Author's note: I'm once again, very sorry for the late update. I lost my account password... and my fire for TMNT for a while, so I delayed this. The last chapter is difficult to write cos I need to cover complicated emotions and topics like sentiment, and I don't want it to be repetitive. Even so, Belonging is officially complete, and to those who have read it and reviewed, thank you for staying with Raph and Ren until now. The ending seems a little abrupt, and I'm quite lacking in ideas on how to avoid that, so for those who have ideas on how to end the story differently, feel free to add it in your review or PM me. But if you do so please avoid the hate or swears. Without further ado, welcome to the last chapter of Belonging/ A Place to Belong.
On the other side of the room, separated by a wall of debris, Raph would never forget the screams that rang out into the cold night.
"REN! REN!" Raph was almost hysterical now, pulling and pushing at the pile of debris. He could sense her... He could feel her... He could... see her? The last thought came with no warning, and soon, Raph realised that he really could see Ren. He closed his eyes, and the vision of Ren became clearer. Raph was not seeing through her eyes, he was seeing from where he now stood- behind a wall of debris. Yet, the surroundings of the room where Ren was battling The Shredder was as clear as if he was the one standing there.
"Y'know, there was a legend that came with 'em. It was crafted by a master blacksmith in Japan, who said that two close people who wear the two chain bracelets, will possess a linked heart. But first, they must have forged a strong bond, just like the steel used to craft the two pair of charms..."
For a while, Raph opened his eyes and stared disbelievingly at the trinket on his arm. The legend that the old lady had mentioned... Could it have been true? Their bond, his and Ren's, were indeed close, was that the reason he could envision her fighting in the room so clearly?
But now was not the time to dwell on that. Raph closed his eyes again, moving his hand up to pull his bandana across his eyes. Ren was bleeding. Her eyes were closed. What was she doing? But The Shredder's gauntlet was raised again- poised to strike, and Ren made no attempt to move from where she was.
"REN! JUMP TO THE RIGHT!" Raph screamed, not caring about his brother and Master Splinter's reactions to his outburst, hoping, praying that Ren could here him. Ren's ears pricked up slightly (she could move her ears in the strangest ways; it fascinated Mikey endlessly and creeped Raph out) and she did as told wildly. Unfortunately, her jump was timed too late and The Shredder managed to land a slight scratch on her forehead- though the newest injury was certainly a better choice than death, which would inevitably follow had she not heed Raph's warning. Ren's eyes still didn't open, and blood had dyed nearly half of her face red.
"RAPH! I CAN'T SEE-"
"JUMP TO THE LEFT!" Raph cut her off as he saw The Shredder move in for another attack. This time, Ren reacted both instinctively and towards Raph's orders, being able to act more rationally now and calmed by the presence of an ally.
"DUCK, DUCK, SIDESTEP, NOW KICK!" Raph was wearing his voice hoarse with each bellow, but his voice was one of the only things that was pulling Ren away from the jaws of death- or the Gauntlet of The Shredder, which still equated to her doom. The Shredder screamed in rage at each miss, growing more infuriated as the meddling turtle's instructions allowed Ren to avoid his wrath every single time. It was almost as if he could see her through the wall of debris he had created to block them… Impossible. The Shredder tried to increase the speed of his attacks, but Raph broke through them too, and Ren, who had had complete trust and faith in his words, followed them without hesitation, easily deflecting and returning his blows. There were too many close shaves on his side, despite the fact that he should be the one getting the upper hand. He could wait for the turtle to wear himself down, but as Ren ducked one of his blows, stepped front and plunged both sais against his face, The Shredder stepped to the side and fortunately escaped with a graze. He couldn't wait any longer, or he would meet his end first. His Foot Ninja were still out cold (or for some cases, dead), and he was the only one left now.
With a scream of pure wild animal-like anger, The Shredder charged at the wall of debris, ready to silence the red bandanna turtle standing behind it, as well as his brothers and their rat. His ironed fists and gauntlet were enough to pierce through the debris wall. His gauntlet was readied to plunge through- both the wall and the damned turtle's throat.
But his gauntlet was barely raised to strike when he felt a sting again both sides of his neck. The Shredder looked down, into the emerald eyes of Ren, whose hands were trembling from the effort of penetrating The Shredder's armor with her sais. She was holding her prized weapons in a cross formation, trapping his neck again the two blades, which formed an X, freezing him in his tracks with pure force.
