Note: Better get your tissues or prepare your sleeves as this chapter is rather heartbreaking.
Chapter Twelve
Is It True?
In the medical room, Donatello cleaned Raphael's cuts as well as soothed Pandora's bruises with some cream, he also checked Pandora's throat where she had been grabbed by the Arden clone and apart from some marks where she had been grabbed, there was no serious damage.
"I thought he was going to kill you, Pandora!" Raphael said in a worried voice as he looked at his daughter.
Monalisa said nothing as she helped Donatello stitch up a couple of deeper cuts on Raphael's arms, yet she was thankful that her daughter was okay.
"He wasn't going to kill me daddy." Pandora replied, "He said it himself before Kemeko put her tanto through his brains."
"Biggest weakness of the enemy is when they monologue." Donatello muttered not taking his eyes off his work on Raphael's arm.
"It's the mission of Shredder, Arashi and Arden to bring us in to be killed rather than in the field." Monalisa agreed "So we can be tortured then killed."
Pandora rubbed a little more cream on her neck then looked towards the door of the Medical Room.
She thought again about Kemeko and Leonardo and wondered how they were getting on.
"I hope she's alright." She thought to herself.
Up in Kemeko's bedroom, Kemeko stood still and quiet as she stared at her father and grandfather.
Leonardo bit his lip, and he held up the wedding photo of Karai and Chaplin.
"I know I have told you the story of how you came into this world Lotus." He said, "Thirteen years ago and I still remember it like yesterday."
Splinter nodded in agreement.
"But there is a lot you do not know." Leonardo said, "Such as why you were born amongst mutants, and why your mother came to me and why the Foot know her."
Kemeko swallowed hard as she got ready to listen.
Leonardo forced himself to look at Kemeko and he remembered Karai's words to him when she took her last breath.
"Don't hide the truth from her, she needs to know about Shredder, about me, how I was in league with him, don't hide anything, don't sugar-coat it, tell her everything, nothing but the truth."
"Karai…your mother, and Dr Chaplin, your father, your real father, they were in the employ of the Foot."
The words felt like sour thorns in his mouth, but Leonardo spat them out.
Kemeko's eyes widened, and the colour drained from her face, and she shook her head.
"No…" she said.
Leonardo felt his heart pounding so hard it hurt but he went on.
"Karai was second in command to the Shredder." Leonardo continued "And she led the Foot in Japan when Shredder came to the United States fleeing his enemies."
He then went on to explain how they officially met as well as several conflicts they had whether it was general fighting each other or other underworld gangs or dangers in New York.
He spoke of the brief alliances, as well as the battles they fought and the enemies they faced yet how they still remained on oppisite sides but with a mutual respect to each other.
When Leonardo spoke about how after they believed to have defeated the Shredder for good and how Karai had stabbed him by accident, as he remembered that incident, he touched his shoulder where his shell had been chipped, and he could almost feel the same blade that stabbed him.
All the while, Kemeko just stood and stared, tears falling from her eyes and her mouth hanging open.
"After a while, Karai and Chaplin left the Foot and never associated with them again, it was in that time Izo Arashi took over, we never thought we would see them again, until thirteen years ago…"
He was about to speak again but Kemeko spoke first making him jump slightly.
"But…how…why was my mother involved with the Foot in the first place?" Kemeko asked in a small voice.
Leonardo sighed again, knowing this was the part he was dreading.
"The reason is…because…." He paused "Because Shredder found her as a lost child and took her in….and raised her as his own!"
Kemeko shook her head, and she felt a little dizzy to which she grabbed her chest of drawers to hold herself steady.
"No…." she spluttered "No…NO! You mean?"
Splinter nodded and Leonardo spoke to confirm.
"Yes." he said, "Karai was the Shredder's daughter…and you are his granddaughter."
Kemeko gasped and it was too much for her and she fell on her knees and gripped the sides of her head, digging her fingers into her hair in anguish.
"No!" she cried "No! No! No! It's not true! It's not true! Please tell me it's a lie! I'm not related to that monster! I refuse! I fucking refuse!"
Leonardo and Splinter went rigid as they watched, and Leonardo couldn't stop the tears that fell, and he instantly got up from the bed and knelt on the floor reaching out for Kemeko.
"Lotus…" he said "I…I'm so sorry!" he reached for her but Kemeko pulled away from him.
"Don't touch me! Tell me it's a lie!" Kemeko sobbed "It's a lie!"
Splinter stood up and went to assist but Kemeko snapped her head up, the look of total devastation on her face and he felt uncomfortable.
"I'm related to that thing?" she asked in a choked voice "That creature that has tried to kill us and take over New York for years, the one you trained me and Pandora to be ready to face when we were ready to fight the Foot? The One who is the employer of Izo Arashi, Dr Arden and those disgusting Venomous Five mutants?"
Leonardo nodded.
"I'm so sorry Kemeko!" he said, "Believe me when I say this, I've dreaded telling you the truth about your parents, and the reason for their deaths and why myself, your uncles, aunt and grandfather here..." he gestured to Splinter "Have raised you since you were a baby."
He took a breath.
"The Shredder and the Foot are the reason your parents are dead." He said "After they left the Foot they became traitors in their eyes and they managed to track them down, they killed Chaplin but Karai whilst she was pregnant with you fled and she came to us, she begged us for sanctuary as the Shredder was planning to steal you from her when she had given birth then kill her."
