Ch 1: A Secret Partially Revealed

Episode: Evil League of Mutants

"How could you morons possibly know Lou Jitsu?" Draxum inquired, his gaze riveted to the turtle teenagers standing before him. Could Lou Jitsu be ali..?

"His movies," the adorable orange-masked turtle said, crushing the youkai's hopes. "Are you a fan, too?"

A fan? He was more than just some flighty, idol-crazed fan. "NO! I knew Lou Jitsu! He was the greatest warrior in the Battle Nexus. His human DNA, combined with my ooze, gave you life!"

"We have Lou Jitsu's DNA?" the largest turtle whispered. His brothers echoed his amazement aloud.

"Yes. This is what I've been trying to tell you. You're destined for so much more. You are Lou Jitsu's progeny!" Draxum exclaimed. "Although, in hindsight, I hadn't considered creating you to be his sons – our sons. Considering that we were married, I should have included my own DNA, as well, to ensure…"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! What do you mean MARRIED?" red mask yelled.

"You and Lou Jitsu were…" The youngest turtle made annoying smoochy sounds, and hugged himself dramatically.

"That's ridiculous," blue mask said. "He was a human, and you're some kind of sheep-goat thing."

"I am a youkai! A warrior and an alchemist of the highest regard! Lou Jitsu was nothing more than a human, even if he was an incredibly fierce fighter," Draxum stated firmly. If anything, the mere fact that Lou was human should have meant that he was beneath him in every way.

You didn't think that way when you were together. You loved his handsome face, and his rock hard abs, and his charming smile. Draxum shook his head to clear his thoughts. NO! Lou betrayed him! He sided with the humans over Draxum, his own husband.

"Oh man, you should have seen them on a date. It was sooo cute!" Huginn sighed, pretending to swoon.

"Do you remember when boss Lou proposed?" Muninn said, bouncing on Draxum's other shoulder.

"Do I ever!"

"He even wore a suit without his abs showing. He got down on one knee, like humans do, and pulled out a fancy box with a ring inside."

"OOOOOH! I remember. And boss said…" Huginn cleared his throat, and spoke in a false Baron Draxum voice, "Youkai do not exchange rings. Our bonds of matrimony are far stronger than any human ceremony. But I do accept your proposal. Together, we shall stand united against our enemies!"

"Awww," orange-mask squealed.

"Oh, please. This story is so made up," purple-mask said, rolling his eyes.

The two gargoyle youkai sat up straighter, frowning at the turtles. "Boss Draxum and Boss Lou were married for nearly 3 years. And then there was the whole experiment, and you were created, and Boss Lou died…"

"Shut your mouths!" Draxum snarled, glaring straight ahead. He needed to focus on the task at hand – recruiting the turtles to his side. Thoughts of his beautiful human husband would only be a distraction. "It matters not that Lou Jitsu and I were once wed. He is gone now, but you still have a chance to join the youkai… to join me. You belong with us. So I will ask you one FINAL time. Will you join me?"

Red mask pushed himself to his feet, his eyes narrowing up at Draxum. The other three turtles seemed uncertain, but they would surely follow the red one's lead. The warrior alchemist grinned, assured that victory was at hand.

"Oh… me… GOSH! Lou Jitsu's our DAD!" The red one suddenly shouted, spinning around.

"Wait… what?" Draxum watched in amazement as the mutant teenagers began to celebrate the biological connection they had with his deceased husband. This is exactly why he should have added his own DNA – to ensure that their sons wouldn't have been imbeciles. No matter, he could always experiment with his own DNA, even if he did long to use Lou Jitsu's. Their combined DNA would be far superior. He'd be able to create the perfect children – the perfect heirs.

"ENOUGH!" Draxum released his mutated vines, forcing them to sweep him into the air. "If you four cannot see the true merit of your potential, then I have no further use for you." Raising his hand, he prepared to attack, only to feel a strange tingle of magic coming into existence behind him. Spinning around, he felt the tug of the magic encircling him. With a shout, he was yanked into the portal, leaving his prey behind. His last thought was of the horrors he was going to inflict on the creator of the portal.

Splinter glared at his sons, taking in their guilt-ridden expressions. They had directly disobeyed his orders, and as such, he was going to triple-ground them — FOR LIFE! But punishment without the knowledge of WHY they were being punished would not create an experience they could learn from.

"Being a single parent is," Splinter began. Perhaps that wasn't the best way to begin his talk. "What I wanted to… I did not mean to lose my temper earlier. It is just that sometimes… as a father…" A green finger suddenly pressed against his lips.

"I can't let you finish that awkward parenting speech," Leonardo stated, pulling his finger away. "Lou Jitsu is OUR FATHER!"

Splinter nearly shot out of his seat. His biggest secret! The reason he was trapped in the body of a rat-man with no abs to speak of. How did his sons find out?

"Who told you..?" Could it have been HIM? No, his sons had never met Draxum. They couldn't have.

"What Leo means is Lou Jitsu is our human DNA," Donatello interrupted.

"Well then, I guess you know," Splinter sighed. The cat, or rat in this case, was out of the bag. "that I am, in fact…" A hand on his shoulder caused him to pause.

"I know this is a lot to take in."

"That regardless of where our DNA is from, you're still our dad."

"And we're sorry we didn't listen to you, dad."

"Yeah, what they said."

Splinter felt his heart begin to swell with pride. "My sons…"

"Group hug!"

Even as his turtle children pulled him close, Splinter felt his body sag with relief. However they found out, it clearly wasn't because of HIM. He'd have to keep a closer eye on them in the future. If Draxum discovered that he and the boys were still alive… No, Splinter didn't even want to entertain the thought. He still had nightmares of the experiment that robbed him of his human form. Nightmares of his beautiful husband betraying him. He would do anything to make sure his boys were safe, even if it meant fighting his once-beloved warrior scientist.

Note about the title: Kintsugi is the Japanese practice of repairing something in a way that celebrates and remembers the damages that were done. The article below is titled: Kintsugi: the Art of Precious Scars. In terms of relationships, this can mean resilience, overcoming trauma of the past, and becoming stronger despite the hardships in our lives.

Spoilers if you haven't see up to the current episode: Draxum's ultimate goal to protect his species (youkai) and improve their lives is admirable. Sadly, he took it too far with the plan to eliminate what he saw as their greatest threat: Humankind. If he and Lou Jitsu had worked together, perhaps they could have encouraged a future where their species co-existed above and below the ground.

people/lifestyle/marcel-wanders-ross-lovegrove-design-plastic (website links never work well on this site. Sorry)