Chapter 3: Karai Tells All (part 2)
Back in Karai's office; 2 hours later
Reopening his eyes, Leo discovered he was in a lotus position like he had been in his mind. I must have placed myself unaware of this position when Master Splinter drawled me into my mind.
As he got to his feet, his attention went to the floor where a dry trail of blood went from the desk to lead to an opened wall on the right nearby, facing the side of the desk. Each side of the opened wall had two colorful dragon statues each. The dragon statues had a green turtle shell on their backs, the dragon near the opened wall on the right was blue, and the dragon statue beside it was red. While on the left side of the opened wall was a purple dragon statue and an orange one. Moving closer to the dragon statues, Leo noticed that none of the dragon statues had wings, but they all have glowing golden eyes. And each of them has a weapon or weapons carved in the white stone that each of the dragon statues were on. The blue dragon statue that he was facing had twin katana carved into an X form in the stone under it. The same form with the red dragon statue, though its weapon was twin Sai. And the purple one had a bow stick and the orange one had nunchucks.
"How did I not see these?" Leo said to himself not knowing he spoke out loud.
"Because you probably were more focus on getting answers and killing me, instead of the remodel of my private office." Karai with a little scratch in her voice, jokily said as she re-entered the office through the opened wall. Which Leo went on guard.
I know what my father said...but I can't really trust her...can I? Although he was in his thoughts, it didn't stop his eyes from taking in Karai.
She had exchange her sexy party dress for a stunning black floral yakata (Japanese's robe) featuring vibrant red and white flower and green flower leaves on a black background with butterfly-style sleeves. And keeping the detail of the yakata, she had a matching belt and a pair of wooden Geta sandals; that gave her the height of 5'6. Still keeping the tradition going, she also was wearing white stretch tabi(socks) while having her back-length black hair in a half up-do formal hairstyle, the style allows her long hair to drape down past her shoulders, while her loose French twist was being kept in place by a traditional Hira Kanzashi; featuring a red circle, with hand-painted metallic gold and red and green floral accents. She was carrying a Japanese handmade simple bamboo tea tray, with a teapot and two traditional teacups set; the set was in a navy blue marbleized shiny glaze, featuring a green dragon on them, resting on the tray.
She walked past him, without speaking a word. And made her way across the room, placing the tea tray on a solid rosewood low long table; a table laced with hand-carved imperial dragon motif along the four sides of the apron, the curved legs ending on the turtle-paw feet gave a graceful, unique and also study look. Around the low long table were seven golden-looking seating cushions.
Though the low table wasn't as tall as a regular dinner table was. It was long as one and wide enough to hold all that was on it, while still having tablespace. For on the table were what look like to Leo was a traditional Japanese dinner/kitchen setting.
There was a white electric water heater, on one end of the table and a large beige 'Shabu Shabu/Hibachi Grill Base', decorated with Japanese calligraphy, on the other end, with a stainless steel 'Shabu-Shabu Pan' Japanese-style hot cooking pot atop of it, that had steam rising from the top lid. The tableware on the table was Japanese style- porcelain pieces of sushi/tea/dinner set in dappled robin's egg blue with branches of white cherry blossoms. Under the sushi and dinner set was bamboo made placemats.
All items place rightfully in their place on the table. With some two preparing bowls and 4 plates, resting on the table near the Shabu/Hibachi Grill Base.
One big preparing plate dish was filled with meats. One dish bowl was filled with seafood. Two big dish plates filled with cut Japanese vegetables and also two different seaweeds; kaiso and kombu. And one dish bowl with udon (thick, white wheat noodles) and one dish plate of blocks of tofu.
The aroma of the broth in the hot pot had Leo's stomach whimpering out of hunger, reminding him that he had missed both breakfast and lunch because he had been more on thinking of getting information from the Foot's head leader Karai all day instead of food. But now he couldn't ignore his stomach.
Now I feel like I'm Mikey.
"Well now that your 'back to yourself'." Leo frowned at Karai's 'smart' remark as she walked back over to him.
Which had him reaching for his katanas, only to realize that his swords, weren't strapped on his shell. Reminding him that Karai had knocked them out of his hands during they duel, and probably were still laying somewhere on the floor in the room.
However, once he started searching with his eyes around the office (that seem to have more light than before), and couldn't find any trace of his swords. He brought glaring eyes to Karai, who had now reached him.
"Where are my katanas?" He gripped his fist, waiting for Karai's answer.