Kemeko couldn't speak as she was so shocked.
Leonardo then continued.
"She stayed with us until she gave birth to you, and I was at her side the whole time, she named me your Godfather, and you were named Kemeko, Turtle-Child in honour of us."
Splinter sighed as he remembered that day and how proud he and his sons felt when Karai did that.
"Some months later, Karai decided to confront the man she once called her father, and leader, and she wanted to make him pay for what he did to her, to Chaplin and to you, I tried to talk her out of it, but she was adamant, so, we accompanied her, confronted the Shredder, the Foot, Arashi, Arden and the V5, she battled honourably, but in the end it cost her, her life."
Leonardo swallowed the lump in his throat as well as rubbed his eyes as he remembered that terrible day that still haunted him, the way the Shredder fatally injured his own daughter.
"We retreated and brought her back to the lair, Donnie tried everything to save her, but in the end, there was nothing he could do, I held her close as she left this world and I promised her that I would look after you, and raise you, as well as protect you, and she made me promise to tell you the whole truth."
Splinter nodded.
"Everything your father has told you is true Kemeko." He said, "And I know this is hard for you to accept and understand."
Kemeko lowered her head and sobbed.
"No…. No!" she wept "It can't be….no! I can't believe it!"
"Lotus…"
Leonardo reached out for his daughter again to try to comfort her, but she crawled away from him and got in the corner.
"Don't touch me!" she sobbed "Just…just leave me alone!" she pulled her knees up to her chest and lay in the foetal position.
Leonardo was shocked and hurt but he understood his daughter's feelings and he stood up, Splinter too backed away and placed a paw on Leonardo's shell.
He could see his eldest son was looking pale and drained.
"Come my son." He said, "Let her have some time alone, she needs time to process this."
Leonardo nodded silently, yet as he turned to leave, he placed a small photobook as well as a DVD on the bed along with a letter.
Kemeko meanwhile curled up on the floor and sobbed hard, not even looking up to see her father and grandfather leaving.
Outside in the main lair, Donatello, Raphael, Monalisa, Michelangelo and Pandora were in the TV area having drinks and snacks whilst they waited for Splinter, Leonardo and Kemeko.
Michelangelo had fixed Jasmine tea for everyone, although himself, Raphael and Pandora had decided on hot chocolate, and he had also put a couple of plates of Honey and Chocolate Muffins as well as an assortment of biscuits.
They had been quiet and weren't quite sure of what to say or do whilst Kemeko was being told the truth about her parents and her connection to the Foot.
Pandora sipped her chocolate and looked at the door of Kemeko's room then at her parents.
Monalisa and Raphael looked at each other, both shared the same agreeing look, then they looked at Pandora.
"Little Geisha." Raphael started but before he could say anything else, Leonardo and Splinter walked out of Kemeko's room and he, Donatello, Michelangelo, Monalisa and Pandora were shocked at Leonardo's look.
The blue masked turtle was pale and sweating and he was shaking like a leaf and Splinter was holding his hands in a bid to comfort him.
"Holy Shell." Michelangelo muttered.
"He looks awful!" Donatello said slowly standing up, he along with his brothers remembered how broken he had been before, two occasions was when he used his advanced meditation to find Monalisa's attackers all those years ago, and when Karai died.
"What the shell went on in there?" Raphael questioned.
"I don't know." Monalisa said "But it can't have been smooth sailing."
"Oh boy…" Pandora said softly "What about Kemeko?" she wanted to go and find out, but Michelangelo shook his head at her.
Leonardo meanwhile shook and he choked as he started to break down.
"Oh master." He wept "That was the hardest thing I've ever done! I feel like my souls been ripped to shreds!"
"I understand my son." Splinter soothed as he led Leonardo away from Kemeko's room and they got to the lower level before Leonardo knelt on the floor, Splinter joining him.
"You did well, you kept your promise to Karai."
"She hates me…." Leonardo wept "I know she does, because I never told her, and those creatures of that hideous freak of a doctor spoke of Karai before I could…this wasn't how it was supposed to happened! I never…. I never wanted it to be this way…"
"I know my son…. I know…" Splinter said then gently pulled Leonardo towards him and the turtle sobbed into the rat's lap.
Splinter said nothing but just stroked his son's head and shell to comfort him, all the while the other turtles, Monalisa and Pandora stood there watching in silence.
"Go to your room Pandora." Monalisa whispered to her daughter, not taking her eyes off Splinter holding the heartbroken Leonardo close.
"What?" Pandora asked surprised wondering why she was being banished to her room especially since she hadn't done anything to warrant being dismissed.
"Just go to your room for the time being." Monalisa said softly "Your dad and I will come and tell you everything later alright?"
Pandora soon understood why, and she agreed before quickly heading to her bedroom, yet as she did so, she glanced at Kemeko's bedroom door and wondered what went on in there as well as hope that her cousin/honoured sister was alright.
Oh boy...I've been building up this scene for a long time and now it has been written. I'm not afraid to admit I got emotional writing this.
Kemeko is now aware of her parents true death and her connection to the Foot, and that she is the granddaughter of the Shredder! It has been the most difficult thing for Leonardo to do, but he kept his promise to Karai to not hide anything from Kemeko.
Stay tuned to see what Leonardo had left for Kemeko on her bed, and how will things progress from here?