#rottmnt the last flame au

[noxvee6]

I put my SOUL into this drawing but I love it so much because of that.

This is for a certain little AU ( @the-last-flame-au )

[spacemimz]

Have a TlF! Mikey. Gotta draw him more, especially with CJ. Fun stuff for sure :3

@the-last-flame-au

[the-last-flame-au]

[ The Ember That May Reignite The Fire ]

"Cassandra Jones!! You cannot be serious right now!!" April shouted. It was rare for her to truly get mad and chew someone out and even rarer for April to cuss out Casey but this was something that couldn't be left unaddressed.

"Look- I couldn't just leave a baby out there to die. You're the one who's been telling me for years to do the right thing and now that I do it, it's still wrong?! Where is the logic in that O'Neil?" Casey defended herself while holding the dirty orphan she picked up on patrol a little closer to her chest.

Somehow this little creature had awakened a new side in Casey. A caring one. Not in the way she cares for the Hamato clan or the resistance. She started to care like a mother and all the small child had to do was cry.

The situation Casey had found the orphan was dire, her squadron had just pushed back a small group of Kraang hounds and were securing the area for supply runs when the child cried out beneath some rubble.

It was a human child that Casey picked up and something about that small, dirty face made her soft inside. The moment she had picked up the human infant he stopped crying, opting out for more content coos.

"Casey you are out of your mind! We are barely scraping by already! We cannot handle a small baby here! Our resources are limited!" April chastised Casey some more. "Just- just let me try okay? Maybe this kid grows up to be strong and bright. Maybe he's gonna be the

solution to the mess outside. Let me try and raise this kid. April please."

Whenever Casey got to emotional talk April couldn't keep up her tough demeanor. It didn't help that the small child in Casey's arms was malnourished and still adorable. April understood that these two would be an incredible little family and a major pain in her ass. "Fine. He's your responsibility though. You make sure he is fed, clothed, bathed, gets his shots, trains when he's old enough and most important of all: make sure that child is loved. If you wanna be a mom, do it right" commanded April.

Casey saluted, a sign of respect yet there was softness in both women. For each other and the small child that was now snuggled up against Casey's chest and sleeping soundly.

"He shall be named CJ!" Casey proclaimed loudly. It had only been a few hours since she brought the infant into the base and introduced him to her found family, the Hamato clan.

Mikey especially loved the little boy from the second he saw him. The child gave him hope. Hope that within all this death and destruction new life could grow. It gave him hope that his brothers didn't die for nothing. That there might be peaceful days again.

Mikey missed his brothers so dearly, he lost them when they were all just children. When they were thrust into a situation so much bigger than themselves, even bigger than the Shredder.

Michelangelo hoped that this child, CJ, would be the key to making everything up to his beloved brothers.

"May I ask what CJ stands for Casey?" Splinter spoke up. He was also excited at the existence of this little boy, he missed his own so much. Feeling like a failure of a father unable to protect them from the world, from danger.

"Well it stands for Casey Junior, of course!" Casey, now senior, proclaimed proudly. "Casey… Junior..? You named the child after yourself?" Draxum questioned. "Of course! There is no greater fighter than I so this shall set my son's destiny in stone!" shouted Casey.

Casey junior seemed unshaken by his mother's loud antics. While Casey laughed at her own genius she caught unimpressed looks from April, Draxum and Splinter.

The only one not paying attention was Mikey. He was busy holding CJ in his arms, enthralled by the little life he held. CJ seemed equally curious about Mikey, reaching for his beak and trying to grab at him.

The baby babbled away, incoherently but still very headstrong in what he wanted. Mikey entertained the young boy while the other four still argued about Casey's name choice.

"I will protect you CJ, I promise no bad thing will ever happen to you." Mikey spoke, though it was little more than a hushed whisper, just loud enough that CJ might hear but no one else. Mikey failed at protecting his brothers but he would not fail in protecting this child.

That, he swore to himself.

Story written by @spacemimz Art by @noxvee6

[cryptidblossomd]

I have so many TMNT ideas and aus idk? And like A LOT of them never for fleshed out fully so I am here to share some and maybe someone will like them enough to take over/ get inspo :)

Ok so first off we have the haunted au, it's a au loosely based off Rottmnt. But with a major 2012 aspect. Keep reading to get the info

Ok so, 2018 during the fight with the shredder they were killed in battle. Holding that guilt they somehow got Mikey's ninpo to transport them to the 2012 world. Where each 2012 turtle is haunted by the 2018 ones,

Leo is haunted by Red,

Donnie by Orange,

Raph by Purple

Mikey by Blue.

