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Even Mikey, who'd been yammering almost non-stop for over half a day, seemed shocked into awe as he was crowned and the large, blue trophy was placed into his hands. Thundering applause and shouts sounded behind their shells. 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 flank the Daimyo for a moment.

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 the 'oops" over his knocked-out opponent. "I can't believe I actually won!"

Raph crossed his arms and said in his 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 humbler if "he'd" been crowned Battle Nexus Champion.

Then the Daimyo's voice and actions caught his attention. The ruler of the Battle Nexus bowed his head and said "I know my son was rash and foolish, but I mourn his passing."

Leo's smile fell away. His heart rose a bit at his sensei's reply. "Perhaps, he is not completely lost. The multi-verse holds many mysteries. There is always hope."

A wave of various 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 all of them. His smile was washed away. He became pensive for a moment, but he tried not to let it show too much.

He watched the Daimyo of the Battle Nexus lift his head. A soft look, neither a frown nor smile was on his face now. He allowed only one word to escape him with a tone like his expression. "Perhaps …" Then a brighter voice and looked poured out from him as he stooped to look Splinter in the face, a thing not even April and Casey always did for the old rat. "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 Leonardo. "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 sons' sides. Usagi stood back and a little apart from them nearer the gong that hung behind him on the platform. The Daimyo approached with Splinter. Once the rat stood with his family and students again, their host's staff glowed. It lowered to touch the trophy, which then glowed as well. The Daimyo's deep, happy, and somehow also solemn voice spoke over them. "Farewell and good battle to you all."

The brothers all replied in their own way.

Leo replied with, "See ya."

Raph said, "Later."

Mikey popped off with a cheery "Ta-ta for now!"

Then they all glowed like the staff and trophy.

A bubble formed around them. Then nothing could be seen beyond it. Then it broke apart and fell away. And around them was ... their lair. It looked so … normal … and homey. He leaned a little into it and was surprised by the relief in his own voice. "We're home …"

Yes, the lair was home even if they'd only been living in it for about a year. Sensei's sliding screen quarters with his tea-set and other things showed his origins. Stacks of Mikey's comic-books, Raph's weight-bag, and Donnie's beakers and microscope were the imprints of all his brothers in this place. Even the carved walls and vaulted ceiling of Ylintian architecture felt familiar now.

Their home was all of them, and none of them, part New York, part Japan, and part their crazy out-of-the-box adventures none of them ever saw coming. It was theirs and so obviously theirs, it was … home. Their latest adventure, however, had made no mark on it that could be seen, yet.

Donnie spoke from behind him about that. "Wow, it's almost like it never happened."

Then Mikey, still wearing his wreath and goofy grin, looked down at the trophy in his hands. "Oh, it happened. And I have the trophy to prove it."

Even as he smiled at Mikey, Leo saw Raph from the corner of his eye behind their triumphant brother turning his own head away and gritting his teeth. Then Leo's grin fell away as Mikey turned to him and Donnie holding his trophy out to 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." Mikey pointed to his own wreathed head with the same, smug grin he'd been wearing throughout his speech.

Leo heard Raph speak, but not from behind him and Donnie, where he had been. His red-banded brother had walked around them to come up behind Mikey while growling. "You only won on a technicality!"

Raph turned away from Mikey, as Mikey turned toward him and away from Leo and Donnie, before pointing at their hot-tempered brother's shell. "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, which led to Raph tackling him sending him colliding with Leo and Donnie. All of them landed on the floor. Raph raised both fists and got one punch down on Mikey's face before he and Donnie grabbed his wrists and called for him to lay off. And Sensei?

Splinter stood off to the side leaning on his cane. When Leo looked to him for help, he saw his father's mouth move to form words even as it grinned. The old rat only said to himself, "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. He'd looked back to the Daimyo, who'd said, "Farewell, my friend, live with honor." Usagi didn't think the Daimyo had to worry about that, but the ruler of the Battle Nexus might have to worry about living at all. This was why he used his host's ongoing concern for his health, even if it amused him, as an excuse to stay and look out for trouble after his other guests had left for their own worlds.

Like a ninja himself, he watched from the shadows for shadowy assassins, and stared up at the skies for Draco and the Ultimate Ninja. Neither appeared. When he heard some servants questioning whether or not their ruler had a new, permanent guard he dragged Gennosuke from the table and politely asked the Daimyo to send them home.

Usagi tried to also politely refuse any reward, but Gen took the opportunity to recoup some of his gambling losses. When he and the rhino returned to their "second-earth," the bounty hunter did so with gold in his pockets. Naturally, once back on the road between green fields and darker-green garbed trees, Gennosuke looked for signs pointing to the nearest town where there might be an inn, and a gambling house or two.

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes