Tenth BTHB fic - Thrown Down The Stairs [Kaidan Kara Nage Otosa Reta] - 9981 words
Neko means cat and Raion means lion in Japanese
Hope Sterling Thorne - Leo Ace Yarrow - Donnie Neli (eagle mutant) - Mikey Olive Asato (Hope and Dove's cousin) - Raph [Dove Sterling Thorne - Hope's sister]
also as for ages: Hope, Leo, Donnie, and Olive are 29; Raph and Ace are 30; Mikey and Neli are 28; Casey is 33; April and Cass are 31; Dove is 37
Tw: IMPLIED/REFERENCED sexual assault (which means it's NOT shown explicitly!), non-con, rape recovery, drinking, self-harm
(makes a rating system and doesn't use it, couldn't be me)
Me: *mentions someone getting thrown down the stairs once and never again* this is fine :)
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Hope woke up with a groan.
"Finally awake, hm?" an unfamiliar deep voice asked.
She tried to get her arms under herself, but they gave out before she could get into a less vulnerable sitting position. The man chuckled, bent over, and lifted her up by her arms onto the bed nearby.
"Where am I?" she demanded weakly.
Her question went unanswered. The man, revealed to be a lion, was glancing her up and down as if in a trance.
"What are you doing?"
"Admiring your form," he replied. "You are surprisingly lithe for a cat mutant. Normally only yokai are like that."
She narrowed her eyes. "One, I have a husband creep. Two, I do something called exercise everyday."
He got closer to her. Close enough that she had to lean back to not be so close.
"You don't have anyone but me anymore, Neko."
She snarled, lifting her arms up to shove him away. He simply grabbed her wrists and held them above her head. She eyed her legs, but he had thought ahead, having them pinned down by his already.
"You do anything to me and you will regret it later," she warned.
He chuckled. "I'm sure I will. Wait here, I have something for you."
She launched herself to her feet as soon as his weight vanished from on top of her. She silently assessed her situation, tail flicking back and forth in agitation.
She was taking a walk with Leo in the Hidden City market when something in an alley had caught her eye. She had told Leo to wait while she checked it out, but she never did come back out did she?. That stupid lion's chloroform worked too fast.
He had this planned.
That was her last thought before the door to whatever room she was in opened again. But it wasn't the male lion that opened it, it was a younger female one. Before Hope could say something, she closed the door and left. A few seconds later, the male lion came back in.
"Here." he held out a black collar studded with small agate and amethyst stones. "It matches how pretty you are."
She resisted the urge to gag or flinch at that comment. He came closer and clipped it closed around her neck.
"Perfect. Now. There is an outfit ready for you in the closet by the door."
Hope kept her eyes on him as she made her way over to the closet (a walk-in one, cool). Hanging from the ceiling was a kimono. Not too short and not too long either; white decorated with a cherry blossom flower design.
"What's the occasion?" she asked hesitantly.
"I am having people over and you're going to be present wearing that. But..." he explained.
She rolled her eyes and approached the kimono. He came up behind her to rest his hands on her shoulders.
"You cannot say a single word even when addressed. You cannot lay a hand on any of the guests. You must obey when asked to do something. And if you don't..." he trailed off to slowly circle her mouth with a finger. "You'll get something less than pretty on your face."
"You'd muzzle me?" she took the sleeve of the kimono in her hand.
He leaned down to get close to her ear. "Or some other punishment worthy of your body," his hands previously on her shoulders trailed down to her legs as he spoke.
She swallowed down fear a snarky comment and finally removed the dress from the hook it was on. He smiled, walked to the door, and turned back around to say something else.
"One hour until they arrive. There's a bathroom across the hall with makeup you can use."
With that, he was gone. Hope took a deep breath and prepared herself mentally for the night. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and pulled the (admittedly beautiful, don't tell him she said that) kimono down to cover as much as it could. She took another deep breath before heading to the bathroom.
The young female lion from before was inside. Hope froze at the entrance, but was beckoned inside.
"Koko," the lioness handed Hope a mascara bottle.
"Arigatō," Hope took it gratefully.
The lioness finished the lipstick she had been doing and popped her lips. "You don't have to speak Japanese to me. And sorry for walking in on you earlier." she continued when Hope didn't speak. "They aren't here yet, you can talk. My names Fumiko."
"Hope," the cat said. "Not your fault I was naked."
Fumiko hummed. "Yeah, Dad's not the greatest. You're the fifth one he's brought in like this. Sometimes I can see why he brought in one, but most I can't. You are definitely one I can."
Hope put the bottle down and grabbed the lipstick. "That's reassuring."
Fumiko titled her head curiously. "I have a feeling you won't be as quick to break as they were. Yokai normally are quick to go, but mutants last longer if I've learned anything from the one other he brought in."
Hope sighed and tossed the lipstick down haphazardly. "Well, thank you Fumiko, but I should be going."
"Wait, you have thirty minutes," the lioness reminded her. "Let me do your hair?"
"Neko."
The lion's voice interrupted anything Hope would have said. Fumiko slammed the bathroom door closed before he could poke his head in.
"I'm going to do her hair, Dad! It'll only take a few more minutes!" She shouted.
"Fumiko, young lady, you are not doing this again!" he growled.
"I am and you can't stop me!" the lioness locked the door under her voice to disguise the click it made.
Hope had to admit she was kinda impressed at this girl's bravery against her father. Fumiko sat her down on the toilet after he had stomped off.
"I'm quite curious about your life before... this whole situation," Fumiko whispered, tone matching her words, pulling a brush from one of the sink drawers. "Tell me, how old are you?"
"Twenty-nine," Hope replied.
Fumiko ran the brush through her hair slowly. "Oldest so far. Most don't have family other then their parents. Do you have family like that?"
"...yes."
Don't reveal more than necessary, Thorne, don't reveal more than necessary.
The brushing continued and finished in silence.
"When my dad comes to get you, call him Raion. If he calls you Neko, it's only fair."
Hope nodded. "I'll... keep that in mind. Thank you."
