Note: Shout out to MergingEmperor7 for input in this chapter.
Chapter Eleven
Nightmares
Back in the medical wing, Kemeko was curled up in her bed, with Leonardo by her side.
The Blue masked turtle had fallen asleep in the put-up bed next to her.
For nearly three days he hadn't moved unless he had to.
April, James, and Dahlia had taken it in turns to watch over the patients.
Raphael even though he was awake from his coma was so depressed that he had no voice and the fact his beloved mate was still in her induced coma, that he was refusing food and drink and James's was worried that he would make himself ill.
Donatello and Monalisa's bodies were slowly recovering but not quite yet ready to be awoken which worried everyone.
Jake especially was scared for his sister despite the chimpanzee and wolf's reassurance that Monalisa was slowly improving, but it didn't stop the human man worrying that something could go wrong at any time.
Kemeko lay sound asleep for a while holding a Pokémon Squirtle plush in her arms, given to her by Freya and Loki so she had something to comfort her and sleep with, as when they were brought to Mutopia, apart from the rucksack the Knights had found in the Foot Headquarters that belonged to Kemeko, all the Hamato Clan had were the clothes on their backs along with their weapons and shell cells.
But the peaceful sleep didn't last as Kemeko moaned softly then began to stir in fear and discomfort….
"Kemeko…. Kemeko…"
Kemeko opened her eyes with a start and found herself in Mutopia's Medical Wing.
She stirred in her bed and looked up from her pillow.
She lowered her hand to her stomach, and she saw the dressings then looked around, only to find the room was dark, and the crystals weren't lighting the area and, she noticed there was no-one in the room but her.
"Dad?" she said fearfully and looked to the left of her, yet Leonardo wasn't there.
"James? Dahlia?" the Asian girl called fearfully "Aunt April? Anyone?"
Feeling nervous and determined to find her father, friends, and the rest of her family, Kemeko lifted the blanket and swung her legs out of the bed and onto the ground.
She was dressed in light blue pyjamas, and she felt a little cold, so she wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and started to walk towards the entrance of the Medical Wing.
"Dad?" she called softly, yet she heard nothing "Dad? Uncle Mikey? Pandora?"
She opened the door and started to walk towards the main square of the sanctuary, but outside, the crystals were not lighting the area and it felt so cold and unsettling.
If she had known the sanctuary, it was always filled with laughing, talking and hustle and bustle like any village on the surface, but this time, the place was silent and empty, almost like a graveyard and it scared the young girl.
"Uncle T?" she called nervously "Aunt Sephie? Freya? Loki? Sonia? Is anybody there?"
As she called out, her voice echoed around the village, and it was then she heard a scratching on the stone walls and her blood ran cold.
"Kemeko…"
Then she heard a deep growling voice and Kemeko went pale and turned around to see a tall, armoured man with glowing red eyes and a spiked helmet, one she recognised from only recently!
"Shredder!" she screamed in fear.
The Shredder laughed and stepped towards her and Kemeko turned to run, yet as she did, another Shredder appeared before her.
"No!" she cried seeing the second one.
This one too laughed, yet it sounded more feminine.
"What…what is this?" Kemeko asked in fear then turned to the side, her foot sliding underneath her, and she fell to the ground, yet she scrambled to her feet to run away, only to see another Shredder appear in front of her, this one around the same height as her and it cut off her escape route!
"What the?" Kemeko cried as she looked at the three Shredders that surrounded her and she searched for her weapons only to realise she was unarmed.
The first Shredder removed his helmet and Kemeko's blood ran cold as she saw the face of Oruko Saki!
"Did you really think you could escape me?" he asked "No matter what! You are my grandchild! And you will always belong to me!"
"No!" Kemeko screamed "I told you! I never belonged to you! I am no Oruko! I am Hamato!"
Oruko Saki glared.
"Do not deny your heritage! Daughter!" Kemeko turned to the second Shredder who removed her helmet and Kemeko felt her stomach plummet as she recognised the face behind the mask.
"No…mother…" she breathed "Oh no…."
Karai glared at Kemeko.
"You disappoint me!" Karai snarled "You denied what you truly are? You bring shame to your family!"
Kemeko was horrified.
She remembered the video that Karai had made for her, about how she had turned away from the Shredder and the Foot and married Chaplin to begin a new life, but that Shredder had taken it away then killed her for betraying him, this couldn't be her mother!
"But mother! Please!" Kemeko cried "you said in the video you left me…you didn't want to be part of the Foot anymore! You and Father…"
"Quiet child!" Karai snapped "You have betrayed your family! You must pay the price!"
"No! No! Mother!" Kemeko begged then tried to run but the smaller Shredder blocked her way and pushed her over.
Kemeko grunted as she hit the ground then she saw the smaller Shredder take off their helmet and to her horror, she saw herself!
"Oh God! No!" she cried in shock "No! You're…you're me!"
