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Mikey looked up at the sky, his mouth agape seeing as the portal closed on the ship causing an explosion over the city where the Krang was; where Leo was. Raph cried out loud, his body hunched over the floor, shaking, every emotion bubbling through his being. Donnie stood next to him, a tear falling from his face. He gently placed his hand over the sudden wetness shaking his head as he looked at his fingers, not understanding what was happening, how this happened, why this came to be. Mikey outstretched his hands focusing on his emotions, his power, the want to bring his big brother back, the need to have Leo be safe. He grunted and sobbed. If future him made a portal to bring Casey back in time, why can’t present him bring his own brother back?
Mikey kept trying, his tears turning the ground a darker shade of grey. Every second made him more and more desperate –more determined– for anything, a shimmer of hope, just… something.
“ Mikey,” Raph finally had the courage to look up, seeing the youngest Hamato attempt to bring their brother back, and while he hoped with all his heart that it would work, for once he had to be realistic. “It’s over.”
Mikey turned to face him, his stance not wavering, in fact, he stood stronger. “Leo never gave up on us,” He turned back, more determination, more love, more hope emphasizing his every word, “I'm not giving up on him.”
Sparks began appearing, energy fizzling through Mikey's arm. A portal started to appear. It was working! But something felt… wrong.
Raph stood up from the rough ground of Staten Island, rushing with Donatello alongside him to where Mikey stood.
“Mikey, whatever you’re doing, don’t stop!”
The three stood side to side as cracks began to envelop the youngest arms, the energy coursing through them in hot heavy flares, the portal increasing in size with every second that passed by. The cracks going up his wrist, past his elbows, onto his shoulders, Mikey huffed feeling the adrenaline trying to kick in, removing as much discomfort as it possibly could.
Donnie and Raph placed a hand on each shoulder, causing the turtle to flinch feeling as some pain was being transferred.
“We’re here Mikey. Together!” The snapping turtle squeezed his shoulder in reassurance watching with delight as he caught a glimpse of the brother he had considered as gone.
Mikey smiled teary-eyed.
He felt it
. He could save Leo. He chuckled in delight.
He felt his shell start to crack
. The portal continued to expand, a dark cloud swirling on top of them. Finally, they saw clearly what they all ached for.
“Took you long enough.”
He was alive! Leo, that dumb self-sacrificial idiot was alive!
How did no one notice the blood dripping from his mouth, the way he hesitated to even speak, almost like he was in pain, his skin a shade lighter and sweat dripping from his crushed body?
Leo extended a hand outwards smiling softly at his family as Raph used his mystic powers to create a hand to grab onto Leo. He glanced at Mikey, seeing the bright glowing cracks, noting that he was slightly swaying. He shook his head focusing on grabbing Leo. Once he got ahold of his hand, he pulled his brother towards him. Raph spotted Donnie throwing his drill at Krang, delaying him as he tries to hold onto Leo. Once Leo is pulled into safety, Mikey winks, closing the Portal, or as Leo would say– Portal chopped.
Mikey turned to face his brothers, feeling light-headed. The cracks seemed to have expanded more, now reaching up to his neck and down his shell, some spreading onto his plastron. But that didn’t matter, Leo did. Raph and Donnie hovered over Leo waiting to see if he would regain consciousness (He lost consciousness? When did that happen?).
“Leo,” Mikey called out in a hushed tone as he approached his brothers. Almost scared to break the deafening silence.
“…you feeling Leo?,” Raph lightly shook Leo, turning just in time to see Mikey collapse on his knees wheezing. “WOAH, MIKEY?”
Leo started coughing up blood, tears falling as he awoke. He shook slightly as his hand tried to reach Mikey, to comfort himself or Mikey was the question. Mikey felt a warm liquid begin dripping down his shell, unnoticed.
He too was becoming pale.
“DONNIE! WHAT DO WE DO?” Ralph cried, panic lacing his voice.
