Hello-Hello-Hello!
Back for more ain't ya? Happy to give you more! ^^ So... What did you think of the last chapter? Scary to have an intruder in your home without you even noticing? I really think so... I would be scared to deathand never be able to sleep again. It gives me the creep to just think about it! But hey! They are the Turtles right! They can fight anything! I bet ya! Don't you agree? Do Tell!
Previous Readers, Well, there was no funeral for Leo as I kind of removed it... or the infirmary part at least. Though I changed it to what is about to come in this chapter. The previous thenth chapter was extremely short as I had no idea what was going to happen... so you can say I was stuck back then. So from just less than 500 words to a little less than 5000 is kind of a fair deal right? ^^
So in this Chapter we will pay our respect to the father and master of the turtles we all love.
Thanks for reading!
A Great Lost - Ninja Turtles
Chapter 11: Goodbye Father Dear
Stage 4 - Depression
People from everywhere was going to the farmhouse. They came from other cities, other countries, from out of space and even other dimensions. Both old and new friends was there to pay their respect to the master that had raised the turtles. It was midday, and the sun was high up in the cloudless sky. It was warm with just a slightly cooling breeze. Birds was singing from the trees and bees was buzzing from the flowers. A nice and beautiful day for a picknick or hanging by the beach, but not at all for a funeral.
The last few days was blank to him. He had no idea how he had gotten from Mikey's room to the car on the way to the farmhouse. Don couldn't tell how much time had passed. Was it just a few days or a few weeks? Everything had floated together into a big black goo of worrying and regret in his head. Though he had a small fragment of a memory of him being in his lab, desperately trying to figure out how his father's sickness had gone unnoticed. He should have known, he was the freaking family doctor!
Somehow the funeral had been planned, prepared and they were on their way to the farmhouse to have the service. He was sitting in the back of the van, staring blankly through the window. He worried that he did not spent enough time with their father and regretted that he had not listen and taken everything to heart that their master taught them. He worried that Master Splinter was disappointed he had not taken the time to fix the electric kettle. And regretted he did not check up on his father's health more frequently than he did. He worried his father did not know that Don loved and respected him. And regretted that he had not fixed the damned electric kettle.
How their sensei had hidden his sickness was beyond his comprehension. True they had been occupied in their grief but they were not blind. And why had he felt that he couldn't come to him? Of course he had helped their father the best way he could if he had known. True there had been not much he could have done as the cancer had been too severe and even if they could get him to a hospital there was no way an operation would have made a difference. Leaderhead had even told him if he had gotten chemotherapy it probably had made no difference. Master Splinter had barely managed to tell them about his illness before he was taken from them. The shock of the tragic news had not even begun to settle in before it was replaced by the heavy heartache. Grief was nothing new to him, but never had he felt more lost and broken. They had lost their father, mentor and sensei all in one night. There was no words that could rightly describe how he felt inside.
The world was moving by fast outside the window, but inside the car it was like the time stood still. No one, except for Mikey had spoken a word since they had gotten into the car. Not even the radio was on, not that he minded, every song reminded him of things he did not do and did not say. Not that it made much of a difference, his mind was still doing it over and over and he couldn't make it stop. Though it took his mind off of the casket in the back of the van. He was grateful that he had not been the one to prepare the body. Leatherhead had taken that role upon himself voluntarily, which he was eternal grateful for.
The funeral had been taken care of by their most trusted human friends, April and Casey. Even though it had been hard for them too, they though it wasn't a task the brothers should have to do. It was another thing he was grateful for. Still he felt regret that he wasn't the one preparing it and was worried that their father would be disappointed in them for not handling it.
Finally they arrived at the farmhouse. Some of their friends had already arrived and more was on their ways. As they drove up on the driveway, he could already see the sad faces of their friends. He suddenly got a sickening feeling in his stomach and felt like he wanted to tell Casey to turn the car around and drive away to someplace that wasn't there. It was getting too real way too quick. Even though his mind was protesting in violent screams, he couldn't get a single word out of his mouth.
Finally the car came to a stop. April turned her head back from the passenger seat with puffy sad eyes which was the result from all the crying. "We're here," she announced gently to the three brothers in the backseat.
All Donny could do for a response, was to nod. But he wasn't sure if she was the small move of his head which could barely be called a movement. Both of the humans got out of the car and slowly he turned to his brothers to see their reactions. Mikey, who sat next to him, was looking at their arriving friends which was gathering at the barn with big blue eyes and a small smile on his lips.
