Chapter 12: The Arrival of Old Allies
Alex and Leonardo
Alex walked up the stairs in a place she didn’t recognize. As she got to the top, she saw him… Leo was there. Walking towards the turtle, she just looked at him in awe. Then, she started crying, falling on the floor, landing on both knees.
“I couldn’t win, I couldn’t repay you, I am so sorry. And I don’t even know your name.”
Leo, however, smiled at her and started talking to Alex, comforting the crying woman.
“You did amazing, I am so proud of you.”
He took out his hand and let her grab it, his other arm showing her light at what looked like to be at the end of a tunnel.
“And I am Leonardo, but call me Leo. And I don’t even know your name either.”
Alex smiled, the light glistering in her eyes, still one tear dropping down her face.
“It’s Alex.”
Leo smiled at her. “You saved my life once before, Alex. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. I am so, so thankful for everything you did for my family.” He then showed her a vision of her mystic power, hurting the Kraang robot, causing the alien to fall over and not be able to deliver the finishing blow to Leo, who was then able to get saved by his brothers.
Then, as Alex looked at the end of the tunnel, she saw her fallen comrades, who were waiting for her, waving and calling her. She smiled at Leo. Then she walked towards the end of the tunnel, getting the closure she needed in the end.
Yuichi and Leo wake up
Although Donnie alerted Mikey and Raph about Morris’s intentions, he let Leo and Yuichi sleep. Was it because he was too tired, he didn’t want to see them, or that he wanted to let them have their moment? He honestly didn’t know. But he did think he did the right thing, as he felt guilty for not resting more against everyone’s advice. Maybe he could have beaten Morris if he had just been… more himself?
Donnie also told everyone that Morris was able to speak with them for a while. Everyone was shocked, and as a result, they weren’t a big fan anymore of trying to connect with this person through Donnie’s mind. However, what if they couldn’t find any more answers elsewhere?
A week and a half passed since they all entered Donnie’s mind. Leo and Yuichi kept realizing what they were to each other more and more. Even though the air in the lair was grim, they still had each other. The only ones who took notice of it were of course… Splinter and April. Truth be told, they weren’t 100% sure of it, but they were happy for them to be able to find something beautiful in the dark.
One day in Leo’s room, Yuichi and the turtle woke up pretty early, even after doing their ‘thing’ in the night. They still lay half on top of each other, not wearing anything. Their cuddling was definitely sloppy, but it was fine to them.
“Hey… are you awake,” Leo began. Yuichi started to groan as a result, but when he saw Leo’s eyes, he did shoot more awake.
“Hey Leo,” Yuichi said, still groaning from waking up. They just kept laying on top of each other, not doing anything, just enjoying each other’s company through all the stress. It was the only way they could feel relieved from everything that was happening at the moment.
Then, once they were both more awake, they started to talk. Yuichi still wanted to know what happened to Leo two years ago. Leo started the conversation again after a while.
“I can’t tell you enough how much I love having your fur on top of me,” Leo grinned, jokingly teasing the rabbit.
“My fur? Not my muscles?” Yuichi answered, giggling in the process. While admiring the turtle he was laying on, Leo just looked at the rabbit on his chest, with them starting to make intense eye contact with each other. Then… Yuichi broke the ice.
“Can I…” Yuichi’s demeanor was a bit nervous. Leo noticed and immediately interrupted the rabbit.
“What’s wrong?” Leo said, worried that something wasn’t right. Yuichi sighed… and then it came.
“I wish you would tell me what happened two years ago. Outside the fact that we had a bad fight. I want you to know that I will always be there for you, and you for me as well. You are not forced to tell me, but I know that there is still something there that might never be fully resolved. Though maybe, if you tell me, it will be less painful for you. If I could do that for you… I would be happy.”
Leo said nothing, he just looked at the ceiling, then a tear came from his eye. He had already talked with Splinter about it all, with him crying in his fathers arms, but this was the first time talking about it with someone else.
“Okay…” Leo said, with Yuichi starting to instantly listen carefully once Leo said those words.
“It is the same as what happened a bit more than two weeks ago. When the Kraang invasion was happening, I went alone to one of the strongest Kraang robots, just like you went alone to Morris. I didn’t want my brothers to be involved. Then… I was beaten. He physically destroyed me. I don’t even know how my shell didn’t crack, but my organs were damaged badly according to Donnie. I still see his metal hand on top of my face, with the other one trying to break-.”
