Chapter 6: Captured
A/N: Well, I've finally updated this story. I'm sorry for the delay, but schoolwork got in the way as it usually does. I will try to get this story done before I graduate college, which is basically after this current semester. Look out, world. Shell's entering the job market! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Now, I want to thank those who reviewed my fifth chapter. Thanks to: Cynlee, Mac, Leo'sBaby80, Mikey's Kunoichi, Resevoir Warrior, Chibi Rose Angel, shellsboy24, Simple Siretta, MewFem, TigerChickTigriss, sunrider1, Calypphire, and Storm of Sparks. You guys are the reason I'm still sticking with this thing. Thanks a million! Enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. However, I am glad that the Lost Season is on and has shown me just what I have missed about the Turtles. TMNT are owned by Mirage Studios, Inc. I am making no profit off of this story.
Both Kaia and Raph did check on Leo during the night. The blue-clad Turtle reassured them he was okay, though he did need Raph's help to go to the bathroom. Once he was settled in, he ordered both of them to go to bed. Kaia went reluctantly, but Raphael didn't budge. He was too stubborn.
"Raph, go back to bed," commanded Leo. "I'm okay. You need to sleep because you've got practice in the morning."
Raphael ignored Leo's command. "You need any ice?" he asked instead.
"No, I'm okay," answered Leonardo. "I'm not in a lot of pain. If you want, you can give me some of Sensei's special tea so I don't have any pain at all."
"Okay," said Raph. He went to the kitchen to make the tea that Splinter often used when one of them was injured. After it was done, he carried it to Leo and gave it to him. The Turtle in blue drank the tea and thanked his brother for getting it.
"Hey, it's the least I can do," replied Raph. "After all, I did this to you."
"Raph, stop blaming yourself!" ordered Leo. "It was an accident. I'm not angry at you for what happened. In fact, I'm proud of you. You could have finished me off and won the tournament, but you didn't. You did the honorable thing by forfeiting the match to me. So, go back to sleep, bro. I forgive you."
Raph smiled. "Okay, you win," he said. "But in the morning, I'm checking on you."
Leo laughed. "Works for me," he said. "See you in the morning, Raph."
"See you then, Leo," replied Raph. Then he went upstairs to sleep. He really wanted to stay, but he knew that Leo didn't want special treatment. He wanted to just be on his own. Leo could be just as stubborn as Raph at times. Maybe that's why the two of them were so close.
The next morning, Leo woke up at the usual time. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV, and a blast of sound reached his ears. The blue-clad Turtle sighed in frustration. Mikey often forgot to turn the volume down after he finished watching. He quickly turned it down, afraid that everyone else would be woken up by the noise. Luckily, only Splinter came into the room.
"I'm sorry, Sensei," apologized Leo. "I didn't know the volume was up."
Splinter chuckled. "It is alright, Leonardo," he said. "You did not wake up because I was already awake." He looked at Leo's ankle. "How does it feel?" he asked.
"It's just a little sore," replied Leo. "I'll be okay."
"I know you will, my son," said Splinter with a smile. "I have noticed that Raphael has been by your side frequently."
"Yeah, he has," said Leo with a sigh. "I'm worried about him, Master Splinter. He's blaming himself for what happened. I keep telling him it wasn't his fault and that it was just an accident, but he won't listen to me. What can I do?"
"There's nothing you can do, Leonardo," answered Splinter. "You have tried to help him, but he needs to heal in his own time. You learned that yourself. However, I will talk to him. Maybe I can get him to open up to me."
"I hope so, Sensei." Leo told him. He didn't want Raph blaming himself for an accident. It made him feel sorry for his brother.
Leo's thoughts were interrupted when Kaia came downstairs. "Hi, Leo," she said. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay, Kaia," Leo answered. "My ankle isn't even sore."
"That's good," Kaia said happily. "I'm glad you're okay. Where's Mikey? He promised to make me pancakes."
"I'm right here," Mikey answered. He bounded down the stairs followed by Kaylee and Klunk. "One batch of chocolate chip pancakes coming up." He went into the kitchen to start up the stove.
Then Donatello and Mariel came downstairs. The Turtle in purple examined Leo's ankle and said it was healing nicely. He changed the bandages and put some ice on it. "Just as a precaution," he said. "I don't want it to start swelling again."