Fumiko didn't acknowledge Hope when Raion got the door unlocked and open.
"Ah, Neko, good, you're done," he greeted enthusiastically. "Everyone should start arriving in about ten minutes and I want you with me."
Hope nodded again. "Hai."
He smiled, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her from the bathroom to the front door. Fumiko appeared on Raion's other side when she was ready, but he sent her to the kitchen to get the food ready instead.
Her legs were starting to get tired from standing from so long when it finally opened to reveal a bird yokai. Raion welcomed him in eagerly.
"Ay, Kenzo!" the bird playfully punched the lion's shoulder, sparing her a glance. "Got a fifth now, did you?"
"Sure did. Much stronger than the last four, I just know it," Raion nudged the bird back.
She flinched every time piercing eyes landed on her as the night went on. Raion had made her stay by him most of the time unless drinks or other were needed. But during the third trip to the drinks, a dog yokai resembling Ace approached her.
"Kenzo told me you couldn't speak tonight, pretty," he spoke lowly as if he didn't want anyone to hear. "Right?"
She grabbed a wine bottle but didn't say a word. The dog chuckled, catching Raion's eye for a split-second for permission. When he got it, she was whisked away into the room she had woken up in. He quickly locked the door and she suddenly feared for what would happen.
What she wasn't expecting was for him to turn to her with wide eyes. "What are you doing here?"
She raised an eyebrow in question, trying to keep to the silence rule. He started pacing.
"I won't tell Kenzo you talked. Please, what are you doing here?" he pleaded.
She straightened her back in surprise. "Why do you want to know?"
His gaze snapped to her. "Do you know who Ace is?"
"You are his father!" It was her turn to widen her eyes. "I could ask you what you're doing here too!"
"Shh! I know it looks bad, but I promise I'm only here because I was invited," he explained.
"Yeah," she hissed. "By the one that kidnapped me when I just wanted to spend time with my husband."
He muttered a few somethings to himself before a knock came from the door. He jumped away like he had been shocked.
"Why do I hear Neko talking in there?" Raion asked. "She knows what will happen if she talks."
Hope snapped her mouth shut, teeth clicking. The shepherd kept looking between her and the door nervously.
"She wasn't talking! We were just... playing a game to see if I could guess what her voice sounds like! ...I guess I got it right," he shouted back eventually.
She facepalmed. This was not the dad that Ace had told her so much about. This one was too nervous and fidgety, not confident at all. Raion audibly rolled his eyes on the other side of the door.
"If that's it, get her back out here for someone else. And we still need more drinks!" Raion added before he went back to his seat.
Ace's dad turned to her with a much more calm expression. "I will tell my son about this. You will--" He broke off and one of his ears lifted, voice dropping so low she could barely hear it. "We will get you out of here. I've seen what he does to people he kidnaps, but I need you to bear through it like the strong person Ace said you are. Please."
She nodded resolutely. She could handle herself for now. Raion crashed the door in right as the shepherd finished talking, stormed right up to Hope to grab her wrist, and dragged her out of the room.
"Get. The. Drinks," he snarled.
She got the wine bottle again and swiftly obeyed, praying he wasn't mad because she had talked. She had half a mind to let a thought of he shouldn't be telling me what to do float through her head. When she was able to return to Raion's side after putting the bottle down, the collar started to feel too tight on her throat, reminding her of its existence. All the feeling in her left side went to where his hand rested on her waist.
Any command thrown her way she followed, no matter how embarrassing it was. She just really didn't want to get punished more than she knew she would for talking. No words while doing them, just like Raion's rule she pretended to not have broken already. Eventually, everyone got tired and left, making Hope realize that she hadn't seen Ace's father exit the room.
Raion took her right back into that room when no one was left in the house except for them and his daughter. The lion jammed and locked the door before whirling on her.
"You talked," he pointed an accusatory finger at her. "I warned you what would happen," he shredded his shirt and pants, pieces falling to the floor. "Now let's see how long you can last, little kitty."
"Please please please, I'm sorry!" she cried, backing away quickly. "He said he wouldn't--"
Raion picked her up and threw her onto the bed. He was on top of her a second later, pining her arms above her head just like before. She whimpered, screamed, and cried desperate tears as he pounded into her in any way he could, but no one outside could do anything to help her.
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"Ace! Ace, hey!" Leo waved his hand to get the shepherd's attention.
Ace straightened at the sound of his voice and turned in his direction. "Leo?"
The slider leaned over once he reached Ace to catch his breath before standing back up and beginning to explain. "Hope said she saw something in some alley and went to check it out, but she never came back out, so I went in too to see why she wasn't coming, but all I saw was an abandoned cloth and--"
"Woah, woah, slow down," Ace put his hands on Leo's shoulders to ground him. "You're saying Hope's gone?"
Leo nodded shakily. Ace glanced behind him right as a customer left his restaurant and pushed Leo inside to the back, sitting him down in an empty seat.
"Look, um, maybe we could tell the police about this?" Ace suggested, earning a flat stare. "I know they might not be that reliable, but they're the only choice we have!"
"Even so, there is no way we're getting them involved in this. Are you able to close right now?" Leo asked.
"Uh..." Ace paused to think. "I suppose I could..."
Leo leapt up from his chair. "Great! I'll even help you!"
Ace scrambled after him out of the small office. They managed to get everyone in the place out (without yelling) in two minutes. Then they headed immediately for the lair to tell the rest of the family. And by the rest of the familly, they mean the rest of the family.
Raph, Mikey, Donnie, Olive, Neli, April, Draxum, Casey. Heck, even Cassandra and Dove came over as quick as they could.
"Where is she? What happened?" Cass demanded.
"She just vanished! I swear I don't know where she went!" Leo held his hands up in surrender.
Cass backed off after April calmed her down a little, but she was still suspicious because her best friend doesn't just vanish. Olive took the initiative to speak next.
"How are we going to find her if what you said was true?" she asked timidly.
