Chapter 4: Title of Power

(A year later)

Yoshi was startled from his meditation by a woman's scream and quickly rushed out to the courtyard where the doors to the bath house were flung open and the youngest Yōkai; who had proved himself to the most mischievous of the bunch, was unceremoniously thrown out into the rain before the doors were slammed closed again leaving the child in a bit of a shocked state as he tried to figure out what he'd done wrong.

"My son." Yoshi acknowledged quietly causing the little one to look at him. "The men's bath house is on the other side." He informed him sternly, however the kame still didn't seem to understand why that would make a different. Clearly he wasn't accustomed to the ways of women – of any species.

The man laughed lightly as the little one got up to sulk before deciding to just bathe in the ponds as they always did, which left Yoshi to look around for his brothers and upon not finding them quietly started a search around the perimeter.

The Yōkai had been common residents of the complex for over a year now and in that time Yoshi has learned that they seemed much more active when it rained.

"Blue?" Yoshi asked as he rounded a corner and found the leader meditating on the top of a wall.

"Hello father." The young one acknowledged as he jumped down to bow to his sensei. Yoshi wasn't all too sure when they had started to refer to him as father; only that it wasn't long after that he'd begun to call them son.

He couldn't explain it any other way than – it just felt right.

"Where are your brothers?" Yoshi added kindly.

"Out." Blue responded leaving Yoshi to nod in understanding. He'd learned that this simple answer merely meant that his purple-eyed brother had gone to search for medicines or things of interest, again something he only seemed to do when it rained.

It was a common occurrence as the little one loved to tinker and build, and required a large collection of new things in order to achieve it. So far the child had yet to come back empty handed and though Yoshi still had no idea where he was going had no reason to fear, for one of his brothers always went with him. It seemed this time it was Red's turn.

"Yoshi?" The voice of his wife asked and he turned to find her walking up to them. "May I speak with you?" She requested and he nodded, giving his son leave to continue what he had been doing and went with her.

"I've been thinking." Shen stated again as they walked, bringing her hands out in front of her to better hold the book she was carrying. "We should try to find them names." She said suddenly causing him to blink.

"They don't seem interested in such things." He answered truthfully, for they'd asked them about it before; only for them to describe the act of naming as a human custom they didn't see the use of.

"My love, we cannot keep calling them as colors." She countered causing him to make a face as he realized she was right. The only reason the Yōkai had allowed them to call them by the simple titles was because Miwa had been the one to make the suggestion, and Spirit's forbid they ever do anything to make her unhappy.

"Perhaps you are right."

"I am." She agreed simple causing him to laugh. "And I think I have the perfect ones." She revealed leaving him to look up as she held out her book to him, which he gently took from her hand and read the name.

"Renaissance Art?" He repeated questionably as he looked back at her. "Shen –" He tried again but she would hear none of it.

"We tired Japanese names." She countered and he sighed again as he remembered that particular disaster.

"Very well." He gave in, realizing that he really should have been accustomed to her getting her way by now. "Do you have any suggestions?" He added remembering that she had a certain love for the art of other countries.

"A few." She admitted as she moved a bit of her hair behind her ear, which basically meant that she had already chosen.

…

"Leonardo?" The oldest turtleasked in thought as he and his brothers sat on the ground at the adult's feet to listen to what they had to say. This left Yoshi to immediately notice that he didn't outright refuse the name as he had done before when they had tried Japanese versions.

"It means, strong as the lion or lion-bold." Shen explained with a smile causing him to think it over again.

"Why do we need names?" His red-eyed brother asked sourly, clearly finding this a waste of their time.

"It would make things much easier." Yoshi explained before Shen hit him with the book to shut him up.

"Because little one." She started instead as she leaned down to look at them sternly. "Names allow us to be recognized, acknowledged and respected." She explained as though this was very important causing them to look at her seriously. "But most importantly –" She continued. "They are titles of power."

"What's that?" The most curious of the four asked, as his bright purple eyes widened in response to learning something new.

"A title of power is something used to protect the soul." She explained dramatically. "Without one we can be easily controlled and manipulated."

"Oh." They all said at once, clearly having never thought of it that way before.

"Leo." Miwa suddenly put in making everyone look at her. "I like it; it's like the lion from the stars." She added looking at the referred-to turtle with a smile that basically crumbled his wall of stern discipline to a pile of dust.