"I have put them up for the moment-" Leo went to grab her. But the dry red on his hands and a white bandage wrapped around Karai's neck, that appeared when she leans back away from him in fear, stopped him in his tracks and had him thinking about what his father had said.
I have to be patient, and hear her out before deciding anything...and. He frowned as his attention went from his hands back to Karai's bandage neck. I need to control my temper around her... I still don't trust her... But I can't kill her... I don't think... I can without killing a part of myself... Coming to a choice, Leo took a deep breath then let it out, before calmly speaking.
"Can I ask why you took my swords?" Karai sensing that Leo was being his calm, but serious self, answered him just as calm as him.
"Well, I didn't really take them. It's just I didn't trust you not to take my life again, so I hid them from your sight." Karai continued speaking as she went back to the hot pot that was boiling a little. Which had her sitting seiza (formal way sitting; kneeling), placing a few of the chopped and sliced ingredients into the pot to cook. "When I came back from Angel's floor where she had treated my neck wounds before I could die-" Leo cringed as he was reminded once again of what he almost did. And though Karai didn't sound ill about the event. It didn't halt Leo from apologizing.
"Karai, I'm sorr-"
"Don't be." Brushing it off, Karai continued cooking, but stop for a second to place three small plates of appetizers; a Tsukemono plate that are a variety of Japanese pickles (Takuan-made of Japanese yellow colored sundried radishes and pickled in mixture of salt, rice bran and sugar. And Nukazuke- made of cucumbers, carrots, eggplant and turnip) and a bowl of Unadon Eel Donburi (grilled eel prepared in thick soya based sauce, served on top of cooked rice), on the table. "Please, come and sit, and enjoy for I could already hear your stomach earlier, during your meditate with Master Splinter." Leo was about to refuse, but his stomach making a louder sound then Mikey ever did, had Karai giving out a cheerful laugh. "Please, my friend-"
"Let's get one thing straight." Leo started, as he across the room to stand and face the table Karai was still kneeling behind. "I might be sorry for what I almost did to you. But," He was once again narrowing at her, while his body showed that he was on guard. "me and you," He pointed from him to her, "will never be friends again." Kneeling, Leo sat in front of the table facing her. And once he was sat down, Karai bowed her head, hiding the despair and sadness on her face from Leo.
"Oh course, Hamato Leonardo-san. Please take these alcohol wipes to clean your hands."
"This is nothing but a mutual truce," He said bitterly, taking the box of wipes to clean the dirt and dry blood off his hands. "and nothing more," Leo added as Karai not saying nothing, picked up a green and red decorative green tea container that held some dark and light green tea leaves and stems.
Tea leaves and stems that caught his eyes as they looked familiar to him. "What are those leaves and stems your making into a tea?" He had a feeling that he knew what kind of leaves and stems these were, he just had to have Karai tell him what he was fearing was true, for like the tea, the food she was preparing looked familiar also.
Karai's voice was light and small, as she continued with preparing the green tea by placing the teapot under the electric water heater's spout and letting the hot water pour into the teapot's opening, to heat the leaves and stems inside it.
" Hamato Leonardo-san," Done with filling the teapot, Karai placed it back on the tea tray, before returning to the main meal; Yose-nabe. "before our duel had started. " She placed some more ingredients into the pot that made the delicious smells coming from it, filled the room. "I was going to tell you..." Karai paused and closed the pot lid, and with a gesture, offered the appetizers to him, by sliding the serving plates and bowl closer to his own dinnerware, and while she did this, she had kept her head bowed the whole time.
Silently saying "Itadakimasu" to himself, Leo took the offering by using his bamboo chopsticks to picked from the appetizer dishes and placing some of them on his smallest plate in front of him. Taking a bite of one of the pickles, Leo could smell the scent of chestnut in the air, proving that the green tea was, in fact, The Ancient One's favorite tea.
"That's the Ancient One's favorite green tea; Kukicha." He didn't have to ask, for he already knew. But Karai still answered, but not before giving her own silent thanks to the food from the serving appetizer plates and bowl that she also placed in her own smaller plate.
"Yes, it is. As well as the Japanese dinner-"
"Nabemono," Leo answered for her. But as she reached to take his bigger plate to serve his dinner to him. He took a hold of her wrist, only inches from his dinner plate. "I 'trust' that like The Ancient One. You left out the suppon-nabe in the traditional Nabemono."
