A/N: ...I lied. This isn't the second to last chapter. It's the third to last. I KNOW, I'M REALLY TRYING TO WRAP IT UP! But i just get these new ideas that suddenly sound too good to leave out!

BTW, comment if you want me to upload some of the 'Outtakes' of this story (where I had Ideas, but i kept them out because either they were too silly or wouldn't work)

So, on with Chapter 26!

I OWN NOTHING!

Enjoy!

Chapter 26: Rewards and Wishes

The next morning, just as the sun began to rise over the quiet green lands of Kyoto, the tired mutant family and their human comrades finally arrived back at the village of the refuges, who immediately began to praise them and thank them all continuously for what they had done for their village and their people.

Now that the scepter was theirs and Norinaga was gone for good, they would finally be able to move back into their own village.

After the turtles had gotten their wounds treated (though to be fair, they were not nearly as hurt as April was, but Mitsu and Kenshin insisted upon it) they all decided to help the villagers move back into their real homeland, which was now rightfully owned by Mitsu at long last.

The move between the villages wasn't as difficult as they had originally thought it would have been; the people had practically been horded out of their homes without any time to collect their belongings, so there was not much to move. With the help of the turtles, Splinter and Leather Head, within a few hours they had managed to return the people to their homes. And watching the scene play out was almost tear-jerking. They were just so happy to be back where they belonged after what seemed like forever.

And it was almost time for the turtle family to do the same. But there was still one last thing they had left to do before they could leave Kyoto.

Later that afternoon, as the villagers settled themselves back in their homes with the help of Mitsu and Kenshin, Robyn led the turtles, Splinter, Leather Head and Casey into the forest, trying to retrace her steps to where she had last been before she was taken captive again by Walker's goons that night. She told the turtles that the scepter could lead them all to where the mineral was buried.

"Are you sure that's going to work Miss Robyn?" Donatello asked as he walked behind her, with a still slightly weary April hoisted on his shell, though she insisted that she was feeling much better, but of course her protective turtle brothers didn't buy a single bit of it, "I'm not all that sure a scepter can lead us to a mineral. I mean, that would only mean that the scepter is magic, and we all know magic doesn't exist…right?"

Casey snickered behind him, and Donnie sent him a pout. "Y'know, you're not wearing your mask and your so-called 'armor', so it would be pretty easy to hurt you," he warned, only getting another laugh from the unmasked vigilante. April nudged him with her knee to knock it off, and she sent Casey a look that silenced him.

Robyn nodded firmly at Donnie's inquiry, holding the scepter carefully but firmly in her hands as she held it out in front of her, looking for some sort of reaction. "I'm positive, Donatello," she said, "whilst I was in the woods, it started to glow when I went a certain direction, but whenever I strayed from that path, the glow would fade until I got back on track. It has to mean something…"

"Or we'll just be walking out into the forest again aimlessly, just like the last time," Raphael grumbled under his breath as he folded his hands behind his head, staring up at the trees blocking the sunlight behind their glowing leaves.

"Knock that off, Raph," Leonardo scolded, nudging Raph in the side with his elbow, earning a growl from the other turtle, but Leo ignored it. "If Robyn said she saw something, we have to trust her and follow her lead."

"Leonardo is correct, Raphael," Master Splinter noted as he came up to walk beside them, putting a hand on Raph's shoulder, "you must never be so quick to judge one's assumptions, no matter how impossible they may appear to be. You do that quite often, it seems."

Raph pouted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he grumbled again.

He let out a yelp when Splinter smacked him over the head with his cane. "No sassing," he reprimanded his second eldest son. Leo rolled his eyes and smirked.

As the group continued down the forest path, filled with thick trees and bushes that seemed to take a dislike to Casey Jones as he stumbled several times into shrubs, which amused Raph to no end, the giant gator Leather Head began to sniff the air, his brow creasing in contemplation. Michelangelo, who was hoisted on his back again and resting his chin on the top of his head, watched his large friend in curiosity. "Leather Head? You smell something buddy?" he asked.

Leather Head nodded, almost absently as he continued to sniff the air. "Yes…this place…it is familiar…" he mused aloud.

April looked up from Donnie's shoulder at what Leather Head had said, and she too quickly looked around her, recognition dawning in her eyes. "…he's right," she said, "this place is familiar. Aunt Robyn and I were here when we first dug up the scepter."