"I don't know, but--"
"Wait, my dad!" Ace interrupted suddenly. "He's friends with a yokai that's works in close quarters with the Three Heads! He could try to convince him to help!"
"That's an... idea," Leo agreed.
"What's the friend's name?" Neli wondered.
Ace sighed and tried to remember. "Oh! It's Ke... Kenzo! That's right!"
That made Draxum narrow his eyes. "That lion is bad news. He was accused of kidnapping someone's daughter when I was still living down there."
Leo flicked his eyes to the goat. "Was there any evidence?"
Draxum shook his head.
The slider pinched the top of his beak. "If there wasn't, then he might not be guilty. We have to try."
"I'll ask my dad when I get home," Ace said.
"Home..." Leo held his breath. "I gotta get home! Inari, her kits! We'll talk more about this later!"
In a split second, he yanked a sword out, had a portal, and hurried through it. The five foxes greeted him with hungry and furious barks. He sheathed his sword back and headed for the cabinet that held their food.
"Sorry, Dad got distracted."
They made excited sounds when the food was dumped into their bowls. He settled on the couch anxiously and watched them eat without really registering anything. The only thoughts and images going through his head were ones of how to get Hope back. He didn't notice when Flicker had approached him until she was curled up comfortably in his lap.
Her soft fur calmed him down a little. He slowly ran his hand down her back. Falcon crept up and nosed open his pouch to pull out the cloth with his teeth and whine. He faced the orange fox and gently tried to take it back, but Falcon didn't let go.
"Mom's gone right now, bud," he whispered. "I need the cloth."
Falcon growled, tore it from his grip, and rushed to their bedroom. He sighed and got up to follow. The sight he walked in to made him decide to not take the cloth back. Falcon had gotten it on his head and put his paws over it. Finch trotted in behind him and found a position next to her brother. Leo stared for a few seconds before he felt paws grapple at the back of his shell. He helped whichever fox it was by reaching his hands back.
Pads hit his palms. A head rested on top of his. Then his legs were headbutted. He twisted his head to glance back and see Flint and Flicker do it again, which left Inari to be the one he was holding. Flint and Flicker headbutted him for a third time with added barks.
"Okay, okay, I'll go inside," he chuckled.
When he reached the bed, Inari got off him. He was pushed onto the bed and adjusted himself to be more comfortable. The foxes all found spots around him and closed their eyes. He cast his gaze over each of them.
They don't deserve to have their mom disappear like this.
Meanwhile, Ace had walked home the long way.
"Mom, Clem, I'm home!" he called when he got there.
His mom came rushing out from the kitchen. "Oh, Ace, thank goodness, there you are!" she captured him in a hug. "Where were you?"
"I was at my restaurant all day," he replied, tilting his head. "Leo came by and said that Hope went missing, so I had to go to the lair."
She took a deep breath. "That's right, I'm sorry. Clem is in her room if you want her."
"I was actually looking for Dad," he told her.
"Oh, your father left for Kenzo's a while ago for some party or other," she waved dismissively. "He'll be back soon, I'm sure."
He huffed. "I was going to ask him to convince Kenzo to help us find Hope."
She registered his words this time. "When did she go missing?"
"Also a while ago, give or take," he replied.
"Hopefully you find her soon!" his mom exclaimed. "She was always really nice! Speaking of coming over, you should invite that turtle you like to dinner again sometime!"
"I will when she's found, Mom," he laughed.
Back to Leo, when he woke up in the morning, it was to Inari dropping his phone on his face and many, many distressed texts. The most concerning one was from Ace.
Guys, my dad didn't come back home last night from a party at Kenzo's
Leo was out of bed in a blink, sending an be at the lair in a sec and jostling the still-sleeping foxes around him. "Sorry, guys. Looks like we have to go back to the lair."
The slider snatched his swords from beside the bed where Inari had probably put them and made a portal. The five foxes happily went through before him for him to follow. Everyone was gathered in the living room when they appeared.
"We need to go to Kenzo's to see what's going on," was the first thing he said.
Draxum sighed. "If we all go, he'll know somethings up."
"Then only one or two of us should go," Raph suggested.
"I have to be one of them that does, since my dad's there," Ace added.
"Just because your dad didn't come home from this Kenzo's house doesn't mean he's there," Cass broke in quickly. "But I want to be the second to go."
Leo shook his head. "Ace and Draxum are going. If Ace's dad is still there, then what Draxum mentioned earlier about the kidnapping thing is true, making Kenzo a possible reason for Hope's disappearance unlike I previously thought, in which case we should send two people least likely to try and pull a rescue attempt then and there."
Cass grumbled, but everyone else seemed to agree.
"If she's there, but not Ace's dad, then what do we do?" Mikey wondered.
Leo turned to his little brother. "I'm glad you asked because that wouldn't be true. If he's still there, then-- wait. Wait, if he went to the party and she was there then he would've seen her! Ace, does your dad know what she looks like?!"
Ace's eyes brightened in realization. "He does!" his excited expression fell immediately. "But if you're going where I think you're going, then he's probably hurt or tied up or both."
"I know, but it's a probable scenario. Okay, Ace and Draxum go to Kenzo's and ask if he's seen Ace's dad. The rest of us will wait for a confirming call from either before coming up with a plan to rescue anybody, got it?" Leo glanced at everyone in turn.
He got collective nods.
"Perfect. In the meantime, how about some movies to get our minds off of this clearly dire situation?"
The movie marathon made a few fall asleep. Leo couldn't sleep, however, mind too crowded with different way this could all go down (most weren't great). In one, Kenzo decided to kill Hope and Ace's dad. In another, Hope was forced to do many things she wasn't allowed to protest on. In a third, Hope was punished for something oh-so menial.
The shepherd and goat had left for the Hidden City as soon as the plan was decided and movie started.
Ace had almost never been alone with Draxum before, but the walk was less awkward than he thought it would be.
"I don't believe I was told how you and Donatello met," Draxum whispered eventually (so no one would call the cops on him).
Ace was admittedly startled, but conversation was conversation. "Oh, uh, we met when Leo and Hope dragged Donnie to my parent's restaurant make him try something new."
