Honor Before Desire
By Ziptango
Ninjitsu: the art of invisibility. Everything I've ever known and had been taught of it has all amounted to this moment. I open my eyes in the blackness and can hear the harsh harmony of my brothers' snores. They're completely oblivious to my task at hand. I must not fail, too much is at stake. I must be perfect in all my maneuvers as Master Splinter has taught me. Poor Sensei. Little does he know his teachings will soon be turned against him.
Cautiously, I slip out from under my raggedy blanket and stand up beside my bed. Distant splashes and drippings echo in the sewers, adding an almost percussion-like quality to the snoring symphony. I obviously cannot depend on my sight for this mission. Splinter has taught us receive all channels from our senses and feelings and never to rely too heavily on one. Survival is the ultimate thing at stake. That's why I must do this.
Smooth sailing from here. One foot in front of the other. That's it. The canvas door is just ahead. Ha! That was easy. Too easy. Hmm…I'm already ahead. There's no turning back now. I move the tarp to the side briskly with the back of my hand. No noise at all. A few more steps and I'm in the heart of the lair. Carefully, I replace the tarp and listen to the distant snoring on the other side for any signs of disturbance. None. Satisfied I turn around. Maybe this was going to be easier then I thought. Perhaps I didn't need to meditate so vigorously on this whole situation. No, Leo. Don't start thinking like that. Suddenly, my thoughts ground to a halt. A yelp breaks the silence, and I look around realizing the squeak came from me. Oh damn.
Gazing around, I can see the television, couch, and the entire room glowing. I walk towards the source light, blinking. A shadow lies before a bright computer screen leaning on the desk with folded arms beneath. Donatello breathes softly. A string of incoherent words are mumbled into the keyboard. Funny, he still doesn't believe me when I tell him he sleep talks. All well, as long as he's asleep. I have a job to finish. My heart is hammering so hard against my plastron that I'm afraid he'll hear it. Steering left, I enter the kitchen, the location of my future crime. Taking a deep breath I open the cupboard. The door squeaks open softly and I cringe looking around. No one heard. That was close. I squint into the cupboard's shadowy depths for my prize. Ah ha! There it is! My gold, my jackpot, my salvation!
"Leo, wadda ya doin' ?"
Oh. My. God. I spin around face to face with Donny's sleepy gaze.
"I- I was...uhhh...getting a drink."
"The cups are over there," Don points his thumb over his shoulder.
"Oh, yeah. Right. Sorry, I...forgot."
"Hey, what's goin' on?" I catch Raph's glare from the kitchen door way. Mikey right behind him gasps in horror. Oh damn, damn, damn. I'm in for it now!
"What is it, my sons?" Splinter enters last while flipping the light on. All eyes are on me.
"Dude! Leo...you're not...please don't tell me you're..."
I look away from Mike's pleading eyes to the floor. Caught red handed.
"I thought we ALL agreed to this!" Donny glowers at me, hands on hips.
"Leonardo, I did not believe you would betray us. Honor before desire, my son."
"Yeah, if anybody was going to steal that chocolate cake, it was gonna' be ME!" Raph sizzled.
Master Splinter leans over and raps me on the head with that deadly stick of his while closing the cupboard door in the same motion. He then scatters all four of us out of the kitchen. An occasional thud could be heard whenever the stick found its mark.
Ashamed and embarrassed, I return to my bed. There I lay back staring into the darkness while trying to ignore my brothers' gibes. Sticking to this team diet was harder then I had anticipated. Perhaps I should have meditated on it more.