Hey guys. I'm so incredibly sorry by the lateness of this chapter. But I put a lot of effort into it, so I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7
April fidgeted nervously in her seat. On the floor, a gasp escaped from the two conscious brothers.
"Not happening," Leo stated bluntly. Raphael growled in agreement.
Yoshiro perched a glowing green eyebrow, his thin lips sliding into a crescent. "Right, because your previous attempts to stop me have succeeded so well."
Leo's open mouth was instantly closed at the sharp comment, leaving Raph to ask, "What do you want with April anyways?" His muscles surged under the tethered rope, still attempting to break free of their bindings.
"I do believe I owe you an explanation, Miss O'Neil," confessed the ghost. Taking a deep breath for effect. "A long time ago, I was a successful ship man-"
"And you lost one of your boats in a storm and you blamed it on Splinter," the red head interrupted. "We already know."
The thin crescent did not falter. "So I see Hamato Yoshi remembers what he did to me all those years ago. But even he does not know the whole story."
"There's more?" the blue turtle asked, not prepared for another one of the ghost's long-winded tales.
"Yoshi's irresponsibility is the reason I am eternally cursed to travel in this tempest. But riddle me this, talking terrapin, if I wanted to exact revenge on your 'father' so bad, wouldn't I require you and your brothers as opposed to your human friend here?" The ghost paused for a response, but both Leo and Raph looked to each other in confusion. "Of course there's more to the story!"
The turtles huffed, obviously realizing that they were going nowhere until the ghost had spun his tale. April crossed her legs and rested against the back of the chair, preparing for a long oratory.
"Before my ship was cursed in this eternal tempest, I was the head of the Kaito Clan," began the demon. "We were very prosperous, with ships sailing to all four corners of the world. My boat-making industry was among the best in the world, and I was living the life of luxury. One day, I was launching one of my newest ships in a nearby harbor, when I saw the most beautiful women I had ever seen, washing clothes in the water. Her name was Jian Chen, and I knew right away that she had to be mine. I introduced myself, and instantly we knew our connection was strong. I asked her father for his blessing that day, and we were even planning to be married shortly after."
"Aww how romantic," squeaked a voice in the corner. Everyone turned to see Mikey, head perched on his knuckles, entranced by the ghost's story. April smiled despite herself, glad that the youngest brother was okay. Her glee was short-lived though, as her eyes fell to Donnie, who was still limp. Even though she only saw the younger brother as a friend, there was no doubt that she cared deeply for his well being.
"Mikey, when did you wake-up?" asked Raph.
The orange turtle laughed, "I've been awake the whole time, Bro. I didn't want to squash Glow-worm's moment." Mikey turned back to Yoshiro and bowed his head, "please, sir, continue."
The ghost gave Mikey a peculiar look, but shook it off as he continued. "Anyways, Jian Chen and I were engaged to be married, but during our wedding preparations, I was reminded off an old tradition kept in the Clan. Every couple must visit the Elder Spirit Sage, Mika, who calls upon the ancient spirits to see if they will bless you with a bountiful marriage and many offspring. No blessing from the spirits is a marital death sentence.
When Chen and I went to consult the Sage, we were in the middle of an argument. Chen was angry because I had recently fired all the women working in my shipyard."
April's eyes flashed. "Why would you do that?"
Yoshiro groaned. "Because they couldn't physically handle the day to day tasks that were required in the boat-building industry. I was losing money keeping them around. And, based on their quality of work, they were better off taking care of their families and cooking meals."
The red-head didn't back down. "That's so inconsiderate and sexist!"
"Yeesh you sound like Chen!" The ghost complained. "She just kept going on and on about how it wasn't right to fire all those women and that they were losing income, and gibberish like that."
"She's right," huffed April.
"Well anyways, we continued to fight until we were right outside of Mika's house. But before we entered the small, airy hut, we both agreed to put on a happy face while we consulted the spirits, neither of us daring want to upset them. But when we entered the house, Mika was waiting for us, and she had heard the whole skirmish.