Draxum hummed and went silent. Ace nervously wrung his wrists as they got closer and closer to Kenzo's house.
When it finally came into view and they reached the front door, Ace took a deep breath and knocked. Muffled curses and stumbles could be heard from the other side. Ace and Draxum exchanged a quick glance before the door opened to Kenzo.
"Ah, the Great Baron Draxum himself!" the lion greeted. "Please, come inside both of you!"
Ace and Draxum exchanged another understanding glance before stepping into the large house. Kenzo shut the door behind them.
"I wasn't expecting guests, but I'll get someone to clean the place," He told them. "You can sit or do whatever you would like."
Draxum cleared his throat. "We came to ask if you had seen Ace's father."
The shepherd nodded. "He came here last night for a party and didn't come home."
Kenzo stiffened and turned to them with a carefully neutral face. "Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that. I have not seen him since he left, unfortunately."
Ace glared after the lion as he left for a different room.
"Don't do anything rash," Draxum reminded, noticing his expression. "If the way he was speaking was any indication, she might be the one he was talking about."
Sure enough, as if on cue, the familiar figure of Hope exited the room Kenzo had went into on shaking legs. She had gotten on step out of it when she looked up and saw them, making the lion run into her and have to push her on.
"Move it, Neko. Our guests and I expect a perfectly clean house," he commanded.
Ace watched her with wide eyes. The kimono looked nice at least, if one ignored the blood stains and rips. Kenzo suddenly got between Ace and her, blocking his view.
"Neko is mine. She belongs to me now," he warned.
"No, sorry, I wasn't--" Ace awkwardly cleared his throat. "Sorry."
Kenzo seemed satisfied with that and backed off. "But she is a beauty isn't she?"
Ace paled, not at all in agreement or wanting to answer that. "Uh, y-yeah. I guess..."
Fortunately, Draxum had obviously had enough.
"If Kenzo doesn't know where your father is, we should be going. Ace, come on."
Ace gratefully scurried for the door, but Kenzo wasn't done. The lion smirked with their backs to him.
"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave."
"And why not?" Draxum demanded without turning around.
"You two are companions of N--"
He didn't get to finish. Vines had sent him flying across the room. Ace grabbed onto the doorknob, but it wouldn't open. They were trapped.
A lioness came hurtling down the hallway with the rooms, unbeknownst to them all. She gaped at both what was happening and at who she saw.
"Ace?!"
The shepherd startled and spun around. "Fumiko!"
"What are you doing here?!" she asked.
"Trying to find my dad!" he replied.
"Liar."
Ace didn't have time to react before he was roughly grabbed by the arm and dragged to a door. Fumiko tried to get her father to let him go, but Kenzo merely smacked her away, opened the door, and threw Ace down the steps.
Thankfully the lights were on, otherwise the door slamming and locking would have been the tiniest bit more terrifying than it was to make him start panicking. He scanned the small basement, but nothing caught his eye before he got away from the stairs.
As soon as he spotted his dad tied up, a yelp came from the top of the stairs. He caught Fumiko in a blink, helping her steady herself. She huffed and yanked away when she was able to stand again to sit in a far corner of the room. He sighed and a thought floated through his head.
Where had Draxum gone?
Back at the lair, Leo (and the foxes) was the only one left watching the movies. Everyone else had gotten too anxious.
All his attention was on the projector screen. Only when a magenta glow illuminated him from behind did his concentration break. Inari and her kits leapt to their paws, ready to defend him before realizing who it was.
"Leonardo," Draxum rumbled from above.
"Draxum," Leo tilted his head back. "Where's Ace?"
The goat took a step back, making Leo sit up and twist to keep his eyes on him. When Draxum didn't answer, someone else did.
"Oh, the shepherd was captured by the lion who thought he could take my sister and get away with it."
Leo flicked his gaze to the ceiling where the voice came from. A cloaked figure fell and landed skillfully before removing the hood and mask. Dove glided forward, clicked the projector off, and casually leaned against the wall that appeared behind her.
"I'm not one to meddle in other's business, but it's hard not to when your sister was kidnapped," she leaned to the side and was about to hit the floor before vanishing in a blink. "Especially when she also has a family outside of me and mom," she appeared again in front of Leo and pressed a finger to the tip of his beak, then was gone again. "And Draxum too as a replacement dad that I also may or may not want."
The goat and slider finally caught up with her. Dove waved cheekily from where she had stopped.
Leo sighed. "So Ace has also been kidnapped. Third person we know that has. At least we know for sure that this Kenzo guy was the one we need to go after."
Dove nodded and hummed in a teasing way. "You know, I probably could've told you who had done this."
"Wha-- Then why didn't you?!" Leo sputtered.
"Like I said, not one to meddle in other people's business," she shrugged. "I can tell you have a plan, though. Who would you like me to get? I recommend the strongest fighters like Cassandra or Draxum here."
Leo groaned. Dove was always so... ugh, he didn't even have the right word right now. "We only need the ones who are prepared to fight to get Hope out of there now. Cass is the only other one I can think of besides us."
"Olive may not look tough, but she can be when she needs to. Plus, she's our cousin, so I don't see why--"
"No," Draxum interrupted. "Olive would only get killed if she went. Kenzo fights dirty, he'll go for whatever or whoever he thinks is the weakest first."
"Fine, I suppose you're right, I was watching too," Dove relented. "Just Cassandra then?"
Leo nodded and she blinked away with a smirk. He glanced at the foxes around him, an additional idea sparking up in his mind.
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Hope woke up in the morning to Raion waking (he had apparently fallen asleep on top of her).
He pushed himself up and smiled down at her. "Didn't mean to wake you too, pretty," he punctuated his words with a kiss she didn't have the guts to push him away for.
She remained frozen on the bed even as he got off. He left the room in silence and she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She brought her hands up to cover her face and sobbed. It was her fault that last night had happened. She shouldn't have talked. If Ace's dad had just left her--
Wait.
Ace's dad!
