The beginning is from the ending of "The Big Brawl" episode 4 from the TMNT 2003 series, Usagi's homecoming is from what I've read and watched online of the comics, and the ending with the turtle bros is drawn from the first four seasons of the 2003 series in general. :) I own nothing, and make no money from this, please enjoy anyway.
Even Mikey, who'd been yammering almost non-stop for over half a day, seemed shocked into awe as he was crowned. The large, blue trophy, like a pyramid with a coin floating over its top, was placed into his hands to the sound of thundering applause and shouts. Leo felt his face grinning until it hurt. He reached out and patted his youngest brother on the shoulder. Their father walked away from his place flanking them to stand beside the Daimyo instead.
Mikey held his trophy over his head and laughed. Donnie stepped up to his side and rubbed him on the head. Meanwhile, Mikey looked down at his trophy and said perhaps the most humble thing he had since his "oops" over his knocked-out opponent. "I can't believe I actually won!"
Raph crossed his arms and said with his usual angry guttural "That makes two of us." Leo grinned a little wider. Later, he'd have to ask Raph if he'd "really" have behaved any better if "he'd" been crowned Battle Nexus Champion instead.
Then the Daimyo's voice and actions caught Leo's attention. Their host bowed his head and said "I know my son was rash and foolish, but I mourn his passing." Leo's smile fell away. His gaze went to his father as the rat replied to his friend.
"Perhaps he is not completely lost. The multi-verse holds many mysteries. There is always hope."
A wave of many feelings washed through Leo's heart at the thought of the Daimyo's son returning: rage, guilt, relief, hope for the Daimyo like his father said, and worry for them all. Leo felt his form tighten, but he tried not to let it show too much.
The Daimyo lifted his head. A soft look, neither frown nor smile, shone from his face. He allowed only one word to escape him with a like tone. "Perhaps …"
Then a brighter voice and look poured out from their host as he stooped to look Splinter in the face a thing not even April and Casey always did for Splinter. "But come, gather your sons. I must let you go home."
Leonardo then turned to bow at the waist to his own shorter, but no less impressive friend in his mind. Said friend spoke first bowing to him and then straightening again at the same time as he. "It was an honor battling beside you and your brothers Leonardo. I hope that someday our paths will cross again."
Leonardo grinned at him as he replied. "It is I who am honored, Usagi. You saved my life."
Splinter walked over to his son's sides. Usagi now stood back and a little apart from them nearer the gong that hung behind him. The Daimyo approached with Splinter. Once the rat stood with them again, their host's staff glowed and then lowered to touch the trophy, which then glowed as well. The Daimyo's deep, happy, and somehow also solemn voice spoke to them again. "Farewell, and good battle to you all."
The brothers all replied in their own way.
He said, "See ya."
Raph said, "Later."
Mikey popped off with a cheery "Ta-ta for now!"
Then they all glowed like the staff and the trophy. A bubble formed around them. Soon, nothing, but blue light, could be seen beyond the bubble. Then it broke apart and fell away and something could be seen beyond: their home. It looked so … normal …
He leaned a little into it and was surprised by the relief in his own voice. "We're home …" Yes, the lair was home. Sensei's sliding screen room with his tea-set and other things from Japan was over there. Stacks of Mikey's comic-books stood by the couch. Raph's weight-bag hung from the ceiling. Donnie beakers and microscope were in his lab just there. The walls and vaulted ceiling spoke of strange origins connected to the underground city beneath them. Their home was all of them and none of them, part New York, part Japan, and part their crazy out-of-the-box adventures no one saw coming. It was theirs and so obviously theirs, it was … home.
Donnie spoke from behind him. "Wow, it's almost like it never happened."
Then Mikey, still wearing his wreath and goofy grin, looked down at what he held in his hands. "Oh, it happened. And I have the trophy to prove it."
Even as he smiled at Mickey, Leo saw Raph from the corner of his eye turning his head away and gritting his teeth. Then his own grin fell away as Mikey turned to him and Donnie pushing his trophy toward them. "Check it out! See what it says?" Leo felt his hands rest on the lower part of his shell as his little brother answered his own question. "'Battle Nexus Champion' which is me, as in the greatest warrior in the trans-dimensional multiverse, which is me." He pointed to his own wreathed head with that same, smug grin.
Leo heard Raph speak, but not from behind him and Donnie. His red-banded brother walked around them to come up behind Mikey while growling. "You only won on a technicality!"
Raph turned away from Mikey, but their little brother turned toward him before pointing at him as well. "Um, technically, I kicked your sorry butt in one of the bouts, remember?"
Raph's arms and fists started shaking. He turned, growling. Mikey stood there smugly smiling at him. Raph tackled Mikey sending them both into him and Donnie. All of them fell in a heap onto the floor.
Raph raised both fists. One punch down landed on Mikey's face before he and Donnie grabbed Raph's wrists and called for him to lay off. And father? Leo looked to their father for help.
Splinter stood off to the side leaning on his cane. His furry mouth move even as it grinned. The old rat spoke slowly and with much warmth, "Yes, it is good to be home."
Leo looked back to his responsibilities, sighed, and wondered what Usagi was doing right about now.
. . .
Usagi had stood grinning at where the family he might have joined and still respected greatly had disappeared. The Daimyo's voice made him looking back to him. "Farewell, my friend. Live with honor."
