Betrayal of Brotherhood
A/N: This is a one-shot I've had in my mind for a little while. I got the idea for it as I was drifting off to sleep. I hope that you enjoy the story.
Summary: Yoshi reflects on his relationship with Mashimi and wonders how his best friend and brother could have betrayed him.
Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT. They are now owned by Nickelodeon Studios. But even though Peter Laird sold them off, he will always be considered the owner no matter what.
Yoshi should have stayed home that day. Maybe if he had, things would be different. He could have saved Shen from Mashimi's wrath, died in her place, or even talked to Mashimi about what was wrong. Mashimi probably wouldn't have opened up to him, but Yoshi had always been determined to steer his friend on the right path. If he could have seen what was troubling Mashimi, he could have stopped it.
He remembered a day not too long after he and Mashimi met. The two of them often had to beg for food from others because they had no yen to buy any. Some people were generous and often gave the two boys a slice of bread or an apple, while others would ignore them and pretend they weren't even there.
Fed up with being ignored, Mashimi had an idea. "Yoshi, stay here," he ordered. "I'm going to get us some food."
Yoshi was a bit skeptical about what Mashimi wanted to do, but he decided to go along with it. He wasn't sure how Mashimi was going to get them food when no one was offering any. "Okay," he said. "Just be careful."
Mashimi laughed. "Yoshi, you worry too much," he said. "I'll be fine." And with that, he hurried off to see if he could get some food.
Yoshi waited in his spot and watched the people go by. Some smiled kindly at him, while others stared in disgust at his disheveled clothes. Sometimes this bothered Yoshi, and he wished that he looked cleaner so as to please the people of the village. Some of these people hated unseemliness and avoided those who were dirty. Yoshi often wished that they could go to an orphanage, but Mashimi was strongly against this. He had heard that children often got separated from each other. Yoshi knew that he didn't want to be separated from Mashimi, so he stayed with his friend in the streets.
Mashimi came back with some food and led Yoshi to a shelter the two had discovered and claimed as their own. They sometimes found abandoned tents where other homeless people had slept and used them as their shelter, feeling it would be easier than lying down in the cold streets. They settled into this particular one, and Mashimi handed Yoshi a piece of bread, an apple, and some candy for dessert. They still had some water from the little bit they were able to store and drank that.
Yoshi was surprised at the food Mashimi had gotten. "How did you get all of this?" he asked.
Mashimi drew himself up proudly. "I stole it," he said.
Yoshi gasped. "Mashimi, how could you?" he cried. "You know it is wrong to steal!" Yoshi's father had often said that stealing was a horrible thing to do, and he couldn't believe that Mashimi had dared to do such a thing. What if they got caught?
Mashimi laughed. "Stealing isn't wrong if it's for a purpose," he said. "This was the best way to get food, and I knew I could do it. No one will know."
"Put this food back," Yoshi said, pushing the bread away. "I don't want to get food this way."
"Then what would you rather do?" Mashimi retorted. "Beg? You know we can hardly get food by begging. This is the best way to make sure we live."
"It's wrong!" Yoshi told him. "I'd rather starve than steal food from innocent people. If you don't stop stealing, I won't be your friend any longer."
Mashimi was about to say something, but he stopped when he saw Yoshi's face. He knew Yoshi would carry out his threat. "Okay, I promise," he said. "I won't steal ever again."
Most of the time, Mashimi kept that promise so that he wouldn't lose Yoshi as a friend. The only time he ever went out to steal was when Yoshi was asleep. Then he would sneak out and steal as much food as he could carry. Yoshi would sometimes question him about it, and Mashim would say that he had either found the food, or that some generous people gave it to him. Yoshi was sometimes skeptical about this, but he knew better than to doubt his friend. If he said anything more about it, he knew it would lead to arguing.
Then their luck turned after Yoshi gave some yen back to a stranger who had accidentally dropped it. The stranger tested them by saying if they could snatch the money from his hand, they could keep it. Mashimi tried first, but was unsuccessful. Then Yoshi tried, and he was able to snatch the yen from the stranger's hand. The stranger offered to buy Yoshi some food. Yoshi asked if Mashimi could be given some food as well because he didn't want to be separated from his friend. After hesitating for a second, the stranger agreed that Mashimi could also come.
Before they knew it, Yoshi and Mashimi were adopted by the Ancient One. They were both happy that they were together and that they had a nice home. It felt good to lie on a soft futon to sleep instead of the ground or on worn blankets. They never went hungry, for the Ancient One always provided them with food, which was very good for them. The Ancient One also taught them ninjitsu, and they grew to love it. Both of them were eager to learn as many moves as they could and would often have friendly competitions to see who could learn the most moves first. Yoshi was the one who often perfected the moves first, but Mashimi wasn't bothered by this at first. He would always tell himself that he could do better next time.