"Look, there's Usagi!" He exclaimed rather happily and leaned over to the front seats to get closer to the window. "And there's Professor Honeycutt!"
Raph was slowly shaking his head, but remained quiet as he turned and slide the door open. Once realizing that the door was open, Mikey quickly jumped out of the door and ran up to the Professor, probably trying to talk him up some way of bringing their father back from the dead. Raph on the other hand, was walking to the back of the van and opened the backdoors. Both he, Casey and Usagi was preparing to bring the casket out. He watched as the wooded box was being dragged out so that they could get a good grip of it. It was scary to see how easy it was get the thing out. Though the genius within him was telling him that it wasn't. The weight of a casket depends on the type of material it's made of. Thus, cloth covered cardboard caskets tend to weigh less than wooden and heavy gauge metal caskets. On an average, the weight ranges between 100-300 lbs. Why his mind went that direction, was clueless to him, though it was how it worked.
As the casket was being taken out of the car, it downed on him that his father was inside. He truly was inside a wooded box which was going to be buried six feet down in the ground where he would stay forever. Never again would he smell the familiar fur when he needed a comforting hug. The dry lump returned to his already swollen throat and fresh new tears crawled into his eyes. Donatello realized he was there to say his last and final goodbye to the only father he had known.
As the casket was about to get out of his sight, the words came out raspy, breaking and barley hearable, "Goodbye father dear."
Stage 3 - Bargaining
The sun was really hot on his green skin as he was talking to Professor Honeycutt. He had asked the robot with the trapped alien soul inside about possible ways of getting someone resurrected. After all, there was plenty of movies, comics and games about it then shouldn't there at least be some truth to it? Where else had they gotten it from? Because that couldn't be the last image of his father. It had burned into his mind and whenever he closed his eyes he saw it as clearly as that day.
Sleep had always been a dreadful event forh, which he couldn't escape and yet still he tried. All his life he had been haunted by nightmares and night terrors. Monsters, demons, evil and death ruled his world of sleep. Once the nightmare of the previous death had finally stopped, a new death had made them return and even worse and more horrifying than before. It had been replaced by the death of his father and the fear of losing his remaining brothers as well. It seemed it would never stop.
Though most of the conversation with Professor Honeycutt had been one-sided with him rambling on and on which he wasn't sure if anyone understood what he was saying, it ended when Honeycutt had gently said; "I'm sorry Mikey. There's nothing I can do to bring Master Splinter back."
"Oh..." He stood staring blankly at Professor Honeycutt, whom was watching him with a sad and pitiful expression. Mikey caught himself thinking how cool it was how well the alien robot could show such an expression. If the aliens could make that happen, then surly it wasn't that hard to bring someone back. "But what about the Utroms? Surely they could do it. After all they can live -like forever. And -and they like. -Like em, have Ooze that can mutate livin' things and all... And- and-" He kept rambling on.
April came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders, which startle him a bit. "Come on, Mikey. The service is about to start."
"But- I was talkin'..." He began to protest as she was pushing him a bit towards the barn, but was interrupted as she called for Donny who was still sitting in the car.
Everyone was gathering in the barn, where the wake would take place. Once inside, Mikey was amazed how the barn was no longer looking like a barn, if you didn't count the dirty floor, the stalls and all the equipments lying in the corners of course, then yeah, sure it still looked like a barn. There was an altar where the casket had been placed and decorated with so much flowers that you could hardly see it. Candles had been carefully arranged in Japanese style lamps and on top of the flowerbed was a picture of their father.
Mikey stopped as he saw the picture, whom looked like it was looking right back at him. He remembered when he took that picture a few years ago, back when everything was normal and their family whole. It had been just a normal summer day when they had visited the farmhouse. It was right after they had believed that the Shredder was dead once more. A happy moment which he had long forgotten how that felt like.
Once realizing that all his friends was staring at him, he quickly returned his mind to the presence and quickly took his seat in the front where his brothers was. The service began as the Ultimate Damiyo had taken the task of performing it.
"Dear friends, we have gathered here today to bid a last farewell to one of our-"
It was there where Mikey's mind returned to his grieving state, bargaining. Polite as he was, he leaned over to Don and whispered in his ear, "What if we open up a time-portal and-" Don's eyes shot him a deadly warning to shut up and Mikey squirmed by his stare.
