Hey there folks! I did say there was another chapter before the end! So here it is!
Enjoy!
Chapter Fourteen
A couple of days later, Pandora sat on the swing seat looking out at the forest as the sun was setting with a sad look on her face as well as holding a photograph of herself and Jade that Kemeko had took of them.
The Japanese human girl had kindly printed the photo to give to Pandora hoping it would cheer her up, but it did very little.
She was wearing some shorts and her leg was bandaged. After they had returned to the Farmhouse, Donatello had cleaned and dressed her leg and told her she needed to rest it.
As Donatello had tended to her, she told her parents, grandfather, uncles Casey, Leonardo and Donatello, and Aunt April the full story of how she and Kemeko had found Jade and how she had been keeping Jade secret in the barn and how they had looked after her whilst they searched for Jade's family.
"So that was why you were extra helpful when cleaning up!" Monalisa had said "You were taking scraps to your secret pet!"
"And I had been hoping you had decided to be more helpful for good!" Raphael had muttered.
Despite his outburst earlier, he had decided when they got back, he wasn't going to yell at Pandora, even though the others were scared he would.
Splinter had even requested before Raphael soothed his worries not to scream at Pandora as even though she had worried them all with her escapade, she hadn't done anything seriously wrong.
But Raphael had sat down with Pandora in her room and had a very stern word with her on how he was so worried and how he along with everyone else before they realised what had happened, were so scared they had lost her.
"Honestly Pandora, all the escapades and adventures you've been on, you could write a book!" he had exclaimed at the end "You're not a fully trained ninja and you've had more adventures than myself, your mother, Uncles, grandfather, and Aunts have had your age!"
That got a slight chuckle out of the saddened hybrid, but she was still upset Jade was gone.
Also, April and Casey had managed to get Hatchet back to his home along with Mitch and had made sure he was alright.
To their relief and to the mutants' reassurance, when Hatchet had regained consciousness hours later, he didn't remember any of the incident that took place.
Though when he saw his gun was wrecked, he asked why, but April and Casey said they had been on a walk in the woods, then found him in the woods knocked out with the gun destroyed when they heard the bang and come to investigate.
Hatchet had then tried to remember what happened, but had no recollection, but he thanked April and Casey all the same for finding him and bringing him home and for looking after Mitch.
Mitch of course couldn't tell anyone what happened since he couldn't speak human or mutant for that matter, but he was a little skittish and April and Casey didn't blame him.
Pandora sighed as she continued to look out at the forest.
They were due to go back to New York tomorrow and it had hit Pandora hard that they were leaving, and she thought that she would never see Jade again.
The grown-ups and Kemeko were worried for the hybrid, as she had become a different person after the incident.
She barely touched her food, hardly spoke, or just sat on the porch or in her room feeling sad.
She even refused puddings which especially worried Michelangelo since she never turned down sweet dishes after meals, and she even refused to join in with a video game tournament with him.
It seemed nothing would cheer Pandora up, unless Jade was to come back.
Inside the farmhouse, Michelangelo sipped a mug of hot chocolate and looked towards the door whilst Kemeko was watching an episode of a Drama series on the television with the other mutants, April and Casey, although Donatello was reading a book on science in the armchair.
The purple masked turtle looked at Michelangelo.
"I really am worried about Pandora." His orange masked brother spoke softly.
"We all are." Donatello agreed looking towards the door, "Our little geisha hasn't been herself at all since Jade and her family left."
"She loved Jade so much." Michelangelo sighed "Poor kid, she reminds me of myself when Klunk passed away."
Donatello remembered all too well how upset the youngest turtle had been when his pet cat Klunk passed away, even though it was over thirteen years ago.
"Your niece did bond very closely with Jade." Splinter spoke up looking at his youngest sons "She didn't get to say goodbye to her properly, it will take a while for her to be herself again, we must give her time and space."
Raphael and Monalisa looked at each other sadly as they thought of their daughter, and Kemeko sighed.
Even though she loved Jade, she already knew she had to say goodbye to her eventually so didn't get too attached so seeing the Green Man cub leave had been easier on her.
But she knew Pandora adored Jade so much.
Leonardo stroked his adopted daughter's shoulder in comfort as well as with pride at how grown up and sensible she had been throughout the whole affair.
April stood up and looked out the window at Pandora still sitting on the swing seat.
"It's getting darker out there." She said, "She should be coming in now."
Casey bit his lip wondering if Pandora would even respond.
