Forbidden

Chapter 11 - The War Begins

- So sorry guys for the really late upload, but this one is super long so I hope you enjoy xx -

Now that our secret was out, I thought the worst of everything was over. Little did I know the biggest wave was about to hit...

Karai sits in the dojo, legs crossed, watching Donnie and I take each other on. Raph and Mikey sit on the opposite side of the room waiting patiently for their turn, while Splinter stands with his hands behind his back.

"Hajime." He says. Immediately Donnie and I charge at each other, Donnie holding his staff steadily and me clutching my Katana's tightly. With an almighty swing Donnie tries to knock me down, but I swiftly dodge it. He tries again, only this time I jump over the top of him, landing behind him and kick him down from the back. Donnie lands on the floor with a thud, but before I can finish the battle, he rolls out of the way and hits the back of both my knees, sending me to the floor instead.

As I lie there, feeling almost helpless, a surprised look crosses Donnie's face. "Hey! I won!" He says. I take this moment to claim back my victory, and sweep my legs under his, knocking him to the ground and pointing my katana at his surprised green face.

"Ya mei." Splinter says, signalling the end of the fight. Donnie's position eventually relaxes, but when he stands his head slumps into his shoulders. I, however, stand tall and proud; not only because I just won the fight, but because I won the fight in front of Karai. Donnie turns around, a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Just once, just once! Can you just let me win once?!" He whines. Karai giggles as I wander over and sit beside her. Splinter stands in front of us, tapping his twisted staff on the floor to get our attention.

"Congratulations on your win, Leonardo." He says. He suddenly begins pacing back and forth in front of us. "There is a great lesson to be learned here." He stops in front of Donnie. "Donatello had the upper hand, and he would have won if Leonardo had not caught him off guard." He continues to pace. "In the middle of a fight, you must never allow yourself to become vulnerable to the enemy. Vulnerability leads to weakness, and weakness leads to what could be a fatal defeat. Against an enemy like Shredder for example," Karai suddenly flinches at the sound of her father's name. I put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and she turns and smiles in return. "A mistake like that could mean the difference between life and death."

I turn to look at Karai. She's nervously biting her lip, concentrating hard on something. I gently touch her leg and she flinches. I give her a concerned smile. "Is everything okay?" I ask. She places her hand on mine and nods, trying to smile.

April suddenly enters the dojo. "Hey guys!" She says cheerily. "What's going on-- GAH!" She suddenly collapses on the ground, holding the top of her skull like her head is about to burst. We all rush to help her, Splinter getting there first.

"April!" He says. "April, what is the matter? What do you see?"

She groans as she clutches her scalp tightly, her head tucked to her chest. "I see..." She stutters. "I see.. NO!" She suddenly gasps as her psychic fit ends. Everyone crowds closer to her, both eager to hear what she has to say and worried about her as well. She's breathing heavily, almost as if she'd just been pulled from water after nearly drowning. "It's Doctor Cauffield." She says, her eyes full of worry. "Shredder's after him." She swallows a dry lump in her throat, almost unable to speak. "He's planning to kill him."

Everyone gasps as I stand and race out of the dojo, headed to grab my Katana's. I'm closely followed by Karai. "Leo!" She calls. "Leo stop!" She tries to grab my arm and slow me down. "Will you just stop!?"

I stop dead in my tracks and turn around, a burning glint in my eye. "I will not allow Shredder to take Frank's life; especially after he saved Splinter's." As I turn back around, Karai grabs my arm.