Don turned his head back to the Damiyo and Mikey couldn't help but feel angry at his brother. Crossing his arms over his plastron, he turned back to the Damiyo as well, though his mind was racing with thoughts.
If he could, he would trade all his comic books to see his father one last time. Though he loved his comics too and what would he do if he didn't have his comics to read? All the stories of heroes saving the world with their powers and trendy costumes.
He could gladly give up all his games just to hear his father lecturing him about his wretched focus during training. But then again, there was so many games he hadn't finished yet and so many hours he had put in each and every game that giving that up wouldn't that just be a waste of time?
Then what if he traded his own life for Master Splinters? Maybe that would work. He would trade his own life if Master Splinter would live again. Mikey put his hands together as tightly he could and for the second time in his life, he asked, he prayed to whatever force or higher power that had taken his father away from him to give him back. He would do anything to make it happen.
Though each prayer, each barging and each trading went unheard. He was wasting time, thought and breath on asking for something which could not be achieved, and still he was too stubborn to realize it. He had gone to space, to another dimension, a lot of them and he had even gone to the future. How hard could it be to go back in time and prevent the sickness to spread?
The wake went on with friends taking the stand and sharing a memory or a lesson or anything they had gotten from their father. He missed each and every one as his bargaining turmoil went on. All he asked for was his family to be whole once more, was that too much to ask for?
As the wake came to its end, people was rising to get to the burial. Raph was the one to bring him out of his thoughts by putting a hand on his shoulder. His eyes shot up at his older brother's, which had an ghostly gentleness in his own as he gave a half smile. "Time to go, Mikey," he said with a mild tone which was so un-Raph-like to make alarms go off in Mikey mind.
Standing up, he took a final glance at the picture before he followed everybody out of the barn and not realizing that he put an arm around Don's for comfort. As they walked out, he thought about the picture once more and how annoyed Splinter had been when he took that picture. Mikey had just gone right up to his father and made the flash gone off right in his face. It had been so funny when his father had tried to rub it out of his eyes.
As they turned around the corner of the farmhouse, Mikey turned to look up at the familiar hill. Though he had only been there three times before, he would know his way up there blindfolded. As they climbed it, he could soon see the top of two headstone. As further up they got, the more Mikey felt a hold in his stomach and the arm around his brother's got tighter.
Finally reached the top, he could clearly see the open grave which was going to be filled at the end of the day.
Hamato Splinter
Beloved father and sensei
He always believed in his sons.
All his thoughts came rushing back. There had be something they could do to make it right! It couldn't end there.
"No! There has to be somethin' we can do!" He exclaimed as panic was forcing its' way into his mind. Everyone had turned to look at him with pity in their eyes.
"Mikey..." Angel said but didn't really know what to say to calm 'im.
"If we- if we-" His eyes was dashing everywhere to find something, anything which could help him and his eyes finally stopped on Renet and her Time Sceptre. He ran over to her and grabbed a hold of the Sceptre. "We can use this!"
Renet grabbed the other end of it before Mikey could do something with it. "No!" She said and pulled it out of his hands with such a force that made him almost lose his balance. "You can't use this to bring him back. This is a Time Sceptre."
Once he gained back his balance, he turned to her rather angry. "I know that, duh. I was gonna use it ta go back in time before Master Splinter got sick and give 'im the proper treatment."
"How would you manage that? You don't even know when he got sick in the first place," Don questioned rather upset from behind.
Turning to his brother, he saw the angry look on his face. "I know that. I'm not an idiot, Donatello. I was just thinkin'..."
"You wasn't think." Don simply said.
Getting rather angry himself, Mikey took a closer step to his brother with his fists clenched. "At least I'm tryin' ta do somethin' 'bout it and not staring blankly into the open like some. It seems I'm the only one that want Master Splinter back!"
"I want him back just as badly as you, Mikey. But I have the decency to know that is not what Master Splinter wants."
"You don't know what he wants!" Mikey protested.
"You can't change what happened, Michelangelo-san." The Ancient One spoke from behind him. He turned to the short old man with a sad look. "We shall all die in the end and those that is going before us is fortunate not to feel the grief of those which are left behind feels. Splinter-san would not want you to bring him back as he has certainly found peace alongside your brother." The casket was being brought over to the open grave and Mikey's eyes was drawn to it as the Ancient One continued, "He would want you to continue living the life you have been given. Learn and take wisdom from this sad experience and appreciate what you still have left. Only then will you honor your father's memory."
