Happy Father's Day! I hope you guys are having a great one with your dad, grandpa, uncle, etc. I drew a picture for my dad - his favorite animal. I hope my dad loves it. I wrote this one shot dedicated to my father. I know it's a little short, but hey, give me a break, I just planned this. To those of you who can't celebrate with your dad or father figure because of...well, anything, I'm sorry about that. Don't let it bring you down because you will always have a father deep down, even if you don't know it. If this doesn't make you feel better...uhh, sorry. I'm REALLY bad at this emotional stuff.
Enjoy!
It wasn't Jewel's intention to celebrate this day of all days. She didn't know it was today. And she didn't want to know, she didn't want to care about it anymore. This stupid holiday was dead to her. She utterly refused to celebrate it. Jewel wasn't going through that pain again. The same pain she had felt years ago. It was too painful.
But the turtles didn't know. They didn't know it was going to be too awkward for her. Too painful. Too cruel. Because they still had the holiday to celebrate. Because they still had a father.
That's right. This horrid, stupid, painful holiday was Father's Day.
And that was unacceptable to Jewel.
She hadn't celebrated Father's Day since...the accident. Since the tragic car accident that had taken her father away from her. She couldn't celebrate Father's Day anymore. Why, you might ask. Because she didn't have a father to celebrate with. Not anymore.
She didn't have a father to celebrate...anything with anymore. Not Father's Day, not Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, her or his birthday...nothing.
Nope. She had nobody. Everything she ever loved was gone. Her mother was dead before she could even talk, her father was unfairly killed, her favorite career was dead as well, forcing her to rely on the other, even her sanity!
She didn't have a father to train her anymore. She didn't have a father to go jogging with. She didn't have a father to spar with. Or to play soccer with. No father to garden with. No father forcing her to go play with her cousins. No father to buy her strawberries even when she didn't ask. Not a certain dad forcing her to go to the park. No father to kiss her goodnight. No father at all. Nothing.
Jewel stopped celebrating Father's Day after that tragic day. She remembered it all too clearly. She could still smell the sharp scent of blood to flood her nostrils. She could see the vacant look clouding her father's bright eyes. Eyes so full of life...now a void of emotion. She remembered the hot tears blurring her vision. The tears dripped down from her cheeks to her father's pale face.
She remembered the funeral. She remembered as they lowered her father's coffin down into the earth. She remembered the polished headstone. She remembered Saki planting a stiff hand onto her shoulder, walking away. She remembered the letters engraved. She remembered her father's will. His last words to her.
He chuckled as he affectionately ruffled his daughters' hair, a giggle spewing out of her lips. She playfully swatted his arms away, beaming from ear to ear.
"Daaad!" she whined, swatting his arms away again, playfully glaring, "Sto-op! You'll ruin my hair!" she whined, but her tone was light enough to show she was only kidding with him.
The older man barked a laugh, ruffling her raven hair again, "I can't help it. You have very soft hair. And beautiful eyes." a soft, sad smile pulled at his lips, gently caressing his daughters' cheek, "Just like your mother." he added, his voice was soft and gentle, filled with fond memories of the late family member.
Jewel smiled, the apples of her cheeks flushing a faded pink, "Do I look like her?" she asked with an innocent smile. Her father - Akio - nodded, his smile never vanishing. "Yes, you do, in fact, look like your mother." he gently grabbed her soft, petite hand, folding it into a fist, opening up her pinky.
"You have her beauty," he stroked her pinky, lifting up the next finger, "...her grace," next came the other, "...her kindness." her index finger, "...her intellectual superiority." he unfolded her thumb, looking at his daughters' dark, royal blue eyes, his chocolate brown orbs twinkling, "...and best of all...her courage. Don't you ever forget that Julia, okay? Don't you ever be afraid of anything that comes your way. Never run away from a fight. Never quit. Never give up, even when it's too hard."