Where had he even gone? She had never seen him leave this room after Raion had dragged her out. She really hoped he was safe and okay so she could get out of here soon.
A distant knock echoed through the house. Raion stumbled out of the other room had gone into, trying to get pants on at the same time. The sight only made her sob more.
She heard him open the door and say something. Two more pairs of footsteps joined his a second later as whoever it was entered the house. She curled her hurting legs closer to her chest and turned her back to the open door before resolving to get up in case he came back.
When she tried to stand up, her legs almost gave out, forcing her to grip the bed tight to stay on her feet. She was given a few minutes to adjust before he inevitably reentered the room.
"Come, the house needs cleaning, we have guests," he commanded.
She hurried as quickly as she could to do the door so he wouldn't get her out himself. It seemed to work... until she turned the corner to see Draxum and Ace standing in the living room, making her freeze right there.
What were they doing here? They were just here for Ace's dad, right? Surely that had to be it! There's no way they would come here to save her without everyone else, right?!
Raion nudged her from behind. "Move it, Neko. Our guests and I expect a perfectly clean house."
She mouthed an "Hai," no one could see or hear, then scrambled across the room painfully slowly to reach the kitchen. She felt eyes on her the whole way until they were blocked.
"Neko is mine. She belongs to me now," Raion told whoever had been watching.
"No, sorry, I wasn't--" She heard Ace awkwardly clear his throat. "Sorry."
"But she is a beauty isn't she?"
"Uh, y-yeah. I guess..."
Her hands slipped off the handle of the cabinet she had reached down to open.
"If Kenzo doesn't know where your father is, we should be going. Ace, come on."
Footsteps all-too-eagerly went for the door. She grabbed a bottle of cleaner from the cabinet.
"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave."
Oh no, he knew. How did he know?! He hadn't heard what Ace's dad told her last night did he?!
"And why not?"
"You two are companions of N--"
A crashing sound interrupted whatever Raion would've said. Hope startled, poking her head over the top of the counter behind her to get a better look. Her view of the purple vines made it obvious what had happened. That's when Fumiko came running from her room at the commotion. Hope saw her widen her eyes at Ace.
"Ace?!"
The shepherd practically leapt through the roof and spun around. "Fumiko?!"
Hope paled and slid to the floor with her back against the counter. A rough, yet soothing hand on her face and whispered words calmed her down a little, but vanished as quickly as they had appeared. The next sounds she heard were yips and a shout a minute later.
Raion loomed over her, hauling her up by her arm. "Stay in your room for the rest of the day. I might be in there later to keep you company in my way, but don't count on it."
She nodded stiffly and obeyed as soon as he released her arm. It still wasn't easy with aching legs, but it would stop soon, she knew that much. If only his words hadn't suggested reversing that process too early.
An idea flashed quickly through her mind.
Raion would be in his room, right? He wouldn't be able to see if she left her room? Maybe.
With that small reassurance, she headed for the door. She had accidentally left it open a crack, but that made it easier. She slipped out and darted for the closest door that wasn't the bathroom.
She closed the door as quietly as she could, starting down the stairs slowly in case she stepped on one wrong. She heard the voices of Ace and Fumiko below, which made her trip. She covered her head to protect it from the concrete at the bottom of the steps and closed her eyes, but no collision ever came (why would someone leave concrete as the floor of their basement?).
She felt herself being moved in a hurry to be sat against a wall.
"--pe! You're okay for now, what are you doing down here?"
She slowly peeled her eyes back open to see Ace and Fumiko staring down at her with concerned eyes. Hope's face scrunched up and tears flowed down her face like waterfalls. Ace shifted himself to be sitting next to her. Fumiko did the same on the other side.
"Leo has a plan," Ace whispered. "He's coming and you are going to get out of here."
Hope lifted her head and wet her lips to try to speak before her gaze landed on what she wanted to ask about. Ace and Fumiko glanced at each other nervously. Ace's dad was tied up on the wall under the stairs, bloody with a few scars. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it only looked like it hurt, which made her sob more.
"Hey, hey," Ace got in front of her. "Hope, you're okay. I need to know if my dad promised to help you."
No, no, she couldn't talk. Raion had said he would punish her if she did, and she didn't want to have that done to her again. Ace's father coughed, readying himself to rasp something out.
"Kenzo made a rule... that she couldn't speak. I thought it was just for the p-party, but he might have applied it outside of that too. But I--" he broke off to cough again. "I did try. Kenzo approached me when the night was over and brought me down here."
I'm so sorry.
Hope curled in on herself. That's when the door to the basement was slammed open and almost came off the hinges from the force alone. She couldn't help the high pitched whine that tore itself from her throat. Raion had found her and know her life was over.
She was never getting out of here.
Raion stormed angrily down the steps towards them. Ace and Fumiko stood defiantly in between her and him, but he was much stronger and got past them easily. Hope slowly craned her neck up to look into his eyes.
"I thought I told you to stay in your room for the rest of the day."
She turned her eyes back down and they glazed over. He narrowed his eyes.
"I might just punish you in front of your pathetic friends."
There was a long beat of silence before she was being hauled up unforgivably and pressed into the wall.
"NO!"
The air became tense the second that word was screamed. She didn't know who had done it, but her throat was extra sore now and everyone's eyes were on her.
"What did you just say?" Raion growled.
She wet her lips again, but words left her like before. She wasn't allowed to speak, so why did--
Her mind erased all thoughts when the punishment started. She was reduced to screaming and crying within moments, just like the first time. Ace and Fumiko were too frozen to do anything but watch.
Then everything happened oh-so quickly when Dove teleported in like planned. Hope was shoved impossibly further into the wall one second and the next she fell to the floor like a ragdoll or a puppet cut of its strings.
"Move!" Hope heard distantly.
Familiar barks filled Hope's ears, making her sit upright and try to stand. Raion toppled to the ground, drowned in orange, black, and bordering-on-white fur. The smile that would've normally come at seeing such a thing would have appeared, but it was prevented by fear of punishment.
