The sensation of someone patting his face pulled Leonardo from unconsciousness. “Leonardo?” Usagi’s voice echoed. It took some effort but Leo was able to open his eyes. After a few slow blinks everything came back into focus.
“Usagi,” Leo choked out then swallowed hard. “Jotaro?”
“He came out of the back room as you passed out,” Usagi answered. “He is alright. A little shaken up, but alright.”
“Good,” Leo grunted as he pulled himself into a sitting position. The sounds of a child crying drew Leo’s attention to where the corpse of Kuroko lay. A turtle child, as black as Kuroko, knelt by the body.
“He called him father as he ran into the room,” Usagi stated, following Leo’s line of site.
Leo stood and looked around the room. Bodies and weapons covered the blood stained floor, none of the bandits had survived. Jotaro sat with a young fox girl on the throne, both of their eyes were full of shock but at least they were okay.
Turning back to the small turtle, Leo couldn’t help the pang of guilt. As he moved, his body protested. His muscles were tired and every wound announced their existence but, once again, he pushed that aside. He would be able to rest later. There was still work that needed to be done.
The boy looked up as Leo approached. His golden eyes shone with tears and fear as he grabbed his father’s sword. “Stay away from me!” His arms shook with effort but he managed to hold the sword up.
Leo stopped and asked, “Do you even know how to use that?”
“I stick it in you to make you bleed,” the boy answered, tightening his grip on the hilt.
“You think you can kill me?” Sighing, Leo stepped towards the boy. The young turtle lunged but Leo was able to swat the blade aside, knocking it out of the boy’s hands.
The boy gasped and scurried across the floor to get the sword. Reaching down, Leo grabbed the boy by the carapace and lifted him from the ground. “Don’t kill me,” the boy pleaded.
“I don’t kill children,” Leo stated, carrying the boy away from the body. Placing him on the ground, Leo asked, “What is your name?”
“Kuroko, like my father,” the boy answered. He stood shaking as he looked up at Leo.
“Where is your mother?” Leo asked, kneeling down to get at eye level with Kuroko in an attempt to appear less threatening.
“She was killed,” Kuroko answered, calming a little. “I was still an egg when it happened so never knew her.” He looked past Leo to look at his father’s body. “She loved my father and was killed for it. My brother’s and sister’s eggs were broken before my father was able to save me. They said his demon taint would pass on to his children.” Kuroko looked down at his hands. “And, they were right.”
“You are not a demon,” Leo soothed. “And, neither was your father.”
Kuroko’s bottom lip quivered. “Then why did you kill him?”
“I killed your father because he was a bandit who was threatening someone I cared for,” Leo answered. “He would have killed me if I hadn’t killed him and those two children over there would have been sold into slavery,” Leo said as he pointed to Jotaro and the fox girl. “What happened to your mother and your siblings was wrong but it does not excuse the path your father chose for himself. He chose to become the thing the people feared him of being.”
“What are you going to do with me?” Kuroko asked as he tried to hold back his tears.
Leo looked over his shoulder at Usagi. “Would anyone be willing to take him in?”
The samurai shook his head. “Not anyone who would treat him well? It is likely that he will be killed.”
Turning back to Kuroko, Leo reached up and wiped away the young turtle’s tears. “How old are you?”
“Six,” Kuroko answered.
“Stay right here,” Leo said as he stood. He made his way across the room to where Jotaro sat with the fox girl. “What’s your name?”
“Umō,” the young fox answered in a small voice. She was still in a mild state of shock.
Leo smiled, understanding enough of the Japanese language to know what Umō meant. She was white and fluffy. He could only imagine that as a kit she looked like a fluff ball of down feathers. “Do you know where you mother is?”
Umō shook her head.
“Was she traveling with you and your father?” Leo asked.
Umō shook her head again. “We lost her three years ago.”
Leo sighed. “Do you have any other family?”
Once again Umō shook her head. “Everyone got sick and we lost them.”
“How old are you?” Leo asked.
“Five,” Umō answered.
Picking her up, Leo turned to Usagi. “What will happen to her?”
“Orphans are left to beg on the streets,” Usagi answered. “If anyone does take her in, she would be nothing more than a slave… or worse.”
Leonardo didn’t need Usagi to elaborate on what was worse. Carrying Umō over to where Kuroko still stood, Leo addressed the two of them. “I can take you with me, if you like. My home is different than this one and you would have to stay hidden but you would have a home and food to eat. I will treat you like my own and train you in the ways of the ninja. But, it’s your choice.”
Kuroko scoffed. “So my choices are to live on the streets and be treated as a monster, become a slave, let them kill me, or go with the one who killed my father.”
“Yes,” Leo nodded. “Sadly it seems that those are your only choices.”
Tears filled Kuroko’s eyes as he struggled with his decision. “Some choices.”