"Give her another ten minutes babe." He said, "It's not like she's away from the house, as long as she's on the porch, she'll be alright for a bit longer."
"She better stay there." Raphael muttered under his breath.
Even though Pandora had stayed close to the farmhouse since that mad day, he still had the niggling worries she would go off again even in her gloomy state.
Back outside, Pandora gently swung the seat by rocking her feet back and forth.
The birds had been singing their sunset chorus and it was very quiet, apart from the rustling of the leaves in the warm evening breeze.
"Oh Jade." She said to herself as a couple of tears fell "I wish I had gotten the chance to say goodbye to you, as well as say sorry for the fright you got from Hatchet and Mitch." She looked at the photo of her and Jade that Kemeko had taken in the barn and more tears fell.
"You were such a cute friend, I wish I could have kept you, but I knew you couldn't stay, and you knew I couldn't go with you."
She sniffed and looked back at the forest then up at the sky where she started to see a few twinkling stars appear in the purple/blue sky.
Normally on a night like this, she would be happy and relaxed as she loved the summer evenings, but she felt so low, not even this could lift her spirits and she kept thinking about Jade.
Looking at one of the stars that seemed to twinkle and shine brighter than any of the others, she brought her hands together and closed her eyes.
She would have scoffed at herself for doing this as she didn't believe in making wishes upon stars like in the Disney films, she and Kemeko watched but she felt it worth a try with the wish she had before she was to go home tomorrow.
"Starlight, starbright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight" she prayed softly "I wish I could see Jade one more time, even if it's once and only for a minute, just so I can say goodbye, and that I love her and that I'll never forget her."
She kissed her hands, then opened her eyes.
Pandora waited for a few moments then sighed again.
"I knew it wouldn't work." She thought resting back on the seat and looking at the photo "But it was worth a try."
Just as the hybrid thought of going into back into the farmhouse, her ninja senses picked up movement from the side of the farmhouse.
Pandora sat very still wondering if it was Hatchet and Mitch, yet she could tell it was one person due to the sound of the movement.
During her Ninja training, she had learnt how to tell if there was one or more person just by listening to movement in the darkness.
She looked to the side and to her amazement and delight she saw Jade!
"Jade?!" Pandora shook her head and blinked as well as pinched her hand to make sure what she was looking at was real and not her imagination.
"Jade!" she cried in happiness, and she got up from the swing seat and hobbled off the porch and over to the Green Man Cub who in turn trotted up to her and the hybrid embraced her tightly.
"Oh Jade! You came back! You came back!" she exclaimed "I'm so glad!" she looked up at the sky and grinned.
"Wow! Wishes can come true!" she thought as she looked at the star "I should do this more often!"
Just then, the door of the farmhouse opened, and April looked out and saw Pandora and Jade embracing.
"Guys!" she called back "Come and look!"
At once Casey, Kemeko, the turtles, Splinter and Monalisa came outside, and they saw the wonderful sight.
Michelangelo grinned and Kemeko beamed.
"Aww isn't that just precious?" Monalisa said as she leaned on Raphael who nodded in agreement.
Kemeko stepped down and walked over to join in the reunion.
"Heya you!" she said, "You came back!"
"That she did!" Pandora laughed as Jade licked her face.
Kemeko patted Jade's head and the Green Man cub nuzzled her hand in return.
The grown-ups watched from the porch and smiled warmly at the sight and Donatello took a few photos.
"For the album." He said, "It's such a lovely sight."
Splinter nodded warmly, yet he worried that Pandora would get sad again as he knew the Green Man cub had only come back to say goodbye.
It worried everyone as they watched yet they waited to see what would happen.
Pandora stroked Jade again then looked at the Cub.
"I'm glad you came back Jade." She said, "I've missed you so much, and I wanted to say that I love you so much and that I can only apologise for what happened with Hatchet."
"Yeah!" Kemeko agreed "That must have been scary."
Jade responded by licking Pandora and Kemeko's faces as if to say: 'It's okay!'
Jade also looked at Pandora's leg to which the hybrid reassured her that her Uncle Donatello had made it better and that she would be alright.
"Also." Kemeko said stroking Jade's neck "Hatchet and Mitch won't try and find you again, after the gun exploded and knocked him out, made him forget everything! So you're gonna be safe! You and your family!"
Jade grunted and her eyes sparkled showing she was pleased.
Pandora then looked grim.
"I guess you've come to say goodbye huh?" she asked.
Jade grunted and nodded her head.