"All you could have been! If you had joined Oruko Saki!" her doppelganger sneered "We could have been so much better! Learnt more than what you would have learnt from the turtles and the rat!"
Kemeko glared up at the clone.
"No!" she spat "We learnt the ways of honour! And of love and respect! Not by the ways of greed and hate!"
"Honour?" the clone spat "Who needs honour? What matters is achieving our goals and ambitions!"
"You should have followed me!" Oruko Saki snarled "You could have had everything!"
"You disappoint me!" Karai said sternly "You are not my daughter!"
Kemeko gasped feeling hurt and scared.
"You could have been me! But you threw it away!" her clone shouted "And for what? For honour? And Family? You are a fool!"
"I am no fool!" Kemeko screamed "I am Hamato! I was never Oruko!" she turned to Shredder "I would never follow a Monster!"
"You could have had everything!" the clone screamed "Yet you turned your back! You will regret your words greatly!"
As she spoke the clone raised her bladed hands and glared down at Kemeko.
Kemeko started to claw away on her elbows to get away, then she saw the clone's eyes flash and turn into snake eyes then her mouth extended showing snake fangs!
At the same time, Oruko Saki and Karai started to laugh manically and Kemeko covered her ears in fear and frustration.
"No! No! No!" she screamed "Stop this! Go away! Leave me alone! Leave me!"
"You'll never escape us!" Oruko Saki's voice snarled "No matter how far you run! You will never get away!"
"We will follow you!" Kemeko heard the clone say.
"This will haunt you forever!" Karai added.
"No! No!" Kemeko kept screaming "Never! Never! Go away! Leave me!"
Kemeko screamed and kicked out as she was stuck in the nightmare.
Her dreams woke Leonardo with a start, and he jumped up and saw Kemeko crying and hollering.
"Lotus!" he cried and pulled her close to him, but she fought back against him as in her dream, she could feel the three Shredder's closing in on her.
"Let go! Let go of me!" Kemeko wailed.
"Lotus!" Leonardo yelled "Lotus! Turtle Child! Please! It's me! It's your father!"
He held Kemeko tightly but still she cried and screamed in terror.
At the same time, James appeared, and he saw Kemeko's condition.
"Oh good Lord!" he cried and he ran over holding a syringe with a plastic cover over the top which he pulled off with his teeth and tapped it with his finger to get rid of any air bubbles, before grabbing Kemeko's arm.
"Get off me! Get off me!" Kemeko screamed as she felt James grab her arm "Leave me alone! Leave me alone!"
With difficultly James held Kemeko's arm straight whilst Leonardo held her close, so he could get to a vein, and he inserted the needle before injecting a sedative.
He had to do it quickly because there was a risk Kemeko could break the needle as she flailed around.
Luckily, he was able to empty the syringe of its contents.
No sooner did he do so than Kemeko started to get sluggish as the drug did its work, and she stopped fighting and fell into Leonardo's embrace.
Leonardo kissed his daughter's forehead and nuzzled her hair whispering comforting words to her.
"It's okay Lotus." Leonardo soothed "You're safe, I'm here, I'm here…I'm not going anywhere." he then began to rock Kemeko softly, then hum a Japanese lullaby that Splinter used to sing to him and his brothers when they were children.
As he did that, Kemeko started to relax and she slumped back onto the pillow, with Leonardo still holding her close.
"James!" the Chimpanzee looked over his shoulder to see Dahlia appearing in the doorway of the sickbay ready to take over the next shift so James could get some rest.
"James? Is everything okay?" the wolf asked as she saw her mentor looking pale and slightly sweaty.
"I…I am fine my dear." James replied, "We just…just had a situation."
Dahlia walked over and observed Kemeko who was still resting limply in Leonardo's arms as the turtle continued to comfort her.
"Is it as bad as we think?" she asked.
James sighed.
"I'm afraid so." He said, "Her physical wounds might be healing, but her mind is still hurt badly, mental wounds take much longer."
"That is true yes." Dahlia agreed "We as medics can only do so much, I believe that when it is needed, spiritual healing is going to be needed, for Kemeko, and for young Pandora."
"And for Raphael too." James added "And for Donatello and Monalisa when they awaken."
Dahlia looked to the room where Donatello and Monalisa slept, along with Raphael.
"How is Raphael?" she asked.
"Still very depressed both over losing his voice and being worried for his brother and mate, and he's refusing food, yet he had taken water and some protein shakes." James reported.
Dahlia sighed again then she looked at James.
"I think I got an idea." She said, "That might help, if possible."
The Chimpanzee turned to his nurse and protégée.
"You do?" he asked, "What is it?"
Poor Kemeko, as James believes, her mental wounds need more time to heal, much faster than her physical wounds. The same can be said for Raphael, yet Dahlia believes she has an idea to help the turtle.
Yet what is it? Find out in due course!