The Words That Hurt Me

It's the Twenty-second

The night sky was beautiful, stars reaching the billions littered across it, lighting up the ground. The moon was full and round, a glowing paragon of beauty. Then it bloomed. In the place where the usual celestial body floated was a blooming flower, hundreds upon hundreds of petals unfurling from an infinite center.

He felt pulled in, drawn to the flower, and if it weren't for the dark green figure wrapped around him, he'd have floated into the abyss to be swallowed whole.

'Wow...' Goo whispered, suddenly beside him, 'Can you believe it? That something so amazing can be so close?'

The green pulled him closer, rumbling gently. Mikey gazed into the color, finding Leatherhead peering back at him. The gator smiled, rubbing his face against Mikey's.

'Yeah,' Mikey smiled, returning the affection easily, 'I can!'

.

"Wait-so step behind and spin into the kick?"

Goo mimed the action, tapping the ground with their toes, before twisting and bringing their knee up. Usagi shook his head from where he was standing.

"No, it's not a spin, it's a turn!" He crossed his arms, "And you need to aim higher as well. You need to engage your core to keep your balance,"

Mikey watched the pair with amusement. He's been listening to Goo explain and re-explain what Usagi was trying to tell them for around an hour now, and it was hilarious watching Usagi get more and more frustrated.

"Goo, spin halfway and then go back," Mikey finally piped up, watching the rabbit give him a raised eyebrow. Goo did as instructed, the kick coming out better than any of the previous attempts. Usagi's ear twitched.

"Oooohhh, okay-hold on," Goo reset their position and then performed the move flawlessly. "Yeah, okay, I see,"

"Yes, remember to keep your arms tucked," Usagi sighed, "But why does everything have to go through Mikey before you get it?"

"Sorry Usagi," Goo said, "I think it's just how he explains it, easier for me to get, ya'know?"

"Mhm!" Mikey giggled, "Great minds think alike, dude!"

Usagi quietly chuckled, turning to grab a nearby water bottle and handing it to Goo. They accepted it graciously and took a large swig.

"I guess they'll turn out more Ninja than Samarai, try as I might,"

"You just need to learn how I think, bruh," Goo said, "For too long, I have had to adapt to the neuro-typical way of thought, now you have to adapt to me!"

"Um! You say that as if I'm not mentally ill as well!"

"Oh, dat's true, dat's true!" Goo giggled, nearly tripping over their feet. The other two joined in their laughter, stopping Goo from falling over.

The day was beautiful, the sun shining down on them through the clear sky. The turtle still wasn't used to it, at least not to this extent. The skylight only brought so much light to the lair, and it was pretty much winter the entire time they were at the Jersey house.

The turtle has taken more than a couple of naps in the courtyard, his turtle instincts absolutely loving the natural sunlight. Thankfully he wasn't bothered all that much during his naps, just once when a toddling kitten thought he was a good rock to sit on.

That also struck him, seeing so many young yokai. He didn't ask, but he wondered how many of these kids were born yokai or were...besides, it's none of his business.