They started calling the 2018 turtles by their color as they don't know their names.

After the deaths of each 2018 boy, they kinda faded slightly, they are all fragments of themselves? Blue is zaps of electricity, Purple are layers of code, Orange is like a flame tbag flickers and Red is various shapes fading in and out. They are all transparent and have clear eyes but can communicate with each other and their respective hauntie.

Mikey was the first to notice Blue, every since he was young there was always this blue trail of blue that followed him. He of course tried to bring it up with the others but they thought it was just a thing of his imagination. This of course means Mikey was the easiest to bond with his respective soul gaining Blues power and energy. He can't teleport like blue but he gains extraordinary speed. Making it look like he was teleporting to the untrianed eye.

Raph was actually the next to see the soul, at first he thought the floating code was a prank Donnie was playing on him. But when he was out fighting and his sai's broke. Suddenly the code materialized into a new weapon that's when he started to acknowledge it more, Raph again doesn't necessarily gain the power to conjure weapons he thinks of but purple will actually assess the situation at hand and conjur up what weapon is best in the situation and transform into that for Raph.

Leo was after, after starting to see the Blue and Purple flickers surrounding his brothers he started to wonder if he had any such thing. He tried for a while but nothing ever made it's presence known, this of course upset him a little but he tried to not let it be known. However once while fighting he got pretty injured, this lead to red squares materializing and heal it for him. They faded not long after but he remembered that encounter for a while. Which lead to him meditating and trying to talk to the soul. It didn't really ever work until he had the idea to use his katana blade to cut himself, cutting the palm of his hand and soon red flickers surrounded it healing it. Not wanting the shapes to fade he muttered a small thank you. It seemed like the cubes stopped for a second before a warm touch was felt on Leo's forehead. Smiling Leo now gained the ability of self healing and healing others. Red can virtually heal anything as long as it wasn't a missing limb or deadthly fatal.

Donnie was the last to ever learn of the souls, not that he was skeptical especially after all his brothers learned of their. But because no matter what he did the power never triggered. Hurting himself? Nothing. Physical activity, Nope still the same. Weapon changes? Still a stupid stick. No matter what trouble he got into the magic? the soul? the nothing after a while he kind of gave up. Seeing his brothers so happy controlling these new found powers and stuff made him lock himself away. For a whole year nothing showed not even a spark, until he was particularly frustrated with a piece of machinery. He was getting super fed up with it. Nothing was going his way he started to cry actually, he trashed his room and started tearing up. It as then small flickers of fire surrounded his face and body. causing him to float, they picked him up and soon an orange ghost appeared in front of him with a bright grin. It apologized and picked his machine up, rebuilding it and handing it back to him. Setting Donnie down the ghost floated down to him and smiled again this time more softly. "I grant...my power restoration to you" soon the orange ghost disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Ever since then donnie had been able to section a 3ft by 3ft area to go back and forth in time. He also bragged about seeing his ghost first but his brothers never believed him.

Each ghost showed themselves through time. Orange was of course the first to show themselves and speak. Purple learned to speak to Raph not long after Donnies encounter with Orange, Blue learned to show himself to Mikey and speak in cut..sen..te.c...es. and it took Red about a month to even show himself to Leo.

Anyway! That's that!! Feel free to use this or add on!! I'll post more of these eventually maybe

[sroloc--elbisivni]

Bunnyguard master post

July 1, 2023: in the spirit of shameless self-promotion here's a collective post for the Usagi Yojimbo/Rottmnt fusion Leosagi fic series I've been working on this year. somewhat celebratory because 1. I'm very excited to have hit the halfway mark on this project 2. my birthday is later this month and I can do a little treat for myself if I want 3. it's my first day off in ages and I can spend my time luxuriantly and frivolously. Prompts taken from Year of the OTP; titles from Richard Siken "Litany in which certain things are crossed out."

