TMNT: One Small Turtle: Mikey's Bedtime Story

part of my AU
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Hamoto Yoshi’s oldest sons were now nineteen, soon they would no longer be teenagers. Many things happened over the past nineteen years. He gained a new family after he lost his beloved wife and daughter. He was getting ever closer to defeating the one who caused his so much pain, but yet gave the ability to start again. It was if Yoshi was phenix, he rose from the ashes. It was twisted way to think about it. Then just four short years ago, little Michelangelo joined them. He brought new life to the family, and great joy.

It pained him to do so, but he sent each of his sons on their own two week sabbaticals. This was the longest he was alone with Michelangelo. He always had the support of his sons. He would have sent them separately, but this was a reality his youngest was going to have to face, his brothers might not always be around. Splinter knew they would want to spread their wings and venture off on their own soon, so this was also lesson for the smallest turtle.

Michelangelo was coloring at the kitchen table while Splinter sipped from his tea cup. The small turtle yawned.

“You sleepy my son?” Splinter asked. Mikey rubbed his eyes and nodded. “Well let us get you cleaned up and off to bed.” Mikey only nodded and he zigzagged behind is father to the bathroom for his bath.

Mikey giggled and yawned during the entire bath, he loved them, and the bubbles, he always tried to eat the bubbles too.

“No, do not eat the bubbles,” Splinter could not help but laugh.

“But they look soooooo good,” Mikey smiled.

“I assure you they are not.”

“Aww!” Mikey complained as Splinter lifted him from the tub.

“How go find a bedtime story and I will meet you in your room.

“Okay daddy,” Mikey said skipping off.

When Splinter came into the room he was meet by Michelangelo holding a blue book with a duck on it. “You want me to read you this?” he asked taking the book.

“Hai sensei!” Mikey smiled.

“Very well,” Splinter opened the book and a worn piece of paper fell out.

“What that?” Mikey asked as Splinter picked it up.

“Let me see,” he said un folding the paper gently, “I see it is, well an old story.”

“Can you tell Mikey?”

Splinter looked down at his son, “Of course I can,” and he read.
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There once was an oak growing in a forest.  He was tall, and strong, and had very strong roots.  He had many friends and family in the forest alongside him, but he had also allied himself with the wind.  As we all know, the wind can be kind, and gentle, but only when it wants to be.  In truth, it is wild, and untamed.  It can lash out at anything and everything for absolutely nothing, no reason at all.
  One day, the oak fell in love with a beautiful woman.  She was a morning glory, delicate and perfect.  He did not know that his friend, the wind was jealous, that he wanted the morning glory for himself.  But that was impossible, since the wind was a drifter, never stable, never loyal.  The morning glory attached herself to the oak, her sweet vines climbing up his trunk and branches.  Where once there were two, now there was one.
  It was not long before a small tree grew in between them.  She was their daughter, created in the wondrous harmony of their love.  But this only angered the wind more, and as his rage reached boiling point, he lashed out.  A storm grew, and the clouds gathered, hitting against one another, causing lightning to form.
  It only took one strike.  The pure electricity burned the morning glory, her petals dropping to the ground, black and charred.  She withered away until there was nothing left except for the oak’s screams.  Her touch, which once was wrapped around him so tightly, fell away, never to be felt again.
  The oak could knew that it was his time.  Fire lapped up at him, scorching him.  But just as quickly as the clouds had caused his pain, they helped, raining down on him the relief he needed.  But as the smoke cleared, and the sun began to shine, the oak was horrified.  Everything was gone.  His family, his friends.  His daughter.  Somehow he was in a new place, a new home.  All alone.  He had no one.
  Now, the oak didn’t know it at the time, but there were seeds in the ground that he stood upon.  When these seeds sprouted, he saw that there was life left for him, that he could raise up these children that, just like him, had no one.  And together, they made the unlikeliest of families.  Father, sons, family  
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He always ended it like then when he told Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello. Now there was more to the story.
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Given time something new drifted to the oak.  A new part in his life, a new seed.  Where it came from was anybody’s guess, but it brought a new meaning to the family.  Just like the morning glory, it wrapped itself around its new family, holding them together like glue.  They cared for him, and he cared for them.  With him, their family was complete.  He added the bond between brothers, he helped hold the oak’s heart.  With him, they were indeed a family.

Splinter looked down at Mikey, his small hand wrapped around his paw.

“Michelangelo, my little morning glory.” Splinter laid a paw on his son’s head.