Note: References to my Fanfic 'A Warrior's Journey' along with the TMNT 2003 episode 'The Ancient One' is referenced in this chapter.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Leaving for Japan
Meanwhile in her bedroom, Kemeko was packing a rucksack to prepare for her journey to Japan.
After she had been discharged from the medical bay yesterday, she along with Leonardo decided to get ready for their trip.
She was excited to go, but she was also nervous.
She had remembered the stories she had been told of her country of origin, and how she had expressed her desires to go there one day.
Leonardo had promised they would one day, when the time was right, and now it seemed it was the right time to go after all they had been through with the Shredder.
As she was deciding what else to pack, there was a knock at the door, and she looked up.
"Come on in!" She called.
As the door opened, Kemeko smiled to see her father enter.
"Hey Lotus." He smiled walking over.
Kemeko smiled at him and looked at her backpack.
"I'm almost done now." She said, "I think I got everything."
Leonardo smiled and stroked Kemeko's cheek.
"After everything you've been through, you need proper closure."
Kemeko sighed.
"It's just been so difficult," she said, "Coming to terms with the fact that I'm the granddaughter of the Shredder."
Leonardo sighed.
"I'm sorry you had to find out in such a hard way, I never wanted it to be that way."
"It wasn't your fault dad!" Kemeko said fervently "You were only honest with me, I just…I just wished I could have handled it better."
"You had every right to feel the way you did Lotus." Leonardo said, "I can't imagine anyone acting any different the way you did when you found out Shredder, the man we've feared and hid from, was your grandfather."
"He's not my grandfather." Kemeko said "Not by blood, there's only one I can call my grandfather, and that is Master Splinter."
Leonardo smiled.
"It really makes me happy to see you looking better." He said yet his eyes followed Kemeko's white streak in her hair, his fingers stroked it slightly.
Kemeko also looked at the streak and pushed it behind her ear.
"After you and Uncle T banished my nightmares, I have been feeling less scared to sleep, but the truth of my origins, still haunt me."
Leonardo took his daughters hands.
"But hopefully after this trip, you will start to feel peace again, as I did when I went there." He said, "And you won't be alone on this pilgrimage either."
Kemeko smiled back.
"I'm really happy about that." She said, "And I trust you to help me find peace."
"Well, we only got one more sleep Turtle child." Leonardo said "And Tyroth will escort us to the airport personally with Cam and Barry's help."
"You think we'll be able to get into the hold of the plane without being seen dad?" Kemeko asked in a worried voice.
"We should be able to." Leonardo said, "Trust me when I say, I've done it before, well the first time I travelled to Japan was by ship, but I feel that would take too long, so going by plane will be faster, and I did that when I returned from Japan the first time."
He remembered both times when he stowed away in the hold of the plane, it hadn't been easy trying to avoid the ground crew as well as make sure he could on the right plane, but he managed and Tyroth had said that Hacker was looking into finding the right airline and plane, so they knew which one to travel on.
"Don't worry Lotus." He said, "We'll get to Japan safe, Tyroth, Cam and Barry will be with us to get us there without being spotted."
"I trust them dad." Kemeko said "It's just going to be so strange; I've never been anywhere except New York or Chicago or the Farmhouse in Massachusetts."
"It's going to be a big change for you sweetheart." Leonardo replied, "But it's all going to be alright, I'll be with you, and we'll make it together to find peace again, I promise."
So, saying he gently pulled Kemeko into a warm embrace and they just held each other, feeling the warmth and comfort in each other's arms.
The following night in the hanger where the Ninjet was parked, Kemeko stood with Leonardo, both were wearing backpacks as she looked at her family, friends and her cousins who had gathered to say goodbye.
Splinter was looking emotional as he stood with Old George before Leonardo and Kemeko.
He remembered only too well when he had to say goodbye to Leonardo when he left for Japan those many years ago, it had been hard for him to send his eldest son away, but he knew it was for the best and for him to heal properly, and he only hoped it would be the same for his granddaughter.
