A/N: I can't believe we're here, ya'll. Only one chapter and an epilogue left. Sciencegal and DuckiePray, thanks so much for the consistent support! I luv you. ; u;
CHAPTER 36: RELEASE
The moon above Huelihca became Coyolxauhqui's focus, anything to avoid the red-brown eyes that would weaken her.
"Coyo," Leonardo started in English, "you came." The woman remained fixed on the tree's extended roots, and the turtle-man sighed. "Uh, Xander wanted me to tell you—"
"Sorry. Coyo know; Leo already say."
"Oh, dinner, right. Well then...I was worried we wouldn't get this chance, so thank you."
Thank you? Coyo half-laughed. Truth be told, she was tired: tired from heartbreak, war, and an insistent voice inside claiming Leo might not leave after all. And she had neither the will nor energy to lift her head when he joined her.
"Leo mean for more pain?" she asked over the ocean rhythm. "If he say goodbye again…" The woman shuddered. Ometeotl, why did she come? It was her own fault, led by curiosity and slim hope. But now her fear faced her like a charging pitzol. "To leave in silence less cruel," she added. "Asking Coyo here?"
"This isn't without reason. Trust me."
More than anything, Coyo wanted to. Leo complicated matters, though, when he had chilled his voice then left her to sob in Ilnahio.
"Coyo"—Leo struggled for both words and a steady tone—"I meant everything I said before I...left. You want me to stay, but my brothers need me. They came all the way here because they do."
"Leo lucky he has loving brothers."
"You could stand to say that with a little more feeling."
"Okay." Coyo stood up. "Leo lucky to has loving brothers."
"That's not what I—" Leo cut himself off with a chuckle then pulled the woman back into her seat by the wrist. She made the mistake of meeting his smile when her butt hit the root, and her chest swelled as she fought to look away. "We share Mozallo, Coyo. What do you feel through it?"
Longing. Warped happiness. Frustration. And a want to hold her. The woman swallowed hard, watching Leo's gaze linger on her lips.
"Saying goodbye was the hardest moment in my life," the turtle-man continued. "Worse than rotting in Black Lotus, or remembering the Summers, or Mikey. Seeing you harmed put all that pain to shame, and knowing I caused it made me feel lower than scum. You think it didn't bother me? That you were the only one who cared or cried?"
Sensations invaded Coyo's mind: streaks of darkness, buckled legs, and palms soaked not from a rainstorm, but from her eyes, Leo's eyes.
Still smiling, the turtle-man rested a hand along the woman's collarbone. "I felt incomplete without you."
He would admit that now? Of all times? Coyo wanted to forsake his touch yet his calloused fingertips electrified her skin.
"When I saw the smoke," he continued in Nahuatl, "my first thought was how I could live in a world without you in it. The only peace I had came from knowing you were safe and how quickly that changed made me realize I could never be comfortable without being there to protect you myself."
"Leo?" Coyo stopped herself; she dared not ask if he meant what she hoped.
"I cannot leave my clan." The hope imploded into stinging eyes and a sinking stomach. "But things are different with you, right? The Pesto Tribe. They have taken the K'ekchi under their protection at a price."
The price being Coyolxauhqui's title. He knew that. Everyone did. So what?
"Y—you are no longer their leader," added Leo. "You...no longer need to stay."
"Co—Coyo does not under—"
"Come with me to New York."
The woman licked her dry lips, breathless. "What?"
"You have dealt with my selfishness a long time. And I am selfish now, too. But if I walk away without saying the things I really want, I will be a salve again. Every step to recovery that you led me through would be for naught. And my depression would return."
"You want Coyo…"
"It is a lot."
"A city?"
The turtle-man's smile sobered. "It will be a culture shock. Probably unnerving or horrible. Or maybe you will grow to like it, at least. Even love it like I do. It is a chance I want you to take."
"But," Coyo recalled New York City. It was filled with loud noises, rude people, a starless sky, and air thickened by everything except water. There were few trees, even fewer animals, and him: Leonardo.
"I have considered asking this for months. I held back because a change like that could hurt you. Believe it or not, Izel and Huitzi are the ones who convinced me."
Her brother and sister? Really?
Leo nodded. "Izel yelled. Said she would rather you be happy in another world than watch you wither here."
The woman scoffed, flinching under the fingertips that massaged her neck. She could lie, except wither was a good word to describe any future where she and the turtle-man were separated.
"Coyo"—Leo's voice deepened as Coyo grew rigid—"I never wanted to leave. Without you, life will be half-felt, incomplete, gray. So come with me, live with me, become part of my clan."
