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rottmntrulesall · 4 years

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A Serving of Tea With a Side of Feelings

Hiroki always loved the pretend tea ceremonies she and Yosh- Splinter used to do back in their childhood. It was one of the very few good memories they had. And introducing her nephew to this practice was even more exciting.

Mikey was rocking slightly as he sat on the floor, clearly excited. Splinter, meanwhile was gathering the supplies and items needed for the ceremony.

"Back in historical times, Michelangelo, tea ceremonies were a ceremonial way of preparing and drinking green tea typically in a traditional tearoom with tatami floor." Hiroki chirped happily, "Beyond just serving and receiving tea, one of the main purposes of the tea ceremony is for the guests to enjoy the hospitality of the host in an atmosphere distinct from the fast pace of everyday life. The ceremony itself was called (茶道, sadō or chadō, "the way of tea" or 茶の湯, chanoyu),' she stated writing out the symbol so her reptilian nephew would have a better grasp of what she meant. "Nowadays, the tea ceremony is practiced as a hobby, and there are places where tourists can experience it, as well."

"That all sounds so nice," Mikey smiled, nodding a bit at her explanation. If tea ceremonies were just as much about relaxing and being social as they were about making and drinking tea, it was no wonder so many people enjoyed them. Watching his aunt carefully as she wrote out the symbol, he tried to study her brush strokes so he could try and write it out himself later. "I'm really gonna have to learn more Japanese," he told her, "the way you guys write is just so pretty-" he stopped, wincing a bit at how childish he probably sounded, hoping it didn't sound like he was mocking his aunt's native language.

"Aw, Thank you! It takes practice but it's very much worth it in the end! You're an artist, so I know you'll catch on to it fast!" Hiroki smiled. It was so nice to see the younger generation get in touch with their roots. Mikey smiled again, beaming at the compliment. He then heard his father chuckle as he set a plate down in front of them. "Another good thing about tea ceremonies? The tasty cakes you get to eat with them!" Splinter grinned, "Unfortunately, we don't have traditional tea cakes, but I figured cut up snack cakes would work just as well."

"It's still lovely. Reminds me of the many ceremonies we had as children." Hiroki sighed. Yosh-Splinter was the only one who was willing to participate in them with her. Saki thought her ceremonies were "Stupid, pointless nonsense' and she should be more focused on training. Nori was too much of a tomboy for it. Kenji just found them kind of boring, but he was nice about it at least. Mei would rather talk about summoning dead things. *shudder*

Splinter's smile softened. "I remember those as well... They were always pretty fun, I'm not sure why no one else enjoyed them. Who could say no to a good cup of tea and some cake? Though, spending time with my little sister was always nice too."

"Well, it's their loss. They probably would've spoiled the fun anyway. You were always the fun one, Yosh-Splinter. Hikari...he tried. But, it just wasn't his cup of tea....pun sort of intended." Mikey chuckled at his aunt's joke. "Well, I'm sure it'll be my cup of tea!" he told them, lifting up his empty cup, "What do we do first?"

"Well, a full, formal tea ceremony is a multi-hour event that starts with a kaiseki course meal, is followed by a bowl of thick tea and ends with a bowl of thin tea." Mikey blinked. "...Cool. So, we should start with preparing the meal then?" Hiroki smiled sheepishly, "Well, Kaiseki meals have a prescribed order to their dishes, most of which are prepared by using one of the common techniques of Japanese cooking. However, kaiseki chefs have considerable freedom to add, omit or substitute courses in order to highlight regional and seasonal delicacies and personal style. I don't think we have the ingredients for it here. Unless I could get it now if you wish."

"Mm, nah." Mikey wouldn't want her running errands when they were supposed to be having tea. "Maybe we could use substitutions? Like, have a NYC version of a kaiseki meal so you don't have to go all over the city for ingredients?" "OOH, that would quite unique! Let's see what we can whip up in the kitchen! I'll tell you ALL the traditional dishes we would have while your father finishes setting up!” Mikey grinned. "Sounds good to me!" Splinter chuckled again, patting his boy's shell as he got up and followed his aunt towards the kitchen.

"You three seem to be having a good time..."

"Hm?" Splinter's ear twitched a bit as he turned towards the voice. Hikari slowly stepped out of the shadows of one of the sewer tunnels. “Mikey is really getting into Hiroki’s tea parties.” Splinter's face lit up. "Oh, Hikari, it is you! Would you like to join us? I'm sure Mikey would not mind the extra company, nor would we." Hikari shook his head. “No thank you. You know I could never really get into the flow of these ceremonies. Besides this was more of a you and Hiroki thing. I always preferred just exploring the forest or pranking Saki with you instead.” Hikari said softly.

