A/N: The following story includes a combination of 'verses from the Mirage/Archie comics and is loosely based on the 2003 cartoon series' Battle Nexus story arc, after the Daimyo's son (Ve) had been "reincarnated" with the help of the Time Sceptre and the War Staff. Progressing chapters will be rated M for violence, coarse language and sexual situations.
Prologue
"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell." – Oscar Wilde
The castle was as ancient as time, its walls like inanimate guardians harbouring tales of murder, sex and vengeance. Replaced by an unnerving sense of quiet was the sanctity of home that had been for many centuries, a luxurious nest to the ninjutsu masters of a revered tengu bloodline.
Shoji doors had been slid shut, shunning warmth and sunlight.
Never had Leonardo seen a place so abandoned by grief that as he walked past the majestic jade pillars and across the vast parquet floor in the main court, the only sound he could hear in the emptiness was his own breathing.
Had the tengu daimyo been alive, the triennial tournament would not have ended. His world would have been filled with rowdy visitors from all over the universe but now it seemed bereft of life and the air was reeking of dark magic and treachery.
Leonardo withdrew his weapons, steel blades as cold as death swung dangerously in the direction of an ominous cackle. "Show yourself!" he bellowed fiercely, his voice reverberating like a burst of life in the deadened atmosphere.
"Now that is no way to greet your queen," replied a voice from behind. Turning to look, he then noticed the slender form of a woman dressed in a silk kimono, lounging seductively on her dead husband's throne. She resembled that of a tired geisha, her youthful beauty unsurpassed, as striking as her unkempt raven hair and scarlet lips.
"You are neither queen, nor do you deserve my respect after everything you've done."
"Oh, Leonardo," she said, chuckling wryly at him. "You have no idea how much I've missed you." The lonely queen sat up from the throne, now walking on bare feet towards the estranged warrior. She let the sleeves of her kimono hang loosely below her shoulders. "It's been so long since we last shared a moment as intimate as now. And I know how much you've enjoyed me before."
The woman circled him, brushing her bare skin against his.
"What have you done to the daimyo's son?" Leonardo asked in a quiet yet menacing tone of voice.
"Why do you care so much about that ungrateful bastard? After all, he's been nothing but a threat to you and your family." She stopped to meet the turtle's narrowed gaze before whispering into his ear, "Innocence is the mask he wears. There's nothing you could do to stop a soul destined for evil."
Leonardo stood trembling with hands clenched tightly around his weapons. He could feel his heart pounding, suffocating under her spell again.
"My brother risked his life to find him," he seethed.
"Oh, my poor Leonardo." The queen smiled remorselessly while completely disregarding every bit of pain within the young warrior's grief-stricken soul. She edged closer to his face, eyes growing heavy with lust as she parted her lips slightly and whispered, "I am truly sorry."
Chapter 1
Ve
Two centuries old, the daimyo's son was said to be a warrior in his prime, trained in the ways of his ancestors who had bred with humans and non-humans of various dimensions alike. He was half man, half Tengu; a prince who was far from motivated to share the weight of his father's responsibilities. The old daimyo's kingdom became his royal playground and the beautiful female slaves were the comfort he sought almost every night.
Some nights he would sleep with more than one servant, but a night such as this had superseded all of his other lustful escapades. For Ayu, the daimyo's most favoured concubine, was his forbidden pearl. She would come and go like the onshore breeze. And each time she appeared, her sensual demeanour would send an inevitable shiver throughout his body. Her touch, her enveloping warmth could set fire to his beating heart, shrivelling and scattering it like ashes blown away from the palm of her hand. He would be so lost in her beauty that he could see death in her eyes. As always, he would disregard it. He knew that Ayu was indeed a bearer of bad news though it seemed impossible to deny his feelings for her.
"Ve-sama," Ayu called out to him breathlessly. Their bodies lay close, heaving in orgasmic delight beneath the silk covers embroidered with gold and silver. The prince's eyes cracked open slightly to meet her doe-eyed gaze before closing again. He pressed his lips against hers but she pulled herself away immediately, whispering sharply, "Please—I must leave now."
His heart ached at the thought of losing her body again. "Come with me to the mountains," he begged. "Where we can live freely and not be discreet about our love."
"Nothing good has ever come from us being together," his lover reminded him. She slipped away from his embrace, her bare back facing him as she sat on the edge of the bed. "If your father sees us together again, you will never be king. And I do not wish to spend the rest of my life in the dungeon."
"Of course not," he sighed defeatedly as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "My only wish is to make you mine."
A sad smile crept across Ayu's face. "Still I am nothing but a lowly concubine. Is it not my duty to serve him? I cannot change that."
"You are more than that to me!" insisted the prince with passionate fiery. "I cherish you more than any other soul. I will do everything in my power to keep you in harm's way."
Tears continued to spread, moistening her fair cheeks.
"And I shall make you my queen," he said, while cupping her face. As he stared deeply into her eyes, he caught yet another glimpse of a daunting future. He saw his condemned self being turned into stone, crumbling beneath a divine light.
Still he promised her, "For eternity."
