Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's a nice day out and the market square is bustling as always, maybe even more so than usually – so while getting left a wide berth still stings, Leonardo is a little grateful. The vendors will probably never stop eyeing him suspiciously but they don't refuse his business so trying to pay no mind to it is almost routine by now. 

He thanks the farmer and turns around to leave with his hefty bag of oranges when he hears commotion coming from the main road. Glancing at his fresh produce, then back at the road, he sighs. 

If there's trouble brewing it's worth it to check it out. Who knows, maybe the villagers will finally start trusting him and his family a tiny little bit if he proves useful. 

As expected, people disperse around him as soon as they see him approach but Leonardo ignores it. He hears shouts of “Ronin! It's the ronin!” and intrigue raises its head inside him. Could it be the notorious wandering rabbit swordsman he's only heard stories of? Ash-white fur, scars that tell of numerous battles won, always dressed in black… Leonardo is not quite sure just why the ronin is so feared, though. Some stories make him sound like a true demon – unrealistic, he's always thought – and some… are just whispers, meant to scare the children from going out at night. 

Maybe he's just got ill manners? Leonardo chuckles at the thought but his smile fades as soon as he realises he's reached his destination and right there, in front of him– 

It's the ronin, there's no doubt. The stories about his terrible deeds might well be fabricated but those describing his looks seem to be spot on – other than… Gosh, that's one cute rabbit. The yokai does seem worse for the wear though and Leonardo notices the slight wobble to his step he's trying hard to hide. Can't hide it from Leonardo, though. 

They both stop in their tracks, the people around them on all sides forming a wall within some distance from them, talking in hushed whispers. Staring, judging. 

Waiting. 

The ronin straightens his back and is about to say something when one of the villagers yells. 

At Leonardo. 

“Kappa! If you care about this village at all, kill the ronin! He is not welcome!” 

Leonardo gawks at the man, almost dropping his bag in shock. 

“Yeah! Best case scenario they'll both bleed out and die!” cackles a yamawaro teenager Leonardo has witnessed multiple times stealing from the stalls but has said nothing to the vendors about it. No one would believe him anyway. 

Used to hearing such language from the rowdier kids, Leonardo sighs and raises his hand, palm toward the rabbit. 

“Look, stranger–” 

“I'll fight you.”

Leonardo falters at the resolute tone of the ronin. He watches as the man drops his satchel to the ground and draws one of his katana. Dark red hilt, a shiny sharp blade that's clearly well taken care of. 

“I'll fight you, and if I win, I'll take those oranges and be on my way. Alright?” 

Leonardo looks down at his shopping bag. Why would he just want the oranges? Why is this not making sense– 

“No! Kill the rabbit! You'll be doing the whole world a favour!” 

Leonardo thinks he sees the ronin flinch at the words and he's sure there's been a massive misunderstanding somewhere along the way for the man's reputation to fracture like this. 

He can relate, and his heart twinges. 

“You're hesitating,” the ronin says and cocks his hip in fake confidence. “I might be smaller but there's no need to go easy on me. I'll wipe the floor with you.” 

Thinking that there's no way out of this, Leonardo sighs, lowers his bag to the ground and rests his left hand on the scabbard of his sword. 

“I'd rather we didn't fight,” he says and the rabbit scoffs. 

“The people demand a duel to the death. Are you a kappa, or a cockroach?” 

The comparison is so surprising that Leonardo laughs. 

“Last I checked, I indeed was not a tiny bug,” he grins and draws his sword. “Fine. Dying was not in my plans for today, and I doubt it was in yours, either. Let's try to keep it that way, yeah?” 

“No promises,” the ronin grins back, and Leonardo notes he doesn't seem as tense anymore. There's a slight flush to his face and as Leonardo gets into position, both hands on the hilt of his blade, he closes his eyes and tries to listen to his opponent's breathing. 

He's probably running a fever, he realises and at the same moment he snaps his eyes open, a dart whistles past his head, hitting the ronin cleanly in his bare shoulder. 

Confused, the rabbit looks down at it and raises a hand to yank it off, but before he's even close to reaching it, his eyes droop and his body follows. He falls like a sack of potatoes, sword clattering to the ground from his limp grasp. 

Silence. 

Leonardo stares, and so do the villagers, until someone in the crowd yells. 

“It's the weird one! That's it, I'm going home!” 

Leonardo sheathes his katana and turns to look over his shoulder. The weird one, huh. 

