Chapter 25
Conflicted
Leonardo couldn't believe what he was seeing. It couldn't be Karai, it just couldn't, and yet, there was no mistaking it.
It really was Karai, down to the last detail in her facial features.
However, there was no sign of recognition in her eyes, only confusion, but not the same kind as Leonardo.
Quickly shaking off the shock, the woman reached for her weapons in hope of being able to quickly subdue the turtle and make her escape, but her plans were even quicker foiled, for a large hand took a strong and firm grip around her wrist.
"No need for that." said Tyroth, having flown over to the roof together with Sephie when they noticed that Leonardo had confronted the spy. Sephie stood a few feet away from the others, with her bow ready, just in case.
"We don't want to hurt you, but we would like some answers." Tyroth continued.
The woman's eyes darted from one mutant to the next, and aside from the still shocked Leonardo, the other two were clearly a threat to her, perhaps even too great of a threat. She quickly weighed her options, and came to the conclusion that even if she had been discovered, she still needed to survive in order to deliver her report to her master.
And since the reptiles claimed not wanting to hurt her, like water, she choose the path of least resistance, and complied with their demands.
"Very well." she said and raised her hands. "I will not resist."
With that issue out of the way, Tyroth let go of her wrist as a small show of trust and Sephie lowered her bow, though she didn't put it away, just to be on the safe side.
By that time, Leonardo had finally recovered from his shock, but the revelation still haunted him.
"Tell me something… Truthfully." he began. "Are you Karai? Oroku Karai?"
"Karai?" Sephie said. "But, didn't she-"
"Hold that thought, Sephie." Tyroth interrupted.
"Well, are you?" Leonardo asked again.
The woman stared at him for what felt like an eternity.
"I do not know how you have learned that, but you are correct. I am indeed Oroku Karai."
"But how is that possible? I was there when-"
"Leo, let's continue this conversation another time." Tyroth interrupted yet again. "There many questions that I too want answered, but there are better places to have them than on this roof."
"I… yes… Yes, you're right." Leonardo said, understanding what Tyroth was after.
"Let's head back to the inn with our guest here. I'm guessing she could do well with some home-cooked food, and we can all exchange questions in the mean time."
"You would invite me into your homes?" Karai asked sceptically.
"We are not enemies, are we? And I, for one, have no intentions to make you one. Besides, any traveller are welcome to rest here in Mutopia, as long as they don't cause any trouble."
"I'll tell Louie to prepare another plate." Sephie said and hurried ahead of the others. But that was only a part of the truth, the real reason she went ahead was to quickly talk with the rest of Mutopia.
It was common knowledge amongst them regarding what had happened to the other Karai, the late mother of Kemeko, but that didn't mean that it should be brought up in conversation with this Karai, at least not at the moment.
Luckily, when Sephie entered the inn, she saw that the youngest of them, namely Pandora, Freya, Loki and Kemeko, were nowhere to be seen. They had walked over to James' clinic with some food for the injured orcs, whom the teens had taken a great interest in, and were probably talking with them about just about everything.
While the kids would be told about the new Karai eventually, it was not a good time at that specific moment. There was more than enough to deal with as it was.
By the time Tyroth, Leonardo and Karai entered the inn, the Mutopians had been briefed and told to not mention the other Karai, though it was hard not to notice the slight shock of recognition of the faces of the ones that knew the other Karai.
Luckily, what caught Karai's attention the most, was not that, but a specific rat in a corner that had several feet of thick string tied around his snout, much to the disgruntle rat's annoyance.
"So, were you sent by someone to spy on us, or are you here on your own accord?" Tyroth asked casually as he, Leonardo and Karai sat down at a table with some food.
"You assume a lot." Karai answered.
"You wouldn't be the first sent here to investigate us." Tyroth continued. "I'm going to make another assumption, based on both your attire and your features, and that is that you come from the Empire of Kiosho."
"That fact is obvious." she stated calmly. "Yet, for visitors from another world, it is impressive how much you have learned about this world. And you are not wrong in that I am here to investigate you. The Emperor is very interested in where your loyalties lie, among other things."
"All we want is to live our lives in peace. Thus, our loyalty is not exclusive to any one nation." Tyroth explained. "While we are in debt to Torgalia for being allowed to live on their lands, we have not sworn any kind of fealty to them, nor do we share their relation to other nations. We try not to involve ourselves in the politics, and want to remain neutral, unless we specifically are affected by something."
