IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you who would prefer this fic have all Slash/Yaoi/Gay (male/male) pairings, you may want to check out my fic "Rise of the Guardians (in training): The Slashylicious Version" where ALL of my OC's in this fic are male in that one. LoL Thought I would let everyone know. I wrote an entirely slashy version because I like slash so much. X3
Disclaimer: I do NOT own TMNT, MARVEL or DC, etc. If I DID, things would have been more interesting. LoL I only own my OC(s) and awesomeness. And though I did mess around with some of the pics I'll probably have up on AO3, the credit should go to the awesome artists who drew them originally. X3 So major kudos and thanks to them.
Warning(s): This fic contains Male/Female and Male/Male romantically paired couples. If you don't like either one, then don't read. Read at your own risk, and heed the usual warnings I have up on my profile, where I also post fics on AO3, and so on, because if you don't like what you're reading, then you should just shut up and stop reading rather than bother to leave me rude comments since you have been warned more than once in just this one notice thingy. XD So you've been warned. There. X3 All better. LoL
Author's Note(s): An important thing to note is that Shredder's real name is Oroku Saki and Splinter's real name is Hamato Yoshi, and also that Karai is a character from the show (she arrives in the series by the episode "New Girl in Town").
This is my "Rise of the Guardians (in training)" fanfiction series. Like the cartoon, not all of my OC's will be present in the storyline all the time. It was named after the first episode of the TMNT 2012 series "Rise of the Turtles". XD
I may make a few spin-offs of this if I get around to writing and or finishing them, for example: I was hoping to do a pairing of my OC Karina and Dr. Victor Falco as I began writing one a while back, but so far most of my time has been taken up by writing this one, so I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it. LoL If anyone is interested in seeing some villain based romance fics based on the villain rivals and my OC's, please leave it in a review or in a PM. X3
As for the pairings, I'd list them but I figure it's more fun to keep the readers guessing and mostly it seems kind of a buzz kill for me. X3 Anywho! There are at least two male/male (slash/yaoi) pairings, with the rest being female/male (straight couples) so it's all good. My pairings will have their own rivals for the other characters affection/love/heart, like Hamato Yoshi Vs. Oroku Saki for the love of Seung Haruhi and things like that to spice things up!
I made the OC's, turtles, and other characters 18 years old and up/older, rather than them being 15, as it seems more appropriate for this series, and the cartoon in general with all the freaky and often adult stuff they get into (on the cartoon and/or in my fic). XD I know the show was made for kids, but I'm a kid at heart, and I figured people might rather read a story where everyone's of age so the romance won't seem so odd, as it's all ready pretty weird with all the mutants and aliens and ninjas, etc. Lmao. But whatevs! This is the way it is to suit my purposes, and that's all that matters to me. X3
I'll put the rest of my notes at the end so it doesn't seem so overwhelming. :D I also apologize for any typos, but I can't get them all.
Also, big thanks to all my friends like Anti-Carly, HellKing666, Danae and Islashlove, who are always so awesome to listen and put up with my craziness and passionate rants about my writing and such and act as my freaky, lovely muses. X3 Oh and to Shade Penn and sirius1696 for their helpful review(s) and general awesomeness. X3
I finally got the pics up on AO3 X3. Had to make a Tumblr page to do it LOL but it's all good. Enjoy!
"Prologue: Threads of Fate"
The Utroms were a race of benevolent, peace loving beings who ended up being caught up in a war between their supposed "sister race" known as the Kraang. These pink little jerks were merely dumbed down copies of Kraang Prime; a warmongering alien who had slaughtered his own race in his ruthless thirst for conquest.
The Seung clan had a long history as being a ninja clan that aided the Utroms in being Guardians; the human and human-alien mutant hybrid allies of the good aliens. The Seung clan was a veritable hotpot of races; such as Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and even some Utrom.
Haruhi Seung's grandmother ended up marrying the Utrom she had been the Guardian of, and with a little help from science, they had given birth to his mother Hanako and his aunt Haruko. That was one of the reasons mutations were common in the Seung bloodline. Though it did sometimes skip certain generations like his mothers and aunts.
Haruhi had always been a lovely and unique child; though oddly pretty for a boy as some who had seen him would think, to the point he was usually mistaken for a girl. The lad had long wavy, hair that flowed a little passed his shoulders. It was a rich shade of chestnut like his mothers; but so dark that it seemed on the verge of being brown and black at times depending on the light.
It parted down the middle and was usually worn tied back in a ponytail; two long bangs hung on either side of his sweet face to frame a pair of bright hazel-green, almond shaped eyes. His form looked so delicate and sylphlike despite how lean it was from all the running around, playing and training he did.
And though he was shy, genial and playful like any little kid his age, there was something about him that just seemed to be attune to things in an extraordinary way that could even take his parents by surprise.
Haru always had a way with animals; they seemed drawn to his kind and gentle nature, as if it came off in waves of good vibes. And when it came to practicing one of the ancient arts of his family, known as the Thread Technique, he exhibited a natural talent for playing the koto and singing.
Haruhi's parents were Guardians. They raised him as best as they could; trying to ensure that he was taught of both the cultures of human as well as Utrom both in and out of what his schooling taught him, so he would blend in better on Earth. They did not wish for him to forget he was a child of two worlds. As that was how Hanako and her sister had been taught.
He grew up with a love for music and martial arts; especially the special thread technique he was learning, with the hopes to be a Guardian like most of his family, because Haruhi wished to be able to protect those he cared for too.
So, when he was about five or six, his mother allowed him to start training at the Utrom facility in Japan to learn how to become a Guardian; as being an Utrom-Human hybrid, she didn't trust to leave him in the care of people from regular human schools.
Providing he worked harder at learning the particular skill set of the Seung family. As it was not taught to everyone, except those who showed natural talent or potential for it as she could tell her son did.
His parents didn't really want for him to be a Guardian, as it could be a dangerous responsibility, but they figured it best for him to be trained in how to defend himself regardless.
The Utroms were a bit better in regards to their unusual psionic abilities than the Kraang, as they focused more on strengthening the mind. Plus, the Kraang were just stupid. Let's face it.
But due to Haruhi being of both human and Utrom, they were not sure what to expect in terms of whether he might end up with powers or not. Though, in truth, his parents figured he would end up as a regular human child. But to be safe, Haru's parents thought it best he focus on learning mental discipline via the training one undergoes to become a Guardian just in case.
Haruhi's family lived in Japan, though Haru was taught to speak English in case he ever ended up in America; as it was rumored Kraang activity had been spotted there. The happy yet unusual couple lived in the same neighborhood as Haru's aunt Haruko Murakami; who was also a Guardian his mothers sister.
A lot of their family and other Guardians and their families lived in or near their neighborhood; though not all of their families and friends knew of their secret professions, as only a few were allowed to know; such as his aunts husband who chose to become a Guardian after she'd confided in him about it.
The Utroms version of school was created to educate the children of their human allies, and was just a small part of one of the bases they had on Earth. Haru liked going because his aunt, was an instructor at the Utrom school, as well as his sensei.
She taught them martial arts, and when sent on missions would be replaced by a fellow Guardian until she'd completed it. But when Haruko was teaching, he really enjoyed learning despite how strict the training could be since it would be used for life and death situations during battle.
His mother, Hanako thought it was nice that her son was learning important values such as discipline, respect, and even how to protect himself. But… she really wished for the boy to live a nice life rather than become tangled up in a war that spanned the multi-verse…
It could be a dangerous lifestyle full of secrets and hiding in the shadows, when you weren't fighting for some reason or another for your life or the lives of others. There was never any way to tell when you might die, when would be the last time you might see your loved ones. Or if you'd get captured by the enemy and experimented on.
You were allowed to have a family and such, but like family, your responsibility was to your duty as a Guardian. Hanako's mother had been a skilled kunoichi for the Utroms, and died fighting the Kraang. She did not wish for her only child to be hurt or killed or worse, but understood it was better for Haru to be prepared than defenseless.
Hanako was surprised to learn later on that Haruko desired to keep her life as a Guardian secret from any children she hoped to have; until a time when it would become necessary for the child to know. Hanako could respect that, but had always been about honesty when it came to her child.
Oddly enough, their neighbors whom the Seung family had been friends with for many generations, was also a clan of ninja that lived just down the street in a large house. Though they were not at all affiliated with or knowing of the existence of the aliens she helped.
The current ruler of the Hamato Clan had a son and an adopted son. His sons name were Hamato Yoshi, and he was a very kind soul and who had developed a friendly rivalry with his adopted brother Oroku Saki.
Saki tried to be good like Yoshi, but something about the lad and his competitive ways seemed to scream for attention; as if he was always looking for that missing piece and would mourn his heart out bitterly until he found it…
But even so, he seemed like a nice enough child to introduce her son Haruhi to. Thinking it would be good for Haru to have friends who were ninja around his own age, and who lived normal lives compared to their own, since their families had always had their children hang out together and play. Maybe it would encourage him to choose a life outside of being a Guardian…
Haruhi was such a shy boy when it came to people he wasn't used to or didn't know. And it didn't help that his mother thought he looked so cute with his long hair, that she would dress him up in pretty clothing like kimonos and such to emphasis it.
Which is why when they first met, both boys of the Hamato Clan were taken aback to see such a pretty girl, only a little younger than themselves, peering out from behind Hanako-san.
Haru had been dressed in a cherry blossom pink kimono that had a lovely dark pink cherry blossom floral design and matching dark pink sash around the waist. He also had on a pair of simple wooden sandals for a girl with red straps and white socks.
His mother always insisted he keep his hair long because it looked nice. And after an incident where he once had it cut short to prove her wrong, he agreed it did actually look better long.
But he'd refused to wear it down and had it up in its usual ponytail that was tied back with a white ribbon wrapped around it, with the two long bangs in the front. He had two pale silvery gold bells attached to the side of the right band; where it was wrapped with a white ribbon like the back of his hair and the other band.
Comically enough, he was used to being dressed in such a way for training purposes, and felt it was normal for someone in his situation. The only thing he thought was girly was the floral pattern, and that he was mistaken more for a girl when his hair was down; when in reality, he looked adorable and feminine no matter what.