“Salutations,” Donatello bows in mock reverence as he steps next to his brother, the villagers quickly leaving now that the fight isn’t happening and there's another Hamato present. 

“I was wondering what was taking you so long. That's a cute stray you've found,” he says, adjusting his goggles to zoom in on the unconscious man. 

“I-I-I didn't say he was cute!” Leonardo sputters and Donatello lowers his goggles to look at him blankly with a raised painted-on brow. 

“Correct, you did not. I did.” 

Realising his mistake, Leonardo coughs into his fist and turns to look at the ronin, still out cold on the ground. 

“Why did you put him to sleep? I had this handled.” 

“I am sure. However, our dear Angelo is waiting for his oranges and should Not be kept waiting any longer than necessary. You had one job. Which, should I remind you, was not engaging in sword fights to the death.” 

“No one would've died today,” Leonardo mumbles. Donatello shrugs and walks past him, nudging the rabbit with his toe. 

“Hmm. I might have overdone the dosage. Good to know.” 

“What– what do you mean overdone?” Leonardo’s gut drops as he hurries to the ronin's side, crouching down and checking his pulse. It's still there, but it's faint. 

“Donnie I swear to the gods, if you've killed him–” 

“What does it matter to you? That ronin's got a horrible reputation. Spares him and everyone else some trouble if he kicks it now.” 

Swearing under his breath, Leonardo tucks an arm under the rabbit's back and heaves him up over his shoulder. He's definitely warm to the touch and Leonardo hopes from the bottom of his heart that he doesn't die. 

“Dee, take our bags. And his sword. We're bringing him back with us.”

“Sigh, I should have known. You show such respect toward your oniisan.”  

“We're the same age,” Leonardo rolls his eyes and without checking if Donatello is following, starts the trek toward their family home on the edge of the village border. 

Leonardo is man enough to admit that deciding to take care of this notorious stranger might have been the worst idea he’s had in a long time, but now that it’s already happening, he’s committed. He is a medic, after all. 

What he’s not going to admit, though, is that he might already be crushing a little bit on said notorious stranger. 

Chapter Text

The Hamato clan. 

A clan of legend – told to have driven back an ancient evil that threatened all life on known Earth generations and generations ago. Once formidable and revered, now dwindled but not completely forgotten. The name still demands the due respect from those who remember the story and care enough to pass it forward, but it is obvious that their time has passed. New clans have risen, new heroes earned the people’s adoration. The evils they face are lesser, now, so legendary warriors are hardly needed. 

When the last Hamato patriarch passed away, his name and house passed onto the next of his kin via a rather unconventional testament. The village knew he had family somewhere far away, but none had thought to ever ask why the clan were split so. The deed of his ancient estate went to the third oldest son of the family, instead of the first one as is customary, but the papers switched hands and signature stamps were provided without much hassle. 

The baron had been an eccentric one, mostly keeping to himself, but making appearances in the closest village to his grounds once in a while. He was liked well enough but plenty of rumours went around about him and not only because explosions could be heard coming from his manor during some nights, and the estate’s border grew viny, thorny plants of which none had seen anywhere else in the area. The surrounding fields flourished, though, had done so for centuries, so no one had reason to complain. 

It was peaceful in this particular village, even moreso than in the neighbouring ones, and some older folk still familiar with the weight of the baron’s family name were certain it was thanks to that. The yokai himself might have been the farthest thing from a warrior but the stories weren’t told about him, after all. 

All good things must come to an end, however. 

When the four surviving Hamatos arrived to take hold of their inheritance, it didn’t go smoothly. They were all kappa, yet the baron had been a sheep yokai himself, and suspicions quickly arose. It certainly didn’t help that all four didn’t really look like your average kappa (yellow-green skin, brown smooth shell, and often a cup atop their heads) and were… intimidating. They looked like warriors and this village had no need for such residents. An ill omen, some said, and that stance spread like wildfire. 

Sure, the Hamato clan had once been a clan of warriors, but times have changed. It was supposed to be legend and only legend. 

