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The Journey Home 5 (Final)

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“When is Father going to wake up?” Mikey asked to no one in particular anxiousness evident in his voice.

“Real soon, any minute,” Raph blurted out with uncharacteristic cheerfulness.

Feeling uncertain and knowing that sometimes Raph played tricks, Mikey looked first at their father and then at his oldest brother who in his mind never lied.

“Is it true, Leo?”

....

“So is it true?”

“Hey, is it true?”

Yoshi choose to ignore the bully boys that regularly taunted him as he walked home from the small school tucked into the Japanese countryside.

“It is true isn’t it, that’s why you won’t answer,” Mitsutako, the biggest and most aggressive of the bullies shouted “they’re shipping you to the city, to an orphanage after this school year is over, aren’t they?”

“No,” Yoshi lied in a small voice but kept walking down the dirt path, his worn sandals kicking up dust. His legs wanted to run in that moment, but he was determined not to give them the satisfaction. It didn’t really bother Yoshi when they teased him about his tattered clothes or when his lunch was barely adequate. But now that they had caught wind of this new information, their words did sting.

 “Yes it is true, everybody in the village knows your father’s gone crazy and is too drunk half the time to take care of you or that broken down farm.”

“Stop it” Yoshi spoke through a clenched jaw but kept walking even as the crowd of children laughed.

Yoshi wanted to scream that it was all lies but everyone already knew it was the truth, and objecting just made him feel more like a fool and would have given the other children more to laugh at. Father had turned angry and increasingly loose in the mind since they had lost mother in the flash flood. It was enough for a nine year to comprehend without also having to worry about being relentlessly teased.

“What’s wrong koji, afraid you’ll turn out just like him, now that your mother is dead?”

“Stop it, don’t you say anything about her!” Unable to control his anger any longer Yoshi whipped around and lunged at the bigger boy his books flinging to the ground.

Caught off guard, Mitsutako stumbled backward as Yoshi’s fist connected solidly with his chin. Recovering quickly though, Mitsutako easily grabbed Yoshi and wrestled him to the ground. With an evil smirk he sat atop the smaller boy and pummeled his body and face with hard blows before turning him over and pressing his face into the dirt while twisting his arm behind his back.

“Say it!” Mitsutako demanded “Say you’re an orphan, a koji because you’re mother’s dead and your father’s crazy!”

“Never!” Yoshi screamed hysterically, tears leaving white streaks down his dirty face.

“Say it!” Mitsutako twisted Yoshi’s arm further back.

Yoshi wailed and thrashed angrily at the pain and humiliation but was powerless to push the much heavier boy off. And though not every child was cheering, he had not one friend willing to step from the crowd to help him.

 “Never!” Yoshi screeched.

After several more moments and seeing Yoshi would not break, one of the other bully’s cautioned, “Come on Mitsutako, let’s go before somebody comes.”

Laughing, Mitsutako gave Yoshi’s head one more shove into the dirt before standing up. Dusting himself off, he gathered his books and turned down the path toward the village. None of the gang of boys turning to give Yoshi another glance.

For a moment, Yoshi lay motionless in the dirt as hatred, humiliation and shame churned like bile within him. Then with a jolt, he maneuvered to his feet, grabbed his books and ran as fast as his legs would carry him off the path and into the adjacent woods.

Yoshi ran til his legs ached and his lungs screamed for air until at last he had found her. His mother’s grave in a meadow not far from where she had perished 3 years earlier. It was not the first time he had come and as the marker came into his view he throw himself flat onto the soft grass. And he wept, pounded the ground, screamed and tried to exhaust his rage and fear.

“Mother,” he sobbed aloud to the grave marker, “I hate them, I hate them so much! I wish I could fight, I wish I was a warrior, then they would never trouble me again!” Then again lying flat on earth, Yoshi cried all his anger out for several more minutes until he had no more tears.

Breathing deeply, his breath still occasionally hitching, Yoshi eventually pulled himself up to a seated position. Tracing the kanji of his mother’s name on the grave marker, he asked calmly, “Why? Why did you leave me, Mother I miss you so much, I need you.” Yoshi let silence fill the meadow as if he truly expected to receive an answer.  “We both need you, Father’s not whole without you, and he can’t take care of the farm. I try to help, I tried to bring the harvest in by myself, but I couldn’t.  Some of the villagers came to the house, they convinced Father to sell the land and to send me away. They say I’ll have food and an education and be taken care of. But I don’t want to go, I don’t want to be away from here, away from you. Where are you mama?” Spent, he lay down on his back and stared into the cloud-filled sky and felt his eyes becoming heavy.

“Yoshi-kun, oh my little monkey. Remember that I will always be with you. You have many great tasks ahead but you are strong and will preserver, I love you and I will never leave you.”

Opening his eyes Yoshi sat up quickly and looked around but saw no one, instead felt the sun, which had moved from behind a cloud, shining brightly on his face and drying his tears.

....

It had been at least a few hours since the four turtle children had administered the medicine to their father and he had yet to move. Having no answers for him, Leonardo simply squeezed his youngest brother closer to him.

