Chapter Text
Usagi presses a wadded towel into his side, gritting his teeth while Señor Hueso rummages through his first aid supplies. The teen had sustained worse injuries before, but this was still pretty bad. The skeleton mumbles to himself, “Ay, Dios mio… Where is the disinfectant?!” He tosses some gauze towards the rabbit, who leans to catch it with his free hand before it hits the ground. He grunts in pain. Hueso clicks his tongue and whips around to face Usagi, disinfectant in hand, and chastises the teen, “I told you to stay still. It’s gauze; It won’t break, so you don’t need to catch it.” He scoots up next to the boy and swats his hand away from his side, pulling the towel back and grumbling under his breath, “Todo te entra por una oreja y te sale por otra…”
Usagi questions in genuine confusion, “Pardon me?” and raises an eyebrow.
“You never listen.” The man translates flatly.
The former samurai nods and repeats the phrase to himself a couple times. He pieces together the words; Enter one ear… the other… In one ear out the other? Sounds close… He tries to focus on his internal Spanish lesson to distract himself from the stinging at his waist up to his ribs as Hueso cleans his wound. After a minute or two, the man has Usagi’s torso disinfected and bandaged up. He quickly shoves the rest of his medical supplies away and tosses the kit with the rest of his belongings.
“Señor, uh… Gracias por… tu… no… um, su ayada.” Usagi furrows his brow at the ground, hoping his pronunciation is correct.
“Ayuda.,” Hueso corrects. “De nada, pequeño conejito.”
The rabbit chuckles, “I’m not small, Hueso-san. I’m nearly six feet.”
The skeleton doesn’t respond. Usagi doesn’t take it personally; Now that the Krang has captured control over the Hidden City, the entire yokai population is packing up to leave if they hadn’t already. He’s scribbling something onto an old, used sheet of note paper. Once his pen reaches the end of the sheet, he pauses and looks around the shop, empty and dark. He sighs.
“Usagi, boy…” He turns slowly back to the teen. “I will be taking my son further out of the city. Depending how long this battle continues, we may someday return. For now…”
“You need to keep him safe… It’s okay, Hueso-san. I understand.” Usagi looks down to his blood-covered fingers, not spending more than a moment to feel saddened by his friend’s departure; He was used to being on his own. He begins contemplating his next move; He has to keep moving. The battle nexus is gone, so no income… I guess income doesn’t matter anymore? Perhaps I can find some vegetable seeds and make a hideout and grow my own food. But I won’t have access to water. Unless-
Hueso sets a bony hand upon the rabbit’s shoulder, cutting off his planning, “I want you to take this note to my friends. Those boys who like pizza, yes?” His opposing hand holds out the paper he had scribbled upon. “They’ve started a resistance you can join. I wrote directions to their hideout on the back of my family’s secret pizza sauce recipe. The small one always asks for it, so I figure now is as good a time as any to give it to him. I was also sure to put instructions for your favorite dessert as well, though I’m sure the small one already knows how to make it. Tell them I’m okay and that the note includes a way to discreetly contact me, si?”
Usagi hesitantly takes the note, “Yes, but forgive me, won’t they turn me away, or attack me? Families are pretty reserved toward strangers right now- hostile, even- given the circumstances, sir…”
The older man shakes his head profusely, “No, no, no… These boys will trust you.” He waves his hand in a rotating motion from his wrist, “These turtles, they’re not like other people. They have very big hearts.” He plants his skin-less palm against his chest. “Just tell them you know me and that you’re the tres leches boy.”
“Sir, please tell me you did not actually refer to me as the tres leches boy.’” The rabbit's eyes almost glimmer as an embarrassed pout crosses his face, “I’m a Battle Nexus champion! You couldn’t have said that instead?” He crosses his arms in frustration.
Hueso huffs, “It’s not like I know you from the Nexus! I refer to them as the pizza boys! Don’t take it so personally, conejito. You teenagers are so sensitive. Wanting to be ‘cool.’” He stands to organize the last of his belongings nearby. When no other comments come from the teen, the skeleton lets out a quiet exhale. “Look, they’ll take you in and keep you fed. Besides, you need to be around more kids your age, regardless of the current situation outside. In fact, I’d even say you need that more now than ever.”
Usagi sighs and twiddles his thumbs, “Now more than ever… And I’m not a child, Hueso-san.”
The man scowls, “Somehow you are both respectful and insulting at the same time. Do not correct me, mijo.” He smirks the slightest bit, “Even when I’m wrong.”
The rabbit looks up to the skeleton and just barely smiles. “Yes, sir…”
“I will miss you, dearly, conejito”
“You as well…”
Usagi glares down at the paper, willing it to just teleport him to the location. I’m almost there. Just one more tunnel and code… He leans against the wall for a moment, trying to fend off the dizziness in his skull. He pulls back his robe the slightest bit to see his gauze soaked with blood. This walking is preventing my injury from healing… I need to get there fast…
As he approaches the end of the tunnel, he finds himself in front of a larger door than the others he had passed. This one seems more fortified, built with large, thick sheets of metal. He reaches shakily for an oddly complex pin-pad nearby. He scrunches his brow as he tries to decipher the passcode with the lack of lighting and the fuzziness of his vision. Once he hits the star, the large door hisses and begins to slowly crank upwards. He doesn’t have the energy to gawk at the technology built around him, so instead he just stumbles into what appears to be a lobby of some kind. Not a lobby. Lobbies have chairs for waiting. But they also have check-ins, and I believe this is a check-in of sorts. An obnoxious, digital voice booms over the speakers above this head. His ears flatten at the loud noise.