"At first, neither of us had realized that Mika had listened in. But we quickly found out, when she began to summon the spirit of the oppressed women I had fired and not the marital ones. With each wave of her arm, Mika brought forward a new moaning voice, a new tormented soul cursing my name, a new life I had destroyed. What made matters worse is that the souls were still living. The Sage was able to summon them given that most in the village were asleep."
"How did that make things worse?" Leo asked, hooked on every word.
"Spirits of the living are much more powerful emotionally than the spirits of the dead given that their souls are still connected with their bodies. Because of this, I felt everything the women felt. Tears, stress, anxiety, it all became my burden."
April scrunched her face. "I hope you felt terrible."
The spirit took a heavy sigh, the wave of long forgotten memories fermenting in his brain. "Mika was ruthless towards me, going so far as to bring forth the spirits of the women's' families. As the waves of sobbing children began to fill the room, it had fully occurred to me the error of my ways. Beside me, I saw Chen was paralyzed with fear, a single tear darting out of her wide brown eyes, shaken down her cheeks by tremors. I begged Mika to cease this torture, but she only continued, as stoic as a statue. I reached towards Chen to comfort her, but as soon as my finger grazed her forearm, her brown saucers darted to me with a look of horror." Yoshiro's face fell. "I had never see her look at me that way before. The pure fear, paranoia, and utter discontent. She didn't deserve any of this. It was all my fault."
The room was silent as the ghost paused in recollection.
April was speechless. She had no idea a spirit who was capable of such evil could feel so broken. It reminded her of their nemesis back home, and how the loss of his loved one drove him to a thirst for revenge. Given different circumstances, April might have pitied the ghost.
"Do you need a tissue?" the youngest turtle asked, breaking the emotional silence.
Yoshiro quickly gathered his senses to give a curt "no" and prepared to continue.
"Mika went on until both Chen and I were on our knees, begging for her to stop. Only then did she cease to summon. But the wave of her arms was replaced with a terrifying bane."
Suddenly, Yoshiro's eyes began to glow white, and when he opened his mouth, the voice of a ferocious lady cut the air. April jumped back in her seat. Mikey gasped. Leo and Raph sat, awestruck. Donnie began to arouse.
"Cursed are you as much and more as you have cursed these poor souls," shrieked Mika, through Yoshiro's mouth. "Your household will always be a barren one, and you will be forced to live in eternal spiritual torment, when your soul becomes unattached from this earth." The vessel seemed to rock more violently with each word the ghost spoke, to the point where April was thrown off her chair and into the pile of tied-up turtle brothers. No one uttered a word as Kaito Yoshiro's eyes faded back to their original green. Donnie was now fully awake and paralyzed with confusion. April felt a warm hand rest over her shivering one, not having to look to know that it was Raphael's.
The ghost patiently folded his hands in his lap, continuing without taking much note of the obscure outburst. "After Mika left me with those words, the spirits dissipated, and I felt the tension in my body melt away. We returned to our home, physically intact, but mentally devastated. Having a family meant the world to Chen, and the fact that she would never be able to have any broke her. She ended our engagement the next day, and moved to another town, striving to forget. I haven't heard from her since."
He closed his eyes. "I loved her, and it's because of my mistakes that she had to be miserable for the rest of her life. One day, I vowed to find her again, and make everything up to her."
April stood up amid the tossing ship. She spoke slowly, mentally shaken by the tale just told. "So, this isn't a revenge story. You just want to make it up to her."
The crescent returned, as the ghost looked amicably into her eyes. "That is where you come in, Miss O'Neil."
Any feeling of remorse April felt towards this spirit was immediately dashed as the red-head was reminded of her current predicament.
"You want April?" Donnie squeaked. They were the first words he had uttered since he had become conscious, and were so innocent and full of worry. April was reminded that he had been completely incapacitated during their entire adventure above deck as well as the majority of their adventure below. She knew that he must be terrified not knowing where he was, or how the shell they had gotten tied up. But no, that wasn't the first thing he was worried about. The purple turtle was concerned for the well being of the girl in the silk kimono who was unbound by ropes. It broke her heart knowing he cared for her so much, and that eventually, she'd have to break his.
"How does April fit in to this?" Raphael growled.
"Isn't it obvious?" the ghost chortled. "I mean to take her as my daughter and return to live a normal life with Jian Chen!