“I-” The genius started backing away, stumbling on some of the debris left from the crash earlier, fear present in every cell- no, atoms in his body. He took a deep breath, an attempt at calming his anxiety, and with shaky hands, he put his goggles over his face scanning them. He gasped in shock.
“Raph, we have to get them to the mainland, NOW!” he ordered, placing his goggles in their original position. One look at Raph was all it took before the eldest got a hold of how serious the situation was.
Raph nodded, taking the frail bodies of his brothers, one in each arm, holding them closely but not too tight– he didn't want to hurt them any further. He focused on using his ninpo, creating a larger red version of himself. Once he felt Donnie on his back, he used his larger body to take all four of them back to the city
Donnie grunted as he pushed buttons on his armpiece. The tech in his lab wasn’t responding to any of his calls! Nothing in his lab, garage, and most important the med bay was responding. Why was nothing working? His tech was supposed to be state of the art, built to protect New York, but most importantly his brothers; So why is it that in the direst moment, a life and death situation, nothing was working?!
He slammed his hands against his face, irritated and terrified, letting out a scream of frustration that didn’t seem to faze his brothers.
Sharp breaths tore through the air as Raph started to become tired. However, he wasn’t sure if the cause was because of being mind controlled by the krang or the fight with Krang. Maybe both. His ninpo slowly started to give out, now being forced to remain on foot. He momentarily stopped not even knowing where they were heading.
“Donnie, where are we going?”
A sad sigh escaped from the purple turtle, the rest of their family might want to see them one last time. “Let's go find the others.” He brought his arm up to his face, thankful that at least his trackers were still online, directing Raph on where to go.
“Come on guys, stay with me.” words said through heavy gasps as Raph ran through the now rubble-covered streets of New York.
“It hurts, it hurts so much,” Mikey whispered, unable to keep his eyes opened
“Mikey,” the slider coughed, more blood appearing, “Why?”
“Both of you- just, just try to relax” He peeked over his brother's shoulder, studying their faces.
“Guys, I’m so sorry.”
Raph once again shook his head.
“ Leo, don’t-”
“This was all my fault.”
“Leon stop.” Donatello rephrased.
“I should’ve listened to you guys. I should’ve been a better leader, a better brother.” Tears once again began to blur his vision, feeling himself start to slip out of consciousness, but refusing to do so.
Deep inside himself, he knew he wasn’t going to make it. He felt the same feeling as when he fought Shredder 2 years ago. That same feeling when all of the Hamato family had joined them, side by side in order to defeat a common enemy. Now he felt it again, but colder, welcoming.
“This would’ve never happened if I hadn’t been so stubborn and full of myself. If only I hadn’t portal-chopped Raph.”
“Leo,” a cracked hand placed itself over the other injured teen’s one, squeezing it reassuringly.
He felt that coldness too. So clammy, almost sticky. It was familiar in a reassuring way, but parting from the people you loved was never a happy ending...
Mikey smiled reassuringly, “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know that this slip-up could’ve caused all of this. Please, you are one of the greatest leaders we could’ve asked for. You're the best brother any of us could’ve asked for.”
Donnie frowned, acknowledging the small, yet noticeable manners of both turtles. Against his stomach and heart’s wishes, he placed his goggles over his eyes once again scanning them. “RAPH! RAPH, WE HAVE TO HURRY.” His became blurry with tears once again. Not yet, please.
Raph took a shaky breath, giving a quick nod, picking up the pace.
Finally arrived. They watched as the other three walked towards their direction, shock appearing on their faces being replaced with happiness as they saw 4 turtles instead of 3. But just as quickly it was replaced by horror upon the state of two of them.
“BOYS! What happened?!” Splinter rushed over to his sons,
unaware of how little time he had left with them.
Raph gently placed Leo on the ground, still holding onto Mikey whose gaze had not left Leo’s mangled body. He didn’t have a chance to look at him before but his shell was clearly broken beyond repair. It was so bloody. Did… Did Donnie know? Why didn’t he say anything? And how did he not notice? He was carrying him!
Raph continued inspecting Leo, much like his shell, his body was covered in cuts
that would never have the chance to heal,
painted in deep red. So much red,
too
much red.