He looked at her with so much determination and firmness, "Never lose hope. Hope is what keeps us going. Never lose that, alright? Don't lose your hope. You're gonna need it when the day gets tough. It's hope that lightens the dark days. 'Cause there will be one of those days when you just wanna give up, to have it all end, to stop going." he gripped his daughters' hands tightly, careful not to crush them, "It's what hope that keeps us strong, baby-doll. It keeps us going. It's what give us strength. I don't want to ever hear you give up. Shoulder through anything that comes your way. Trust me. You don't want to lose any of that hope. Promise me that. Okay, Julia?"
Her fathers' voice shook with each syllable, eyes shining in unshed tears, daring her to object. The wheels in her brain spun and clicked as she absorbed every letter coming out of his mouth, processing like a computer would. Her father was telling her to never give up, even when the tough kept getting tougher. He was basically telling her to keep that small window of hope. To keep going no matter how hard life gets. To be strong and brave. Could she do that? What was she thinking? Of course she could do that.
She was a warrior. She was the most skilled kunoichi in the Foot Clan. She could kill a man 10x her muscle span with a bat of an eye. Heck, she could even do it with her eyes closed if she wanted to. Even with her hands or legs binded. She did it once, actually. That's how good she was.
Stroking the base of his palm, she slowly nodded, a beautiful smile pulled upwards. "Okay. I promise."
Jewel scowled at the memory. 'Pfft! Like that helped me with anything.' she thought to herself. And it was true. Hope didn't help her with anything. It didn't save her father. It didn't save her sanity. It didn't even save her career.
There was a small window of hope she had when she was little. When she was forced into the Foot Clan because of Shredder. When she was forced to kill people even though she didn't want to. It was small. Very small. But still there. And that small window had been sealed shut when she laughed and cried herself to sleep on that rooftop that fateful night. It was shut and shattered to pieces, never to be fixed or repaired.
Jewel King no longer had hope. She still wasn't giving up on her life, but she stopped hoping. She knew she was breaking her dad's promise. Her dad was wrong. Hope didn't make her stronger, or the day any lighter. It had only made things worse. It made her weaker, and the days darker. It shattered her soul.
But the turtles and April liked the holiday. Because they had someone to celebrate it with. They still had their fathers. Jewel was just glad she wasn't the only one without anything to do on this miserable day. Clara never knew her dad, so she was on a trip to some jewel heist (ha! Pun!), and Gwen's father was still in jail, so she was watching some boxing match or something.
As she made her way towards the kitchen for a snack, Mikey's voice echoed from the dojo.
"Hey, Jewel! Can you come over here?!"
Groaning softly in exasperation, rolling her eyes, she sulked into the dojo. As she entered the training room, the sight she was greeted with definitely took her by surprise.
Sat in the center of the dojo, decorated with gifts and streamers, was Leonardo (she did NOT have a crush on him!), Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Master Splinter. Wide-eyed, Jewel stood there with her mouth slightly, her breath caught in her throat as she stared at particular piece of paper hung.
'Happy Father's Day, Master Splinter!' it read in blue, purple, orange, red, and pink paint. Four turtles and a rat were painted in a group hug, a girl with a striking resemblance to her joining, laughing.
She turned her gaze back to the turtles and rat, who all stared at her. Splinter was looking at her with a sad frown, pity and understanding clouding his maroon eyes. Raph eyes slid right and left awkwardly, like he didn't know what to do in this situation. Donnie was in between glaring at Mikey and shrugging apologetically at the kunoichi. And Leo had his head in hands, silently groaning, "Ugh. Mikey."
Mikey, however, grinned at the kunoichi, oblivious to the sudden thick tension in the room, suffocating everyone but him. He waved her over, grinning toothily, "Well, aren't you gonna have cake with us and open Sensei's presents?" he laughed, sky blue eyes brightening.
Jewel clamped her mouth shut, jaw clenched, royal blue orbs dangerously narrowing. Her fists were clenched in a paling grip, surprised they weren't bleeding yet. She didn't want to celebrate or have cake with them. She didn't want to celebrate Father's Day. The only person she wanted to celebrate this day with was Akio Carlos King. But he was dead.