The oldest, Raphael, was a huge behemoth of a yokai, towering over everyone whether he wanted to or not, with a spiky shell, rough scales and frightening strength. The second oldest – and the older twin – Donatello, while tall, made up for his lack of bouldering physique with the similar kind of eccentrism the baron was known for. A scientist, through and through, thus to be avoided at all costs lest you ended up as one of his experiments. The third brother and the heir, Leonardo, would have seemed almost gentle compared to his older brothers if it wasn’t for a missing limb and the numerous scars marring his face and body. A crime lord, definitely, the villagers surmised – bet he acquired the manor through unsavoury means in the first place – thus shouldering him with the worst of their prejudice. And last but certainly not least, the youngest: Michelangelo. Artistic and free-spirited to a fault, he had slowly started getting in the village’s good graces. They were still wary of him but not to the same extent as his brothers and he’d managed to even make some “friends”. “Friends” who would likely turn their backs on him if their friendship should ever land them in hot water. 

But despite all this, the brothers were fairly happy. They didn’t really need anyone else than each other, after all. The village farmers let them buy their meat and produce, they weren’t actively harassed, life was peaceful enough in their new home. 

And just as their lives had changed after moving into their estranged relative’s estate, they would change again with the arrival of one certain ronin. 

“Brethren! We are home!” Donatello bellows as he waltzes through the main doors of the manor. 

“Okaeri–” Raphael starts as he emerges from the kitchen, but stops in his tracks as he sees Leonardo and his quarry. 

“What have you two done this time.” 

“I had it handled,” Leonardo grumbles through gritted teeth, “but my lovely twin here decided to test his tranq darts on a sick yokai.”  

“Scoff! I did not know he was sick! Also, I only did it to prevent unnecessary bloodshed!” 

“Bloodshed– Leonardo, explain.” Raphael demands, crossing his arms over his broad chest. The gesture would be intimidating if not for the worry clearly visible on his face.  

So it’s full-name time, great, Leonardo thinks and sighs. 

“Let me put him in the guest room, first,” he says. “He’s heavier than he looks.” 

“And maybe make sure we do not soon have a corpse in said room, hm?” 

Leonardo shoots his twin a sharp glare. 

“And whose fault would that be? Just go give Mikey his oranges before he drags himself out of bed and gets them on his own.” 

“Fine, fine,” Donatello says, raising his hands placatingly. He leaves the ronin’s belongings in the foyer and makes for the stairs to the second floor. 

“So, um. How sick is he?” Raphael asks while rounding the kotatsu in the middle of the room. Leonardo can smell his nervous stink and it makes him chuckle. 

“A fever, at least. Didn’t have time to check on him properly, the villagers were already uneasy.” 

Raphael frowns. “And I suspect that has somethin’ to do with the bloodshed Donnie mentioned.” 

“Unfortunately. Would you have ever guessed that the notorious wandering ronin would pass through this particular village? They wanted me to fight him.” 

“That’s the Shadow Ronin?!” Raphael’s eyes widen and he walks behind Leonardo to bend down and take a better look at the man’s face. He lifts one drooping ear but quickly drops it. 

“Yeesh. That sure is one high fever,” he grimaces. “Alright, let Raph carry him the rest of the way. Donnie better not tell Mikey about him so he stays in bed, I already had to stop him twice from leavin’ since ya were taking so long.” 

“You really think Dee can keep his big mouth shut?” Leonardo sighs as he tips his shoulder forward to let Raphael take the rabbit off his hands. 

“...he’s… he’s very soft and small…” Raphael mumbles, instead of replying to Leonardo’s question, when he lifts the yokai into his arms.

It’s no secret that their brother in red is a big softie, but seeing him cradle a complete stranger so gently… Leonardo feels something shift in his heart at the sight. 

“Everyone’s small compared to you, big brother,” he says softly. Raphael chuckles and shrugs, careful not to jostle the unconscious man too much. 

“Fair,” he says. “Well, better get him to bed. Will ya–” 

“On it,” Leonardo salutes him and hurries to the downstairs guest room to get it ready. Unfortunately, the musty futon in this room hasn’t been used in decades and the smell is… well, Leonardo is just glad the ronin is unconscious and can't really complain as he drags the mattress out to spread it on the floor. At least it’s not all dusty and moth-eaten, like some of the manor's furniture when they moved in. 

The linens are fresh, thankfully, as they had brought most of their belongings with them. Raphael arrives at the doorway and watches him put it all together. 

“So, ya know… I get you wanting to help this guy, but I don’t think it’ll do much good for our relationship with the villagers… Ya sure we should be doin’ this?” 

Leonardo finishes fluffing up a pillow and drops it on the futon before sighing and motioning for Raphael to bring the ronin in. 

“The only thing I’m sure of is that this is the right thing to do. You’re right to worry, though. The villagers seemed to hate him more than they hate me and that’s… quite the feat.” 