It was tradition in the Seung family, as it was for any who practiced the art of the thread technique, that the practitioner undergo at least a fifteen year period in which they trained in feminine arts; such as dancing, and playing the koto, along with wearing female clothing such as the kimono. And even some occasional singing.
This was done in order to develop the skill, power, and grace in order to execute the complex technique properly. Unfortunately, despite his efforts to not look so girly , the way those two long bangs he had around his face combined with everything else, he failed to pull that off.
And so, when the two boys watched Hanako step swiftly behind little Haru, and they got to see and watch him give a nervous little bow and utter a soft "H-hello…" as a rosy tinge dusted his cheeks, young Saki and Yoshi found themselves rather speechless; their eyes comically widening as they gaped at the newcomer.
They thought Haruhi was a very pretty girl, and they hadn't any experience being around, much less talking to a girl! The three of them sort of just stood there a tad awkwardly with the two staring at Haru, while poor Haru just gazed at the ground; still blushing while he fidgeted nervously with one of the bells on his hair.
The two Hamato boys were having a cute "Doki Doki" moment where their faces heated up, their hearts fluttered and raced, and their palms felt all sweaty as it became a little hard to breath. And they didn't understand why they felt so strange, because it was so exciting and terrifying all at once.
"Aww! Since when did you boys get so shy? Come on now." Hanako said to Saki and Yoshi with a good-natured chuckle, as she slowly pushed Haru towards them; who ended up stumbling a little and falling forward in the process of trying to discreetly fight against his pushing.
Both Saki and Yoshi saw this and reacted without thinking; both moving forward to catch what they thought was a lovely maiden, only for the brunette to catch himself on his hands and do a back flip over them.
They gazed with open mouths in awe as they watched the other land with catlike grace as the kimono fluttered prettily around a pair of slender legs; not realizing someone who looked so delicate and cute like that, could have ninja skills like they had been learning.
Hanako giggled again at the way the boys reacted; wondering why they looked so surprised. "Yoshi-kun, Saki-kun, I would like to introduce you to my child, Seung Haruhi." She introduced as said brunette turned around to give another bow when his name was said.
"It is… nice to meet you…" Haru managed to say politely with a pleasant smile; even though he felt really nervous when meeting new people. Saki was the first to recover as he walked up to Haruhi; his arms folded over his chest as he tried to put on his cool tough guy act.
"What kind of name is Haruhi anyways? Can't tell if it's a boys or a girls name." He asked a tad snidely; though he hadn't meant for it to come out that way. Haru blinked. "Both I think… Um, isn't Saki a girls name?" The brunette asked innocently.
Saki went about three shades of red and blanched slightly as he sweatdropped; not expecting that. "Uh… it… it's definitely a boys name!" He tried to reason; but his gruff way of speaking came out a bit sheepish and made the shorter boy, who they still thought was a girl, giggle.
The cute sound broke the awkward tension of doki doki-ness, and Saki just rubbed the back of his head and scowled in a pouting manner as he looked away from that pretty face that made him feel all nice and weird.. "It's okay. I like your name…" The brunette assured sweetly.
"Would it be okay, if I called you Saki-kun?" Haruhi asked. As his dark eyes turned to see those big doe-like hazel-green ones sparkling up at him, the taller boy felt his stubbornness melt as he merely gave a gruff little "Fine…" of defeat, which he couldn't help smiling at some when he saw the sunny smile the brunette shone at him.
Haruhi was only about eight and the Hamato boys around ten, so they were a little taller than the brunette by maybe three inches give or take. Saki was the tallest by half an inch though.
Yoshi had been pretty busy still staring shyly at the brunette, but when he saw how well Saki was getting along with her -er I mean- him, the younger ravenet hurried over to join in.
"I'm Hamato Yoshi, but you can call me Yo-kun, if I can call you Haru-chan." Yoshi said smilingly. Haruhi turned from the still slightly abashed boy to the one who looked quite cheerful.
Despite not wanting to be given the somewhat girly title of -chan, the little halfling couldn't help feeling a wave of good vibes coming off of Yoshi. It helped ease away the rest of his nervousness and made him giggle.
"O-okay… Yo-kun. You may both call me that." Haruhi told them brightly; feeling much better now. He took each boy by the hand and said "Let's go play, m'kay?" before the boys smiled and nodded before they led their new playmate off to do just that.
Since Haruhi got along with the boys just fine since they were kids, Hanako would occasionally leave young Haru at the Hamato household for short periods of time when her cousin was too busy to watch him.
She didn't like taking him around the other Guardians for fear it might further influence him to become a Guardian as well; which, as irony would have it, made the brunette want to be anyways as he grew older. Regardless of how much she tried to prevent and dissuade the idea.
Her son really liked hanging out with the peaceful ninja, and seemed a bit more fond of him than their friend Oroku Saki, whom Hamato-san's father had taken in and raised alongside his own son after the feud between the Foot and Hamato clans had ended in much bloodshed.
Young Saki however, liked Haru, and thought the other was incredibly cute. But it agitated him to see how nervous and wary the shorter boy had become of him as they grew older; but that was only because he got scared when he saw just how mean and angry Saki could get at times.
Saki wished Haru-chan would like him the way he did Yoshi… It was like Haru was afraid Saki would suddenly sprout fangs and claws and gobble him up like a hungry monster. And even further upset him when he saw how much the little brunette loved being around Yoshi.
His bright green and brown eyes would brighten like the sun, and it spread throughout the boys whole aura as he smiled up at the kindly ninja. Saki hated how everyone seemed to prefer Yoshi to him…
Haruhi couldn't help it. Something about Oroku-san put him on edge the longer he knew him; not to mention the older ninja tended to have a bit of a temper. The hardheaded boy seemed nice enough, and the halfling really did try to like him, but it didn't seem to help the weird vibe he got off of him.
Hanako noticed the way Haruhi favored the Hamato boy, and had been the one to tell him that his edginess was picked up on by Saki, and that it seemed to be upsetting him the way he favored one friend over the other, and that such was not very nice. As friends should not treat each other that way.
Feeling he had done something bad and not having wanted to upset his friend Saki, Haruhi hurried over to find him and make amends. Saki had been most taken aback when the brunette came to apologize and explain that he didn't know why he behaved that way, that he simply did, and had not meant to hurt the older ninjas feelings.
The lad even went so far as to give the other a small hug. Saki stood there stunned and completely taken aback by the others compassion. "You're my friend too, Saki-kun. I don't want to lose either of you." Haru told him sincerely, with a sunny smile he'd only ever seen when they first met; which had been mostly seen given to Yoshi lately.
Yoshi, who had been with them at the time, had laughed good-naturedly and teased his friend and adopted brother about having blushed so much; though Saki would never admit that he had to his childhood rival, and abashedly denied it.
After that, the tough ninja and the halfling went back to getting along better. Even the bad vibe seemed to dissipate; as Saki was at least relieved to know it wasn't something he did that made the lovely ninja behave that way, and had been most touched by the Haru-chan's words and actions. The brunette seemed to bring out the good in him; and even Saki had to admit to himself that he was starting to like it.
He even took in a stray Akita Inu mutt puppy simply because he figured Haruhi might like him more if he had a cute pet to help make him seem less scary. This idea was good in theory, but then Saki only ended up feeling rather jealous of the puppy when Haru would shower it with attention.
"Can we name him Hachiko, Saki-kun? Please?" The little brunette sweetly asked with those big doe eyes of his; a level of cuteness which would later lead the older ninja to name all of his following pets Hachiko in the future, as he wasn't exactly one for naming things.
Saki hated how he gave in to the adorable request, and even more that he had to clear his throat before answering because of how he felt he couldn't trust his own voice for a moment.
"I… suppose we could, Haru-chan." He tried and failed to sound like his usual gruff self; his voice softening as he spoke. The three boys had been friends for a few years now, and so Saki and Yoshi were getting close to being teenagers.
And with the way Haruhi often came over to visit or was left there to be looked after while his mother was busy, it seemed inevitable that even Saki would grow fond of such a sweet person.
Most particularly when out of everyone he knew, Haru seemed to be the only person who genuinely liked him; besides maybe Hachiko. He was a bit iffy about Yoshi, but that was mostly because they were rivals in everything.
But despite how much better he and Haru got along, he noticed Yoshi and Haruhi growing steadily closer; as Yoshi really liked the androgynous halfling too. And thus their rivalry took an interesting turn to compete for Haru-chan's attention and affection.
The two had yet to figure out Haru was a boy; which their parents thought was somewhat adorably hilarious, and did nothing to change since they figured it was just harmless childhood antics, and that they'd figure it out sooner or later.
And when Haru was allowed to spend the night every once in a while, the two competitive ninjas couldn't have been more thrilled, because it meant they got to spend extra time with their "ninja princess" as they had secretly taken to calling the brunette.
Poor little Haruhi had no idea they thought he was a girl, and was just enjoying the attention and affection his two best friends showed him; thinking that's how friends were supposed to be. Which is why he just went with the flow as he was used to being treated like a girl anyways with his training.
The first night that the halfling spent the night, he couldn't sleep very well, and had gone to the room Saki and Yoshi shared in the girly sleepwear his mom bought for him; which that night had been a very pretty white yukata styled robe with a pattern of pink peach blossoms outlined in black.
He told them he couldn't sleep, because his mom and dad always gave him a hug and kiss goodnight. Both raven haired ninjas were a bit at a loss, but Yoshi got up and slowly went over to give his upset friend a hug.
And though he did scowl, mostly because he didn't think to do that first, Saki went and did the same after shoving roughly Yoshi out of the way. Feeling much happier now, Haru thanked them both and gave them each a little peck on the cheek, and bid them a sweet goodnight.
Both boys blushed and touched the spot on their cheek before exchanging a bewildered look, and then going back to bed. But from that night on, whenever Haru spent the night, they both looked forward to when they said goodnight to their favorite little brunette; for it meant a kiss on the cheek and a hug.