The orange-clad turtle rose a curious brow at her, his smile faltering as he stole a glance at his father and brothers. Donnie and Raph were frowning at him deeply, Leo glaring through the slits of his thick green fingers. "Uhhh...?"
Jewel's fists were gradually starting to smoke, a small flame igniting in one of them. A low, animalistic growl was rumbling in her throat, startling Mikey and the others. Mikey pursed his lips, swallowing, sky blue orbs sparkling in confusion. His eyes slid left and right, looking back at the female mercenary, "Uhh...Jewel, are you, umm, are you...okay?" he asked, voice thick with uncertainty and weariness, his previous excitement vanished.
"I'm fine." she spat, the turtles flinching at the sharpness of her tone, "And no. I don't want to have cake or open presents with you guys." she gritted through clenched teeth. Her hands were gradually settling into soft flames, growing as her anger rose. Sparing a glance at Leonardo, whose eyes were filled with an unspoken apology, her glare hardened full force and she stomped out of the dojo.
"Mikey, what were you thinking?!" Donatello seethed, glaring at the younger turtle. Raph whacked Mikey in the head, glaring. "Are you an idiot?" a pause, "...wait, let me rephrase that. You're an idiot!" Mikey yelped, inching closer towards Sensei, who was staring at his two sons in disapproval.
Leo dragged a three-fingered hand down his face, "Mikey, do you realize what you've just done?" he calmly asked, but a bit of anger could be hinted in his tone. Mikey shrank under their stares, frowning, "What? What'd I do?" he asked desperately.
"You asked Jewel if she wanted to celebrate with us!"
The youngest turtle shrugged, "Yeah. So?"
Donnie planted a hand on his hip, sighing tiredly, "Mikey, Jewel hates Father's Day." he calmly explained. Mikey rose an eye-ridge, "Why?"
Raph rolled his eyes, "Okay. Let's see if you can figure it out. Mikey, why does Jewel live with us?" he queried.
Mikey blinked, mouth agape, his mind reeling for an answer, "Uhhh...'cause the Kraang are after her and April and she doesn't have a place to stay." he guessed, a little uncertain. Leo folded his arms over his chest, nodding, "Okay...and why doesn't Jewel have a place to stay?" he asked, frowning with a flat look in his eyes, irritated.
"Because...ummm...she has no one to stay with?" where were they going with this?
Donnie nodded, "Uh-huh. And why doesn't she have anyone to stay with?"
"Because no one can offer her a place to stay?" okay, this was getting confusing.
Splinter clasped his hands behind his back, calmly nodding, "Correct. And why does Julia live by herself?"
Mikey shook his head slightly, "Because her parents are..." he blinked, and the realization dawned on him, evident on his green freckled features. "Ohhh..." he breathed, forming an 'o' on his lips. He frowned confusedly, shaking his head, nonexistent brows furrowing, "But she has us to celebrate Father's Day with. She's family."
Leo sighed, sadly frowning as he glanced at the girls' retreating form. "She's still getting used to living with us. It's only been two months. She doesn't consider us as family, yet." he explained. "Oh..." Mikey looked down at the floor, ashamed. Ugh, he was so stupid ! He should've known Jewel would be too depressed to celebrate a day that only reminded her of everything she lost.
DING!
A figurative lightbulb lit up in Mikey's brain, a smile brightening his freckled cheeks. Raph rose an eyebrow, "Oh no. That's his idea face. He better not -"
"I have an idea!"
Jewel sat on her bed, sketching a sakura petal in her book. She lightly stroked her pencil across the paper, adding in the soft, delicate details into the flower. As she finished the final product, a small, sad smile pulled upwards. Her eyes shone with tears.
Julia skipped as she held her fathers' hand, a bright smile adorning her lips. A few petals of faded pink blossoms fell off, flying with the wind in perfect harmony. Jewel held her free hand out, one petal softly landing at the base of her palm. She giggled as her glimmering dark blue orbs shone with childlike wonder
Akio laughed at his daughters' giddiness, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. The soft, sakura blossoms fluttered off the branches, like a rainfall. The young girl looked up at her father, eyes twinkling in curiosity, "Daddy...where are we going?" she asked, barely acknowledging the pink blossom landing on top of her head.
