Chapter 7
The group walked back to the house where Shadow and the Ancient One started getting dinner ready. Shin joined in with helping preparing the food while the rest set the table and washed up.
After eating a quick meal Shadow left to go and retire to their room for the night.
The turtles stayed up and were given tea to drink.
"Tell us who this Splinter was." Isamu asked.
"First let's travel to the astral plane. I would like to let Shin join in with having to go through one of you." The Ancient One said.
The four turtles looked at each other and nodded their heads.
Traveling to the astral the four turtles sat around the Ancient One in a field of clouds and blue skies.
"I will first tell you a tale of an old father who lost his children. He had nowhere to go or live for now that he was all alone. The father raised his sons from the day they all met to the day they were taken from him. The father travel the distance each year to beg for his sons return. Even with his dying breath all he wished was to see his sons again." The Ancient One said.
"Please tell us." Shin pleaded.
"We need answers." Isamu added.
"Very well young kumquats but be warned what you are about to hear you may not like the outcome." The Ancient One warned.
But the four turtles didn't back down they needed answers and they were told from Master Hisomi that he had the answers.
The Ancient One nodded his head and told them the tale of Splinter and his four sons.
Flashback
Long ago I was just finishing my chores around the house and village below when my friend Splinter appeared on my front door. Splinter was very panicked and quite upset; I ran over to my friend and asked him what was wrong. He told me that "friends" of ours took his four sons away from him because they believed they would be better for them. Splinter told them he didn't want his sons to be taken from him but the people who took them said he didn't have a choice. Splinter was transported away back to my house where we were standing now. Splinter and I went to the house where he was last with his sons. But as we passed the long bridge to travel to the home of the people who took his sons away a large barrier stood in front of us. We could not break or get around the area or find another way in. Splinter was beside himself, he was all alone. I stood beside Splinter as he weep for his sons and what was to come to them.
I took Splinter back to my house to rest. He was an old man who a weak heart even in his young age. Splinter couldn't move or talk all he did for two weeks was staring at the ceiling in my ready room and wonder about his four sons. Splinter couldn't stay here much longer, there were too many memories of his son in my house and the boys only stayed here for a few days. No, Splinter had to go home and try to recuperate in his own home. I told Splinter he could come back anytime and I would be there for him.
Splinter thanked me and disappeared back on a boat home.
I still wonder why he chooses to go home when more memories of his family were there but I didn't want to push it. He was a father who just lost his sons.
For years after that Splinter would go back here on the long travel from New York to Japan and stay here for two weeks on the anniversary of his son's disappearance to try and see them even if they didn't know who he was. But alas he never saw them in his life time again. His body was growing older and weaker. The stress of the journey and racing thoughts of what was happening to his sons made his heart weaker and weaker with each trip. It was twelve years after his son's disappearance his body finally collapsed. Splinter on his last journey with me went to plead his case again but as we crossed the familiar bridge, he collapsed on the ground grasping his chest. Splinter pleaded with me not to allow him to die here.
I carried my friend back home to my house where he laid on his bed soaked with sweat and tears. Splinter looked at me clutching the blanket over his cold body and chest with each beat. Splinter looked at me with heavy eye lids and pleaded for me to save his sons. He knew he was going to die and he wasn't going to see his sons again. Pulling out a picture from his kimono Splinter looked at the old torn picture that has been folded and unfolded so many times. He stared at the picture and smiled at the memories before he came here. Splinter handed me the picture and told me that he wanted me to hold the picture so when I found his sons they would know they were loved by their father.
I held Splinter's hand as his eyes started to finally close for the final time. His chest moved up and down until it finally stopped. I wiped the last tears from his eyes and mourned for one day until I buried his body on the hill with his family. Splinter is still waiting for his sons to return and remember their time together.
I still continue the journey to the bridge and plead with the ones that took Splinter's sons away. I will honor my friend's dying wish to be able to watch his sons from above the clouds be reunited with the memories of their time together and his undying love for them.