Post last updated December 22, 2023

Bunnyguard verse premise in three bullet points:

The cast of Usagi Yojimbo are embedded in the Hidden City

Draxum helped raised the turtles

Usagi gets hired as a bodyguard for Leo a month after the Krang invasion

January - "missionfic" - something other than the desperation Usagi does his best to not embarrass himself while Leo tries to do the same and fails. (the hero shifts from one foot to the other)

February - "mermaid au" - no one will ever want to sleep with you A first meeting sparks a series of increasingly dumb and desperate decisions. (the repeated image of the lover destroyed)

March - "mutual pining" - your heart, and it is painted shut We skip ahead in the timeline to the point where Usagi has decided he's going to just quietly pine forever and Leo stops for five seconds of self-examination and immediately starts planning his wedding. (the same big and little words, all spelling out desire)

April - "No, I'm not dating your brother" - There is something underneath the floorboards After a series of shenanigans, (some of) Usagi's misconceptions are corrected and Leo eventually gets a full night's sleep. (bruised and ruined, you poor sad thing)

May - "accidental pet/child acquisition" - Quit milling around the yard and come inside Usagi uses his day off to be with his family, including his son, and Leo takes a turn being the babysitter instead of the babysat. (Inside your head you hear a phone ringing.)

June - "you're not what I expected" - These terms from the lower depths After being chased by a demon, Leo and Usagi end up in the bones of both of their pasts, one after the other. (I have told you where I'm coming from, so put it together.)

July - "enemies to lovers" - recently we have had our difficulties Leo screws up, Usagi gets hurt, and they have to work together to fix it. (the moment of epiphany, in gold light)

August - "au of your choice" (free space) - close enough to see the blue rings Usagi fights a dragon and Leo has a bunch of minor problems happen all at once. (But it doesn't work, these erasures, this constant refolding of the pleats)

September - "hurt/comfort" - Are you there, sweetheart? Do you know me? An unexpected attack forces everyone involved to reexamine their circumstances. (Love always wakes the dragon and suddenly flames everywhere)

October - "identity shenanigans" - I guess I can tell you that now. Our heroes go on a date to a mob warehouse and find out things that were not exactly secrets but definitely unknown. (I walk through your dreams and invent the future)

November - "be careful what you wish for" - You want a better story. Who wouldn't? A confrontation, a choice, a number of things undone. (It should mean laughter, not poison.)

December - "forgiveness" - so maybe I wanted to give you something Our heroes reckon with their actions, and choose to try again. (I want more seats reserved for heroes. Dear Forgiveness, I saved a plate for you.)

[daedelweiss]

Hey, I just want to say two things. One: Looooooooove your rottmnt au story ;) Second: The scarf Leo wears with the colors of him and his brothers, what kind of design is it? I can't really tell of it have stripes, curls or flames motive?

thank you so much!!! and i feel like his scarf is more like flames. the image that comes to mind every time i imagine the scarf coming to life and have its colors swirling is that one scene in avatar: the last airbender where zuko and aang meet the dragons. (the scarf itself is not magical nor do the colors move. leo made it himself 😅)

i just see it as a reflection of what leo is feeling. i did put on instagram that the scarf has an “anatomy”. donnie’s color is always near leo’s chest, on the extended part of the scarf, kinda to “fill in the void” for leo thinking he’d never meet his twin. aside from donnie’s, raph’s color takes up huge spaces in the scarf. and mikey’s color manifests more as long tendrils, smaller than the parts donnie and raph cover, as if it’s trying to hold all colors together.

hope this helps! 😄

[mecub]

A rottmnt au I wanna write

Before I start! If anyone has made something like this already, I’d be really interested in seeing it!

Now. As far as I know, we don’t know for sure that bad timeline April died in the attack that killed future Leo and Mikey. She probably did, but maybe, just maybe she didn’t. So consider: bad future April leading the very last of the survivors through an even more broken world than the one they’ve lived in for years, knowing that the Kraang have completely taken control and knowing that they can’t win, but hoping to find some place to live out the rest of their lives peacefully, even though they’ve lost everything and everyone but each other.

I texted this all to a friend, and they said it sounds really dark, and there is that path, but I feel like it could be sorta hopeful if well written, like they find a safe and beautiful place deep in the woods, a long abandoned cabin or something, and the few of them who survived learn to make the best out of what they have now, knowing that soon enough they’ll be with their loved ones again but now they can take even just a few months to make peace with their lives on earth (longest sentence ever written).

It’s April leading maybe five others and giving them hope, knowing that after all this she’ll see her family again.

My current thought is that she almost dies, but when Mikey makes the portal and dies he sends out a burst of magic to all the people he loves, and it reaches April and saves her from the brink of death. Her family reaches out in the brief moment when Mikey and Leo‘s deaths let them interact with the world mystically, and they put their energy into healing April. And she carries that with her. She carries the knowledge that her family is waiting, and the knowledge that they want her so strongly to live, and she uses the time she has left to take care of those who also survived. There are kids amongst them, and she gives them as much of a childhood as she can. Together, this group grieves for those they lost and grows close.

