Memory 1
Lullabies
This fic details various memories and subtle developments for "Our Little Sister" as a request from Fang95. There will be some things that will only stay in "Our Little Sister", such as how Splinter found out about Athena being the Avatar. Trust me.
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, TMNT, or the songs that will be in this chapter.
10 years ago…
In the sewers of New York City, four turtle tots were struggling to get to sleep. But it was hard, since the baby of the family, their recently adopted sister Athena, wouldn't stop crying. Master Splinter told the boys that Athena was still young and many things would make her cry. But even the rat knew that Athena's constant crying was becoming unbearable.
Each brother took care of a certain task when it came to their sister. Mikey was in charge of bottles and soft foods for when she would grow older. Donny made toys and a new cradle and even helped Splinter prepare Athena's nursery. Leo had babysitting duties and clothing work, while Raph, unfortunately, was on diaper duty.
When they were first given these tasked, they thought it was going to be easy. Each one found that out the hard way at one point and had learned their lessons quickly. But still, even with what they knew, Athena just couldn't stop crying.
Then, one day, after feeding Athena, Mikey was watching 'Superman' when the theme song came on. Unfortunately, because of Athena's crying, Mikey couldn't hear the theme. So, like the Mikey we all know and love, decided to improvise. Grabbing an old oven mitt that Donny converted into a doll-like toy, Mikey got a piece of cloth and began to run around, vocalizing the Superman theme. But as he made it to the second line of the song, he noticed that Athena had quieted down.
Confused and concerned, he checked out the cradle-basket that he had placed Athena. The baby, dressed in a green sleeper and a fleece blanket over her lower body, looked up at the orange-bandana turtle tot with teary, curious green and blue eyes. It seemed fine, for a moment, when suddenly Athena began to bawl again, her face red from lack of proper air.
Mikey groaned from hearing his sister's wailing when he remembered what he did when Athena stopped crying. Hoping that this would stop his sister from crying, Mikey ran around the cradle, holding his toy in the air, sang the Superman theme for his sister. Just as he hoped, Athena stopped crying again.
After a couple of laps, Mikey soon grew tired and decided to sit down, forgetting about his sister for a moment. He croakily sang the song when he sat down on the floor next to the baby when he realized what he was doing. But before he could get up, Mikey looked into the cradle-basket and saw that Athena wasn't crying at all because he stopped moving.
Deciding to test something, Mikey went to the kitchen of their home and got a glass of water, silencing him for a moment. When he began to drink, he coughed in surprise when Athena began to cry again. While groaning, Mikey returned to his sister's side, glass of water in hand. Taking a few sips, he began to sing the song again. This time, softly.
Sure enough, to his surprise, Mikey's singing was enough to calm Athena down. Her face was no longer red from lack of air and her tears were evaporating. There was even a smile on her face. Seeing his sister's expression, Mikey grinned.
"Oh~! You like singing, don't ya, Sis?"
The baby, though an infant, giggled at her brother. With as smirk on his face, Mikey continued to sing until he managed to put Athena to sleep, giving him a break from his forced singing. He then took Athena to the nursery and, with lots of practice from the past; Mikey placed his sister into her crib and covered her with a blue blanket that had pink cherry blossoms on it.
Before he closed the crib, Mikey kissed his baby sister on the forehead and whispered.
"Sleep tight, Sis."
Quietly, he left the nursery and closed the drape that they were using for a door. When he returned to the living area, Mikey found his brothers standing in the middle of the room, giving him stunned looks.
Shrugging his shoulders, Mikey asked, "What?"
It was Raph who broke the silence.
"How did you get Athena to stop crying?"
Seeing that he did something that his 'slightly' older brothers couldn't do, he grinned widely as he told them what had happened.
"I think she just needs some lullabies until Master Splinter finds out what's wrong with her." He said afterwards.
Wondering if this statement was correct, the three remaining turtles decided to test out their brother's theory.
The second time it happened was when Donny was watching Athena while reading a book on songs that he and Splinter found in the sewers one day. He was in the middle of one particular song in general, Athena began to cry. On instinct, he grabbed a couple of toys and waved them at her. But to no avail.
He knew her personal feeding schedule and she just at and was also recently changed. He wondered what could be wrong. Remembering the other day when Mikey told the boys on how singing calmed her down, Donny decided to sing her a lullaby.
