Disclaimer: If only wishing counted, then I would own the TMNT.
A/N: Sorry it's taken awhile to get the last chapter of 'Revenge' up but, I tried working on my other stories and I had so many different endings going in my head, that it was hard to choose one. Also, I've been writing in a present tense of what Leo was doing first person, but now I'm writing in a past tense for the ending, you'll see at the end of the story. So, to make it work, you might want to just pretend that this whole story was in past tense. And I'm also writing part of it in italics for the ending.So finally I did choose this, and to be honest, I almost cried when I wrote this. So, the final chapter of 'Revenge', enjoy.
Revenge
By: TMNTlover4ever
Part 6: The End
Leonardo:
As we flew above New York City, the smell of blood and death lingered in the Foot-copter. I, every few minutes, would lean my head out of the helicopter and throw up, hoping that no unlucky civilians would get covered in what was once my lunch. (April, if anyone you meet or know someone who got hit by my ex-lunch, please ask them to accept my deepest apologies.)
We landed in Central Park, and I shakily got out. My fear of heights probably had something to do with my nausea, but I am mostly certain it was...them...
Luke got their bodies to the secluded area, without my help, and laid their bodies next to one another along the sand, that made a little beach around the lake. The sand actually was more rock, than sand, which meant I could cremate them here safely.
Nobody would come to Central Park at this early hour, the park actually didn't let people in for another few hours, thanks to the recent number of muggings in Central Park.
"Leonardo-san, I think it is only right, if you do it." Luke said, handing me a lighted match. No, this wasn't what they deserved. They deserved so much better, but I didn't have the time or the money to do that. I'm sure they would understand.
For the first time since I witnessed their deaths, I look at their bodies, all aligned, shoulder to shoulder. Angel on the left, then Don, Mikey, Raph, and Sheri at the other end.
I inhaled, but the air didn't satisfy my lungs. There was too much death and sadness for the air to be fulfilling.
I kneeled down, Sheri's body in front of me. I closed my eyes, feeling hot tears wanting to escape, and I put the match up to her green skin and let the flame devour her body. I stepped back, watching as my family/friends burned silently and quickly.
I fell to my knees with my chin touching my plastron, tears were pouring from my eyes. I couldn't hide my feelings anymore.
With my head still hung, I turned my shell to their burning bodies, hugging my knees to my plastron and rocking back and forth. I rested my forehead on my knees.
After five minutes, or maybe even an hour, I lost track of time, Luke put his hand on my shoulder and said, "It's done. You can look now."
I stood up and turned, wiping my tears as I did. I saw a bunch of ashes on the rocky sand and the burnt out match only a few inches from where Sheri's body had been.
Luke walked over, scooping up the ashes in a little white box. I watched, but after a minute, I looked at the sand at my feet, wishing that I didn't have to be here at all.
Luke came up to me, his outstretched arm held the white box containing my bros, Angel, and Sheri.
"Here. Just what you wanted." He said.
No, that isn't just what I wanted. I wanted them to be cremated in great coffins, worthy of heroes. I wanted people here mourning for all the work they had done for them. I wanted statues built to honor what they have done. This was the last thing I wanted, but I guess it could've be worse...
I took the box, my body was shaking like crazy. They were in here. What was once my family was in here. These thoughts made me shake even worse. I barely hung onto the box in my hand.
I nodded to him. Kind of telling him 'thanks' only in a silent matter. I couldn't talk. I didn't want to anyway. My throat was killing me from all the sobbing, whimpering, and regurgitating I did. Shit, I thought of the word, killing.
Tears were coming back to my eyes.
"Leo, dude, you want me to take ya home?" Luke asked.
"No. I can't go home. It'll bring too many painful memories," I whispered.
"Is there any place I can take you?" He asked.
"Just get me out of the park. I have a friend who will shelter me. She'll understand when I tell her...," I whispered again.
"Okay," he said.
With Luke's help, I got to the helicopter, and we flew out of the park and landed just a block away from April's.
I climbed out of the helicopter.
"Leo, remember, you always have friends in the weirdest of places," Luke said, then piloted the helicopter away. It's hard to imagine that we were enemies at one time.
I sighed, as I started walking down the street toward April's. Everything I thought kept bringing memories of my family and I hated it.
As I walked further down the street, a woman with blonde curly hair was hugging what looked to be her little daughter that looked stunningly like Angel did...
