Note: The characters in this chapter belong to Tyroth Darkstorm, also the flashback scene comes from my fanfic 'Sharks and Ninjas' Check my page to read it!
Chapter Fifteen
Confiding in Friends
Loki flew towards Sonia's playroom as fast as he could, he still couldn't believe what he had heard from his parent's room, and he was pinching the back of his hand thinking he was just dreaming, but when he didn't wake up, he decided to accept that fact and went to find his twin sister and cousin.
Meanwhile in Sonia's playroom, Freya was sitting on a beanbag reading a book on Viking History and Sonia was sitting on rocking chair with her eyes closed listening to some music through her earphones.
As Loki entered both girls almost jumped out of their skins.
"Loki?" Freya asked as she lowered her book and saw her brother looking rather flustered.
"You alright Loki?" Sonia asked as she pulled her earphones off her head, her relaxed green skin tone going yellow with curiosity "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Loki looked over his shoulder and quickly shut the door.
"Girls! You'll never believe what I just heard!" he said, making sure the door was fully closed and quickly walking over to the chameleon and geckoling.
"What?" both girls asked at the same time.
Loki sat both girls down on the floor and he told them what he had heard outside Tyroth and Sephie's room.
When he told them about Kemeko being the Shredder's granddaughter, Sonia and Freya stared at him in shock.
"You're kidding us, right?" Sonia asked, her skin tone still yellow yet it started to turn blue with worry.
"You're having us on!" Freya added.
"I swear I'm not!" Loki replied, "I might be named after the Norse Trickster God but I'm not tricking you here!"
Both girls looked at each other, then back at Loki.
It was true, they agreed that Loki would never joke about something like this, hell, even Percy, as big a prankster he was, would never joke about this either.
"Odin's Beard!" Freya gasped.
"By the Gods!" Sonia added.
"It's insane right?" Loki asked "Like…who would have thought?"
"Do you think the other Mutopians know?" Freya asked "Gramps? The Chicago Knights?"
"I can't see why they wouldn't." Sonia said "Well, if I'm right in guessing, the Chicago Knights yes, and Gramps, for sure! Given how close in the circle they are with our New York friends.
"And what about Pandora?" Loki asked.
"I'm sure she'd know too!" Sonia said.
"Do you think we should ask her?" Freya asked.
"Hang on a sec!" Sonia said raising her hands at the Geckolings "I'm not sure asking her right up is the right thing to do."
"Why?" the Geckolings asked.
"Well, I don't think it's appropriate right now." Sonia explained "Like, she's going to want to know how we know, and I doubt she's going to want to hear that we heard it by accident because someone happened to be listening in!"
She glanced sideways at Loki when she said that, and Loki gave a sheepish look.
"We should let her come to us!" Sonia ended.
"I suppose that's a good idea." Freya agreed after taking a moment to think.
"And we must keep quiet about our knowledge as well!" Sonia said "If Uncle T wants to tell us, he will! Unless Pandora comes to us and we 'find out' from her." She bent her fingers as she spoke.
"Agreed!" Freya said.
"I say we pinkie swear!" Loki said holding up his little finger, and at once Sonia and Freya did the same.
They linked pinkies and made the promise then Sonia looked at the twins.
"And we should make sure we're there to support Kemeko in her time of need." She said, "After such a huge shock, she's going to need it!"
"Valhalla yes!" Loki agreed and Freya nodded.
Back in New York, Pandora walked over to Kemeko's room to speak to her cousin/honoured sister.
She was worried about her, as well as her Uncle Leonardo after what her parents had told her.
She walked up to Kemeko's door and bit her lip.
The Hybrid remembered a few occasions she had gone to comfort her cousin, and one of those occasions was when Kemeko thought Leonardo had been killed during a battle with the Foot, one she remembered all too well.
It was about two years back when some Shark mutants had come to New York as an enemy of theirs was working with the Foot and they worked together to stop them.
Flashback
Pandora stood outside Kemeko's bedroom door, after the Asian girl had stomped off to her room in tears, she decided to follow her, pressing her ear against the door to hear Kemeko inside sniffing.
She lifted her hand and gently knocked.
She waited for an answer, but heard nothing, so she tried again.