He touched his mask.
“Donnie what's going on?!” April exclaimed.
Unlike Splinter who was now next to Leo, placing comforting arms around his head,
it was cold, too cold even for their turtle nature
April stood feeling sickened at the state her brothers were in.
A soft gasp escaped from the time traveler, he stayed a few feet back as old memories came flashing back. “Sensei? Master Michelangelo?” He whispered to himself, his words falling deaf to the nearby ears.
“Hey dad,” a cough, more blood. “We did it, we kicked their ass.”
“Leonardo, do not waste your breath my son, we have to get you out of here-”
“I'm not gonna make it.”
“I know I didn’t just hear what I think I just heard!” April kneeled down next to Leo. “You are not going to die on me Leo, you got that?”
Leo turned to look at Donnie who seemed to be caught in the midst of tinkering with his arm piece, watching his twin intently as they looked at each other. “ I know you saw. I know you scanned me. I’m gonna die, aren’t I?”
Caught off guard Donnie stuttered, “ Leo- I- No, NO! If my stupid tech could just-You, the damage can be-”
“Fixed? Donnie, don’t lie to me. I may be a dumb dumb but I know about this stuff. I-I know my limit. And there's nowhere to even try-” he shuddered, feeling as his body temperature began declining, even with his fury father next to him. He continued in a softer tone. “ You should’ve left me.”
Raph spoke- or rather screamed. “LIKE HELL WE WOULD LEAVE YOU, RAPH DOESN’T DO THAT. DONNIE PLEASE TELL LEO-”
“He’s right. He has too much internal damage, and none of my tech is responding!” He lifted his arms showcasing his surroundings, showing cracked streets, abandoned and wrecked buildings, and pieces of said building surrounding them. “ EVERYTHING WITHIN A 5-MILE RADIUS HAS BEEN DESTROYED! GOING OUT OF THAT RANGE WOULD WASTE TOO MUCH TIME. AND EVEN IF WE GET SUPPLIES- IT’S USELESS!”
“ WHAT IS WITH YOU ALL AND THIS NO CAN ATTITUDE, WE HAVE TO HELP HIM, HE’S OUR BROTHER.”
“IT’S NOT JUST HIM, MIKEY- HE’S ALSO-”
The two continued to bicker, Mikey taking the opportunity to untangle himself from Raph’s hold, crawling over to Leo. He placed his head on top of his shoulder, closing his eyes. He took small breaths as he felt himself dry heave. After managing to calm himself down,
ignoring the red liquid dripping from his plastron
“Leo, you can’t die, please. Don’t give up on us, on yourself. Leo, we need you. Don’t die. You can’t give up.” Everyone was looking. Everything was spinning: too much, too fast. “Please.”
Unknownst to them Casey had tears streaming down his face. The only words he could utter were too quiet. Too painful.
“ I can’t lose you again. Please. Dad.”
He failed them again.
“...Michelangelo?” Splinter stretched one of his arms, placing it gently over his youngest son’s head. Mikey looked up at him. His pupils dilated,
his skin cold, much like Leo’s, sweaty, sticky, bloody, all too much, and not much to do.
“I’m sorry. I love you, goodbye…” Leo took his last breath, his eyelids too heavy.
“Dad?” Mikey fell limp alongside Leo.
All that was left was the screams and wails of the Hamatos.