“Hey bro! Mind if I catch your name? Gotta make sure you aren’t a psycho, dude!”
Usagi groans, his legs are trembling. “I’m Miyamoto Usagi, I-“
“Sorry, man! I don’t know you! Now, if you don’t mind, please stand still while I power up my disintegrator!”
The rabbit’s eyes shoot open, he nearly falls over, raising his hands defensively, “No! Wait, I’m friends with Señor Hueso! He said to find the boys who enjoy pizza, and to give them this note!” He sticks his fingers anxiously into his pocket and fumbles for a moment before fishing out the paper the skeleton man had given him. “See? I’m no threat to you!”
There’s a sharp screeching noise. Feedback , Usagi assumes.
A new voice, more flat in tone, comes more quietly over the audio system. “Do you have any idea what hour it is? You’re lucky I’m always awake. Look, I can’t just let you in: the note could be fake, you could’ve made up everything about Hueso, and you’ve potentially just seen us at the shop before, and- not to mention- you’re clearly armed. ”
Usagi frowns, this guy is somehow worse. At least I’m not getting disintegrated. He sighs dejectedly, having lost too much blood to be really upset. He unhooks his katana and its sheath from his hip, setting it before the doorway before retreating to the other end of the room.
“Okay, cool, and how do you know Senor Hueso?” There’s a loud slam from the speakers. The voice on the intercom whisper-yells. “‘Nardo, you little-!” There’s a quiet chuckle in the background.
Someone seems to have entered the same room as the interrogator. Usagi can hear a muffled, “Dude, just let them in.”
“Hold on!” The voice returns to its normal, leveled and condescending tone. “Sorry; I had a little situation to deal with. Let’s continue where we left off. You know the bone man, how exactly?”
This is going to take years. If he had enough blood to rush to his cheeks, pink would be visible across his fur-covered face. He croaks out weakly. “He said he’s talked about me… told you I’m the… the trs-lchs-kid…”
“Excuse me, I don’t speak whatever language it is you just whispered to the dirt. Could you speak up, please?”
Oh, honestly!
The rabbit groans and stops his foot, weary of the interrogation, “I am Usagi Miyamoto! I’m a battle nexus champion who frequents Hueso’s shop! He refers to me as the ‘tres leches kid’ because I happen to favor desserts! Could you please let me in, I am extremely tired, you- you… bakayarô!”
There’s a several moments long pause, accompanied by a quiet laugh from someone and more hushed whispering.
“Jesus, okay, next time just say that… And… did you just call me an asshole in Japanese?”
The rabbit sighs, “I’m sorry… I am usually not so… vulgar… I just…” His head spins from the outburst. He doesn’t finish his sentence, wobbling awkwardly on the balls of his feet.
“No, no, it’s okay… It was funny to both of us here. I… apologize if I pushed too much. I just have to be extra precautious. It’s been a rough few months… My brother and I are on our way out to you now.” Ah, brothers. That explains the snickering and bickering. The entryway hisses like the other door, but when this one opens, a warm glow spills out with the smell of freshly baked bread. Two lanky silhouettes are positioned toward the center. Turtle boys. The ones that like pizza.
One is slouched, obviously drained, and holding his glowing arm up to his face, tapping vigorously at it; Usagi doesn’t have the energy to think about that either. The second one is wearing pajamas and deep under-eye bags- in complete contradiction with his perkier stance, hands on his hips. Great…
“Hey there, bunny!” The blue one snorts. Usagi frowns. “Name’s Leonardo, and this is Resident Genius Boy! Welcome to mi casa!” He waits for a response, but the rabbit says nothing.
“Actually, it’s Donatello. Furthermore, it’s our shared home, Leon. Now, rabbit, I need to collect some information for my logs. If you don’t mind: First name, last name, preferred pronouns, birthdate, birthplace, current occupation, dietary needs and restrictions, and more information about your circumstances, please, if you may.” When the only sound that answers him is silence, the purple one lowers his glowing arm. His eyes immediately widen, “Pizza supreme, that is a fuck-ton of blood…” The blue one looks down to Usagi’s side, just under the robe that the yokai had been trying to keep pulled taught. He reacts much the same as his brother.
The rabbit begins to sway. “Issokay… I just… I need a sec’n-”
“Oh sh- Don! They’re gonna-“ The blue one is running toward the newcomer, but his voice and his figure fades away as Usagi’s vision finally gives in to darkness and his legs crumple. He doesn’t feel himself hit the ground. Instead he’s… Warm? He must’ve caught me. But reptiles are cold-blooded; Warm can’t be right. But then, why do I feel like I’m wrapped in a blanket? Surely he couldn’t have just had one on him? I guess warm will have to do… Leonardo is very warm.