Finally years later I am able to make due on my promise to Splinter. He finally gets to see his sons together though they do not know it they are together and are forming bonds with each other. Love may not be there but they will soon see they are more than just comrades in battle, or brothers in words. No, they are family; the Hamato family.
The Ancient One looked up with tears starting to form in his eyes at the four young turtles.
Confusion mainly but there was variety of emotions underneath the mask of stone cold ninjas they were trained to become from an early age.
"Do you still have this picture?" Ryuunosuke asked.
The Ancient One nodded his head.
"Can you show us?" Mitsuo asked.
"I fear what will happen what would happen after you see it." the Ancient One tried to explain.
"Please. We need to know." Shin pleaded.
"It's better to know than to assume the worse." Isamu added.
"Very well just remember what I have warned you." The Ancient One said.
The Ancient One and the turtles left the astral plane and returned to the room they were in.
"Come with me." The Ancient One said.
The Ancient One brought the turtles into his room towards the back where he had two shelves with framed pictures and items like flowers and foods with incense around them. Ryuunosuke and Shin looked closer at the pictures; one was of a beautiful woman with long black hair and a smile that could light up the room. The other was a young man with slick black hair but if you looked closer into his eyes you could see the weight of the world just from a picture.
"Are these your children?" Ryuunosuke asked.
The Ancient One nodded his head.
"My Yoshi and Tang Shen." The Ancient One said looking in the distance.
The Ancient One shook his head trying to get rid of the memory then moved to a small box in the closet. Pulling out very carefully the Ancient One picked up the photo and turned around to the turtles.
"This is Splinter's family." The Ancient One said.
The four turtles crowded around the Ancient One in one great gasp the four turtles carefully looked in great detail the photo of Splinter and his sons.
"This is the rat." Isamu muttered in disbelief.
"T-this can't b-be." Ryuunosuke stammered.
"How is this possible?" Mitsuo demanded looking at the Ancient One for answers.
Shin placed his shaking hand on Mitsuo's shoulder and asked through him,
"Is this true?"
The Ancient One nodded his head.
The old picture with worn and slight ripped edges with yellowish aged tone the four turtles looked at the picture of Splinter the rat in brown kimono and his four turtle sons. Each turtle pointed out themselves.
The Ancient One looked up at the four confused, emotional turtles.
"You are brothers, young kumquats. You are family. You were loved so much by Splinter." The Ancient One stated.
The Ancient One placed the picture back into the small chest and returned it back into his closet. The Ancient One dismissed the turtles to let them think about everything they were just told and saw.
Isamu walked in silence towards the forest to release all his anger on something other than people and the Ancient One's property. Shin walked to the back to sit and watch the village bellow. Mitsuo and Ryuunosuke returned to their room to mediate and sleep on what just transpired.
The Ancient One walked to a small room and tapped on the screen door.
"Yes?" a sleepy voice said.
"Shadow we need to do it soon." The Ancient One whispered in an urgent tone.
A break silence then the movement of blankets and cracking of bones. The door the Ancient One opened a bit with an annoyed Shadow at the door.
"I thought we were going to wait." Shadow said still waking up.
"Yes but they are more divided now and we need them to remember." The Ancient One said.
"Fine but I need time to set up." Shadow said rubbing his eyes on his wrist.
The Ancient One nodded his head and left so Shadow could gather some things from his room.
Shadow walked into the dojo with six candles and a small knife with a decorative gold handle and curved blade.
Quickly Shadow cut one of his fingers with the knife. On the tatami floor Shadow started to write on the floor a pentagram with six points instead of five; each point had to be painted with a new finger. Shadow cut another tip of his finger and painted a circle to enclose the pentagram and another to write in a lost ancient language, final cut to enclose the writing with the pentagram.
Shadow placed the knife in the middle of the room and placed the six candles on the tips of each point of the pentagram. The pentagram took up most of the room. Shadow knelt down on the ground in the middle of the pentagram, waiting for everything to start in the darkness of the dojo. Only the light of the moon showed a bit of the boy and the room.
