Heya readers
Sorry about the wait, but I had some writer's block with this fic, hope this chapter was worth the wait!
Chapter Five
Tell me what to do…
Once Leonardo was in the meditation room, he lit some candles and some incense creating a calming atmosphere.
He then walked over to the centre of the room, sat in the lotus position, and placed the photo in front of him.
"I just need advice." He thought to himself, "I need to clear my mind and decide what to do."
He relaxed and started to breathe slowly as well as clear his mind.
Part of him wished Tyroth was with him so the dragon could assist him with his magic, but Leonardo felt he needed to do this alone and use his meditation skills to the max.
"Karai…" he whispered "Karai…."
The Blue masked turtle wasn't sure if he could reach that limit without Tyroth's help but he remembered how he had used his skills to find his brothers those years ago, along with Monalisa's killers, if he could do that, he could do this now and here and reach Karai.
He took many deep breaths and tried to reach Karai, he focused and on her and her alone.
"Karai…." He whispered as he focused "Please hear me…. I need you, now more than ever…Kemeko is at that age I feel she is ready to hear the truth, and I need your guidance, more than ever…"
He continued to sit quietly, listening to the silence, and keeping his focus on Karai, as he did, he felt himself start to float, the same feeling he got when deep in meditation or about to go into a deep sleep.
"Leonardo…. Leonardo…."
Leonardo heard a soft voice call to him and in the darkness, he looked around, yet he couldn't find the source of the voice.
"Leonardo…. Leonardo…" he started to hear the voice more clearly and he recognised it as Karai's.
"Karai!" he continued to look around, yet he couldn't see her, yet he could hear her voice.
"I can hear you…but I can't see you." He spoke.
"It's okay Leonardo, you can't see me, but you can hear me, and I can hear you."
Leonardo took a deep breath.
"Karai… I desperately need your guidance, it's that time I've been dreading since the day I adopted Kemeko after you died, to tell her the truth."
"I understand."
"What am I supposed to do?" Leonardo lamented "I've been trying to prep for everything, I've rehearsed all the speeches I can give, I have the DVDs you left including the one for Kemeko alone, but I'm still stuck! I don't know how to sit her down and tell her!"
"Leonardo…I know this is hard, but she needs to know the truth, and you promised me, and I trust you will do your best…"
Back at the party, everyone was continuing socialising, drinking, and eating.
Tyroth was standing against a pillar sipping a drink and watching the children play together.
They had changed out of their smart clothes and were back in their casual wear so they could play more energetic games.
Loki was wearing black shorts and a red tee-shirt with a picture of Optimus Prime on it.
Pandora was wearing black jeans and a tiger striped dress.
Freya was in blue jeans and a green blouse, and Sonia was wearing baggy pink trousers and a tight white tee-shirt.
This time they were tossing a soccer-ball around as well as getting creative on how to throw the ball.
The Geckolings would throw the ball then try and catch it in mid-air by flying up to grab it.
Pandora would use her tail to bounce it as well as spin it on the tip.
Sonia also used her extending tongue to grab the ball and pull it towards her as well as bounce it on her tail.
Meanwhile Kemeko would use her feet to catch the ball when she did a handstand.
The Dragon laughed as he watched then he observed the other guests, and he wondered where Leonardo was.
He knew the blue masked turtle had gone to his room earlier and he wondered if he was still there.
After the talk he and Leonardo had had in the kitchen the night before, he knew the turtle was finding it hard to relax and enjoy himself as he knew what he was supposed to do.
"Have courage Leonardo." He said quietly "You will be okay; you can do this."
Back in the meditation room, Leonardo continued to sit there meditating as he spoke to Karai within.
"I'm scared Karai." He said, "What if she hates me?"
"She won't!"
"How do you know?"
"How can she hate the very one who has loved her, and cared for her and protected her all her life, and raised her to be the good honourable and strong warrior she has become?"
"But I've kept this from her for all her life, and all the time she's been told of the Shredder and the Foot, and how we've been enemies for a long time, she's going to have a real shock knowing she's got a connection with him."
"Not by blood Leonardo." Karai's voice said fervently "Remember, he is no man, he is a monster, an evil alien, he merely raised me when he found me abandoned."
Leonardo sighed as he remembered.
"My only connection is that he was a father figure to me after he took me in, I am not born of blood, and neither is Kemeko to him, she is merely connected because of my connection to him, her real family is with you and your family, she is a Hamato, not Oroko!"
Leonardo sat still for a moment letting Karai's words sink in.
What she said was true.
Karai had been a homeless and frightened girl in Japan and the Shredder had found her and decided to take her in then train her to be as ruthless and a merciless fighter like him, as she clarified, she wasn't blood related to him, but she had been adopted by him, like Kemeko had been adopted by Leonardo after Karai's death.
"She is who she is because of you Leonardo." Karai spoke "She is a good person, raised to follow the path of honour, as I said before, I wished I had been found by someone like your Master Splinter or Hamato Yoshi himself."
Leonardo smiled softly as tears welled in his eyes.
He remembered Karai telling him herself how she wished Splinter had found her, or that she went with Leonardo and left the Shredder long ago.
She had said it when he had taken her in and when she was dying in his arms.
"Trust in yourself Leonardo." Karai's voice was heard again "Tell Kemeko the truth, and whatever the outcome, no matter what she says to you, she loves you."
Leonardo took a few deep breaths then nodded.
"I will." He said "I promise…"
"I'll always be with you Leonardo…. always…."
"I'll do my best Karai…." Leonardo promised "I will….I swear!"
Leonardo opened his eyes and he found himself back in the meditation room.
He sat there for a while and tried to gather his thoughts as Karai's words ran through his head.
"Hamato…. not Oroko…" he said to himself "Hamato …. not Oroku."
Meanwhile, the children were continuing to throw the soccer ball to each other when Sonia suddenly hit it too hard with her tail, and it rolled away from the main lair.
"I got it!" Pandora shouted and she sprinted towards the ball.
She soon caught up with it outside the meditation room and as he bent down to pick it up her ninja ears pricked up as she heard her uncle Leonardo speaking within.
She paused and held her breath as she listened.
"I must tell her…. not tonight though, I'll let her enjoy her birthday."
Pandora frowned as she listened.
"Uncle Leo?"
She crouched down and continued to listen.
"I'll talk to her maybe tomorrow, or should I wait until next week? Damn! Damn Damn!"
As Pandora listened in, she wasn't sure what her Uncle Leonardo was talking about, but she knew it was something about Kemeko.
"Pandora!"
Freya's voice brought her out of her thoughts.
"Pandora! What are you doing? You getting the ball or not?" Loki joined in.
Pandora shook her head and looked over her shoulder.
"Sorry guys!" she called out "I'm coming!"
She picked up the ball and turned to run back to the others, yet as she did, she thought about what she had heard from Leonardo, and she looked at Kemeko who grinned excitedly.
"He was talking about Kem!" she thought "But why?"
"Hey Pandora!" Sonia's voice called to her "You okay?"
"Huh?" Pandora asked "Yeah, I'm fine!" she tossed the ball to the chameleon and got back into enjoying the game, yet her thoughts still lingered on what Leonardo was saying in the meditation room.
"What was he talking about?" she thought "What is he going to tell Kemeko?"
Leonardo has entered meditation to reach Karai and ask for help, but Pandora as she's passed the meditation room has heard him talking.
Talk about walls having ears!