I growled under my breath, furious with myself. I had to get these thoughts out of my head. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to forget my family, but I just wasn't ready yet. The pain hadn't eased that much.
Three mutants were walking down the street. One was an orange fox looking thing, the other was a red bird dude, and the last was a green female lizard with a black bandana around the top of her head.
The red bird had the orange fox in a headlock and they were all laughing. They were playing around just like Raph and Mike...The female lizard giggled like someone I used to know...
Dammit!
As I limped down the street even further, I tripped over something and fell to the sidewalk. I didn't want to get up. I just wanted someone to come and shoot me. I didn't care who, just anyone...I wanted someone to put me out of my misery...now.
The last thing I heard made me cry. And not just silently cry, I mean, I dragged myself into an alley and began crying like...well...I can't explain it...I just felt horrible. No, worse than horrible, I felt like I was in Hell. Not even Hell can describe it. What I was feeling made Hell look like a free vacation with no worries or troubles.
A window was open above me and I heard someone typing like Donnie. When Don typed, he had a certain 'rhythm' when his fingers hit the keyboard. This person did too...it was the same rhythm. I swear it.
I couldn't take it anymore. I just couldn't. I crawled into the alley, keeping the white box in the crook of my arm. I began crying. Not even crying is a good word, more like bawling, and that is still putting it lightly.
I put my shell up against the wall of the alley, and used my left hand to reach behind me to grab a katana...
I point the pointed part of the blade at my chest. Anything was better than being left behind without my family...Anything...even Hell.
I took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. This was it...
I plunged the katana at my chest, but someone or something stopped me...
"What the hell are you doin'?" asked a familiar voice.
I looked up to see the bonehead, Casey Jones, who had two years ago, married Ms. April O'Neil.
I don't know why, I can't explain it, but I lost consciousness...
April Jones:
I put the papers down on the coffee table, remembering what had happened next:
Casey had carried an unconscious Leo to our home and laid him in the spare bedroom. I was so shocked to Leo like this. He was apparently hurt, but his wounds had been healed because they were wrapped. When Casey appeared from the spare bedroom, he had a grave look on his face.
"What happened?" I had asked from the couch.
"I found Leo in an alley. He looked like he was gonna kill himself. I took all his weapons and locked them in the closet," He tossed me the keys. I caught them.
"Look, hon, I gotta get back to 'work.' I think I saw some drug dealers and I don't want them to get away. Later," he said, kissing my cheek. Then he walked out of the apartment.
I sighed. What trouble had Leo got in now?
I walked into the spare bedroom and saw that he was twisting and turning in his bed. On the bedside table was a little white box that I could only guess what it was for.
"No...please...spare them...they don't deserve to die..." Leo muttered.
I squinted in confusion, not exactly knowing how to respond.
I slowly approached the side of his bed and laid a hand on his scaly forehead.
"Leo? It's me, April. Wake up, please. Wake up from your nightmare." I coaxed with a calm voice.
The next thing that he said made me even worry more about him.
"I wish I could, April. I only wish I could," he said as he turned his head and looked at me with sad eyes.
"Leo, what happened?" I asked.
That was my first mistake, making him relive that horrible time...
He told me the basics.
Shredder killed the others, he left, then went back, fought the Foot, fought Shredder, gained his revenge, cremated the others, and Casey finding him. And that's exactly what he told me.
After that, I left the room, letting him rest, but keeping the keys to the closet with me.
Leo tried to kill himself once, I didn't want him to try again. Casey, Leatherhead, and I were the only family he had left. And we needed to be there for him.
But, as the week went on, I could tell Leo didn't have the will to live. Actually, I didn't see him very often. Just when he grabbed a snack, a can of pop, he needed to shower, he needed a new pen or more paper. I didn't know what he was doing at the time. I knew he was writing something, but I didn't know that I would soon find out.
Anyway, when he did come out to get something, he always kept his head down, and when he walked he...well, he didn't walk, he trudged. And when you could see his eyes, they always shown sadness and hurt. Not one spark of happiness was left in those eyes. I always wanted to cry when I looked at him, but I held it back. Just seeing me unhappy, would make him unhappier. And we didn't want that.
One day, about 2 weeks ago, Leo came out of his spare bedroom. It was about 3 o' clock in the afternoon. I was watching tv.
He didn't say anything, but he sat beside me on the couch. I immediately turned off the tv. I had been watching a sad soap opera. The last thing Leo needed to watch.
