Previously On 'Love Can Brake Any Stone':
Everyone jumped with joy and happiness, tears rolled down of few of their faces as the news of Leo's return finally sunk in. No one took another moment to think when they agreed to bringing Leo home.
Leo the Lion informed them that each and every one had to give a portion of their own life force energy but if anything was even slightly off then all would be lost. No more bringing Leo home and their life expectancy would be cut dramatically short but, if done correctly their own life force would not only bring Leo back but would remain living inside him keeping their life expectancy would remain the same.
"But wait even if the technique works Leo's life force won't have anything to bond with it, his body was destroyed by Cobra." Donnie said.
The Zodiac King and Leo the Lion looked at each other and nodded.
"Do not worry young ones we have taken care of that ourselves. Now if there is anything else to be asked now is the time to ask." The Zodiac King stated.
Everyone shook their heads, Leo the Lion motioned towards the large 6 pointed star shaped pattern that stretched a crossed the room. Everyone had to stand on one of the points.
Raph stood at the head while Mikey and Don stood beside him. Casey and April stood at the last two ends while Splinter stood placing Raph.
"Are you all ready?" Leo the Lion asked. Everyone stared at Leo the Lion and nodded.
"Ok, let's begin"
Alright guys!
everyone having their plushies, tissue boxes and good load of excitement ready?
then start read! x)
Everyone ready themselves as the 6 pointed star started to glow red.
"You must remain as you are until the star glows blue. Each of you must give a portion to the star in order for Leonardo to return! Focus all of your energy, now!" The Zodiac King yelled.
For Splinter, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey it was easy for them to focus their minds and energy into the star. Each section of their respective point on the star glowed from a deep blood red to a bright sapphire blue. But for Casey and April they were struggling to the point of exhaustion. The longer they failed at sending parts of their life force the more and the ceremony destroyed them from the inside out.
"You must focus, if you don't you will not only die but you will take your friends with you." The Zodiac King yelled.
"It's not working…I can't make my life force leave me…can't you help us?" Casey said struggling to catch him breath.
"We need help." April add.
The Zodiac King shook his head.
"Once the ceremony starts there is no turning back, outsiders are forbidden to interfere or else they risk the lives of the people in it."
"Let us help them" Mikey cried.
"Yeah we have trained all of our lives there must be a way for us to help them." Donnie stated.
"If you were to help them you would be dooming yourself, the amount of life force energy you have already given could kill you, helping them will lead you to your death." The Zodiac King stated.
Splinter looked at his sons and their friends. He knew in his heart that his sons nor their friends would not forgive him for his selfish action but if there was a chance to save his eldest son then he would take the chance. Splinter was an old rat that had already outlived the life expectancy of a common rat.
'A father should never bury his son' Splinter thought.
Using the same ancient technique he used to contact Leo for the last 6 months Splinter focused the rest of his life force energy into his portion of the star. The point of the start grew brighter as Splinter continued to pour everything he had into it. The energy poured out of his point and into April and Casey's'. Everyone watched as Splinter started to disappear into small balls of lights that sort of resembled fireflies.
"Father what you are doing!?" Raph cried.
Splinter forced a smile onto his face, turning his head to face his sons as his eye lids started to feel heavy saying,
"My sons I have lived a long and happy life. But now it's time for me to depart, I must join Master Yoshi in the other life while you stay here with your brother. Don't blame your brother for this, I have seen the end for a long time and just continued to ignore it for the guilt of Leonardo's death has not only been looming over me, but all of you. You must stay together no matter what happens after this. Please do this not for just me for yourselves and your brother. I love you my sons with all my heart."
Mikey wiped the tears from his eyes as Donnie started to sniffle a bit. Raph was standing strong for his brother but if you looked down you could see his hands were tightly balled up into a fist, shaking. As Splinter's body disappeared did the star start to glow so brightly that everyone had to cover their eyes. Every turned back to the middle of the star to see a large blue flame, floating seamlessly.
As the lights of from the star died out and the blue flame grew brighter and brighter. Everyone collapsed on the ground just as the last ball of light from Splinter's body disappeared. While every started to grieve from Splinter's sacrifice did Leo the Lion step forward. Using his powers as a Zodiac, Leo the Lion picked up the turtles and their human friends and moved them outside of the star and next to the Zodiac King.
"Now my friends it is my turn to help Leonardo." Leo the Lion said, staring at the blue flame.
"What are you going to do?" Mikey asked.
"My duty as the Zodiac and my duty to the family that I have lived with." Leo the Lion stated, turning his back to everyone.
Leo the Lion inhaled as deeply as he could, when he drew a deep enough breathe Leo the Lion roared as loudly as he could. Everyone was forced to cover their ears and watched as Leo the Lion's body was starting to become transparent.
