Three Years Without Flowers

Written By

Stef With a F

Chapter 7

"Ah, Leonardo," said The Shredder. "You want to play too?"

Lotus looked at Leonardo.

"Leonardo, this is not your fight," she snapped.

"It is now, I am not losing you again," said Leo.

"No, Leo," she now pleaded. "Please…"

Lotus Flash Back from Three Years ago…

(In Lotus's first person point of view)

"Leonardo," I asked him. "Why are you following me?"

Leonardo frowned.

"You are leaving again," Leonardo said in a quiet voice.

I smiled. Then I took my hand to caress Leonardo's face.

"Leonardo," I said sweetly. "Ever get the feeling that you had to find something out about yourself? Something that you had to reveal or you would not get a moment's peace?"

Leonardo shook his head. "Well, kinda, but not exactly. I love you Lotus. And please don't say I can't make that decision at sixteen…I know it is true…last year when I first met you, it was love at first sight, and when I saw you this time around, nothing changed."

I smiled. "You find pride in acting older than your years."

Leonardo started to say something, when I just kissed him. And it wasn't just a normal kiss. It was a deep kiss. Leonardo kissed me back. And it did not stop there. I held him tight as he kissed my neck.

He stepped back. "Sorry", he said.

"No, I said back, "I love you too."

****************************************************

"Ah, how sweet," said Shredder. "When this is over, my grand-neice with be mine to raise."

"Never!" shouted Lotus.

Leonardo looked shocked, grand-neice? What was the story here?

But before Leonardo could say anything, Shredder laughed. "We'll see about that. The Foot will see a new light."

"You will see, I recruited some of the real thing now," said The Shredder, "Screw the robots!"

"Give us the child and this will all end!" Toru said.

Blood drained from Lotus's face. "The Child?" she said weakly. "The Child?" she said again. "Toru! Kameko is your daughter!"

"My daughter?" Ha! She is his!" Toru said pointing to Leonardo.

Tears came down Lotus's eyes. "You are so cruel."

**************************************************************

Leonardo heard what was said. He glazed in Lotus's direction, but had to quickly turn back to fight the soliders that now surrounded him. There were many, yet he was sure Lotus wanted no more help. But he could not ignore Lotus's words. This man here, Toru. This man fighting on the right hand of the Shredder must be Lotus's very much still alive dead husband.

*************************************************************

Leonardo Flash Back from Three Years ago…

(In Leo's first person point of view)

It was late at night, or shall I say early morning. I looked at my watch. It was 5:15 AM, which would be plenty of time to get home before anyone would have noticed. So, I thought…

"Leonardo," Master Splinter said out of the blue as I entered the room. When I saw that it was Splinter and not one of my brothers I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or worried.

I looked up at Splinter and didn't say a word at first.

"Where have you been all night?" he asked, not really in an angry tone, yet in, a concerned and curious tone. "You have never been out all night like this before."

"I said goodbye to Lotus," I said, trying to mask my emotions.

Splinter looked at me and frowned.

"For several hours?" Splinter asked in a disappointing tone. "It must have been some goodbye."

I stood there silent for that moment. Splinter looked at me with his concerned eyes. He knew something was wrong. Pain was projected from my eyes. Not that I regreted the night before. It's just… I could tell that he knew exactly what I did the night before. And I had the feeling his reaction will be almost mixed as my own…

****************************************************************

"When you died, I was heart broken, but now part of my heart that loved you, is forever dead," Lotus said.

"Now who is being cruel?!" Toru asked. "I saw you as a child, and loved you right away. Yet the fire came and I thought you were dead. The rest of your family's bodies were just ash, and the mourners were all around. But you must have found someone to raise you, teach you all the skills you know. And then I heard about a great ninja, a woman ninja, susposedly one more powerfully then Oroku Saki. And this amazed me. A woman, that was more powerful then the uncle that betrayed my family. Well, at first I didn't know who you were, you changed your name. Lotus Blossom…Akina"

Leonardo, absorbed as much as he could as he defeated foot solider after foot solider. So Toru is Shredder's nephew?

Lotus smiled. "I barely remember that name."

Toru rolled his eyes.

"You had this new life, did you not, but you fell empty. You didn't like your loneliness. You went to find your family, any roots you can find. And you found me. I let you cry on your shoulder. We fell in love all over again. And I thought I had it all, a wife, and a daughter. But it wasn't just the three of us, was it? Always that Turtle, how can I feel that you ever loved me, you only loved him. You even named the damn child after him!"

"The Child of the Tortoise is a symbol of long life!" she said. "I thought you said Saki dishonored you. You are just like him."

**************************************************************

Leonardo found the Foot Soliders as well as he could as he pondered the questions that now shout out at him. Was this Kameko truly his daughter? Or was Toru just shouting out these harmful lies just to destroy Lotus. Were his hurtful words reactions to the fact that he was married to a woman that loved another man? And not a human man, but a Turtle, a Mutant Turtle? A lost love that she could not have. Or at least one she believed she could not have…

***************************************************************

Flash Back…Three Years ago…

Leonardo woke from Lotus's bed. He turned over on his side, and instead of Lotus Blossom, the person, there was a lotus blossom, the flower…And underneathe that was a note…

Dear Leonardo,

I need to find the answers to complete the chapters of my life. It's the only true way I will be able to have the happy ending. Until we meet again…

Love,

Lotus

*************************************************************

It took time, but Leonardo did come to terms that he might not see Lotus again. Splinter, was rather understanding with his encounter, as long as it was able to accept it as life's little lessons. As one of the several trials and pains of growing up. The layers of emotion returned when he saw Lotus again. It was like he was telepathically connected to her arrive as, the lesson of life never ends.

********* Back to Toru and Lotus *********

"I thought differently before I died. Yes, I died in your arms. But it wasn't Uncle Saki that killed me. They were assaaains. They were going after you, for something you did in the past. I did my best to defend you all. But I lost the battle. You held me in your arms, and Hana took off with Kameko. You buried me and thought it was over. Saki took me and brought me back to life. He told me what is important in this life. And the three of us will be in the new Foot Clan!" shouted Toru.

"It sounds like he brainwashed you. Please Toru, you are better than this!"

Leonardo looked at them strangely. He started to feel fatigue after defeating the last of the several foot soilders. Even if Lotus still loved this man, he was going to stand by her. He loved her with all he could give. And she claimed to once.

"Toru!" Shredder shouted. "Kill her! I'm going after the turtle."

"I am better? Maybe, but not in the ways you think. I take your child, no matter if is his or mine. She will be in the Foot. I will take what you took from me."

"Craziness, he has made you crazy…"

*************************************************************

Don was fooling around with his computer when Mikey sat next to him.

"What are you doing?" Mikey asked.

"Trying to fix the registry after the virus you downloaded last week," said Don.

Mikey frowned.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident," said Mikey.

Don smiled, "It is okay Mikey."

Mikey smiled, but then frowned. "I'm worried about Leo, he hasn't been gone for a while now. And normally I wouldn't worry, but he has been acting strange lately."

Raph, who has been quiet, the last couple hours to himself, looked up then.

"Yeah…let's go," said Raph.

********************************************************************

"I am not crazy," Toru said taking his sword.

"I do not want you kill you," Lotus said.

"Well, that would make it easier for me, then would it?" said Toru.

To Be Continued