Something near-weightless and coarse fell into Coyolxauhqui's hold. When Leonardo wrapped his fingers around her hand, she had no need to neither peek at the object nor question its purpose.
"Your Monamictia," she whispered.
Leo tightened his grip, one hand pressed on the totem that the woman drew against her chest, the other cupping the base of her skull. "I offered this once when I was ignorant of what it stood for. Tonight, I give it because of what it stands for."
Coyo choked on words, tears, and bile. She could not possibly agree. Could she? She would be taken from all she has ever known: Eztaca, the rainforest, the K'ekchi, the Teo. Her brother would die in her absence while Izel would grow old without support. How could they convince Leonardo to propose when they knew that?
"They love you, Coyo," said Leo. "They want you to be as free and happy as I do."
And happiness meant following Leonardo—no matter what. The woman unclenched her hand with staggered breaths. Inside it, the Tecolotl totem laid, malformed yet beautiful. When she slipped the necklace over her head, the turtle-man helped pull wild curls away from its string and grinned.
"Does this mean yes?" he asked in English.
"Can"—Coyo's voice broke—"Yo come?"
"Of course, of course. Our home is pet-friendly. Anything he needs, you can find at a store. It is New York, so…" Leo hesitated to touch Coyo, his smile dimming. "You sure? This is the only way we can…"
The woman gave a slow nod. "Coyo's tribe grants her this wish. She is sad and grateful. Leonardo." She mirrored the turtle-man's smile. "Nee-meetz-tlah-zoh-tla."
Waves crashed along the cliff base as Leonardo leaned in close. He slipped both arms around Coyolxauhqui's waist then placed his forehead on hers. The sensation overwhelmed her; it raised hairs on her body, stole oxygen from her lugs, sent tingles down her abdomen—all before the turtle-man met her lips.
"I love you, too," he whispered along her cheek.
His breath teased her nerves, igniting them as his mouth trailed towards hers with painstaking slowness. The way he pressed her body against his front-shell gave rise to the raw emotions the two they had spent months suppressing, and Coyo's ears pounded louder than the ocean current while he kissed her with aching desire.
Once, Leonardo had used the sunset as therapy. Today, he watched it with new purpose. It represented how the mutant had not only survived—but lived—another day. That thought left him feeling as if he had regained some childhood optimism.
"Will you miss it?"
Leo kept his eyes on the pink sky as gales swept across the hillside outside K'ekchi Village's ruins. "Yeah," he told Joseph. "But it's time."
"It's okay, you know?" Joseph chuckled, drawing Leo's attention. The Chinese man stood without the need of a crutch because his withered leg was whole. "Death can't be beaten, Leonardo. Mortality is what makes life precious. Which is why you shouldn't dwell on tragedies that were never in your control."
Deep down, a piece of Leo knew that. Generally, the piece manifested as Joseph, even if Leo's paranoia, Donald, often silenced his wisdom.
"You can move on," Joseph continued.
"I'm trying," Leo answered.
"And succeeding. You've let some great people into your life. Now you're marrying one."
"Still sounds odd. Not sure if it's reality lagging or the fact that Izel and Mikey insist the Elders marry us tonight. I just proposed."
"I think a wedding is a fitting end for your chapter in this tribe."
"Guess so. Besides, we'll never get another opportunity like this. To wed, I mean. Not in New York. Not in our society. Not unless something big changes."
Joseph hummed. "Seize this chance. You deserve a bright future. We aren't unhappy or suffering. Great thing about being dead is we can wait forever to see loved ones again. And some of us needn't wait at all."
Leo looked towards were Joseph jutted his chin. A curly-haired woman kneeled on the hill's base. Abigail? The mutant could hardly believe it. She grinned, her onyx skin free of ulcers or scars. Both her arms—not just one—outstretched as a toddler raced to her. She caught the little girl with kisses and tears, cooing words that the wind silenced.
"Wouldn't you count that as a happy ending?" Joseph asked.
Abigail's laughter answered in Leo's stead. He had no idea if her true laugh resembled girlish glee, but anything sounded better the whimpers he remembered falling asleep to. The woman glanced up, grinning at the mutant, and then scooped the toddler up. She walked with uprightness and ease into the rainforest, which made Leo smile.
"I admit, I want nothing more than to hold Terry's and Jasmine's hands," added Joseph. The Chinese man glanced downwards then the sunset. "But I also hope, for them, decades pass before they see me. I hope they meet partners who give them children, who they'll love as strongly as I do. I hope they live long, happy lives. Could you do me a favor?"
