The Story Must Go On [discontinued]

Chapter 8

Chapter 8: No Tittle
(Basically I have no idea but I'll change it later-)
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Groaning and grunting, Raph patched up himself with ripped cloths and pieces of unusable dressings. After climbing up the tree with burnt palms, he needed a lifetime rest. Just now he noticed how many wounds he had and how deep they were.

His arms being the most and legs the least. His palms? Not mentionable so he wrapped wet bandages around them. How he managed to burn his hands through the old bandages was still a mystery to him.

Raph thought going to the river would soothe the pain but his mind wouldn't let go of the thought of those three particular humans. What did they want from him? How did they know he was a mutant?

He growled loudly out of frustration, kicking the sheets aside and sitting up. Rubbing his temples, he exhaled sharply and tried to calm down. It eventually became easier after the jungle in general helped his mental state.

Oh but the frustration and stress. They said something about a doctor that wanted something with his blood and honestly? It did not help Raph's anxiety. They saw him and they weren't normal people much to his luck.

Not being able to take advice from neither of his brothers was also frustrating, his phone having barely any signal.

Not that he could escape Leo's worried rants and lectures anyway. Mikey wouldn't suggest the best ways and Donnie's words were just..too complicated for Raph's mind to comprehend.

Besides, his brothers had enough on their plates and could be dealing with so many other things. But still..the situation was concerning and Raph could bet if Splinter was here, he wouldn't treat it as a light decision to take.

Putting all of that aside, Raph felt very relieved when he saved the little girl from the plane...Aisan was it? Yeah. Knowing he saw the girl, heard her voice, and overall had a glimpse of how she was, he wouldn't forgive himself if he let her just...burn in there. Even the idea sickened him.

"Damn these stupid thoughts..." Raph grunted under his breath, falling on his bed as he rubbed his face in frustration. Maybe he would think about it tomorrow...

-

He should be sleeping right now. He should be taking the rest he needed. But there he was, meditating on top of the cliff he found a month ago. He couldn't get enough of it. And we all know who likes calm places.

Of course, it was the one and only Leo, passing his night through meditation and relaxation. The cliff was breezy, caressing the oldest one's mask tails and leaving them floating.

Japan was nothing like he imagined it to be. When they first time traveled and went back in time, they managed to visit Japan. And it was nothing like what it is today. The old Japan was full of bamboo forests, green structures and cultural houses.

But now? It looked nothing like that. The city barely had any green spaces left, all crowded and full of high buildings. Almost half of the city was covered in cartoon posters or as Leo read the titles..anime posters. Good thing he knew Japanese a bit but that name alone was weird.

So where did Leo go? Out in the non-existent forests? No. City? No.
Then where? Under a rock hard cliff that would probably fall off due to the frequent earthquakes and was far away from the city? Yes.

It was an irrational choice, one Leo made and he didn't regret it. The cliff actually had layers to it, meaning there were edges under it and that was where Leo officially settled in. In the meantime at least.

Currently, he was deeply in his thoughts on top of a tree above the cliff, focusing his thoughts and trying to get in contact with his brother but of course, all of their minds were too busy to focus on Leo.

The place Leo was settled on actually had a nice view of the city with a bench just a few steps away from the dangerous cliff. A lonely wooden bench that would creak if someone heavy sat on it, including Leo. Sometimes he would hold his father's picture close and meditate with it, trying to get in contact with him at least.

Of course, it didn't always work. Only sometimes and by that I mean that it only happened one time. But that was when blue just started making his place under the cliff, and right now Leo needed it a lot.

As if on cue, he felt another presence next to him and a pair of eyes staring at him. Leo opened his eyes, smiling faintly at the sight of his rat father's spirit. Somehow even with looking at the tall man, blue's heart warmed up.

"Father." He called softly, sliding his legs from under him and dangled them on the edge of the tree's thick bough. "Hello, my son." His father gladly greeted him back, sitting in the same position as Leo's previous one, staring ahead of him.

Right now the eldest turtle actually had the time to speak with his father and ask about his brothers' conditions. Before worry and concern could bother his mind again, his father spoke up..much to Leo's relief. He developed a habit of not wanting to start the conversation first mainly because of awkwardness.

"I have seen that you've been doing well, my son. I am proud of your decision." Splinter gently spoke with a sincere smile on his lips as his whiskers shook with every word. Leo grinned back half-heartedly, nodding slightly. "Thank you, father. But I don't know how to feel about my plan." At first it was a confident sentence, drifting to a sense of self-doubt. His gaze fell to the city and then got pulled down to the floor beneath him.

Before the younger one could go on, he felt a paw on his left shoulder as he looked up again. "I can sense that. You are not truly satisfied, am I correct?" The rat was patient as his words came out clear and not rushed, knowing Leo didn't want anymore of that. Blue paused, blinking as he let out a forced and low chuckle. "Is it that obvious?" Unsure of how to act right now, Leo looked away again.

"Each one of you, my sons, have always been an open book to me, Leonardo. Surely, I would always notice." The sentence was reassuring and deadpanning Leo in the face at the same time, making him frown slightly. He really wanted to let go of this topic, not daring to talk about how he actually feels...luckily Splinter understood that without any words to be spoken.

Leo slightly shifted in his place as he breathed in deep and looked up at the rat again. "Father, I'm worried about how my brothers are. I can't contact them and I wouldn't know how they're doing if I wouldn't be able to do that." He confessed, now a sad frown plastered on his green face. Always so selfless.

Instead of giving Leo something to ponder about, Splinter changed his intentions and smiled warmly. He let out one of his rare chuckles, stroking Leo's head. Even though they were almost adults now, Splinter still saw them all as his kids who needed protection. "Do not worry, Leonardo. Your brothers are all doing alright. I have kept my eyes on the four of you." Leo's lips curled up to a smile at last, appreciating his master's presence and words.

"Thank you, father." And with that, the blue-clad turtle was left alone with his own thoughts again.