Then Donatello, who had seemed even tenser than his brothers, stood up suddenly from underneath the blanket where the four had been huddled. His brothers watched as he moved over to Splinter, knelt down and began to gently nudge his father’s shoulder, “Father? Father, it’s time to wake up now.”

Receiving no response Donnie began pushing more forcefully into Splinter’s body, “Father, please, I mixed the medicine exactly the way you showed me, Father please get up.”  

Still receiving no response he finally began shouting and pounding his tiny fists into Splinter’s chest screaming, “You have to be ok, please, please, we got the medicine, you’re supposed to be better now, please wake up!”

Feeling arms wrap around him and grab his wrist to keep him still, Donnie looked over his shoulder to see Raph behind him.  Turning around he buried his face in Raph’s plastron and cried while Raph hugged him close and whispered, “It’s ok Donnie-boy, its ok.”

Feeling Mikey begin to tremble in his arms, Leo felt sick but realized that this is what Father had meant when he made him promise. His brothers were hurting and he had to do something about it.

“Come on” Leo announced while standing up.

Both Raph and Donnie turned to stare at their oldest brother.

“Come on, it’s time to go home,” Leo continued in the most matter of fact way he could despite how weak and shaky he felt inside.

All four brothers gathered around and Raph questioned angrily, “What? What do you mean it’s time to go, what about Father?”

Surveying his brothers pleading eyes, Leo spoke in imitation of his father’s authority, “Father is …We have to take care of each other now, that’s what Father wanted."

Mikey and Donnie seemed shocked at what Leo was suggesting and clung to each other, while Raphael fumed with rage. “I can’t believe ya takin’ like this, you may not care but I’m not leavin' my Father here, what if the humans come, what about family!”

Hurt by the implication of Raph’s outburst, Leo railed, “He’s my father too, Raphael! And what if the humans do come, are you going to fight them? What if Mikey or Donnie or you gets captured! Then what?”


Frustrated Raph would not be persuaded, “I don’t know but I know you don’t leave family behind and who’s gonna take care of us, you think you’re all grown up but you’re just a kid like us, he could wake up, we just can’t leave him Leo!”

“I know I’m just a kid Raph, but I’m the oldest son and I’m leader of this clan right now,” Leo couldn’t help the tear that slipped over the rim of his eye and the tremor in his voice as he continued “and I gave Father my word of honor and I’m not going to break it. We have to honor Father’s wishes.”

“But…”Raph looked at his brothers’ tear-stained faces and then at his father and sensei motionless on the ground. He had been taught from his earliest memory about honor and their clan and the importance Father put on giving your word about something.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Leo added, “Please Raph, I need you, we need you.”

“I know, it's just... I hate this Leo,” Raph sighed, "Why did all this have to happen to us? It ain't fair."

Squeezing Raph's shoulder Leo answered, "I don't know brother but were going to be ok, as long as we stay together. Okay?"

Splinter's earlier directions about protecting his brother echoed in Raph's head. Sensing for the first time a new understanding of his oldest brother, he simply nodded, yes. 

After gathering the few supplies they had brought the turtle children knelt around their father. Each cried into his fur. Each told him they would remember everything he had said about staying clean or not fighting with each other or being honorable. Each bent down and kissed his face. And finally each whispered, “sayonara, Chichi.”

Then holding hands and making a chain with Leo and Raph at each end, the four headed into the dark tunnel and toward home.


Having already made the journey once Leo was able to safely lead his brothers to their lair. Though completely unchanged, upon entering they could all feel how strange and empty the dwelling seemed. Afraid of the possibility of humans finding Splinter and trying to follow them to find other mutants, their first order of business included stacking various pieces of furniture in front of the lair entrance. The best defense four boys could come up with at the time.

Then, gathering in the kitchen they were awkwardly silent as they waited for Leo to prepare peanut butter sandwiches. None of them knowing quite what to say or how to express their own fears and pain. It had always been Father’s arms that had comforted their scary moments and this moment was scarier than any that could ever remember.

As Leo returned the half-empty peanut butter jar to the cupboard it occurred to him that somehow he would have to get more food soon. He had been to the surface once or twice with Splinter and helped his father scavenge behind grocery stores for food that was still good but had been thrown out because of a dented can or small bruise. He worried he wouldn’t be able to find the right places again or know the right days to go, he wished he had paid more attention and not been so excited and awestruck by merely being on the surface.  I wish Father were here, I wish… Leo thought but quickly crushed it along with the last fragments of his shattered childhood. He had to be the grown up now, he had to be strong for his brothers he thought and wishing wasn’t going to make that happen or put food in their mouths.

Later after taking an inventory in the kitchen Leo came into the great room to find Raph half-heartedly hitting his stuffed dummy and Donnie pretending to read.

“Where’s Mikey?” Leo asked.

“I don’t know?” Raph answered.

A little alarmed, Leo immediately called, “Mikey? Mikey where are you?”Hearing no response, Leo, Donnie and Raph got up and began to look through the lair.


