One-Way Ticket Home [Rise of the TMNT au]

01: Your Tears are Mine

A/N
Characters' ages in current timeline:
Splinter - 39
Raph - 11
Donnie - 10
Leo - 10
Mikey - 9

[Remember that night I had to leave you?
You said, "It's alright", and I believed you.]

"A few nights ago, I received a message from our family on the other side, my sons," Splinter announced as they were having dinner, Hawaiian pizza for tonight, which Donatello didn't love, so Splinter ordered another pizza, "And I have made preparations and arrangements..."

Donnie and Leo both looked up their father, curiosity glossing over Donnie's eyes, and anticipation in Leo's blue ones. Raph placed his slice down to his plate, while Mikey gobbled his slice quickly, face stuffed with pizza.

"Preparation for what?" Donnie curiously asked, adjusting his glasses as soon as it was slightly sliding down his snout.

"What is it, dad?" Questioned Raph as Splinter made a long pause.

Splinter's eyes were filled with contemplation as he looked at his children one by one, before pivoting his eyes down at his plate, his slice untouched.

He wished it didn't have to come to this.

"While I was meditating, I've received a warning — from our ancestors, mainly from your Grandmother." Splinter answered as he looked at all of his sons, hands clasped together, awaiting for any reaction from the four.

"Our grandparents? And grandparents of our grandparents from the afterlife?" Donnie queried, only half interested what their rat father has to tell them, he expected another made-up bedtime story, Splinter had a way to have his siblings enamored with his stories.

"That is right, purple," Splinter nodded as he patted his  son's head, "They state that the life we have now is in danger, our ancestors have made an appearance before me to send out that warning."

"The Foot clan is out there to take us away, this clan is known to have a great evil ruling it, leading the clan members turn on each other and make a great divide, the Hamato clan was then founded, my grandfather's great great grand father lead it and protected the clan from the front lines," Splinter explained, "most of the Hamato clan's rule was to protect the innocent and fend off the Shredder, an armor forged by an evil force, and the armor had possessed Oroku Saki, once leader of the Foot clan," he added, "It was my turn to do the Hamato duty of honor, the Hamato sacrifice, like how my mother did, and so did her mother, and her mother's mother, but before I had any further training, I neglected my responsibility to chase my dream to become an actor, but later on, things became complicated and now I have you four, and I made a promise to keep you all safe from a clan, led by evil, and to keep you all alive and rid of danger," Splinter concluded.

"That's an awesome story pops!" Mikey cheered in his seat as he clapped. Splinter smiled and extended his arm to pat Mikey's head.

"Oh but my child," the rat man sighed, "this is no ordinary story, but real life, I'm telling you all this now so you will understand what I must do in order to keep you all safe while preparing you for the future."

"Is this because of that one time I slept in the bathtub?" Leo asked, Raph shaking his head at the question.

"What are you saying, dad?" Raph asked, suddenly saddened as he heard Splinter's low, saddened tone.

"My children, I need you all to understand that I have to send you all away for the mean time." Splinter said, holding back growing tears, "There are well hidden branches of the Hamato clan that only the most loyal families can lead you to."

"What? Why?" Raph exclaimed in protest from being sent away, "We're totally okay stayin' hidden down here, dad!"

"Send us away?" Leo stood up from his seat out of the anxiety he felt when he heard those words escape Splinter's mouth, "You can't be serious!" The young turtle asked, worried that they might have to be abandoned.

"If we all stay together here in New York, I fear that our enemies will be able to find us and have us annihilated altogether," the rat man explained, being able to calm Leo down with his words of reassurance, "I cannot risk having to put you all in danger, and I have already lost so much in the past, all I wish is for your safety."

"Does that mean we get to come back again?" Mikey questioned, a bit of hope etched on his face.

Splinter knew that for a fact, his children are young — far too young — to be separated from each other, to live and train individually. They were only nine to eleven years old, it was already painful to announce to them his plan in keeping them safe, yet continue to train.

"Yes, Michelangelo," said Splinter, a pained smile gracing his lips, "in time, you will come back, but while you are away, you will train with our clan."

"Together?" Mikey asked, hope was written all over his face, as the youngest and one to depend on his brothers and Splinter, he didn't really want to go to a place all alone.

"I'm sorry, Michelangelo," Splinter said, "but I am afraid that you all will be sent out to different locations to train and hide from the enemy, it would be much harder for them to find us, until they give up the search, I will then have you all returned here."

"Wait, how do we get to leave New York without being caught?" Donnie tilted his head to the side as he questioned, "Who else knows that we all live down here aside from..." He paused, gesturing to everyone nonverbally, "Us?"

"Who cares?" Mikey stood up from his seat, eyes all teary as he ran to Splinter, "I wanna stay with dad!"

"Mikey quit cryin' already!" Raph yelled at the youngest, eyes starting to well up with tears, "If you cry..." He sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "I'm gonna cry too!"

"I have made contact with the clan masters, you all will be fetched soon." Splinter said as soon as Leo and Donnie started clearing up the table, teary eyed for the most part, "Prepare your essentials, belongings and take at least three objects of sentiment with you."

All turtle children went to their rooms with slow steps, all hoping that if they packed slowly, their leave would delay.