From The Shadows: Goodbye || BOOK 3 (TMNT)

Chapter 8. Return to Japan

     Receiving that call had sent Takao's mind spiraling. Doubt and guilt were at the forefront of his thoughts. Over and over again he questioned whether he and Noah had done the right thing. Every other solution he could think of led to other undesirable outcomes. Takao worried that the one he had taken was the worst of them all.

     The coordinates he had sent his ninja were to a safe house that only he had known about—until now. There was always a hope that Takao would never have to use it. Its necessity now played a role in his doubt and guilt. Needing the safe house must be a sign that he had made all the wrong decisions and it seemed as though everyone else was paying for it.

     The safe house was situated far from the original Adachi lair. It took hours after landing in Japan to arrive. The closer Takao got to the house, the more numb he became. All the negative emotions he felt brought a flood of horrible memories back to him. He had spent countless hours working to suppress those memories and he had succeeded. Now, whenever the nightmares came back, Takao would go numb.

     When Takao finally arrived, the house looked as though it hadn't been touched. But, he knew better. He could feel all the eyes trained on him from behind the surrounding trees. There was caution at first but when they recognized Takao, the ninja stepped out of their hiding places and approached their master. Takao stood still, eyes shifting from one ninja to another. The guilt skyrocketed.

     "They're out back," one speaks softly. 

     Takao walked swiftly around the house. His heart sank as he rounded the corner and saw the silhouettes lying on wooden pedestals. White sheets shielded their bodies. Takao hesitated as he approached closer. His hand shook slightly—something that never happened to the disciplined martial artist and doctor—as he reached for the cover and pulled it done to reveal one of the many faces that fell to Sasha.

     It had been quite some time since Takao felt the amount of pain he now did. He moved from one body to the next, watching their faces, hoping that they all might just wake up. None of them did and none of them would. To see death so close to him again, to people he cared about again, was a wake-up call. Reality had set in and Takao could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He thought that everyone else could hear it if they listened for his panic.

     Takao stepped back. He fell to his knees, gut-wrenching. He lowered his head and hunched over in a bow. His ninja followed suit, bowing in severance for their fallen brothers and sisters. A ninja stood from their position and, with a deep breath, lit the pedestals with fire and returned to their bow.

     "Ima yasunde kudasai, Senshi," Takao mumbles. He looks up, watching the flames engulf their bodies. "Rest now, warriors. Your battle is done."

     The clan remained in their positions until the fire died. They watched it so closely and when it was done, all that remained were ashes and bones.

      The remains were swiftly collected and taken inside the house. The ninja had already set up altars for each of their late comrades. Flowers had been set in place, decorating the various portraits. Incense awaited to be burned. The urns of ashes were placed in front of each altar, along with the bones of the victims. 

     The center altar had already been lit. Takao stood perfectly still looking at the picture with empty eyes. The flickering flames from the candles lit up Ilene's picture with a soft glow. Whether Takao was out of the country or not, his ninja always kept an altar alive for her, without him ever requesting it. And he had been distracted for so long by his mission that seeing Ilene again shocked him. He didn't know what to think or feel. He didn't know if he thought or felt anything.

     It took his ninjas to begin lighting the rest of the candles and burning the incense to snap Takao out of his trance.

     They all kneeled before the altars and began passing around a bottle of sake. Everyone took a shot and the room fell silent. Takao lowered his head with closed eyes. Everyone else could see that he was already devising his next move. They all wished that their sensei would slow down, just this once.