Chapter Text
The ground squished repulsively under his feet as Yuichi Usagi ran as fast as he could across the wasteland he once called home. New York-the once beautiful city, glowing with lights and the laughter of long-dead residents- was nothing. No buildings, no lights.
No people.
The only sounds he could hear was the heartbeat in his ears that sounded too quick and loud to be his own, and the heaving, erratic breathing that didn't seem to be drawing in any oxygen. Maybe the air around him was the root of the problem. The air was thick with smoke from the fires that erupted from wherever the Kraang aimed their lazers, and the lack of vegetation providing fresh oxygen was prominent in his mind as it wandered, even now. His legs were burning like they never had before, and yet felt like they had been reduced to Jello at the same time. He was sure they would collapse out from underneath him, and his life would be cut short by one of the hundreds of Kraang monsters chasing him down.
They don't run out of stamina; Usagi does. He's also pretty sure about 50 of his strides equals one of theirs, so the odds aren't exactly in his favour there either.
"You persistent. Little. Pest," the voice of the Kraang boomed behind him. Much closer than he'd previously estimated. Not that he planned on turning around and risking tripping or slowing down. "why do you run? You were doomed to perish at our hand the very moment you landed in this world." Rumbling sounded from underneath the ground, and he instinctively dove to the right to avoid being impaled when the vines came crashing upwards. His reaction time was sluggish, and he narrowly missed losing his arm to the sharp point that pierced the air next to him. It was so close, in fact, he felt the wind rush through the fur covering his arm. Regaining his balance and increasing his pace, pure adrenaline was the only thing left to fuel him. He had eaten no food in days, and had given the last of his very limited water supply to an ill member of the resistance that morning.
The young woman, only a few years older than him, had been strangled and impaled through the shoulder by the Kraang. The wound had developed an infection by the time she made it back to the base. By that point, there was nothing anyone could do except make her as comfortable as possible until she inevitably died.
After Donatello died, their medical supplies decreased drastically as machines that only he knew how to maintenance broke down, and medicine he had learned to create had run out. Without the materials to repair them, or new herbs to make more medicine, infection soon meant death. Even with Leonardo's extensive medical knowledge, rivaled only by that of Donatello's, without the materials, there was no hope.
Usagi risked a chance to squeeze his eyes closed as he thought back to all the amazing people he had met during his time with the resistance. The people he began to call his family. The person he'd fallen in love with. His eyes brimmed with tears as he pictured Leo's face in his mind. His smile still shone through the darkness and death that constantly surrounded them. All the time they'd led the resistance together. The missions they'd gone on together. Just the times when they had a quiet moment to themselves at the base with no one around, just to bask in each other's presence during a quiet time between attacks. Helping Leo put on his prosthetic, because even after five years of wearing it he still struggled to put it on properly. Eventually, it just became part of their routine, getting ready for the day, Usagi would help him with his arm.
He could hear his voice, still low from just waking up, "thanks 'sagi," he'd say, and kiss him on the forehead. If he thought about it, he could still feel the ghost of his lips now. Usagi had always refused to kiss him on the mouth in the morning before they brushed their teeth. Leo always laughed at it, and Usagi would remind him that hygiene was important, especially during an apocalypse, where everything could damage a person's health. After that, if he had time, Leo would wait to see him before his meetings to get a morning kiss before starting the long day.
Now, he would kiss him if he could, even if he had the most atrocious morning breath imaginable.
He also wishes he could see his friends from Neo Edo one last time. He didn't know how much they had changed in the last six years. He was the youngest in the group, at 16 years old when they had all met. Kitsune had been the next youngest, at 17, then Gen and Chizu at 18. He wondered what they all looked like now, how different their personalities were now. He definitely knew he had changed, given he had been stuck in an apocalyptic dimension for six years. He wanted to hug them, tell him how much they meant to him during his short time with them. It had only been a few weeks over the one-year anniversary of their friendship when Usagi had been dragged away from them to New York. They probably never knew what even happened to him. The thought only made more tears build up.