Even though he felt Haru liked Yoshi better than him, being around Haruhi made all the bad feelings the young Oroku child bore a little easier to bear; with that sunny disposition of his and knack for knowing when Saki was upset.
Which was usually followed by attempts to cheer him up, unless he caught Saki brooding on purpose for attention, which made the halfling giggle and hug him anyway. And when he was there while they were practicing, the boys would try to show off in front of him; usually followed by a good smack from their sensei for doing so.
But the Hamato boys loved it best when they got to see Haruhi perform on the koto for them, sing, or do a dance. For someone so young, the art came naturally to the svelte brunette. And they were steadily more awed by how elegantly he moved the older they became.
However, a time came when they were in their teens, that friendly childhood rivalry between Saki and Yoshi turned to bitter hatred and jealousy for poor Saki, when he returned from getting them something to drink and saw Haruhi staring wide eyed at Yoshi; who was kissing him right on the lips!
By this time, Yoshi had discovered that the strong feelings he felt for Haruhi was love, and he had been so nervous about confessing it. Yoshi tried very hard to capture the pretty ninjas attention.
Which had been somewhat easy at first since they just seemed to get along without any effort. But then Haruhi had felt he was neglecting Saki and made sure the three of them were together instead of Saki being left out on occasion.
The reason it had gotten somewhat difficult to attract the gentle brunette was because Saki had gone and cleverly obtain that puppy Hachiko of his, and Haruhi had simply adored the mutt.
So, Saki had to try and find a new way to make the other prefer him. He took to reading stories to Haruhi. And though the halfling was usually cuddled up adorably with Hachiko or leaned against Saki, Yoshi counted the times when Haru came to lean on him a small victory in its own.
The fact that he managed to find things like reading to the other or playing the flute for him to hold Haru's interest was a win in itself. The two rivals comically fought these subtle battles; doing their best to keep Haruhi from noticing.
Yoshi could tell Saki cared for the brunette too. He wasn't exactly thrilled about that though. Out of respect and care for Haruhi though, he had been hiding his love for the other so as not to spoil the friendship between the three. Just as Saki had been doing, as they both knew Haruhi was just happy to have friends.
But one day, when Saki had left grumbling about how he was thirsty, and they were alone in the backyard surrounded by all the beautiful flowers as they sat on the stone bench under the big cherry tree, Haruhi had turned to smile that heartwarming smile of his and say something to Yoshi, when something seemed to possess the young Hamato.
He found himself moving towards the halfling, and the next thing he knew, they went tumbling to the ground, and then his arms were wrapped around Haruhi in a tight embrace while he kissed the slender ninja as passionately as he could; being that it was the first real kiss either had ever experienced.
Since Haru didn't sense things all the time, and it sort of came and went depending on the circumstances, he thought perhaps Yo-kun had been trying to playfully tackle him or something, and had put up his hands to push him away.
Which is how his hands ended up resting on the others taut chest, and why his eyes widened in surprise when the ravenet had kissed him instead. And while he loved both his friends very much, he couldn't help feeling a rush of delight that it was Yoshi who was kissing him.
But before he could react, the young Hamato was yanked back by a very pissed off looking Saki. Haruhi felt strong, rough hands gingerly maneuvering under his arms to help him up off the grass, as Saki leaned down so their faces were eye level.
One hand resting lightly on the curve of a slender shoulder, as the other reached up to brush the stay hair from those startling green-brown eyes; the bells tinkling lightly as he did so. That look of anger on Saki's rugged face softening to concern quickly at the stunned look his sweet brunette had.
"Are you okay, Haru-chan?" Saki had been worried by the way Haru looked that maybe Yoshi had been trying to force himself on him. And from where Saki was standing; seeing Yoshi on top of poor Haru like that, and how he felt about the halfling, it was an easy mistake to make.
"Y-yes, Saki-kun…" Haruhi managed to utter breathlessly; giving himself a mental shake and blinking a few times. Saki was busy looking his friend over for any damage. He saw how Haru's face was a little flushed, and those pouty lips of his were reddened and slightly puffy from the overly excited and rough way in which he had been kissed.
Saki swallowed as he eyed the others lips; his mouth feeling dryer than it had before as he licked his own lips. "I-I'm okay… He didn't hurt me. I was… just caught off guard. That's all." Haru tried to give him a reassuring smile; feeling happy to have had a friend who worried like that about him.
While at the same time feeling bad for having worried him at all; a torrent of confusing emotions raging within his own mind and heart as it was with the other two ninjas.
The brunette had never been fond of the idea of dating or having feelings for a woman. He's always preferred guys. But he'd never thought that either of his handsome friends would have any interest in him; much less to end up with one of them kissing him!
Haru knew that despite his gruff, stubborn exterior, Saki had a softer side. It was just heavily guarded by all the walls he'd put up, for whatever reasons he felt he needed them to begin with.
"I'm so sorry Haru-chan!" Yoshi exclaimed, as he gathered himself up off the ground where Saki had thrown him; having been shocked by his own actions as well as his adopted brothers. "I didn't mean to cause such a mess."
Yoshi gave a deep, apologetic bow; his heart heavy that he had gone and done what he had tried so hard to avoid, and ruined everything. But as far as Haruhi was concerned, things had changed, but he didn't think they were anywhere near being ruined.
Then again, he didn't know Saki and Yoshi had a huge crush on him. But Saki didn't want to hear the others apologies. As far as he was concerned, Yoshi had gone and attacked his ninja princess, and he should be lucky Saki didn't beat him to death on the spot for it.
Instead, Saki took Haru by the hand and began to lead him away, but felt resistance. Turning to look he saw those hazel-green gems full of compassion and roiling emotion caused his desire to take Haru away and comfort the brunette only grew stronger.
His expression was stern as he clenched his teeth, but Haruhi could see the soft look in Saki's dark eyes and gave him a pleading smile. "He's our friend…" Was all Haru had to say, before the taller ninja gave an aggravated sigh and let the halfling take him over to where Yoshi was standing.
The young Hamato looked completely dejected and regretful. Haru let go of Saki's hand to cup his sorrowful friends face, and bring it up so he wasn't staring at the ground anymore.
"Hey now. You didn't hurt me, Yo-kun. I'm okay. See?" The youngest ninja smiled warmly. Saki glowered when he saw his competition give Haru a sad half smile. "How come you kissed me though? I thought you and Saki liked girls." The halfling asked good-naturedly.
Well, he did know the two liked girls because he often heard them talking about a pretty girl when they thought he wasn't listening or around, but had no idea who it was. He figured it might've been one of his distant cousins like Tang Shen who sometimes came by Haru's house to hang out with him.
"But… you are a girl." Saki stated with a confused tone; wondering why the brunette phrased the question that way. Unlike Saki, Yoshi had recently figured out Haruhi was actually of the male persuasion.
This happened on a happy accident when the young Hamato had gone to pay a surprise visit to the dear brunette, when he went to open the door to Haru's room and saw the halfling with her- or rather- his shirt off. He'd been in the middle of putting a fresh one of his girly tops on when Yoshi knocked; and being a guy, he didn't think much of his friend seeing him topless.
After that, Yoshi had been very confused for a while. But when he thought this discovery would make him like Haruhi less, he was pleasantly shocked to find that if anything, his feelings for the brunette only grew.
Haruhi frowned slightly as he turned his head to look at Saki. "What are you talking about? I'm a boy." Seeing the dumbstruck look on the taller males face, the halfling couldn't help giggling lightheartedly.
"I-I'm sorry, Saki-kun." He managed to say through his mirth as it settled. "I thought you knew." The tallest raven haired teenager felt as if he had just had the wind knocked out of him by this news.
Sure, Saki had thought it was odd yet refreshing how much of a tomboy their ninja princess seemed to be, and how proficient Haru was with martial arts. And… yeah, okay, he didn't have breasts like some teenage girls, but Saki figured he was just flat chested; and couldn't help thinking the brunette looked better that way.
Seeing how beautiful Haruhi was, combined with the fact that he was still young enough that his enthrallingly gentle voice hadn't broken and matured yet, it was easy to overlook for someone who had been blinded by their feelings for him. At least that was how Saki's brain was rationalizing it.
Saki's hands clenched and unclenched at his sides repeatedly as his mind tried to process information that it had blatantly ignored. He wasn't sure what to think now. His emotions were all befuddled as his sexuality came into question.
Haruhi felt rather overwhelmed by the waves of emotions that both his friends were experiencing. It was almost suffocating, and he wished he could do something to fix it. Reaching up to place a hand to the side of his forehead as he tried to take a steadying breath; he felt on the verge of trembling. But then, yet another surprise of the day met his ears.
"I knew…" The quiet voice startled both Saki and Haru out of the silent staring they were doing at each other. Yoshi straightened up and took a small step towards both of them; a look of determination on his face.
"I knew Haru-chan was a boy. I've known it for some time now. And I… still feel the way I always have for him. The only thing that's changed is that my feelings are stronger now." Yoshi confessed bravely.
The young Hamato was blushing like a madman and his stomach was a raging storm of butterflies, but if he didn't say what needed to be said, then he was afraid Saki might freak out on Haruhi and make things worse.
He didn't want to see the halfling get hurt by whatever pigheaded thing the taller ravenet might blurt out in anger. Saki looked from the brunette to his rival, and then back to Haru again.
He saw the worried look the other had in regards to him, and while he was upset and confused by the situation, the only thing he could think to do was turn around with an exasperated growl and storm off.
The brunette felt tears in his eyes as he reached out and began to go after his pained friend, but Yoshi's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Shhhh… it's okay Haru-chan." Yoshi cooed gently; pulling the silently crying halfling into his arms.
Saki's reaction had caused Haruhi to worry that he must hate him now that he didn't think he's a girl anymore. Was it so bad that he was a boy? Was it worth that sharp pain of betrayal and confused disgust that he felt radiating from the tall ninja?
When he expressed his concerns to Yoshi, he explained that Saki just needed time to process it all, as he once had to. The young Hamato then led Haru back over to sit with him on the stone bench under the cherry tree they'd been on earlier.
