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

06: SEPARATION - Leonardo/Player Gets Played

[When you're not with me, these days are boringWish it were easy, like Sunday morning.]

(3 years, 2 months since the separation.)

Hey! Name's Leo. I'm the good-looking sibling. I'm not the face man for nothing. I wear the iconic blue color, and I'm the one with red and yellow stripes.

Anyway, it's been years since my brothers and I were separated from Dad. Last I talked to my family, Raph was going through some crazy intense training, he's grown bigger than most of us, proud of him for that, Donnie stopped reaching out to us in the astral lanes; it's been months now, Dad's busy probably hiding from the Foot, he told us that he's been seeing someone, which is good, we got curious who, but we weren't really that nosey, he did promise to tell us about him, and Mikey's been busy with his artistic development at his place, that little guy and his hands do magic!

Me? I've been training, mostly with blades. I think they make me look cool. I've made some friends, it's not really so lonely since this clan's branch also welcomes non-human members.

But something didn't really feel right. Something felt...missing, for some reason.

"What about you, Leo?" Herbert, a wolf yokai, snapped Leo out of his thoughts with a snap of his fingers.

"What?" Leo blinked rapidly as he looked at his friends, mind clearly not present in the conversation.

"Herbert asked if you've ever had a crush when you were in New York," Ira chuckled as she repeated Herbert's query, "weren't you paying attention?"

Leo sheepishly laughed a bit, "Sorry, I was just thinking about talking to Mikey later," he answered apologetically, then he proceeded to answer Herbert, "Sorry, Bert, but we stayed in the sewers for so long, so I haven't really met anyone that could qualify as a crush."

"Huh, curious," Herbert sipped his chai, "you're rather flirtatious with a lot of our clan members." He commented with a knowing grin.

Leo rolled his eyes playfully, "Puh-lease! That's just how I try to be friendly, besides, it's a ninja tactic."

"Friendly? Ha!" Ira exclaimed, "Last time you did that, Kian was itching to escape from your chokehold."

Ira and Herbert laughed at the memory of a very skittish dragon who was trying to pry himself out of Leo's grasp.

"What's that even supposed to mean?" Leo pouted.

"We're just saying that if you overdo the flirting for funsies, you wouldn't get an actual shot!" Herbert explained, to which it only left Leo more confused, the mutant turtle scratching the top of his head as he tried to figure it out.

"Herbert, Ira, Leo!" One of the older kids, Kash, called from a distance. The trio immediately responded and approached them. "Can I ask you a favor? I have so much errands to run today, I was hoping you'd give the exchange student a tour, he'll be here any minute now, his name is Isamu, and he's a kitsune."

"A nine tailed fox, interesting," Leo commented, completely showing interest. A possibly new target ready to fall victim to him being flirty for fun.

"Yes, do not stare at him for too long, it makes him uncomfortable," they said, picking up the wheel barrow and heading to the storage house.

Isamu showed up a few minutes later, Kash came back from the storage house to tell him that my friends and I were in charge in giving him a tour.

We showed him the gardens leading up to the dojo, and got him settled at his room. I know Kash said not to look, but please, Isamu was so good looking.

"Wow, Isamu, your paws sure look big," Leo said during lunch, "I wanna see how much bigger it is compared to my hand!" He added, bringing Isamu's paw and his hand together, "Wow! You're one of them big boys!"

Isamu's tail flicked in interest, "You interested in big boys?" He countered back with a playful grin, leaving Leo flushed and slightly taken aback. He definitely did not expect that to happen.

"Oh Gods!" Herbert exclaimed, "Have mercy on the food! And the single people on this table! No flirting in front of the best friends!"

"You guys are disgusting," Ira half joked, having Herbert snicker at the comment.

"All the fun aside, Isamu," Herbert focused on Isamu, "you should get some rest, the travel must have been tiring, I'll let Leo show you to your room." He added, sending a subtle look at Leo.

I swore at that moment that I owed Herbert for letting me have some time alone with Isamu. I mean... We just met at the time, but he's just so cool, so cute! Who wouldn't want to be alone with the guy?

"You've been very kind since I came here, Leo," said Isamu, "I am most grateful, please tell Herbert and Ira my thanks."

"Not a problem!" Leo replied, sheepish smile gracing his lips.

"For that, I have to tell you something," Isamu said, expression morphing into a serious one, "I have sensed an aura around you, a very mischievous, yet romantic aura, what are your intentions?"

"Intentions?" My stupid brain couldn't think of it at the time, but I was just so surprised that he had the ability to sense my aura, who'd even know he has aura-seeing powers?

"Yes, intentions, you see, I waste no time with people that have unclear intentions, and for that, I have to sadly cut them off or distance myself by stating my impression and intentions with them," Isamu explained to Leo, arms crossed, "and that includes you, Hamato Leonardo, son of Hamato Yoshi."

I couldn't really speak for myself physically at the time, but by the look on Isamu's face, it all explained that my intentions weren't clear, or good — just all for fun.

"I suggest that you learn to take things more seriously and with clarity," Isamu advised as he set his things by his closet, "with your state as of now, you will not ever be loved."

You know that I never took anything to heart ever, right? Well... Looks like Isamu's words got to me, that I overthink it the night of that conversation, no matter how long I stared at anything at all to try to send myself to sleep, the thought of being unloved just scared me. Was I worthy of love? Did my own family even love me?

Maybe Herbert was right? Maybe I should stop doing whatever the shell I was doing so I would be taken seriously?

I didn't know what to do. I felt played, wronged. I started to feel that it was my fault, Herbert and Ira said that whatever I did in the past would backfire on me, and now, I think it did.

...

"Leo?" Leo was hauled out of his well of thoughts, Herbert and Ira looking at him, all worried, "Are you okay?"

Leo cleared his throat before nodding, "Yeah, don't worry! I'm totally okay! Just couldn't get much sleep last night." He told the half of the truth, the two immediately taking his word for it.

"Everyone, may I remind you that we are having visitors coming to our fortress? They are from Neo Edo, a hidden yokai city in Japan, they will be staying with us for a few months in order to learn our way of ninjutsu."

"I heard that the group from Neo Edo stopping by is in fact," Ira said, starting up a conversation, "a very peculiar group."

"Peculiar?" Leo raised a curious brow at his friend, "I thought that the Hamato clan is usually a clan of peculiarities?"

Herbert stifled a laugh, Ira sending a roll of the eyes into the direction of her friends.

"Usually groups of the same species or of the kind come here for further studies or training," Ira explained, "but this group consisted of a rhino, a cat, a fox, a rabbit and he has his pet with him."

"Peculiar, alright," Leo commented, blowing at his noodles, half uninterested of the conversation.

"Wanna meet them when they come here?" Herbert nudged Leo by the elbow, "We can have more friends."

"Yeah... Friends..."

Hey, I tried, okay? I was going through an existential crisis slash a rejection before I could even ask the other person out! The least I could do was take up Herbert and Ira's offer.