He wiped his eyes, trying to clear his vision to see the ground in front of him. His legs were beginning to ache unbearably, and he knew he only had a few more minutes before his adrenaline failed him and he would be at the Kraang's mercy. He glanced up into the distance, looking for shelter. 'Even if the place I find can withstand that thing, I wouldn't be able to start running again if my life depended on it. Which it does.' His frown deepened, and his eyes returned to the ground in front of him. The Kraang was gaining ground on him as his pace slowed with exhaustion. Even if he tried to go for shelter now, the only one he could see was too far ahead for him to make it in time. He could hear the crackling sound of the Kraang's vines growing closer, until there was a flash of bright white light directly in front of him. He came to a stop subconsciously, immediately cursing himself.
He prepared for the Kraang's sharp, stinging death, but it never came. He risked a glance behind him, but the alien was looking over his head in front of him, eyes wide with shock-a rare emotion of the Kraang. Its face was painted in some kind of colourful light, and it caught his attention, bringing it back to the flash that had just happened. He turned back around to the spectacle in front of him, an involuntary gasp escaping him.
A glowing sphere had manifested in front of them, slowly flowing down to the ground. It seemed so familiar, yet Usagi couldn't place quite where he knew it from. Perhaps it reminded him of Leo's portals. He hadn't used them in years, but he would never forget the beautiful blue mystic he had associated with the blue ninja for the first few years he knew him.
The Kraang let out an angry cry, and was sent reeling through the air, hundreds of feet from where it was. Usagi watched in confusion and mild satisfaction as it landed with a screech on the ground, its vines retreating with it.
How come he had felt nothing? No wind, and certainly nothing strong enough to blow over a big blob of purple-ish goop that weighed twice as much as him-if not more. His head snapped back around to the mysterious floating ball, and he drew his sword, holding it between the two of them. He took a defensive stance, but it was wobbly as his legs quite rudely reminded him of the exhaustion setting in the very core of his bones. He was tired-gods he was so tired-but forced himself to remain upright and keep his voice steady.
"What are you? What do you want?" he asked, failing to raise his voice to something with some semblance of intimidation. The ball said nothing, only slowly drifting closer. He held his ground, only because he knew if he took another step he was going to collapse, defenseless. He hardened his gaze, bracing himself for some kind of attack. The ball stopped a few feet from him, growing brighter by the second. He had to squint to continue watching it, but the light was so bright that all he could make out was pure white.
The light soon dimmed, and he tried to blink the spots from his vision. The ball had changed shape to resemble one of Leo's portals now. The only difference was it was a mix of light blues, pinks, and faint purple. The colour was beautiful, and Usagi would be lying if he said he wasn't amazed at it. He dropped his stance, gazing up at the sight. It was inviting, especially compared to the land surrounding him.
He snapped out of his distraction, trying to take a step backwards, ultimately failing to think it through. His knee buckled underneath him, and his eyes widened before screwing shut as he braced for the impact. Once again, it never came. He cracked open an eye, and registered the ground below him. He also registered that his feet were not touching that ground.
He was floating.
His momentary shock subsided, and he panicked. His bruised and battered limbs felt weightless, the pain still there, but not as prominent. He waved his arms around, trying to grab at the ground as he felt himself being pulled towards what he could only assume was a portal. The last time something like this happened, he was sent to this dimension. His panic increased tenfold when he thought about being thrown right into another mysterious universe on the brink of apocalypse. He desperately clawed at the ground, trying to get a grip on something. He almost wished the Kraang's vines were still here for him to grab. Almost. His efforts were in vain, however, as he was lifted too far off the ground to reach it.
He looked over his shoulder as the portal seemed to envelop the world around him, making his head spin. The entire experience was dizzying. He didn't know which way was up in this odd place, and it felt like he was being spun around, his insides doing flips as he traveled. He knew he was moving, but felt no wind. His mind blanked, not knowing how to even begin processing where he was or what was happening. He still felt light, which almost made it worse. Not weighed down by pain of some kind to ground him, he didn't know how to feel. To top it all off, his head was beginning to throb at the sudden bright lights that seemingly went on forever around him. There was something else, too, that bothered him.
It was completely quiet.
He hadn't heard real, true silence since before he arrived in New York. There were always people around who were talking, children who were playing. Even in the middle of the night, he could hear the whirr of machines from rooms over, or Leo's light snores next to him as he slept. There was ALWAYS noise. The silence was uncomfortable, and it made the already uncomfortable feeling of his internal organs twisting even more unbearable. He couldn't even hear his heart beat in his ears, or his breathing anymore. He pressed his ears against the back of his head, wrapped in ribbon he had gotten from Leo two years ago.