Raphael lowers the rabbit on the mattress with a thoughtful frown. 

“What the hell has this guy done,” he murmurs as Leonardo kneels down with him and helps him peel off the rabbit’s sweat-damp yukata. The guest room blanket they cover him with is not the thickest, but it does its job for now. 

“I have a hunch it’s all just a massively unfortunate misunderstanding,” Leonardo says. “He’s certainly no demon, his jaki is nonexistent.” 

“Huh. Yer right,” Raphael huffs, a little surprised. “You’d think a yokai with that sorta reputation would have some evil energy. This one’s squeaky clean.” 

Leonardo grins. “Right? It’s a proper mystery.” 

Raphael chortles. 

“Well, let’s just wait for him to get better and we can ask him ourselves. Gotta keep Mikey out of this room though, we don’t need him catchin’ whatever this guy has on top of his flu.” 

“Yep,” Leonardo nods. “I’ll take care of the ronin, and the egghead can babysit Mikey.” 

“Yer both eggheads, but that sounds like a plan,” the bigger turtle agrees. “Raph’ll leave ya to it. Upstairs been suspiciously quiet–”

As if on cue, the youngest of the Hamatos bursts into the room, wrapped in a mountain of colourful blankets, and nearly tumbles down to the floor in his excitement. 

“Ohmigosh is that really the Shadow Ronin?!” 

Chapter Text

It takes quite a bit of convincing to get Michelangelo to return to his room and his bed, and even then Raphael has to carry him out. Donatello doesn’t take any responsibility for snitching because Mikey already knew something had happened and, quote, “You all know I am the genius extraordinaire of this entire family, and I cannot be expected to lie when you all also know that I am shit at it”. 

Leonardo sighs and shakes his head fondly. He loves his brothers, he truly does, but sometimes they’re just a real handful. 

Finishing up a herb wrap, he carefully squeezes out any excess cold water and gently lays it on the ronin’s temple and forehead. There are no other signs of illness, just the fever, and the turtle is fairly certain it’s caused by exhaustion and malnourishment. The insides of the rabbit’s ears and mouth are sickly pale and his skin is just a little too slow to flatten back down when pinched. He doesn’t dare to try to make him drink any water yet, since his twin’s poisons are largely untested – if it compromises the swallowing reflex in any way, the yokai could drown and Leonardo is not about to let that happen. 

He makes sure that the rabbit is lying securely on his side, tucked in comfortably with a couple more spare blankets he had Raphael fetch him. He leaves a cup of citrus water along with a full pitcher near the bed on the floor but as he is about to leave the room, he stops and turns to look at the rabbit again. 

Leonardo can’t help himself. He really can’t. Padding softly back to the rabbit’s bedside, he crouches down and brushes some stray long hairs to the side of his face. His knuckles linger on the short, soft fur of the ronin’s cheek. 

“Get well soon,” he murmurs, feeling embarrassingly flustered. “I’ll come check on you in the morning. Please drink the water if you wake up, alright?” 

There’s no response from the rabbit, as expected, just slow, quiet breaths. Not a whisker twitches as Leonardo gets up to leave the room for real now and with one last glance, he closes the sliding door behind him. 

-

Leonardo finds his brothers gathered in Michelangelo’s room, animatedly discussing the turn of events this day had brought them. Or more like, the youngest running his mouth and gesticulating wildly as the two older brothers listen patiently and peel oranges. 

“Do y’all think he’s really the Shadow Ronin? Like really really? Wouldn’t that be dangerous for us? What if he wakes up and slits our throats in the middle of the night?” 

Here Donatello interrupts him with a scoff of disdain. 

“My tranquilliser is extraordinary, so he’d have to be quite extraordinary to shake off its effect so soon!” 

“But if he is the Shadow Ronin, wouldn’t that make him extraordinary? Or do you guys think all those stories are horseshit?” 

Raphael nearly chokes on his tongue. 

“Language, Mikey!” 

Leonardo suppresses a snicker and interjects, coming to sit on the floor next to his eldest brother. 

“I do think all those stories are horseshit.” 

Raphael smacks him upside the head with a sticky hand and Leonardo yips. Donatello huffs out an amused laugh. 

“I cannot disagree there. That stray seems as dangerous as wet laundry.” 

Michelangelo laughs, delighted. 