Leather Head frowned sadly. This was also the same area where the late Kenshin, his dearest friend for several years, was buried so long ago, though in reality it had been merely a few days due to his time travel. The wound in his heart was still there…but at least now it was being filled with more love from Michelangelo and his brothers. He was thankful for that at least.

Suddenly, a startled gasp from Robyn had them all stop in their tracks, instinctively reaching for their weapons. But there was no need to when they realized that the cause of her alarm was because of the scepter.

It was starting to glow again.

Donnie's jaw dropped as he stared at the glowing artifact in wonder. "Wow. You were right!" he gaped, "Maybe it really does lead to somewhere."

Leather Head stared at the glowing artifact in Robyn's hands. He had never seen it glow before, not even when it was in his possession. In fact, it hadn't been glowing when he had buried it near Kenshin's grave, so why was it glowing now? Maybe it was because the grave was in the same area, but simply farther off ahead?

Leo smiled and put a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Nice work Miss Robyn," he praised, earning a blush from the red haired woman as he continued, "Now we just need to do as you said and keep on the right path."

Robyn nodded once, and then her eyes were focused on the glowing scepter as she quickly lead the way, with the mutants and Casey not far behind her. As they walked briskly through the overgrown paths, the scepter's glow became stronger, almost as bright as the sunlight through the trees.

They were getting closer now.

"I think we're almost there!" Robyn called behind her, picking up the pace now as she began to run, "Come on!" The others trailed effortlessly behind her as they all broke out into a run, though they knew not why. Was it because they were one step closer to finally uncovering the secrets that the scepter held? Or was it because their 'quest' was one step closer to being over, and they were finally going to be able to go home? They had undoubtedly enjoyed their adventure here in the land of Japan, but it was only natural for them to miss the comforts of their real home back in the ever moving city of New York.

Besides, once they found the mineral, they wouldn't be needed here anymore.

When they broke through the bushes and into a clearing, the scepters' glow intensified to such an extent that Robyn let out a cry of pain, dropping the scepter to shield her eyes. To their utter shock, the scepter didn't even touch the ground; it floated just above the grass by some invisible force, tilting itself upright and rising higher until it was just above their heads. They stared at it in wonder. "…whoooaaaa…" Mikey breathed as he clung onto Leather Head's head.

"Whoa is right, Mikey," Donnie alleged, not tearing his eyes away from the inanimate object defying gravity. He swore, if that thing suddenly grew a cartoony face and started singing, Donnie would be so done.

The scepter floated over to the center of the large clearing, slowly descending until it barely touched the floor, and it stayed there, still glowing like a lighthouse. The family stared in confusion. "Is that where the mineral is?" Donnie spoke up, letting April slide off his shoulders to stand next to him.

Leo narrowed his eyes in thought. "Only one way to find out," he said, then turned to Raph and Casey. "You guys brought the shovels right?" he asked.

Casey nodded, "Yup. They're on my back," he said, reaching for the shovels he had strapped on in place of his usual weaponry, and he handed one to Raph. They both nodded as they walked over to where the scepter still stood over the spot. Casey couldn't help but shudder. "This is some seriously messed up crap, dude," he said.

Raph grunted in agreement. "So much for 'no such thing as magic'," he mused, smirking back at Donnie for a second before both boys started to dig quickly, having little to no desire to be anywhere near that floating thing for longer than they needed to be.

After several minutes, Casey's shovel hit something, hard. He blinked in surprise. "Hey, I think I found something!" he called, and he and Raph fell to their hands and knees as they began to use their hands to dig the rest of the way as the others gathered anxiously around them, especially Leather Head, who peeked eagerly over Raph's shoulder.

It was time that they all found out what the scepter had in store for them at last.

The two of them practically clawed their way through the dirt, until at last, their efforts were rewarded. They all gazed down at their discovery, which turned out to be a large wooden crate of some sorts, decorated with word, golden swirls across its slowly decaying surface. Raph and Casey carefully grabbed hold of the box and hauled it out of the ground, planting it gently on the grass. As soon as it touched the earth, the scepter suddenly lost its intense glow and fell, bouncing on top of Mikey's head – "OW!" – before landing in his hands. He stared down at in in wonder. "Whoa, dude," he exclaimed, "maybe this is really it! Just like a pirate's chest!"