There, with a newfound courage, Yoshi began to tell him all about how he and Saki thought he was a girl and why; though as distraught as he was, Haru still managed a small giggle at finding out he was their "ninja princess".
He also explained how he came to figure out how Haruhi was a boy. At least now the brunette understood why they wouldn't allow him to bathe with them, or get undressed in front of them, and stuff like that.
And here he'd assumed they were trying to spare his feelings by telling him they thought he was too weird to do that sort of thing with, since most others shunned Haru for being different.
Sometimes because of how much he looked like a girl, but mostly due to how he thought he could sense the emotions of others and animals through the "vibes" he got. Go figure it was all because they assumed he was a pretty girl.
It was rather flattering that they thought he was attractive for his personality more than merely his looks. Somehow that helped make him feel better about it; knowing that they had simply cared about him too much, rather than secretly harboring disgust or hatred for him.
Haruhi wasn't at all put off by Yoshi's kiss. He'd read about and seen plenty of guys kiss and other stuff in the manga he read and people he'd seen do that sort of thing on TV or in real life.
His female cousins like Tang Shen had lots of anime and manga that was called Yaoi or "Boys Love", but mostly "Girls Love" or Yuri that she thought was fun to show off to him since he liked reading. Though when he first discovered such a genre, young Haru ended up blushing quite a bit.
In fact, it was quite common among Guardians and Utroms since their ranks consisted mostly of males, and not frowned upon since things worked differently where the Utroms were from.
Yoshi then continued on quite blushingly to further confess that he had grown much fonder of Haru than he should've. And that if the brunette wanted, they could try being more than just friends.
Haruhi wasn't quite expecting that, but at least it ceased his tears. He sniffled and looked up at the kindly ninja. "You… do?" He asked shyly; having had a bit of a crush on the young Hamato teen, as he had always been happiest around him, but hadn't acted on it because he didn't want to be rejected.
Yoshi had always been there for him. Saki tried, but the brooding teen tended to be prone to annoyed or angry outbursts because it upset him when Haru was upset. The thought was nice and all, but Haru preferred someone who didn't scare the hell out of him like Saki sometimes did.
Even so, that didn't mean he didn't love Saki as well. Just not the way he loved Yoshi. When Haru confessed his feelings to Yoshi, he didn't think he'd ever seen the older ninja smile so much.
The halfling gave a little squeak of surprise when the kindly ravenet pulled him into another kiss; one that was much gentler this time. After a moment, he relaxed and returned it. And as their secret love was finally allowed to bloom, Saki sat in his room broodingly trying to sort out everything that had happened.
Yoshi had a very open mind and accepting nature. Saki… eh… he did not. Not really anyway. His nature was more full of self-denial and repression. So until he figured things out and stopped glaring at Yoshi like he'd raped his dog, Yoshi asked Haruhi to stay away for a while.
Interestingly enough, the only looks Haruhi ever received were more like that of a kicked puppy, or just an unreadable yet stern look; as if he just wasn't sure how to look at the brunette now.
The young Guardian in training agreed it was best to give Saki some time, while he and Yoshi focused on their own relationship. They both knew some day that Yoshi would probably have to marry a woman so as to produce an heir to the Hamato family name.
But they wanted to enjoy being with each other until that day came. Haruhi heard from his aunt Haruko that Yoshi's father would probably pick his distant cousin Tang Shen. That was fine with him though, because Shen knew about his relationship with Yoshi and was cool about it.
For many years now, Tang Shen had a love interest of her own, so she only planned on staying with Yoshi long enough to give him an heir and have a child of her own to have and raise with her girlfriend, before having a quiet divorce and going to be with the one she truly loved.
Tang Shen began hanging out around Haru and Yoshi more, and even introduced them to her secret girlfriend a few times. Her name was Joi Reynard; a lovely blonde who was a fellow martial artist in Tang Shen's family dojo whom she trained with.
The four of them were the only ones to know of their plans and thought it best to keep it that way so as not to upset their families. Well, mostly Yoshi's, as his father was very traditional and old fashioned in a closed minded way.
But so long as they maintained their families honor and bloodline, the two secret couples didn't think it was anyone's business as to who they chose to love. Or how they preferred to live their lives.
When Saki finally began hanging out with them again, he was properly introduced to Tang Shen and couldn't help thinking she looked awfully pretty with that long, dark brown hair.
She might've passed for a female version of Haru had she been prettier and had those hazel-green eyes that enthralled and soothed him so… At least, he couldn't help thinking that. But Saki didn't want to have feelings for another man, and did his best to try and believe he didn't love him.
He grew rather distant from Haruhi, which pained him because he knew it hurt the brunettes feelings. But he had to keep his resolve. He didn't blame Haru. How could he? The halfling had done nothing but go out of his way to show him friendship and compassion.
If he was going to blame anyone, it would've been Hamato Yoshi for not telling him Haruhi was a boy beforehand. That way he might have been better able to have handled his feelings, or at least not have stormed off the way he had.
He didn't know that his two best friends were dating either. They felt it wise to keep their relationship quiet from everyone save for Tang Shen, Joi, and Haruko. Oroku did his best to maintain his distance, and not become too friendly towards Haru anymore.
Afraid he might become bewitched by the young ninjas charm and beauty again. But whether unconsciously or aware of it; as even Saki wasn't entirely sure, the broody ravenet began trying to woo Tang Shen as a sort of female replacement for his lost ninja princess.
Being that she wasn't interested in him as any more than a friend, Tang Shen only ever returned platonic feelings and apologized that she was to be with Yoshi; keeping up the appearance that they were a budding couple for the sake of their respective families by flirting with and going on fake dates with the kindly Hamato heir.
This infuriated Saki to no end, as it seemed no one wanted to be any more than his friend. Which in his mind, didn't make them much of one. And the only one he might've had a chance with was male. But he was determined nonetheless. So when the day came where the fake couple was announcing their engagement, Saki had reached his limit.
Haruhi was barely twenty at the time, whereas the two Hamato boys were now men in their early twenties, as was Shen, when Shen and Yoshi threw a big party with their family and friends.
There they announced that they were engaged to be married. The androgynous halfling had been upset he couldn't have been the one to marry Yoshi instead, but he knew where the others heart lay.
Especially since Haruhi had discovered that he was pregnant with Yo-kun's child. His aunt Haruko told him to keep it from Yoshi, but he couldn't do that. He loved his dear ravenet too much to keep the fact they were going to have a baby together from him.
Utroms were hermaphroditic by nature; much like Earth snails, and because of Haruhi's grandfather being an Utrom, the brunettes body had somehow inherited this unique trait; which would explain why he was so androgynous.
At first Yoshi had been confused as to how such a thing could've happened. But then Haruhi explained to him about his alien-human heritage; feeling he could trust Yoshi with this like his aunt Haruko and other Guardians had come to trust and confide in the ones they loved.
He didn't tell him about the Guardians, but just that he wasn't quite human because his grandfather was a benevolent alien who ended up on Earth and fell in love with his grandmother; which was true.
And to avoid any disbelief, his grandfather agreed to back up Haruhi's claim by being there with him when he told him. At first, Yoshi had been shocked and wasn't sure what to think.
But Haru gave him time to process it all, and he decided that no matter what, he loved the halfling and wanted to be with him. However, he did lightly jest that it now made sense why Haru was so girly; which made the brunette laugh and give him a little playful smack on the arm.
Yoshi had been so excited about actually being able to have a child with his beloved brunette. It was something he had only ever dreamed of; never thinking it could come true.
The open minded ninja thought that perhaps since now Haruhi was technically as much a woman as he was a man, that they didn't have to go along with this farce of an engagement anymore.
So, his mind all drunk on happiness and excitement, Yoshi went to go see his father. He explained to him how Haruhi was pregnant; but that it was because he was a hermaphrodite and not that he was an alien halfling, as he promised to keep that bit a secret.
Thankfully he did though, as after explaining that and how he wanted to call off the wedding between him and Tang Shen so he could be with Haruhi, that was when it all went horribly wrong.
His father had been outraged that his son was not only a queer (as he had so cruelly phrased it), but that his sons lover was not only another man, but a freak of nature at that! He and his father fought for a long time about the matter.
But in the end, his father told him that if he didn't cease his "foolishness", get married to Tang Shen as he promised, and have nothing to do with the Seung boy, that not only would Yoshi be disowned by his clan and father, but that he would make sure Haruhi, his clan and their child would be hunted down and disposed of.
Well, needless to say, Yoshi chose to do as he was told in order to keep Haru and their unborn baby safe. Had it only been his name at stake, he would've gladly given it all up. But he could not bear the thought of his beloved suffering for his own selfish desires…
Haruhi had been both horrified and devastated at not only the news, and the fact that Yoshi had so thoughtlessly gone and blurted everything, but that he was being told all of this by the young Hamato's father; who demanded Haru hand over his child to be raised by Yoshi and his wife to be, as atonement for having brought such disgrace upon both their clans.
And so there they were, at an engagement party a few short months later, putting on false smiles and lying about how excited they were about their marriage while Haru lied about how happy he was for them; having only been allowed to attend to keep face, as no one besides Yoshi, Shen, Haruhi, his parents, aunt, and Yoshi's father knew what was going on.
So he tried to smile and congratulate the false couple; his expression faltering when Yoshi gave him an apologetic look as they parted . Unfortunately for everyone, there was one party guest who also not at all thrilled about the engagement.
Though had he known what was really going on, there's no telling how pissed he would've been. The only thing he knew was that something was up with Haruhi and Yoshi, as the young Hamato had become distant from him by no longer having anything to do with him; like he'd suddenly disowned him or something.
Feeling bitter, betrayed and all around upset, Saki drank a little more than he probably should have and asked Tang Shen if he could have a private word with her. Hamato saw this and followed to make sure she was safe.
As Saki began to ask why Haruhi looked so depressed and upset lately; as though he kept his distance, Saki couldn't help worrying about the brunette, and what was going on between him and Yoshi, the young Hamato turned up to interrupt them.
