Word of the day: Empathy
The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively manner
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After what felt like days, Leonardo jolted up and instantly regretted it. A shocking pain went into what was left of his arm, causing him to gasp for air and fall back. He groaned and looked at the amputated limb, wincing. "I've looked worse..." Surprisingly, Casey did an amazing job at bandaging it. He even remembered not to make it too tight so that it wouldn't cut circulation. Leo smiled and turned to him. But he wasn't there, just the rusty guitar from Usagi. He hadn't known that it had been brought with. "Case...?" He stood up slowly this time, anchoring his feet. He looked around frantically. Rays of early light flowed in through cracks in the rock walls, and the torch was gone. "Casey!" He whisper shouted, stumbling further down the path. Where did the boy go? Leo started to pick up the pace, getting used to the phantom pain in his stub. It was dark and cold, and there was less and less light the further down he went. "Jones!" He called out a little louder, starting to grow worried. He should've been awake long before now, how could he let this happen?
"Sensei?" A small voice erupted in the loud silence, Leo jumping slightly before he relaxed again. Casey was standing in front of him now, holding the torch in his hands. The turtle dropped to his knees and wrapped an arm around the boy, hugging him tightly. "Jeez kid, you freaked me out for a second." Casey Jr. smiled. "I'm okay, but come look what I found!" He took Leonardo's hand and led him further down the cave. The turtle was barely able to keep up with the child's quick feet, not knowing where he was being taken. "If you're going to attempt to murder me, just know that I will flip you upside down and search your pockets for snacks."
Casey giggled and stopped suddenly. "Do you hear that?" Leo stood there confused. "Nothing." The boy beckoned for him to kneel down. "Put your ear to the ground and listen closely...!" Leonardo did so hesitantly, straining his ears. He heard his own breathing, then a scurry of rats, until finally a flow of water. A large body of it.
Leo gasped and looked up at Casey. "Say sike right now."
Casey Jr. smiled and grabbed his hand again. "I got lucky, I was almost about to give up until I heard it! Come on, it's not much further!"
They kept walking until they reached a large boulder in the way. The sound of flowing water was loud and clear now, but the only thing in their way was this rock. Casey pointed to a little opening. "I was able to crawl through, but you might not be able to." Leo noticed this and sighed. He unsheathed a sword from his side, pointing it directly at the boulder. He made a line down, opening up a neon blue portal to the other side. Then he gasped, immediately stepping inside. There was a huge waterfall spilling out water at a steady pace, and it looked like this part of the cave was some sort of heaven. There were bushes and trees, the sun pouring in through an opening at the top of the cave, like a skylight. "Casey, this place is amazing..." He turned to the boy and ruffled his hair. "I'm real proud of you for finding all of this."
Casey smiled and shook his hair out. "Thanks, Master Leonardo."
"Wanna see something cool?" Leo asked, and the boy nodded. The turtle put his hand around his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs. Casey gasped and looked frightened, grabbing onto his arm. "S-sensei, why'd you do that? We'll die-!"
Leo knelt down and grabbed his shoulders, smiling widely. "Case, that's how loud noises work! If there's a natural noise that's already loud enough, we can be as loud as we want! You try it now."
He let out a shaky breath and screamed as loud as he could. Nothing happened. The waterfall drowned out the noise. The boy smiled. "Wow." Just then his stomach growled loudly, grabbing Leo's attention. "Oh right, food..." He mumbled. They already hadn't eaten in days, since the supply run went terribly wrong the last time.
'Raph...'
He breathed deeply and shook his head, blocking it out of his mind. "C'mon, ever ate rats before?" Casey wrinkled his nose. "Uh, nooo...?" Leo chuckled and pat his head in sympathy. "Yeahh, me neither..."
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Casey crouched down as low as he could, keeping his eyes slightly above the bush he was hiding in. He kept completely still, staying silent for as long as he could. Until he saw it. A group of rats congregated near a pile of bark. Casey Jr. smiled and walked closer to them, not making a sound. With eagerness, he trapped the rats in a bucket. They scrambled around but the boy kept it down, sitting on top of it. He slid the lid underneath and snapped it on, picking it up. He held it far away from him. "Ugh. Rats."
A breeze blew past him, blowing hair in his face. He groaned and moved it out of his face, and then froze. A figure stood in front of him, still and quiet. "Mom?" He said quietly. The woman said nothing and reached out to him. Casey smiled widely and ran towards her, his arms extended. But the closer he got, the less he could see her. His face fell slowly as he wrapped his arms around thin air. The boy looked around frantically, wondering where she went. "Ma..?" His voice was shaky and he trembled. "B-but I...I thought..." Was he just seeing things, or was his mom really there? Casey didn't stay to find out. He turned his heel, squeezed his eyes tight before tears could fall, and ran.
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Leo closed his eyes, sitting still in the same spot he had woken up from. He had his hands propped on his knees, breathing deeply. The markings on his arms and legs emitted a dull glow as meditated, letting out little hums of concentration every so often. He heard quick footsteps coming from the opposite direction of him. He opened his eyes and smiled at Casey Jr. "How'd it go?" The boy quickly set the bucket down in front of his Sensei, not daring to look up at him. He didn't say a word. Leo knew something was wrong. He watched as Casey lit a torch and took out what looked like skinless rat meat, spearing a stick through a few of them. Still not a word out of him.
Leonardo sighed and sat normally, knowing that his meditation was just going to have to wait. "What's wrong?"
Casey shook his head. "Nothin." He kept his back turned to him and kept working at the food. Leo scooted next to him and looked surprised. "Oh wow, you even skinned them." Casey smiled a little and nodded. Just as the turtle reached for one, the boy slapped his hand away. Leo gasped and rubbed his hand. "Gah, for why??"