Goodbye means forever.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Before you proceed, Trigger warning for talks about: MutilationKillingStabbing Death in general EnjoyThe walk back to the sewers was a long, silent one. There were no jokes, no snarky replies, no laughter– just silence. Everything felt so wrong. Everything was wrong. Cassandra had joined them on their way to the cemetery. She had called in to check up on them and get their location so she could join them. The shock on his face might have been quite obvious since Commander- er April, had questioned him about it. When he told her his relationship with Cassandra she simply nodded, not uttering another word. Casey couldn’t help but stare at her when she arrived. After all it was his mom: more specifically the past version of his mom. Casey had lived in the apocalypse all his life, he was created and raised during it. From early childhood he had seen as many of his friends and parental figures fall by the rotten hands of the Krang. He had lost what he considered home several times when they had gotten ambushed and were forced to retreat from hideout to hideout. Lost his Uncle Donatello at 8, his mom at 10, never had the chance to meet Raphael, all of his friends who died or he had to kill throughout the years, he doesn’t even know what happened to Commander O’Neil after the Krang ambushed them, Sensei and Michelangelo. But he had to toughen up. A single moment of weakness could have led to failure on a mission or more fatalities. But nothing will ever hurt like when he had finally lost everything and went back in time. He knew it was a new opportunity to save the world, to save those who he cared about, even if they weren’t the same people. He had to convince himself that this was okay, that this was alright because he’d get a chance to meet them again and he’d get to bond with them in a healthy way. The dangers of the Krang would be no more and he'd finally be happy. He’d get a chance to protect them. Yet here he was, walking back to the lair after burying Leonardo and Michelangelo. It was… weird. He never truly got the chance to properly bury anyone. He couldn’t even bury his mom. Never got his Uncle’s body back, only his battle shell. The ritual in a way was calming, foreign but calming. At least in this timeline he didn’t have to mutilate anyone's body to keep the krang from using their rotting corpse, he could let their body just be free and rest. Casey suppressed a shudder, remembering how he was merely a child when he had first seen a mutilation. He was 8, and they had just moved to another camp when he noticed one of his friends was missing. He looked for hours for him or his family but they were nowhere to be found. Finally he caught sight of his mom moving what appeared to be large amounts of plastic bags to a room. He had planned on just asking her if she’d seen them, but when he got to the room, the smell of iron and incense was heavy in the air, and there laid the body of his friend still intact, minus the hole gaping in the center of his chest. Among the room bodies laid torn and shredded being placed into bags with tags reading the name of the person. Incense burned around them, some contained framed pictures of people he had known. The look on his mom’s face as she saw Casey inside the room still resting fresh on his mind. She had pulled him out of the room, attempting to cover his eyes with her body to prevent him from seeing the horrors. She had sat him down in a storage closet, explaining the rather horrifying situation.“I’m sorry you had to see that kiddo, it's just… We either do that to their bodies and let them rest, or have their bodies be used by the krang and have to fight those who we once knew and loved. Since we can't give them a proper burial...I'm so sorry.” She held his face with one hand and placed her forehead against his, nuzzling the little boy. Cassandra had held him tightly that night. A small gasp awoke him from his thinking: They had arrived. He looked around the main room where the ramp used to lay, broken into pieces, wood and cement lying all around. As they walked further into the home he couldn’t help but feel a sense of deja vu–A broken home. They made it to the living room, where he was being held captive only the day before. The couch where Splinter had sat on earlier was torn to shreds, the projector shattered on the floor, shelves in the room had been destroyed. The home had been destroyed.
It’s quiet.
One by one, they sat around the rubble. Silence suffocating every single one of them. Casey looked around. He had experienced Master Leonardo and Michelangelo grieving, understood them as he grew older. He knew how to help them. But he never got the chance to analyze Uncle Donatello, or his mom. They always hid from him. He never even got the chance to meet Raph or Splinter. He didn't know how they grieved. He didn’t know how to help them. He didn’t know if he could even help them. Donatello abruptly stood from his place, startling everyone. He mumbled something about going to his lab and left.
Raph felt everything and nothing at the same time. Too much but too little. Rage but he was numb. He looked down upon his hands remembering the rough hard feeling of the cement on his knuckles. The cold heavy feel of the car he threw. The rage, anger, and grief he felt as he destroyed everything he could get his hands on. The way he couldn’t tell if the blood on his hands was from Leo or his newly found injuries. The weight of their bodies as he carried his younger brothers to the cemetery, how heavy it felt. The rough dry dirt that made its way under his fingernails as he dug a hole next to Gram Gram’s grave. His wet hot tears that mixed with the ground where their bodies rested. He failed them. He told Leo he would protect them, that his job was to keep them safe and alive. And he failed.. He was the oldest, the strongest; he was their leader at some point and he failed them all. He failed his family, he failed to protect them. But he’s a hero now, isn’t that what you wanted? Raph just wanted Leo to be more responsible, to understand that being a leader was a serious job that required keeping not only those who they were fighting for safe, but also their team. He got krangified and almost killed Leo, but Leo snapped him out of it. Leo was finally understanding how to be responsible, accepting that he needed to be responsible. He was growing. He was becoming a hero. A true hero and leader. He never wanted Leo to think he needed to sacrifice himself.