“If you like,” Leo offered. “You can travel with us for a while until you make your decision.”
With a scowl on his face, Kuroko looked up at Leo and nodded.
“Good.” Leo smiled. He then turned to Usagi. “Let’s collect our things and then inform the villagers about what had happened here.”
“Good idea.” Usagi walked over to pick up Jotaro. “You still have several months before you go home, Leonardo. Taking care of children on the road is no easy task.”
“I am aware of that,” Leo said. “I can’t leave them to that fate, Usagi. They are children around the same age as Jotaro. There is no way they could survive on their own. Wouldn’t you want someone to take Jotaro in if he was orphaned?”
“There are many children with the same fate in this world,” Usagi stated as a matter of fact. “Will you take them all in?”
Leo nodded. “If we encounter others and they are willing to come, I will.”
Usagi’s ears dropped. “You cannot save them all, Leonardo. We do not have the resources to take care of them. We will be struggling as it is.”
“I will save who I can,” Leonardo insisted. “We will find a way.”
“I wish I had your sense of idealism.” Usagi sighed. “But I cannot afford it.”
They left the main hall and entered into the room where the stolen items were stored. Fortunately the items were well organized and it was easy for them to find what was theirs. Leonardo slipped the pendant back around his neck, sighing in relief as he tucked it under his kimono.
Kuroko ran into the room and grabbed a small pouch of money. Clutching it to his chest, he looked over at Leonardo and bit his bottom lip.
“How far do you think you will be able to go with that?” Leonardo asked without looking at Kuroko. “Like I said, you are free to leave whenever you want but I suggest that you don’t make any hasty decisions. You are young and you have no fighting skills. You know the way bandits are. How long do you think it will be before someone takes that from you? Even if you managed to keep it and managed to spend it all, what would you do after it’s gone?”
Kuroko groaned as he squeezed the pouch in his hands. He knew Leonardo was right. Whatever money was in the pouch would not last long.
Turning to face Kuroko Leo said, “I know you don’t like me but I promise I will take care of you. Coming with me is your best option.”
With tears streaming down his cheeks, Kuroko held the pouch out to Leo.
Leo took the pouch and set it on the floor. “This is stolen money and should be returned to its rightful owner. We can’t take it.”
“The rightful owner is long gone,” Kuroko grumbled.
Shaking his head, Leo placed his hand on Kuroko’s shoulder. “We cannot take this money. We will take only what is ours and we will let the villagers work out the rest.”
“They will just keep it for themselves,” Kuroko argued.
“Then it will be their dishonor, not ours,” Leo replied.
Looking away from Leo, Kuroko huffed and crossed his arms over his plastron. Leonardo had his work cut out for him. This child was not going to be easy. Fortunately, Leo knew how to handle stubborn.
“Go get whatever is yours, and only what is yours,” Leo instructed.
Kuroko dropped his arms to his sides. “My stuff is in my room,” he said as left the room. “I’ll be back… maybe.”
Leo then turned to Umō. “That goes for you as well. If you can find what belonged to you and your father, you can take it. But only take what is yours.”
“Okay,” Umō nodded and started her search. She returned with a bag and handed it up to Leo. “Are you taking me to my father now?”
Leonardo’s heart sank. It was foolish of him to think that she had understood. Kneeling down he looked Umō in the eyes. He wanted to tell her, he had to tell her but he was finding it hard to say the words.
Usagi must have sensed Leo’s struggle and stepped forward. “The bandits have killed your father,” Usagi stated. “I am sorry.”
“They did?” Umō whimpered and tears filled her eyes.
Leo nodded and picked her up. “But you’re not going to be alone. We’ll take care of you, if you want.”
Nodding, Umō wrapped her arms around Leo’s neck and started to cry. Kuroko came back into the room with a bag over his shoulder and his father’s swords in his hand. “I’m ready to go now.”
Leo walked over and reached out his hand. “May I see the swords?” When Kuroko hesitated, Leo said, “I will give them back. I just want to test their quality.”
Reluctantly, Kuroko handed the swords to Leo. “They’re my dad’s.”
“I know,” Leo said as he tested the balance of one. It was a well-made sword. Much higher quality than the ones Leo took from the bandits.
“He didn’t take them from anyone,” Kuroko insisted. “They belonged to his father.”
“I believe you,” Leo said, handing the swords back to Kuroko. “I will teach you to use them, if you want.”
“Let’s go,” Usagi said, leading the way out of the room. “I need a bath and something to eat. Let’s find an inn.”
“They won’t let me in,” Kuroko said, following them.
“Let us worry about that,” Leonardo said, patting Kuroko on his back. He knew that it wasn’t going to be easy but Kuroko was an orphan because of him. Leonardo was determined to make that up to him.
