{Changes}
𝔸𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕝'𝕤 ℙ𝕆𝕍~
"How could you guys do this?" 💙 "We didn't mean to, April." "Didn't mean to?! She's gone because you guys 'didn't mean to' act like complete assholes! She's gone because you guys couldn't keep your jealousy in check! Akari loves all of you!" 🧡 "What?" ❤️ "What are you talking about?" "Did you really not notice?" 🧡 "No...no we didn't." 'Sigh.' "It's painfully obvious. Even Splinter knows." Splinter merely hums as he enters the room, his own eyes hold so many emotions in them. 💜 "You knew?" Donnie and the rest look between us, confusion written all over their faces. 💙 "Dad?" "It's true my sons. Even I tried to persuade her into telling you all the truth, but...she is a stubborn one." He sighs as he rubs his beard. "She loves you all very much. But as of right now, she isn't ready to commit." ❤️ "So you're saying she loves us too, and we fucked it up?" 🧡 "It's not fair. She finally opened up to us about her feelings, and then we pushed her away. She struggled to stay—She had so many fears and doubts," Mikey sighs shakily as he walks towards the exit. 🧡 "We just proved her right." 💜 "Mikey..." 💙 "Mikey!" "Give him some space," Splinter says as he shakes his head.
"What do we do?" 💙 "I- I don't know. There's no way we can get to Japan." "Japan? Wait, so that's what she was gonna tell us?" 💙 "...Yeah," He breathes out as tears form in the corners of his eyes. 💙 "She told me she was homesick and wanted to visit for a couple months. I mean, I supported her and I still do. If this is what she wants, shouldn't we leave her be?" "There's so much I didn't get to say, Leo. I support her as well, but I don't like the fact that she just...left. Without telling me where she was going or when she's coming back. Now we don't know if she'll come back at all." 💙 'Sigh.' "I know, and I'm sorry." "I just, I need a moment." 💙 "Alright." Why did she have to leave? She didn't even bother to send me a text.
Sighing, I make my way into Akari's room. There's so many memories of us in here, I can feel myself break with every moment we created together. The room itself is clean and it looks like everything is still here. I slowly approach her bedside table, that's where she kept her most important stuff. I open the small drawer and the first thing I see is a photo album labeled, 'my family.' With shaky hands, I slowly flip through the pages, and what I see absolutely shatters me. There's pictures with little notes and dates under them. The first picture in there is of all of us together after we defeated Shredder. Akari and the turtles were and mess, which is why I look like I'm laughing. I thought it was a strange moment for a picture, but Akari insisted on it. The little note under it says, "we did it!" with a cute little smiley face. Tears coat my eyes as I sadly smile at all the pictures. All these memories just...wasted. No...they aren't wasted. Akari will come home, I'm sure of it.
I continue looking at all the photos until I reach the last few. She told me about her little escapade: She cleaned each of the turtle's rooms while also subtly spending time with them separately. She said it was her plan so she could get the guys to destress and relax around her. With what she told me, it worked out pretty well. I just wish she mentioned the part about wanting to go back to Japan. This...this hurts so bad. I feel like I've lost her for good, like I'll never see her again. My chest tightens as sobs begin to shake my entire being. I'm too weak to hold everything in and I don't bother trying. There's no point in hiding the fact that I'm broken without her.
💜 "April?" Donnie peaks his head into the room, his eyes widen once he looks at me. 💜 "April, what's wrong?!" 💙 "What's going on?!" 💜 "I don't know! I just heard her crying!" "I-I'm sorry, I just...m-miss her." 💙 "...We miss her too," Leo mumbles, his eyes land on the photo album in my hand. I close it and hold it out to him, and he stares at it for a second before hesitantly grabbing and opening it.
𝔸𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕚'𝕤 ℙ𝕆𝕍~
"You'll have to introduce me to your kids sometime." "I've told them about you." "You have?" "Of course. You're my best friend. I wanted them to know everything about you." "I, wow." He chuckles and gently squeezes my hand. This feels...different. When we were younger and he held my hand, it gave me butterflies and I felt like fireworks were constantly going off. But now...it doesn't bring me anything but sadness. His touch is nothing compared to the turtle's. "Don't be so surprised." "It's hard not to be." We both chuckle. "Well, either way, I'll bring them here sometime so you can meet them." A small smile crosses my lips as I force myself to feel something, anything towards Tenshirō. Nothing about this situation feels right. So why am I letting him talk to me like he never left? Why am I letting him hold me and look at me the way he used to? "I can't wait." "Me either." I chuckle softly, feeling somewhat happy in this moment. That is, until more memories of being abandoned and hurt by him return.
"Hey, are you okay?" He leans away and looks at the tears running down my cheeks. "I've just... Nevermind. It's not important." "Oh, come on, Sakura. Tell me what's wrong." 'Sigh.' "Nothing is wrong. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing." "I'm trying to figure that out for you." "Haha, very funny, Tenshirō." "I'm serious, Akari. I'm worried about you." He places his hand on mine again. "Why?" My voice comes out sharp as his brown eyes study my own. "Why do you keep touching me and holding me like we're together? You have a wife and kids, and yet, here you are, wasting your time on me." "Akari-" "Don't!" I swiftly stand and try to walk away. Tenshirō's hand grips my wrist tightly, making me hiss in pain. "Don't touch me!"