"Oh... Well, uh, there's a forest just outside the city. We could go there after the ceremony if you'd like," Splinter told him, "We actually have a friend who lives there. He is a bit strange but he makes really great lemonade."

"Oh uh...is he a mutant by any chance?", Hikari asked nervously. They've been to New York a few times now but Hikari still hasn't gotten over the fact that mutants and yokai were real.

"...Yessss," Splinter replied slowly, "But he's a capybara so, super chill. And uh, he has a bunch of normal, non-mutant puppies too, so..."

Hikari shrunk back a little at that, "Perhaps another time then. I probably would be a nuisance to you....like I always was." The last part he muttered to himself. Splinter blinked, his rat hearing still picking up on that last bit. "What do you mean?" Hikari glanced at his older brother, "I was a pest, a total pain that drove you away. That's...that's why you left us...left me."

"What?" Splinter's ears folded down, his eyes sad now. "No- No, Hikari, that is- I never considered you a pest, and you had nothing to do with me leaving."

Hikari's eyes widened, "I wasn't? but...Saki said...you hated us...and that I was one of the main reasons you ran away. I was always clinging to you and following you, like a second shadow. And that life in America was better than hanging around me for a second longer." Remembering those horrible words their eldest spewed at him when Hikari had asked for the umpteenth time where Yoshi was and when was he coming back.

Splinter scowled. Damn it Saki... it was bad enough his oldest brother was a bully and a pain, only caring about honor and tradition, but did he have to drag Splinter's name through the mud too?

"Hikari... It broke my heart to leave all of you behind. ...Well, all except Saki. But I had to leave - not because I was tired of you or annoyed by you but... because I couldn't be the Hamato Clan Warrior that Father wanted me to be." He scowled to himself. "I couldn't take the training, or the discipline... I could not take the pressure, or the pain of continuing to hide my true self."

Hikari's lip trembled as tears slowly formed in his eyes. "I had no idea, I didn't. I didn't know you were suffering so much. But why didn't you take me with you? You know I would follow you anywhere. We could've started over here together." Hikari lowered his head, "Instead we didn't hear from you in years until recently. Nori tried telling me you were off doing something important, but I had my doubts."

"Otōto..." Splinter stood up, walking towards his younger brother to hug him. As much as he had tried to ignore it, he had always known how much his leaving had hurt his siblings, but he hadn't known by how much until now. "I'm so sorry, Hikari... I would have taken you if I could have."

Wiping his tears away, Hikari hesitantly placed his arms around his Aniki. "Then why didn't you? Did someone stop you, was it too dangerous?"

"Heh..." He smiled sadly. "...Did Kenji ever tell you about the night I left?"

The second-youngest Hamato shook his head, "No, every time I asked him about your whereabouts. He just changed the subject."

"...The night I left... it was Kenji who helped me escape," Splinter told him, motioning for Hikari to sit down, "I had been locked in my room for a while at that point, barely been given anything to eat or drink. Father was trying to get me to break and submit to the Hamato way, to 'stop my foolishness' as it were... It was the middle of the night when Kenji woke me up, practically dragging me out of my room and off to the train station." Splinter blinked away a couple tears as he smiled softly at that memory. "If not for him... I do not know how long I would have been able to hold on. It was Kenji that told me to leave, while I still could. I did not want to abandon you all... but I also understood that it was my only shot - that it would not be as easy to escape a second time, and that Father would only be harsher as the years went on. So, I followed Kenji's advice. and I left."

Hikari didn't know how to react to that. He knew their father was an intense man, he himself had some rather scarring memories he would rather not bring up. But was Spli-Yoshi really put through such hell? And Ken Nii-San actually disobeyed their father to set him free?? His second older brother was always the keep the peace guy.

"Aniki...I'm sorry...I know how harsh Father could be...but I didn't know he would go THAT far. Nor did I think KENJI would do something so daring. He really saved you."

Splinter nodded. “He did... and as much as I missed you, my little brother, I could not afford having Father finding out where I was and sending Saki or one of the clan members after me. ...and, for what it is worth, while I would have loved to have you with me, it was probably better that you weren’t. I was in a new country, a new language, people who didn’t look or speak like me. Also, you don’t just become a big movie star overnight, after all. I had a couple of rough years trying to find roles and only getting bit parts.” It was a wonder he didn’t starve during that time, honestly.

"We probably would've been separated...or worse.” Hikari said. Everything finally made sense but that didn't mean the pain was gone.