"I am very proud of you both!" he said holding Leonardo's paw in one and Kemeko's hand in the other "I hope you will find the closure you need, as well as become as close as you were before all this happened."
Leonardo bowed.
"We can only do our best master." He said and hugged Splinter, Kemeko following suit.
"Good luck to you both!" Old George agreed "And be safe young ones!"
After Splinter and George had stepped back, Donatello, Raphael, Monalisa, Michelangelo and Jake walked over.
"Good luck Leo, Kemeko." Donatello said embracing them both, Raphael did the same before signing to them both that he wished them well and that they stay safe.
Kemeko reached up and hugged her uncle Raphael tightly.
"I hope when I return, I may hear you speak again." She said stroking the scars on his throat.
'I hope so too kiddo' Raphael signed then looked at Leonardo who looked tearful and hugged Raphael.
"I'd give you my voice brother." He said, "If I could."
Raphael nuzzled Leonardo in thanks, and Leonardo looked at Donatello and Michelangelo saying they would do the same.
Michelangelo then hugged Kemeko close.
"Be brave kid!" he said, "Look after Leo for us!"
"I will!" Kemeko smiled with a small chuckle.
Jake also flicked Kemeko's chin as he stood next to Monalisa.
"Have fun over there won't you?" he said "You're gonna see a whole new land!"
Monalisa kissed Kemeko's forehead, then stroked Kemeko's hair, her fingers tracing the white streak.
The Asian girl looked down.
"I'm still feeling terrible about what happened." She said "You, Uncle Don, Uncle Raph…. you suffered the most from the Foot, all because I…"
"None of that!" Monalisa said sternly but in a gentle voice "None of us blame you for what happened, you did nothing wrong, you didn't know the Foot would be out in the daytime hours."
"Exactly!" Jake agreed as he put an arm around Monalisa.
After he heard Monalisa had been discharged, he hadn't wasted any time in finding her after she and Raphael had spent a couple of hours in their room, and he was so relieved to see her out and awake.
"But still, I shouldn't have gone out…" Kemeko sighed.
"None of it matters now Lotus." Leonardo said placing his hands on Kemeko's shoulders from behind "What happened, happened, but you can't keep blaming yourself."
"He's right sweetheart." Tyroth's voice cut in and Kemeko turned to look at the dragon.
"You can't go back on the past, you can only move forward now and focus on healing."
As he said that, everyone else agreed.
"So true!"
"No point on looking back."
"Gotta move forward!"
"She's got to heal herself."
Pandora walked over along with Sonia and the Geckolings.
"You should think about getting better Kem!" Pandora smiled "You need this! You deserve to find peace!"
"Yeah!" Sonia agreed "You deserve this!"
"Totally!" The Geckolings said together.
"And remember to bring us back something nice!" Sonia clicked her tongue at Kemeko who chuckled.
Pandora then embraced Kemeko tightly.
"I'm gonna miss you." She said, "Little sis!"
Kemeko hugged Pandora back.
"I'll miss you too Pandora." She said, "All of you!" she said looking at Sonia, Freya, and Loki.
"Sure, not gonna be the same without you!" Freya said.
"And we were just about to become a team together." Loki sighed "Oh well, but when you get back, we'll be able to kick some bad guy's butt?"
"You bet!" Sonia said encouragingly.
Pandora hugged Kemeko close again then let go before giving her cousins a hug in turn, meanwhile Leonardo said goodbye to the Knights, his brothers, sister and sensei and everyone else who had come to say goodbye.
After five minutes and all goodbyes were said, Tyroth lead Leonardo and Kemeko to the van where Cam and Barry were waiting to go.
Leonardo and Kemeko climbed into the van, and they waved to their friends and family as Tyroth closed the doors.
"Stay safe love, all of you." Sephie whispered as she watched.
"Tyroth will make sure they get to the Airport safe." Amber said placing a hand on Sephie's shoulder "He knows what to do."