Leo knelt down in front of the chest. He noticed that on the front, there was a golden key-hole. "Looks like we're gonna need some sort of key, guys," he said with a sigh.

Raph groaned out loud heavily, ignoring the way Mikey was messing around with the scepter, turning it over and over in his hands and waving it around, peeking inside of the glass and grinning. "Seriously?!" Raph barked, "Where are we gonna find the key for this –"

The sound of something smashing silenced them all.

They all snapped their heads towards Mikey, who held the staff with the glass at its top now shattered and scattered on the grass.

Their jaws dropped and their eyes widened to circles. "MICHELANGELO!"

Mikey paid no heed to them as he flipped the scepter upside down and shook it, not even looking up as Raph stomped up to him and glared at him angrily. "DUDE! Why did you do that?!" he bellowed, his anger growing hotter as Mikey continued to ignore them all, "When I get my hands on you I'm gonna –"

Something dropped onto the grass from out of the scepter, silencing Raphael's outburst. They all looked down to find that it was a small, silver key.

Mikey casually picked it up and walked around the dumb-struck faces of Raph and his family as he bent down before the chest and inserted they key into the hole, twisting it left and right until he heard a loud click, nodding in satisfaction and smiling as he looked back up to the wide-eyed gazes of the others stood around him.

No one spoke for several seconds, until Donnie lifted up a finger and asked, "How in the heck did you know?"

Mikey simply shrugged, still grinning. "I heard a lot of shaking around inside it, and then I peeked through the glass thingy and saw a long silver thing, so I cracked it open and shook it. No biggie, really."

Raphael was still speechless as he stared at the orange clad turtle, but Leo spoke up for him. "But…how did you know it was a key and not something else?"

Mikey beamed up at him. "I just got the touch, dude! LTD; Like a Turtle Do!" he laughed, standing up and stepping aside for Leo to finally open the chest. Leo continued to stare at his youngest brother until a grin plastered itself onto his face, and pulled Mikey under his arm and drove his knuckle into his skull in a playful noogie. "Nice going, Mikey!" he praised, releasing him as they both laughed. Behind them, splinter and Robyn shared a knowing smile. No matter what, Michelangelo always managed to surprise them all.

As they sobered up, Leo drew in a deep breath as he knelt down before the chest, carefully opening it wide. They all gathered around and gasped as they marveled at what the scepter had been hiding from them all this time.

Inside this old and worn chest, lay a large, shimmering azure diamond. It lay soundly at the bottom of the chest in a pile of white cloth, and in the sunlight, it sparkled like a star. It was about the size of one of the turtles' hands, and was rounded like a solid rock, but they all knew that it was much, much more than that.

Donnie knelt down beside Leo as he examined the mineral. "Wow…I don't believe it. It's a diamond!" he cried excitedly, "probably the largest diamond ever found! They're extremely rare and hard to find, and we managed to find it! No way!"

"Dude, that thing is huge!" Casey cried, scooting closer as his eyes grew as wide as saucers, "you could buy America with that thing!"

Splinter shook his head and chuckled at the young human boy. "I think that may a bit of an exaggeration, Casey," he said, earning a shrug and a caved mouthed grin from the black haired vigilante, and Splinter rolled his eyes as he ruffled his hair.

Mikey and Raph drew closer as well, gazing down in wonder at the diamond. "Whoa," Raph breathed, "so this is what they were after? This thing could power a machine?"

Next to him, April nodded as she continued to stare down at the gem. "Actually it probably can," she explained, "The diamond is prized for its ability to work with other materials without breaking."

Donnie looked to her and nodded in agreement. "She's right. And its melting point is an incredible 6,420 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it suitable for use in very hot conditions that would destroy other materials. Not many people actually know many other uses for the diamond besides jewelry, but I bet the Kraang could fix that, knowing them –"

Donnie's eyes shot open in realization. "…wait a minute…" he whined, turning back to Leather Head in caution, shrinking backwards as the gator's breathing began to grow harsher. The others tensed as they began to slowly back away.

Not again.

Mikey was on his feet in seconds, rushing over to his gator friend and stroking his snout quickly but reassuring and softly. "Cleansing breaths, dude! Remember what we talked about, cleansing breaths!" he repeated hastily, not stopping until the larger mutant's breathing returned to normal, and he let out a sigh.