“I know right! He should have some sort of miasma surrounding him but there’s nothing. Makes me even more curious than before! Who is he, really, and what’s he done to earn that reputation?” 

His eyes sparkle as he leans forward on his bed, looking somewhere far away. 

“And to think I can ask him myself! Ohmigosh!” 

“Yer still on bedrest, Mikey,” Raphael says and puts a heavy hand on the youngest’s blanketed knee. “You ain’t asking him nothin’ yet.” 

“Not to mention that he’s pretty worn out, too,” Leonardo murmurs and reaches over to snatch an already peeled orange from Donatello’s plate. 

“No major signs of sickness, he’s just completely exhausted. Don’t know when’s the last time he’s eaten or even had a drink of water.” 

“Aw, gosh,” Mikey murmurs and everyone feels the energy shift in the room. “Will he be alright?” 

“As long as he doesn’t sleep too long, he will,” Leonardo says and squints at his twin. “Don’t you have like, an antidote for the tranquilliser or something?” 

“An antidote! Indignant huff! Of course I do…n’t.” 

Leonardo sighs and pops an orange slice into his mouth. “Figures. Yeah, all we can do is wait, and if he hasn’t woken up tomorrow we need to work out how to help him best.” 

“And until then, we all better catch some z’s. Can’t help no one if we’re exhausted,” Raphael sighs and his younger brothers are all compelled to agree. 

The night is quiet when Yuichi stirs from his dreamless sleep. 

He comes to awareness slowly, brow twitching at the heaviness in his head. His throat feels parched and he swallows, grimacing when his dry tongue peels off from the roof of his mouth. 

Opening his eyes seems like the logical next step. He blinks and slowly, his surroundings come into focus in the soft moonlight. A pillow, a mattress, his hand – he spreads his fingers on the sheets and finds relief in their obedience – there’s a pitcher and a cup next to him, and a simple table towards the middle of the room. 

Yuichi’s body feels so, so heavy but he forces it to move so he can sit up. He manages and his head spins, yearning to lay down again, but he stubbornly stays up. The now-dried wrap slips down his face and he grabs it, staring at it. 

What the fuck happened? Where is he? 

He looks at the table again and realises that his clothes are neatly folded on it. He looks down and sure enough, yep, he’s missing both his yukata and hakama. So someone… carried him to this house and took care of him? Is he still asleep? No… he wouldn’t be feeling this shitty if it was all a dream. 

But why had he been unconscious in the first place? 

His head pounds the more he tries to remember so he gives up. He’s still alive so he doubts he’s in any immediate danger. The motives of whoever brought him here might be shady at the very least but that’s a problem Yuichi decides to leave for future him. 

For now, he’s dying of thirst and the cup of water beside him seems promising. He takes it and sniffs it, his nose crinkling at the scent of oranges. 

Oranges. 

Yuichi’s eyes get as wide as saucers as he suddenly remembers. 

So hungry. The village. They’d heard of him before, too. Shit. Then the kappa. Handsome face, red stripes, dark blue fabric… His laugh and the smile he had flashed him as they were about to duel. 

Yuichi flushes scarlet and grips his cup in both hands. Oh, stars. What was it about that man that sent his heart racing so? He’s seen and known enough handsome faces to last him a lifetime, yet this one… Was the fever to blame? Or is the crushing loneliness he’s had to suffer for what feels like decades finally coming to a head? 

He carefully takes a sip of his drink, a sigh of relief escaping him as he swallows it down. 

The weirdly fast crush aside. They didn’t actually fight, did they? Something happened before they could… The dart, Yuichi realises, and rubs his shoulder where it had hit. It’s sore. 

Who shot him? Was it on purpose? What happened after? 

When his imagination immediately bombards him with images of the tall kappa heroically fighting off whoever had attacked him and then carrying him to safety, Yuichi almost chokes on his water. It’s… unlikely that that happened, but nothing else really makes sense. His head pounds a little harder. 

No use trying to figure it out now, he decides. If he really was taken to the kappa’s house… There had been some sort of animosity between him and the villagers but he seemed amicable enough and Yuichi feels confident of being able to have an open conversation with him. Such a thing has been quite rare for him for a long time now so the thought is enough to make him a little excited. 

Finishing his water, he reaches over to fill his cup again. The fever still lingers but he feels so much better already. Funny how some sweet water – and a soft bed and deep sleep, even if poison-induced – makes a whole world of a difference. He sets the cup on the floor and lays back down, revelling in the softness of an actual pillow under his aching head. Everything smells a little musty but it barely matters. 

