Cold wind shook the evergreens, and the mountain seemed to shudder. The ancient mansion of the Oroku family stood, dark and lonely, above the sea of pines.
One by one, Foot soldiers walked quietly from the house, streaming away in orderly lines. A few looked back – but not many. They had been ordered to go, and so they went, wondering about the future.
Wind clattered at the windows and unlatched doors, bringing a creeping chill into the bleak corridors. It whistled through rack upon rack of weapons, through halls of gleaming armor, until it finally beat itself insensate on the one locked room in that huge house.
Leonardo sat on a stool, holding his hands over a kerosene heater. His shell was scarred and craggy, his face lined with care and drawn with pain, but his muscles moved easily under his still-vibrant green skin. He flexed his knuckles, feeling the warmth penetrate his bones. It wasn't easy for a turtle to stay warm in the Japanese winter, but he knew that...
"Leo? Leo, anata... Are you there?" The voice was soft as a whisper, crackling like autumn leaves.
He turned, his haggard face softening. "I'm here." He reached out, his massive hand closing around chilly fingers, wracked by age. The woman on the bed could have been his grandmother. She was twisted and shrunken with age, shaking with a cold that no heat or covers could banish.
"Ahh, your hands are warm," she said softly. "Leo, are the... are the soldiers gone?"
The turtle nodded slowly. "Yes."
She patted his hand. "Good, good. And the doctor?"
"I sent her away, too. It's just you and me, my love... Karai."
"Ohh, Leo," she sighed, pressing his hand to her weathered cheek. Tears appeared in her eyes – eyes that seemed to dry to cry. "Why did you stay with me? When I'm..."
He touched her lips with a finger. "Didn't I say I would? Don't ever believe I love you with less than my whole heart, my love. You are my heart."
"Leo, I'm so... I wish I could have given you children."
Before her tears could reach the bed, Leo leaned over and kissed them away, staying to feel her cheek against his. "You gave me yourself, Karai. Did you ever think I wanted more?"
"I'm so tired, Leo... It's so hard. So hard to leave you."
A spasm passed through his body, and he dropped her hand so his clenching fist didn't break her frail bones.
"You're just going ahead, my heart," he said quietly, kissing her on the forehead. "Don't be afraid. I'll follow."
She gave a weak laugh. "Years, anata... it will be years. You're so strong, still. So handsome."
Her fingers shook as she reached for him, and he took her hand, kissing her wrinkled knuckles.
"I remember when I used to beat you with these hands," she said, the laugh getting louder, more real. "It's been so long."
Outside, the last soldiers were long gone, as sunlight slanted down in the forest.
"Leo, will you hold me?"
"Of course."
The bed creaked under his muscular frame, and Karai sighed as he slid under her covers and took her in his arms.
"I love you so much..."
He nodded and kissed her trembling lips. "I love you, Karai."
Time passed, and her head nodded, then came to rest on his broad chest, nestling easily on the pads of his plastron. Her breath softened into sleep.
Leo couldn't close his eyes. He felt the faintest stirring next to him, a breath of wind leaving a ghostly feeling on his lips, and the window blew open to let the moonlight shine in.
Reeling forwards as if punched in the gut, he clutched the body of his wife, and the room shook with his sobs.