The lair having only so many spaces, the three brothers quickly came to their Father’s room as the last place they hadn’t looked. Father’s room had always been “off-limits” unless invited in and sliding the shoji door open felt simultaneously disobedient, exhilarating and depressing for the turtles. Walking in they immediately saw Mikey curled up in the middle of their father’s bed. Being in the room brought their Father’s scent and his essence to them and it was no surprise that Mikey had sought comfort in the small space. Comfort they all needed. Without discussion, the three older brothers climbed into the bed as well. Hugging close to each other and exhausted from their ordeal soon all four were asleep.

“CRASH”

Several hours later, a noise from the great room invaded Leo’s dream and he was immediately awakened. Sitting up he focused his hearing.

“THUD”

“Humans!” he thought.

Someone was breaking in. Now with Don, Mikey and Raph also awake they all shared in the terror that ran through their bodies. Running to their father’s chest Leo swung it open and pulled out one of his father’s long swords. Followed closely by Raph who also took a sword in hand. They had never been allowed to handle the weapons and it showed in the awkward way they wielded them. Nevertheless, Leo whispered to Donnie and Mikey, “Get under the bed!” to which they immediately obeyed. Remaining absolutely still the four barely breathed as they listened to the intruder make their way past the furniture barrier, move through the lair, stop in each of their bedrooms and then approach the shoji door.

As the door slide open it was Raph that screamed and charged forward with sword flinging, “Get out! Leave us alone!”

“What?” The intruder stumbled to the side and was just barely able to catch the sword and strip it from the hysterical child, “Raphael!”

“Noooo, run Leo, Donnie, Run Mikey!” Raph continued to scream, kicking and punching as he was picked up and held close.

“Raphael, open your eyes, look its Father, I’m here, its Father!”

Finally registering his name, Raph looked up at the familiar mutant rat who held him.

“Father? Is it really you? But…I mean, how…Oh Father!” Raph who had not been so openly affectionate toward his father for a few years throw his arms around his neck and clung tight.

“Father! Father you’re alright!” both Donnie and Mikey scrambled from under the bed and ran to throw themselves at their father who also picked them up.

“Yes, my sons, Father is here now, everything is going to be alright.”

“But how, the medicine it didn’t work? I thought I messed it up, I thought it was my fault?” Donnie whispered. 

Sitting his brood down and kneeling in front of them, Splinter cupped the back of Donnie’s head, “You did everything correct my son, I could not have asked for a better doctor than you. The infection in my body was very strong and I believe I blacked out from a concussion but the medicines you mixed helped me fight it. When I finally woke up I realized what you had done for me and I was so proud.” Donnie blushed at the praise.

"And you Raphael, I can see that you have obviously protected your brothers, you are a true warrior.  And you Michelangelo, I remember your stories helping me relax, and I don’t know how I can thank you enough. I love you very much."

“We love you, Father,” Raph and Mikey chorused, hugging Splinter again.

Looking into the corner of the room Splinter saw that his oldest son had not joined the happy reunion. Standing up he moved over to the corner and spoke softly, “Leonardo, its Father, come to me son, it is ok now.” Leonardo just backed away having dropped the sword to the ground and shook his head. All his grown up resolve instantly crumpling, he stammered, “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I-I didn’t know what else to do…I d-didn’t want to leave but I promised...I-I tried to be strong to be like you wanted me to be…and I didn't know what else to do and I just…I’m so sorry.” 

Seeing the effects of their ordeal and the burdens he himself had laid on his oldest's shoulders broke Splinter’s heart. 

“Shh, Shh,” Splinter moved slowly closer and tried to bring his son into his arms. Feeling Leo’s body go stiff Splinter pressed on saying, “Shhh, my aki-chan. Chichi is here now, and everything is fine. I am the one who is sorry you had to make such a decision and that I had to put that responsibility on your shoulders, can you forgive me?”

Leaning back to look at his father, and surprised at seeing his father’s tear wetted face. Leo finally softened into his Splinter's embrace, “Oh I love you Father, I love you so much!”

“I love you too. You are a good son and a good brother, I am so proud of you, I am proud of you all,”
Turning to reach out to his other three children Splinter added, “You must all remember that even if there is ever a time when you cannot see or hear me, I will always be with you, loving you, guiding you. Nothing can ever diminish my love for you, my sons, not even time or distance. And no matter where we are, we are a family and when we love each other and think about each other we are always home."

As the little mutant family embraced again, Splinter felt the spirit of his mother fill the room and he whispered, "Arigato Mama, thank you for bringing us home."

 

Owari

 :iconensodancer:



Skin by:LabLayers
Summary: Visions of the past haunt Splinter as he struggles, while injured, to bring his sons home. Meanwhile, Leo tries desperately to live up to his ‘Fearless’ nickname as he and his brothers experience their first real tests of teamwork.

I started this trying to stretch myself to try to write some action, but by the end I'm right back to sappy family drama. Oh well, it is what it is and I like it. Thanks to all of you who stuck with this one and encouraged me along. Hug 
Ch. 5: Currently viewing (Final Chapter)

Cover art: Edited stock fav.me/d6vymlc
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