Yuichi started to lay more on top of Leo, making the turtle stop talking. He wanted to comfort Leo the best way he could.
“Honestly, I am over it, except when I see a large metal hand or arm. It just… triggers me somehow. To be honest, Yuichi. You, leaving on your own was also terrifying. I mean, I knew we were the same, but once I saw the news of you fighting him, you sacrificing yourself for us… I just felt like I could feel a part of my soul shatter.”
Yuichi just looked at Leo. After a while of them just silently embracing each other’s warmth, he kissed him again… and then they started just like before, them still having no clothes on. Even with everything going on, it looked like Leo and Yuichi’s relationship started progressing to something even more beautiful.
“Leo, Yuichi, we need to talk…” Donnie said, standing at the doorway, still sounding fatigued. But when he saw what was happening, with the other two being like deers caught in headlights and Yuichi’s bare rear being visible, Donnie said nothing. He just sighed, closed his eyes, and looked downwards with a disappointed look, leaving the door slightly open.
Donnie was indeed disappointed… but not because they were homosexual or even that Leo and Yuichi were a thing. He was disappointed, because he didn’t understand how they could be doing ‘that’ when there was a huge crisis going on at this moment in their lives and throughout New York. Leo and Yuichi immediately went into ‘get dressed mode,’ frantically putting on their gear and samurai outfit respectively. Once Yuichi grabbed his katana from the closet however… he was shocked to see it was slightly greenly lit.
“Leo check this out,” Yuichi said, frowning. He was just looking weirdly at what was happening.
“Okay… Why is the katana green, Yuichi?” Leo asked, also a bit puzzled.
“How long has this been going on?” They both thought to themselves.
They just looked at each other, their faces full of question marks. Then, they went to the lair to see the others, not knowing that this could be something that could change the situation for the better.
Everyone at the lair, including old allies
As Leo and Yuichi walked out of their room, they were met with everyone’s glances. Their faces were slightly sad, except Donnie’s, who still looked disappointed. But… between everyone, there were two new faces. One was an old ally, called Casey Jones, or as he was called since the incident two years ago, Commander Jones. He was a cunning tactician who devised a plan with the turtles to take out the Kraang at that time. For his efforts, he got promoted. Furthermore, he wore an officer’s uniform and had a weapon with him… just like at the speech 3 days ago. The other was an elf-looking yokai with purple skin and a lab coat, who was called Draxum. He took down the shredder 18 years ago, along with Splinter and Big Mom. He was the only one not wounded severely during that fight. Furthermore, he had long hair that was a shade darker purple than his skin.
“Even though I look highly up to you people, I wish we didn’t have to meet again under these circumstances,” Casey sighed, looking down at the ground with his eyes closed. As silence arose in the group, April immediately put her hand on his shoulder, him looking up at her and smiling slightly. Those two definitely had a special bond as well.
Casey started talking again. “So… as you all know, there was going to be a small elite team coming from the Netherlands…”
“No… you mean?” Yuichi gasped, feeling extremely guilty. He knew what was going to come… Everyone else had their hands in front of their mouths. Some had heard of the elite Avali team before. A lot of people deemed them just as strong as the turtles.
“Yes… they tried everything, but even though Morris was severely wounded…”
Casey went quiet.
“He won…”
When Casey said this, everyone just looked down, closing their eyes. Everyone’s demeanor was grim and dark, since even other elite fighters couldn’t take him down. Everyone was scared, and nobody said a single word for a while.
Leo, didn’t say a word at first. But, after a small moment, he almost broke down, his eyes watering as well. He put his hand over his mouth, bashing his fist onto the wall. Raph, Mikey looked like they wanted to hug him, but Leo didn’t allow them. Donnie looked sad at his brother, as he himself also dealt with the guilt of Leo’s pain from two years ago.
“I AM ALIVE BECAUSE OF HER, HER MYSTIC POWER AND TALENT, IT GAVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE AT LIFE, GIVING YOU TIME TO-.”
Leo stopped himself. He couldn’t go on. This was the first time he showed his true self as the leader, how vulnerable he truly was. Everyone was quiet. Yuichi immediately had tears in his eyes too. As he tried to get to Leo to comfort him, Raph stopped Yuichi, not knowing about the connection the rabbit and the slider had. This made Yuichi angry, but he restrained himself because it wasn’t the time to have another dispute in the lair.
