A/N: Final, full chapter.

Sciencegal - Everything comes full circle. Mostly. 3

musicluvr - Wish granted!

DuckiePray - Love is funny that way, am I right? For everything those two have given up, I think they deserve to be selfish this time. And no way was Izel, Nenetl, and Huitzi letting Coyo leave without seeing her wed. That's, like, their dream, LOL.

CHAPTER 37: HOME

Standing beside her husband felt strange enough, let alone standing in line with his brothers and sister—a physical representation that Coyolxauhqui had left the K'ekchi Tribe for the Hamato Tribe.

"This is it," she said in Nahuatl.

Izel approached with Tlaloc, Nenetl, and Huitzilopochtli behind her. "It is okay," she told her friend. How many times must she say that?

Coyo added, "The Pesto Chief has promised you can still serve Ometeotl. They also know of the Teo. They respect our traditions and—"

"They will help. We will survive." Izel grinned, blue lips parted by yellowed teeth. She cradled her best friend's face and was careful not to harm the Cochotl nestled in a sling across Coyo's chest. "You have done the remarkable," she continued. "You ended a war. Convinced not only a rival tribe to save us but a Yaoqui to fight for us. Above all, you led the K'ekchi your way. That is more than enough."

"Bu—but"—Coyo sniffled—"you are broken, and I am—"

Izel rocked her forehead against Coyo's. "You have done all you need. You are free. And I cannot be happier for you, Teueltiuh."

"Protect her, Ayotl," Tlaloc said in English. When Izel parted, Coyo saw her wipe away tears and send the warrior a look. He ignored the skinhead, though, bright eyes set on Leonardo.

"With my life," Leo replied.

"Coyo, Teicu." Huitzi smiled when his sister faced him. "Ma xipahtinemi."

"Ma xipahtinemi, Teachcauh," she replied. She would say nothing of how sorry she was to miss his passing away; he had persisted before the wedding that she watched too many family members die already.

"Know what sucks?" Michelangelo asked.

"Sucks?" Coyo questioned.

"Yeah, sucks. Know what does?"

The woman's brows furrowed. "Is trick question? Does not suck mean, uh—oh! 'Suck' is slang." Coyo puffed up in triumph and the orange-masked turtle-man double over from laughter.

"Oh my gosh," he wheezed. "Leo, Dude, you're wife is gunna be a riot."

Riot? Was that more slang?

"Dudette," Mikey told Coyo, "I mean it bites that we never got to see the Languu. We come all this way, and they hide."

"Leo explained that," Donatello said. "If you listened, maybe you wouldn't be complaining."

"Yeah, but, we would've at least seen—what was her name? Zatarain?"

"Zaddir," Leo corrected.

"Yeah, her. Nia's aunt. Ish."

"She faces the same issues as the other Quizzinteyo, Mikey. They were never sociable anyway."

"Still."

"Maybe you'll meet her another day. For now—"

Mikey waved a hand then rested an arm on his girl's shoulders. "We have a long trip. Yaddah, yaddah. Let's just hope Hoshi's screaming every five seconds won't delay us too long."

The yellow-haired girl snorted. "That was you, Figo. Crying over spiders."

"They were the size of my head."

"They were non-aggressive."

"Says you!"

Coyo smiled at the couple, saying, "Soap right."

The Hamatos froze as Soap faced Coyo. "Scusa?" she asked.

"Tlen?"

"What did you call me?"

"Name. So-pee-ah. Mikey call you Soap."

"No, no, no. My name is Sophia. So-fee-ah."

"So—soh—"

"So-fee-ah."

"So"—the syllables stuck like phlegm in Coyo's throat—"so-pee-ah."

"So-fee-ah!"

"That road will lead nowhere, Sophia," Leo interjected. He half-smirked when the yellow-haired girl growled at him. "Trust me."

How were roads related to names? 'I can feel it; his whole world will confuse me.' Such would be her sacrifice, right? The woman exhaled, giving her people one last cursory glance. They smiled, from the most advanced Elder to the littlest child, and their support stung her eyes.

"Timo-itazke," she said.

"Timo-itazke," they repeated.

"May Ometeotl bless your home," Nenetl said in Nahuatl, head bowed.

"Your marriage," Hutzi added.

"And your womb," Izel followed up with a wink.

Huitzi shoved her shoulder, but the hope in his expression could not be denied. Honestly, Coyo prayed she could be as lucky as her cousin and lingered on the idea of children as she and her husband left the village side-by-side.

Sharp pains dug into Leonardo's bicep, but he let Coyolxauhqui cling to him as hard as she wanted. The poor woman had never flown before, and the cargo hold was hardly the safest spot on a plane.

"I ain't fond 'a flyin' either,' Raphael said. Even though he glanced over the suitcases and crates that hid the group, he had obviously spoken to Coyo.

The tribeswoman wiggled her fingers, yet kept quiet, watching Yolotli sleep in his sling bed.

"Calmati," Sophia said from beside the hothead. "We have a higher chance of being struck by lightning twice, Defi."