Pandora sighed as she watched Kemeko leave along with Leonardo, knowing how much she would miss her, as this was the first time, they were going to be apart for a while.
She then felt Sonia's hand on her shoulder for comfort as well as her mother's hand on her other shoulder.
As soon as Tyroth had closed the van doors, Cam and Barry started to drive away out of the hanger and towards the airport.
Tyroth looked out the back windows as he saw his family, friends and the Knights disappear from view, and he looked back at Leonardo and Kemeko.
Kemeko was looking rather nervous as well as sad.
"How are you feeling Lotus?" he asked.
"I don't know." Kemeko said as she stroked the white streak in her hair, "I feel a little scared, mainly because it's the first time I'm away from my family, it's just dad and I going out there on our own."
"Aww Turtle Child," Leonardo soothed "Believe me, when I left my family to go to Japan to do this special training, I was scared too, I had so many emotions within me, not just anger and resentment, but guilt as well as confusion, I couldn't believe how quickly things had changed."
He winced as he remembered how everything had led up to that moment, and how he had accidently hurt his sensei, and he looked at his shoulder where Kemeko had accidently hurt him in the same way.
Kemeko noticed and she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Dad I!" she said "I didn't mean to! It was an accident! You always dodge! But I…. I threw the knife and you…"
Tears came to the young girl's eyes as she remembered but Leonardo pulled her into a gentle embrace and nuzzled her.
"My Lotus." He said, "It's alright, it was an accident."
Tyroth helped by stroking Kemeko's hair and back in comfort.
"You didn't mean to do it." He said, "There's nothing to forgive."
"I'm not sure if I can." Kemeko whispered "I shouldn't have done it."
Leonardo sighed and hugged Kemeko tighter.
"Trust me Turtle Child." He said, "You will find it in your heart to forgive yourself."
After about an hour had past, Barry stopped the van and Cam got out hit the back of it with his fist.
"We're here!" he called.
Kemeko's heart began to pound, "we really are doing this?" she thought "Oh gosh!"
Tyroth looked out of the window, and he saw they were outside a wired fence and many planes could be seen on the large airfield.
Scanning the field, he saw a large white aircraft with a red symbol of a crane on the tail.
"There it is!" he said "Japanese Airlines! That's the one Hacker said would be flying direct to Tokyo!"
Leonardo's eyes lit up and he looked at Kemeko.
"You ready to go?" he asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be!" Kemeko replied, clasping Leonardo's hand.
"We'll need to find a way in without being seen." Leonardo mused "but we're ninjas Lotus, it's what we do best right?"
"Right!" Kemeko agreed.
Tyroth sighed as he looked at the turtle and young human girl.
"Safe travels to you both!" he said, "And let me know how you're getting on!"
"We will!" Leonardo said and both he and Kemeko bowed to Tyroth.
"And thank you Tyroth, for everything you've done for us since saving us in New York."
"Anything for our dear friends and family." Tyroth said placing a paw on his chest and nodding to the turtle.
"Good luck to both of you!" Cam said winking.
"Yeah!" Barry said waving at them, "Stay safe!"
"Thanks Cam, Barry!" Leonardo said then he led Kemeko away down the fence to find a way into the airport without being seen.
The Dragon, Rhino and Warthog waved to the due then saw them find a loose part of the wire fence to crawl under and they watched the turtle and human start to move stealthily towards the plane.
They never kept their eyes off the turtle and human until they lost sight of them as they vanished behind a cargo van near the plane.
"Man, I hope it goes well." Barry said softly.
"Me too, after all Kemeko's been through, I hope she finds peace."
"I agree." Tyroth said then turned to the two friends "Come on, we better go before anyone see's us!"
The Rhino and Warthog agreed and quickly headed back to the van.
So Leonardo and Kemeko have said their goodbyes and are heading to Japan, how will things go for them when they start their journey and their pilgrimage to find peace and find closure?
Well keeping checking into the chapters that follow, as we'll be following them as well as our heroes in Chicago as their enemies are topside.
See you then!