Karai would have taken this kindly but his voice sound negatives towards her. Therefore, with jerking her wrist from him, she quickly took his plate, opened the pot's lid and with a bamboo cooking spoon, scooped up some of the 'Nabemono (quick-cooked stews)' into his plate and placed it back in front of him, before doing the same with her plate. While speaking up with stern and strength in her voice.
"Even if I do favor Kame(turtle)soup like my first master." She began. "I. Like him respect you and your brothers enough not to offer Nabemono to you with suppon-nabe in it. If you didn't notice, there wasn't any turtle meat in the meat plate that I put in the pot." She let a small smile grace her light pink lips, as Leo slowly took a few bites of the stew in his dinner plate. But the stern and strength in her voice didn't leave once.
"This might be traditional Nabemono, but it's also Yose-nabe. You know, the Nabemono style stew with ingredients of pork, wild boar meat and beef, and chicken, seafood, vegetables and also tofu to replace the Kame." She with her chopsticks tasted her home cook meal away from home. "This is better than Master Oroku-"
Hearing Karai's last sentence, Leo stopped eating and slammed a hard fist onto the surface of the table, making Karai jump out of shock, for she wasn't expecting this quick reaction. "What the shell did you bring up that murderer?" Getting over her shock, Karai, still kneeling, took a breath and slowly rose and gently placed both her hands on either side Leo's face, who to stun by Karai's action, let her calm him down while she explains who she was talking about.
"Leonardo, calm down so I might explain." However, Leo getting over his stun state, jerked his face from her hold.
"Don't touch me like that again!" Though he said this, the blue wearing mutant turtle ninja did sit back down, but this time he was sitting cross-legged as well as his arms. After this ordeal, and minutes went by, Leo began to growl. "Well? Are you going to explain, or have you become mute all of sudden?" Biting back a remark, Karai started speaking, but with the same stern and power in her tone.
"I'm sorry, Hamato Leonardo-san. But you have missed understood, for I wasn't talking about my father-"
"You still call him FATHER!" He shouted out, leaning over the table, baring his teeth at Karai. Who at first felt her body start to shake, before, with a growl, stood up, glaring hard at him.
"Leonardo!" Karai shouted, but lowered her voice a second later as she realizes what she was doing. Taking a deep breath, Karai sat back down, while using a kind and calm voice. "As you see Master Splinter as your father." She said, trying to get him to understand where she was going with this. "I will always call and see Ch'rell (Utrom Shedder) as my father, for it was he who took me in off the street in Japan."
She paused to pour some Kukicha green tea into Leo's unused teacup and then her own teacup, to balance and relax both they're minds. "So as I'm telling my story, I hope you keep your anger to yourself?"
Taking a sip from her teacup, Karai let out a relaxed sigh. "Now as I was saying..." she trailed off as she noticed after Leo sat, he suspiciously had been looking and sniffing at his tea in his cup, before watching her drink from her own tea, before drinking from his. "I can't believe you've still think I'm going to hurt you."
"Can you really blame me, Karai?" Leo had a smirk upon his lips, but there wasn't any humor on his face. "You have already hurt me enough in the past, to last a lifetime." Hearing the bitter in his voice reached her ears, Karai looked away.
"Please, Hamato Leonardo-san. You had agreed to a mutual truce with me until I have told my story-"
"So then tell your whole story, and quit stalling." Was Leo's only comment as he quietly went back to his meal. He didn't want to admit it out loud. But Karai's cooking was filling and delicious. "The night won't stay forever..." He added then took a satisfying sip of his Kukicha green tea. "And neither will I."
Nodding to Leo's request and warning, Karai decides not to tell who 'Master Oroku' was. That is not until she gets to that part. "Very well." Refilling Leo's teacup and then her own, Karai started her story.
"Telling my whole story would be kind of hard, for you see, Hamato Leonardo-san. The memories of my past including my father taking me in, are a blank-"
"Wait a minute." the blue bandana ninja turtle said, cutting the Foot's head leader off. "I thought you told me and my brothers that you were abandoned by your parents? Was that a lie also." Karai focused on Leo's eyes, behind the white tinted eyeholes of his blue bandana.
"Part of it wasn't my lie to give." She stated. " For you see it was my father when I woke up in a room inside a mansion belonging to him, that told me he had found me abandon in a house in a small town. I had been 6 ½ years old at the time. And to add more to what I have told you and your brothers. I wasn't at the beginning respectful or loyal to my father." She stopped to refill his plate and her own, before continuing.