His tie for his ears had snapped from years of use, and he couldn't focus without it. Leo had taken the opportunity to match with him, getting him some of the same ribbon his blue mask had been made from. It proved to be more comfortable, and he could take it off easier. Leo had been so happy when he had begun wearing it like that, and he could still picture the smile on his face the first time he had tied up his ears with it. It soon became incorporated into their routine, Leo would tie the ribbon into a bow in the morning, after Usagi helped him attach his arm. He would run his fingers through the fur on his ears like it was human hair, smoothing out whatever tangles or knots there were. It was calming; a quiet time before they left their room and were plunged into the chaos and dangers of the resistance.
He played with his ears subconsciously, running his fingers through it, feeling all the dirt and dried blood on his fur. Just like Leo does. Well, like he used to. The tears made their reapperance, and this time, Usagi didn't try to blink them or wipe them away. His mind brought him back to just over an hour ago, when he had stumbled out of a battle with the Kraang. He had spotted Leo fighting them on his own, an orange portal closing behind him. He recognized Michelangelo's ninpo immediately, and could infer the rest.
He quickly ran up to assist, and together, they took down Kraang after Kraang. There was a short break before the next wave came through, and Usagi had approached Leo, wanting to question what he wanted to do, when he noticed blood coming from a wound on his side. Leo hadn't said anything, just nodded and smiled sadly at him, eyes shining with unshed tears. Usagi had forgotten how to breathe, only staring in what could only be described as shock and horror as the reality of the situation caught up to him. The tears came faster than he could stop them, and suddenly, he had been brought back to reality by two huge arms wrapping around him, pulling him closer. Tracks of tears ran down his face, as he brought his hands up to cup his lover's face. Leo had leaned into the touch, finally letting his own tears fall. They soaked his mask, but a few made their way down to Usagi's hands. They had kissed deeply, full of passion and sorrow simultaneously, as the Kraang roared behind them. Leo pressed his forehead against Usagi's for a brief moment before pushing him back gently, and wiping his eyes.
"You have to go," Usagi was already shaking his head, "run."
"No- no," I ca- I won't leave you here. You have to come with me. Can you run? If you can't, I can fight them, I have my sword, we just need to find some shelter. I- Lee-" Usagi looked around, but looked back up at him when Leo grabbed his hands. The slider only gave him a smile, soft, yet sad. "I can't leave you," his voice broke, more tears running down his face. Leo brought one of his giant hands up to his cheek, wiping some of them away before just resting it there.
"You can, 'sagi. You have to. I can't make it far, but I want you to live. You have to live for me, okay?" His voice was soft, but the broken smile betrayed his tone.
Usagi shook his head again, "It won't be a life without you. I can't do this without you." He squeezed his eyes shut, more tears escaping as he let his head fall against Leo's plastron. "Please, don't make me do this without you," he whispered. The arms returned, enveloping him in their warmth before retreating again before he could return the hug. A gentle hand lifted his chin, and they shared another kiss. Leo grabbed his shoulders as the Kraang came up behind Usagi. Leo turned and pushed him behind him, blocking a blow with his sword. Usagi just stared, still trying to process what was happening.
"Usagi, Go! Please!" Leo pleaded, turning to glance at him one last time. He tried to look reassuring, but it came off strained from the effort to hold off the Kraang. Usagi took a few steps backwards, eyes wide in horror as his world crashed down around him.
"I love you," he sobbed, the force of his pain racking his entire body.
"I love you, too," came Leo's watery reply, as he turned around to swing his sword, cutting clean through the monster.
Usagi turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
The feeling of wind rushing past him snapped him out of his misery, and Usagi turned to look behind him, wiping his eyes to see through the blur of tears. There was a dark blur ahead, that was growing bigger and bigger every second. He rubbed his eyes again, but when he reopened them, he was surrounded by darkness. The rush of air was more prominent now, and his ears flowed behind him as he began to feel the force of gravity returning. It felt like he was sinking quickly, and his stomach churned with the sudden change.
He heard distant voices. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they sounded panicked. He let himself fall, accepting his fate of being thrown into another random dimension. He didn't think his sanity would last much longer anyways. It was already falling apart while he lost his family and friends one by one, but had completely shattered the moment he left Leo. Closing his eyes, he accepted whatever fate awaited him on the other side.