Ch 11. Legend of the Terrapin Savior.

The next morning after having a quick breakfast of fish and steamed rice, the four turtles set off again toward the Daimyo's lair. Leo again was up front leading the way while Raph again kept guard on the rear. They rode for the entire morning and into early afternoon til they came to the cliffs. It was here they decided to stop and have some lunch.

"You make a good meal Mikey." Raph complimented. "Can you tell us now where you got your talent for cooking?" He asked Mikey but was looking at Leo.

"I guess you can tell them Mikey." Leo said with a smile.

"My nanny Mariko taught me." Mikey said with a giggle. "She was great at all kinds of things." He said with a twinkle in his eyes. "She could cook and bake and was great at teaching me how to read and write and knew all about art." He let out a happy sigh. "She was the best." He cooed.

Raph and Donnie smiled at the young turtle. "How bout you Leo?" Donnie asked looking toward him. "Did Mariko teach you anything?"

Leo looked down at the ground with a look of sadness in his eyes. "I was not allowed to learn like Mikey was." He admitted. "From the moment Saki brought us to his lair, he kept us separated and only allowed me to see Mikey in the evenings for supper." Leo gave a light smile. "If it wasn't for our suppertime together, Mikey may never had known who I was."

"Why do you think he allowed that?" Raph asked.

Leo shrugged. "I'm not sure."Leo said rather hesitantly.

While Donnie nodded at him thoughtfully, Raph couldn't help but notice the look of concern that quickly crossed Leo's face.

'He's hiding something again.' Raph mused to himself, but decided, for now, not to push the issue. "So is Saki the one who taught you ninjustu?" Raph asked Leo.

"Yeah." Leo said with a sigh. "He had me learn anything that had to do with being a warrior. Had me training day and night for hours." He took a bite of his lunch. "When I turned twelve he had me go up against his Foot soldiers. Sometimes I think he was hoping I'd be taken down but I turned out to be one of his top ninjas." Leo chuckled. "I don't think he was happy about that at all."

They finished lunch and this time, Raph and Leo cleaned up while Donnie and Mikey got the horses. While they were at the water's edge, Raph turned to Leo. "Can I ask you something personal Leo?" Raph was looking at Leo's arms as he washed the plates.

"Sure Raph." Leo noticed Raph's eyes searching his body in concern.

"Was Saki the one who gave you all those scars?" Leo looked at him in surprise. "Well, they're kind of old and I just figured…."

"Yes Raphael." Leo said finishing up with a plate. "He was quick with a whip and never hesitated to discipline when I would step out of line." Raph finished putting the plates in their saddle bags and looked back at Leo.

"How often did he feel you stepped out of line?" He asked.

"Too often." Leo muttered as they mounted their horses. They continued to ride for the rest of the day til they came to an open field of golden weeds. A stream ran through the middle of the field and flowed toward a beautiful pond. The sun had already set and the stars were now beginning to twinkle in the sky.

"The moon looks full Leo." Mikey commented. Leo looked up at the sky and nodded.

"Just one more night Mikey." He told him as Mikey began to prepare supper for them. "We'll reach the Daimyo's home tomorrow and everything will be okay."

"The red tint around the moon looks frightening." Donnie noted. Raph laid back on his bedroll and nodded.

"I've heard of the blood red moon but I always thought it was just a name given when the moon shines bright with a tint of the sun's red glow on it." He told them. "I never realized it was called that because the moon looks like it's dripping with blood." Raph hummed in thought. "I can't remember ever seeing the moon like that. Does it happen often?"

"No." Leo told him. "Besides happening fourteen years before." His eyes wandered toward his brother. "It's only happened one other time."

"When?" Donnie looked at him with wide eye curiosity.

"Almost a millennium ago." Leo told them. "I remember my mother telling me the story after that crazy gypsy lady first showed up." His eyes once again wandered over to Mikey. "The first time happened when the father of the Terrapin Nation first appeared."

"Do you know the story?" Donnie asked hopefully.