It was past midnight when the Ancient One found the four turtles and brought them back into the house. Shin, Mitsuo, and Ryuunosuke were easy but Isamu was letting out all his anger against anything that came in his way. Blinded by the new found knowledge of his father and brother he couldn't contain his emotions even with his training. How could he care about anything now after being taught by his master that he was alone in this world and would die alone.
The Ancient One forcing some and dragging the others into the dojo. The Ancient One pushed the four turtles into the room kicking and screaming. The Ancient One closed the door and locked the doors shut.
"You are not leaving until you get your heads fix." The Ancient One yelled.
The four turtles looked around the dojo and saw Shadow sitting on the floor.
"What's going on?" Isamu demanded.
Shin was about to take a step forward when Shadow yelled, "Don't"
Shin looked down and saw in the dimly lit room the pentagram Shadow drew on the room.
Shadow stood up and pointed to the four points
"Go" Shadow said.
"First tell us what is going on!" Isamu yelled.
Shadow shook his head.
"Do you want answers to your questions?" Shadow asked.
The four turtles looked at each other and nodded their heads.
"Then go." Shadow said.
With no other choice the four turtles took their place on the four points; Ryuunosuke and Mitsuo on the left side while Shin and Isamu were on the right. Shadow took his place at the top of the point, Shadow snapped his fingers and the six candles lit up, the windows shut with a loud boom. The only light in the room now were the candles leaving the four turtles and Shadow in the dark.
Shadow placed his fingertips together and moved them up above his head and lowered them to his waist. Shadow looked in the corner of his eye each turtle standing on the points of the pentagram. The flames of the candles moved and dance with the shadows cast by the candles themselves. The flames moved towards the empty place; slowly the flames started to take a form each of the turtles were familiar with.
"Splinter?" Isamu muttered under his breath.
Splinter looked at the four turtles and smiled. Splinter nodded his head at Shadow and closed his eyes.
"Let's do this." Shadow slammed his hands onto the words written onto the pentagram.
The words started to glow and turn clockwise lighting up the pentagram with each turtle standing on it. Splinter disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the pentagram, kneeling in the middle of the pentagram. Splinter's body disappeared and broke into four small balls of fire. The balls of fire flew at the four turtles, the turtles bodies were engulfed in small tornadoes of fire. Shadow looked up and moved the pentagram around them around until each turtle had a small pentagram like the one on the ground under their feet.
Each turtle felt the flames and the flood of memories being pulled and placed in their heads. Everyone fell to their knees and started screaming in agony they couldn't understand what was happening but like a chain breaking in their ears the memories of their father and their lives together returned.
It was like a watching a movie outside of their bodies the four turtles were witnesses to their lives together, the love that each received from their father and each other. Then each of the turtles turned around to see Splinter standing behind them.
All of a sudden the four turtles started running over to Splinter their bodies going backwards in time until they were four toddlers running into their father's arms crying.
"There, there my sons. I am right here." Splinter said trying to calm his sons.
"I'm always with you." Splinter said as his body started to disappear.
Each turtle received part of Splinter in their heart and new found knowledge of what happened to them and their father. The four turtles turned around and walked forward, slowly aging back to their normal bodies. Their bodies were warmed by the light of their father and when they opened their eyes again they were back in the room but Shadow was nowhere. The doors to the dojo open but the four turtles didn't want to leave. Now knowing their lives together before they were taken away they now wanted to know everything about each other.
Stories were told, new memories were formed. Friendships turned to newfound brotherhoods. And even though they were raised solely by their masters alone the four comrades now brothers return with new identities and their original names given to them by their father. Though they would still be called by the names they were given, it was their choice to stay with them but to be forced by the power of others.
"What do we do now?" Ryuunosuke asked.
"We find the tribunal." Mitsuo said.
"And finish what our father wanted." Isamu added.
Shin nodded his head.
The four turtles had a new mission; return to the tribunal and get the answers to why they were taken away from their father but there was one who wanted nothing but revenge.
Darkness formed in the young turtle's heart and it grew and grew as the days passed. Now with the new knowledge of his birth and sudden disappearance of their father the young turtle wanted the lives of each of the Tribunal members for what they did to him.
