Aaaaand, it's done! There's some fluff (I think) in this holy crap, FINAL chapter! Thank you so much to Cinnabunnies5123 and GomperEatsAll for staying with me through this and Wanda for the kind review! I love that you enjoy this story, it makes me feel really happy I decided to go through with the idea. I think this is kind of a good way to end this story, just because it's nice and sweet. Half credit to both Cinnabunnies5123 and hiknwjamo. Again, thank you so much to all of my reviewers, I hope that you all liked this stupid little series of stuff. *facepalm* Just, you know, keep being the lovely people you all are. Oh, and enjoy the story.
I don't own them... but I might one day.
Leo took in a shuddering breath. After all the battles they had fought, all the losses and victories, injuries and setbacks, they had finally done it. New York seemed to be safe. Nothing disastrous had happened in weeks. The Kraang and Krang were gone. Shredder was gone.
And so was Splinter.
Leo hadn't allowed himself to have much time to mourn him, with taking down the Shredder, to Kavaxas and the Foot cultists, then the time travel with Usagi and Kintaro, then the Halloween incident, and finally the thing with the 1980's Shredder, Krang, and Bebop and Rocksteady. They had been busy.
But now… there wasn't much to do. Sure, they trained, they had their hobbies, but it didn't feel normal, in some strange way, to have some crisis.
So Leo had spent his empty hours reflecting through meditation.
And thinking about Splinter.
They had seen his spirit, which had been a great joy to them all, but seeing him fade away as the sun rose just made it all too real for them. Especially Leo.
He couldn't bring himself to step on the Wolf Hotel rooftop where his father had died, and every time they got near it, Mikey started looking queasy. Leo was feeling hindsight over the fact that the first place they had ever faced the Shredder had also seemed to be their last. So they stayed away from it. Leo even had trouble going on patrol sometimes, thinking obsessively about the rooftops and his father's death. Sometimes he couldn't bring his mind away from the thoughts, and couldn't sleep through the whirlwind in his mind.
Occasionally the flashbacks would take over, and seeing Splinter get stabbed over and over again in his head made it more real every time. Leo found himself less interested in training, his katas, and didn't have his usual enthusiasm when sparring or on patrol.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to the darkened mind of the leader.
This is the second time we've lost him.
The first time had been at the black hole generator, when Shredder had murdered him at the end of the world. And then again, at the hands of Shredder, in the exact same way as before…
Leo pressed his hands to his eyes. He would. Not. Cry.
It was his job to be strong. He was the sensei. He had to support his brothers.
But he needed someone to support him as well.
Leo took in another breath, exhaling slowly as he opened his eyes again. He was sitting under the tree in the dojo, watching the soft light fall through the sewer grate. Raph, surprisingly, was across from him, still in the lotus pose. He had finally convinced his hotheaded brother to slow down and meditate with him. They did it almost every day, though Raph sometimes lost his patience and left.
This was Leo's way to cope, following Splinter's advice again.
Do you know what I do when I miss my loved ones from the past? I focus on the friends I am surrounded by in the present.
Leo took this to heart, spending more time with his brothers. While he did spend a lot of time alone lately, he tried to be with his brothers when he could. Whether it was playing a video game with Mikey, or watching Donnie in the lab, or sparring with Raph, Leo tried to be with them. To offer his support. To be there for them.
Like Splinter had been for them.
Every second that Splinter had been gone left a lingering ache in Leo's chest because everything reminded Leo of his late father. Sure, the blue-banded turtle had tried to stop thinking about him, but it was hard.
Leo couldn't help but feel it was his fault, in some way. That he had been too late to save his father.
"Hey, Leo," Raph said, causing Leo to startle a bit. "Just me."
"Sorry," Leo said, shaking his head to clear it. "I guess I just zoned out."
Raph smirked. "Like shell you did." His smirk faded at the sight of Leo's forlorn face. "Leo, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Leo said, trying to keep his brother out of his personal issues like he always did.
Raph frowned. "It ain't nothing, let me tell you that. Come on, bro, something's bugging you."
Leo looked at his immediate younger brother. "I said, it's nothing," he repeated as Mikey came in.
"Dang it," he said. "I thought you two were still meditating. I was going to prank Raphie." Donnie poked his head around the corner and, seeing Mikey wasn't pranking Raph, came in as well.
Raph shook his head. "You wouldn't."
"Yes, I would," Mikey countered, then sat down with them, Donnie following a moment after. "So what're you talking about?"
"Leo's hiding something," Raph said. "It's been bothering him, but he won't say anything about it."
"I bet he misses Splinter," Mikey said, grinning as Leo's jaw dropped.
"How did you know?" Leo asked.
"Oh, you know, like a turtle do!" Mikey said. In truth, they all knew he was very perceptive and empathetic and probably knew exactly how Leo felt.
"So you do admit that something's bothering you!" Raph crowed, then turned serious. "We all miss him."
"Yeah," Donnie said. "If you ever need someone to talk to about it, we're here."
"I don't want to bother you guys with my issues," Leo mumbled.
"But Leo, we bother you with our problems all the time," Mikey said.
"It's true," Raph said.
"If anyone deserves someone to talk to, it's you," Donnie said. "Come on, Leo, open up. It's not good to keep all your feelings bottled up inside."
"I just miss him," Leo said. "That's all there is to it."
No it's not, Mikey mouthed at his brothers. They both nodded.
"We'll leave it at that, for today," Raph said. "But we're continuing this conversation."
"Okay," Leo agreed. There were a few moments of silence until Mikey piped up.
"Who wants pizza?"
*deep breath* I SUCCESSFULLY FINISHED ANOTHER STORY! I have a one-shot planned, so I want to get that out soon. Just give me *calculates* ten years to get it out because I have two projects to do, a end-of-chapter test, and a crap ton of homework right now. So see you later, bye.