"I see."
"Got any other questions? I would imagine that there should be several."
"There are. However, I have one personally." Karai said, and turned to Leonardo, which caused the turtle to feel a mix of feelings. "When you discovered me, which itself was an impressive feat, you recognised me, knew me by name even. How is that possible?"
"Back in our world…" Leonardo started, trying to hide that he was starting to sweat under her gaze. "There was also an Oroku Karai, and she looked exactly like you do. So it was simply a mix of mistaken identity and a large coincident."
"A Doppleganger?"
"In a manner of speaking, but not quite. Either way, she was a friend of mine."
"Then I understand your reaction."
As Karai had most of her questions answered, the night grew even later, and most of the Mutopians had retreated to bed with more following suit shortly, while Karai was given a room in the inn for the night, and the promise of a tour of the village the next day once they were all rested.
However, not all were able to rest.
Leonardo lay in his bed, twisting and turning as thoughts plagued his mind constantly, preventing him from falling asleep. Not even attempts at meditation to clear his mind could help.
Eventually, he couldn't take it any longer, so he got up and got dressed, before leaving his house.
For quite some time, he walked through the village in the pitch black night, though the cool air did little to ease his mind. Eventually, he found himself outside Dragon Hall.
Bringing his hand up to the door to knock, he hesitated and instead withdrew his hand. Not wanting to wake everyone up, he walked around to the side of it until he found what he wanted.
Picking up some small pebbles, he started tossing them at a specific window on the second floor. After about a dozen pebbles, the window opened, and Tyroth stuck his head out to see what was going on, only to have another pebble hit him on his forehead.
Spotting Leonardo, Tyroth looked at the turtle, leaned against the window frame and started tapping his fingers against it.
"Can't sleep, I take it?"
A few minutes later, Leonardo was sitting in the study together with both Tyroth and Sephie, both of which wore robes. With a few candles illuminating a portion of the room, the three mutants spoke in lowered voices as to not risk waking up any of the others living in the hall.
"My apologies for waking you at this late hour. But I need to talk to someone about this."
"So we've noticed." Tyroth said, fixing his eyes on the turtle.
"But why us, and not master Splinter?" Sephie questioned.
"Normally, I would got to him with any problem I might have, even though I have made the mistake of not doing so a few times in the past. And while he would have answers, I am honestly not certain they would be the right answers in this case. Besides, we've allowed both him and George to effectively retire, and this might even concern the safety of the village, in a worst case scenario. And since Tyroth is the leader now…
"Thanks to you." the dragon interjected.
"Anyway, it's actually more so Sephie that I would want advice from in this matter."
"Me? How so?" the gecko asked.
"If I recall, when you were human, you studied to become a psychotherapist or a counsellor. So I believe that you will better equipped to help me with this."
Sephie sat silent for a moment, processing what Leonardo had told them, before she came to the obvious conclusion.
"It's about Karai, isn't it?" she said, and Leonardo nodded.
"Which one?" Tyroth asked.
"I… I'm not sure…" Leonardo stared into one of the flickering candles, as if seeking an answer in the flames. "Both, I guess…"
"I can imagine that this has stirred something inside you." Tyroth continued. "As you explained it when you told us about the Shredder's return, and Kemeko's origins, you held Karai in your arms when she died. And now, you come face to face with another Karai."
"But is she really Karai? The real Karai, I mean." said Leonardo.
"I think she is, and so were the Karai from our world." said Sephie. "I'm thinking that she's just this reality's Karai, just as our was our reality's Karai. I mean, Mikey have met super hero version of you turtles in their own reality, just to name one."
"That's true, but it does little to ease my mind."
"Okay, how would you describe your relation with our Karai?"
"In one word? Complicated. She's been so many things to me over the years. Enemy. Honourable enemy. Rival. Ally. Friend."
"The two of you must have shared a strong bond of some sort, otherwise, I'm not so sure that ritual we did so you could speak to her spirit would have worked." Tyroth said.
"I suppose we did." said Leonardo, thinking back. "She came to us in her time of need, maybe more so to me than the others. The others were sceptical of her, and with all right, and maybe I should have been as well, but I just couldn't turn her away, not when she needed my help. And not in the state she was in, being pregnant with Kemeko."
"And once Kemeko was born, Karai gave you the honour of being the child's godfather, and later adoptive father." said Sephie.
