Hey Readers, we return once again to Leonardo and Kemeko in Japan, and Kemeko is about to visit the resting place of her parents, How will this go?
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Hello from the Afterlife
In the home of the Ancient One, Kemeko stood before Leonardo as he looked upon her.
She was wearing the pink and purple kimono and some of her hair was done up in a bun and decorated with decorated hairpins and the white streak was loose and hanging down over her forehead delicately.
Leonardo smiled as he looked her over and stroked under his daughter's chin.
"You look so pretty." He breathed.
"I love it dad." Kemeko said "The Kimono is really lovely."
Leonardo smiled and stroked Kemeko's white streak.
Kemeko looked at the streak then at her father with a small smile.
"I've taken a leaf out of Pandora's book." She said, "It might be a reminder of something horrifying, but I have risen above it, and I won't let that evil man win!"
Leonardo smiled and kissed Kemeko's forehead.
"You make me so proud." He said, "I'm so glad you have that current mindset, you are so strong."
"Well, my child, if you are ready, shall we go?"
"I'm ready." Kemeko said and bowed before Leonardo and Leonardo held out his hand which she took, and they began to walk towards the entrance of the house and into the garden.
Leonardo felt tears come to his eyes as he looked upon his adopted daughter, looking so beautiful in her kimono and looking down at the ground with a content look on her face.
For a moment, he was starting to imagine himself walking her to a future where big changes were about to happen, almost like he was holding the arm of a bride, and he was giving her away to a groom.
Yet this wasn't a wedding, but he was walking her to the spot where her parents were buried and she was going to meet them for the first time, and she was to hopefully find the peace needed to feel herself again.
He wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen, but he was ready to guide her all the way.
All the way to the graves, no words were spoken, but Leonardo walked his daughter there slow and gracefully like a father walking his daughter down the aisle to give her away.
It was a short walk, but it felt like a lifetime and before long they arrived at a beautiful peaceful spot under a cherry blossom tree in an open space where the sun could shine down on it as well as rain fall upon it.
There were five headstones, three were silver grey and two were white and there were Japanese figures on them along with some carvings of flowers and stars.
Also four of the graves looked like they were joined together as there were rings of stones around them, apart from the one on the far right which was the Ancient One's grave.
Leonardo could tell which one was which and he led Kemeko over to them and pointed at them.
"We're here Lotus." He said, "The final resting place of your grandfather's sensei Hamato Yoshi, his love Tang Shen, Yoshi's Sensei, the Ancient One, and your parents, all five, lying side by side and undisturbed."
Kemeko swallowed a lump in her throat, and she let go of Leonardo's arm and walked over to the graves of her parents and lowered herself to her knees and she reached out to touch the stones.
She could read clearly what they said:
Dr Chaplin
Taken from this world too soon.
An intelligent and brilliant mind
A Brave and strong Soul
Together in death with his beloved Karai
Sleep in eternal Peace
Oruko Karai
Lost in the world but finally found her path.
A Warrior of true honour
Loyal, Brave, and true till the End
Together in death with her beloved Chaplin
Sleep in eternal Peace
Kemeko reached out and stroked the graves then looked at the earth before resting her hands on it.
Leonardo watched and knelt by Kemeko and touched her shoulder.
"Kemeko." He said making Kemeko look up at him.
"Are you ready to meet them?"
Kemeko narrowed her eyes confused.
"Meet them? I thought I had?"
Leonardo gave a knowing smile.
"I know what you're thinking Turtle Child, that just seeing their graves was meeting them, but I'm going to give you the chance to see them for real."
Kemeko blinked.
"What?" she asked "How?"
Leonardo stroked Kemeko's hair.
"Trust me Lotus, I'm going to give you the chance to see them, and talk to them, and get the answers to the questions you have."
"How?" Kemeko asked "How is that possible?"
"You forget Lotus." Leonardo said, "This is a very sacred and spiritual place, and you saw the Ancient One here, I have the ability to help you reach your parents through our meditation."
Kemeko stared at Leonardo.
"Can you do that?" she asked, "Can you help me reach my parents?"
Leonardo nodded.
"Turn to your parent's graves and close your eyes."
"Huh?"
"Trust me."
"I do father…."
Kemeko sat before her parents' graves and took a few deep breaths and she felt Leonardo's hands on her shoulders.
"Breathe with me Lotus and focus on your parents." She heard him say.
Kemeko nodded and she relaxed and breathed along with Leonardo.
She wasn't sure how he was going to do this, but she was ready to go along with what he had planned.
"I wonder if this is something he learnt with the Ancient One here, or even with Tyroth?" she thought as she continued to breath along with Leonardo and close her eyes.
