Miracle on New York Hills (Part 1 of New York Hills)

The First Crack

Chapter 4

It is a story Mikey has heard many times before.

The Hamato clan is a large family that has existed for centuries. It began with the desire to be good, the desire to save, the desire to protect. It began with the love of a single woman who refused to let her father's memory be desecrated. The woman formed her own clan, her own family, to stop a demon. As the centuries pass, the amount of living members of the Clan decrease. However, dead or alive, once a Hamato, always a Hamato. Anatawa hitorijanai.

Out of the original clan, only the woman's descendants remain members. Grandpa Sho is the one who runs it, the Head. He led them to the valley thirteen years ago and every year, the village becomes more blessed. Gram-Gram is always there to shelter them and watch over them. Casey's mood affects the weather. When she's unhappy, storms are to be expected.

No one talks about Dad.

They say he saw the future and then he just disappeared. His door even stopped glowing.

April can hear a needle drop from a mile away and Donnie shapeshifts. Ms. O'Niel isn't officially part of the clan, but she's part of the family and she is pretty much Mikey's mother. Milo gets his gift later today.

That leaves Raph and Leo. One strong, one graceful and perfect in every way. Leo grows a flower and everyone throws a celebration. Mikey walks past, glaring at Leo as he talks and laughs with a handful of villagers. He's the perfect golden child. Mikey looks up at Sunita watching Leo with her father and a smile on her face. He glances at April watching Leo from nearby with a small, strained smile.

Raph is super strong. Mikey watches as he lifts up a bridge that has been finished and needs placing with a smile and no signs of physical strain. The beauty and the brawn can never do anything wrong.

His family is amazing and magical and...

And he's just Mikey. Plain, always in the way Michelangelo.

It's not fair.

"Let's get ready," Grandpa Sho calls, but Mikey knows he doesn't mean him.

"Hai Grandfather," Raph calls, racing back to Gram-Gram.

He takes his time returning home, watching the small children run around, chasing each other. They are siblings, cousins, friends, rivals, humans and Yokai and kids. He can see how excited they are for the festivities, playing pretend as members of the Hamato Clan. He's a handful of steps from the front door when someone tugs on the small, handmade bag he has hung over his shoulder. It's one of the kids.

"I have a question," the little human girl asks, pushing her glasses up her nose like Donnie used to do, before he got contact lenses.

"First, can I help with your glasses?" Mikey asks.

The girl nods. Mikey sits on the floor and she hands him the glasses. He pulls out some sellotape.

"What's your name?" Mikey asks.

"Robyn."

"Do you have a favourite colour, Robyn?"

"Red."

"That's a nice colour," Mikey says with a smile as he pulls out scissors and red yarn, measuring Robyn's head with it and cutting a piece of the yarn off, "My big brother loves red. It's why my family calls it the colour of safety."

Robyn grins widely and Mikey can't help but think back to how Leo grinned when he would make up stories for Mikey. He refuses to linger on the memory, focusing on his work and sticking his tongue out subconsciously as he works.