"Turtle Luck don't give a shit about odds, Pink. An' stop callin' me that."

"Only if you train Coyo not to call me Soap."

"Easy, guys," Michelangelo interjected. He chuckled then pulled his girlfriend close when a sudden rumble vibrated the hold.

Leonardo heard his wife inhale sharply as the plane's engines charged, and he smiled at her wide eyes. "It's normal," he told her.

She nodded, licking her lips.

"This is really happenin'," said Raph. His voice was muffled by the idling engine as his gaze fell on his older brother. "Ya ready for this, Man?"

"Home has changed," Mikey added. "It's not even the Lair anymore. It's Saisei. And you're gunna have one hell of a welcome home bash."

"Yeah." Donatello sounded winded at Leo's other side. "With over, like, twenty people at least. Casey included."

"An' his kid." Head shaking, Raph scoffed. "Still can't believe that shit."

"You couldn't squeeze any more details outta Nia?" asked Mikey.

Raph flashed a look. "We were about ta board. Besides, I was preoccupied."

"Right." Mikey's pout morphed into an impish grin. "By asking things like 'How are my girls? Are they any bigger? Do they miss Daddy?'"

"If ya like yer ugly mug the way it is, stop talkin'." Raph rose part-way from his seat until Leo's head shook.

"Knock it off, Mikey," the Jonin said. "Raph has every right to want to hear about his"—the word felt odd—"daughters."

"I know, Bro. It's just fun to watch the troll blush."

"I ain't blushin'. Or a troll."

"I know a little girl who'd claim otherwise."

"Speaking of," Don started. When he earned everyone's attention, he raised his voice over the rumbling plane. "We're returning to a lot of insanities. Including Mel." The genius twisted a silver bracelet around his left wrist, thumbing its engravings. "She'll be there. And Sven. On the outskirts, but…"

"She isn't bad." Mikey flailed his arms as he spoke, almost hitting his girlfriend in the face. "She's done so much while you were away. Like, deliver our nieces. Help get funding for Saisei. Hell, she almost blew herself up with fireworks trying to get Sensei medicine."

"I resented her stay, too," added Raph. "But Gray's saved our lives on multiple accounts. So have Sven an'—" The hothead cut himself short with a sour look.

"What the cyborgs did at Black Lotus was awful," Mikey said, solemn. "Still, Tabitha didn't deserve to die like that."

Leo agreed, as strange as it seemed. Perhaps he could accept the idea more readily since the flying cyborg sacrificed herself? What purer proof was there of someone's conviction to change?

"They're just screwed up, Bro," Raph said. "Like the rest 'a us."

Mikey nodded. "She and you can be a lot alike, actually. Common ground shouldn't be that hard to find."

"Seems like a necessary step, huh?" Leo questioned. His hand covered Coyo's, squeezing it. "I can't ask acceptance for Coyo and not offer the same courtesy. That'd be unfair."

The Hamatos chuckled. Leo admitted it felt good to think about fairness again without bad memories weighing him down. Guess his brothers felt likewise, according to their smiles.

"Ow!" Leonardo looked at his wife, who buried her face in his arm. She shook more from fear than from the plane's movements, and when the engine's whine increased, so did the gravitational pull towards the plane's tail. "Want to get off?" he asked in Nahuatl. It was a jest, except part of him feared she'd accept the offer.

"I—I have bound myself to you; I will follow," Coyolxauhqui replied. Her Nahuatl sounded strained, possibly due to the grin she forced. "Many things will frighten me in your world, will they not?"

"Probably. Just remember: machines are not monsters nor magic."

"Uh, scusa, Capo." Sophia sent a hard stare across the cargo hold, hands gesturing outwards. "If I'm limited on Italian, you're limited on tribal talk."

"It's called Nahuatl," Leo said. "And as clan leader, I can speak whatever language I want."

Raph snorted as Sophia's freckled face scrunched. "He is not pulling that card, Figo."

"Chill, Hoshi. He has a point. Besides, we only have the Italian rule 'cuz…" The orange-masked Chunin trailed off under his girlfriend's glare.

"Because?" she goaded.

"If it's all the same to you," stated Don, "I'd rather not spend our next few hours arguing that point."

"Who says it'd take hours, Genio?"

"Everyone knows how stubborn you are," Mikey said over Sophia's huff. "Moving on. Coyo. As Leo's brothers, we give you props."

"Props?" the tribeswoman echoed.

"Yeah, ya know. Credit? Brownie points? You're making a crazy sacrifice."

"All for this guy?" asked Raph, pointing at Leo.

"Now that's love," finished Donny with a chuckle.

Raph shrugged. "Or psychosis."

Leo pursed his lips as Mikey continued, "She'll need a little crazy to survive us, though. I mean, really. Five mutants, a half-alien, and a cyborg? We sound like the start of a joke."

"Don't forget the little superhuman who'll be giving Coyo a run for her money."

Leo met Don's eyes. "Has Kaiya wanted to see me that badly?"

"You have no idea," the brothers answered in unison.