Akio paused in his stride, looking down at his daughter, a smile pulling at his lips. "You'll see." was all he said, his eyes gleaming with mysterious excitement.
They ran towards their destination, the ninjistu master leading the way, laughing. The sakura petals fell at a faster pace, as they always did on a windy day. Akio and Julia stood in front of a gravestone, decorated with roses, ribbons, and a few knick-knacks. Akio stared longingly at it, smiling, tightening his hold on Jewel's hand.
The young kunoichi frowned curiously, raising a thin brow, looking up at her father before settling her gaze on the stone. She read what the engraved letters, barely stifling a gasp.
'In Loving Memory: Faline Kira Gonzalez'
'Our Path'
'Beloved Wife, a Wonderfully Potential Mother'
Akio knelt down to his daughters' level, eyes shining with tears, his smile bright. He turned his head to the solid stone, perfectly polished.
"She's just like you, Faline."
A tear dripped down onto her book, onto the picture. Jewel hummed in confusion, her eyes suddenly stinging. She rose her arm, carefully, hesitantly poking her cheek. She felt one tear slip down, furiously wiping it with a sniff. This was stupid. It was stupid. She shouldn't be able to remember that. She didn't want to remember that. She didn't want to cry over this. A skilled ninja like her was not supposed to cry, to show weakness.
Her father was gone. There was nothing she could do about it now. What could she do? Raise the dead? Yeah, like that'll happen.
She heard a soft knock on her door, followed by a voice, "Hey, Jewel, mind if I come in?" came Leonardo's hesitant question.
A smile pulled at her red-pink lips out of instinct. "Sure."
The door creaked open, Leo's head poking out, softly closing the door behind him. He smiled shakily at her, holding a piece of cake in a plate. He outstretched his arm, "I, um, brought this for you. In case you were hungry." he said, setting the plate down on her desk, sitting in the chair across from her.
Jewel smiled lightly at him. Ugh, why was he so awkward and adorable at the same time. It just doesn't make sense. "Thanks."
"No problem."
The dark room was suddenly quiet. The occasional music played softly in the room, Leo fidgeting as he twiddled his thumbs in his lap. Jewel folded her arms over her chest, smirking innocently at him, a brow raising. She picked on the sleeves of her dark blue sweater, flicking away any lint on her black skirt.
She whistled soundlessly, smiling, and then giggling, "So what'd you wanna talk to me about? Was it about the little outburst in the lair?"
Leo flinched, dumbly blinking. What was it with this girl? That was one of the weird things about Jewel. Her mood always seemed to change. It was hard to tell with her sometimes. Not him or his brothers could tell how she would react to...anything. She seems nice at first, and then all of a sudden, she would snap and claw at you for no reason sometimes. But he was getting a little better at noticing. Donnie concluded it was probably all the electric bolts sparking in her brain.
After a minute of composing himself, he took a breath, careful with his words, "You see, Mikey had this idea to..." he trailed off. He knew she would either be surprised and taken aback...or angry and violent.
"To...?" she motioned her head for him to go on.
"...we wanted to let you know you can still celebrate Father's Day with us."
She blinked, confusion sparkling in her eyes, mouth shaped in an 'o'. "...what?" she whispered. Leo nodded, squaring his shoulders, feeling much more confident. He didn't care if she melted to a green puddle. This girl deserved to celebrate Father's Day with them. She was family. And he...really liked her. Jewel intrigued him in so many ways. She was pretty loyal, she was dedicated, and she was strong.
"Jewel, if you want...we could celebrate Father's Day at your dad's grave. You could super speed us over there. But only if you want to."
"I can't believe I actually agreed to this." Jewel grumbled as she slipped on her black leather boots that stopped slightly above her knees. She sleeked her hair back into a ponytail, placing her black headband on top of her head.
She, the turtles, and Splinter had just arrived in Japan, walking towards a certain forest filled with Sakura trees. It was dark, so no one could see them - or hear for a matter of fact. Mikey bounced on his toes slightly, "C'mon Julie. Admit it. You're excited to celebrate this day with us."