"Kemeko means the world to me, but I still wish that her mother was still alive. They both deserved to be together, as mother and daughter, as it should have been, and… I miss her."
"Did you love her?"
"...I… I don't know… maybe I did, still do…"
"What happened before she died, Leo?"
"Before the battle, it was a calm before the storm. I comforted her, reassured her that we would make it. Then, we… we shared a kiss…" Tears started to form in Leonardo's eyes as he remembered that specific moment. "… Yes… I think I loved her, at that very moment, I think I truly fell in love with her… I just…"
"You never got the chance to really pursue those feelings, or properly share them with her."
"No…"
"So you gave all the love you had to Kemeko, loving Karai through her daughter in a way."
"I promised Karai I would…"
"And now that we've found this Karai, all those feelings have resurfaced again?"
"Yes… I know she isn't our Karai… my Karai… but my heart aches just from seeing her face, hearing her voice… it longs for her… but it isn't her, not really… even though she reminds me of how Karai was when we first met…"
"Okay, well, what I'm going to suggest might sound strange, Leo, but listen to what I have to say." Sephie began, gaining Leonardo's undivided attention.
"This Karai will probably stay here a day or two more, so why don't you try to get to know her a bit better."
"Sorry, Sephie, but I fail to see how that would help."
"Look, I know she was sent here to spy on us, but so was Ragnir originally, and proving to her and her superiors that we're not a threat to them is very important, but that's not why I suggest this. If you spend some time with her, maybe, just maybe, you will be able to process your mixed feelings.
I'm not saying that you should try and woo her, just get to know her, learn who she is. It is possible that she might be just as the Karai you used to know, or she might be far different from her, but that is for you to discover.
Since you're Tyroth's steward, it should fall well within your duties to give her a tour of Mutopia, and while you do that, you could always try to talk with her a bit."
"That seems… reasonable. But then what? What if she isn't like my Karai? Or what if she is?"
"I'll be honest, Leo, this is a very unique issue, well beyond anything I would ever had encountered in a normal life. But, the way I see it, if she isn't like the Karai you knew, I think just properly experiencing that will help you move on and accept that she isn't the same. And should she be the same Karai only on a different path and world, then it is not impossible that you might have a second chance."
"But it wouldn't be the same."
"No, it never will. What you and Karai had, that's something that you may never have with anyone else, not even another Karai like this one. Your relation was formed from your experiences together, and any relation with this Karai must grow from new experiences the two of you would share, if you go down that path.
I shouldn't have to tell you this, but you can't make her feel the same way as you do, and if anything is to happen between the two of you, it mustn't just be consensual, but it must also have to take its time, just as it did the first time.
Take the time you got and see what happens. Show some interest if the signs are there, but practice a little restraint. Seeing her as just a copy, a substitute for the woman you lost, is disrespectful to both of them."
"And when she inevitably leaves to deliver her report on us?"
"Invite her to return, as a guest, and a friend, regardless what Karai she might be.
After that, let time tell what happens."
Leonardo sat silent for a while, again staring into the candle's flame.
"These... were not the answers I wanted… but I think they were the ones that I desperately needed. Thank you, Sephie."
"Any time, Leo." she said with a smile, only to yawn shortly after. "Well, almost any time. This might be a bit too late, even for us."
"I believe so too. Again, my apologies for all this, and thank you."
With a bow, Leonardo left as quietly as the ninja he was, leaving the couple to return to bed.
"Poor Leo. This can't be easy for him." Sephie said.
"No, it sure can't, but I think you gave him some much needed help in dealing with it."
"I really hope so, hun. And I also hope that I didn't make things worse. For any of us."
"Like you said, time will tell."
"Yeah, I suppose it will. Still, is it wrong of me to wish that Leo and this Karai become a couple?"
"No, everyone has the right to be happy, and if those two were to get together and be happy, then all the better for them. If it happens."
"You're right. We'll worry about that when the time comes. Let's get some sleep."
"One of the best ideas I've heard all night. Sweet dreams, love."
"My dreams are about you, and they are always sweet, hun." Sephie giggled softly before sleep finally overtook her.
As you might have guessed at the end of the last chapter, Leo seeing another Karai shook him pretty greatly. And based on what happened in Bloodrayne666's stories 'A Father's Lament' and especially 'Karai's Legacy' the two were very close near the end.
We'll see what path fate takes them on in this world.