As she did so, she felt a breeze around her.
At first, she thought it was the wind, but it seemed more controlled and like it was stroking her skin and hair.
She then felt a warmth spread through her from Leonardo's hands to her shoulders and she felt like she was floating.
Kemeko wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there but she opened her eyes and looked around.
She found herself in the garden, yet it was still and there was no wind in the trees, yet the blossoms from the trees continued to fall like snow.
"Dad?" she asked, "What's happened?"
She placed her hand on her shoulder to feel for Leonardo's hands, but she gasped as she didn't feel them.
"Dad?" Kemeko cried as she turned around and she couldn't see him!
"Dad?" she asked in fear then stood up "Where did you go?"
She looked around the garden then turned back to the graves.
"Kemeko." A soft female voice was heard and Kemeko blinked as she heard that as it was one, she had heard before, recently but only on the DVD that she had played only weeks ago.
"Where are you?" she called.
"We're here sweetheart." Kemeko looked back at the graves, and she took a step back in shock as she saw who was standing there.
It was a tall young Japanese woman with straight black hair that came halfway down her neck and just above her shoulders, her eyes were wet but shining with happiness, and next to her was a tall American man wearing glasses with red brown hair and a goatee.
The woman was dressed in a red and white Kimono with red and white flower decorations in her hair and the man was wearing a white suit with black shirt underneath.
Kemeko stared at them both silently and took in their appearances, and she remembered the photographs her family had shown her of them.
She then recognised them as a few tears filled her grey eyes.
"Mum?" she asked to which the woman nodded with a smile.
"Dad?"
The man smiled and nodded.
"Karai and Chaplin." Kemeko whispered "You…you're my parents, my real parents!"
Karai nodded then she and Chaplin held out their hands to Kemeko.
"Come Kemeko." Karai said "Come, walk with us."
Kemeko looked at them both and looked behind her, then she cautiously stepped over to Karai and Chaplin and placed her hands in theirs.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Nowhere exactly." Chaplin said as he and Karai gently pulled Kemeko towards them and began to stroke her hair and cheeks.
"Oh, my beautiful daughter, you are as pretty as your mother, you have her ebony hair and her eyes."
He then touched the white streak and he looked saddened.
"I'm sorry you had to find out the hard way." He said, "You were to know the truth like your mother, and I wanted, but not like this."
Kemeko looked down.
"I heard the whole story from dad, I mean Leonardo." She said, "He told me what had happened to you both, how Shredder killed you both, because in his eyes you had betrayed him."
Karai nodded.
"Shredder believed we had betrayed the Foot, but we hadn't, we saw the error of our ways when we helped your family fight a great evil long ago, and we made peace, then Chaplin and I decided to leave and start a new life together, and that involved having you."
She cupped Kemeko's cheek and stroked it.
Kemeko felt the tears fall again.
"it's not fair mother, father." She said, "It's not fair Shredder took you away from me!"
"I know baby." Karai soothed "And we spent many times here watching you from afar, it broke out hearts that we couldn't be a family the way we wanted."
"Your mother is right Kemeko." Chaplin said, "We would hold each other and weep, knowing we could never hold you and care for you like we wanted to, we had to watch you grow up from afar."
"But as much as we were heartbroken." Karai continued "We both knew you were in safe hands."
She smiled.
"Leonardo has done us proud raising you so well to be the strong and beautiful girl you are."
Kemeko looked down then up at her parents.
"But I still did so much damage when I ran away from home, and got caught by the Shredder, I was just so angry and heartbroken to know I was related to that evil man! And he tried to kill my family, like he killed you!"
"Oh, my darling Kemeko." Karai said softly shaking her head "you did nothing to disgrace your family, you were very brave when you tried to save them, and you fought honourably in that battle."
Kemeko lowered her head sadly.
"I wish I could turn back the clock and it never happened." Kemeko whispered "I should have taken it better when I learnt the truth."
She then felt herself get pulled gently into an embrace and she felt the warmth of her parents' bodies as they held her close.
"You had every right to your feelings child." Karai whispered, "And now after so much pain and suffering of the aftermath, you are here to heal."
"And we will help you, and give you closure." Chaplin said.
Kemeko looked at them both and she felt them take her hands again.
"Walk with us for a while Turtle Child, and we will start the journey…" Chaplin whispered, "And by the end of it, you will feel healed." Karai ended.
Kemeko has seen their graves and now Leonardo using his skills in meditation has helped Kemeko reach her parents spiritually! The Turtle Child has been her birth parents for real in the Spirit World.
How will this experience go for her? Well Tune in to find out.