"Sensei, they're not seasoned. You gotta eat good food, and it's not good without seasoning." The boy replied simply. "Case, in case you forgot, we don't got seasoning."
Casey Jr. looked unimpressed and reached into Leo's bag, pulling out a few containers. "One of these is pico de gallo, one is garlic and another is salt. I also brought lemon juice." Leo's jaw dropped. "Dude, where'd you get those from??!"
Casey shushed him. "I dug through someone's trash, and this stuff wasn't expired. And I could only read a few of them." Leo chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, fair enough."
The six-year-old finished seasoning them and handed them to the turtle, who grabbed them eagerly. He was about to dig in when he eyed the boy curiously. "Well Case, aren't you gonna eat any?"
Casey shook his head, curling into a ball on the floor. "I don't want food."
Leo's eyes widened slightly and he put a hand on his shoulder. "Jones, you gotta eat something. Neither of us have eaten in a while." The boy stayed still, squeezing his eyes shut. Almost like he was trying to hide from something. Leonardo sighed and set his food down. He grabbed the guitar next to him and shifted around until he found a comfortable position, strumming a few notes. "Oh boy..." This was gonna sound terrible with one arm. He cleared his throat, waiting for the boy to look at him. He didn't. Not yet.
Leo bellowed with an overly dramatic heroic voice. "Who is your favorite fearless he-e-ro, who is your favorite fearless heroooo..?" Casey shifted slightly, opening one eye slowly. Leo smirked and kept playing. "Who's brave and ready for trouble?"
The boy smiled and kept his face low. "You aree, you areee..." He mumbled.
"Who's so unbelievably humble?" He sang louder, nudging him playfully. Casey giggled and sat up slowly. "You are, you are!"
"Who is your favorite fearless he-e-ro, who is your favorite fearless heeroooo?!" Leo stood up, parading around the cave. "Who's the tortuga who rolls the dice? Who gambles with his life?!"
Casey followed his actions, singing along. "Who's never been touched by a blade? Leonardo is never afraid! He's the vein of justice! Stands up against evil-
Leo whooped and was practically dancing now. "Fighting for the people! AND he's very good looking~!"
Casey winced. "I mean...I wouldn't say all that..." Leo gasped and tripped him. "Oops, you were saying?" The boy giggled and latched onto his leg. "You'll pay for that!"
"Oh I will? In the meantime, watch this-" He cleared his throat and extended a strong arm to the sky. "Honrado...Victorioso...Humilde...Poderoso-"
Casey gasped excitedly and did the same, holding a powerful pose as he raised his fist. "Guerrero! Lo mas fuerte!" Leo smiled and chuckled. "Leyenda!" He spread his arms wide open and tilted his head to the ceiling. "A LEGEND...FOR ALL!"
Casey clapped happily. "Sensei, that was amazing!"
"I know, right? They made a song in my honor, how convenient." Leo laughed and poked the boy's forehead. "One day, they'll make one about you, too." Casey gasped and held onto his arm. "Really?"
"Oh yeah! Don't forget who's your Sensei!" Leo said, lifting the boy up with his one arm. Casey giggled and hung on tightly, swinging his feet as Leonardo spun around. "Hey kid, how'd you like it if Michelangelo and Uncle 'Tello started training you, too? They'd be able to teach you a lot of things, starting with how to read."
Casey's eyes lit up and he nodded. "Yeah!"
Leo remembered something and gasped. "Case, how long was I out for?" The boy thought for a moment, counting in his head. "Almost a whole day."
The turtle set him down and peeked through a hole in the rock wall, looking for the hill. The sun was almost all the way down. "Usagi..." He picked up his bag and his odachi, stuffing their leftover food in the pack. He handed the bag to the boy. "I need you to stay here and eat something for me, okay? I'm going to go meet up with Usagi-sama and come back."
Casey Jr. frowned but nodded, disappointed that he was getting left behind. Leo smiled and beckoned for him to stay put. "I always come back to you, Casey Jones. Don't I?"
The boy nodded slowly. "Always, Sensei."
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"Dearest...What happened?" Usagi asked softly, both him and Leo walking hand in hand. He refused to let go after hearing about what happened to his arm, showering him with concern the second they met up. The turtle sighed heavily, his eyes low. "I...I don't even know, anymore."
The rabbit put a hand on his plastron, stopping him. "Leonardo. Where's your family?" Leo sighed. "We split up. I told Donnie not to send coordinates to the next Oasis until it was safe. But Cassandra...And Raph..." Usagi's eyes widened as he tightened his grip on Leo's hand. "Kame..."
They sat down behind a building, quietly taking a break from walking. But Leo didn't feel any better. He didn't feel like the hero that Casey thought he was anymore. He never did. His husband touched his cheek and stared into his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could've been here..."
Leo shook his head. "Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault."
The wind blew hard, making them both shiver. But something caught Leo's eye. Something fabric-like and red. He recognized it. With no warning he jumped up and ran after it. He ran as fast as he could to beat the wind, lunging and taking hold of it tightly. Once he got a good look at it, he knew. It was his brother's mask.
He stared at it before hugging it tightly, falling to his knees. Agony gripped his heart, this pain was worse than what happened to his arm. Leonardo didn't know how much more he could take. He didn't want to find out.
Usagi stood from afar, resisting the urge to go and embrace him. It was clear that he needed this moment to himself.
The turtle tied the mask onto the hilt of his sword. He stood up and made his way to Usagi, who took his hand. "Everything will be okay, Leonardo. I promise-"
He was cut off by Leo pulling him into a harsh kiss, one that felt sweet and determined. He pulled away slowly and hugged his husband tightly. "I know it will be. Because nothing is going to happen to you, as long as I'm here." Usagi smiled and nodded. "I trust you, Leo. Watashi no hiro."