Here’s a scene I’ve written already! It takes place after the big Kraang attack, when April is nearly dead:

At the back of April’s mind, there are two flames. 

One is orange and feels like childhood joy and sage wisdom at the same time. It flares up, bright and warm and brilliant, and then it goes out forever. It feels like, You’re not dying that easily. It feels like, I’ll see ya soon enough.

The other is blue and strong and steady and feels like a safe hand reaching out in the middle of a storm. It bursts with warmth as it flickers out. It feels like, Buh-bye, sis. It feels like, Don’t worry, the kid is safe.  

At the edges of her perception, there’s a trace of purple energy that feels like electricity and dry sarcasm. A trace of solid, smiling red warmth in a protective wall. 

If she looks further, she can feel more.

The smallest suggestion of soft whiskers and ridiculous movie star glasses from days past.

The tiniest possibility of an ancient smile that was briefly a part of her.

The faintest chance of cafeteria food and disgust that covered love.

And maybe it’s her mind playing tricks on her, but she might just sense off-brand girl scout brownies and determination. Might just sense green explosions of joy and stupid jokes about laser tag.

All of the people she’s lost smile at her, and then they’re gone.

And April’s alone again.

April’s eyes open slowly to the red sky and cracked remains of a roof.

That’s wrong. She’s supposed to be dead now. Unless she is, and the world decided to leave her as part of the worst joke ever. Maybe the afterlife is just the real world, but she can’t feel anything around her.

Wait. That’s also wrong. A bit of debris presses into her back, and her arm and leg hurt. Not as much as they should, though.

She should have bled out from those wounds. It doesn’t make any sense.

Slowly, she pushes herself up and looks around. The tunnel is completely destroyed around her. Old concrete lies in chunks and pieces, and underneath are the bodies of those who died in the battle.

She was supposed to be with them. This really, really doesn’t make sense.

She looks at the giant cut on her arm, and finds it… covered? A slightly blue tinted bandage is wrapped around it tightly. Her leg is similarly wrapped in orange stained bandage, with a tiny smile drawn on.

Ta-da! It’s bad, but still, ta-da!

[jadethest0ne]

When the Moon meets the Morning, Chapter 5 - Warmth against the Chill

Summary:  Raphael is going on missions with Captain Jupiter as he always does when he meets an orange-wearing turtle yokai who feels oddly familiar.

Word Count: 1519

Ratings/Warnings: General Audiences; some minor harrowing moments, but mostly fluff, emotional overload, emotional manipulation, self-deprecation

Notes: Some emotional overload and somewhat harrowing moments in this chapter. This chapter was the last one I wrote/drafted out of all of them, but I’m happy with how it turned out. Includes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference to Digg. Big thanks to @undercoverwizardninjaturtle, @fraymotiif, and @5weekdays for helping me workshop this.

Read on AO3 For the RotTMNT Fantasy AU

———-

They are at the last stop on their trek. Good thing, too because the snow was now thick on the ground and piling heavy on the mountaintops surrounding them. The passageways between the mountains would soon become impassable. A majority of Mikey's packages for this town included supplies to help them through the winter. As they are handing off the last set of deliveries to an elderly couple who owned the general store - a stone building at the center of town - Red Fox's ear twitches and she looks out to the middle distance as if listening for something. Her nose quivers, causing the pink scar above it to crinkle, as she explores the scents in the air.

Raph knows this stance as a signal that something was coming.

"What is it?” Raph asks Red Fox seriously.

Red Fox opens up her mouth to say something, but before she could, a rumbling crack from above echoes through the village. They look up at the snow-capped peak that the town is primarily leaning on to see a wave of snow tumbling down at them.

An avalanche.

Red Fox leaps into action, magically extending her tail to gently wrap around the elderly couple and their packages, and pulls them under the awning of the roof of the sturdy general store. The town must be used to these sorts of things because an emergency beacon starts flashing and many people immediately start scrambling to safety. There are some stragglers though.

"Raph!" Red Fox yells and signals to the remaining villagers who are still out in the open. Raph understands and he runs out to bring the rest to safety. He scoops up a young couple of humans in his strong arms and puts up his red projections around them. The snow is over them now like a great wave and Raph isn't sure if his giant form will hold. However, he doesn't have to worry, when an almost equally large wave of fire clashes with the snow, melting it instantly.