Curling into himself, Yuichi lets gravity melt his body into the mattress. He’s so tired suddenly and he knows he needs to let his body rest, especially now that he’s got access to an actual futon for the first time in weeks, but he doesn’t really want to sleep. Maybe he should be more wary of being in a stranger’s house, and he might be making wrong assumptions about who his saviour actually was only based on the orange juice in the water, but his gut is telling him it’s the kappa. 

Yuichi sighs and pulls his blanket up to his chin. He can’t help being curious about the yokai – and not only because he was ridiculously good-looking – and he’s still very hungry. The house is so quiet he’s certain he’s the only one awake and could probably find his way to the pantry, but on the other hand, if he was caught it’d be so embarrassing. And not to mention, rude. He doesn’t see his swords anywhere but he hasn’t been chained down nor is there a lock on the doors so it’s not like his host is that distrustful of him, and to break that little trust would be unforgivable. 

Kindness like this is hard to come by with a reputation like his. He thinks about Karasu-Tengu, his sensei and best friend – only friend – and wonders for what must be the thousandth time why he ever left… and why his pride doesn’t let him return. This train of thought only serves to make him maudlin so he forces himself to stop. 

He should sleep more. He won’t feel the hunger and the headache will hopefully subside before he wakes up again. His stomach does an uncomfortable flip at the thought of the next morning and what it might bring but that, as established earlier, is a problem for future him. 

The faint taste of oranges lingers on his tongue as sleep drags him down. This time he dreams – of golden fields and dark feathers… and a stranger’s soft smile. 

Chapter Text

The next morning, Leonardo wakes up early with butterflies already flitting all over in his stomach. If he’s being honest, he feels a little bit insane, but he washes his face, cleans his teeth and dresses as if it’s any other regular day. He wants to rush but forces himself not to – he’s a physician, he’s got a patient, and he’s going to be professional about it. Emphasis on professional. 

His heart palpitations would like to question the strength of that resolve but fortunately, nobody asked them. 

He sneaks out of his room quietly, stepping softly on the creaky floorboards so as to not disturb his brothers and accidentally wake them up. The last thing Leonardo needs is everyone piling up in the guest room with their stares and questions and overall chaotic energy – even if the ronin is still dead asleep – and make him nervous. Well, more nervous than he already is. 

An uncomfortable thought has squirmed its way into his mind more than once; what if the ronin did wake up during the night, and just left? Something clenches in Leonardo’s chest at the mere idea. As much as he tries to deny it, he’s helplessly infatuated with the man, and he wants to get to know him! That’s… that’s not bad, right? So what if he desperately wishes that the rabbit will still be there when he goes to check on him… 

Thinking ahead (and to buy his nerves some more time) he prepares a bowl of room temperature water, a washcloth and a new herb wrap in the kitchen before going to see the ronin. The mansion is ancient but the doors have been sufficiently maintained so when he slides open the guest room door, it moves quietly. Breathing out a soft sigh of relief, he doesn’t dare to look toward the futon before closing the door behind him. 

Then, he looks, and his heart lodges itself right into his throat. 

Among the now-scattered blankets, flat on his back and snoring quietly, is the ronin. His hair is mussed, one of his ears is flopped over his eyes and the other halfway on the floor. He’s hugging his pillow to his chest and Leonardo’s eyes travel lower only for him to snap his gaze back up, his face flushing bright red. Their guest has tossed in his sleep enough to kick the blankets completely off of him. 

Sure, Leonardo did remove the rabbit’s hakama last night and he is wearing underwear, but still! It’s not actually polite to ogle an unconscious yokai. And he promised himself he’d be professional. 

It’s going so well. Get a grip, Hamato Leonardo. He squares his shoulders, takes a deep breath, centers his ki, and finally feels like he’s gotten some semblance of control back. He kneels on the edge of the futon, places the bowl and the washcloth on the floor… and startles. The cup of water he left there is empty. 

Leonardo’s eyes widen. He’s been awake! He’s drunk the water! And… and he’s still here. It makes him stupidly happy. He lifts the pitcher and it's lighter, as well, and Leonardo feels like it's his birthday. The ronin was comfortable enough to stay and even took care of himself, what an amazing patient. Leonardo wishes his brothers were half as good patients as him. 