"Because I didn't approve of how my father was treating his older men and women of the Foot." Karai with fierce eyes gripped her chopsticks in her hand. An act that didn't go unnoticed by the turtle ninja.
"They were loyal and respectful to the true way of the Foot; Bushido. And not by my father, that's why my father had many of them punished or killed for their disloyalty to him. He said he had done these to warn the other Foot warriors. But I knew my father enjoyed hurting them. Laughing and smiling at their pains every time gives you away." She remarked, bitterly.
"But the younger crowd of the Foot were different for they follow my father like loyal pets. Especial four of them out that crowd, that was made to be the new Foot Elite. And the only way they were able to get that 'honor' was they had to kill the former Foot Elite who were loyal to the Foot clan's way of Bushido, and not my father or his cruel ways." Karai was about to take, a shrimp on the end of her chopsticks into her mouth, but instead, place it back in her plate and then laid her chopsticks on its rest holder. For she was finding, as her mind brought those images from the past, back to the surface as she spoke of them, had her losing her appetite at the moment.
"I was still 6 at the time when I watch unwillingly beside my father as the head leader of the Foot Elite; Khan killed not only his father; who was the former head leader of the Foot Elite, in front of my father as he wanted, but also his mother; who wasn't even a Foot ninja, just married to one."
Leaning back, resting her hands in her lap, Karai hid her face from Leo, for she was trying to control her tears. "Khan's parents had begged him to not kill them, but their pleas had been on deaf ears, cause without hast he slashed them to death. And to top it off he had done all this in front of his younger siblings!"
Instantly Karai lifts her head, glaring towards Leo. But the way she was staring at him, told him. Karai wasn't glaring at him, but at the memory. "He was the only one out of the Foot Elite that let others suffer instead of giving them a quick death." Catching that she been glaring towards Leo. Karai shook her head, before carrying on. "After that event, I became the voice for the Foot Clan. I'd refused to be trained by my father and his loyal followers. But that didn't mean I didn't have some little skills in sword fighting, cause for some reason I did."
"So it wasn't the Shredder who really taught you martial arts?"
"No. Far from that. You see Leonardo. Though I love my father and still do. I hated his cruel ways. And before you say ' then why did you follow in his footsteps'. Know that I have never intentionally followed my father's path."
"You could have fooled me..." Leo murmured under his breath, and though Karai heard him. She didn't acknowledge it to Leo, as she went on with the memories of her past.
"I was being ordered by others to do what I have done in the past including against you and your brothers, Leonardo." Karai waited to see if Leo was going to say anything more. He didn't. So she went back to the story.
"Being that I was against my father. I was punished repeatedly not by my father's hands, but by Khan's. But I didn't care, for with my father was busy with me, it had him laying off the Foot soldiers. When I was turning 8, two men came to my father to join the Foot Clan. At first, my father wasn't sure these men were worthy to join. But then when he put them up against the Foot Elite; his strongest and loyal ninjas. The two men won. That's when my father had decided to place them as his secret Foot bodyguards. However, they had told my father they would join the Foot if they were allowed to become my bodyguards. My father agreed."
"So the two bodyguards that came with you from Japan-"
"Are the same bodyguards for my childhood," Karai said, finishing Leo's question. "Cole and Han was my first and true friends." She didn't keep going on, until she had taken a couple of bites from her plate, showing her appetite had returned.
"Not too long after they became my bodyguards did they tell me, that they knew my dad and mom." Leo raised an eyebrow as he watched Karai start smiling. "Though they didn't know much about my mom except that she was nice, kindhearted, beautiful and a strong will woman. With green eyes and dark black hair, two traits I inherited from her." Karai's smile didn't leave her face, as she went on, in fact, it almost looks to Leo that Karai was smiling more.
"But my dad they knew more about. Like he was, like my mom, kindhearted and strong will," Still smiling Karai locked her eyes with the unexpected Leo across the table. "He also was a well-known sword master, that he had his own dojo to teach young kids on the street to defend themselves and the way of Bushido." Actually allowing himself to see and feel Karai's emotions. Leo without thinking about it took her hand into his over the table once Karai tried to draw away from the table, and that small action had Karai not moving from her spot as she spoke of her past with eyes filled with unshed tears. "I don't know why I asked, but I asked them if my parents wanted me..." Not moving her hand from his, Karai wiped the tears that begun to fall down her face with her sleeve. "They told me, my parents loved me with all their hearts. And they were killed protecting...me." Karai finally took her hand back and placed it with the other in her lap as her head lowered, where her sight was on the table and not the ninja turtle sitting across the table from her. "They inform me that they had been away when my parents were killed, and when they found I was missing. They search all over Japan looking for me until they found me with the new Foot Clan." Leo knew it was not tradition, but he took the teapot and pour some green tea into Karai's cup.