He looks over to see Mikey with his arms extended sending powerful gusts of flames melting the snow as it falls from the mountain. He strains as still more pours down. He gives a signal to Infinity, who has a smaller yokai passenger onboard that Mikey must've rescued, and the phoenix speeds towards Raph. Mikey nods to Raph and both the large snapper and Infinity rush their passengers to safety. Once he knows that they are secure in the stone building with the avalanche passing over the sloped roof, Raph turns around again to try to help anyone else in need of rescue.

A particularly large chunk of snow and ice is about to crash on a trio of young, brown-furred yokai women. Raph puts more energy into his projected fist and punches the chunk of ice away. Raph starts to herd them over to the store.

"Wooooaaaah!" One of the yokai says, looking up at Raph in amazement, "Aren't you that Blood Moon Hunter...?" She looks like maybe a prairie dog?

“Er, well actually..." Raph is about to say, but is interrupted by a second woman, stouter than the first.

"I thought the tales were about a Red Angel," she says.

The third woman, largest of the three, offers a series of grunts in response, but the others seem to understand what she is saying.

"You're right, Honey Badger," says the second one, the stories did say he was some sort of bounty hunter.

Raph allows himself a small smile in the chaos. It seems like Mikey's stories are spreading, even if not exactly in the way as intended. Wait. Where was Mikey? He scans the surroundings barely paying attention to the women as they continue to chatter excitedly.

"Yeah and look at his eyes! They're like a blood moon!"

"We should totally make a song about him!"

As the third woman grunts in affirmation, Raph sees what he is looking for.

A section of snow in the distance seems to explode outward. Protective flames wrap around Mikey as a young child huddles beneath him. Mikey is holding back the wave of snow and ice with his fire. He gestures to the child to move. The two of them run together, Mikey providing a shield between them, melting any snow that comes in contact with them. He looks like he is straining hard against the mountain’s onslaught causing worry to twist around Raph’s gut. Maybe he's using his powers too much. Overextending one's magic can be really dangerous. One of Mikey's hands reaches up to cup his head as if trying to block out sound.

That's when Raph thinks of another problem Mikey must be having. So many people in the middle of a natural disaster - Mikey would be feeling all of the emotions that come from that sort of situation from all of them. And at the same time that he is taxing his fire magic! That's not a good combination.

Mikey and the child come closer, but the sigh of relief that Raph is about to let out gets caught in his throat as Mikey trips. In his kneeling position he extends a hand outward so the flames continue to create a pathway allowing the child to get to safety, but a particularly large spurt of snow crackles its way toward the young turtle. With it comes a large pine tree that must've got caught in the flow headed straight for him.

Raph moves before he can think. The magical red projection he creates grows larger and larger, crashing through the falling snow, completely unimpeded by the force. In a few giant leaps he is upon Mikey and throws his form over the orange clad turtle. He brings Mikey into the projection’s form so he is able to wrap his real arms around Mikey. He knows the worst of the snow along with the tree is still coming so he pushes all the power he can muster into one of the back spikes on his projection. The spike extends like a javelin and meets the tree mid-fall. A crack spreads lengthwise through the trunk of the tree and splits it in half. The two halves along with the snow spread around the large spike as if it were cutting through the avalanche itself.

As suddenly as the avalanche had come, it stops. The mountain stops rumbling so dangerously, and the snow ends it's onslaught of the village. Beneath Raph, curled in his arms is Mikey, shaking like a leaf with tears pouring down his cheeks. His hands are gripping the sides of his head as if to try to block out the world.

"Hey... Mikey..," Raph begins in a soft voice. "The avalanche is over now, you're safe!"

Mikey shakes his head violently, and continues to tremble and cry, letting out stuttering whimpers.

Raph is hit with a sudden sense of deja vu. Didn't he experience this before? Some flashes of a memory come back to him. Woods curling around Mikey. The voices of so many people. So many emotions rushing over him, more powerful than any avalanche. And Raph's shield.

Raph understands what he can do. He takes a deep breath, lowering his projected form, but putting up a protective shield spell around them. He tries to mimic the kind of spell that he was somehow able to create in his dream. The shield doesn't extend very far, but very little sound from the outside comes in.

Mikey's eyes snap open. Tears continue to pour from them, but he slowly lowers his hands from his head and shakily looks up at Raph.

"Hey buddy," Raph says with a soft smile. "It's all right. I'm here. You're safe."

Mikey blinks. Once. Twice. Something like a smile twitches at the corner of his mouth. "R-raph?"