"Kem? Kemeko?" she called "Can I come in? I just want to talk?"
"GO AWAY!" she heard Kemeko's strangled voice from within.
Pandora sighed.
Part of her wanted to leave and let Kemeko have some space, but she didn't want to just leave and not talk to her human cousin.
She felt guilty about how she had been so excited she was to finally be in the field with her family fighting bad guys and how proud she had been to save them along with Kemeko's help, and she hadn't given any thought to Kemeko's feelings.
The Hybrid took a deep breath and got ready to defend herself just in case and she turned the knob before gently opening it and she saw Kemeko laying on her bed with her back to the door sobbing into her pillow.
Pandora sighed again and gently walked over.
She could see the blow-up bed and sheets where Leonardo had slept on the floor next to Kemeko's bed because she had been scared to sleep alone after that scary night.
She approached Kemeko's bed and sat down looking over at Kemeko who was curled up in the foetal position and still sobbing into her pillow.
"Kem?" Pandora said placing a paw on Kemeko's shoulder "Kemi?"
But Kemeko didn't answer, nor did she flinch at Pandora's touch.
"Kemeko." Pandora said again "If you don't want to talk, that's fine, but just hear me out, okay? I'm sorry if I've said anything or done anything to upset you at breakfast, I know how you feel, after yesterday's big scare, I remember how frightened I was when dad was attacked by the mutated ninja, if Ripster and Uncle Donnie hadn't worked together to get an antidote…" she paused "I don't know where I'd be…I love my dad so much, just as much as you love Uncle Leo."
Kemeko sniffled and said nothing, and Pandora wondered if she was listening.
"I was just as scared as you Kemeko!" Pandora said fervently "I was! Remember? And You and Streex were there for me that day?" she stroked Kemeko's shoulder "And now I want to be there for you! I'll listen to you, and we can help you feel better alright? Isn't that what friends, cousins, honoured sisters are for?"
She then waited for a few moments.
Kemeko was silent but she stopped sniffling and looked up from her pillow to look at Pandora.
The Asian girl's eyes were red and wet, and her nose was running, and Pandora saw a box of tissues on the bedside table which she handed to Kemeko and the human girl gratefully took some and blew her nose and wiped her tears.
"That's better." Pandora said giving a small smile then she held her arms up to Kemeko who then moved towards her and snuggled into her arms.
"Look Kem." Pandora said, "I'm sorry I was insensitive at the table, and I'm sure Uncle Mikey, Streex, Jab and Slammu are too, we didn't realise just how scared you were."
"I was like my world was going to end Pandora!" Kemeko croaked "Thinking dad had perished in that explosion! After the death of my real parents, Leonardo is the only parent I know! He's been there for me! Just as Uncle Raphael and Aunt Monalisa are there for you!"
"But you've got them too!" Pandora reminded Kemeko "Them, Uncle Mike, Uncle Don, Uncle Casey, Aunt April, Grandad Splinter and don't forget everyone in Mutopia!"
Kemeko nodded and gave a small smile.
Pandora hugged her cousin.
"Look Kem." She said "I'm really sorry, it's true, I am excited that the mission went well, and we all, you included saved the city and the world from Dr Paradigm's plan to mutate the humans! We're all heroes! And so are you!"
"I didn't do much!" Kemeko replied "If you remember, you lead the way, you did the fighting! I was a damsel in distress!"
"But you helped find the technology! You downloaded the maps onto our phones! You helped fight Nile Monitor and Cobra! And you freed Dad and Uncle Donnie and the others whilst I fought the Seavites!"
Kemeko said nothing as she listened, and Pandora grinned.
"See! You were a hero too! As Uncle Casey said we both deserved a cheer! And you're gonna be one badass ninja when it's your time to shine!"
"Honest?" Kemeko asked.
"You betcha!" Pandora smiled and hugged Kemeko tightly causing her human cousin to smile.
"I got faith in you Kem!" she said seriously "We all do! And we're gonna be the best of teammates! As Uncle Tyroth told us, you, me, Sonia, Loki, and Freya are the next generation of fighters!"
"That's true!" Kemeko agreed looking up and smiling a genuine smile through her tears.
"I know yesterday was frightening for you, it was for me too, but we came out on top! And your dad's indestructible! As was Ripster! If your dad could survive that! He can survive anything!"