Mikey looked up to Leo, not only did you send Leo to his death, but Mikey too.
Mikey. His baby brother. Raph regrets not telling him how proud he was. Mikey had grown so much and it caused a sense of pride inside Raph every time he saw him out in the field. The way he mastered his mystic powers, how fluid his fighting technique was, he might’ve still had issues showing up to actually train but somehow he proved himself during every mission. Even though he was the youngest he seemed to be at the same level as everyone else when it came to fighting. Actually, it seemed regarding mystic energy wise, Mikey was the most in touch with his ninpo and his emotions. He was strong. And yet Raph never let him flourish. Raph felt an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was hot, boiling, it was gross. He recognized that feeling: it was anger, hatred. Towards himself. The snapping turtle furrowed his brows as he started understanding why Mikey always seemed off putting near him, Raph never saw him as an equal, he saw him as his baby brother. Someone who needed protection, but Mikey didn’t need protection, he needed trust and encouragement. And Raph couldn’t give that to him. The boiling grew, bubbling up to his throat. Too raw, overwhelming, suffocating. Clawing its way upward, piercing through his blood, every muscle twitched and ached. Too much. Raph stood up, avoiding eye contact as he proceeded to follow Donnie. He was the oldest. Donnie needed him right now. Emotions be damned.
No one said a word. They needed time alone, besides, their throats felt too tight to even speak. April rubbed Casey’s back in a comforting manner. Casey had been spacey, and emotionless: numb. April peaked over to where Cassandra was making eye contact with her. She motioned to the other to comfort Casey as well. The ex-foot clan member gawked at April, why did she need to comfort this kid who she met today? April just glared at her until she caved. She scooted closer to him, awkwardly placing what was hopefully a gentle hand on his shoulder, unsure of how to properly comfort him. He slightly tensed up, turning his head to look at her. He seemed to be studying her face, almost as if he knew her, like he was trying to piece an old puzzle back together. “Young man.” The three teens whipped their heads towards Splinter. He was sitting down over the area where his couch used to be. The rat was on his knees, a somber look painted on his face. “Yes, master splinter?” “Tell me, what happened to my boys in your timeline.” “What?” he responded, baffled, dumbfounded. “Wait- did you say timeline ?” Cassandra retreated her hand from his back, her mouth agape. “I,” Splinter rubbed the area between his eyebrows, contemplating on how to phrase his next words. “I saw the way you interacted with all of them. With Bl- Leonardo and Michelangelo you were comfortable, you gravitated towards those two since the moment you arrived. With Donnie, you look at him as if he wasn’t real, as if he was a ghost, and Raphael… It’s like you have never seen him.” Casey remained silent. He knew at some point he’d have to tell them about what had happened in the future, why and how he managed to go back in time to save the world but with no signs of the family he claimed to have known. He took a deep breath “I guess I should start from the beginning. I was born during the apocalypse, or I guess I should say created. My mom wanted a kid, the exact reason I'm not sure of. I got told many different versions as to why I exist. My mom would tell me different versions everytime I asked. Like, like You are the light of my world, and you will become the light that shines for everyone else, or my personal favorite, I am Cassandra motherfucking Jones the strongest person alive and you are my son, therefore you will also be the strongest person alive and together we will kick the Krang’s ass !” “WAIT IM YOUR MOM?!” Cassandra shrieked, slamming her hands on the ground, “Yeah, hi mom” Casey scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Uncle Donatello though, he gave me what he called the real reason. My mom wanted to prove that the world would one day heal. That through hard work and determination, we could win against the Krang and get back the world that belonged to us. She created me as a way to say that I would one day grow up and live in a non-apocalyptic world and have a normal life. I was called the Child of Hope or The Boy of Promise.” “Wait you say created ,” April emphasized the word created with air quotes. “Were you like, genetically modified or something?” “Yeah well, that brings me to the next part of my story. Mom had asked Uncle Donatello and Drax to help her create a clone of her, or as close of a clone as possible. With