Usagi didn't think the Daimyo had to worry about in regards to Splinter doing so. The Yojimbo "did" fear his host might have to worry about living at all. This was why he took his host's concern for his health and even entertainment, when his other guests began trickling back to their own worlds, as an opportunity to spend much time in the Daimyo's presence while watching the shadows for ninja and the skies for dragons. Neither appeared. When he heard some servants questioning whether or not their ruler had a new, permanent guard, he dragged Gennesuke from a table of food and politely asked the Daimyo to send them home.
He tried to politely refuse any reward, but Gen took the opportunity to recoup some of his gambling losses. The rhino returned to their "second-earth" with some gold in his pockets. Naturally, once back on the road between green fields and darker green garbed trees, he searched for signs to the nearest town where there might be an inn, and a gambling house or two. Thus, Usagi now found himself watching his friend from a distance. Usagi himself was eating rice with vegetables, nursing a glass of sake, and waiting for his friend to either to loose enough money to quit or win big enough he'd come and brag about it before buying something.
"Greetings, Usagi!"
He turned in surprise. Not many could sneak up on him, but this lady could. He gave her a gentle, but wary smile. "Kitsune …"
She batted her eyelashes at him over a fan. "Word is you've recently returned from a tournament held by a rich and powerful ruler whose life you saved."
He grinned wider at her while leaning back against the table. "You are right. But I did not compete all the way through the tournament nor win anything, but a bout of it, and all the money I got as reward for my actions for our host and others' is with Gen now."
A high voice came from beneath his table and nearly at his knees. "He's right."
Usagi looked under the table to see a small, pouting face looking morosely back at him. The voice continued from it. "His purse is empty, just a few coins at the bottom."
Usagi grinned and opened his mouth to greet the girl, but her big sister's voice came from above his head first. "Alright, come then little sister. Obviously we can conduct better business elsewhere." She turned herself to face the rest of the room and walked off. The other, smaller thief stepped out from under his table and followed her. Usagi shook his head and grinned after them.
They avoided Gen. Maybe Kitsune still had soft feelings for his friend. The Ronin shook his head and sipped his sake wondering what Leonardo san was doing at this moment Surely not this.
. . .
A sing-song voice echoed throughout the lair. "Oh my beloved, big brother, Leonardo …"
Leo glanced away from his book, "The Art of War," and then down at the floor. His brother, Mikey, walked beneath his gaze searching for him. The chamber below a New York City garage had come to feel a whole lot emptier lately, mostly because "everyone" was hiding from the "Battle Nexus Champion."
Suddenly, a swish alerted him at least one new victim for his littlest brother's boasting had arrived. April stepped out of the elevator with grocery bags in her arms. Mikey rushed her arms wide. "April! Did I tell you how ..?"
"You have, Mikey," April replied in a hasty voice before letting it slow and lower in annoyance, "Several times."
Leo chuckled over his book and then heard an "Ah-hah!" He glanced down to see Mikey's green finger pointed at him. "I knew you were up there, Leo!"
He dropped down and laid his book on a step before approaching the human with "Help me" written on her face and his brother holding grocery bags. "Things are dark up there now, right April?"
"Why yes," her face brightened up with a grin. She looked to Mikey who now wore a worried frown. Her gaze was as hungry as the orange-wearing turtle's. "It is dark up there."
"Which means," Leo slow voice sped and brightened up. "We can head out on patrol now!"
Mikey's form deflated a bit. "Ah, Leo … I wanted to help April put the groceries away."
Leo grinned at the bottomless pit in their family. More like search the bags for chips and more you can start on immediately. Out loud, he only said, "Then you should have thought about that before beginning to give April your victory speech." He turned and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Donnie! Raph! Patrol!"
"Finally!" Raph strode around a corner. Donnie peaked out of his own hiding place.
Mikey crossed his arms and frowned. "Hey, where have you two been all day?"
Raph reached out and rubbed their little brother's head while he passed by. "Avoiding you!"
Donnie grinned as he also walked past, and remained silent except for a "Thank you, April."
She smiled with a lot of gratitude shining through her own expression as Mikey followed the other two younger brothers past her. Leo clapped April gently on the shoulder and brought up the rear. He shot her his own grin over his shoulder before following his brothers out.
Mikey remained silent and pouting for about five seconds in the elevator. Then he turned to Leo and said, "Hey it's not like I didn't …"
Raph interrupted. "Blah, blah, blah … Ah look, we're here."
He stepped out of the opening elevator doors and jumped up onto the top of the shell-raiser. Donnie followed and waited while Raph went through a hole in the roof Donnie himself had made along with the flap covering it. They slipped out into the night in silence, blessed silence. Well, there were the usual traffic noises. You know, New York City at night, but still, it was relaxing.
He sighed as he paused to look down on all the lights, all the action. It was beautiful. And it was home. He kept going when he turned his head to realize his brother were getting too far ahead of him. It took a bit before they saw a group of Purple Dragons breaking into a car, a nice one.
Raph would love to drive that thing, Mikey and Donnie too. Raph seemed particularly mad the human teens had broken the windows though. He growled, his face crinkled up, and gripped his sai tighter.
Leo glanced at him, knew he wouldn't be able to hold back long, and looked back at the crime scene while whispering, "On my mark. One, two, three!"
"Cowabunga!"
"Mikey! No cowabunga!"
What do you think? :)
God Bless
ScribeofHeroes