But two things happened that would change their relationship drastically. The first thing was a girl the Ancient One took in named Tang Shen. She took to the boys immediately and would often join them in their games outside or taking walks in the city or at the Ancient One's house. Both Yoshi and Mashimi were fond of her, but Yoshi knew that he liked Shen as more than just a friend. He was worried she wouldn't return his feelings and was genuinely surprised when she echoed his sentiment.
The second thing that changed Yoshi's and Mashimi's relationship was when they saved Mr. Mortu from the Foot and were offered a chance to join the Utroms. Both boys were eager to become Guardians and asked their father if they could join up. The Ancient One forbade it, but Yoshi and Mashimi didn't care and trained anyway. Yoshi did so well that he advanced fairly quickly to the rank of Guardian Prime. Mashimi, on the other hand, got passed over, much to Yoshi's surprise. Mashimi was just as skilled as he was, yet no one seemed to notice. Yoshi asked Mortu one day why Mashimi wasn't advanced. Mortu's reply was, "He's not ready." Yoshi knew it was no use protesting further after that, so he didn't.
Then came the fateful day that changed his life forever.
He met Shen outside after talking to the Ancient One. He wanted to see her before he had to go to his training session. Yoshi couldn't find Mashimi and suspected that he was in his room. Mashimi had told Yoshi that he didn't feel well and wasn't going to the meeting tonight. Yoshi felt that something wasn't right, but he decided to leave Mashimi alone.
"It is so beautiful out here," Shen said.
"Yes, it is," Yoshi agreed. "And you are looking very beautiful tonight, my love." He loved how her eyes shone in the moonlight, sparkling like jewels.
Shen smiled at his words. "I wish you could stay here tonight," she said wistfully. "I wish you didn't have to go to your training meeting."
"Shen, I wish that, too, but it is my duty," Yoshi told her. "I am a Guardian, and I can't shirk my duty, no matter how much I want to."
Shen sighed. "I know that, Yoshi," she replied. "I just worry about you. What is it like training with the Utroms?"
"It is a great honor," Yoshi answered. "They are very skilled in ninjitsu and are determined to make sure that the Foot do not interfere. The way Mortu fights, you would never suspect that he was an alien. He fights just as well as a human."
"I am glad you are happy with them," Shen whispered. "I only care about you being happy."
"There are many things that make me happy," Yoshi said. "One of those things is spending time with you. I don't know what I would do without you." He looked into her eyes and leaned forward to kiss her. Shen returned the kiss, her heart beating rapidly with love for her Yoshi.
Yoshi broke the kiss and said, "I must go now. You should get inside. It is going to rain. I will see you later tonight and tell you all that happened. I love you, Tang Shen."
"I love you, too, Hamato Yoshi," she whispered. "Be safe." They shared a brief kiss then parted. As Yoshi left, he looked back one last time and thanked his lucky stars that he had someone like Shen.
Yoshi never saw her in life again.
That night, the Foot invaded the Utrom facility. Yoshi was shocked and wondered how such a thing could happen. When he saw Mashimi looking at him with disdain, Yoshi was shocked. He couldn't believe that his best friend who was now his brother had betrayed all of them. He remembered how they had vowed never to be apart from one another. Sadly, things had changed for them. Mashimi was with the enemy now. As he slipped into the elevator he saw Mashimi rushing at him with the intent to kill. Luckily, Yoshi escaped, but he was hurt. He had to get home and tell the Ancient One and Shen what had happened.
When he arrived home, he found the Ancient One sitting dejectedly by a shroud. Yoshi lifted the shroud to reveal the face of Tang Shen, the love of his life. How could this have happened? He had planned on asking Shen to marry him. And now Mashimi had taken that away from him.
After they buried Shen, Yoshi confronted Mashimi and avenged Shen's death. He never thought he would be the one to end his friend's life, but he knew that Mashimi had never really been a friend to him. He should have seen this coming, but he had been blind to Mashimi's jealousy and rage. Mashimi asked for forgiveness with his last breath, but Yoshi said nothing. He knew he would never forgive Mashimi for the grief he had caused. It was not only a betrayal of friendship, but it was also a betrayal of brotherhood.
Yoshi left for New York, feeling that he could make a fresh start elsewhere. But the memories still haunted him as he thought of how his life could have been. He kept berating himself for Shen's death, feeling he could have saved her, yet knowing that it would not have made a difference. All he could do was go on and honor her memory by serving the Utroms and making it his mission to rid the world of the Foot and the Shredder.
"I cannot dwell on the past," he told his pet rat Splinter. "I must focus on the future. Even though Shen is not here with me in body, she is forever in my heart. Her memory will never fade, and I vow to make sure others do not suffer the same fate I did."
Little did he know that in a few weeks he would die by Shredder's blade and once again be reunited with Shen in the afterlife. He would also never know that Splinter would carry on Yosh's legacy by adopting four baby turtles who would learn of the Foot themselves and dedicate their own lives in avenging his death.
The End
A/N: And that's the end of yet another one-shot. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. Feel free to leave a review after you have finished reading. Have a shell-tastic day.