Uncle Donatello’s understanding of science, and Draxum’s great knowledge of all things mystic they found a way to create me. But there was one problem. To be able to create me, they needed the materials to extract my mom’s DNA from her bone marrow. They made a small search team and headed out to a nearby city in hopes of not being caught.” But life was one tragedy after tragedy. And by the look on everyone's faces they knew how painful this story would end. Casey turned to his mom, staring at her longer. She looked so young. So… alive. More than he ever remembered. No eyebags, no greasy messy short hair, no wrinkle lines on her forehead, no chapped lips. No regret lacing her face every time she was reminded of who she lost to create him. “On that mission,” he continued, “the team consisted of my Mom, Drax, Uncle Donatello, and Raph . They had managed to get all the materials necessary for the procedure but on their way back they ran into Krang one. Raph, he…” Dread washed over Cassandra and April. April placed a hand over Cassandra’s. Splinter didn’t move or make a sound. “Raphael died saving my mom.” “No…” Cassandra was in disbelief, she killed one of her only true friends in the future. One of her FIRST friends, all to prove a point. “They got back to the base with the corpse of Raphael, and well, Splinter didn’t take it well. He went out, in a state of hysteria, to fight the Krang alone. And he never came back. A week later I was created. Mom told me many stories about him, about Raphael, as a way to keep his memory alive, but I could always see the regret when she spoke about him. Uncle Donatello, was the next person to die. Throughout the first 8 years of my life, mom tried the best to give me a proper education and build my survival instinct. Without fail every year her and Uncle Donatello would give me some cool inventions from whatever topic I was into for my birthday, they were all weapons of course.” He pulled out what appeared to be a toy gun, Jupiter Jim themed. “This right here,” he displayed the toy-like weapon, pointing to the on and off switch, “is my Jupiter Jim gun that can actually shoot lasers. It has a safety mechanism since I got it when I was 7.” He passed the gun to April. She studied it, shifting it ever so slightly as to remember every small detail, a small grin appeared on her face as she recognized the Genius Build Logo at the bottom of the gun. Yup, this was Donnie alright. “She tried so hard to try to make everything as normal as possible while still trying to keep me safe, in her own way. Then the Krang captured Uncle Donatello. He was out on a solo mission trying to see if he could hack into the Krang spaceship. I was 8 at the time. Mom, Master Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Commander O’Niel went to rescue him. I might have snuck into their tank.” He averted his eyes, embarrassed of his previous actions. Definitely not his smartest moment. “Master Leonardo was the one who found me hiding in the back. He started scolding me and then, we saw him.” Oh how he wished he would’ve stayed in the base. But wishing got him nowhere. “It was my uncle, but he was different. His voice came out in monstrous shrieks, the left side of his body where his prosthetic was, it was covered in pink goo and yellow eyes.” “He got-” “Krangified.” Cassandra turned to April as she finished the other sentence. “Yeah, exactly. Uncle Donatello started attacking us, we all tried so hard to snap him out of it. I thought I could snap him out of it. But in the end, Master Leonardo had to kill him. I remember so vividly seeing his sword pierced through his chest, the way Master Leonardo cried as he held his body. How the Commander held Michelangelo’s shaking body as they sobbed into each other's shoulder, how my mom covered my eyes as best she could so I wouldn’t see them, so I wouldn’t see her cry.” Splinter sat closer to Casey, extending his hands as a gesture to be held for comfort. The young teen heard sniffling from the other two. He accepted the gesture the rat was offering. When did his hands start shaking? “2 years later Drax discovered that my mom had cancer, the cause from the high amounts of radiation she had exposed herself to from when she went out solo missions to retrieve fuel for the battleships. That didn’t stop her from going until she became too ill to even walk. She was put on bed rest months after her diagnosis. On her deathbed, I laid beside her and she told me stories about her childhood, her regrets, her happiest moments. She said, I regret the reasons as to why I created you and who I had to lose. I regret not giving you the life you deserve. But I will never regret having you in my life, my strong little boy. I do not regret