Pandora sighed.
"I knew I would have to, but at least I can say here and now a proper goodbye." She hugged Jade tightly "I'm gonna miss you so much! That's a fact! I love you, Jade!"
Kemeko joined in the hug as well.
"I'll miss you too!" she said "It's been fun! We'll never forget you!"
"Stay safe, okay?" Pandora said nuzzling Jade's fur "Grow, thrive and I hope one day we'll meet again."
Jade licked Pandora's cheek as well as Kemeko's then started to walk towards the forest.
The two girls watched as the cub walked into the woods and waved to her.
The cub then stopped for a moment and looked back sadly then turned to the woods and began to trot into the darkness of the trees until she disappeared from sight.
Kemeko put her arm around her mutant cousin as Pandora sniffed and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"You did great Pandora!" Kemeko smiled softly although her eyes were watering "I'm gonna miss her too."
Pandora nodded.
"We may see her again one day." Kemeko reassured the hybrid "Or if not her, maybe her siblings or even cubs of her own!"
"I hope so." Pandora sighed then turned around to see her parents standing behind her with their arms out, she instantly walked over and hugged them to which they hugged her back.
"That's my girl!" Raphael smiled as he stroked Pandora's hair, "I'm proud of you!"
Monalisa kissed the top of Pandora's head and smiled sympathetically.
Leonardo in turn embraced Kemeko proudly and kissed her forehead.
"Come on Lotus." He said, "It's time to get ready for bed, we got a long journey tomorrow."
"We do indeed." Splinter agreed, the fur around his eyes was damp after witnessing that special moment between Jade and his granddaughters.
Monalisa chuckled as she looked at Pandora.
"You heard your grandpa Geisha!" she said.
Pandora nodded with a smile.
"Okay!" she said then started to walk towards the farmhouse "Man, I can't wait to tell Sonia, Freya and Loki about this!"
"Me neither!" Kemeko agreed "Sure has been an exciting time!"
As the girls chatted happily, the grown-ups watched them.
"It's so good to see Pandora happy again." Michelangelo smiled.
"Agreed!" Donatello nodded "I have to say, those two have started to have their own little adventures and they're not even fully trained ninjas yet!"
"Tell me about it!" Casey agreed "Well Pandora's had a few escapades and Kemeko's not far behind!"
The others agreed.
"Getting lost in the sewers as a toddler, the encounter with the kids that Christmas ago!" Michelangelo made a list "The time Dr Abigail Finn returned and kidnapped her and me! The Ninjet Incident with Rattletrap, her encounter with the V5! Her going topside when she wasn't supposed to but finding that map that lead to an attempted burglary at the Central Park Zoo."
"Oh, and the poachers she and Loki stopped when they went camping here last year in the late Spring!" April reminded them.
"Oh yeah!" Casey exclaimed "That girl sure has gotten up to a lot and she's not even fifteen!"
"I said she could write a book with all she's done!" Raphael said, "But, I hope just for once she will settle down and not worry me so much!"
"Likewise!" Monalisa agreed.
Leonardo laughed.
"Don't wish for the moon bro!" he said punching his brother's shoulder playfully "But I too, hope she calms down too or at least slows down before she embarks on another escapade, well hopefully Kemeko can keep her in line for a bit."
"Let us hope so my son." Splinter said softly "Let us hope so."
The End
Awww! Another happy ending!
Jade came back to say goodbye to her friends before they had to return to New York and Pandora's her happy self again!
Raphael is right when he said she could write a book with all the adventures she has had and she's not even a full trained ninja yet! Lol!
Just so everyone knows the fics that involve Pandora's adventures and escapades are:
Getting lost in the sewers-Hide and Seek
Encounter with the kids-Pandora's Christmas Caper
Kidnapped by Dr Abigail Finn-Return of the Monster Hunter
The Ninjet incident with Rattletrap-Stowaways
Going Topside and finding the map-Bad Habits
Pandora and Loki stopping the Poachers-Camping Trip
Lol! A long list and a lot of adventures our young heroine has had! And I'm sure she's gonna have a lot more before she reaches her full protentional!
Also when Michelangelo mentioned his cat Klunk, that is reference to my fics 'Goodbye my Friend' and 'Never Forget Me'
And so ends 'A Secret Friend'
I do hope you enjoyed it! If you did, Leave a comment! Favourite the fic, and follow me to keep updated on new fics and chapters and I will see you in the next story! Have yourselves a great day! Bye!