Yoshi stepped in to defend her, as he could tell the other had a little too much to drink, and had thought he was trying to harass her as to why she wasn't marrying Saki instead. But when he tried to say that wasn't the reason he wanted to speak to her, Yoshi was too pissed off to even want to hear him out.
With a bitter smirk at the all too familiar overreaction on his adopted brothers part, Saki took up the challenge and began insulting his fellow ninja by going into a bit of a rant about how Yoshi wasn't a very good friend or person for that matter, as everyone thought he was.
He asked Yoshi how the shorter ninja could have gone from kissing Haruhi to behaving so heartlessly towards him, and saying that he couldn't blame the brunette for not wanting to be around such a fickle jerk and the like; trying to goad him into a fight that had been a long time coming.
Being insulted in such a crude manner and feeling he needed to defend Haru-chan's honor as well as his own, infuriated Yoshi. And instead of getting the two of them away from Oroku, the young Hamato ended up getting into a brief fight with the other that ended in Saki's defeat.
But as he rose to his feet, Saki turned to give his rival a dark, hurt glare before leaving the seclusion of the backyard, and to find something stronger to drink away his shame and anger. Seeing Yoshi and Shen like that with the cherry tree behind them brought back painful memories of a certain brunette he needed to drown.
Haruhi had been trying to pretend to have fun as he spoke to various friends and relatives, when he spotted Oroku slip away from the backyard toward the inside of the house.
He could tell the other was upset, but figured it was about not getting to marry Tang Shen; as he had seen all of his distant friends attempts to win the woman over, along with all the failures that followed.
And being the good guy he was, as he had never given up on trying to be friends with the brooding hothead of a ninja, Haru went to see if he could cheer him up. Besides, it was better than having to fake his way through the party.
What with all the turmoil and changes he was going through between the pregnancy, losing Yoshi and the dread of having to give up his child, Haruhi wanted to be with someone he cared about. And being around his friend Saki used to make him feel better when they were still close…
His aunt Haruko watched the slender brunette hurry to catch up with Saki with a wary feeling in her gut. She never much cared for Oroku Saki. He was the spawn of the Foot Clan, and nothing good had ever come from them.
But Haruhi was just as unaware of this as Saki was. Though, even if he did know, the brunette probably wouldn't have cared. So long as Saki chose to be good, that was all that mattered. It was ones actions, not their origins that made them who they were. The past was just there to learn from.
Saki was in his room glaring daggers out the window of his bedroom; a bottle of the strongest liquor he had in hand, as he tried to drown out how he unbelievably shitty he felt with the alcohol. He had to get away from the "happy couple".
He couldn't stand the fact that it was happening at all. And that whole bit about remembering seeing Yoshi kissing Haruhi made his stomach knot up. He felt like he might be violently ill and wrathful at the same time by how Yoshi so easily won the hearts and affections of others.
He was already pretty pissed off about how his rival had stolen Tang Shen's love from him. That and he couldn't help feeling that fateful day that, Haru-chan, the only person who he thought cared about him had been stolen from him as well.
What was so wrong with him that no one wanted to love him? He wasn't a monster. So why did everyone treat him like one? Why couldn't someone just make him feel like a person; like Haru used to… The brunette may not have been a girl after all, but he did recall how good it was to be around him.
In fact, he was probably the only person who made feel Saki feel like more of a man than some vicious beast no one wanted, and only kept out of guilt; though for reasons he would only discover later on in his life.
The man felt as if he had been sinking into a pit of despair from which there was no way out; his hatred for Hamato Yoshi bubbling venomously just below the sorrow filled surface he was steadily descending into.
"Saki-kun…?" The soft, timid little voice asked from beside where he had been glaring out a window at the sky in deep thought. He glanced toward it and saw Haruhi looking concerned, and felt his anger dissolve enough as his glare fell to its usual slight scowl.
"I thought you might like some company." Haru edified with a tender smile as he tentatively reached over to take a hold of Saki's hand. The ravenet made a rough little "Hmph" sound, but did not make a move to get away from the others gesture. He didn't have to answer. He rarely did, because somehow, Haru-chan already knew.
The brunette could be so empathic sometimes that it made the man wonder if it was the lads super power; if he believed in such nonsense. But, in times like these, Saki couldn't help but be grateful to at least have someone whom he felt could empathize and understand what he was feeling.
They stood there in surprisingly comfortable silence for a while, just gazing out the window at the setting sun, as Saki continued to drink and Haru held his hand. His slim thumb offering a comforting caress every now and then as he leaned the side of his head against Saki's shoulder ever so lightly; as came natural to the brunette to do whenever he was trying to make the other feel better.
Applying just enough of his weight so that the older male would know he wasn't alone. After having gulped down a good third of the bottle or more of the light amber liquid before Haru had even shown up, Saki was starting to feel its effects as the pain began to numb again.
"What happened between you and Yoshi?" Saki found the quiet, gruff words spilling from his lips before he could stop himself. Haru blinked and looked up at him; those hazel-green eyes suddenly being darkened by a sadness that made the older ninja wish he hadn't asked.
At first Haruhi tried to deny there was anything wrong, but Saki wouldn't have it. Not wanting the other to be mad at him, the brunette relented with a sorrowful sigh and explained how he and Yoshi had been dating in secret for a while.
Saki felt his heart ache when he was told this, but grit his teeth and kept silent until the other finished his story; glad to have a bottle of liquor handy. Then, Haru got to the part of how, because of his hermaphroditic nature, he became pregnant.
And how Yoshi had told his father, who angrily demanded Yoshi disown him and keep his distance or else Haru and their child would be killed. And that the brunette had to give up his baby to make peace between their clans or befall the same fate of them both being done away with.
Haruhi ended up crying silent tears as he had to tell the other about it all. He told him how he didn't want his child to be hunted and killed if he tried to take the baby and run, and that he wished more than anything that he could keep her.
"Her?" Saki raised a curious brow. Haruhi nodded with a sad little smile as he placed a hand fondly to his stomach; which the ravenet now noticed was a little bulged out. "Mhmm… I think it's a girl."
With more than half of the bottle gone, the ravenet was definitely pretty drunk by now. Admittedly, he was feeling somewhat better between the physical and emotional numbing agent he was ingesting, and the pretty ninja leaning against him; confiding in him the way he did.
Although he felt terrible for the other and wished there was a way to make him feel better, besides just listening as he watched the other out of the corner of his eye. The halfling had always preferred looking elsewhere when speaking of things he found unpleasant. Saki couldn't blame him though; he was much the same way.
He had no doubt the brunette would make a wonderful mother. Haru was already very good at helping his aunt take care of her daughter Karina. Saki used to scold himself for catching glimpses of Haru tending to the little child, that had curiously starlight silvery hair, and wondering what it would've been like for the brunette to have been a woman or just for Haru-chan to have chosen to be with him instead of that heartless wretch Yoshi so they could be married and have children of their own.
His dark brown eyes were hazed with nostalgia as they traveled over to the other to see the top of his head as Haru gazed in somewhat of a pensive daze out the window. The soft orange glow of the sun fell across the halflings hair and face; making the dark brown locks almost seem to shine, and his eyes to seem brighter than before. Like a lush forest on a sunny day.
The brunette sighed; a look of utter despair replacing the little smile as his tears shone in the sunshine like twinkling diamonds. "If… If I was allowed to keep her, I would have named her Karai." He confided as he rubbed at the small belly bump again; his soft, sweet voice so hushed with anguish that Saki had been glad they were standing together or else he might not have heard.
"Hmm…" Saki mused the name over in his mind. "It's a beautiful name. Perhaps if you tell your cousin-" He tried to offer, but Haruhi shook his head solemnly. "No… It will be hers to name. I-I could not ask such of her." Poor Haru was such an honorable, kindhearted person…
Something within Saki's being seemed to give a curious twitch; like someone was poking agitatedly at a switch in his soul, but couldn't get it to budge. He realized then that after all he had done to close himself off from his feelings, that he still found Haruhi to be quite stunning with his compassionate nature and that young, delicate face of his.
In fact, he looked more like a woman than most girls did at his age, save for in the chest area; where all the brunettes training had built up small pectoral muscles that could've passed for small breasts.
Though they did look a little bigger now… And the other seemed to give off a sort of glow; probably from the combination of his pregnancy and Saki's intoxication, but it somehow made Haru more attractive. If that were possible.
And though he felt it probably should have, that fact didn't bother the ravenet in the least. If anything, the lithe form of the other and grace that he exuded was always something that even at that moment, Saki couldn't help but gaze upon in wonder.
Saki blinked like a man trying to make a mirage go away when they had been stranded in a dessert. It was like he was really seeing the brunette for the first time. He'd never wanted to admit it, but Haru's appearance was to the point that it should've been physically impossible for a guy to look that much like a woman…
Unconsciously, his hand slowly pulled away from the tender grip the slender hand had on his, and then paused just above the halflings head; as if afraid for a moment to touch him again.
But then, his hand lowered to rest atop the sun warmed hair. Haruhi shuffled his feet a little now that the other had moved his arm so he could no longer lean on it. Then he felt the hand on his head and froze in surprise.
He tilted his head just slightly to look up at the other, and gave a warm yet small smile. In return, Haru received a light ruffling of his hair and a slight smile in return. "No… You have every right to offer her the name. It's more your child than hers." Saki kindly told him with all seriousness.
Though despite the expression, Haru could see a torrent of emotions roiling within those dark eyes, and wondered what had suddenly come over his friend. Still, he couldn't help but smile some at the sincere words.
The taller male really had meant every word; finding it hard not to feel those dark strands as he caressed them. The young ninjas hair was very soft; like a little rabbits. Saki had grazed it before to brush it out of his face in the past, but he'd never really taken the time to appreciate its softness.
His fingers hit the band that kept Haru's hair tied back. Now that he thought about it… he'd never seen the other without his hair up… At the feel of the slight pull, Haruhi made a small mewling sound of protest, before shooting the taller of the two a glaring pout that actually made Saki smirk some.
