Hey guys! I'm so sorry it took so long to update and that it's a short chapter too. I haven't had much inspiration lately, so I really struggled with this one. At the same time, I really wanted to update a chapter before Thanksgiving, so this was the result. Didn't feel right to leave you hangin' for so long! Anyway, I still hope you enjoy this chapter.
Leo
"Guys!"
Big Leo rushed to our unexpected guests, wrapping an arm around each of their necks and pulling them into a group embrace. The other two were just as big and muscular as him, and they returned the hug without hesitation by clutching onto his shell.
"I can't believe you're here. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. How did you get here?" Big Leo babbled as he released them.
The older Donatello kept a firm grip on Big Leo's shoulder and flashed a gentle smile. "We were able to retrieve two more power cells," he explained.
"Yeah. Figured ya needed help after all that's happened," the older Raphael said with a smirk.
Big Leo blinked at them. "How did you know?"
"We've been able to watch you through the time machine. I was getting the power cells hooked up and checking some final calculations when we saw that Mikey…." The other Donnie's eyes drooped, and the three frowned at the other. "We got here as soon as we could."
Big Leo dropped his head, shrugging off his Donnie's touch. "I'm so sorry, you guys. I've done nothing but fail since arriving in the past. I've let my family down, let Mikey down…"
"You haven't failed, Leo, not yet. There's still time to save Mikey's future, but you gotta stop feelin' sorry for yourself first," the bigger Raph said.
Big Leo didn't look up until his Donnie's hands grasped his shoulders again, shaken until he was forced to meet his brother's eyes. "He's right. We can do this, okay? There's still a chance to rewrite this timeline. To give them the future we were deprived of."
The trio looked at my brothers and me, smiling softly at their younger counterparts. Finally, they acknowledged us, and all I could do was wave awkwardly. They were older versions of my brothers, and yet, they felt like strangers. Just like Big Leo when he first arrived. I was waiting for my brain to remind me how bizarre this scene was, but it never came.
"Einstein's mustache…." Donnie gasped. He hesitantly stepped toward the trio, his mouth agape in astonishment. "You're us from Big Leo's timeline!"
"No kiddin', genius," Raph said, giving our purple-banded brother a light-hearted smack up the head.
"Sorry for barging in. We figured you'd appreciate the extra help," the older Donnie said.
"And appreciative we are," Master Splinter said. He shuffled forward, a smile twitching under his whiskers. "It is heartwarming to see what marvelous heroes my sons grow up to be. So determined to save their family."
Big Leo bowed, his brothers doing the same. "We were taught by the best, Sensei."
"No." The former human placed a paw on Big Leo's shoulder, breaking his bow and making eye contact with him. "I may have taught you to protect your family, but there comes a time in one's life when they become old enough to make their own decisions, to choose against what they are taught in life. Yet, in early adulthood, I see that the willingness to see your family safe is not just what I trained you to do, but it is in the Hamato blood coursing through your veins. I am proud of you, my sons."
The turtles from the future looked at him with misty eyes, turning to each other with gentle smiles. They bowed again, only to be cut off by Master Splinter's furry arms wrapping them into a group hug.
"I only wish I could see how Michelangelo turned out to be," Sensei muttered into his sons' shaking bodies.
"You will, Sensei," I claimed, stepping forward with a determined stare. "You're going to watch us all grow up. I won't let Oroku Saki take that away from you."
"Neither will I."
Big Leo stepped forward. The two Raphaels and Donatellos did the same. We stood in a silent circle, looking at each other with earnest stares that promised me we were in this until the end. Sensei placed his hands on his cane, nodding at the seven of us with pride twinkling in his dark eyes.
"My sons, it is time we plan to save your brother."
Mikey
I felt the same sensation I had when I fell asleep, pain throbbing in my skull. Good thing it's as thick as Raph says, or it would have hurt way worse!
Big Leo running over to me was the last I remembered, and fear overcame me as I knew what this meant. The stone beneath me that felt like a sheet of ice—definitely not the warm blankets of my bed—was all I needed to know that I was in a very bad place.
As I sat up, the same feeling traveled down my body, down to my fingers and toes as I moved. I groaned, dug my knuckles into my eyes, and opened them to find myself in a dimly lit room. When my hazy vision cleared, I immediately noticed the room I was in. A creepy, dark dungeon lit by torches greeted me. My bros and I had infiltrated this dungeon before to stalk inside the Shredder's lair. The thought made my throat close up, and fear strangled my heart.
Slowly, I got on my feet and shuffled to the cold metal bars of my cell, clutching them and pressing my face as far as I could to see the exit I knew should be there. It was there, and so was a dark body looming like a ghost.
I flinched when it spoke, the familiar voice sending a rattling chill down my shell, echoing across the dungeon. "I see you're awake, Turtle."
"Were you just standing there the whole time I was out of it? Dude, that's creepy," I said.