"I win." She grinned. The grin, despite the pointed teeth, looked so much like her mother's. In that split second, Oroku Saki remembered the brilliant young lady he had come to adore, for her natural talent with weapons back in Japan. But she had married that talented blacksmith, despite his affections, the blacksmith who, later, refused to craft the strongest weapon to aid his reign of terror. It would have normally sufficed to threaten him with the life of his wife, but Oroku Saki, The Shredder, had vowed never to set eyes on her again- the object of his former adoration. She had betrayed him. And she would pay. But they had moved, and he never heard of them until he came to America- New York City, setting up the Foot Clan there, and later requesting Miyashiro En (For those who didn't pick this up, he was Ren's father) to craft the legendary sword that he had heard about. He had refused, of course, to create such a dangerous item despite Saki's attempts to persuade him it was for a good cause, and the latter had bided his time, plotting his revenge on one of the happiest days of their lives- Amaya, now Miyashiro, Rin's favorite day. He had been alerted of their child only after they had captured her and tested the mutation serum on her- Miyashiro Ren. Ren. The combination of both their names, Rin and En. It would kill them to see their darling daughter in the hands. He smirked. And that was the second half of the reason taking Ren in and allowing her to wear the family name of Oroku. She took after her father with her unique orange hair, but her eyes, and her smile, he now saw, were a spitting image of the woman he both loved and hated in equal measure.
Ren slashed out with both sais, successful decapitating The Shredder's head from his body. The battle was won. She had killed him with the two sais her father had made her. Ren felt exhausted. Surely… It would be okay if she slept for a while. She fell on to her knees, her body growing numb.
"REN! REN!" She wished they wouldn't shout. She wanted to sleep so so much…
"Ren," The voice was soft, closer now. Ren would have given a start if she did not feel so horribly tired. Someone lifted her up, whispered hold on, and there seemed to be a flurry of activity hidden from her by the sea of darkness that haunted her. She still couldn't see.
"Please work," Raph prayed, as Leo handed him a bucket of water. One hand below Ren's head to prop her up, Raph dipped his other hand into the pail cautiously, before clumsily wiping Ren's eyes with it. Blind… Not being able to see anything but darkness no matter what. The predicament frightened him almost as much as losing his family.
"Please." He croaked, and for once, tears actually trickled down his face. Raph, the tough turtle, actually cried. They landed on the barely conscious teenage girl's face- her eyes, and Raph hastily blinked away his tears and prepared to wipe them away.
Amazingly enough, as he did so, Ren's left eye seemed to flutter open, and Raph stared into the emerald orb with tentative hope.
"Were you crying?" She grinned. Her right eye was still shut.
"N-no! Why would I?" Raph swiftly denied, helping Ren up as she struggled into a standing position. The girl looked around hazily, one hand covering her right eye, taking in the beheaded Shredder and the wrecked room.
"It's over." She grinned again. Then she swayed on her feet and collapsed, only saved from hitting the floor by Leo and Raph.
"What's wrong with her?!" Raph demanded in a panicky voice as he looked towards Master Splinter and Don for guidance.
A soft snore ensued from Ren.
"She's asleep."
Ren lost her left eyesight. Her left eye was sealed shut with two long scars arching down her face- from The Shredder's attack. Raph had been at a loss on what to say to comfort her, but Ren insisted he said nothing anyway, for losing half her eyesight was, technically, better than going completely blind.
Even so, she avoided anything that showed her reflection for some time after that event. And sometimes, just sometimes, Leo could have sworn he heard sobs echoing silently from Raph's room. On those days, Raph would be unusually distracted during training, and even Master Splinter would be lenient. It would last until the sobs died down, and Ren would surface with a slightly red-rimmed eye, smiling nevertheless.
"Ren! Ren!" April screamed. It had been a week since the fated fight with The Shredder. Ren was still struggling to get used to her new eyesight- though she still suffered from depression every once in a while when she saw how scarred her face became. But the orange-head heeded April's calls despite sparring with Raph and somersaulted in the air and, landing next to the redhead nimbly. Raph followed soon after, curious of her intent.