Then, after all the emotion was dimmed down and some time had passed, Draxum started talking. Despite everything, his voice was stern and rough. It seemed that, throughout his life, he had a lot of experiences that had formed him as a person. “Donatello told us everything about that ‘Morris’. Him, having a mystic power to be able to create anything he wants because he fused with that old demon. Morris, being manipulated before, but now still going forward with his goal, is a problem. Also, the fact that he is now out for the Hamatos as well, instead of just the Usagi family, is a big problem… Who could defeat him then?”
Everyone could immediately tell he was very smart and knew what he was talking about. He was an expert in mystic powers and chemistry.
Leo and Yuichi were shocked. Eyes widened, they both immediately looked at Donnie, who just looked away. Donnie couldn’t look at those two anymore after what had happened between them in Leo’s room. It was not just about Yuichi and Leo being a thing, but the things that happened before that too.
“All of our troops were destroyed that day. How will we be able to beat him? He is a monster.” Casey looked at the team… but there was no response yet.
Splinter just looked at Draxum, but even Draxum didn’t know what to say. Then… Mikey said something that made everyone open their eyes wide.
“Didn’t Donnie almost destroy that spider when injecting him with all his mystic power? How can he still be alive after more than a 100 years? Shouldn’t he be unable to hold himself together anymore?”
The room went silent, Mikey was onto something here. Everyone realised they should let Mikey think out loudly for a moment.
“And besides, he was still able to face off against the Netherlands’ best… Maybe he has power of his own? We learned the Hamato way from Splinter. It is all about being for your family. Morris also wants to be with his family again. What if we are the same somehow?”
“Oh no…” Draxum added. Everything went quiet again, Draxum increasingly starting to sweat.
“What!?” Raph said, as everyone else was just listening to the conversation.
“He lived for over a 100 years, trying to get his family back. Now that he almost has his full willpower back after being almost destroyed… he could become stronger than ever. We have to act NOW, before it’s too late. We can’t let him feel the guilt of his choices again, it will make him even more powerful than before!”
Draxum was seriously facing a meltdown at this point. This situation reminded him a lot of the crisis he faced 18 years ago.
“But the spider is still influencing him, right?” Yuichi said. “Maybe I can…” Draxum immediately interrupted Yuichi, the elf yokai’s talking becoming more frantic as well.
“No Yuichi… Mystic powers based on connection to your family are one of the strongest in the world. The Hamato lineage has proved that.”
“But Splinter was an orphan, he…” Leo added, his eyes still wet, but he was interrupted by a screaming Draxum.
“THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN. EVEN THOUGH HE WAS AN ORPHAN, HE TOOK DOWN ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS MEN IN THE WORLD 18 YEARS AGO.”
Everyone was shocked by the fact that the elf was so worried about the situation. Draxum just sighed. Even he was so stressed about what was happening and who they were facing. He couldn’t control himself anymore.
“Sorry, I will finish…”
“It’s true…” Splinter interrupted calmly. “My mystic power destroyed his entire army, including the shredder himself. But… I never want to experience that kind of power again.”
Draxum looked at Splinter, feeling sorry for his old friend having to bear the thought that he had to end so many innocent lives because of one cruel man. Then he started to speak to the group again.
“There is only one thing stronger than a strong family connection. It is being able to sacrifice yourself for someone with whom you want to be a family. In other words… love and sacrifice. But that’s not all.”
Everyone was silent, and people were listening intently to what was being said. “What do you mean?” Yuichi asked.
“Mystic power is strongest when it flows from love… no… true love. Not just blood ties, but chosen bonds. And sacrifice? That’s the final key. The heart has to be willing to give everything for someone… not born to you, but chosen by you.”
Leo and Yuichi just looked at each other, with them realising where this was going to go. Donnie looked at the two sadly, as he wished Leo and Yuichi a better life together, not being haunted by this monster.
The truth was, since Yuichi went alone to Morris, he had a lot more respect for him. The fact that he was able to sacrifice himself for his at the time best friend in his eyes, meant a lot to him. This was the reason Donnie had been trying to be nicer to Yuichi as a result.
“Even being willing to give your life… for someone that you love. But that’s not the only thing. It has to be empowered by many people. It is like the cherry on top. A layer of family below the layer of love in a sense, meaning everyone that connects to you as a family will have to accept it as being ‘truthful’ or ‘worth it.’