As the casket was beginning to be hissed down, Mikey knew that the time of his barging was over. Now certain that he would absolutely give up everything to have his father back just to feel his fury paw rub gently and soothing against his forehead after he had woken up shaking and afraid from a nightmare. It was time for him to take his last farewell of the only father he knew.
"Goodbye father dear."
Stage 5 - Acceptance
The sunlight was rising over the now two graves toward the top of the trees. People had already began to leave, saying their condolences one more time and their goodbyes. Though neither me nor my brothers was in the condition of responding. At most, they got a nod or a glance as acknowledgement. I was sure they understood, however I still couldn't help but feel a bit rude as they walked away. I still couldn't trust my own voice, as I recall, I hadn't really spoken much since we got there.
I had been strong and collected during the ride to the house, throughout the wake and finally the burial. I had even carried the damn casket. Twice! The only reason I had done it was because of my father. He would've wanted me to be strong and take care of my brothers, cause now I was the only one left to take care of them.
Though I knew I had just buried my father, I was more scared than sad. What if Don and Mikey lost me too? What would they do then? Or if I lost them? There was only the three of us left. Our small family can't handle another cut!
The temperature was dropping as a cold wind past me by and made me shiver all the way to the bone. That I could feel it at all, came as a surprise to me. I knew I should feel grief-stricken, sad and heartbreaking or mad, furious and hateful. Or even shocked! But all I felt towards my father was emptiness. Crying was pointless. And screaming just as so, there was no one who would reply anyway. Master Splinter was gone. He was freaking dead! What left was it to say or do?
I glanced an eye over to my brothers. Both of them devastated, though they grieved in silence. Mikey was sitting just by the foot of the closed grave, while Don stood to his right. Leatherhead approached and as I expected 'im to repeat the stupid phrase "I'm so very sorry" which I had heard enough of for the rest of my life, he surprised me with a question instead.
"Donatello, may I speak with you?" He asked my brother. Don turned around and just stared at 'im blankly before he nodded.
Don hesitantly followed 'im and I watched them walk the small distance into the woods. They stopped just out of hearing reach. Leatherhead stood with his back to me but I had a clear view of my brother. From this distance I could still see the blank expression he had had ever since he got out of the car. His head lowered to the ground as he listen to what our mutated crocodile friend was telling 'im. Occasionally Don nodded but it didn't seem he responded with words.
"What're we gonna do now?" Mikey suddenly asked. I turned down to my youngest brother who was still facing the grave. He had put his head on his knees which he had pulled up close to his body, which somehow made 'im look like a child.
I threw a quick glanced at the stone that would from now on represent our father before I turned my eyes back to the trees. "I don't know, Mikey."
"How can we go on without 'im? Who's gonna look after us now?"
The desperation in Mikey's voice drew my attention back to 'im. He was now watching me with his big teary blue eyes. That he was lost, was clear to me. He was seeking guidance and assurance which I could not give 'im just yet as I was seeking for it too. Looking back at my other brother, I said hoping he would believe it, "We'll manage somehow."
It wasn't that I didn't want to comfort my innocent youngest brother, it was just that I was worried about what Leatherhead was telling Donny. I knew it had something to do with Master Splinter. That Leatherhead wanted to speak with Donny in private had to mean it was a bunch of medical stuff which none of me nor Mikey understood about and it would be simpler to talk to Don which understood that geeky stuff.
Slowly Don's expression change from blank to confusion to shock and then horror in just a second. Whatever Leatherhead was telling my brother clearly wasn't good news and my instincts told me to rush over there and demand to know what the hell was going on. Amazingly, I did not take a single step as fear grabbed a hold of me.
Don said something before he walked past our friend and slowly made his way back over to us. His face was clouded by confusion and turmoil. His mind was probably racing with thoughts. Mikey whom had barely noticed that Don had stepped away, didn't even give a single glance to 'im when he returned to the same spot he had walked away from.
"Ya alright?" I asked extremely concern and anxious, but kept my tone as neutral as I possibly could, though knowing my genius of a brother, he saw through it.