"Silence." The shadow stepped into the light of a nearby torch, the light emitting from the embers swaying over Oroku Saki's scarred face. He marched over to me, his spiky armor clanking with every heavy step until he stopped at my cell. It had dawned on me that this may have been the second time I beheld his ugly face. I hated his whole look, especially his sleeveless armor. I mean, really, why wouldn't he wear sleeves?! He looked like a dork.
An uncharacteristic burst of anger erupted in my heart as I looked at his deadpan features. I uselssly jerked on the bars. "My bros are going to come for me, Shreddy Bear!"
"Which is why we must hurry and talk," Saki said, looking down at me and unfazed by my obviously empty threat.
"I don't want to talk to a walking can opener," I said, crossing my arms.
Saki's gauntlet clanged against the metal bars raucously, vibrating my eardrums and forcing me to recoil into my shell a bit. "Then you will listen, child!"
"I never was good at listening…but I can give it a shot," I said with my head sticking halfway out of my shell.
Oroku Saki sat on the ground, and I followed his lead, crossing my legs and waiting for him to speak. He studied me between the cell bars, his foggy blue eye traveling up and down my body.
"I am to assume Hamato Yoshi has explained to you the power that teems within the Heiwa no Buki. The power that is said to make mountains bow, calm stormy seas, settle wars…all rests on you—the sacred and pure wielder, the junsuina mono." He paused for a second, chuckling darkly. "The irony that a Hamato is one; it's as if the universe laughs at me."
"Hey, dude, I'm not happy about it either," I said.
Saki's eyes flickered with anger, staring into my soul and sending an icy sensation across my scaly skin. "Well, like it or not, you will use the Heiwa no Buki to my bidding. You will help me rule this city."
"And why would I do that, uncle Shread Head?" I asked, crossing my arms again and putting on my best brave face. But who was I kidding? I wasn't Raph.
"I'm glad you asked," Saki said. "Because I have a proposition for you. If you agree to use the Heiwa no Buki for me, I am willing to place my vendetta aside. I will cease all conflict against your rat father and accursed brothers. The Foot Clan will never bother them so long as you obey my every command. If you break our little truce, I will kill them all."
I lowered my eye ridges at him. "Cool suggestion, but there's one problem—what's going to stop my bros from getting in your business?"
"If I catch them trying to ruin my plans, then I will kill you," Saki replied, a twisted smile forming on his mutilated face as he witnessed the shock on mine.
I traced my tongue over my dry beak. "But—but, I thought—"
"Believe me, I will find another junsuina mono. You may be of purpose, but you mean nothing to me," Oroku Saki spat, venom dripping from his speech. "The truce will be over, and your family will be next. But if you agree to help me, I can guarantee they will live much longer."
We stared at each other for a long time. I studied his eyes that bore into mine, waiting for my answer.
"…People are going to get hurt, right?" I asked hesitantly.
"Your only concern is following my orders. What is your answer?"
I looked at the ground, tracing circles on the stone floor with my finger as I thought hard. The opportunity to free my family of this stupid rivalry was in my grasp, but even if I agreed, there was no way my bros would sit back and let the Shredder take over New York. It seemed that someone would get hurt either way, and I'd rather that someone be me.
Master Splinter's words rang in my head: "It seeks one who is pure, one who will have the best intentions to wield its power. It does not just choose anyone."
What pure soul would I be to use the Heiwa no Buki for destruction? That's not what a so-called Weapon of Peace is for! Father wouldn't want me to take Saki's deal, even for their sake. I know what Sensei would do if he were in my shoes…and I didn't like it one bit. But the fate of New York relied on my answer. Big Leo told me not to be the hero, and the thought brought tears to my eyes as I knew I was about to let him down yet again. Maybe I really was fated to die.
My eyes locked on Saki's, who never turned his gaze away since he asked for my answer. Shakenly, I said, "I won't hurt innocent people—"
Oroku Saki slammed his gauntlet on the bars again before I could finish, forcing me to scoot backward in terror. He stood from the ground, his eyes narrowed in rage. A tekkō-kagi threateningly popped out of his armor, and I gulped.
"Then your family dies tonight!"
I dared to step forward, though my body rattled with fear on the inside. "We've kicked your sorry metal butt a hundred times; we'll do it again, dude!"
Saki's hand shot through the bars in a flash, grabbing my arm, pulling me in, and slamming my head against the metal. The blade from his tekkō-kagi nicked my arm in the struggle, and I swallowed a scream as I tried to pull away from him. He stretched my arm out of the cell with one hand, the other raised to cut down. I winced and waited for the pain to shoot through my body, but it never came. After a deep breath, he pushed me back into the cell. I landed on my butt, my eyes wide as I thought of what he easily could have done.
"I need you alive until your pathetic family comes to your rescue. Then, you may join them in their demise. Just know you could have prevented this," Oroku Saki growled. He marched down the torch-lit hallway without another word, leaving me in the same position I was in when he released me, frozen in place.
I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't very eventful! I hope you still stay tuned for the next one. And I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice, relaxing break/day off from work!