The plane engines drowned out anything else they had to say with a low-pitch roar. Leo snaked his arm around Coyo, holding firm while the plane sped up. They slid across the floor slightly before the wheels rose from the runway, but Leo knew his sunken stomach had nothing to do with the takeoff.

He realized the trip was real. His brothers were with him, his wife beside him. And he was heading for New York, where his clan had transformed into something grander than he had ever imagined.

Saisei teemed with anticipation matched only once by the arrival of Selene and Nyx. Hamato Splinter had spent the last hour watching others race to finish last-minute touches on party décor and even longer making occasional eye contact with the cyborgs who lingered at the stairwell's top platform.

"Your Aunt Melody sure is nervous," the old rat told his granddaughters. The tiny hybrids kicked their legs into his stomach; they often did when they heard their grandfather's voice. "So excitable. Such your father's children."

Nyx grunted, lips puckered. Yes, very much like Raphael.

"Mi—mister Splinter?"

"Hum?" Splinter's head turned to where Kaiya stood. In the background, Shadow and Megan played with Jennifer overseeing them, and the blonde mother sent Splinter a soft look when he spoke again. "What is wrong, Kaiya-chan?"

The child tugged at the ends of her curly hair.

"Are you hungry?" the master added. "By now, Adeline-san and Marina-san must have cooked everything in the fridge. Who knows what they are making, but it smells delicious. Surely they have enough to spare while we wait."

"Not hungry," Kaiya said, bland.

"Then what troubles you."

The child glanced over her shoulder, and Jennifer nodded. "Is—is Mister Leonardo really coming back?" she whispered.

Splinter braced his arms on each side of the twins so they would not fall when he twisted towards Kaiya. "Yes, Child. He is."

"An—and he'll want to see me? I won't"—the girl hiccupped—"won't make him sad?"

"Why would you sadden him, Kaiya-chan?"

"Because I was in the bad place, too. Isn't that why Miss Melody hides?"

Splinter followed Kaiya's eyes up the stairs. He caught glimpses of red and orange lights before they disappeared. He wished that had not been the case; he wanted the cyborgs to hear what he had to say as much as he wanted Kaiya to.

"Listen, young one," he started, "you do not need me or your parents or Doctor Vigue to tell you what a harrowing experience you endured. As much as it scarred, it also drew others together through the turmoil. Like with Greeves-san and Brooks-san. You, Rupurt-san, and Leonardo share a bond. He will care for you outside that prison as much as he did in it."

"Really?" the little blonde croaked.

"Hai. But be patient, I beg. He has not been in the city for a long time."

"The text is in, they're coming up the driveway!" April screamed.

The twins jolted in Splinter's lap, one whining loudly and the other silently. Their slender chests puffed with anxiety and the grandfather rubbed their stomachs until Mia and Adeline usurped them.

"You will have your paws full in a minute," Mia told him.

Splinter nodded when she settled Selene along her wheelchair's armrest then stood from his recliner as she joined a cluster of people around the front door. They clamored for the best positions under a home-made banner, quieting the moment the doorknob rattled. As soon as Leonardo stepped across the threshold, their voices returned with a unanimous greeting. Leonardo stood, gapping, and Nia embraced his neck in a hug that made her feet dangle.

"Leo-onīsan," she said through sniffles. She let her feet meet the floor then stared up at the Jonin's shocked expression. "Okaeri."

"N—Nia?" he asked. His eyes glossed her over, lingering on her short hair and face. "Um, wow. You're, uh, different. In—in a good way, I mean. This is—I…Wow."

"Overwhelming, huh?" Nia gave a sheepish shrug as she stepped back. "Not me. E—e—everything else. Right?"

Leonardo nodded as he glanced around the occupied living room. He chuckled, likely in an attempt to keep focused. Who could blame him? Last he had seen Mia, she was in a coma. And Gavin was more reclusive. Then there was Adeline, whose face he had never seen before. Not to mention the twins and recently-introduced Shadow Jones. On top of the entire Reese and Williams families.

"This is—"

"Unbelievable?"

Leo sent Nia an awkward smile. "A little. I don't—there's so much. I—I—I don't know where to start."

"How about with your father?"

All attention fell on Splinter. The master approached with a gnarled cane that he used more as an accessory than a necessity, and it clanked against the concrete floor as his chest swelled with pride. Before him stood a changed mutant. The Jonin did not slouch nor stare aside or sigh. He stood with a straight back and certain gaze. He looked young again, like the hopeful ninja Splinter had raised to protect his brothers, yet at the same time more matured, tempered by some unknown force. Could that have anything to do with the 'surprise' Michelangelo and Raphael had spoken of during their last phone call?

"Otōsan," Leonardo said, "tadaima." His voice was broken and brought a smile to Splinter's snout. The father sensed it; the phrase meant his son was home in more ways than one.

"O—Okaeri," Splinter replied.

Then, his façade collapsed. Any tears he had once fought broke free when his arms wrapped around the bridges of Leo's carapace, and the Jonin fell on his knees, returning the hug with an equal amount of tears and laughter.