"Yeah, it's me. No one else." Based on Mikey's reactions he thinks his shield is doing its job of blocking out all of the distressing emotions from outside.

Mikey's smile wobbles as he looks up gratefully at Raph. Large tears pool yet again in his eyes and he throws himself at Raph, wrapping his arms around him in the best tiny hug he can muster. He cries with a mixture of wet sobs and choked laughs. Raph returns the hug, enveloping Mikey's form in his large arms. They sit like that for a while. Raph isn't sure how long. Mikey slowly settles down, and the soft, even breathing Raph hears from the yokai cradled in his arms signals that he has fallen asleep.

He slowly lowers his shield, but Mikey's sleep doesn't seem disturbed by the lack of it. Most everyone seems to have gone home or helped with repairs in the village by now. Red Fox is there helping them.

Raph is able to quietly explain to the red panda that they should leave soon and gestures to Mikey. Without much explanation, Red Fox seems to understand. She's good like that.

They spend the last night of their trek away from any villages, and under the stars; Mikey still sleeping peacefully in Raph's protective arms.

<–previous   ///   next–>

[noxvee6]

Casey's Reference Sheet!!

This is for an AU ( @the-last-flame-au ) created by @spacemimz and I :)

[spacemimz]

Check it! Future Mikey ref sheet for @the-last-flame-au I'm working on with @noxvee6 !!

This is his design mid 20s. Mid 30s design under the cut!

[spacemimz]

The last flame.... tell us something interesting.... or does ever Mikey style his hair?? Or has he in past???? :3

He does have hair but I don't think he styles it himself. I think April uses their downtime to retwist his locks every now and then

I don't Mikey cares much about how he looks and more about how he feels alone and isolated with his brothers gone

Maybe with CJ around he'll take better care of himself for the kid's sake...

[the-last-flame-au]

The Last Flame Master Post!

Being the only brother left alive, Michelangelo became doted on by the rest of his family. The invasion of the kraang destroyed his life, his home, his normalcy. Splinter and Draxum do everything they can to shelter and nurture their remaining son while April takes charge and leads an army into battle. Their lives get turned upside down once more when Cassandra Jones brings in a small infant and adopts him. From the second Michelangelo sees CJ he loves the child and swears to protect him. No matter the cost.

This AU was created by @noxvee6 and @spacemimz

Keep reading for Tag Navigation! ↓

Tag Navigation:

AU Tag (#rottmnt the last flame AU)

[Nox's Art] - [Mike's Art]

[Character Reference Sheets]

[Comics] (None, yet)

[noxvee6]

~☆ROTTMNT AUs MASTERPOST☆~

☆ GENERAL ROTTMNT ART

☆ Sub-Zero (ROTTMNT AU)

☆ Wretched Little Pests [WLP] (ROTTMNT AU)

☆ The Last Flame [TLF] (ROTTMNT AU)

☆ Where He Belongs [WHB] (ROTMNT OC AU) ← Master Post!

☆ 4 Identical Strangers [4IS] (ROTTMNT Separated AU)

[jadethest0ne]

When the Moon meets the Morning, Chapter 1 - Fire under the Blood Moon

Summary:  Raphael is going on missions with Captain Jupiter as he always does when he meets an orange-wearing turtle yokai who feels oddly familiar.

Word Count: 2154

Ratings/Warnings: General Audiences; some minor harrowing moments, but mostly fluff, emotional overload, emotional manipulation, self-deprecation

Notes: A longer chapter this time! This was the first thing I wrote for this story. I do enjoy starting out with some action! Big thanks to @undercoverwizardninjaturtle, @fraymotiif, and @frasierverse for helping me workshop this.

Read on AO3 For the RotTMNT Fantasy AU

-----------

The thing about the Unforgiving North was that despite its reputation for being an icy snowscape it wasn't always cold and unforgiving. Sure the summers were maybe only a few weeks long and their spring was just an extended period of slush and snowmelt, but there was a time in the fall where the temperature was okay and not everything was covered in snow. Unfortunately, it was also a time where there was barely any rain either, and all the dry, dead leaves made all too good kindling for causing forest fires, much like the one that Raph had found himself in the middle of combating at the moment.

James Jupiter, the famed heroic bounty hunter, had gotten the call that the nearby forest had caught on fire due to some folks using mushroom fires irresponsibly. It was threatening the neighboring town of Bedu, as well as a group of small woodcutter huts and cabins that were within the forest's borders. As usual it was up to Captain Jupiter, his trusty sidekick Red Fox, and his protege, Raphael the “Red Angel of Preventing Harm” to save the day. Or the night rather.