Leather Head looked up and smiled bashfully. "…sorry," he said, "I am calm now."

They all let out a sigh of relief. That was too close.

Carefully, Leo closed the box again and locked it with the key, and with Raph's help, they were able to haul it up, though it was still very heavy. "Ugh! Man! This suckers' heavy!" Raph cursed as he and his older brother struggled with the crate.

"C-come on, we need to get this back to Mitsu's village so she can decide what to do with it and the scepter!" Leo grunted as he and Raph tried to walk with it, but nearly dropped it in the process. Eventually, the weight was lifted off of them as Leather Head took the crate from their hands, tucking it carefully underneath his arm as Mikey clambered back onto his back, and he smiled at them. Leo and Raph smiled back gratefully, and with that, the group retraced their steps back to the village, with Robyn muttering to April jokingly on how much that diamond would be worth and how she could by her own mansion.

When they had successfully (and finally) brought the scepter and the hidden mineral back to Mitsu's real village, and presented the crates' contents to Mitsu and Kenshin after the four brothers had been asked to see them both alone, they were of course beyond astonished. This was supposed to be the sacred item that had been hidden away in the earth for centuries, the one object that adventurers and thieves had wanted to take possession of…and what Walker and Lord Norinaga had gone to such drastic and desperate measures to attain for their own selfish gain.

Mitsu stared down at the diamond in the crate, her expression constantly shifting with different emotions, mainly of wonder and slight confusion. "After so long," she whispered, "it has finally been found. But not by the hands of selfish men…"

She looked up and smiled at the mutants stood before her, a smile that was full of gratitude that she could never truly voice.

"…but by the hands of the kappa of the village."

Standing side by side with Kenshin, who held onto her hand tightly, they both bowed. "We cannot thank you enough for everything you have done for me, Mitsu and our village," said Kenshin, "it is because of you, and your friends and family, that we can now live in peace once again."

The four turtles smiled, and they too bowed in return side by side. "You're welcome," Leonardo said warmly, "it was an honor to help you and your people to take back what belongs to you. We would've done it for anyone…" His expression softened in sadness however as he and his brothers straightened up again. "But…we're truly sorry…about Okina-san," he said softly, "…we wish there was some way we could –"

Mitsu stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he looked up into her dark eyes filled with understanding. "…it is alright. None of that was your fault; none of you hold blame for his death. Grandfather had always told me that he had felt that his life was already filled with love and happiness. His last wish has already been fulfilled; to have our homeland saved and our people living in peace once more. And it was because of you and your family, Leonardo. He would be proud of you all."

The four brothers felt tears stinging their eyes. Mikey turned to Donnie as he reached out and took his hand in his own. Donnie held on tight as he smiled down at him, and then reached out and took Raph's hand. Despite himself, Raph held on, and then took Leo's. Leo smiled, and he put his larger free hand over Mitsu's on his shoulder.

"He would be proud of you too, Mitsu."

Meanwhile, deep in the forest during the late hours of the afternoon, Casey Jones sat by himself on the grass, his legs crossed and his elbows resting on his knees as he stared down at the large stone with the engraved name of the friend they had lost written upon its smooth surface.

The others had already decided what to do with the diamond and the scepter after the turtles had brought it in; Mitsu had decided to do what she had planned to do all along, and bury the scepter beside Kenshin's ancestor where it truly belonged, much to Leather Head's joy. Besides, the diamond was enough to show Mitsu's ownership of the land anyhow. Before they all departed back to the village to gather up their things in preparation to head back to New York, Casey had taken Raphael aside and asked if he could stay behind a visit a special friend. Raph's response was an understanding nod and a faint smile, before he patted him on the shoulder and left to join his brothers, leaving Casey to wander the woods alone until he found what he was looking for.

Okina's grave.

The boy drew in a deep breath through his nose, and let it out with a long sigh. He closed his eyes, listening intently to the sounds of the forest around him and nothing else.

He let his mind wander back to that night. The last time they had seen the elderly man alive. He remembered what he had told him…

"You will have, without a doubt, many adventures to come with Raphael and his family…but you must not forget, that you have family too, a family that will surely miss you, and grieve for you, should anything ever happen to you. You chose to face these enemies, but as you face these threats…do not forget them. Keep them safe…right here."