Leo nodded and sat in his bed roll. "A thousand years ago." He began. "A village at the top of Mount Pinnacle, where the Daimyo lives today, a young maiden found a beautiful turtle egg. It was so beautiful, she decided to keep the egg instead of eating it like the village normally would. She kept it on her window ledge and allowed the sun to keep it warm. Then one day, she awoke to find the egg was no longer there, she ran outside to find the egg had rolled over toward the middle of the village and it was starting to hatch. She watched the egg hatch and was shocked to see a full grown turtle actually stand up like a human and walk out of the egg, not crawl like a turtle normally would. The turtle looked and spoke just like a normal human but it had a shell and green skin like a normal turtle. She called the rest of the villagers and everyone came running and were so shocked by what they saw, they bowed down to the turtle and called him a 'god'. But the turtle told them that he was not a 'god', only a grateful turtle that was given a gift to be like the humans because of their love and willingness to spare his egg. He then called out to the heavens and the next thing the humans knew, their whole village was surrounded by all these different types of animals. As the humans watched astounded, the animals transformed into humanoid animals. The turtle, whom the humans named Savatore, told them that these animals would always watch over them as long as they promised to take care of the land they were given and continue to take care of the mutant animals that lived in the woods that surrounded their village." Leo took a deep breath and looked from one turtle to the other who were watching him with extreme interest. "The village eventually grew and became the land that the Daimyo rules over which include all the terrapin clans, the salmandrians and so forth. He is suppose to be an actual descendant of the original villagers that witnessed that miracle." Leo laid back on his bed roll. "And that is the legend of how we came to be." He said with a chuckle. "But that is just a legend."

"Wow." Mikey breath. "And I'm suppose to be him?" He looked up at the sky in awe.

"Yes Mikey." Leo answered. "And the Daimyo will help you remember."

"I have to admit Leo." Mikey said, scooting over toward Leo. "I am a little scared." He said timidly nuzzling into Leo's side. "Will the Daimyo help us like you think he will?"

Leo put his arms around Mikey and rested his cheek on the top of Mikey's head. "I've been told the Daimyo is a good man Mikey." He gave him a light squeeze. "I'm sure he'll help us."

"I hope so."

While Donnie and Mikey laid down and attempted to sleep, Leo decided to get up and take a walk around the perimeter. Raph watched as he stood up and walked away. After a few minutes, he decided to follow him.

"Is there something else on your mind Raph?" Leo asked as Raph caught up to him.

"I just can't help but wonder why, if Saki wanted to eventually have Mikey sacrificed, why he made sure Mikey was taken care of the way he was." Raph looked at Leo.

Leo took a deep sigh and glared at Raph rather annoyingly. "I think you need to stop wondering about things so much Raphael."

But Raph continued. "I mean look at the facts. He treated you like a slave while Mikey was treated like a king." He watched as Leo fidget under his gaze. "And he taught you ninjutsu while Mikey was only allowed to learn basic things. Like he was just trying to keep him occupied."

"Saki had his reasons I'm sure." Leo said with a shrug. "He's evil after all."

"I know he's evil Leo." Raph responded. "But I just need to know." He looked at the older turtle apprehensively. "Why was he trying to get you to hate your own brother?"

Leo looked at Raph with surprise. "Why would say that?"

"Mikey got everything." Raph said. "He was given a teacher, he ate good food…"

"I ate food Raph." Leo said with a chuckle.

"Not like Mikey did." They stared at each other and Raph could see the anger in Leo's eyes. "You forget Leo, I saw your body. It was clear you've been starved and beaten and…."

"Alright Raph." Leo snapped at him. "Yes, Saki treated my brother and I differently and yes he did want me to hate my brother." He sighed tiredly. "But I would not give him the satisfaction of being hateful toward Mikey, no matter how much he wanted me to be."

"But why Leo?" Raph demanded. "What was his reasoning for you to hate him?"