"Here." He had leaned over the table with Karai's teacup, now filled with green tea, and with a hand resting on the back of her neck, Leo brought the teacup to Karai's lips as she rose her face up as his hand on her neck, was keeping her steady so she could take the offering hot drink. Seeing that she could handle it on her own, Leo leaned back and sat properly on his seat cushion. "Take slow sips," He instructed, then watched Karai closely drink from her teacup. "My father told me that you have been forbidden from speaking of your past to me and my brothers. But now you're able too-"
"Leonardo, I know where you're going with this." Karai now calmed, went to the pot, and after seeing that the broth was all that was left in the pot, Karai placed the udon into the pot to cook with the broth.
"But I haven't got there yet in the story."
Once the white wheat noodles were bathed in the broth, Karai took a rice/noodle bowl and put both the broth and noodle into the bowl before passing it to Leo, who surprisingly took the bowl in gratitude. He waited until Karai got a bowl of broth and noodles for herself, before encouraging her to keep going with the story, which she did. But he did notice that she didn't go back to talking about her parents, which he found he understood. Especial when he was wanting to know where The Ancient One fits in all this, but deep down he was already believing he knew where his second master belongs in Karai's story. And though all he was hearing was a lot to take in, he was sure this wasn't even half of it.
"I was about 12 when my father left to go to America. He took a few young but skilled men with him as well as the pendant of 'Heart of Tengu' with the Foot Mystics, for the pendant in my father's hand was able to control all them back then too." She said, before stopping to enjoy the udon and broth in her bowl, then continued on with the story. "With me not worthy in my father's eyes. He had his Foot Elite left in-charge of the Foot Clan in Japan." As soon as those words left Karai's mouth, she took her hands and gripped her head, fighting back from sobbing. "Khan as the head leader of the Foot Elite was cruel, heartless and a monster to the Foot Clan. And when I saw firsthand his torture and... kill little children of the Foot clan's family." Karai let go of her head, with her hands falling like dead weight beside her sides.
"I had challenged him to a duel when I turned 13. A duel that would determine who be the leader of the Foot Clan in Japan." Karai didn't speak for a while, then she glances over to Leo, trying to read his eyes. Catching on, Leo without speaking, took off his blue bandana to show his chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that tell all his feelings and emotions in them. Able to read his eyes better than having to try so hard when his blue bandana is on. Karai took one more glance at him, before standing up and walking to her desk. She stood a moment before opening a drawer and pulling a purple mid-book out. With the book in hand, Karai went back to the low table and sat down on her seat cushion in a seiza position. "My father wasn't pleased with knowing I had lost the duel when it got back to him in America. For at the time he had been trying to get rid of both the mob and a punk gang, being led by a 15-year-old teen, calling his gang the Purple Dragon."
"That 15-year-old teen was Hun wasn't it?"
Karai nodded yes, before opening the purple book and taking out a picture. "So my father allowed Khan to punish me, but not kill me. Back then, I didn't know my father had plans for me in the future...or that his real name was Ch'rell or that he was a Utrom." Leo watched Karai in silent, gaze at the picture in her hand with tenderness and... sadness. "I was already still black and blue from the duel that had been over a month ago, but that didn't stop Khan from still 'punishing' me. However, because I wasn't able to get my usual brutal beating, what with my body not up for any beating without dying through it." Karai went quiet for a second as she laid the picture on its back on the table. The whole time she was doing this she had no more emotions on her face. "What Khan did to me, will always live with me until I die."
Leo had dread when Karai earlier, started showing signs of a person who had been raped. But hearing her voice breaking up with each word, had him once again reaching over the table and placing his hand upon hers that was still laying on the backward picture. Feeling his warm three-finger green hand over her hand, Karai snapped out of her state of mind, to at first look at their hands, before bringing her eyes to his, looking like an innocent child that had just discovered the monsters wasn't fake but real under her bed. Seeing her like this, Leo found himself fighting back from pulling Karai over the table and into his arms to keep her safe. Which realizing this, had him knowing that no matter what Karai did to him...he will always love her and want to keep her safe.