The smell of Mikey's cooking brought Raphael and Destiny downstairs. Lisa was sitting in a chair reading a book. The others were watching the news.
"Man, why do we have to watch this stuff?" complained Raph. "It's always bad news."
"It helps to know what is going on in the outside world, Raphael," answered Splinter.
"Yeah, but it's all about violence and death," pointed out Destiny. "They hardly ever report anything good."
"I know, my daughter," said Splinter, "but that is the harsh reality of this world that we live in."
"But happy things happen, too," said Kaylee. "If I become a news anchor, I'm gonna report on happy news, too."
"Breakfast's ready!" called out Mikey. "Come and get it."
"All right!" yelled Kaylee. She ran into the kitchen and climbed on a chair, followed by the others who were a little less enthusiastic.
"What about Leo?" Kaia asked. "Isn't he gonna eat?"
"Don't worry, little sis," Mikey reassured her. "I'm gonna give him a tray now."
"Oh, okay," Kaia said with relief. She returned to the pancakes Mikey had served her, savoring them. Mikey had put in the right amount of chocolate chips.
Kaia wanted to spend time with Leo after breakfast, but she had to go to practice with the others. She performed her katas and followed Splinter's directions, but she was sad that Leo wasn't there. Splinter noticed this but knew it would pass.
After practice was over, Kaia went into the living room and sat by Leo. He was watching Emergency Vets on Animal Planet. That was one of Kaia's favorite shows.
"Oh, that poor dog!" she said sympathetically as the vets brought in an injured Irish setter. "It looks like he hurt his leg."
"Well, I'm sure the vets will fix him up," Leo reassured her. "They're very good at helping animals."
"I hope so," said Kaia worriedly. "He looks so sad."
"Yeah, he does," agreed Kaylee. "If Klunk was sick would you guys take him to the vet?"
"You bet!" replied Mikey. "I wouldn't want my precious kitty to suffer." He cuddled Klunk who reveled in the attention he received from his master.
"Mikey, stop cooin' over that cat," complained Raph. 'You look like a sissy." He was feeling much better after his talk with Master Splinter about his worries over Leo. Splinter had assured him that the injury wasn't serious and that no one blamed Raph for what had happened. After hearing that, Raph had felt relief flood over him.
"Well, Klunk seems to like the attention," Lisa remarked as she watched Mikey and Kaylee both pet Klunk.
"Yeah, but he likes Raph even more," teased Destiny. "He was tryin' to cuddle with Raph last night."
"That's only because you put him in my hammock," retorted Raph. Secretly, he loved Klunk almost as much as Mikey, though he always tried not to show it in front of the family.
"I've read where animals will often be attached to the one who dislikes them the most," explained Don.
Later that afternoon, April came down with groceries and some crutches for Leo. Lisa and Destiny hurried to relieve her of her burden.
"How's it goin', April?" Mikey asked the redhead.
"Fine," April replied. "I got you enough food to last you for a while. I also brought crutches for Leo to use. Don told me about his injury and what happened. How does it feel?"
"It's much better," Leo answered. "Thanks for the crutches."
"No problem," April told him. "I'm always glad to help out my friends when they need it." She looked at the girls. "Well, it's a nice day out. I was wondering if you girls wanted to got to Central Park with me today. I figured you girls might want to get some fresh air for a little while."
"I'll go!" Kaylee said excitedly. "I think it'll be fun."
"I'd like to, but Don and I are visiting Professor Honeycutt and Leatherhead," Mariel explained. "They're gonna give us feedback on Don's latest invention."
"And Raph and I are gonna work on the Shell Cycle," Destiny added. "Casey's comin' over to help us."
"I'll go," said Lisa. "It will be nice to get out of the Lair for a change."
"What about you, Kaia?" asked April. "Would you like to go?"
"No, I think I'll stay here with Leo," answered Kaia. "I don't want him to be lonely."
Leo smiled at her. "I'll be fine, Kaia," he reassured her. "You go on and get some fresh air. You need it."
"Well…okay," said Kaia with a smile. "I guess I'll go too."
So April, Lisa, Kaylee and Kaia set out for the Park. It was a very nice day with a blue sky and a warm temperature. Once at the Park, Kaia and Kaylee saw a playground and hurried to get on the swings. But once they did, they didn't know what to do. They had never had swings at the orphanage.