Meeting Joseph's dark gaze, Leo waited for the man to elaborate.
"Check in on them from time-to-time?" Joseph asked. "They don't have to know you exist. Just make sure they're safe. And, if you can, maybe…tell them how much I love and miss them. Everything I did was for their future. I would never, ever abandon them. Don't let Terry think that. Let them know I believe they're strong enough to do the same for those they love, especially each other. Can you do that?"
Leo's throat felt tight when he brought his chin down in a nod. Considering how he had already teased the idea of visiting Rupert, Paige, and Quill, leaving a note for a couple kids seemed feasible.
"I'd like to lay some chips down on that offer," a new voice said. An old man came to a halt by Leonardo's free side. He flashed a smile that hid his eyes in deep, wrinkly sockets.
"Chandler?" Leo asked. "You look…"
"Healthy?" Chandler snorted. "Funny, eh? I'm more alive in death than I ever felt or looked before."
True. While Leo had seen Chandler only once in Hall-F, the human's cracked, boil-riddled skin and malformed teeth had left an impactful imagine.
"Remember the story I told you before I died?" asked Chandler.
"Yeah," Leo replied.
"I'd wager it's a lost cause, but…contact my brother. I'd like my nephew to mature without thinking of me as his unapologetic, High Roller uncle who destroyed his future. I was egotistical. An asshole that didn't deserve the forgiveness he was asking for. And I sucked at gambling."
"I—I don't even know your last name, Chandler."
"Guess that's a little hard to remember when you got a punk as loud as Donald calling me 'old man'." The elderly man shook his head and sniggered. "Ask Gray for details."
Leo sighed at the cyborg's name.
"She's your brother's girl," added Chandler. His brows rose, a perfect smile peeking from below his mustache. "You'll need to reconcile."
The mutant sucked his teeth, saying, "I know."
"If Gray is apologetic," Joseph interjected, "maybe you both can do that through these notes and visits."
Leo sent the Chinese man a sidelong glance.
Of course, Joseph knew what thoughts entered the mutant's mind, and said, "You've been mauling over a solution for Donny's sake. It may be awkward, but your clan has grown. It's time you made sure all its members fit."
"You can do that," added Chandler. "You're strong enough now."
"Oi, Leo!" Michelangelo's voice broke Leonardo's concentration. Along the scorched slope, the youngest, Raphael, and Donatello stood, waving.
"What are ya doin'?" Raph yelled uphill.
Leo glanced at his sides. Joseph and Chandler were no longer visible, but when he looked down at his brothers, he saw three shadows in the tree line behind them. The figures lingered before their dead faces faded, and for once, Leo didn't fear their return.
"This is yer damn weddin', Fearless! Ya wanna do it tribal-style, do it!"
Leo countered his brothers' stares with a lopsided smile as he met them at the hill's base. "Huitzi send you?" he asked.
"Yes," Donatello answered.
"He seemed perturbed," added Mikey. "Mentioned something about ribbons, ceremonial Chicha, and a headdress you're supposed to wear."
"Guess a headdress is better than a loincloth," Leo said.
"Oh, loincloths are involved, too. Really long ones. And ponchos. I tried 'em on."
"The Shaman was unhappy," Don concluded.
Leo couldn't help snickering at the thought, even when Raph made a face.
"Ya look like a grinnin' dumbass," the hothead told him.
"He can look like a dumbass all he wants," Mikey interjected. The nunchaku master wrapped an arm around his eldest brother's shoulders then threw his head back. "Our big bro's getting married. Look how happy he is."
"Stop."
Leo punched Mikey in the shoulder when the youngest pinched his cheeks but kept smiling as Mikey continued, "Congrats, Dude. Really."
"About time ya grew some balls 'n went after somethin' ya wanted," Raph added.
"Funny," Leo said, listless.
"He makes a point, somewhat," added Don. "You deserve happiness. And if Coyo's done half as much for you as you say she has then that over-qualifies her as your wife."
Mikey nodded, saying, "I'm just bummed everyone else can't be here."
"We'll have to make up for that then, won't we?" Leo questioned. "Come on. Let's get back before Huitzi sends Tlaloc. Or worse, Izel."
Perhaps Leo's brothers thought his laughter odd. What did it matter? He was finally free, reborn. The release felt empowering and left him eager to declare how badly he needed Coyolxauhqui at his side—for better or worse, in sickness and health, through life and death, no matter where in the universe they found themselves.