"No, He Didn't Leave To Get Milk."
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
"What is going on here??"
All five of the teens froze, not daring to look back.
"Um-" Leo mumbled, quickly glancing behind while his brothers covered up the human girl they'd brought in.
"It's April."
"Oh, yeah, hey, guys!"
The turtles all go quiet, silence filling up the air.
"Great job, Y/N," Mikey whispered to the girl behind him, who had no idea what he meant by that.
"What are you guys doing?" April comes over, standing beside master splinter. Her baffled expression is fueled even more as she watches each of their faces turn into one of terror. Everyone except Raph's.
"April?" The older mutant stared at his sons in suspicion. "Step away, you four."
Slowly and quite reluctantly, three of the turtles move out of the way, Raph still calmly standing in his spot. He was rather glad the weirdo was probably gonna get scared off now.
Yet, nobody seemed to utter a word. He stayed still for a few minutes before finally glancing back... only to find no one. A look of shock frames his face. Until he notices the figure right behind him, trying to imitate his movements to use him as a cover. The turtle, without hesitation, turned back, catching the teen off guard as she now came into view.
"Y/N?" April mutters, shocked to see the girl again.
"Y/N?" Splinter repeated, making the girl stiffen up under his stern gaze. He squinted his eyes, finding familiarity in her expressions-- it was as though he'd seen a face just as familiar, and, he too, had gotten caught like this girl.
"Who are you?"
"Uhh..." Y/N mumbled, standing up straight as he looked the rat right in the eye, preparing to blurt out every information about her entire bloodline. "My name is Y/N. I forgot my age. I have a brother and he's a brat. His name's B/N. My mom's name is M/N. She's super nice but, I don't get to talk to her too often. I have an uncle in Queens. I haven't seen that guy in a long time. Uh- also, I like superheroes- my dad loved them too. He's like really cool. His name's F/N L/N. I---"
"F/N?"
Splinter, amid the girl's long monologue, finally spoke up. It was no wonder the girl looked familiar.
"Uh, yes, sir, affirmative," Y/N nods, not knowing if she should go on or not. "That's my father."
Silence washed over them all, Y/N fiddling with her fingers behind her back while Splinter merely stared at her... shocked yet... happy. No more words were uttered as he slowly gestured for her to follow him, making her and the other teens only assume the worst. When he leaves,
Y/N snaps back to look at everyone else.
"So-"
"Oh, Y/N! We're so sorry!" Mikey instantly threw himself on her, hugging her as he expressed his sympathy for the girl.
"Am I dying?" She questioned, pressing her lips into a thin line as she glanced at Leo with fearful eyes.
"No- obviously, not. But..." he trailed off, averting his gaze, giving Y/N the answer she didn't want. Silence.
"Okay, I'm dying."
"I knew your father."
"Everyone saw that coming."
"Oh."
Now, in the dojo, with the other teens outside, Y/N gently held the cup of tea in her hands. The warmth of it brushed against her face every time she pulled the cup close to her lips. She sat in front of the older mutant.
Splinter had very kindly offered her tea, having a conversation with her.
"How?" The teen asked, not being able to resist the question. She eagerly awaited an answer from the older mutant, who merely smiled.
Not long ago-- well, before the mutation of course... and, before losing his wife-- never mind- Long ago, he had a friend. A man...
"Tang Shen, found his body flowing in the stream nearby."
"... I'm sorry for his behaviour. "
Splinter let out a low chuckle. He had just met the girl, it was true. But, he'd heard things from his friend.
His friend, F/N, whom he had met a... long time ago. They were mere adolescents. He met Tang Shen, feelings were starting to grow. And, then one day, out together, they came across the other boy. He survived, of course. Although his reasons for being in such a state were rather... foolish- despite that, after the first meet, he became an acquaintance. Soon, he became a friend. A friend that felt like a family.
He was there when Tang Shen was pregnant. While Yoshi had already his family, F/N had only tied the knot with the woman he fell for. He talked about having a daughter too someday, and how, his daughter would be good friends with Miwa.
°°°
"And, then, I'll have to walk her down the aisle-" a younger F/N sobbed, biting his lip.
He sat near the stream with his friend. While he was sobbing over his daughter, who was yet to be here, his friend threw rocks in the water.
"You... you married M/N... two months ago... " Yoshi reminded, patting his friend's back as he tried to hold back a laugh.
"Yeah, but- when I do have my daughter, I'll still have to do it, " the other man replied, taking a rock from his friend and tossing it in the water.
"What if it's a son?"
The rock sunk right at the first hit.
"Nah, it'll be a girl. However, if it is a son, then... I'll pay 20 dollars to Juanito. I don't mind though."
"..."
"Forget that! You should have a son!"
The dark-haired man merely chuckled, shaking his head at the other man's words.
"We just had Miwa, F/N."
"Yeah, I know that-- you should have more kids and then, our kids can like, form a gang of some sort when they're older. And, then they'll fight against Saki. 'Cause, he's rude."
"... Have you thought of a name?"
"Uh, yeah."
°°°
"Y/N, " the teen mumbled her name, nodding as she took a sip of her tea with a faraway look in her eyes.
"How is... F/N?" Splinter questioned, putting his cup down as he looked at the girl with much intent. Years had passed since he'd turned into who he was now. He wondered how his friend was, there was no hope of seeing him but, if he could at least know how he was...
"He's... happy, " Y/N hesitated but, eventually smiled at the rat. "I hope."
Seeing the look, his eyes widen in the slightest. There truly was no more hope for seeing him again.
"I hope so too," he mumbled, earning a grateful nod from Y/N.
It was rather hurtful to see how she was already having to face things as such. He would think back to his daughter sometimes... at least she was there... somewhere. He didn't know where but, just the thought that she lived was all he needed. Yet, with Y/N, there was no thought to give her solace. He didn't know what she must've been through. But, he knew it was a lot.
"I can't express my gratitude to you for helping my sons when they were out on their own," Splinter spoke up once more after a moment of silence.
"I- uh, yep, it's nothing," Y/N's eyes widened as she forced out a strained smile, faking a cough before quickly looking away. There was no need to mention how she and her friends almost ran them over.
"It was your father, wasn't it?" He asked, the girl already knowing what he meant.
"It was."
"How long?"
"Erm.. 10?"
"Very well."
...
The door to the dojo was slid open, revealing Splinter. Everyone glanced his way, the most anxious gaze belonging to Leo, who quickly stood up, walking over to him.
"Sensei-"
"My sons," he began, the four turtles listening to him. "Y/N will now be learning alongside you four from now onwards."
Aaaand--- silence.
". . ."
"WHAT!?"
Y/N poked her head out, standing behind the older mutant. A wide grin--- covering up her fretting nerves--- painted her face as she pointed a finger gun at the furious turtle.
"Her father was my friend, a long time ago," Splinter mentioned, Y/N walking up to stand beside him. "He learned with me... and, now... his daughter will learn with you."
"Why can't she just learn from her own dad or something!?" Raph retorted, making Y/N gasp.
"Don't you remember what I told you?? He can't teach me!"
"And, why not??"
"I'm alive."
"What-?"
"He's not."
"... Oh, that-"
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───