"She wasn't even two months old." Leo was about to ask who she was talking about, that was when Karai slide, with his hand over hers, the picture over to him. "What I show you, Leonardo is something nobody but my masters know about. Not even Angel knows of this. But I always wanted to show her to you."
With the picture in his hand now, Leo took one last glance at Karai's broken-smile and drain green eyes. Before turning the picture over and looking at it. Oh, my shell...
Was what coming to his head as he was now staring at a picture of an infant in a pink blanket, showing that the infant is a girl. Her head was mostly bald excepted for little strains of dark black hair sticking out of the top part of the pink blanket that the baby was covered in. Her eyes were open, and Leo could tell by her lime green eyes, that she is full of life. He was speechless, he knew this is Karai's daughter. A daughter who was made out of rape instead of love.
"She's beautiful."
"She is," Karai said softly. "She would have been 6 ½ in three months." She added sadly.
Wait? Did she say 'would have been'? Not letting go of the picture, Leo looked at Karai's now tear stain face. "Please, Karai tells me that when you say 'would have been' meant that you gave her up...and not..." Leo couldn't say it. Absently he wondered who could dare harm such a green gem, like the baby in the picture. Holding the picture to his chest, Leo found himself trying not to begin crying. "Karai," gazing at the picture at the little infant, that was, that was... "she was so small...how, why, Karai?"
"Khan is how and why." She answered with such venom in her voice, that Leo was sure Karai was getting a bad taste on her tongue for the way Khan's name come out of her mouth. "He didn't want my father to know he not only rape me but got me pregnant too. Many of the wives of the Foot clan, kept me out of reach of Khan through my pregnancy. But I went into labor early and was rushed to the hospital. Even though she shouldn't have lived after begin four weeks early. She did and I couldn't have been any happier." She gently and slowly took the picture back but didn't place it back into the book. Instead, she placed it on her chest over her heart. "I had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks after having her. She stayed in the nursery at the hospital."
Karai finally places the picture into the book and stood up and went to put it back up. "Unknown to me, I had been drugged the night before me and my daughter were going to be able to leave the hospital."
She closed the drawer but didn't return to her seat. She looked to the night sky view through the ceiling-length curtain window behind her desk. She rested a hand to the glass, as she looked up to the rare stars that were showing.
"I woke late the next day by a scream coming from the nursery. Only being two rooms from the nursery, I got there to the screaming nurse before the other nurses and doctors could. She was shaking and crying outside the nursery door. Before anyone could stop me, I rush into the room, to find it was quieted inside. I went for my daughter's assigned crib to only freeze in my steps at the bloody footprints on the floor. I followed the footprints to the window in the room...to find a note nailed beside the window. " Stepping away from the window, she went back towards her seat.
"The note said that I should have got rid of my daughter through my pregnancy. Now it was my fault she dies a painful death." Staying quiet, Leo didn't move his eyes from Karai's movement, not even when she was kneeling once again at the table across from him.
"After reading the note, I ran to her crib, that nurses and doctors had by then crowded around. They tried to pull me back from seeing, but I got through..." Leo watched Karai take a heavy sigh before continuing on. "Her neck was slit. But not enough to kill her. When Khan said my daughter had a painful death, he wasn't lying. Through the night with a pacifier in her mouth, she bleeds out the whole night. It wasn't too long that they found out the night nurse, that drugged me the night before, was dating Khan at the time." Karai pause for a moment to control her emotions. While Leo oddly felt a bolt of anger coursing through his veins. He was all about honor and fair fight. However, the thought of this Khan having the nerve to take an innocent life like your own child. Had him vowing to personally see to that monster's death if not by his own hands.
"The nurse was the one who let him in, and I found that she helps because she thought I was in love with Khan. That bitch let my daughter die over selfish needs!" Karai's hands gripped her robe as she rested them in her lap. "I didn't even get to name her, until after she was buried. I named her Yasuko." Leonardo thought hard to find why she named her daughter Yasuko. But though he knew Japanese meaning, some of them he didn't know very well.
"Karai if you don't mind, can I asked why you named her Yasuko?"
"I named her Yasuko, for the meaning means; peaceful child. Which I felt was the best name for her. For she was a peaceful child. She didn't cry. She was always smiling..." Neither one said a word for a while. Karai was quietly sobbing, while Leo thought of his family and silently sent a prayer to his grandfather, Yoshi to watch over Yasuko in heaven.