Knowing this, Splinter hugged him again. “I am still sorry that I wasn’t able to see you grow up... or that I wasn’t able to properly say goodbye.”

Hikari hugged him back tight. "Aniki...I wish I was able to help you, I didn't realize you were in so much pain. I'm just happy that we're together again now."

"I am too, my brother, and please believe me that I want to spend as much time with you and our siblings as possible while you are all here with me. Both I and my sons do."

Wiping the remaining tears and snot (ew) from his face, Hikari started to smile.

"Is that offer to visit your capybara friend still open?"

"Of course," Splinter smiled, "We can do whatever you want."

"GET READY FOR THE FINEST CUISINE NEW YORK HAS TO OFF-" Hiroki sang as she and Mikey left the kitchen. Immediately noticing her twin and their older brother practically bear-hugging each other. And the slightly red eyes Hikari had. Hiroki immediately passed the platter of food to her nephew and rushed to her brothers' side.

"Hikari!? What's wrong? Why are you crying?? What happened, Nii-san?" Splinter took his sister's hand, patting it to try and calm her. "Hey, hey. It is alright, Hiroki. Everything's fine! We were just, ah, having a bit of an emotional moment." ‘More like a conversation that was long overdue.’

"Yes Hiro Nee-chan, nothing to worry about now.” Hikari sniffed, a relaxed smile appearing on his face. "Nothing at all." For the first in a long time, he finally felt at peace. 'I was actually wondering if I could join your little tea ceremony. I hear you're quite the chef, Michelangelo."

Splinter's smile grew at that, his own eyes getting a bit teary. "Wait, really? Well of course you can join us!" Setting his own plates down, Mikey joined in on the group hug. "And heh, yeah, I am sorta the family cook. Auntie Hikori was just teaching me how to make a traditional tea ceremony meal, and I was showing her how to add a bit of razz-ma-tazz to it."

"Razz...Tazz? That sounds...unique. Let me try this tazz." Hikari said letting go of his family and reaching for a piece on the platter.

Hiroki beamed and squealed, "I never thought you'd want to take part in my tea ceremonies, Hikari! What a pleasant surprise! But I still want to know what the tears were for from the two of you." She said giving Splinter a look.

Mikey giggled. "Help yourself!" he told his uncle, hoping he'd enjoy it. "I will tell you later," Splinter assured Hiroki. If Saki had told his little brother such things, who knows what he told his sister. Hiroki finally looked reassured and started to set everything out. "Now! Traditionally, we start off with bite-sized appetizers and a small glass of alcohol." She pulled out some apple juice instead.

“Since Michelangelo is underage, we'll stick to juice."

"Will you please present the appetizers, dear nephew?"

Mikey saluted before getting the plate, bowing slightly as he presented it to his father and uncle. Splinter sniffed it. "Mmm, smells yummy!"

"This is absolutely wonderful, Michelangelo. You really are gifted!" Hikari smiled. He wished for more moments like this. Just relaxing, chatting, and bonding with his family. They may not have had a great beginning, but he hopes that in later times they'll create happier memories to look back on. As the group of four dined and talked, Hikari sat closer to his beloved older brother.

Mikey beamed. If not for the plate he would have hugged his uncle again. "Thanks Uncle Hikari, and there's more where that came from! There's still a whole lot more where that came from!" They had a whole meal to enjoy, after all. Taking a sip of his apple juice, Mikey hummed and leaned a bit towards his pop. "You knowww, I am a mutant turtle, which means I don't HAVE to follow the law since I can't really get arrested, given that human cops don't even know I exist. So, if I WERE to have a bit of alcohol-"

"Mikeyyyy," Splinter said, giving his son a bit of a look, making his answer to the unasked question quite clear. The box turtle sighed. "Worth a shot."

"Why are you so interested in drinking anyway?"

"Rupert Swaggart uses alcohol in his cooking all the time! Plus I'm curious about the taste. I mean, it has to be pretty good if people drink it all the time.”

The twins stared at Mikey in confusion. “Rupert Swaggart? Isn't he that gross fat pig thing you boys were fighting the other day?" Hikari asked. "I bet he tastes delicious." Hiroki chimed.

END

This was an RP I did with @fanfic-inator795. Big Thanks for the help, friend!

#little brother and big brother bonding #a bit Japanese culture thrown at you lot #also some feels #dark secrets are revealed #turths come out #tw; child abuse #papa hamato sucks as a father #siblings au #hamato family #hamato hiroki #hamato hikari #hamato saki #fanfic-inator795

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