Casey slowly opened his eyes again, putting a hand over his heart.

Okina then turned to Casey, putting his finger to his chest and pressing it as firmly as he could. "…remember…they need you…"

"…I will…" Casey whispered, hoping that somehow he could hear him as he stared down at the grave. He would never forget it. For as long as he lived, he would keep the memory of his old friend alive in his heart, just as he held the love and happiness of his friends' and family's.

He would fulfil Okina's final wish to him.

"I see you had the same idea, Casey."

Casey's eyes widened as he spun around, letting out a startled yelp as he caught sight of the giant rat standing coolly behind him with hands folded behind his back. The boy let out a breath of relief, putting a hand over his rapidly beating heart. "I hate it when you guys do that!" he cried.

Splinter let out a chuckle. "It is a habit. You will get used to it in due time; April has."

"Yeah, but I'm not a ninja in training!"

Splinter thought about that. "Hm. Good point." He then came forward until he was standing beside the seated human, looking down at the gravestone, his ears drooping ever so slightly as he frowned. Casey looked from the old ninja master, then back to the grave, his own expression solemn.

"…he didn't deserve this," he whispered.

Splinter nodded. "No. He did not," he said, "however, his death was not in vain; he had lived a long life full of love and happiness, and he had watched his children and grandchildren nurture into something that would give him more joy than he ever thought would be possible in times such as these. Also, his spirit was watching over us all on the night we had rescued his grandson, Yoshi, and he will continue to watch over his family as they continue to flourish and grow, until it is their own time."

Casey nodded in understanding, his eyes brimming with tears again as he bit his bottom lip. "…I dunno why, but when I was talking to him…I felt like I'd known him all my life…and that he knew me better than I knew myself…so when we lost him…I felt like I was losing a part of my family…" he trailed off as he felt that lump in his throat again.

Splinter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, patting it once. "…I understand, Casey. I had felt the same. But we cannot forget; we also have a promise to keep…"

He closed his eyes as the memory of that day returned to him.

"You have lived with them, raised them, trained them to the best of your abilities to keep them alive, stop that from ever happening again…and they are all happy. And so you must be too, Yoshi-san, for they have changed you as well. And in order to finally find peace with yourself, even for a short time, you must lean on them, more than they now lean on you…"

He opened his eyes again, regarding the young human boy next to him. "…we must hold onto those promises…especially for myself. I trust that you too will fulfil his wishes to you as well?"

Casey snapped his head up at the old ninja master and nodded instantly. "Of course!" he exclaimed firmly.

Splinter nodded proudly in response. "Tell me…what did you promise him?"

Casey's expression softened as he looked back at the stone. "…I promised him that I'd never forget my family…and not just you guys, but my blood family; my dad and my little sister. I need to hang onto them, even whilst I'm out there fighting the bad guys; I can't forget that they'll suffer too if anything happened to me…" Sniffing slightly, Casey finally stood up and turned to face Master Splinter. "Um, I know this is kinda sudden, and pretty weird," he said, awkwardly scuffling his foot on the grass and lacing his fingers together as he looked at the ground, "and I know that this ain't something you'd usually do…but…is it okay if I hug you?"

Splinter's brows rose as he looked down at the boy. That was quite sudden. But then his features turned into a warm smile as he realized; Casey missed his real father, and was in need of that fatherly reassurance after the tiring as well as emotionally draining couple of days. It was in knowing that, and the fact that the look on the young boy's face resembled that of his youngest son, that allowed him to open his arm to the boy, smiling warmly. "Yes, I think that will be acceptable."

Casey smiled back, and within a heartbeat, he rushed forwards and wrapped his arms around the giant rat in a strong hug as Splinter enclosed his arms around his slimmer frame. Casey's face was buried into his chest, and Splinter's chin was resting on the top of his head. Casey let out a breath through his nose. This was exactly what he needed. Even though Splinter wasn't his father, the strength that he gave him in that single embrace was enough to halt the tears and give him the will to stay strong.

He felt that now, after all of this, he could definitely fulfil Okina's wish now.

After he felt that enough time had passed, Splinter released Casey, and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Does this mean that you are no longer afraid of rats?" he asked.

That startled a laugh out of Casey. "Uh…maybe?"

The giant rat quirked a brow with a knowing smile.

Casey grinned sheepishly. "…not really."

Splinter only chuckled.