"Alright." Leo finally relented with a little smile of his own, which allowed Shen to turn the page in her book as the seriousness was expertly dulled by her daughter long enough for her to focus on the next brother in the line.

"Raffaello." She added toward the little hot head causing him to raise an eye-ridge at it. "Wait." She proclaimed before he could refuse, "There's another version." She stated before telling it. "Raphael." The child just closed his mouth around the complaint he had been about to voice as he seemed to like this one better.

"Oo – Raph." Miwa recounted as she clapped her hands. "It sounds like tough." She said making a funny little face as she pretended to pump her arms like a body-builder, which only made her brothers laugh. "Kind of," She added with a laugh of her own.

"Fine." Raph relented with a sigh, though if any of them were going to put up a fight for not liking their new titles it would have been him. So it seemed they were on the right track this time around.

"Okay bear with me." Shen continued as she turned the page backwards this time and tried to recite the name under her finger. "Donato di Niccolò – Donatello." She finally just settled on stubbornly, making her husband laugh until she retaliated by hitting him with the book once again.

"Donatello." The purple-eyed turtle repeated, clearly thinking it over.

"It means giver." She added with a smile and he quickly smiled back before nodding.

"How about Donnie?" Miwa suggested again. "That sounds cute!"

"Cute?" Donnie repeated clearly not liking that word.

"It is still a boy's name – I think." Yoshi told him, though he was admittedly not that knowledgeable when it came to Italian or English names.

"What about me?" The youngest piped up, clearly wanting to be a part of the name giving now that everyone else had one.

"Alright." Tang Shen said with a laugh as she turned to the last page she had marked and recited the title written at the top. "Michelangelo."

"Mikey." Both Miwa and the last unnamed Yōkai proclaimed at the same time, causing them to look at each other before laughing.

"Mikey it is then." Shen announced as she closed the book and hit Yoshi one last time on the arm, just because she could, before leaning in to whisper something in his ear. "Now if only we could get them to wear clothes."

"What about me, do I get a new name?" Miwa asked then causing her parents to look at her in shock.

"Do you – want a new name?" Yoshi responded somewhat hurt, as he had been the one to suggest 'Miwa.'

"Well – maybe like a ninja name or something." She suggested, kicking her legs as she thought it over. "Everyone else has a nick name now." She put in truthfully.

"Very well." Tang Shen declared with a laugh as she thought it over. "How about – Karai." She proclaimed with a smile causing Yoshi to grin in her direction as he recognized the title.

"I like it, what does it mean?" The little girl declared excitedly.

"It was a nick name your father gave me once." Shen admitted with a laugh. "It means severe."

"Why would he call you that?" Mikey asked curiously.

"I couldn't tell you." She answered innocently before hitting Yoshi with the book yet again, this time causing him to hiss in discomfort and the children promptly laughed.

"Okay, so what's your nick name?" Miwa quickly demanded of her father, who looked slightly alarmed for a moment before smiling.

"Splinter." Shen declared before he could answer, leaving the man to laugh lightly.

"Why Splinter?" Miwa asked once more with a smile.

"Because when we were young your father got this tiny piece of wood stuck in his finger." Shen explained as she cooed into her husband's ear lovingly, causing the poor man to blush profusely. "He cried and cried until I took it out." She finished before kissing his check to let him know that she was only kidding.

"You are never going let me live that down." Yoshi declared sourly as she kissed him again.

"Never, my love."

"I was five." He complained causing the children to laugh once again.

"What about uncle Saki?" Miwa asked then, which basically ruined the moment as everyone remembered the missing member of their clan who had yet to return since that night a year ago.

"I don't know?" Yoshi admitted sadly. "He never had a nick name."

"Why not?" Miwa requested as Shen got up to bring her daughter into her arms and answered her question sadly.

"Perhaps he will – one day."

I love Miwa… ^-^

I just want to hug her and squeeze her and take her home with me.

lol

I decided to give Tang Shen a bit of an attitude in this chapter, as she's finally better and personally I always pictured her as having Splinter wrapped around her little finger. Lol

Also, 'Donatello' actually means "Gift" in Italian but I thought he would respond better to "Giver" as he is a very giving soul.