"Because I am his Guardian." Leo responded angrily. "That means I am also his protector as well as his follower." Raph narrowed his eyes in confusion. "And if the one who protects and follows can be swayed." Leo looked at the ground. "Then he can also be made to destroy the Savior."

"Destroy the Savior?" Raph narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Saki believed that if I gave into the feelings of hate toward my brother" Leo looked up at the sky. "I would have enough rage within me to want to kill him."

Raph stared at Leo in shock. "It happened once before." Leo told him. "You do know the legend of the four brothers don't you?"

Raph shook his head. "I only know bits and pieces of these legends you speak of Leo."

"The four brothers were Salvatore's descendants." Leo told him as the continued to walk the perimeter. His eyes wandered over to their brothers every so often. "The Terrapin Nation lived in harmony for almost five hundred years with a descendant of Savatores' as the leader of their tribe." Leo walked over to a fallen log and the two turtles sat down facing their brothers. "As a tradition, the leader was usually the first born son." He said with a slight chuckle. "But five hundred years after Savatore passed away, four brothers hatched so closely together that even their parents were not sure who was the oldest."

"What did they do to figure it out?" Raph asked.

"Their father kept a watchful eye over his sons and figured he would name his successor after the boys eighteenth year. He figured by then he would be able to decide who was the most responsible of the four brothers."

"And did he?"

"Yes. And that made the other brothers very jealous so that after their father passed away, The shredder of the foot clan was able to convince each brother that they should be the leader of the tribe. One of the three brothers attempted to kill the leader but no one knew which brother had done it so the leader accused of all them and that got them so angry at each other it actually got the rest of the terrapins to choose sides. Next thing everyone knew, the three brothers left the village taking several families with them forming the other three clans we know today. The original village was my clan, the northern clan."

"So Saki figured he could repeat history by giving Mikey everything and you being forced to watch." Raph mused as Leo nodded."And in time he hoped you would get so angry with Mikey that you would want him dead."

Leo nodded. " And that would allow the darkness to destroy what little light is left between the terrapin nation and he would be able to enslave us." Leo looked back at Raph. "He would be able to enslave all mutants Raph." Raph brought Leo into a hug and Leo laid his head on Raph's shoulder. "That is why I took Mikey and ran away from that monster and his evil place." Raph felt Leo tremble. "He was gonna have Mikey sacrificed on the night of the blood red moon and one way or another, he would have me do it." Raph felt a small drop of water on his neck. "He tried so many times to brainwash me into thinking that Mikey was my enemy but I always managed to remember that I love Mikey very deeply and would never want to see him hurt." Leo took a deep breath. "But that's the reason he kept me around." Leo shuddered. "So that I could kill my brother."

"You really are a strong willed turtle Leo." Raph commented. "Pretty fearless in more ways then one."

"Not fearless Raph." Leo muttered. He pulled himself away from Raph and shook his head "Just determined." Leo looked at the other two turtles sleeping by the fire. "I have had many nightmares about Mikey laying on a stone slab while the red moon looms above us. My hand holding Shredder's katana high above my head." Leo closed his eyes and fought back the tears as the nightmare played in his head. "Mikey struggling in chains and crying out to me, begging me not to hurt him. Telling me over and over again that he loves me." Leo wiped his eyes. "Saki behind me whispering to me while I ignore Mikey's pleas. I wake up just before I plunge the sword into his chest."Leo ran his hands up and down his arms in an attempt to warm himself up. "But every night, the nightmares come back."

Raph brought Leo into a hug again and nuzzled the side of his head . "Maybe the Daimyo can help you with your nightmares Leo." Raph suggested. Leo nodded sadly.

They sat for a few minutes staring at the fire before finally deciding it was time to go to bed. They stood up and began to slowly make their way back to where their brother's laid sleeping. They had just made their way to the camp when Raph pulled Leo close to him. "I'm beginning to think Leo." Raph whispered as he leaned their faces close. "The real Savior…is you." Their lips connected once again and this time, Leo did not pull away from Raph's tender and loving kiss.