Raph can feel his power swelling with the rise of the moon as he forms large red projections of his arms down a path among the trees blocking the flames to allow a family from one of the huts to pass through. Raph hears some screams behind him. He sees the Captain at the edge of the forest patiently directing everyone to safety with a confident smirk. The entire night he had been there greeting everyone that Raphael and Red Fox had brought out of the flames and giving them a strong guiding hand, letting them know that everything is going to be okay. Raph thinks wistfully for a moment what it must be like to have that confidence. He could use some of that right about now. He waits until he sees the family make it past the flames to dispel his corporeal magic into a smaller shield around himself. The heat is strong and he wishes he doesn't have his heavy cloak on him, but his shielding spell is at least enough to keep the fire at bay.

He turns towards where he heard the screams. He sees a child in a clearing wreathed with flames looking scared, with desperate eyes scanning the canopies. They look to be like some sort of squirrel yokai. He rushes over, batting away the flames with his magical aura formed into large hands as he goes.

When he reaches the child he imagines how the Captain would act in this situation and he puts on his most heroic face and states in his most heroic voice, "Don't worry, the Red Angel of Preventing Harm is here to save you!" The child stops crying momentarily and gives him a look of confusion. Raph falters. "Er, along with Captain James Jupiter..." That last part seems to make the child perk up and they manage a weak, tear-stained smile. They point a shaky finger up to the trees and say "My family is still up there!"

Raph looks up to see a literal treehouse, mostly in flames with at least half a dozen scared faces of squirrel yokai poking out. That's a lot of people, Raph thinks. It'll be hard to carry them all. But they're small, so Raph can handle it. Probably. With resolve and in a voice more confident than he feels, he calls to the family shouting above the flames, "Jump down! I will catch you!"

The yokai look at each other worriedly, so Raph lifts up his hands allowing his arm projections to expand and cupping his transparent red hands in a makeshift cushion for the family to land on. The family of, five, six, seven, Raph counts, leaps down into his waiting arms. As he lowers them to safety, he hears a cracking sound and sees the tree that the family just leapt from wobble dangerously. There's no time to wait for the family to get their bearings, so he just lifts them all up onto his broad shoulders, and grabs the child around the waist, and flings himself and the family out of the way of the collapsing tree; the rush of flames from the falling branches licking at his heels and tail as he runs. With him focusing on trying to carry the panicky family, it does not allow him much room to maneuver through the fiery forest, and his concentration on trying to avoid the flames prevents him from accessing his magic effectively. Still he does the best he can to move around the burning trees. He thinks he sees a path out, but then he hears a moan. Raph scans the forest and sees another young yokai - some sort of lizard - on the ground and looking very out of it. A nearby fallen tree branch tells him that maybe they got hit in the head. If Raph gets the family out of the forest, he may not be able to make it back to the lizard. But if he grabs the lizard, then both he and the folks he's carrying may not make it out. Raph doesn’t hesitate in his decision.

Raph rushes over to the lizard yokai, and, having no hands left to carry him, bends down and grasps a fold of his clothing in his teeth. Sometimes it's handy to have the strong jaws of a snapping turtle. There’s some more creaking from above and several large limbs from the trees fall down towards Raph and the people he’s carrying. There’s no time to dodge out of the way, and with so many people, he doesn’t think he can. So Raph stands his ground. His eyes darken over, and where his iris and pupil would normally be the shape of a blood-red moon appears, glowing even brighter than the fire surrounding him. He takes a deep breath, and wills his magic form around him. A red projection, mimicking his body’s shape and features, grows from him and surrounds both himself and the yokai he is protecting. Raph grunts as he forces the magic to hold as the blazing branches glance off of it. When the barrage of burning wood stops, Raph shakes off any errant cinders and dissipates his large red form.

He whirls around to try to get back to the path to safety but he can no longer see it. Everything is in flames now and the heat is really starting to get to him. The smoke is stinging his eyes, and he takes some heavy breaths through his nose, trying not to choke on the hot air or on his own rising anxiety. What would the Captain do in this situation? Would someone like him let a stupid fire stop him? Would he be disappointed at Raph for the tears threatening to spill over right now? They're from the smoke, not fear, Raph tells himself, of course, but his mind still conjures that disappointed look of the Captain in his brain. Raph has to remind himself to not bite down hard on the fabric that is in his mouth keeping the lizard yokai in place.