A collective huh? went through the five and April didn't know what she found more ridiculous: the fact that Yoshiro wanted to basically adopt her against her will, or that he somehow thought they could all live a normal life together. After throwing a quick look to the brothers, she could tell they were thinking the same thing.
"When Hamato Yoshi wrecked my vessel, I figured out the perfect way to have my revenge and be united with Chen: I would steal Yoshi's own daughter for my own!"
Once again, the five looked to each other, none of them wanting to correct the excitable demon's obvious misinformation.
"I can see several things wrong with this plan," mumbled Raph.
April's brow furrowed. "You're crazy if you think I'm willingly going to go along with this."
Yoshiro guffawed. "I figured you'd say that. You're strong spirited, just like Chen. That's why I brought your friends along."
With a quick snap of his fingers, Yoshiro was gone and the turtles with him. April scrambled out of the cabin, running as fast as she could despite the garment restriction and wobbly walkway. Upon reaching the storming deck, the red-head spotted Yoshiro floating at the bow of the boat, suspending the struggling turtles midair.
"Come with me, Miss O'Neil," called the ghost as the wind whipped April's ears, "or your friends will be taking a little swim in the churning waves of the tempest."
"Don't do it April!" Donatello called. The other three followed with the same advice.
"Go ahead, Yoshiro," spat April. "They're turtles, they'll just swim."
"At first, maybe," cackled the ghost. "But the waves in this storm are different from any storm you have ever seen. No human has survived it's unforgiving tow." April gasped, and even the turtles were silenced by this possibility. "Give it up, April O'Neil. You have nowhere to go."
The wind pulled at the tight, sopping kimono as April looked out on the horizon. She knew there was no other alternative than to give herself up. Living with the ghost and his mentally plagued ex-fiancé wouldn't be so bad, as long as her friends were safe. As long as Raphael was safe.
The ship jolted and April was pushed into the side of the ship. Regaining her balance, the red-head steadied herself on the thin piece of wood that separated her from the violent grey sea, and it was then she began to force her brain to sort through possibilities. It was her Yoshiro wanted, but if she cooperated, there was still no trusting that Yoshiro would peaceful return his strongest leverage against Splinter. If she didn't cooperated, April just had to hope that they could swim damn near perfect to survive this storm. They were turtles, after all. In April's flustered state, her mind figured that there was one solution with a higher probability of success, and that meant she would have to be uncooperative.
But how? For a brief second, the red-head considered openly refusing the ghost's offer, but what after that? There was no way to physically resist or escape and Yoshiro would end up forcing her to do his bidding. April would be thrust into the role of adoptive daughter while the turtles took a swim in their best chance at escape. Maybe this was the only way for her friends to survive.
Once again the ship rocked and all balance was thrown to the wind. April grabbed hold of the ships edge, her face thrown parallel to the rocking waters. But, as she looked out onto the sea, a wild, and terrible idea popped into her mind. There was no guarantee that she would make it out alive, but it didn't matter; she refused to give Yoshiro what he wanted and this was her friend's best chance at escape. As her mind was made up, April had time to throw one last farewell glance at Raphael, whose eyes had never strayed from hers. His emerald saucers widened as he received her mournful look, realizing what she was about to do. His mouth open to shout, but Raph felt all words ripped from his throat at the sheer thought of never seeing her again. The nauseating vessel and cut off circulation from his bindings was a pleasant sense, compared to the pain of his shattering heart. April smiled a bit, in spite of herself. She knew Raphael was worried for her, and she knew that he probably wasn't figuring how this would save him in the end. But April also knew this was the best shot at success.
As, Yoshiro turned back to address the raving red turtle, April saw her chance. Stepping up onto the edge of the ship, freedom was just within reach. Each gust and splash was inviting, begging for her to join them in the churning ocean. Inhaling deep, April closed her eyes
and gave in to the wind.
Well that was interesting and mentally draining to write. I've had the idea for this chapter stuck in my head for a long time and I was so excited to finally be able to add it to the story. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take quite as long and I can tell you now there will be much more Raphril to come!
Favorite/Follow/Review! I love to hear from you guys!