Forbidden

Chapter 13 - Just a Mirage?

After losing Karai, I felt like I would never be able to see the light of day ever again. Little did I know the massive bombshell that was about to fall right on top of me.

"It was her, I'm telling you!" I shout, waving my arms in the air dramatically.

"Karai's dead, Leo. You didn't see her." April replies softly.

I growl quietly before planting both my hands on the top of my head, and start pacing across the room. Raph, Mikey, Donnie and April sit in front of me, worried looks plastered across their faces. Donnie sighs.

"Leo, maybe this is your way of dealing with the grief?" He says. "I've read that when people are grieving they can sometimes imagine seeing the one they lost and--"

"I didn't imagine her!" I snap, cutting him off. "She was there! I saw her! She isn't dead!" Raph shakes his head, and I give him a cold glare. "Why won't anyone believe me?!"

"We all saw the warehouse cave in on her and Shredder. There's no way anyone could have survived that." Raph says, folding his arms across his chest.

I sigh, shaking my head and I begin pacing again; flashing back to a few hours ago:

*Flashback*

I'm crouched on top of a rooftop, knees pulled close to my body. After a very long debate with Splinter and my brothers, I had been forced to go up to the surface by myself to get some fresh air, in the hopes of maybe helping me get over Karai. Instead, I'm in the exact same position as I was in my room - crouched, reflecting on memories and trying to refrain from crying again.

The brisk breeze makes my bandana tails flap beside my face, but it doesn't bother me. Nothing bothers me anymore.

I'm nothing but an empty shell.

It's almost as if all my emotions were sucked out of me the moment I saw the building collapse on Karai. It's like my soul has left my body, and it's now floating somewhere between here and heaven. In the meantime, I'm just going to sit and crouch here until someone comes to get me.

I think about Karai, and everything about her that I loved - which was pretty much everything about her: the way she could fight, her sarcastic and occasionally crude sense of humour, her love for bending and breaking the rules, the way she smelt like cherry blossoms...

That's the thing I loved most about her.

The sweet, woody aroma that would follow her wherever she went, like a little lost puppy. It added a touch of femininity and sensitiveness to her otherwise tough exterior. It was the one thing that I could identify her by, one thing that was hers and hers alone. And, ultimately, it's the one thing I miss about her.

I lift my head to look at the luminous full moon in the deep blue sky - the only thing to provide any light other than the street lamps that lined sidewalks of this city. As I stare at it, I imagine Karai's face imprinted on it like a stamp. Suddenly, a rogue tear escapes my eye as the pain of knowing she's really gone strikes me down again. I don't even attempt to wipe it away; there's no point. It'll just be replaced by hundreds of others that are sure to come.

Suddenly, I hear voices below me. My ninja skills kick in, and I suddenly forget my moment of sadness. Stealthily, I peer over the corner of the building to see an army of Foot soldiers unloading a truck full of boxes. Among them is a dark hooded figure, directing them where to go.

I watch as they silently unload the truck, placing the boxes in an alleyway. When they're finished, the hooded figure closes the doors and the truck drives away. I narrow my eyes as they round up all of the foot soldiers, apparently giving a new set of orders.

Suddenly, my nose picks up a delightfully familiar smell. I sniff a few times to get a clearer idea on what it could be.

Sweet...

Woody...

Floral...

Then it hits me.

Cherry Blossoms.

Suddenly the whole world seems to grind to a painful halt as I try to comprehend my senses. It was the exact same fragrant scent as Karai - unmissable.

I look closer below as the hooded figure prepares to lower their hood. My heart is beating out of my chest, anxious to see if my gut-instinct is right.

As they lower their hood, my stomach turns to knots and my eyes widen to the size of small saucers. I cover a hand over my mouth as I stare at the person underneath the hood, almost unable to comprehend what I'm seeing.

"Karai?" I gasp.

Sure enough, there she stands. She orders the soldiers into the alleyway, before looking around and putting up her hood again, following her soldiers into the alley.

I'm stunned.

I'm in total and utter shock.

I watched as she brought down an entire building on top of herself to save me and my family. I went through the rubble and I never found a body. I saw the pain and fear in her eyes the moment the roof started to cave in. She couldn't have survived.

But she did.

*Flashback over*

"I swear on my life, it was her!" I argue, planting my hands on my hips. Raph rolls his eyes. "I saw Karai ordering a bunch of foot soldiers to unload a truck and then put the goods in an alley. She looked straight at me!"

"Did you blow her a kiss?" Mikey jokes, looking to the others for a round of laughter. They all give him stone cold glances, instead.

I roll my eyes. "I'm telling you guys! I. Saw. Karai."

"No. You. Didn't." April replies. "What you saw was a figment of your imagination, Leo." She stands up, followed by the others. "The sooner you can accept the fact she's gone, the better." She walks out of the dojo, followed by my brothers.

I growl quietly through clenched teeth, and throw myself of the ground, closing my eyes. I saw Karai. I know I did. It wasn't a figment f my imagination, and it wasn't a mirage. It was her. In the flesh. Why can't they just believe me?

I sit up straight, and walk out of the dojo, preparing to head for the surface. Karai is alive and I know it. All I need to know now, is how...

...and why.