Karai able to speak again, started where she left off. " It was Cole and Han, who buried her in a secret place after I left the hospital with her body. After that event, I ran away. I wasn't going to go back to where my daughter's murderer was. And the state I was in had me wanting to join my daughter in death. So coming to this idea I rushed down the streets in the rain, not looking where I was going so I could get to the river to drown myself. Which had me knocking down somebody in my haste." Karai getting control over herself more served Leo and herself more green tea. "I knew I could have just looked the other way, not caring that I just knocked someone down." She took a sip of her tea. "But I didn't. Instead, I looked back to see a short and..." Karai took a moment to think of what to call her first master's figure without being insulting.
"I always called him big bones," Leo said, offering her a way around the Ancient One's body shape.
Which had Karai, not able to stop herself from laughing. A laugh that was infectious that it had Leo cracking up. And remember how he met his second master and what he thought of him. I thought of him as a stink bomb, what with him blowing gas every second. Had him laughing more. Karai didn't know how long they were laughing, but she was really thankful for the distracting for the moment. Getting her laughing under control, she looked to see Leo had leaned back with his hands placed on the floor, giving him support from falling back. His face was towards the ceiling, as he himself was calming down his laughing.
"Thanks, Hamato Leonardo-san." She said, giving a small smile. "I did need that release."
"No problem, Karai." He sat up straight, looking across the table at her. "I had a feeling early, that the Ancient One was, in fact, your first master. Also, I believed that you needed a good laugh."
"And you were right on both." This time Karai let a grin grace her lips, that Leonardo returned. Seeing this Karai went back to the story with a more positive and happy state. "Okay, we'll go with 'big bones'."
This got a chuckle from Leo as Karai, with a sleeve over her mouth, giggled. "Well, once I helped the short and 'big bones' older man up from the ground. He offers me a hot meal, for the kindness and honesty I showed. I still don't know why I agreed but I let him lead me to his home in town. A home that was more like a small mansion. Once I was in the house, he told me I had to clean up before we both could eat. Showing me where to clean up I went to the bathroom, and though I was grateful to this man. I still wanted to end my life. So filling the bath water, I got in and drowned myself." Leo's eyes became wide at this news, but more at how calm Karai was with saying that she killed herself without any regret in her voice.
"When I woke to find I was outside the tub, with the man's face hovering over me, smiling. He told me that he saved me from dying. I started crying and telling him, 'I didn't ask you to save me'. That's when he told me his name; the Ancient One, as you already figured out a while ago." Leo only responds to this was a smirk, which Karai rolled her eyes at this. "He also told me, he knew I was going to kill myself out in the street, that's why he offers me a meal, so he could save me before I could take my life. I wasn't happy at this. That's when I yelled at him, telling him that 'this is my business and my life to choose what to do with it'. He only stood there and let me cry and shout at him until I became sleepy and passed out. The next morning, I found myself in a bedroom and dressed in some white kimono. I found later that the room and clothes were the Ancient One's late daughter; Tang Shen." Karai stopped to see Leo's reaction to this. His face was calm as well as his body. However, it was his eyes that told all. He was on pin and needles. Seeing that both her masters were right about Leo's reaction to all this. And this isn't even half of it. With this thought, Karai went on with her story. "When the Ancient One brought me breakfast, I asked him how he knew I was planning on killing myself. That's when he told about how he found a young girl like me, who was lost and wanted to end her life, he, like he did for me, had saved her. She then became his daughter Shen. And out of the children he took in. Shen was the only one that carried his birth namesake; Shen Tang Oroku-"
"WHAT!" Leonardo jumped up from his seat in complete shock, which had him spilling over the stuff on the table. "Are you telling me that Oroku Saki and the Ancient One are family?" Karai stood up, wearing a stern look.
"Leonardo." She hissed out his name in warning. "I know a lot of this is a lot to take in." She glanced down at all the turned over dinnerware from Leonardo's unexpected movement from the table. "But did you have to jump up like that. I was hoping to send some leftovers back with you for your brothers and Master Splinter." Sighing, Karai started cleaning up the mess on the table. "I guess I can make some quick miso soup, and some rice balls for them-" She trailed off as she was beginning to stack plate on top of the other. Leo stood there for a minute or two before helping Karai clean up the mess he made.
…
To Be Continued.