Saki set down the bottle so he could use his other hand to help its twin better remove the band without tugging on Haru's hair anymore. The brunette eyed him bemusedly; wondering why he had done that, but was a little happy the other was smiling now instead of being all brooding.
The other had taken the news of everything much better than he had expected. Haruhi figured he might've been disgusted by the fact that he and Yoshi had been a couple. And though finding out about it all had upset Saki very deeply, he couldn't help feeling for his lovely friend and wanting to do something to make them both feel better. To forget everything and everyone; if only for a little while…
Once the band was gone, the others hair fell in a slightly curly waterfall of chocolate around his slender shoulders and to the small of his back. With a small frown of bewilderment, the halfling tilted his head as he turned to look up at the other; which would've normally made the bells he wore tinkle some.
But he had not worn them today as it would've been considered rude, since they housed the koto strings he used as weapons while practicing. The movement caused one of the mildly long set of bangs that framed his face to fall across it in a manner that made Saki swallow hard; his throat feeling suddenly very, very dry.
With that long, dark hair, the brunette kind of reminded him of just how bewitching he was to gaze upon. Maybe it was the booze talking or he had finally gone off the deep end; either of which he would blame Hamato Yoshi for.
But he definitely could admit to himself that Haru looked way cuter than Shen; with his creamy complexion, pink pouty lips, and bright eyes that sparkled like earthy emeralds in the light of the setting sun.
And the outfit he'd worn for the party made Haru-chan look positively breathtaking. It was a beautiful dark purple kimono that had a pattern of white roses and other flowers with pale green leaves. The lining underneath was a creamy greenish white, and the sash was light yellow with a black butterfly embroidered upon it.
He let the white band of ribbon fall to the ground as his fingers wound their way back into those silky locks to comb through it; his rough fingers caressing the scalp as tenderly as he could.
The Guardian in trainings cheeks were dusted a light shade of pink, as he unconsciously closed his eyes and smiled at the nice feeling of having his hair played with like that. He wasn't sure what had come over Saki, but he was happy he was being nice again. He'd missed his good friend…
Saki took a strange sense of satisfaction from the fact that Yoshi would no longer be able to get a reaction like that from the young ninja. Haruhi hummed contentedly and leaned reflexively into the touch; not thinking ill about any of it, as he figured the other wanted to be friends again. As Saki could be affectionate when he wanted to.
Poor naïve Haru was just glad Saki-kun seemed to be feeling better, and was trying to console him. Feeling the hand rest on the back of his head, Haruhi followed the gentle yet firm pull, and found his face buried in the front of the others dark red robes.
Haru's face was against the others chest; he turned his cheek to rest it against the spot over his heart, as Saki just held the brunette close. One hand resting in the middle of Haru's back between his shoulder blades, while the other went back to combing through his hair.
Being the innocent and trusting soul he was and in desperate need of comfort since he wasn't allowed near Yo-kun or even his cousin Shen except for today, the younger ninja sensed no ill will from the other and took the hug as a good sign that their friendship still had a chance.
Hugs were always good as far as he knew. His parents nor anyone else having ever taught him the dangers that situations like his current one could put him in. But even if they had, Haruhi would've never thought such possible from Saki.
Saki moved back just enough so that he could cup the others chin with his finger to make him look up at him. Shimmering orbs, with their long dark eyelashes, fluttered open to gaze with slight bemusement into dark brown ones that looked smoldering red in the fading sunlight.
His big hands came to rest on either side of the smaller males face; his thumb trailing lightly and of its own accord over the others cheeks to wipe away the trails of tears, and then across those smooth, light pink lips. He stared intensely at them; no real thought in his alcohol and angst addled mind. Just feelings and instincts.
Both of which were uncertain and yet hungry for something the ravenet could not quite place. Yoshi had always taken or won all that which should've been his; or so the embittered young mans mind reasoned ever so twistedly.
So why shouldn't he try to find a way to take something from him? It wasn't like Yoshi could be with Haruhi anymore anyway. And if that were the case, the horrid Hamato wasn't worthy of such an angel anyway.
Haru-chan deserved so much better than the spoiled Hamato heir could ever give him, Saki reasoned. He deserved a man who would fight for him; who would slay whatever vile snake dare threaten him harm.
And Saki couldn't help thinking he was the man to do that for him. Haruhi shouldn't have to live in fear for his or his child's life. Even if it wasn't Saki's, it was the brunettes. That alone made him feel he could care for the unborn infant.
As such thoughts passed through his mind, his eyes were still fixated on the others lips, before he began leaning in without thinking. The growing desire to be with Haruhi and make everything alright in his world again becoming stronger by the second and overriding what little sense he had left.
It was then that Haruhi began to get a vibe that something was not right. Something was tingling in the back of his mind and moving to the forefront telling him that he needed to get back.
He leaned back as far as the others hand would let him. "S-Saki-kun…? Saki-kun!" The brunettes voice startled him from his stupor some; having heard the growing edge of panic to it and wondering what was the matter.
Then he saw that the others face was much closer, and that he could feel little, hasty puffs of breath on his face, as Haruhi was only about an inch from him; his eyes wide and glistening like Saki had been about to eat him up.
Well, in all honesty… hadn't he? At least in a sense. "Sa-Saki-kun…?" Haru breathed worriedly. The brunette felt his friend was upset and probably meant well, and though he liked Saki as a friend very much, he did not like him the same way he had come to love Yoshi.
Haruhi didn't want Saki doing anything he might regret because they were both very upset and the ravent being as drunk as he was. He knew Saki preferred girls, and that he'd had his heart set on Tang Shen; or at least to his knowledge anyway.
So in good conscious, he could not let the other try to kiss him as he had done. That and the others breath smelled horribly of alcohol; he wrinkled his nose slightly as he tried again to get further away.
That wasn't really going to happen though with the way the stronger of the two was holding him in place. Saki frowned as he wondered why the other was trying to get away; his foggy mind not really registering how much of a creep he was being.
All Saki knew was that he was with someone pretty that he really liked more than he probably should have who liked him, and who was looking more adorably appetizing by the second the more he struggled and said Saki's name all breathily like that; making him instinctively pull the brunettes body right up against his own with the hand he had slid down to the small of his back.
Feeling the others firm, swollen stomach from being a few months pregnant pressed up against his made Saki growl lowly and possessively; his hold around the other tightening slightly as the urge to have and protect the smaller male clawed at his insides and made a bulge of his own stir between his legs.
Haruhi did his best to try and get the other off of him, but while he was a pretty good martial artist by now, Saki was far better; having trained much longer and harder. So no matter what movement or maneuver he tried, Saki; even in his rather drunken state, easily countered it until he effectively and carefully had poor Haru pinned up against the wall with his hands above his head by one of Saki's large, work callused ones.
If anything, the ravenet was actually having fun sparring so intimately like this, and wanted more. So fine, if the other wanted to act like a shy little rabbit, then he was more than happy to play the hungry wolf. Saki gave a rumbling chortle at the thought when, as if on cue, he felt the slightly trembling figure try to wriggle away again with a meek mewl.
He gave the halflings earlobe a light nip that made him yelp, and then gave a low warning growl that drew a quiet, pretty whimper. "P-please don't… S-stop it… Saki-kun." The brunette pleaded softly; wanting Saki to stop but having picked a poor choice of phrasing.
Thinking the other had asked him NOT to stop, and done so in such a sweet way, the ravenous ravenets hand that had been on the small of the others back lowered and began leisurely squeezing and fondling the tender yet firm bit of round flesh it found; admiring how lean and svelte the other was. God, Haru-chan was curvy like a woman too!
He must train a lot more than Saki had previously thought. Such a good little ninja princess, he couldn't help thinking as he nuzzled the crook of the others neck; feeling the silky strands of hair sliding against the smooth unmarred flesh and his own face.
The wriggling Haru did to try and get away only seemed to encourage the man to plant kisses on his neck and nip at the flesh in warning when Haru moved around too much.
While it felt oddly nice, and admittedly drew a few breathy little moans that drove Saki crazy, it also felt very wrong to the brunette. Saki however, reveled in the way the others body unintentionally rubbed up against his own; instinctually responding to his affectionate ministrations.
Those hazel-green eyes widened when he accidentally brushed up against the hard length beneath the ravenets kimono. Haruhi gasped; his slight blush worsening at realizing how aroused his friend was and the reaction the movement provoked.
Saki gave a deep, lusty rumble of a growl and pressed it up against one of Haru's willowy legs. He wanted his beautiful ninja to know how good he was making him feel; hoping it would encourage the timid Haruhi to return his ardent advances, as he figured the other was just being shy.
As he pressed up against the smaller males leg, he could feel the others protruding stomach touch his own flat, muscular one. Saki wasn't sure why feeling it was turning him on so much to feel the others pregnant belly. But before he could think, he began rubbing up against the others body with his own as he wanted to feel it more.
Some primitive, predatory part of his mind too overwhelmed by thrall Haruhi had him in; making the ravenet feel like some lonely, love-starved beast that wanted nothing more than to be as close as possible to the object of his affections, and to tear apart anyone who was stupid enough to get in his way.
Haru's mind was racing as he tried to figure out a way to escape without hurting the other or getting hurt. He didn't want to do these things with Saki-kun. He didn't like him that way nor did he want the other to keep rubbing up against his body like that; even if his frightened mind did somehow think it felt really good. Why wasn't Saki stopping like he'd asked?
He kept wishing for the other to just stop touching him and go back to being his usual aloof yet nice self. Hell, be broody if he wanted. Haruhi didn't care at this point. He just wanted the other off of him; feeling somewhat ashamed his own body was betraying to all the stimulation Saki assaulted it with. But he just wasn't strong or skilled enough to get away.
Haru was really missing his koto strings. At least he might've had a better chance with them. He didn't want Saki that way; especially if he was drunk and upset. He sure as hell was no ones rebound or thing to use to forget ones troubles. That's what alcoholic binges were for.
'Please stop. Stop, stop…! The young ninja thought with the hope that somehow that would help since his verbal pleas got him nowhere; his thoughts becoming steadily more erratic as things progressed. Then, to his further distress, Saki's mouth was upon his; claiming it in a hungry, rough kiss that didn't feel good the way the ravenous ravenet did it.