loving you. You were the best thing to ever happen to me kiddo. ” He pulled away from Splinter, taking out his mask studying the red markings that displayed in front of it. “She gave me her old hockey mask and told me Uncle Donatello had modified it to help me in missions. I was supposed to get it on my 13th birthday, but obviously she didn’t make it for that.” Cassandra looked at the mask. She had so many memories in that mask. While in the foot clan she used that as a way to escape from the clan without being caught. This mask was her escapism, away for her to relax and have free time for herself. It was one of the only times she ever got to be herself. After the events of the shredder, it was used to create new memories with her friends and grow and explore herself and who she was in ways she never even imagined. That mask meant the world to her, and apparently so did this kid who now held it in the same curious doubtful way she once held it. “Master Leonardo, Commander O’Neil, and Michelangelo took over as my guardians. Although it was mostly Master Leonardo who took over. While he was already a parental figure before, he started to feel more like a father to me,” his throat tightened, his eyes pricked with tears, “He taught me how to become a better warrior, always tried to cheer me up when I was in the dumps, which was actually quite often. He taught me to always look at the positive even when things were at their worst. He even made me a flowerboy for if he ever got married.” Leonardo always dreamed of his wedding with a quote on quote hot warrior guy with big strong muscles who laughs at my jokes . Casey chuckled remembering how desperate he was to be his flowerboy and how quickly Leonardo was to say yes. They even went as far as to start choosing a color scheme and possible flower options– although Casey wasn’t exactly sure what a flower even looked like. “He told me stories of the past and comforted me whenever I had a nightmare or panic attack. Commander O’Neil was like a second mom, she always was, but after mom died, she became more busy. You would only see her every couple of weeks, since she was often out on missions but every time she was there with me she made it worth it. Michelangelo also tried his best to comfort me after my mom passed. He helped me bring out my creative side, helped me paint my mask so the paint would last and tried to play with me as much as possible, like this game he called basketball. Although with the overuse of his powers, his age sped up and he wasn’t able to do much after a while.” “What do you mean by his age sped up?” Splinter cocked his head to the side confused. “Michelangelo was known as the strongest mystic user in the whole world. With little training he somehow managed to surpass the limit of any other warrior and saved so many from the Krang. He had even earned himself the nickname The Orange Angel Of Justice. But when Uncle Donatello was still alive, we discovered that because of his overuse of mystic energy and the lack of training, he didn’t have control over how he was using the energy or where it was even coming from. So the energy he was using started depleting his life force, In other words-” “His powers were killing him.” April spoke in disbelief. Casey sighed. “Yeah, pretty much. The worst part is that it didn't stop him from using it in large amounts. He was 37, looking 70.” Casey chuckled as he tried to make the last line a joke. His heartbeat quickened realizing he was coming to the end of the story. It was starting to become real, this wasn’t a dream nor a nightmare– this was his reality. Everyone he ever knew was… “The Krang attacks started to increase and soon enough we had lost almost everything and everyone. We had one more facility where the empire state building was located. About a week ago, we had received word that there might be another resistance nearby and Master Leonardo wanted to go check it out. If it was true it could give everyone a better fighting chance. So soon enough we had a team which had Sensei, Big Mama, the Commander, Drax, Sunita, and me. We headed out 5 days later once we had an idea of where they were and it had been the first time in a long time I had seen Sensei so happy. Unfortunately…” Casey looked down at his hands which still held onto the mask, his grip tightening ever so slightly, his heart ached. His eyes stung with the salty water, and he felt his breath quicken. “When we got there the group had already been discovered by the Krang. Master Leonardo started to slice through the Krangified people, but then… a kid attacked him and he hesitated. When we saw how much he was bleeding we knew we had to retreat, but there were too many. Big Mama stayed behind to buy us time.”
