied about who I was and where I had come from, lied about my future and my past. Lied about everything knowing all the while how much I detested those who chose to deceive me.

These thoughts chased around my mind I first leaned one way then another, torn by conflict, and doubt I wasn't sure what my next step should be. As these things continued to tumble around the occasional memory would crop up.

The memories of my childhood only made me more acutely aware of all I had lost when my family hadn't found me. Nor were these recollections helping me get any sort of bearing in the situation at hand.

Why couldn't the memories and the voice for once just be silent, give me a moment of clear thinking to come up with some sort of idea of what I was going to do next.

There was so much I was unsure of at this point in time, but one thing I knew without a doubt, was that no matter what path I took I was going to die very soon.

I felt my own death looming up on me, the shadow of it hiding just around the corner waiting for the moment to reach out and claim my life and soul for itself.

If I helped my true family, the turtle clan I knew they and I might die in just trying to escape this place. If by some miracle we managed to get out alive, the turtle family would want me dead for the role I had played in the events. They would treat me like an enemy for that is what I was to them now.

On top of that I would have to be wary of the Foot clan and my father seeking retribution for my betrayal.

If I stayed, I might possible live if I could think clearly I could possibly find a way I was almost sure of that.

' Your kidding yourself right?'

" Get out of my head!" I raged at the inner voice.

' Watch talking to yourself girl it isn't very healthy.'

" Damn it! Leave me alone!"

' Sorry Ramiela I can't. Trust me you can handle this kid but you have got to pull yourself together if you are going out think Yukio at this game.' The voice urges sounding truly apologetic.

" I have nothing to fear of father." I insisted firmly.

'Ki ga kurutta ka. Motte iru shi o nozuomu ka' ( Crazy? Have a death wish?)

" Iie." I replied honestly. ( No)

' Then pull yourself together because by the time you do it might be too late to act. Just remember the memories can't hurt you they are only echoes of what once has been.'

Suddenly there was a loud demanding rapping at my door that caused me to jump slightly and started my heart to hammering under my plastron. I froze momentarily as I stared at the papers across my bed. I quickly gathered them up and shoved them under the mattress while calling out that I was coming.

I took a moment or two to take a couple of deep reassuring breaths before I went to answer the door.

I was surprised to see Kuma, himself standing there and I felt my legs turn to rubber under me, I was sure that I trembled ever so slightly as I wondered what he wanted, what he was doing here at my door.

Had he come to warn me, no I doubted that after all father wouldn't appreciate that and Kuma would know it as well as I did.

I did my best to stare hard into his face, as I did so I noticed a few similarities he bore with father, the hard square jaw, the sharp dark penetrating eyes were so familiar I wondered why I hadn't noticed it before.

Kuma had also been the one to cut down the woman and child in the living room and he had wanted to kill Karena and the children too I recalled. I realized that father might have sent Kuma as back up on that mission to ensure his orders were followed.

" Kirra Master Sekora wishes to speak with you in his office immediately" he ordered in the same cold demanding tone father used, not even using any deference before me.

I gave him a scathing look " Very well, I thank you for the message but I thought the Elite were above running messages for the Master." I remarked tightly.

He gave a slight smile and bowed towards me as I slipped out of my bedroom and headed towards father's office while doing my best to stay alert to Kuma who was still behind me.

I could feel his eyes drilling into my back, I could almost sense the sneer, the contempt he held under the deference he gave. He was not to be trifled with and I did my best to act as I should, in other words to act as if he was beneath me.

When I passed the stair well he headed on down to the lower levels but I kept part of my senses trained to him alert just in case he decided to come back and check my quarters for anything.

I was getting paranoid, seeing danger where there probably was none to worry about, but I couldn't seem to help or stop that either.

I was sure that father had found me out and that he now knew I had betrayed him somehow, that I had turned traitor and could no longer be trusted so he had called me to his office to deal with me.

If I didn't go to his office I'd be in trouble. I had to appear before him, this was not an option, but I really didn't want to face him knowing the danger that I could very well be in.

'Come on Ramiela you know he often sends for you. It might not be related to what you did, so take it easy and whatever you do, don't give anything away.' The voice urged.

True it might be nothing.

I still felt tremendously cold all over and full of nervous trepidation, my feet seemed to be moving through molasses the closer I got to his office and my stomach churned wildly. All I wanted to do at that moment, was bolt and run as far and as fast as I could the other direction.

My feet disobeyed me however, for they continued to carry me to the one place I really didn't want to be.

Never had going to father's office seem to take so long, or so much out of me either.

I entered his office doing my best to remain calm and feeling that I was probably failing that miserably, but I had to act like things were normal. Suddenly I got to thinking.

What exactly is normal anyways?

" You sent for me Master?" I asked softly fighting down the urge to spew as I bowed.

" I am sorry to have disturbed your rest Kirra but I have come to a decision."

I almost sighed with relief at his words; that meant he hadn't found any thing, at least not yet. He didn't know I had snuck in and gone through his personal things. I knew I was by no means safe, for he could still learn it, but the knowledge helped me relax.

" The lesson I gave to Leonardo has gone far better then I hoped. Therefore I have moved their sentence up to tomorrow morning."

I smiled but opted to stay silent because I didn't trust myself to speak, for I still felt a strange mixture of fierce loyalty and a deep burning rage towards him.

" I am going allow you Kirra the honour of killing Michaelangelo, so you can finally silence his speech." Father declared.

I am sure my body betrayed me in that instant, in some fashion, my eyes might have looked away, perhaps I may have gone slightly paler, something because I knew there was no way that my verbal and physical communication could match in that instant.

" You honour me Master, and I look forward to doing this most pleasurable duty." I responded solemnly.

" I knew you would be pleased Kirra." Father smiled. He looked my way and gave a sympathetic look " Now do try and rest Kirra you look far worse then you did this morning and I need you prepared for tomorrow."

I bowed before taking my leave.

I returned quickly to my bedroom and instantly verified that my papers were still where I had placed them.

I sat huddled on the bed, wondering what I was going to do now.

It seemed things were snowballing all out of proportion. It was a wildfire that blazed out of control devouring everything in its path and leaving only charred waste behind.

I had a choice to make and very little time to make a decision.

It seemed that come morning I would either be forced to dishonour and disgrace my clan, or kill the very turtle who I knew now was my real father.

This wasn't a choice I wanted to make, wasn't a choice I felt ready to make because right now I really didn't know which way I wanted to go. Nor did I wish to make a decision I would regret later, I didn't wish to feel pushed into this.

Yet something truly was pushing me to make a choice and soon.

TBC

Reinbeauchaser: yes she knows the truth and the time to make a choice is close at hand, though she wavers. Thanks for catching the chocked choke bit somehow I missed that one. A gratitude for your insight.

Lunar Ninja: Behead Yukio now? Sorry I need him for a while yet. Yes poor Rama has been seriously duped and now she has been placed between a rock and a hard place so her final choice ought to be coming soon. Hope you stay tuned for them. A gratitude for your insight.