The Turtles, April O'Neil and Casey Jones finally reached Northampton, exhausted. There wasn't much of a plan on what to do next, as the group of six were still left in shock over the events that had unfolded mere hours ago.
"Lets take a rest everyone." Leonardo said somberly as everyone got out of the Shell-Raiser. "I'll be be back in a while."
Without saying a word, everyone obliged. Quietly walking into the old and grey farmhouse, the atmosphere was one of gloom and mourning. Normally, Leonardo's brothers would question his every decision and no stone would be left unturned, but all knew the reason for Leonardo desiring isolation.
Leonardo then slowly made his way into the nearby woods. Each step on the way was one of contemplation and reflection, before Leonardo sat down onto the ghostly forest Floor, quietly meditating.
"Karai." Leonardo thought to himself as he shut his eyes and crossed his legs.
The memories flourished. From the time when Leonardo met Karai, who was then the adoptive daughter of the Shredder, up until their very last union right before the Turtles left in order to pursue the Kraang. Their relationship had always been strong. Whether it was one of siblings, friends or even lovers was not clear. What was clear however was that a great loss had occurred through the death of Karai.
"I'm sorry I couldn't give you a proper funeral." Leonardo said to himself as he continued to focus on his meditative state, feeling the leaves gently breezing against his body as the night got colder and the moon got brighter. Not being able to give Karai a proper farewell was his biggest regret, as Leonardo was forced to watch her butchered remains mercilessly burn like that of an animal.
"Brother." A voice said as Leonardo turned behind himself. It was Michelangelo. "Its cold out here."
Leonardo did not realize how much time had passed since he had begun his meditation, but it was enough for one of his brothers to seek him out.
"That's not bothering me now." Leonardo said in response to Michelangelo's query with a sigh on his face as he gazed up onto the stars. Michelangelo came up and sat next to him, gazing as well.
"Karai is up there with Master Splinter now." Michelangelo said as he put his arm over Leonardo's shoulder.
"Yeah, but who would've known that they both would go so soon?" Leonardo said as he felt slightly relieved by his brother's support.
"I guess we never know when our time is up." Michelangelo said. "Or what the future is gonna be like at all. Never in my wildest dreams did think that Shinigami had the darkness within her."
"Yeah." Leonardo responded, not saying much else. "You're right, Mikey."
The two brothers sat in the forest for a while, not speaking to each other. Simultaneously Hearing the birds chirp and the leaves rustle was all the conversation that they needed.
It was only a matter of time before Donatello joined the group as well. The brothers were truly inseparable after all that had gone down. They would always prefer the company of each other rather than isolation.
Finally, Raphael joined his brothers and sat down in meditation. All four brothers fell asleep not long after, with only each other and the leaves of the forest to keep them warm throughout the night.
"Where am I?" Leonardo said as he awoke.
Standing in a place so familiar yet so afar, Leonardo seemed to roam what seemed like an endless path that led into the sky.
"What is this place?" He thought to himself as he ascended up onto the clouds.
Leonardo was not sure of why he was going upwards, but he felt like it was the right thing to do.
"Is it really what I think its gonna be?" Leonardo said as he finally managed to reached the top, only to see something which he never thought he would see in a million lifetimes.
"My son." Master Splinter said as he sat down in a pose of meditation, looking straight into Leonardo's eyes with a wide smile on his face.
"Father!" Leonardo exclaimed as he ran towards his now deceased master, hugging him as tightly as he could.
The hug was short lived however as Leonardo made a shocking realization. Master Splinter was not alone.
"Karai? Tang Shen?" Leonardo said as he simply couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Glad to see you, Leonardo." Tang Shen said with a smile on her face as she next to her husband after hugging Leonardo.
"But how? I thought you all were" Leonardo almost interrupted.
"This is the afterlife, Leo." Karai said finally out of the group of 4 "I never thought I'd see you this soon."
"Neither did I, you bet." Leonardo said in response. "I know I'd be crazy to ask this, but why am I here? I know I'm still alive."
"Everything happens for a reason, my son." Splinter said. "You are only here now to receive a message."
"Oh, I see." Leonardo said. "So what's the message you have for me, Father?"
"Is it not me, but my brother who will deliver that message." Splinter said as he delivered a scroll to Leonardo.
"Your brother?" Leonardo said as he opened the scroll, revealing the directions on a long path downwards.
"Yes, Oroku Saki." Splinter said as he put his hand on Leonardo's shoulder. "Its time for you to go now."
"I don't know what message the Shredder has for me, or why you still call him brother, but I will do as you say Father." Leonardo said as he stood back and bowed to his sensei.
"Farewell my son. You always make me proud." Splinter said as Leonardo began his departure down from the heavens. He turned back one last time however, and waved goodbye to his family.
Karai, Tang Shen and Splinter all smiled and waved back as Leonardo left the pleasant garden and continued his journey, following the directions of the scroll down the seemingly endless bridge.
As Leonardo progressed, the dazzling beauty of the landscape gradually disappeared, eventually being replaced by barren wasteland, which was then replaced by dark caves of fire and molten hot lava. Leonardo however, being in the dream-like state he was, couldn't feel the heat at all, only being an observer.
He descended lower into the pits of hell, until eventually stumbling onto a familiar man burning in the bottomless void. The man's face was horribly disfigured, and his living yet undead corpse would've been nigh unrecognizable, had it not been for the voice that cried.
"Help! Help me!" The man cried out as he continued to burn at temperatures hotter than the sun.
"Shredder?" Leonardo asked, being more intrigued than horrified at this point due to the unfamiliarity of the situation. Before Leonardo could say more however, the burned man grabbed onto him, causing Leonardo to suddenly be able to feel pain.
"Arrggghhh" Leonardo grunted heavily as he was utterly helpless from the pain, not being able to move a muscle.
"This is only a fraction of the suffering I have endured for a million years" Shredder said in a distorted tone as his limbs began to fall off one by one. "I regret everything wrong I did in my past life, please forgive me."
Leonardo's eyes opened as Shredder's arms lost their grip on him, falling off him due to the excessive burning. This eliminated the pain, and gave Leonardo time to think. The young but wise turtle could not help but feel sorry for the man who was once his sworn enemy.
"You've had plenty of time to think about this." Leonardo said as he stood upon the fire unfazed once again. "I forgive you, Saki."
Suddenly, as these words left Leonardo's mouth, the fire immediately ceased. The rain of brimstones was then replaced with rains of pure and innocent water that washed upon both Leonardo and the Shredder.
"Thank you." It was all that Saki could say as he collapsed onto the ground, looking up at Leonardo for the first time with a genuine smile. "But this is not what I had you come here for."
"Then what is it?" Leonardo asked, with a puzzled expression.
"Please show Shinigami the light." Shredder said, slowly stuttering his words. "If she follows the same path I did, she will only end up in the fires of hell."
"I promise, I will not give it anything except for my best." Leonardo said with the first smile on his face since he saw his family up in the heavens.
"Saki, it is time." A voice said as both Leonardo and the Shredder looked up, only to see the Shredder's lifelong brother descend from the sky with a staff in his hand.
"Yoshi." The Shredder said as his brother raised his hand to help the poor old burned man.
The two brothers embraced as Leonardo looked at them with a smile on his face.
"You know what to Do Leonardo." Splinter said as he looked at his son.
"Yes, Father. It is time for me to go." Leonardo said as he hugged both his father and the man who was no longer his enemy.
He then descended back into the real world, to finish what had been started.