Don looked into my eyes and a sinking feeling entered my stomach. "No." The fear in his voice even brought the attention of Mikey, who turned his head to 'im.
Suddenly, Donny just collapsed into a sitting position on the ground. In a heartbeat I was over by his side, Mikey quickly behind me did the same. "Don, what is it? What did Leatherhead tell ya?" I asked even more worried than before.
"His neck- his neck..." He mumbled, as he kept staring straight forward, but was probably not seeing whatever his eyes saw..
"What neck?" Mikey demanded. "Ya're not makin' any sense."
Don looked up at 'im, fear still in his eyes. "Master Splinter's neck-" He took a new deep breath as he gathered his courage. "-it was broken. Someone snapped his neck."
"W-what?" Mikey asked in a raspy voice, the results from the all crying and it didn't seem he understood the words, which I had a problem with as well. Though we both had heard what he had been saying, but I just didn't register it.
"Someone snapped his neck!" Don roared out as clearly as he possible could.
As the words was registered in my brain and the meaning of it, my mind began to scream in denial. "That's- that's ain't possible," the words somehow manage to go through my mouth.
My mind began to race with thoughts and questions. How would that even be possible? The Foot didn't know where the lair was. And no one of our friends would ever do it.
Terror crawled up in Mikey's face as he comprehended the situation. "But that means-" His eyes got bigger as he finished the sentence in his mind.
"Someone was in the lair and killed Masta Splinter?" As each word left my mouth, each one got harsher, angrier and more hateful. All Don could do, was to nod. I looked over to the headstone of my father. "Who could've done it?" I turned once again back to Donny, like I expected 'im to know the answer to the question. "No one knows where the lair is except everyone that was here taday."
His face had turned serious and harsh. "I know."
"And none of 'em did it!"
"I know that Raph!" Don practically yelled and stared into my eyes with the same expression I was having. He was furious, shocked and confused. We stared at each other, almost like we were blaming one another for not being able to protect our father.
I began to pace as my mind tried to understand how it had happened. How someone had broken into our home and killed our father without us knowing. How someone could've gone through our alarms unnoticed and found the hidden doors. How could we have let that happen?!
Then it dawned on me. It was the only possible explanation. "That fuckin' bastard! I'm gonna kill 'im!" I roared as my fits punched the nearest tree repeatedly. Why hadn't I seen it sooner?!
"What're ya talkin' about?" Mikey asked startle by my sudden outburst.
I turned to them, my fists up and clenched, with a murderous tone as I explained, "The damned Elite! He musta followed me."
Not knowing what to say, Don just stood there. Of course it was a possibility he had already thought of, but probably had hoped it wasn't true.
I turned to the tree and punched it again and again. I knew better that to let someone know where we lived. I knew better. But the state I had been in after the fight, I had not taken every precaution I normally would to prevent it. Why didn't I make sure that I wasn't followed? I'm so stupid! If it was true that the Elite knew where we live and had broken in somehow, then I had no idea how to handle it.
Realizing that it was a risk in going home, suddenly we were homeless. The last time the Foot had gotten wind of where we lived, all of us had been closed in getting killed. And this time we didn't have our father or brother to help us. We were all alone now and nowhere near ready to take such a fight on. Moving again was kind of hard as there was not much spaces in the sewers like the ones we had lived in. Already two homes had been destroyed because of the Foot. We had been lucky to find the one we live in now. I was doubtful to ever finding another one in the sewers.
"We need ta find 'im and kill 'im." The unexpected words came from a dead serious Mikey. "And fast. I'm not losin' more of my family."
When back in the city, we ain't stop searchin' 'til he's dead," I was quick to agree.
"All of them."
"Let's go." Don said as he stood up.
Both of my brothers made their way down the hill and didn't notice that I stopped. I turned back to the two stones and walked over to the newest. I bowed to it as I said. "I swear I'ill avenge you, father. No matter what, tha' Elite's gonna die if tha''s the last thin' I do." I turned to look at the other stone before I turned back. "Goodbye father dear."
Goodbye Master Splinter! You will be missed! T.T Will they never be able to catch a break? At least they have a goal now! Maybe it will what brings them back up on their feet! What do you think? Will this goal be enough? Well? Don't just sit there! Tell me what is on your mind! ^^
Thank you for reading and I will se ya in the next chapter! It will be up as soonish as you click on the "Next" button!
TBC...