In Hope's hurry to get as far away from him as she could, she didn't notice the three new people who had joined the scene until she had run into them. She heard her fox's yips behind her as they were tossed off of Raion so he could stand. Leo, Cass, Draxum, Dove, Ace, Fumiko, and (finally untied) Ace's dad all blocked Raion's view and path to Hope. Her five fox babies squeezed between their tight line to get to her side and cover her in frantic, frightened licks.
"You're never going to touch her again," Leo growled. "Dove."
Hope's sister took the steps it took to reach Raion and place one finger on his nose. "Oops."
The lion only had time to widen his eyes before he vanished in a haze of multicolored dots.
Dove spun back around. "Leo."
The slider completed the swing of his swords he had started. A portal big enough to fit all of them opened under their feet. Hope hugged the closest fox even closer as she fell through. Only when she was on the metal floor did she register how close everyone was.
And that made her scramble backward, releasing the fox in her grip. Her breaths grew faster as she dragged her gaze over everyone before her. Dove pushed herself off the floor and swept her cloak back behind her. The six others took a step back to avoid it hitting them.
Dove slowly took the two steps to reach Hope, sank to her knees, and gently reached her hands to grab her sister's.
Then leaned forward and started crying.
Dove never cries.
Why is Dove crying?
"I am so sorry," Dove sobbed. "I should have been there to stop you in the first place."
Hope's eyes squeezed together and tears began to fall from her eyes too. Dove raised Hope's hand to slip her fingers in between hers.
"I know I haven't always been there for you, and I'm sorry about that too, but you got hurt this time," Dove used her free hand to cup Hope's cheek. "I will never leave your side again, you can be sure of that. Make up for--"
Hope interrupted Dove's apology by yanking her into a hug. The older accepted it easily, burying her face in her sister's shoulder, staining the bit of kimono there with tears. Dove realized Hope still had it on and pulled away, lifting a hand to use her mystics.
"Let's get you out of this thing then watch a movie you like or whatever."
Leo started to follow after them, but that was when the entire rest of the family left their places of solitude to see what was going on. Olive in particular almost burst into tears at the sight of her cousin back home. Dove offered Olive a smile and beckoned her to join them.
Leo let a smile of his own grace his face at the sight of his wife happy again. Mikey threw his arm around his neck.
"Guess you're stuck with us, Lee," the box turtle sighed.
"I guess so," Leo agreed with a chuckle, casting a final look over his shoulder before willingly being pushed along to who knows where.
Hope let Dove shred the bloodied and torn kimono into strips then take a step back to make a better outfit. Olive approached from behind Hope to unbuckle the collar and let it hit the floor.
"Oh, I got the perfect thing!" Dove exclaimed.
A black shirt with a white outline of buildings and baggy jeans adorned with sown stars appeared in Hope's arms.
Dove nodded confidently. "Yeah, that should do. And you'll never have to see or wear another kimono again if that's what keeps you from remembering."
"What are we going to do with this?" Olive held the collar as far away from herself as she could.
"Same place I sent him," Dove snatched it away and they watched it vanish.
(Somewhere in a really dark cell, Kenzo was pelted with the stones previously on the collar.)
Dove dusted her hands off victoriously. Hope finally got the clothes on after getting distracted. Her older sister seemed to remember something and faced her excitedly.
"Ready to not be in your mutant form again for a really long time?"
Hope nodded eagerly. Oh boy, was she. And she probably wouldn't wear it into Ace's restaurant for a long time either. But, just as the cat features returned to being human ones, her face crumpled and she cried again. Movies sounded terrible now; all she wanted to do was take a shower, but she couldn't say that, just had to do what she was told or risk being punished.
Dove and Olive were quick to wrap her in a hug, whispering that it would be okay.
It won't be okay.
Hope pushed them both away. Prolonged contact like that made her skin prickle.
Just like Donnie.
She tossed her head side to side, looking for something. Someone perhaps.
Leo.
Hope ran out of wherever they were. Her eyes landed on Leo's train car. He would be in there, wouldn't he? Doesn't hurt to try. Right before she reached the door, however, Dove was blocking her way in a blink. Hope tried to push past her, but Dove didn't budge.
"Tell me what's wrong," Dove begged.
"Just get out of my way!" Hope shouted.
Dove widened her eyes. Hope did too when she realized what she had done.
("What did you just say?")
She scrambled backwards before spinning around and hurtling for the bathroom.
(She needed a shower.)
Something stopped her from closing and locking the door. She stiffened, praying it wasn't Dove. Thankfully, it was who she had been searching for before she had shouted. Leo's eyes were only filled with concern for her.
She grabbed his forearm and yanked him into the bathroom, going to lock it, but he still stopped her.
"Leave it open for now," he murmured. "What's wrong?"
She lifted her eyes to stare into his and shook her head firmly. He frowned.
You know no one here will hurt you.
She shook her head again to clear it. Leo sighed and took Hope's hands in his.
"Say something, anything," he pleaded.
Let him hear your voice again, Thorne.
"I'm sorry."
He straightened his back in surprise.
"I went into that alley."
He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued anyway, suddenly eager to make herself hurt later.
"I made you worry about me when I was fine."
He shook his head. "You were kidnapped, that doesn't make you 'fine'."
"I was fine," she repeated. "I only want to go home and take a shower right now."
"I agree with the slider, you were not 'fine'."
They both blinked up at Dove dangling from the ceiling. Hope's older sister stood up from the sitting position and circled them, cloak dragging on the floor.
"I saw what happened, sis. I wouldn't have cried if I did not," Dove stopped with her face in Hope's. "The question is when you will be ready to tell him about what really happened in that basement and maybe somewhere else too."
Hope turned her head to the side and glared at the floor. "I never will be. He doesn't deserve to know what happened there."
Dove sighed and finally descended from the ceiling to stand in front of Hope. "He's your husband, imōto. He loves you no matter what, and you love him too." Dove spun Hope around to face Leo. "He won't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself either."