He teasingly tugged and nipped at Haru's sensitive lips; slowly scrapping his sharp teeth over the warm, moist flesh and making the poor soul cry out in pain. But Saki mistook the lovely sound for pleasure; making him further tighten his overprotective viselike grip on the others wrists unconsciously, as the other hand continued to play with his captivatingly captive princess.
"Please Saki-kun… Y-you're drunk… You d-don't want me. You like Shen-chan." Haru tried pleading again between kisses; sounding so distraught and almost broken. It pained the ravenet to hear the other like that.
The poor dear, Saki thought woefully. What with the way Saki had become distant from him and Yoshi's cold rejection of him must've depreciated the gentle brunettes sense of self-worth and made him think no one would want him. Saki knew how that felt, and wanted to soothe away the others pain.
Saki sweetly shushed him and placed a light kiss on Haru's cheek; trying to reassure him everything was okay and that it was Haruhi that he really wanted; as he couldn't find the words to say so and relied on actions. But all it did was add to the confusion and distress of the one he wanted more than anything to comfort.
'Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop…!' He felt the hand Saki had been fondling his bottom with slid forward and affectionately over his stomach, before it went further southward to try and force open the front of the kimono he'd worn for the party, while trying to physically coerce his tongue into the smaller males mouth, Haru felt tears trickling down his face again as he squeezed his eyes shut.
Saki closed his eyes briefly and groaned in ecstasy, as his tongue mercilessly invaded and explored his favorite playmates hot, moist little mouth. The taller male didn't think he'd ever tasted something as delicious as Haru-chan; so sweet and pure… and finally all his! It further intoxicated his already addled mind, as he became so lost in his forceful passion.
'Yo-kun! Where are you when I need you?!' The brunette thought despairingly, before realizing that no one was going to come to his aid. No one knew he was here. And he doubted anyone besides Yoshi probably cared.
But Yoshi was probably too busy with his fake engagement to have even noticed…! Oh god… he was going to be raped! And by someone he thought he could trust and had loved!
That hand snaked its way further under his layers of clothing, and he felt like a rubber band in his mind had been pulled to tightly and suddenly snapped. A wave of something indescribable crashed over Haru and he mentally and verbally screamed "STOP!", when the sound of someone crying out in pain and the abrupt feeling of getting his personal space back swept over the brunette.
He nearly fell over from being suddenly released of the hold and the sinewy weight against his body. Daring to open his eyes, he saw Saki lying on his back; clutching at his head in agony and groaning. Haru couldn't believe he'd managed to get a word out between the rough kisses, or that it had actually had any effect.
Saki had been thoroughly delighting in ravishing his sweet little rabbit, when a sharp pain struck him; like a bomb had gone off in his head, as the loud hysteric scream of "STOP!" rang in his mind in the moment that Haruhi had yelled it.
It shook him and felt like shrapnel was cutting through his brain as he ended up falling back in paralyzing pain! As if some unseen force had repelled him like the opposite ends of two powerful magnets.
"I-I'm sorry…" Haruhi managed to breath; not sure what had happened, but feeling the weird need to apologize, before he took the opportunity and ran for it like a bat out of hell!
His whole body was shaking like it was vibrating to the point that it kind of hurt. He felt suddenly cold and frightened by what had almost happened and what he'd just done. And the beginnings of shame for how he had enjoyed some of Saki's affections and how his body had naturally reacted to it, but more upset at the older ninja for having made him feel that way.
Had Saki not just been trying to take advantage of him, Haru would've gone to see if he was okay. And even still, he cared enough about the other that he had hesitated with the instinct to do so, if only for a moment before his self-preservation instincts kicked back into high gear once the shock had passed.
After that, Haru found his aunt and told her that he didn't feel good, and so she kindly took him home; he didn't want to try going home alone and be stopped by Saki or anything. She could tell something was wrong, but it took a few days before he would confide in her.
He was terrified to tell Yoshi for fear he might end up getting hurt trying to defend his honor or something; not that he was even allowed near him anyway. Haru just needed some time alone to sort things out; feeling violated and yet so utterly confused about everything.
The halfling knew such a thing should've made him hate Saki, but his gentle nature just didn't have it in him. Saki had been in pain. Haru had felt it all; the soul shattering loneliness, envy, sadness, and the desperation to just be loved that mirrored his own in such a shockingly warped way
Haruhi could empathize. He used to experience such horrid feelings before he'd met Saki and Yoshi and they'd all become so close. His relatives were nice, but they were family.
He'd felt a longing to connect with someone who wasn't related to him. Haruhi had had that connection with his two friend, and it had been strongest with Yoshi. But now that he could no longer have that with Yoshi, Haru knew he couldn't fault Saki for trying to reach out to someone…
Which was why he could not bring himself to hate the emotionally suffering ravenet like his aunt told him he should. But that didn't mean he approved of Saki's actions; drunk or otherwise.
And she promised not to tell when he asked her not to. Despite her having wanted to tell everyone and skin that bastard alive. But Haruhi reasoned that Saki wasn't well, and after explaining it to Haruko, she still didn't think being drunk off your ass or severely distraught was a good excuse to molest anyone. Much less her dear nephew.
Shortly after Haru had fled, Saki began to realize the other hadn't meant to hurt him, but must've done it out of fear of being rejected again once it was all over. He felt pissed off now.
Not at Haru-chan; never him. But angry at the Hamato family for what it was doing to his precious brunette. It was Yoshi who ran his stupid mouth and caused this whole mess.
It was Yoshi who upset his father and was the reason Haruhi had to give up his baby. And it was that damn Yoshi's fault for how his ninja princess was suffering so much he didn't feel worthy of anyone else's love.
Yoshi was nothing but a heartless rat! The lowest of the low for what he'd done to Haru-chan. And so was his wretched adopted father. Saki stormed off to give the Hamato clan leader a piece of his mind.
He took the man aside for a private conversation, and confronted him about what he and his rat of a son were putting Haruhi through. Yoshi's father couldn't believe the little freak was causing so much trouble within his clan.
But he was getting fed up with Saki's attitude anyway. And out of anger did he tell off the ravenet and say that he should've just killed him off with the rest of his clan and been done with the whole thing then and there.
And that had he not tried to raise Saki as his own, that it probably wouldn't have brought the bad tidings that he considered the brunette to be, and his son might be a straight man instead of some disgraceful faggot like he thought Saki was; as it was obvious by this confrontation that the little witch boy had beguiled the ravenet as well as his son.
Saki couldn't believe what the other was saying, and felt a surge of outrage. He wanted so badly to fight him right then and there, but after his scuffle with Yoshi earlier, he knew it was a bad idea; having sobered up enough to know that much.
Instead, he took his dog Hachiko and few belongings, and absconded the Hamato household in shame and anger of his actions towards the gentle brunette, and his utter hatred of Yoshi and his family. He would then go on to further discover his true origins and focus his efforts on rebuilding the Foot clan.
And though he did not dare go near the Seung household, after having had plenty of time to realize what a moron he had been, did Saki send his dog Hachiko to live with Haruhi as a show of apology. Since that was all he could really do without speaking to him face to face; as that seemed unwise for various reasons.
His feelings for the brunette had changed much since then; less confused than before at least. Though he still knew himself to be straight as he did find women attractive, he decided that he simply found Haruhi to be more so, and that he was the only male he could have those kind of feelings for.
However, seeing as he had to rebuild his fallen clan and seek vengeance upon the Hamato Clan for its many sins against it, him and his dear friend, any desire he had to see his gentle princess; and he had quite a few, it would have to wait until his affairs were settled so as to avoid Haru-chan getting hurt in any way.
Besides, he was sure Haruhi probably hated him now anyway… Best to at least try to give wounds like that time to heal before trying to properly make amends. Saki tried to find solace in the fact that at least Yoshi couldn't have him, since he would be marrying Tang Shen.
Speaking of which… Soon Hamato and his fake wife were married and living in a house a little closer to Haruhi's. It pained both Yoshi and Haruhi that they were so close but so far…
But Haru tried to distract himself by focusing on his pregnancy. He loved humming his favorite lullaby to the growing life in his stomach as much as he could. It was one that his parents used to sing to him when he was little.
He used to hum it sometimes when he was happy and spending time with his friends, or to make one of them feel better when they were upset about something. But he tried hard not to think of them as it made him miserable and reminded him of having to give up his soon to be born baby.
The young Seung didn't leave the safety of his home the bigger his belly became, as he didn't want anyone to notice and freak out. But soon his family took him to the Utrom facility so that when he did go into labor, they would be ready.
He had to admit it was nice to be away from the view of Yoshi's house… Albeit in a bittersweet way. At least he had sweet little Hachiko to keep him company. He couldn't believe Saki sent him to live with him.
And though he wasn't keen on seeing Saki any time soon as he was still somewhat traumatized by it, it certainly helped show him that the ravenet was sorry for what had happened.
But sadly, the day came when the baby was due. It was like any other pregnancy, except this one required a C-section to get the baby out since there wasn't any other way, like there was with a woman's body.
His family was kind enough to hold off until Haruhi was healed up before taking the child. That way it would give him some time with his newborn daughter. Haru sang to her as often as he could and fed her when she was hungry.
But it all seemed to pass by so quickly. And soon, his aunt was there to take the child over to Yoshi's house. They didn't think it was right that he be the one to give them the baby, as it was already too painful.
Haruhi was grateful for his thoughtful family, and after a tearful and heart wrenching goodbye, the brunette handed his sweet little Karai over to his aunt to give to Yoshi and Shen.
The only two things that helped him get through it was Hachiko and his little cousin Karina, the silverette daughter of his aunt Haruko. Kari felt bad for the other and so, she crawled up onto the bed with him and cuddled her older cousin.
Hachiko, the dog he had once shared with Saki, was also there; never straying far from his co-master as he lay at the others feet on the bed. It really did help keep him to have the company of his pet and dear cousin, while he sorrowfully sang to Kari, and held her like a child does a teddy bear.
