Forbidden

Chapter 15 - Passion Ignites

Warning: this chapter contains some explicit content. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

So there we were. Karai and I, standing out alone in the middle of a deserted New York City street; and she had just told me the three little words I had been waiting my entire life to hear. And that's when I knew that once again I was falling deeper and deeper into troubled territory.

I look at Karai blankly. "What did you just say?"

She takes a step towards me. "I love you, Leonardo." I can feel my heart beating out of my chest. "I've loved you for every second, of every minute of every day that I've known you." She gently takes my hand. "I can't live without you. When you're not around... I can't-- I can't breathe without you." I can suddenly see fresh tears forming in her eyes, as her gaze falls to the ground. "I need you... I need you more than anything else in the world--"

I cut her off by smashing my lips onto hers - a feeling that I've missed so dearly. She suddenly hoists herself up onto me, wrapping her legs around me. I throw her up against the nearby wall as our lips are in sync and moving. My arms are wrapped firmly around her waist, and her hands grip my bandana tails vigorously. She gasps when her back hits the wall, and I take the opportunity to move to her neck. She grips my arms tightly; and all of a sudden I get a sense of déjà vu, like this has happened to me before.

There's a loud clap of thunder as gentle rain drops start to fall from the grey sky above. The water hits my hot face, almost creating steam off our bodies. Suddenly Karai breaks away and looks me in the eye, with a smirk plastered across her face.

"You really want to do this, Leonardo?" She says softly.

I inch my face closer to hers, reaching for the back of her metal armour that covered her torso. "If you're willing..." There's a soft creak as I unlock it, gently moving it to the side. "So am I."

She removes the rest of her armour, and I take off my Katana strap and weapons. We take one look at each other, admiring the unfamiliar look of the other. I stare at Karai's black body suit that covers her body, the outfit reminding me of an old incarnation of Catwoman. She crawls toward me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me onto her. Our tongues dance lightly as she tugs tightly on my bandana tails. The rain is starting to fall heavier now, but it doesn't make a difference to us. My heart is beating out of my chest so hard I almost feel like it's going to burst out of me.

I tug at Karai's body suit, and before long little rips and tears start to appear. She grips my shoulder tightly as suck on her neck; yet amidst all the passion and heat, I have Tiger Claw and Frank's chilling warnings of Karai echo through my head.

"You think just because you have a little crush on her you have her all figured out? You don't know her at all."

"There's something you should know about Karai, Leonardo. She's not at all what she seems. You might think that she cares for you, but trust me, deep down her heart is as black as her father's. Do not let your feelings blind you to what is truly happening in front of your eyes."

Suddenly, I find myself struggling for air. Like all of a sudden I've been pulled under water and I'm just being dragged deeper and deeper into darkness. Finally, I can't stand it anymore. I pull away from Karai, breathing heavily. Immediately I can see the hurt behind her eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

I take a few deep breaths and turn to face her. Suddenly, I can't look at her the same. I can't see that intriguing sparkle behind her eyes anymore; all I can see is the darkness Shredder has poisoned her with. Even though in my heart I know that I still love her, I can't see the girl I once knew inside her anymore.

She looks at me worryingly. "Leo?"

I shake the fog out of my head. "Everything's--" I clear my throat. "Everything's fine."

She gently cups the side of my face with her hand, making me want to melt. "Are you sure? You look a bit pale?"

I gently push it away. "I'm fine, Karai. Really." She nods, as I begin to stand. "We should be heading back to the lair. Splinter's probably worried." I offer her a hand up and begin to walk away, but I notice she's not behind me. I turn around to see she's still standing, gently clutching her upper arms and looking at the ground with an uncertain look on her face. Her jet black hair is soaking wet, and sticking to her face. Her armour is in pieces next to her. "Are you coming?" I ask.

"Something tells me I won't be so welcome." She says softly. She looks up, and I can see tears streaming down her face, almost blending in with the rain. I shake my head and begin to walk towards her. "I faked my own death, Leo. If I come back, they're all going to think that I'm a troublemaker, a double-crosser and a spy."

I gently hold her face, making our eyes meet. "It's not safe for you out here." Her bottom lip begins to tremble. "I saw what Hun was going to do to you before. That is definitely not the sort of thing I want to see happening in New York, or anywhere in the world." Another tear slowly makes its way down her face. "Least of all, to you."

"But I lied to everyone. They all think I'm dead!" I wipe away one of the tears. "I don't deserve to go with yo--" I cut her off by smashing my lips onto hers. After a few seconds, I break away and look her straight in the eye.

"Don't ever think that."

It's now that I realize the real reason behind Karai's fear and sadness: she's been shut out all her life. She's been rejected by her father and used as a pawn in his twisted games, she's been pushed around by people who have more strength over her than she could have imagined, and she came so close to losing the only person she has ever been able to love and trust - me.

Tiger Claw and Frank were wrong about her. She's not black-hearted; she's broken hearted. She's nothing but a scared soul in need of love.

And I love her.