"What is your problem, Akari?!" "You! This entire situation! Stop acting like you care about me when I know you don't!" "How can you say that?! Of course I care about you!" "No you don't! You left me alone, and I-!" "Are you serious? You're still on about this?" A quiet scoff leaves my lips as I pull my wrist from his grip. "If you cared about me, you wouldn't have left either. I had no idea where you went." "Don't fucking gaslight me, Tenshirō. I may have missed you, but that doesn't mean I'm that same pushover you used to know." "Gaslight you? It's merely the truth, Akari. You whine and cry about how I left you, but you left me too." "I left after you did! You were the only person here that I cared about! Did you really think I'd stay and watch you live your best life while I sat alone in the shadows?!" "Maybe I did." "Wow... Okay, Tenshirō. It's obvious you're living in some sick, twisted fantasy or something." "What? No I'm not." "Whatever you say. Oh, and before I forget—I don't love you anymore," I breath, finally feeling free from whatever hold he had on me. I've needed to say this for years, but I never got the chance. Now that I'm saying it out loud, it feels so good.
"What?" "I said I don't love you anymore—I fell in love with someone else. And you're right, I should go back to New York." "SHUT UP!" My body jolts as goosebumps litter my skin. Tenshirō has never once yelled at me before, so this is unexpected. I don't understand why he's so upset anyways. He has a family of his own and he acts like he doesn't care about me, but when I start talking about something other than him, he freaks out. "I don't want to hear another fucking word about New York! And whoever you're talking about, probably doesn't even love you back. I mean, look at you! You're a mess! There's only one person in this world who can tolerate you, and that's me." My breathing increases as he gets in my face, his hand tightly grips the back of my neck, causing a tinge of pain to shoot down my spine. His eyes are a dark, chocolaty brown instead of his usual golden brown orbs.
Whimpers escape my throat as I push against his chest. Pure fear runs through my veins as his eyes pierce through me. "Tenshirō, stop! What's gotten into you?!" His grip finally loosens on my neck and he steps back. His irises return to his normal shade as tears prick the corners of his eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Tenshirō's hand comes up to cup my cheek, but I quickly avoid his touch and back away. "Don't... You're not the Tenshirō I used to know," I mumble while slowly backing up. The last thing I want to do is anger him more, but the first thing I want to do is get the hell out of here. I quickly turn on my heel and book it out of there—There's no way in hell I'm staying for another second.
I continue to run until I'm in an unfamiliar area. The world around me spins as I try to catch my breath, but it doesn't work. I start to gasp for air as my lungs feel like they're on fire—I hold my chest as sharp pains shoot throughout my entire being. My body goes limp as I fall to my knees, my eyes slowly close, and the last thing I see is a tall silhouette approaching.
𝕃𝕖𝕠'𝕤 ℙ𝕆𝕍~
💙 "...We miss her too," I mumble, my eyes land on a photo album in April's hand. She closes it and holds it out to me, and I stare at it for a second before hesitantly grabbing and opening it. My breath hitches as I look at the photos with little notes that span over the last couple of months. 💜 "What is it, Leo?" ❤️ "What's going on?" Raph walks into the room, followed by Mikey. 🧡 "April?" "She must've been so confused," April mumbles while covering her face. Mikey slowly approaches and gently begins rubbing her back. 💙 "Damnit! I knew she was confused, but I didn't realize... I didn't know that she cared this much." How could we have been so stupid? She loves us just as much as we love her. It's all my fault. If I didn't let my jealousy get in the way, she wouldn't have left like she did. 💜 "None of us did, Leo. We all made a mistake."
"It's not too late." Dad walks in with a comforting smile. 💙 "What?" I look at him confused. "What do you mean, Dad?" "My sons, you should know by now love doesn't disappear over night. There's still time to make things right." 💙 "But what if she doesn't come back?" "Then you give her the time she needs to heal." 🧡 "Do you think she'll come back?" Mikey asks with a hopeful expression. 'Sigh.' "I do not know." ❤️ "This is fuckin stupid!" Raph puffs out his chest as I step in front of him. 💙 "Calm down, Raph." ❤️ "Don't tell me to calm down!" He pushes my shoulders back—I grip his shoulders and stare him straight in the eyes. 💙 "I'm sorry." He stops moving while everyone stares at me, shocked. 💙 "If I didn't provoke you, none of this would have happened. It's my fault. I'm sorry."
"Mistakes were made, yes. But what's most important is that we don't make them again." 💜 "You're right. We need to show Akari that she can trust us." 🧡 "Should we call her?" "Give her some time, then call her. I'm sure she's got a lot on her mind at the moment. But remember, she'll come home when she's ready."