--
"Ungrateful bastard!" the queen spat angrily before giving two forceful slaps on both sides of his face and inevitably forcing Ve to his knees. "Haven't we provided you enough? Still you seek the company of those dirty peasant children. They are diseased! I told you never to leave the castle's premise without my permission!"
The youthful return of the daimyo's son was an act of mercy bestowed by the ever-expanding universe. Lord Simultaneous merely did what he was commanded to do and had been assigned to be the boy's guardian. But while Ue was being punished by his stepmother in his bedroom, the wielder of the Time Sceptre saw no means to intervene.
Ve shot an unforgiving glare at the queen. He didn't care if the peasant children were diseased. He would rather die than be confined in his royal prison. He noticed the look in her eyes. Those eyes...that were once foretelling had become reluctant keepers of his past regrets. Regrets that seemed hauntingly familiar though his renewed innocence had kept him from remembering the life he once lived.
"Queen Ayu," called a servant's voice from the entrance of the room. "The daimyo seeks your presence at the main court. Hamato Yoshi has arrived—along with his son, Leonardo."
Ve remained bitterly silent. He let the blood trickle at the corner of his mouth as he slowly turned to look at the one standing at the door.
"Get him cleaned," the queen told her servant while looking down arrogantly at the boy. "I don't want his father to see him like this."
Straightening her royal garb, she strode out of the room and left the servant to deal with the stubborn young prince.
"Come, Master," said the servant, coaxing Ve to get to his feet. "We must get you ready for the celebration."
--
During a time of hardship and sacrifice, longer before he was destined to meet his children, Splinter had journeyed halfway across the world as an exiled pilgrim in search of a place for his heart.
He had hiked up the rocky terrains of Mount Fuji, trudged fearlessly in the Himalayan blizzard and felt the ocean waves embracing his feet along the shores of various continents. That was how he stumbled upon the ageless realm of the Nexus. A world that made him the person he was, and would always be: a champion.
"Those were the best years of my life," said the old rat to Leonardo, as they explored the vast sports hall of past contenders. Then he stopped, the smile on his face turned bittersweet. Standing before them was a life-sized granite sculpture of his former human self.
"Do you miss—" Leonardo asked, hesitating slightly before continuing, "being human?"
Gleaming black eyes turned to meet the young turtle's questioning gaze.
"Not anymore."
They left the hall, never uttering a single word to each other after that.
Both became equally immersed in deep thought while making their way towards the daimyo's castle beneath the celestial sky, where portals as bright as stars, vanished and reappeared in lightning speed. Ships from in-between realms and faraway galaxies were cruising in across the dark canvas of night before making their graceful descent onto the gleaming ocean waters. Waves crashed joyously onto the shore to announce their long-awaited arrival.
The daimyo was already waiting by the castle's entrance, looking mightily tall beside his wife, Ayu, who was wearing a veil over her face. With only her smiling lips exposed, the queen was completely covered in red from head to toe. Their son, Ve, who seemed less than welcoming, had his hands tucked behind his back while staring suspiciously at their approaching guests.
"It brings me so much joy to see you and your son again, old friend," greeted the tengu daimyo while exchanging bows with Splinter and his son.
"Great to see you in good health and in high spirits, most revered one," replied the old rat.
The daimyo invited them in and called to his wife to escort Leonardo to the main court. "Our guests will surely be delighted to meet the son of Hamato Yoshi," he said.
"As you wish, my Lord," the veiled queen obliged, coaxing Leonardo towards the stairs.
"Master Splinter? Aren't you coming?"
"The daimyo had asked to have a word with me," answered the old rat.
No. There was no way Splinter was going to leave him with Ve and his veil-wearing stepmother. "But—"
Seeing that his father had left in the other direction with the rat, Ve cried out to him, "Where are you going?"
The daimyo merely smiled and waved sadly to his son within the confines of his teleportation orb. It vanished instantaneously, sinking fast into the ground along with the daimyo and Splinter.
"Father! Take me with you!"
"Ve, please! Leave him be," said the queen, tugging the child at the sleeve. "Your father has important matters to attend to."
The young prince immediately pulled himself away from her. "I would rather die than be stuck with you!"
After a menacing pause, the queen spoke again, "Leonardo. Please tell this child to watch what he says to his mother..."
But like the prince, Leo too wondered where the daimyo went with his father.
"I can say and do whatever I please," demanded Ve. "I am the Prince, the royal blood of this family. And you are not my mother! You are nothing but a two-headed serpent!"
His words, like poison, echoed loudly throughout the hallway. All eyes turned to look at Queen Ayu and the young prince while Leo stood frozen with embarrassment in the middle as they argued.
"If you are to insult me in front of my guests," she quivered while trying hard to suppress the anger within, "you shall have nothing to eat until I hear an apology!"
"Then I'll starve! I don't care! I will never apologise to a whore like you. I hate you." The prince shot a venomous glare at their bewildered guests. "I hate all of you!" he yelled, before storming off down the corridor.
While concerned about Ve's dire need to be with his father, Leonardo immediately suggested, "I can help him find his father while you entertain your guests."
"No," answered Queen Ayu solemnly. "Let him be. No matter how much time has passed, some things will never change. He will always come back."