April laughed. "Here, let me help you," she said to Kaylee. She got behind Kaylee and began to push her while Lisa did the same for Kaia. The girls loved it and started laughing. The sound brought tears to Lisa's eyes for she hadn't heard them laugh like that in a long time.
After they were tired of the swings, April bought them hot dogs and ice cream. Then they strolled through the park and into the city, looking at different things. A woman came up to talk to April about her antique shop. With her was a girl with blonde hair and green eyes. She looked to be about Lisa's age.
"Hi, I'm Nicole, but everyone calls me Nikki," she said. 'What's your name? "
"My name is Lisa," answered Lisa. "These are my sisters Kaylee and Kaia."
"Nice to meet you," said Nikki. "I don't have any siblings." Then she began to talk about herself while Lisa listened. When Nikki asked for Lisa to talk about herself, Lisa told her about living in an orphanage and getting adopted by April. She didn't want to tell Nikki about the Turtles or Splinter just yet. Nikki accepted her story and continued to talk with her about boys, television, and her favorite singers.
As the girls talked, Kaylee grew bored. Her eyes wandered over to the toy store across the street. She nudged Kaia to get her attention.
"What is it?" asked Kaia.
"Let's go look at the toys," replied Kaylee.
"Okay, but we have to tell Lisa," said Kaia.
Kaylee looked at Lisa, who was talking to Nikki. "She's busy talking to that girl," she said. "We'll just go over for a minute. Lisa won't miss us."
Kaia really didn't like the idea, but she didn't want to interrupt Lisa's conversation. Master Splinter had taught her that it was rude to interrupt someone's conversation. So, she nodded at Kaylee, and the two of them headed across the street, making sure to look for cars before they crossed. Once there, they hurried to the window to look at the dolls.
"They're so beautiful," Kaylee said. "We should ask April to get us one."
"But that wouldn't be polite," Kaia pointed out. "She's done too much for us already."
"Yeah, you're right," Kaylee agreed.
Suddenly, something brushed against Kaia's legs. She turned around to find a black and white cat looking up at her. "Aww, you're so cute!" she exclaimed. "Are you looking for your owner?"
"It's probably just a stray," Kaylee told her.
"Then maybe we should take it home," suggested Kaia.
"We can't," protested Kaylee. "We already have a cat at home. If we brought this cat home, Klunk would get jealous."
Kaia knew Kaylee was right, but she had hoped that maybe this cat and Klunk would become friends once they saw each other. "Maybe we should try to find out who has lost a cat," she suggested. She bent down to pick up the cat, but the cat ran from her. Undaunted, Kaia chased after it.
"Kaia, come back!" cried Kaylee. She should've gone to Lisa for help, but she didn't. Instead, she chased after her sister, hoping that Kaia wouldn't get lost.
Kaia didn't hear her sister's cry because she was so focused on chasing the cat. "Here, kitty kitty," she called, following the cat into an alley.
Kaylee was tailing her stubborn sister when she tripped on her shoelaces. They often came untied, but Kaylee never noticed it until she tripped and fell. "Stupid shoe," she muttered as she tied it back up. Just as she finished tying, she heard Kaia's scream.
"Oh no!" she cried. "Kaia!" She ran toward the alley where Kaia had disappeared in. As she approached it, she only saw the cat her sister had run after. She turned to see Lisa, Nikki, April, and Nikki's mother in the entrance to the alley.
"Kaylee, what happened?" Lisa demanded. "We heard Kaia scream and saw you run this way."
"Kaia's gone!" Kaylee wailed. "I tried to go after her, but she's gone!"
Suddenly, Lisa cried, "Look!" A van shot out of the adjacent alley. Lisa took note of the license plate numbers. She wished the Turtles were there because they'd go after the van. Lisa would have bet a million dollars that Kaia was being taken away in that van.
"What are we gonna do?" Kaylee moaned.
April got out her cell phone and called the police. She reported what had happened and listened to what the officer told her. "Thank you," she said.
"What did they say?" asked Lisa after April had hung up.
"They're sending someone over now," replied April.
A few minutes later a police car pulled up to the curb. Two officers got out and surveyed the group.
"Who saw the kidnapping?" the first officer asked them.
"No one," April replied. "We heard Kaia scream and ran to the alley, but she was gone."