"What's going on? What's he doing?" Raph demanded.
"Leo the Lion was a part of your brother for years and had to watch as you almost lost him to Cobra long ago. But Leonardo was lucky and he was able to return to you three even though his time was up the day you were mutated. Now that your brother has been taken away from you once again by Cobra, Leo the Lion decided long ago that if anything were to happen to your brother that he would do anything to save him, even giving up his life to him. Leo the Lion is now giving up his body and transferring it into the blue flame that once held your brother's life force." The Zodiac King stated.
Everyone was frozen, Splinter gave up his life to give Leo his blue flame life force and now Leo the Lion was giving up his body for him. They all knew Leo would never forgive himself knowing that the lost their father and the Zodiac's lost their Lion just to save him.
The Zodiac King chuckled, "Do not worry, Leo the Lion is still very much alive not in body but in spirit, he will remain here and each night you will be able to see him as his true form; stars."
Though they still worried about what Leo was going to do them all knew that there was no going back. Leo the Lions body disappeared into millions of little stars that floated away into the night sky. The blue flame grew brighter and brighter and as everyone covered their eyes did they hear a voice.
Everyone turned their ears towards the noise to see Leo laying in the middle of the ground where the blue flame and Leo the Lion were. Everyone ran to Leo, Raph lifted Leo into his arms, lightly shaking him as everyone cried out his name.
Leo slowly opened his eyes, his eyes that were once brown now were a deep sapphire blue. Peering closer into his eyes you could also say he had stars into his eyes. The Zodiac King explained briefly that Leo now was embedded with some of the powers of a Zodiac.
"I'm alive" Leo said in a horsed voice.
"LEO!" Everyone cried out. Raph, Donnie, and Mikey grabbed onto Leo as if their lives depended on it while Casey and April cried happy tears and hugged each other.
"What's going on, I thought I died?" Leo asked as his brother backed off him.
Everyone looked at each other as if they had no idea how to tell them what has happened to them the past 6 months. The Zodiac King stepped forward, gentle placing a finger on top of Leo's head, the Zodiac King started to fill Leo's mind with that had happened and what had become of Leo the Lion and their father. When the Zodiac King took his finger way did Leo stare at everyone asking,
"Why? Why did you guys do that, you needed father more than I? Why did you have to sacrifice lives for mine." Leo demanded.
"Hamato Leonardo, you have not only seen what happened to your father and Leo the Lion but also your family. They all need you more than you want to believe, take your time to think about it." The Zodiac King stated.
Everyone sat in silence, Leo stood up and walked over to where Splinter was, all that was left of Splinter was his walking stick. Leo bent down and picked up the stick. The walking stick might had been very light but at that moment the stick was as heavy as lead. Tears started to roll off of Leo's face and dripped down onto the walking stick.
Everyone joined Leo as they mourned Splinter's death.
After an hour of mourning Leo gathered everyone to return home. The Zodiac King bowed his head and teleported everyone back to the lair.
A few days after Leo's return and Splinter's death everyone traveled to Casey grandmother's farm. Every stood in silence as they walked up to a great oak tree that grew far past the farmhouse.
Leo placed a marked with Splinter's name craved into it, after the marker was carefully placed against the tree, Leo gently leaned Splinter's walking stick against it. Leo slowly stepped back and bowed his head, walking back to his brothers and friends. Everyone stood in a line and began to pray. The wind blew lightly against their skins almost like Splinter was communicating with them. Walking slowly away from the marker, Raph stopped and placed his hand on Leo's shoulder signaling to him that they needed to talk for a bit,
"Can you guys give us a minute?" Raph asked. Everyone nodded and began walking back into the farmhouse.
"Leo, you know that Splinter what he did so that we still could have you back, right?" Raph asked.
Leo nodded, "Yeah I know, I still don't expect it but I understand why he did it." Raph snaked his arm around Leo's shoulder pulling him closer Raph whispered into his ear
"I love you bro so don't you dare go dying on us again."
Leo nodded.
Though it was a promise he would fight to keep he knew that one day his time would come when he must move onto the next life but he only hoped it would be a long time from then. Little did they know that as Leo made his promise to his family did his eyes start to glow, Raph called his brothers to come over and see what was happening to Leo.
No one knew that Leo's new found life and powers from Leo the Lion were a signal to something big.
In an underground cavern stood alter with a coffin residing on top of it. Looking closer a mark of a snake started to glow bright red, a clicking noise echoed throughout the room as the lid started to raise. Smoke poured out of the room while the silhouette of a body rise from the coffin. The two bright red lights glowed from the silhouette, the only noise that could be heard was the noise of hissing.