I do not own the TMNT.
You are just going to love this one! One more chapter to go. I have really enjoyed this journey. Let me know what you think.
Love,
Me
Decisions
Chapter 15Donnie and I shuddered and then had to smile when we heard Raph's and Mikey's shrieks as they splashed one another in the bath.
"Let's go clean up before Raph and Mikey drown one another," I said chuckling, "We also need to see if anyone has wounds that need tending."
Nobody had any injuries that would cause any major problems. Mikey fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Except for a nightmare from Mikey, we all slept well that night. Now we had to get back to the Jinchuu. Mikey had a few decisions to make.
Rinji's village saw us off with great fanfare. All the villagers expressed gratitude for helping rid them of Katsuro's oppression. The whole village was eager to get back to the lives they had led prior to Katsuro's return. To our delight, Rinji had been elected as the new head of the village. We were all greatly pleased for him. The village loaded us down with supplies and off we went again. I was going to be mighty happy to get to a period when I wouldn't have to travel so much.
Our trip through the woods was much easier traveling now that it was downhill and the woods were much more pleasant. The once silent forest now teamed with life. The birds chirped, the squirrels scurried about, and the Raph cursed at getting hit with bird droppings. I enjoyed listening to Mikey's laughter. It was a sound that I wasn't sure we would ever hear again. It suddenly dawned on me that we hadn't shared some good news with Mikey.
"Hey Mike-Mike," I said as we hiked.
"What?" he said turning to me curiously.
"Did we tell you what Master Makota said?" I asked grinning from ear to ear.
"That's right! We forgot to tell him," Donnie said excitedly.
"What?" Mikey said grinning back at me, "What did Master Makota say? Did I win like a million bucks or something?"
"No wise-butt! Even bettah," Raph laughed, "Master Makota's goin' ta make ya a turtle again."
"Huh?" Mikey said confused.
"Now that we have defeated Katsuro, his spell is no longer permanent. Master Makota will be able to turn you back into a turtle. Isn't that great?" I said happily.
"Um…yeah. That's great," Mikey said softly.
"Wait," I said as I stopped hiking, "Don't you want to be a turtle again?"
"Yeah. I mean…I guess so," Mikey said softly not looking up.
"What the hell do ya mean 'ya guess so'?" Raph snapped, "You can be one of us again!"
"He already is!" Donnie snapped angrily, "This is Mikey's choice remember? If he chooses to live as a human we will support him. Right?"
"Absolutely," I said earnestly.
All eyes turned towards Raphael. I would kill him if he said anything to hurt Mikey. He had been through enough already.
"Yeah," Raph said finally, "We're brothers no matter what."
"Thank you," Mikey said relieved, "I honestly never thought I had a chance to return to normal again. I kind of resigned myself to being a human permanently and have kind of enjoyed it, barring the whole Kitty Kat fiasco. I don't know what to do now."
"Don't decide then," I said, "You think about what you want and then let us know when your ready. We'll be there for you no matter what."
"Thank you," Mikey said.
We didn't discuss it again on the rest of the hike out of the forest. We didn't discuss it again on the bus trip back towards the Jinchuu's valley. We didn't discuss it on the hike into the valley. We didn't discuss it when the Jinchuu greeted us back from our journey. However, we did have to laugh when Klunk pounced on Mikey and let his displeasure of being left behind be heard through very loud meows.
That evening, all the Jinchuu gathered for a celebration of our return and triumph over Katsuro. We all told our stories of what happened. Mikey left out a lot, but Raph, Donnie, and I agreed that certain information was only meant for family ears and was no one else's business. Donnie gave Master Makota Katsuro's ring.
"This ring will be guarded very carefully by the Jinchuu. We will make sure no one else uses this ring for evil again. You have all done well," Master Makota said proudly, "Your Sensei would be very proud of you."
"Thank you Master," I said speaking on behalf of my brother's and bowing low in respect.
We all "partied" until late in the night until we retired in the early morning hours. Donnie and Raph slept in our guest quarters while I bunked down with Mikey. As long as one of us was close to him at night, Mikey wouldn't have as many nightmares. I slept, but found myself up very early the next morning.
"What is Mikey going to decide?" I thought to myself as I sat in Master Makota's garden, "Will he stay here? Will he go home? Will he want to remain a human?"
"He will decide what is best for him," Master Makota said from behind me startling me at his presence and that he had read my thoughts, "Mikey has already discussed his worries with me. I sense that you and yours will support him in his decisions. No?"
"Yes we will," I said honestly, "This is about Mikey and what he wants. We will allow him to choose his own path in life.
"Absolutely," Donnie said startling me once again.
"Ya got that right," Raph said smirking from beside Donnie.
"Good," Mikey said causing everybody, including Master Makota to start in surprise, "Because I think I know what I need to do now."
"You have given your decision great thought?" Master Makota asked our little brother calmly.
"Yes I have," Mikey said softly, "I have decided to…"
To be continued.
Evil ain't I? You'd better review and let me know what you think Mikey's decision will be.