"Why did she go into the alley?" the second officer inquired.
"S—she was chasing a c—cat," Kaylee sobbed. "I t—tried to go after her, b—but I tripped on my shoelaces and fell. Then I h—heard her scream and went into the alley, b—but she w—wasn't there."
"Who was supposed to be watching these two young girls?" the first officer questioned.
"I was," Lisa answered. "I was talking to Nikki and had forgotten about them."
"It wasn't Lisa's fault," Kaylee told them. "Kaia wanted to let her k—know where we were, but I told Kaia not to tell her. A c—cat came, and Kaia thought about bringing him home. I told her we already had a c—cat, so she d—decided to see if someone else lost a cat. She t—tried to pick it up, but the cat ran from her. T—that's when she ran into the alley, and I couldn't get to her in time!" Here, she burst into a storm of tears. Lisa went to her and gave her a hug.
The two officers conferred for a few minutes. Then the first officer turned to April and said, "We'll send out an Amber Alert so citizens can keep a look out for her. Are you sure you've told us everything we need to know?"
"Not everything," said Lisa. "Right after we came to the alley, I saw a van come out of the adjacent alley." She pointed to where she had seen the van make its hasty exit. She then gave them the license plate numbers, which they wrote down.
After that, April gave them more information on Kaia so that they could send out the Amber Alert. She even gave them a photo of Kaia that had been taken at a photo studio, which had been done for all of the girls. The officers thanked her and promised to contact her if they found Kaia or had any leads.
When the policemen left, April took the girls back to the Lair. Nikki gave Lisa her number before they left and told them that she hoped things would be okay. Lisa thanked her and promised to keep Nikki updated if Kaia was found. She just hoped her little sister was okay. She could see that Kaylee was distraught, which made her feel worse. It was her fault this had happened. If she had been watching the girls, Kaia wouldn't have run into that alley and gotten kidnapped.
Back at the Lair, Leonardo had a feeling that something was wrong. When Donatello and Mariel came back from their visit, he expressed his worry to them.
The purple-banded Turtle shrugged his shoulders. "Likely it isn't anything, Leo," he said. "I wouldn't worry about it."
Up in the warehouse, Destiny, Raphael, and Casey were working on the Shell Cycle. When the warehouse door opened, they stopped what they were doing and noticed that one of the girls was missing.
"Where's Kaia?" asked Destiny.
"She got kidnapped," said Lisa, tears running down her face.
"What?!" exclaimed Raph. "How the shell did this happen?"
"It was my fault," said Kaylee. Then she explained exactly what had happened before she lost sight of Kaia. "I'm such an idiot!" she wailed and began to cry some more.
"Kaylee, it's my fault," contradicted Lisa. "I wasn't watching you guys as I should have been. I wasn't being a good big sister."
"You can say that again," muttered Destiny. She couldn't believe Lisa would do such a thing. Lisa was always the responsible one.
Before Lisa could respond, Raph suggested that they go down and tell the others. When they got down to the Lair, they found Don, Mariel, Mikey, and Splinter talking to Leo.
This time April broke the news to them. "Kaia's been kidnapped," she said.
Leo looked at Don. "I knew something had happened," he said. "Did you see her get taken?"
"No," Lisa told him. Then she related the whole incident to them from start to finish.
Mikey was hugging a sobbing Kaylee. "Who would do this?" he asked. He looked ready to cry himself.
"Karai would," Leo said instantly. "She's the one who wanted Kaia in the first place. I'd bet my katanas on it."
"Did you contact the police?" Don asked April.
"Yeah, I did," April replied. "I thought that if I didn't, it would look suspicious. They told me they'd send out an Amber Alert so citizens could start looking for her."
"Well, I say we pay Karai a little visit and kick some shell," Raphael declared, slamming his fist into his open palm.
"That's not a good idea, Raph," Leo told him. "If we do that, the police might find it odd they contact April and she tells them that Kaia was rescued. I think we should wait and formulate a plan instead of just barging in."
"Easy for you to say," Raph snapped. "You're just gonna sit on your butt here at home."
"And whose fault is that?" Leo threw back.
Raph was going to say something, but Splinter intervened. "Your brother is right, Raphael," he said. "We should let the police do some investigating first. If they get no leads, that is when you and your brothers will step in."
The red-banded Turtle didn't like this idea, but he knew better than to contradict his sensei. Instead, he headed to the dojo to vent his feelings on the punching bag.
April and Casey said their good-byes and went home. Mikey sat with Kaylee on his lap next to Leo while Lisa and Destiny headed to their rooms and Mariel went back to the lab with Don. They were all worried for their sister and wanted to help her as soon as they could. They only hoped that she would be able to hold on until they could get to Foot Headquarters and bring her back home.
Meanwhile…
Kaia opened her eyes and noticed that it was very dark. She felt her way around and knew that she was in a van by the jostling. As she tried to move her legs, she noticed that her hands and legs were tied and that she was gagged. She wanted to scream, but she knew no one would hear her.
How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was chasing the cat into the alley. She had felt that someone was coming up behind her, but she only had time to turn around and scream before something struck her head. Kaia had a feeling that Karai was behind this and hoped that her brothers would rescue her soon.
Suddenly, the van stopped and two doors slammed. Kaia heard footsteps approach the rear before the doors were flung open. The sudden burst of light made Kaia squint her eyes. The men grabbed and untied her legs so that she could walk.
The young girl saw a large building looming before her. This must be Foot Headquarters, she thought. She didn't want to go in there, but she knew she wouldn't be able to fight these men. Her head hurt and she even felt a little nauseous.
The men took her to an elevator and guided her in. As it rose, Kaia couldn't help but wonder just what Karai had in store for her. Would she leave the Turtles alone, or was she using Kaia as bait to lure them from the Lair.
The elevator doors opened, and Kaia was taken to a rather large bedroom. It had a bed with a canopy and a large closet. The gag was removed, and Kaia's hands were untied as well. The men pushed her into the room and closed the door after her.
Kaia went over to the bed and sat down. It was bleak room, and Kaia didn't want to be here. She missed Leonardo's room with its peaceful atmosphere and cleanliness. This room looked as though no one had lived here for a long time and was bare of any decoration. It felt like a prison, while Leo's room felt like a safe haven for Kaia. She missed the posters on the wall of sword masters and the animal posters Leo had put up just for her.
Kaia tensed when the door handle turned and Karai entered the room. Even though Kaia hadn't seen her for a little while could tell that the woman felt triumphant that she had finally gotten what she wanted.
"How is your head?" Karai asked her.
A surge of defiance rose up in Kaia. Normally, she would have been scared of this woman, but after being adopted by the Turtles, Kaia had learned that the best way to conquer her fears was to face them head on.
"It hurts because your dumb lackeys decided to knock me out," she replied. She didn't even try to hide the anger in her voice. Destiny and Raph would've been so proud of her.
"I apologize for that," Karai told her. "I did not order them to harm you in that way. I will make sure it is treated properly. I do not want anything to happen to you, my daughter."
"I am not your daughter!" Kaia snapped. "I have a family who loves me dearly. Leo told me all about you and what you've done to him and the others. The Turtles will come and rescue me from your clutches."
Anger coursed through Karai as Kaia mentioned the Turtles. Before Kaia could even blink, the older woman struck her across the face, leaving a red mark on the girl's cheek.
"Don't you ever mention those freaks again!" she snarled. "They are not your family anymore. You are not to mention them or your other sisters. The Foot is your family now and they will care for you. I will talk more about this later. For now, I will have our doctor come up and treat your wounds. Then I will have someone bring you something to eat. I have some important matters to attend to, but I will check on you before you go to sleep. You are to treat anyone I send in with the same respect you are to show me. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Kaia whispered. She understood everything. Karai didn't care about her at all. She just wanted a daughter who would one day take over the Foot. That was the business Karai had meant when she had mentioned it at the orphanage. That was her real motive.
After Karai left, Kaia went to the window and looked out. She could see many buildings looming around her. They looked very intimidating in this room instead of looking majestic as they always had before. It was almost as though they, too, were there to guard her so that she couldn't escape. She wished more than ever that she'd had her Shell Cell on her so that she could call her brothers. They would have come in a heartbeat to rescue her.
"Guys, where are you?" she whimpered. "Please get me out of here. I don't want to be here anymore." Tears trailed down her cheeks as she thought of the family she would more than likely never see again.
A/N: And another chapter is completed. I don't know when the next one will be up, but I'll try to get it up as soon as I can. Please read and review! Have a shelltastic day!