The kunoichi rolled her eyes affectionately, stifling a chuckle. Oh, Mikey. Always the goofball. "Whatever, Mikey. For your information, we're going to visit my dad's grave. That's not something you should be smiling about." she said, voice oozed with playfulness but they could detect a pinch of solemnity.
Donnie glanced at his T-Phone, tucking it into his belt. "So, what was your dad like? You never really talked about him." he asked, walking beside her. Jewel paused, turning her head to look at him. It was hard to tell how she was feeling in the dark night. Her eyes sparkled like the ocean under the dim moonlight, a streak of white painting her face diagonally.
An old, genuine smile she hadn't used in a long time found its' way to her lips, "He was...an amazing father. The best I could ever ask for." was all she said, her voice thick with old time happiness.
A few faded pink blossoms started falling off their branches, landing soundlessly on the girl, turtles, and rat master. Jewel made an abrupt stop, looking down on something with an unreadable expression painting her face.
They all followed her gaze in curiosity, eyes widening ever so slightly. There lied two gravestones. They could only make out a few of the engraved letters. One caught their eyes.
'Here Lies A Great Man: Akio Carlos King'
'Our Hope'
'Beloved Husband and a Wonderful Father'
The turtles and Splinter stole a glance at Jewel. She only stared with a blank look, but her eyes were another story.
Jewel made a fist, petals falling around her. 5 years. It had been 5 years since she last saw her father. The last time he saw his bright and always beaming face. She never saw him again. She never will. She'll never hear his laugh, never see his warm chocolate brown eyes as they stared back at her, and she'll never hold his soft, calloused hand ever again. She knew she was never going to see the unyielding love that always shone in his eyes when he looked at his only daughter. The last love in his life.
Forcefully swallowing down the lump that had begun to form in her throat, she lifted one palm facing up, one sakura petal softly landing on it, like a soft blanket. And she did the unexpected.
She smiled.
It was a wide, bright, and beautiful smile. Her eyes shone under the moonlight, full of love and happiness. They squinted slightly. And she beamed. Jewel beamed despite everything she's been. Despite every single horrible thing she experienced at a far too young age.
And Jewel remembered her father's promise he wanted her to keep.
"Never lose hope."
Good words, spoken by a good man.
A three fingered hand grasped hers, soft and a little rough, scaly. She could tell it was Leo's out of the corner of her eye, and he squeezed it, smiling and his ocean blue orbs gleaming kindly at her, sincere and understanding. Jewel turned her head to look at him, and she hoped her eyes said it all for her.
Splinter placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she smiled, looking back at the twin gravestones of her mother and father. She silently prayed that they were doing well in the afterlife.
Truthfully, she didn't want to celebrate this day. The small amount of hope she had left was squashed like a bug. But...she found herself hoping a little more as she lived with the turtles and Splinter. It was only a silver of hope, and she ignored it. But after some persuasion from Leonardo...she somehow managed to restore more of that little hope.
She missed her father. So much. He was the last hope she had. The only family she had left. And he was viciously taken away from her.
But now...she had Leo. She had Donnie. She had Mikey and Raph. And she had Splinter, who treated her like his own daughter. They were...her family.
Lowering herself down, Leo and the other doing the same, she sat down with her legs crossed. She smiled brilliantly at the graves, eyes sparkling like a ripple of ocean waves. She softly set down the sakura petal in front of the gravestone, everything in a flurry of faded pink.
Petals all fell around them, getting caught in her hair, tickling their snouts, but they didn't care. Jewel tightened her hold on Leo's hand, a brilliant smile directed towards him, and the everyone else, before turning back to the grave.
An angelic giggle spewed from her soft lips.
"Boy, do I got a lot to tell you, Dad."
Wow! This wasn't easy to write. Hoped you guys liked it! And if you didn't, well...uhh...never mind. Hope you guys are having a GREAT Father's Day! Happy Father's Day!
Please R&R!
Adios!