In a considerably better mood, Leonardo sets to work. He carefully pushes the ear on the ronin’s face to the side and presses his palm against his forehead. The fever has gone down but is not quite gone yet. He checks the insides of the ronin’s ears and is happy to see the skin there glow a healthier pink. 

The tranquilliser must still be doing its best to keep the ronin under as Leonardo moves to gently pry his arms away from the pillow so he can remove it and wipe him down with the washcloth, and the rabbit doesn’t even twitch. His soft breaths are stable throughout and Leonardo completes his physical without issue, finishing up by placing the new herb wrap on the ronin’s forehead. 

I can’t wait for him to wake up, he thinks, tucking the rabbit in again. He wonders what his name is. He wonders if he’ll let him take care of him a little longer… he wonders… 

I wonder if he’ll stay. 

The thought takes him off guard. Alright, yeah, maybe he should be getting a little concerned now. Leonardo and his brothers know absolutely nothing about the man and there’s still the mystery of his reputation - even rumours have to come from somewhere. Considering all that, it’s not logical nor smart to wish that the ronin would stay. 

His chest feels hollow. He knows not of any prophecy that concerns him, no premonition from an ancient wise woman, but he is so sure that their meeting was no coincidence. 

I know him. In another life, Leonardo thinks as he stares intently at the ronin's closed eyelids. And he knows me. 

Rising to his feet to gather the ronin's clothes from the table, he leaves the room again. He can't bear to be there any longer, not while the rabbit sleeps. He needs a distraction. 

Leonardo steps outside into the fresh morning air. He drops the bundle of clothes into a wash basin, fills a few buckets from the well and gets to work. 

Raphael has taken on the breakfast duties now that Michelangelo is sick and Leonardo doesn't dare disrupt the near-ritual their oldest brother has constructed around his new responsibility, so the kitchen is off-limits. Laundry serves better as a distraction anyway, he thinks, much more physical. He also has to remember to fold the hakama pleats with as much care as possible when setting it to dry, so that’ll be a nice challenge. 

It’s easy to lose himself in the chore and before he knows it, he’s already hanging the yukata out to dry after dealing with the hakama pleats. And just in time, it seems. 

“Leo! Breakfast!” Raphael calls to him from the patio. “Mikey’s already scarfing down the eggs. Raph thinks he’s gonna be out of that bed soon, for good.” 

“Love to hear that,” Leonardo chuckles as he walks inside, past his big brother. Raphael turns to follow him and he continues. “Hopefully you made enough eggs for all of us?” 

“You know it!” the snapper chortles. “I also made extra. For the ronin.” 

Leonardo stops so suddenly that Raphael bumps into him and almost sends him nose-first to the ground. Regaining his balance, Leonardo turns to look at his brother. 

“You. You did?” 

“Well, yeah,” Raphael says, tilting his head to the side. “He’s still here, so why wouldn’t I.” 

“You checked on him?” 

“To be clear, Mikey did,” Raphael sighs. “Raph couldn’t keep him from the door. Sorry.” 

“No… no, don’t be sorry. I’m glad that you care.” 

Raphael stares at him for a moment, then squints. 

“Hmm. Right.” 

Leonardo realises he’s about to be read like an open book and quickly turns to keep walking toward the kitchen. Raphael follows, quietly, and Leonardo inwardly facepalms. 

Yeah, he’s being so not professional if even Raphael can sense it. 

Michelangelo is feeling so good. He’s feeling great! After being stuck in bed for two weeks thanks to particularly persistent pneumonia and even more persistent elder brothers, waking up that morning in nearly full strength was amazing. 

But what’s even more amazing is that they have a guest. A very, very special guest. 

The Shadow Ronin. 

Michelangelo could just scream! For months he’s been listening to the rumours circulating in the village, contemplating them in his mind and with his brothers – until they got bored – and wondering what his story is. 

He almost can’t believe that the ronin came to their village and is now at their house. It’s so lucky, the Shichifukujin* (The Seven Lucky Gods*) must really have taken a liking to Michelangelo! 

It does come with a downside, though. The ronin is asleep. Mikey frowns in the general location of Donatello’s room. Stupid tranquillisers, stupid tests, stupid genius brother. But not so genius that he’d invent an antidote to go along with those, no, of course not. 

So as of now, Michelangelo is stuck waiting for the ronin to wake up. It’s torture. And since he’s practically healed now, his brothers have finally let him out of their sight and aren’t hounding him like sheepdogs every time they spot him anywhere that isn’t his room – which is so incredibly welcome, don’t get him wrong; he’s an adult, for gods’ sakes – but because of that, there’s currently no one to keep him distracted. 