Karina was attune to things like Haru was. She had been exhibiting signs of possessing psionic abilities since about a year or so after she was born. After the incident between he and Saki, Haruhi began to realize his own talents involved sound and vibrations. But it would take him a while before he figured them out.
But his mind was elsewhere, as the halfling went into a state of depression after that, and ended up missing his baby so much, that he began sneaking into Yoshi's house as often as he could just to see her.
He'd wait until they were asleep so he could sing softly to her or feed her. Just something to be close to his offspring. It was like having to give her up all over again whenever he had to leave like a thief in the night, but he knew he couldn't stay.
One night, while he had been holding and humming softly to his daughter, Yoshi came in and caught him. But instead of being happy to see the brunette, the older ninja was fearful and distraught that the other might be found out and his father would go through with his threat to kill the two people he loved most.
Yoshi went and took the child from his arms and placed her back into her crib, before turning around as he quietly and harshly told Haruhi that he shouldn't be there and that he needed to go.
"But… But I just wanted to see her, Yo-kun." He pleaded as tears filled his eyes and ran down his face. Yoshi wanted more than anything to take the other in his arms and make everything better.
Unfortunately for them both, he could not… For all their sakes, he needed the other to understand he must stay away. So he did the only thing he could think of, and broke what remained of Haruhi's fragile heart.
"You need to leave." He gritted out; his head bowed and his hands clenched so tightly into fits that the fingernails were cutting into the palms of his hands. "Go and do not return." His voice was so cold and final that it cut Haru to the quick.
"Y-Yo-kun… you… you don't mean that…!" He breathed; trying to be quiet to avoid waking the baby, but mostly because he was so thunderstruck by how cruel the other was being. Yoshi behaved so differently since having broken up with him.
"Yes, I do. There is nothing for you here, Haruhi. For our daughters sake, you must. Now go!" Yoshi told him; his head snapping up as he did his best to show the other he meant it.
The brunette stood there for a moment; staring with wide eyes full of disbelief. Then, just as Yoshi was worried he might have to use force to make the other leave, the younger ninjas expression hardened with resolve.
"For her…" Was the last thing Yoshi ever heard Haruhi say, before he threw down a smoke pellet and disappeared from the room and the Hamato heirs life… Yoshi despaired about what he had just done, but knew there was no other choice.
After that, Haruhi left Japan; obtaining himself a room at the Utrom facility in America to focus on honing his skills as a Guardian and his developing powers. His aunt, her husband and his father, and their daughter Karina moved to New York City not long after he moved.
His aunt was pregnant with her second daughter, who would later be born and named Akira. And Haruhi would become as involved in their lives as he could, as he grew to love his two little cousins like they were his own. And even more so years later when his aunt died by the hands of the Kraang…
But alas… not very long after going to live in New York, did young Karina begin having terrible nightmares. They were mostly of the same thing, and she would often want Haru to comfort her.
Which meant the halfling spent a lot of nights holding the little silverette and singing to her while she cried and shook in terror before telling him about the nightmare. As best as the child could describe it was a scary monster with long, sharp claws surrounded by flames that kept attacking Kari, with her screaming for it to stop.
It would've been fine, had it not been for the fact that Kari's nightmare seemed to have come true, and that news of Hamato family's demise soon reached them. It seems someone had gone and burned down the house of Yoshi and his family, and that no survivors were found.
They tried to keep the news from him, but Haruhi eventually overheard them talking about it and could do nothing but sink into a dark depression. For a long time, he didn't know what to do and could only cry and wish for the sweet mercy of death if it could make it all better.
His aunt tried to convince him he still had things to live for, and did her best to help distract him with Guardian work and helping her tend to his cousins. She was such a great person, that he would've ended it all after she died, had he not taken it upon himself to look after her sons.
It was the best way he could think to honor her and her wishes for him to be happy and to live. Mostly he stayed at the Utrom facility, but when his family wasn't visiting him, he stayed with them in the spare bedroom. But he didn't go out and about as much as he used to.
He had no idea what had happened to Saki, but caught the rumors here and there amongst certain Guardians that the Foot clan was supposedly being reformed. Haruhi had only known as much about Saki's origins as he did when they were friends; which wasn't much really.
So he didn't really think much of it at the time when he heard it. And as the years passed, and time did its best to try and heal the wounds, Haruhi managed to make a decent life for himself as a full-fledged Guardian and sensei at the Utrom facility.
And actually enjoyed teaching Karina and Akira. As well as his other students, like Jenny, Danny, and Kaia. They became such good friends with little Aki, and for that, Haruhi couldn't help but feel glad.
But as he did his best to settle into his new life and the years passed, a certain man by the name of Oroku Saki would be consumed by anguish at hearing that his beloved Haruhi had left Japan without a trace. And that no one seemed to know where he had vanished to.
It made his heart ache dully. He wanted Haruhi, he'd finally come to terms with that in his own brooding, stubborn way. Saki wanted to have a family with him. To see him holding a child of their own and loving it the way he did Yoshi's, if not more because it was theirs.
He didn't care if they had to adopt or steal one; his brunette would have a baby of his own. And as the twisted gears began to click in his head, an idea that would shatter the lives of all it involved began to formulate in his mind.
In one fell swoop, Oroku Saki, now known as the Shredder, would take revenge on Hamato Yoshi and see how he liked having all that he held dear being ripped away from him! And when that time came about, it was that fated night in which he accidentally killed Tang Shen.
The foolish woman had gotten in the way of a fatal blow meant for Yoshi. But in his venomous thirst for vengeance, combined with the rage his enemy felt for his wife having been murdered, did the two men engage in a battle that would finally end with Saki being the victor.
That was the night everyone thought Hamato Yoshi and little Miwa to have died. But in reality, the Shredder had heard the infants cries and in a surprising act of selfish compassion, saved the child's life and took her to raise as his own, with the hope that he could somehow win back Haruhi and they could be a family…
He even named her Karai; remembering that that's what Haru-chan wanted to name her in the first place. And as the years passed, with no sign of the brunette anywhere, Saki did his best to raise the child and considered her as their daughter, rather than Haru's and Yoshi's.
Meanwhile, when he wasn't in the Utrom facility teaching, Haruhi was traveling around the world and even to other worlds to fight the Kraang. He didn't like staying in one place too long for more than he needed to.
Keeping busy kept his mind off of painful memories. But as the halfling did his best to stay focused in the present, for better or worse, the past was working its crafty way towards catching up with him…
To be continued...
This is my first TMNT fic. X3 But I'm pretty psyched about it. Hope you've enjoyed it so far. X3 And apologies for the long series of notes in the beginning, but I felt they needed to be put up. :3
I got the idea for this whole thing because I found out Casey had a little sister who is so far never shown. I don't care if they do ever show her, because I'm having too much fun writing this and plus it is AU. X3
So, anywho I was thinking about stuff as I tend to do a lot more than I probably should LOL, and I figured why not make a fic about the relatives of some of the characters like Casey Jones, but mess around with them to make them my own OC's like a crazy author do! XD
Even though "brunette" is technically for girls, I'm using it for Haruhi because he's girly. XD This is my version of the pasts of Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki and how they came to be who they are in the series, so it's definitely AU. X3
I thought it was weird how coolly Splinter takes strange stuff like the existence of aliens, etc. and even Shredder's attitude about it, so I figured they've lived through some pretty unusual stuff. Don't worry, I like Tang Shen and she is still apart of this fic of mine.
SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen much of this series, but it's an explanation of things so read at your own risk: Anywho! This will also give a more plausible reason as to why only Karai (a character in the cartoon who appears in the episode "New Girl in Town") seems capable of changing back and forth between her mutant snake form and her human one, and a bunch of other fun stuff. X3
I can't help giggling at the fact I probably made Shredder a sympathetic villain, but somehow, he just gives off that type of vibe sometimes. I just always felt there was more to his past than Splinter or the cartoon was letting on. So I wrote my own! X3 Gotta love a tragic love triangle! I know some of you might think it odd I made Shredder/Oroku Saki seem like a rather sympathetic type of villain like Loki from the MARVEL movies, etc. but it was actually an interesting accident that such a thing happened. LoL I was trying to give Shredder a more valid reason for hating Splinter than the simple BS reason the media gives you of "WE SAY HE IS EVIL SO YOU MUST THINK SO!" as they shove it in your face oh so rudely, yah know? SO, I went and made up my own reason(s) as to why Saki ended up becoming the Shredder. X3 I mean, with the level of hatred Shredder has for Splinter, there had to have been a lot more going on than what the cartoon lets on. LoL At least that's how I feel about it.
Any pictures or whatever that I use/used on AO3, are to help give the reader a general idea of how my character(s) look and so forth and because I have fun with them. If RPers and other writers can do it, I don't see why I can't have some fun with it. X3 If I had better drawing skills and a scanner, I'd do it myself. But such is not the case, so I mess around with stuff in Paint instead Lmfao. See my disclaimer above for my giving credit to the original artists.
If you're wondering why anything seems familiar, it's because everything I write is usually some fun/interesting twist on anything and everything I have ever seen and read (meaning cartoons, movies, shows, books, manga, anime, etc.) so yeah. I turn it around with my imagination and see how I can add it to a fanfic for fun. Everything everywhere is inspired or based upon something someone else did to an extent, so don't freak out or start flaming, because I seriously don't care. If you don't like it then don't read it. LoL The Utroms are from the 2003 series with my own little spin on them. X3 I liked that version of TMNT because they had superhero type characters too. Plus they had the Guardians.
A running joke/gag about some of my OC's for this series is that they are usually mistaken for either a hot/pretty girls/females or boys/males because I feel like it and androgyny is fun. X3 Any language besides English on here is what I learned from the internet, Google Translate, or wherever.
Fic may or may not get edited/changed along the way. This fic is also posted up on AO3. LoL The link is in my profile if you wanna check it out. The Guardian's outfit is inspired by the Venom symbiote and the hooded outfits that Organization XIII wore in the second Kingdom Hearts game for the PS2.
Until next chapter, tootles!