Kemeko laughed and hugged Pandora.
"Thanks Pandora." She said, "I love you, big sis!"
"I love you too!" Pandora replied, "And remember, I'm always here for you, you know that!"
"I know!" Kemeko said.
End Flashback
Pandora lifted her hand and knocked on the door.
The she waited, but there was no answer.
The hybrid tried again, but again nothing.
"Kem? Kemi?" she called "It's Pandora, I just want to know if you're alright?"
But again, all she heard was silence.
The hybrid placed her hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it, but she felt a paw on her shoulder, and she almost jumped out of her skin.
The Hybrid turned around and she expected to see her parents behind her, but to her surprise, it was Michelangelo!
"Uncle Mike?" she squeaked.
"Sorry kiddo." Michelangelo apologised "Didn't mean to scare you, what are you doing?"
"Checking in on Kemeko." Pandora answered, "I'm worried about her!"
Michelangelo sighed sadly as he gently pulled his niece away from Kemeko's door.
"I know you're worried Tigeress." He said, "We all are, but this has been a huge shock to her, and we need to give her space and time."
Pandora was hesitant but she reluctantly agreed.
"I just want her to know I'm there for her!" she said, "Mum and Dad said we all need to be, both for her and Uncle Leo."
"I know Pandora, I know." Michelangelo said pulling Pandora into a gentle hug "And we will, but they both need time to heal."
Pandora nodded as she hugged her uncle.
"Will they be okay Uncle Mike?" she asked looking up at him.
"They will be Little Geisha." Michelangelo replied, "They will be, they just need time."
An hour later, Pandora sat in her room after speaking to Michelangelo, there was about an hour to go until suppertime, so she decided to get in touch with Sonia, Freya, and Loki in Mutopia about what had occurred.
After sending a text to Sonia, she opened her laptop computer and logged into skype to talk to her cousins.
She didn't have to wait long before she got a reply from Sonia saying she was ready, and Pandora clicked the call button to begin the chat.
In Mutopia, Sonia, Freya and Loki waited for Pandora's response as they watched the screen of Sonia's computer and before long, they saw it, the screen lit up with Pandora's Skype icon.
"I think she knows!" Freya said in worry "That's why she's calling!"
"No doubt about it!" Loki agreed.
"Both of you! Shush!" Sonia hissed as she answered the call and she saw her turtle/lizard hybrid on the other side.
The chameleon hit the receive call and Pandora appeared on the screen.
"Hey Sonia!" Pandora called in the most cheerful voice she could muster.
"Heya!" Sonia responded yet as she looked at her cousin, she saw the hybrid looked pale and worried and she could only guess what had happened.
"Are you okay Pandora?" she asked.
Pandora placed her fingers on her temples, and she took a few deep breaths.
"Sonia." she said, "Are you alone or are Freya and Loki with you?"
"We're here too!" Freya said coming into view of the camera with Loki.
"We're all here!" Loki added and the twins stood on either side of Sonia.
"Hey Freya! Loki!" Pandora called with a wave of her hand.
"What's going on?" Sonia asked.
Pandora took a few deep breaths, and she told her cousins everything.
"I never realised it Sonia, Loki, Freya." She said, "She's the granddaughter of the Shredder…I can't imagine her shock!"
"Us neither!" Loki said, "That's really shocking!"
"For sure!" Freya agreed "But trust our word, Pandora! We won't speak a word of this to anyone!"
"You have our Promise!" Sonia added.
"Thanks guys!" Pandora said, "I trust you, and I will keep you updated, I promise!"
"Good luck Pandora!" Sonia said, "And if you need us, we're on the other end, okay?"
"For sure!" Pandora agreed "Thanks Sonia! Freya, Loki!" She winked at them, then hung up.
As the screen went blank, the twins and Sonia looked at each other in worry.
"Do you think everything will be okay?" Freya asked.
"We can only hope." Sonia answered, "But we will keep our cell phones active, just in case alright?"
"For sure!" Freya and Loki agreed, and they checked their cell phones to make sure they had them on full alert, just in case.
So Pandora has confided in her cousins of what has transpired, well when in our darkest times, our friends are who we rely on right?