You are my sunshine…
My only sunshine…
You make me happy,
When skies are grey…
You never know, dear,
How much I love you,
Please don't take my sunshine away…
Athena quieted down as Donny continued to sing. Her blurred eyes began to clear as the melody went on.
The other night, dear
When I lay sleeping,
I dreamt I held you
In my arms…
When I awoke, dear,
I was mistaken,
So I hung my head
And cried…
Donny then gently rocked the cradle as Athena was calming down completely.
You are my sunshine,
My only sunshine…
You make me happy,
When skies are grey…
You never know, dear,
How much I love you…
Please don't take my sunshine away…
When the song was done, Donny looked into the cradle-basket and breathed a sigh of relief that Athena was no longer crying. She was not even fussy. With a smile on his face, the purple-clad turtle tot returned to his work, still humming his chosen lullaby.
"Aww, come on, Sis! I don't need you to cry right now."
Young Raphael groaned as it was he lamented having being tricked by Mikey for his turn to watch Athena that week. He never knew what to do when his sister would cry other than to feed her or check to see if she needed a fresh diaper.
"I swear, if you've left another bomb, I'll throw it at Mikey." He begged; his head unable to cease the vibrating his sister's voice was causing.
But Athena continued to cry, which left Raph with only one option.
After Donny told them what happened, he suggested that the remaining brothers would choose a lullaby or some sort of soft song to keep Athena from crying.
"It's the only way until Splinter tells us what's wrong with her." He explained.
Naturally, since it was the first song he sang to get her to sleep, Mikey chose the Superman theme while Donny went with "You are My Sunshine".
Fixated on Japanese traditions, Leo was going to find a lullaby from that nation, leaving Raph stranded without ideas. That is…until he was watching his favorite show: Fullmetal Alchemist the night before. (AN: Yes, I'm letting a kid watch an anime like that, which one of my faves. I got into Inuyasha when I was eleven, so why not five?)
Taking in a deep breath and a major stab at his dignity, Raph set his sister down into a rocking cradle and began to sing his own version of the song "Brothers".
How can I repay you, sister mine…
How can I expect you to forgive…
Clinging to the past, I shared our blood
And shattered your chance to live~
Though I knew the laws,
I paid no heed…
How can I return your wasted breath…
What I did not know has cost you dear,
For there is no cure for death~
As expected, Athena calmed down as she heard her toughest, most proud brother sing to her.
Beautiful mother,
Soft and sweet…
Once you were gone
We were not complete…
Back through the years,
We reached for you…
Alas 'twas not meant to be~
And how can I make amends,
For all that I took from you…
I lead you with hopeless dreams…
My sister, I was a fool~
Raph was worried that such a sad song would make Athena cry again. But as he dared to look at his sister, he saw that Athena was getting sleepy, smiling. She liked the melody. Breathing in a deep breath, Raphael continued.
Don't cry for the past now,
Sister mine…
Neither you nor I
Are free from blame…
Nothing can erase the things we did,
For the paths we took were the same…
How can I expect
To call you wrong?
How can I blame you
For what I've done?
We were both fools
In our desires,
As we flew too close to the sun…
Raph managed to smile as he watched his sister trying to stay awake for the whole song. "She's stubborn. I'll give her that."
Beautiful mother,
Soft and sweet…
Once you were gone
We were not complete…
Back through the years,
We reached for you…
Alas 'twas not meant to be~
My dreams made me blind and mute…
I longed to return to that time…
I followed without a word…
My sister the fault is mine…
Breathing deep again, Raph finished the song for his now slumbering sister.
So where do we go from here…
And how to forget and forgive…
What's gone is forever lost…
Now all we can do is live~
As he hummed the last of the melody, Raph tucked in Athena as he went to work picking up the lair. Only to discover later that his brothers had watched the whole thing. Needless to say, Mikey ended up with the weeks latest bruising.
When it was Leo's turn to sing to a fussy Athena, he was well prepared for what to sing. Since Donny's proposal on having their own lullabies, Leo did the one thing he always did when was trying to learn something Japanese. He asked Master Splinter. He had approached the rat and told him of Mikey's discovery and Donny's proposal. Upon hearing this, the rat smiled and taught a song he had heard his late Master Yoshi sing to children back in Japan.