"I found this with Casey on the day you and the guys fought The Shredder. We thought we should let you know after you've more or less recovered... physically," April said carefully. Ren frowned and accepted the file April had been holding. Her brows still furrowed, she opened it and retrieved a few slips of paper and photographs. Her eyes widened.
"What is it?" Raph asked tentatively. Ren had undergone several mood swings ever since losing her left eye. He wondered if she could ever be happy again- finally, without The Shredder's control. It was ironic, really, the brash turtle thought sardonically. In the fight to gain her freedom and a family, she was forced to lose something too. Perhaps, like Master Splinter said, no battle was won without something being lost in return. Ren gained several scars from The Shredder's fight. But perhaps, the most serious scar was not the one marking half of her face, but the emotional scar engraved into her mind. He shuddered to contemplate how it would be if Ren had lost all of her eyesight.
"It's Oka-san and Oto-san's grave." Ren slipped back into her Japanese tongue.
For the first time, Ren cried in plain view of the lair. And for the first time, they were not tears of sadness.
"I think it's here." Ren mumbled through her orange scarf. Her black hood was pulled up, and bore long sleeves now. She sported darker green cargo pants, but the same heavy boots. Ren had once again gone back to being more furtive about her appearance. It somewhat saddened Raph to sense her dissipated confidence.
"That's what you said the last time too," Raph grunted. He wore the same outfit he had donned when he had brought Ren to the arcade, now with a red scarf to match. Weathers were turning cold.
"Shut up!" Ren hissed, colouring slightly. They had gotten lost twice before locating the grave (even then, Raph wasn't sure if it was the right place. It was a bit depressing to realise just how many people died to require so many graves.)
The two trotted on. Master Splinter and the rest were busy for the while- only Raph was present to accompany Ren this time round. Despite so, Leo, Don and Mikey promised to visit Ren's parents with her on the next occasion. Finally, they stopped at a set of two grave stones- each simple, but carved with a few patterns of intricate grace. On the grave stones were the names Miyashiro Rin and Miyashiro En.
"Oto-san, Oka-san, I finally found you." Ren whispered. She gently placed herself on her knees. Her right hand held onto a photograph- depicting a tall orange-haired man, fierce-looking but with a gentle aura at the same time. Next to him stood a graceful young lady with brilliant emerald eyes and a wide smile- almost exactly like the grinning child that stood in front of her, save the child's fiery orange hair.
"It's been years. I've been so lonely. The man who murdered both of you... he took me in as an adopted daughter. Yet, he never truly felt like family before." Ren spoke whatever came to her mind, staring at the grave stones. Raph felt somewhat out-of-place by her side, almost as if he was intruding.
"But eventually, I found a family too." Raph gave a small start.
"This family was a family of outcasts. They took me in and made me feel normal again. They loved me and cared for me despite the trouble and pain I brought them. They... They gave me a sense of belonging."
"Master Splinter's like you, Oto-san. He's strict but loving, at the same time. The turtles, they're like brothers I never had. Except Raph, that is. Raph... Raph's something more. He may seem brash and impatient, but he has a good heart, and he really loves his family too. He's a fighter like you, Oto-san. Oka-san... you'd have loved to meet him." Ren's voice was thick with emotion now.
"Don't worry about me, now. I can take care of myself, and even if I make mistakes, I have a family by my side to help me now. A family to love and be loved, to care and be cared for. A place for me to belong too. But that doesn't mean I'll forget both of you. I'll always remember you, Oka-san, Oto-san." Finally, Ren stood up. Raph followed.
"Do you have anything to say to my parents?" Raph gulped at Ren's question. Slowly, he turned to the grave stones and sank into a deep bow.
"Ren finally has a family now. She's been throught a lot... And lost even more. But even so, I'll do my best to make her happy again. With us." Raph paused, breaking off uncertainly.
"Is that alright?"
Ren answered by throwing her arms around him. The first time she had reverted back to her old self since the battle.
"It's more than enough." Raph exhaled and patted her back awkwardly, though he was happy that Ren seemed at ease again.
"Let's return home." The two figures that came and returned were the same. From their paired sais, to the silver sai charms they wore on their wrists, they did not leave any differently. But each returned with a strengthened inner mind, a lifted heart, and a special sense of belonging.