Thus Always to Tyrants

Chapter 10

Word of the day: Foible

Foibles are minor flaws or shortcomings in character or behavior. In fencing, foible refers to the part of a sword's blade between the middle and point, which is considered the weakest part.

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Leonardo heard the sound of rocks falling onto the ground. He sighed and lowered his head. He didn't need to turn around to see what it was. Casey stood there with his arms dropped at his side. He glanced between his Sensei and his mother's body. Leo could practically hear the next words that were about to come out of his mouth. "What did you...?"

He walked over to his mother and fell to his knees. The boy took her hand and drew it back, as if he had touched something hot. "She's...She's so cold, Sensei..." Casey whipped around and looked Leonardo directly in his eyes, tears burning the corner of his own. "What did you do to her?!"
The turtle set his odachi on the ground and knelt down to his level. "Jones...We couldn't leave her like that. I had to-"

"No! No, she was just here! I had my mom back, Sensei, and you just killed her?!" Casey's hands were balled into a fist, looking like he was ready to swing. Leo felt the guilt wash over him more than ever, but he was so sure this was what he had to do. He opened up his arms to welcome the boy into a hug. "She asked me to. And if we had left her or brought her back with us, things could've gone very wrong. Forgive me-"

Casey pushed Leo back and stood up, backing away. "I will NEVER forgive you! You killed her! That makes you a murderer!"

Leo's eyes widened and he shook his head. That string of his heart would just never leave. "You watch what you're saying, kid. I'm no murderer."
But the boy wouldn't give up. He hadn't heard the conversation between them, he just knew that when he got back he saw his dead mother, and his Sensei holding the bloodied odachi. Nothing could be clearer to him than that. "Murder is the unlawful killing of another person, YOU told me that! Uncle 'Tello even told me that! And that's what you did, to my own mom!"

The turtle frowned and felt his patience wearing thin. "I know what murder is. And I know I did nothing like that!"

Casey didn't care, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "YOU'RE A MURDERER! YOU KILL PEOPLE, YOU KILLED HER EVEN WHEN YOU KNEW I LOVED HER! YOU'RE A KILLER!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Leo shouted back, standing up and yanking Casey by his arm. "I loved Cassandra enough to show her mercy! She was my friend, and she asked me to kill her to save your life! Yours!"

The six-year-old furrowed his eyebrows. He was starting to feel sorry for him, but he had too much pride to let his mind convince himself that what he was saying was wrong. "Mercy my ass!"

Leonardo frowned and let go of him, turning his back from him to grab his sword. "I knew you weren't mature enough to come with me. But you chose to defy me, you CHOSE to tag along. That's nobody's fault but yours." Casey growled and wiped tears away. "S-so if I had stayed behind and you came out to kill my mom, you wouldn't have told me?!"

Leo turned back around and looked down at him darkly, wiping blood off of his arm. "After looking at what happened today...You're goddamn right."

Casey's face fell and he looked down, not knowing whether he should be angry, sad or ashamed. Leonardo looked at him sympathetically, opening up a portal back to the shelter. "One last kiss to your mom before you go. Just like I told you." The boy turned around to the body slowly, trembling. He lifted his head and wiped the water from his eyes to see her better. He brought his fingers to his mouth and kissed them, extending his hand out to her. One last kiss.

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Donatello lowered his goggles onto his face, dragging his tool box to the side of the table. "S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. , hand me the...the uhh...The doo-wop lookin thingy." The small robot rolled his eyes. "You mean the lighter?" Donnie made confused face. "That thing's a lighter? What kind of lame contraptions do they have in this place?"
S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. snickered. "It's a run-down shelter, Don." Donnie sighed and lifted his goggles back up. "Fineee, I'll wait until later to finish your upgraded battery." He stood up and walked around to turn the light back on, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. following his every move. He looked over at the counter and saw Cassandra's old mask, and he sighed again. "Poor Cass..." Donatello picked it up and turned it around, gasping. "I've still got the recording on for this thing! But what should I do with it?" He asked, mumbling more to S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. than himself. "Give it to Casey!" The robot said. Donnie nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."