Now, it was Leo's turn to sing the melody. After checking Athena's 'normal' needs, he picked up his sister, who was bundled in a green blanket, walked to a rocking chair, and began to rock gently as he sang the song 'Sakura, Sakura'. In Japanese, of course.
Sakura, sakura
Noyama mo sato mo
Miwatasu kagiri
Kasumi ka kumo ka
Asahi ni niou
Sakura, sakura
Hana zakari
Sakura, sakura
Yayoi no sora wa
Miwatasu kagiri
Kasumi ka kumo ka
Nioi zo izuru
Izaya, izaya
Mini yu kan
He had also heard the English translation of the song and sang that as Athena quit fussing and was half-asleep.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Blanketing the countryside,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the morning sun.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Flowers in full bloom.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the Spring sky,
As far as you can see.
Is it a mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come,
Let's look, at last!
That did it. In no time at all, Athena was fast asleep, nestled in her blanket against her brother's chest. A smile couldn't be prevented as Leo returned his sister to the crib. But as he was about to step away from the crib, Leo felt a small hand clutch his smallest finger. Looking at the crib, he saw Athena, still asleep, holding his finger. The smile becoming wider, Leo stayed in the nursery until Athena was off in dreamland completely.
And what was the problem with Athena, you ask? Well, after sneaking into libraries on various nights, Master Splinter was able to learn that Athena was suffering from colic the whole time. And it was thanks to his sons that his daughter's condition hadn't worsened.
But he was still unable to find out the cause for the colic through human research. So he decided to try something he had learned long ago.
With his sons' exhaustion from Athena's colic, Splinter had given them the night off, which they spent by going to bed early. He understood. Taking care of an infant can use up one's energy. Now with his eldest children in bed, he went to see to his youngest.
Upon entering the nursery, Splinter looked into the crib and saw Athena, asleep, fidgeting and groaning fearfully in her sleep. It was then that Splinter placed a small talisman on his daughter's forehead and chanted an incantation that not even the author of the fic could understand.
But with the talisman, he saw why Athena had been colic.
"So that is it."
Breaking the spell, Splinter removed the talisman and gently rubbed his daughter's head as he sang a lullaby from his homeland.
Nennen yo , neru
Nemut ta akachan no kao ha , dono you ni kawaii desu
Me o samashi , sakebi de aru akanbou ,
Nennen yo , kanojo no kao ga dono you ni mieru ka nikui !
Nennen yo
Nennen yo , neru
Kyou ha kanojo no tanjou no 25 nichi desu .
Ashita ha , iki masu
Nennen yo , jinja he ,
Nennen yo
Nennen yo , neru
Jinja ni touchaku shi te , anata ha nani no tame ni inoru no daro u ka ?
Kanojo no jinsei otooshite , kanojo ha kanou sei ga ari ,
Nennen yo , kenkou teki
Nennen yo
In English, the lullaby went like this.
Hushabye, sleep
How cute is the face of the baby fallen asleep,
The baby who is awake and cries,
Hushabye, how hateful her face looks!
Hushabye
Hushabye, sleep
Today is the 25th day of her birth.
Tomorrow we will go,
Hushabye, to the shrine,
Hushabye
Hushabye, sleep
Arriving at the shrine, what will you pray for?
Through her life, may she be,
Hushabye, healthy
Hushabye
After he sang the lullaby, his daughter stopped fidgeting and returned to a peaceful sleep. As she slept, Splinter continued to rub his daughter's head, letting her know in her sleep that he was there.
"I see now. You were plagued with terrible nightmares for the past several nights. Do not worry, my daughter. Your brothers and I shall never leave you."
And since that night, everyone had a restful night's sleep. And whenever Athena had nightmares or was being fussy, her family would each sing their chosen song to her, telling her that everything was all right.
There. Done with the first chapter. If anyone wants to input an idea for a memory the turtles and Athena should share, feel free to tell me. I will tell the name of the person who had the idea in the chapter.
The songs used in Athena's lullabies were:
Superman Theme
You are My Sunshine
Brothers
Sakura, Sakura
Chūgoku Region Lullaby
All belong to their respectable Creators.
Please Review.