Hope let Leo cup her face with both hands and raise it. He searched her eyes for something before slowly bringing their faces closer. Dove turned the other way, but a small smile curved her mouth upward.
The kiss they met in wasn't heated like usual, but rather soft and meant to be comforting. He was the one to end it after a half a minute.
"You can tell me. Please. I don't you to think you can't tell me whatever is."
She hesitated a second too long. Dove stood on the ceiling once more to be closer to his tympanum. Whatever she was saying (it wasn't good, run, he's going to blame you) made his eyes widen. Hope avoided his gaze when it turned angry and dangerous.
"I'm going to kill him," Leo snarled.
"Unless you'd like to try to find him in a cell that totally doesn't exist at the spider's new Sports Nexus, I don't recommend doing that," Dove said.
He shrugged.
"Can we please go home?" Hope asked timidly. "I just want... to..."
Whatever strength she had gained in her legs vanished in a blink and she sank to the floor. Leo caught her under her arms before she could hit the floor.
"Okay," he took a deep breath. "We'll go home."
He lifted his free hand up to his mouth to whistle. Inari and her four kits came hurrying into the bathroom. Dove offered them all what she hopes was a reassuring smile, raising her hand to hold it out palm up. He paused before pressing a finger to it.
"Thank you for everything you've done so far."
"She's my sister," Dove reminded him back. "I'd do anything for her. ...Even if it came down to destroying the world."
"I don't doubt it."
With that, Leo put his finger into the center of Dove's palm and the group in front of her disappeared in a mix of purple, black, and white spots.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A week following, Hope was doing better, breakdowns becoming few and far between. Or at least it would seem that way.
{Family Group Chat -
[DonnieH: I need a willing test subject.]
[WifeST: I can do it]
[HusbandH: anyone but her]
[AceY: come on, this is the first time she's wanted to do something since she came home Leo!]
[DoveST: what he said]
[HusbandH: how did you even get on here?!]
[OliveA: I invited her on, she's family too]
[HusbandH: oh, and Raph just invited you on too]
[RaphH: Raph did]
[DonnieH: I wanted someone to help me, not start an argument, prolonged sigh.]
[HusbandH: whatever Hope can do it but if she ends up getting hurt again then I will personally pay you a visit Dee]
[WifeST: hey, I can handle myself, thank you]
[HusbandH: I didnt say you couldn't]
[WifeST: it was implied]
[HusbandH: maybe but I can worry about you all I want]
[DonnieH: Can you two fight literally anywhere else?]}
Nobody expected what she did the night after that conversation.
She crept out of the bathroom once Leo had fallen asleep, to the kitchen and knife display before hurrying into the bathroom. Inari and Falcon tried to follow her in, but she closed them out to prepare herself for what she was about to do.
She pressed the cold steel to her arm and took a deep breath. The knife tore through skin multiple times before the pain from the cuts overturned that of the burning sensation that had been between her legs for two days now.
Unbeknownst to her, Inari and Falcon had caught the scent of her blood and went back into the bedroom to paw and lick Leo awake. The slider grumbled and attempted to push them away, but they didn't give in.
Leo was paid back with more slobber on his face when the other foxes woke up and smelled the same thing. The smell only got stronger the longer she was in that bathroom by herself, which was what got her husband to finally stumble out of bed and let the foxes lead him to the door.
"Hope?" he knocked twice. "What are you doing in there?"
When he reached for the doorknob, it clicked with the lock. He sighed and strained to get the small key on the top of the door.
"I'm coming in whether you want me to or not," he warned.
"Don't you dare!" she shouted back.
He twisted the key in the lock, but something stopped him from opening the door. She pushed back against him and it shut again.
"Go back to bed," she ordered weakly.
"Not until you let me in."
She threw her hand back against the door. "No."
Leo felt a snout nudge his leg and looked down. Inari held his sword up for him to take. He readied for a portal as the door finally opened; Hope stood in the doorway to block whatever he would see, but it was open.
"Put this away first," she handed him the knife.
He nodded calmly despite the new swirling of emotions. He took it, hurried to the kitchen, and hurried back.
"Can I come in now?"
She hummed, hanging her head and slowly sidestepping. He mouth fell open and his face paled at the sight. She walked backwards until she hit the wall and slid down to sit.
"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just couldn't take the pain between my legs anymore."
He cast his gaze over the blood splatters and puddles before turning to her. Cuts and stabs littered up and down her bare arms, hands, one or two were on her face, and there had to be some on her leg he couldn't see. He crouched in front of her and brushed a finger over one on her cheek, making her hiss and pull away.
She gestured at the bathtub. "Can you get that ready please? I'll clean the blood later."
He silently complied, filling it to the near brim, leaving just enough space for her to fill. She scrambled eagerly over to it and started to lift her leg over the side when she remembered he was still there and her clothes were still on.
"Could you, um..." she trailed off.
"Oh, right, yes, of course!" he passed her a final wide smile before clicking the door closed.
She took a deep breath, stripped her clothes, and melted into the heavenly warm water. Not ten minutes later, Leo snuck back into the bathroom and closed his eyes to lay his back right outside the tub. She sat up and made sure it was only her head poking over the edge.
"Leonardo."
He hummed in acknowledgement, keeping his gaze on his phone. She rolled her eyes and returned to the water. They let the silence reign for a few more minutes before he couldn't take it anymore.
"You better be done by the time I come back for the surprise I'll have."
She opened her eyes quickly (when had she closed them?). He smiled and tilted his head at her curiosity before vanishing out the door. As fast as she's ever done, she jumps up and runs around getting dry. Every time a part of her dried, she put clothes on.
Seven minutes later, he was back and she was ready. He put the bag he had on the kitchen counter.
(She swore she heard it clink.)
"What's the surprise?" she asked.
"Oh, you'll love it," he winked. "It starts with covering those cuts and ends with being surrounded by our babies."
Hope let him grab her arm to hold it out while he wrapped the cuts with bandages from his pouch. Then he moved onto the other arm before crouching and tentatively pushing up the pant leg. She bent over to help him the rest of the way. He got the bandage up as far as it could go before ending it by attaching it to the wrap under it and pulling away. He stood back up and applied two smaller pieces to the ones on her face.