Raphael and Leonardo are out doing some more laundry and Donatello, to no one’s surprise, has locked himself in the basement. Michelangelo doesn’t care to know why, unless it’s because he’s making the antidote to the tranquillisers, but he knows his brother well enough that it’s probably not the case. Their purple brother is more interested in explosions and machinery and making people unconscious than helping. (That’s a lie, but Mikey is feeling salty enough so he’s allowed, alright?) 

Still wrapped in a blanket – this time just for comfort – and sitting at the guest room door, having shuffled it open just enough so he can fit himself snugly in the doorway and see the out-cold ronin, Michelangelo peels another orange. He’s already eaten two while he’s sat there and this is his last one, so he hopes that the rabbit will wake up soon. 

It’s so boring to just wait! But, thanks to no one babysitting him, he’d much rather wait here than anywhere else. Leo told them the ronin had been awake during the night, so it’s likely that he won’t stay asleep for long. Or at least Mikey hopes so. Dang, he should’ve brought his sketchbook… but he’s already sitting so comfortably. 

And maybe drawing someone unconscious isn’t the most polite thing to do. 

Stuck in his thoughts, he nearly misses it when the pile of blankets moves. A hand reaches out from under them, feeling the floor, clumsily grabbing at the fresh cup of water left by the side of the bed. 

Michelangelo stares, still as a statue, barely daring to breathe. Oh my gosh! He’s awake! Oh my gosh! 

The ronin’s hand finds the cup and Mikey hears a pleased hum. The rabbit sits up, drowsily, bringing the cup to his lips to take a long, savouring sip. 

Only then does he open his eyes, and he looks straight into Mikey’s wide-open ones. Lowering the cup to his blanketed lap, the rabbit blinks… and Mikey doesn’t know why, but he thinks the light he caught in those brown eyes dims a little. Weird. 

“Um!” he manages to stammer, “hi! I’m Mikey! This is my house! Me and my brothers’ house! Our… house.” 

He could just slap himself. Holy moly what a terrible first impression he’s making. In fact– 

He slaps himself. The ronin startles. 

“Let me do this again! Sorry! So, hi! I’m Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey, and this is me and my brothers’ house. You’re our guest here, in case you’re confused! My older brother has been taking care of you. I hope you’re feeling better!” 

The rabbit perks up at that, and honest to gods Mikey could just scream because he smiles. It’s so cool! And cute! What a treat! 

“Thank you,” the ronin says, bowing his head. “My name is Usagi Yuichi. I am in your debt.” 

Mikey sputters, surprised by the soft, youthful voice – you can’t blame him for thinking it’d be gruffier! – and waves his hands. 

“Oh, no, no way! “It is the right thing to do”, Leo said, so, you know! We’re just happy to help! ‘Cause um. ‘Cause we’re kinda responsible for you passing out, anyway.” 

Usagi looks so confused and Mikey scrambles to explain. 

“So like, we’re four brothers, me and Leo and Raph and Donnie, and Donnie made that tranq dart. He shot you. I’d love to say he’s sorry, but I know he’s not because he thinks he did the right thing, but I’m really sorry, and I know Leo and Raph are too!” 

Mikey bends from the waist to bow down at Usagi, going as far as planting his hands on the floor. 

“Taking care of you is the least we can do. Please forgive us!” 

Silence. Mikey lifts his head to look at Usagi, who only stares him back. Maybe he’s not quite awake yet? He sits up again, and waits. Awkwarrrrd. 

After a moment, the corners of Usagi’s mouth twitch upward and there’s a chuckle, which then turns into a giggle, and soon he is laughing. Mikey finds it ridiculously cute, but also a little bit worrying. 

“Oh, stars. That is so funny. I can’t believe this–” the ronin stops abruptly, quickly setting the cup aside and lying back down, still giggling under his breath. 

“Forgive me, I seem to be quite lightheaded,” he manages while covering his eyes with his hand, and Michelangelo can’t help but grin at him. Yeah, this guy is nothing like the rumours make him out to be. 

“That’s alright! Just rest! Thanks for not being mad at us. Lemme go get you some brekkie, okay? I’ll be back soon!” Mikey bounces up to his feet, turns to leave, turns back to wave at Usagi, then turns again and leaves the room. 

Ohmigosh! I can’t wait to tell everyone he’s awake!!