That's when he sees a flash of green through the blaze.

There's a section within the maelstrom of fire that contains no flames. A pocket of darker coolness that is inhabited by a freckle-faced yokai. He looks to be about Raph's age, maybe a little younger, and definitely much smaller. But he's wearing this brilliant smile and seems to be completely unfazed by the situation he's in. The boy cups a hand over his mouth and flames seem to come from it. Anger fills Raph’s gut and he's about to shout at the yokai as he momentarily thinks that the guy is adding to his troubles. However, Raph stops when he realizes that the kid is not breathing out fire, but sucking it in.

The yokai's already round face puffs out and becomes rounder as if storing the fire in his cheeks. The yellow freckles on his face stand out on his green skin, even among the yellow flames. The boy pulls in a deep breath, extinguishing enough of the fire to allow for a path out of the forest and to safety. Raph looks at the boy in wonder for just a second as he looks over cheerfully at him and winks. A sense of familiarity comes over Raph as he looks at the yokai. He's not sure why, but Raph is sure that he's a turtle yokai despite his orange clothes covering up where his shell would be. The smaller turtle yokai gives an "after you" gesture at Raph which snaps him out of his thoughts, and he quickly barrels through the burnt, but no longer flaming, woods.

He makes it out to where Captain Jupiter is still directing folks to safety. Once in the clear, Raph heaves a huge sigh of relief and lowers his load to the ground. The family of squirrel yokai scramble off of him and quickly go over to the Captain, excited to meet the famed hero. Captain Jupiter soaks in the praise and pats the heads of the younger yokai as he sends them on their way. Man, the Captain is so cool, just remaining calm this whole time, Raph thinks. He doesn’t even look like he’s got a burn on him - not even singed clothing! That’s in direct contrast to Raph’s soot stained clothes, and dirty face and claws, which he now feels somewhat self-conscious about as the Captain looks over to him.

The Captain gives Raph a toothy grin. "What have you got there, my boy," he says, smile fading into a grimace, "...in your teeth?”

Raph raises his brow realizing he’s still carrying the lizard yokai. He opens his mouth and gently places the young yokai in his arms, taking care to cradle his injured head. "Oh, um," Raph starts nervously. The Captain didn't like it when he used his more turtle-y features. "I, uh, ran out of arms to carry people with," he explains.

The Captain gives a discouraging look. “Remember, lad, ‘act like a beast, become a beast,’” he says tapping at his own teeth where Raph’s snaggletooth would be. He waves over his sidekick that Raph only just noticed was there, "Better let Red Fox take him then. Don't want you injuring him further, after all."

"Ah yeah," Raph says, wilting a bit as he lowers the lizard guy down to the sweet-faced red panda yokai in question. She’s also covered in no small amount of soot, and he can see some of her normally tidy auburn fur is lightly singed.

Red Fox looks up to him in concern and asks in her usual motherly tone, "Are you hurt?" She sniffs the air around him as if trying to discern his state by smell, causing the pink scar above her nose to crinkle and stand out behind the soot dusting her face.

Raph gives what he hopes is an encouraging smile and says, "Yeah, I'm fine." He gestures behind him to where he last saw the turtle yokai, saying, "It was really thanks to--" but he cuts himself off when he sees that no one is there. "Where did he go?" Raph asks himself.

There was a turtle yokai there, wasn't there? The smoke and fire hadn’t messed with his brain that much, had they? His thoughts are interrupted when he hears the Captain give his usual rundown of the situation. "Well that seems to be everybody, and it even seems as though the fire is dying down now, so that is some luck. All families are accounted for thanks to my steady guidance. Red Fox did well to listen to my commands, too. But kid, please do not rush off into the woods recklessly again, it may be too much to handle for a protege like yourself."

Raph’s shoulders sag under the Captain’s criticisms, but gives a "Yessir" all the same.

The Captain turns away to gather the victims of the fire to him, gaining statements and directing them to the necessary healing houses if need be. Raph watches on, and not for the first time tries to imagine what it's like to have such a leaderly tone that folks automatically respect.

He feels a warm hand placed on his own and he looks down to see Red Fox giving him a proud grin, "You did great out there, Raphael."

A smile spreads on Raph's face at her words and she gives a wink as she walks away with the lizard yokai in her arms.

Raph looks back at the once blazing forest, now mellowed out to a light flicker, and wonders what happened to the yokai that gave him a similarly kind wink and why he felt like he'd met the guy before…

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