I saw as those monsters stabbed her through her chest.
“ Drax and Sunita had gotten captured.”
If I had reached out a bit more I could’ve saved one of them.
“I didn’t even see when the commander disappeared.”
I turned back and suddenly she wasn’t there.
“I was the one holding on to Master Leonardo, we ran for miles with him falling in and out of consciousness. When we reached the base, it was in shambles, everything was on fire, most of the remaining members were either krangified, fighting, or dead. It was a trap.”
He’s bleeding so much, no no no no no.
“Krang dogs proceeded to attack us when I laid my sensei to rest a bit.”
I can’t lose him, have we not lost enough?
“Master Michelangelo saved us.”
We’ll be okay, we have to be okay. Please let us be okay.
“When Master Leonardo looked at what was left of the resistance, he declared defeat.”
No, please, no.
“He then told Michelangelo to send me to the past.”
Have I not lost enough?
“He took the last picture of his family and used it to draw the key.”
I can’t lose you dad.
…
Mikey.
“Before I could even process what was going on, Michelangelo was halfway done with the portal, cracks were appearing all over his body. His powers were ripping away the last of his being.”
I saw him die, and I couldn’t do anything.
“He disintegrated, then Master Leonardo told me to save the world and to grab a slice?” Casey shook his hands to emphasize how unfamiliar that phrase was. “Then, he took my shoulder and threw me towards the portal.”
I saw him die, and I couldn’t do anything.
“I… I saw him getting killed by the Krang. I lost him.”
I saw him die, and I couldn’t do anything.
Arms wrapped around him, sniffling and crying could be heard from the others. Something wet hit his hand, at first he thought it was from his mom or Splinter , until he felt something moist slide down his cheek. When had he started crying? Why was he even crying? Casey had lived through the apocalypse his whole life, he should be used to losing people around him. It was just the way things were. Death was inevitable, in a way, almost a blessing to some. He had to toughen up, he couldn’t let anyone else down, he couldn’t lose anyone else, he couldn’t let anyone else die again. A voice broken and croaky spoke “I’m so sorry Casey.” April hugged Casey tighter. “We are here for you kiddo, you won’t ever have to be alone again.” Cassandra held his face with one hand the same way his mother held it when she wanted to comfort him. “My son, the horrors you have faced will now be a thing of the past. You have a family here and you can now mourn those who you have lost in peace.” Splinter offered a watery smile and that was all it took for Casey to break. His sobs could be heard throughout the lair. He held onto Cassandra shaking uncontrollably, gripping onto her as if he would disappear. He felt the familiar presence but yet, it wasn’t the same because even though this was his mom, it wasn’t his mom . She didn’t raise him, even if it was just for 10 years, she doesn’t know the bedtime stories she would tell him, or sing the lullabies that would fight off the monsters. These people were the ones he wished to save so desperately, but it just wasn’t them. Cassandra noticed his behavior, as if he had something to say but held it in for some reason. “You don’t have to hold it in. You can tell us, or hell, scream it all out!” She offered reassuringly. A smile was also included. Casey blinked at her before breaking down once more. “I just- Why did this have to happen? I- I just wanted to save my family, I wanted to save y-you all but you're not my family! And even when I had the chance to protect you, to- to protect them I failed!” He was trembling, wiping as many tears as he could, “I failed. What good is it if I had to lose everything over and over and over again. I came back in time- they-they sacrificed themselves for me and yet I couldn't save them. I just want my family back, I want my uncles back, I want my dad, my moms I just, I just-” His throat tightens prevent the poor boy from being able to speak. Cassandra embraced him once more, being joined by the other two. They stayed like that for what could’ve been minutes or hours, all they know is that the boy cried himself to sleep.
They sacrificed themselves twice, and twice he failed to save them.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Coming May 15