Donnie looked at Yuichi and Leo, immediately feeling guilty. He realised he couldn’t say it out loud. He could not out them like that. He was the only one who had seen them be a real couple. April and Splinter only had speculations about the two. Furthermore, Mikey and Raph were still distrustful of the rabbit, unfortunately.
This was something the couple themselves had to do.
April chimed in: “Then why weren’t the Usagi’s able to defeat Morris at the start, when there were still enough of them.”
Yuichi sighed, having a sad look on his face while starting to speak. “Usagi’s were nobles. They only had arranged marriages… most of the time. There probably was no real love. I know my father and mother did love each other, but my mother was an assassin, and the family probably found it dishonorable.”
“Morris must have taken advantage of that.” Casey added.
Raph started to yell at this point. He was furious that he felt so hopeless about this situation. “WHAT CAN WE EVEN DO AT THIS POINT, WE CAN’T JUST FIND A COUPLE ON THE FLY AND THEN JUST ADD THEM TO OUR GROUP!“
“Wait…” Yuichi said, Leo standing close to him, giving him a slight amount of comfort. “Something happened last night. My katana started glowing green. Here…”
But as they showed the katana, it wasn’t green anymore. Leo just stood there, not understanding a thing.
“What a funny joke, Yuichi, just fuck yo-” but Raph got interrupted by Splinter immediately
“THAT IS NOT NEEDED RAPHAEL.” Splinter quickly put Raph in his place, causing him to cross his arms. Raph wasn’t one to yell profanities, but he was very stressed by everything and just felt generally miserable.
April started slightly tearing up at this point. “I just feel so hopeless. I don’t have strong powers like you do. What can I even do to help?” But immediately as she said this, Casey Jones started to comfort her and give her the hope she needed.
“You are an ally of the turtles and a journalist, correct? Give the people of New York hope, no… the people of America. You can show them that they are planning on ending this fight, once and for all. “
April looked confused, her eyes still wet from her tears. She had always been close with the turtles, but to reveal her connection with them like that… It was hard.
“You and me, April… we can’t do anything against a monster like that, but that is also not our job. Our job is to help the masses of people who are feeling hopeless, just like you do, right now. And people will listen to you. They have lost faith in the military, since all of us got taken out so easily. But if you tell them to evacuate, or tell them to do other things for their safety, they might be inclined to listen to you.”
“Casey…” April cried, starting to hug the man, with him hugging her back.
“I will set up a perimeter with my soldiers to evacuate the citizens when the eventual fight comes. The fight itself… is their job.” While Casey said this, he looked at all the others, who were not in good moods themselves at all. Still, they had to keep going to save everyone.
“Hey… about tomorrow…” Donnie said, almost trembling a bit. Immediately, though, Leo looked incredibly angry at him. Donnie looked away as a result.
“Leo, maybe we should,” Yuichi whispered cautiously, but Leo interrupted him.
“No, Mikey and Raph are not on our side, remember, and what will dad and April think?”
“I’m sure they will…” But Yuichi couldn’t finish what he wanted to say. Leo had another plan in his mind, immediately pointing at Donnie.
“We should try Donnie’s mind one more time. Let’s see if we can see another way to defeat mystic powers like Morris’s.”
Everyone immediately protested, and started yelling at Leo. Nobody could make out what was being said anymore. Raph even called him the worst leader in the world. Splinter tried to calm everyone down. However… Raph kept yelling at Leo.
“YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME MORRIS LITERALLY SPOKE TO YOU. WHAT IF HE IS HEALED NOW? HE MIGHT…” Raph yelled, his face being red just like his bandana.
But Donnie was going beyond his limits again… to protect the two lovers.
“Okay…” he said and as sat down again, he was ready to connect again with the villain.
“Are you sure?” April said, worried about what might happen.
“Just do it…” Donnie sighed, “Besides, what choice do we have?”
Everyone closed their eyes. They knew this was a dangerous move. They were scared really badly after what happened last time, especially the ones who had been there. Still, an answer had to be found there, right?
Apart from Casey, they all put their hands on Donnie. Then, when they entered, there was only a white void.
Until they saw something waiting for them. Not just to talk to them… no…
And just as they thought they’d entered his mind… something moved. A small spider suddenly climbed down Donnie’s leg with incredible speed towards his mouth.
Everyone screamed, but it was too late, as the spider was already climbing inside Donnie’s mouth.
The monster wasn’t just waiting.
It was ready.