"April, I'm sorry I've been isolated and haven't spent much time with you and Casey. I'm also sorry that I haven't said 'thanks' for taking me in. I appreciate it." His voice was just pouring with sadness and grief.
"It's okay," I said hugging him.
I felt a tear on my shoulder, just one, and I didn't know whose it was.
Then he got up, and went back to his room.
If only I had paid attention more during that hug, then maybe the thing that happened that night, wouldn't have happened.
I had ordered pizza that night for me, Casey, and Leo. Casey and I ate, and then he left to go to work at a factory. He unloaded and loaded boxes into and out of trucks.
I took a couple of slices of pizza and walked to Leo's door and knocked. No answer.
I knocked again...nothing.
"Leo?" I asked.
Still nothing...
I thrust the door open and noticed that the light was out except a few candles that were on the floor in front of the bed.
"Leo?" I asked again. "I have pizza," I finished.
Nobody answered...
In the dark, I could see a mutated turtle figure sitting cross-legged on the floor behind the candles, with his shell against the end of the bed. In between the candles lay, Mike's nunchuks, Don's bo staff, Raph's sais, a piece of white cloth, and twin katana with black handles...Sheri's twin katana. One of Leo's katana lay on hers. I was afraid to find out where the other one was...but I did.
I turned on the light and what I saw, made me bust into tears.
Leo was sitting in his meditating position with one of his katana stuck into his plastron and a little white box in his lap. I shakily walked over to him. I had seen way too many horror movies. I kept expecting him to open his eyes and scream or something, but he didn't.
In front of Leo was a piece of paper with his writing on it. I picked it up and read it:
April and Casey,
Thanks for keeping me in your home, I appreciated it.
I can't explain this, but I can't keep living like I have been. I have realized that I have no will to live. No brothers...no Angel...no Sheri...no father...I couldn't take it anymore. I would see them in my dreams. Memories. Some good, some bad, but all made me cry when I awoke. I couldn't keep living, not like this. Please forgive me. I know this just causes you two more grief and stress, and I know I'm very selfish in doing this, but you must understand, reliving those memories was horrible for me.
It started getting so bad that not only would I relive memories in my sleep, I started reliving them when I was meditating or writing. Just all of a sudden, they would hit me, and I'd be in the living room with Mikey placing a racing game, or hugging Angel when she was sad that her boyfriend broke up with her. Or talking with Sheri, giving her advice about how to deal with Raph when they had a fight. Helping Don with his inventions or having tea with Master Splinter. I just couldn't take it. And I'm very sorry that I must cause you this grief. I just couldn't take it anymore. I'm so very sorry. I understand if you never forgive me. But anything would be better than living on Earth anymore. Even if I go to Hell, that would be better. And I'm sorry again. Please forgive me.
Sincerely,
Leonardo Turtle
P.S.- There is something on the desk for you. I wanted to write it so you would know what I went through. And it's not to make you sad, it's to help you remember me and my family. Good-bye...
I read the note over and over again. I couldn't believe it, but there he was, dead in front me. I didn't know what to do, at first, but I decided to walk to the desk and see what Leo had created for us. A stack of papers was on the desk with his handwriting. The first page was the title page:
Revenge
By: Leonardo Turtle
Dedicated to my family and friends, the real warriors.
Now, I'm sitting in the couch again with Leo's story on the coffee table in front of me. I had just finished it. Turns out, he had stolen my keys to the closet when he hugged me. If I had known 2 weeks ago...well...you know. After leaving Leo's room, I called Leatherhead and Casey, told them both the story, and they came to the apartment ASAP. We decided that we would cremate Leo and then put the ashes in the little white box with his family. Finally, we went to the lake and I kneeled down to the lake and put the little white box on the lake and let it sink...I stood up.
The family was finally together again...I swear, in the little breeze that blew by, I heard 5 turtles, an old rat father, and a young girl shout the word that gave them encouragement and kept them happy for all the years they were alive...
Cowabunga is truly the word that says it all...
A/N: Hey, that's the end of Revenge. Hoped y'all like it. I must say this is the absolute best story I've ever written. And I got the ending line from one of the TMNT movies. I thought it was a nice touch. For those who didn't get whyLeo's part was italicized, it's because that was what hehad written and April was reading it. (Not insulting one or anything, but Ijust thought I'd explain it.)Well, later y'all. R&R please!