"There. Now! Get one of the four bottles and join me on the couch."
She obeyed easily. He watched her curl up beside him on the couch before turning the TV on as mere white noise.
"Feel up for a would you rather game?" he wondered.
She rested her head on his shoulder and nodded, lifting the bottle to her lips. "Sure, why not."
"Would you rather have wet gloves or wet shoes every time you go out in the snow?" he asked eventually.
She hummed in consideration, returning the bottle to her side. "Gloves. They'll get wet anyway, and you can always put something on under them. ...would you rather spend a year on an island with someone who never stopped talking or completely alone?"
"With someone. At least I'd have someone to talk to. Okay, um, would you rather not have knees or not have elbows?"
"Is that because I lost a leg? I would choose to not have knees. Would you rather be able to hear all the positive things people say about you or all the negative things people say about you?"
"Positive!" he answered with a wave of his hands as the beer he was drinking started kicking in (how was it possible he had already had more than her?). "Would you rather go a year without combing your hair or a year without deodorant?"
Hope drank a bigger sip to make up for what he had. "My hair's pretty short, so a year without combing. Would you rather be bored all the time or too busy all the time?"
His voice got high and pitchy when he decided, drawing out the words. "Busyyyyyyy. Dance or... make ouuuttttt?"
She sighed and got off the couch, hearing the whine of protest that got. "One of has to stay sober, you big drunk baby. Can't believe it has to be me. Let's go, come on, to bed."
"No, wanna stay... uuuuuppp," he stumbled to his feet anyway.
"As soon as you hit that bed, you're going to pass out, believe me I know. You need your sleep," she told him.
"Prettyyyyy," he smiled down at her.
She pushed down the bad feelings that surfaced to tug her stupidly drunk husband to the bedroom. She shoved him toward the bed and watch him tumble onto it without her aid to keep him up.
"So soft..." he murmured, crawling under the covers and curling up.
She shook her head fondly, heading for the bed, waiting for the inevitable when five barks called for her attention at the door. She turned to face their foxes.
"Hey, babies," she knelt down for them to come closer.
Falcon managed to get the best spot of having his paws on her head. Flicker, Flint, and Finch made jealous little sounds while finding good enough replacement spots. Inari sits in front of her and lifts her paw to put it over her hand gently.
She rubs Inari's black paw with a thumb slowly. Sometimes she swore this fox was a human with how she acted.
"Momma's been through a lot in the last week and a half," Hope whispered. "But I'm sure you could all tell."
She got small barks in reply and chuckled, feeling them get even closer. She leaned her head back against the bed, making Falcon have to move and get in her lap instead. They didn't realize Leo had heard and gotten onto her side of the bed until he spoke.
"You know, when I said the night would end with being surrounded by them, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."
She startled, also spooking the foxes. He flashed her a smirk when she twisted to glare at him.
"You were faking, you faker," she accused.
He shrugged and adjusted to be upside down. "I'd call it acting. Plus it was so worth it to get here. Who knows how long we would've gone if I hadn't."
She rolled her eyes and pushed to get into the bed with him. Inari, Flicker, Falcon, Flint, and Finch leapt up as well and got into their usual spots. Leo and Hope let themselves relax, but her phone ringing (that was still in her pocket, oh convenient) rang.
She tugged it free to see who it was.
It was Ace.
Without an ounce of hesitation, she hit the answer button. "Hello~"
Ace responded in kind. "Hey! Sorry it's so late, but I couldn't do this until now. My mom wanted Donnie to come over, so I told her I would invite him after you got back, and since now you are, I was wondering if you two would come too. As a double-date-but-with-my-family kind of deal."
"We'd love to come!" she exclaimed. "What time tomorrow?"
"Um... I was thinking around four, but whatever works for you," he replied.
Leo moved his head to be in the camera. "You don't have work at the school do you?"
"Oh, no, I shouldn't. They didn't call me in at all," she dismissed. "See ya at four tomorrow then, Ace."
She was about to hang up when the shepherd stopped her.
"Wait, I actually wanted to say something else," he paused. "I'm glad you're doing better after what happened. Just proves how strong everyone knows you are."
She smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry you and Fumiko had to see it the second time," she suddenly remembered something. "Wait, how did you and her even know each other in the first place?"
"I'll answer that later, okay byeeee!" Ace quickly hung up.
She laughed and stretched to put her phone on the bedside table. Leo hugged her close when she turned back.
"Twenty bucks says they used to date," he offered.
"Make it thirty and you're on," she bit back.
"Deal."
Inari put both her front paws over their mouths. They laughed quietly together before the black fox decided to squeeze herself between their faces and get them quiet that way.
Seriously, there had to be a way to prove Inari was secretly a human, right?
About an hour later, Inari deemed it fit to move away again. Hope used the opportunity to move her top half closer to her husband and hug him back. Whichever fox(es) were in between them moved to the outside so they could be pressed together.
"I missed nights like this," she murmured wistfully.
"We do it almost every night," he reminded softly.
"The one we didn't made me realize how much I would miss it."
He huffed. "Don't mention that ever again, please."
"I would want to do nothing else..."
She drifted to sleep as soon as those words left her mouth. He took her hands and rubbed them gently, making her smile softly in her sleep. He sighed, got a final look at her, then fell asleep himself.
---
I struggled with writing Kenzo nearing and during the rescue :(((
The texting scene is labeled how Hope would name people btw (she changed hers and Leo's after they got married)
fair warning, Hope had lost her right leg in a previous incident you can read, but I forget to write it in sometimes, so if I do and you see it, no you didn't
don't ask about Fumiko's relationship with Ace bc she was only meant to be for this and I needed something else interesting. but if Fumiko wasn't just for this, then I'd tell you that they did used to date :333
Tags:
@tonystarkwasrobbed
@ceciturtle-myproudtime
@kitkatthekitkatkat
@badthingshappenbingo
Ao3 Link
