Frost
の私の友人ありがとう。
This fiction is dedicated to all of my reviewers.
(Especially you devoted readers out there.....)
And, by the way, no harm done, Miss Gina. ^^ Thank you for your tips. I found the transition to be quite useful.
And-big shout out to Negimasamurai for awesome reviews and encouragement.
^^ Thanks, Gracias, Merci, Gratzie, Arigatou, Katsee-'yowh-yowh......you get the hint.
There's a bit of a dark twist here at the end, folks.....There will be a few more chapters: Game Start, The Watcher in the Darkness, Checkmate,
and Roses-A Thousand Words..
Quote:
"My friend, if I could give you one thing in life, it would be the ability to see yourself as others see you, then you would realize what a truly special person you are..."
Chapter Nine-
Red Carnations-Aching Heart, Admiration
La durata, i tempi e gli impianti dei padroni della rinascita: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello e Michelangelo.
What did that mean, exactly?
Well.....although Language had been quite a high priority in the ranks of Guardianship, Splinter only knew two words in Italian: Basta-which meant
enough-and si-obviously, yes.
When his Master sometimes studied other languages, it was usually his mastery of English-which Splinter had picked up on a word or two-French,
or Russian. Never Italian.
Ah, well.
These paintings of Venice were something quite exquisite indeed....
From what Splinter could piece together, one painter spent eleven years on one sculpture.
Eleven years!
But the result was quite possibly the most fantastic, well carved, detailed in flawless proportion...
Absolutely fascinating.
Splinter put a hand to his forehead.
Attempting to decode this was really giving him a headache.
He sighed, heavily, glancing behind him on the couch.
Turtles One and Two were busy wriggling about a bit, gurgling.
Four was sound asleep again, and Three was now lying on his stomach, awake or asleep-it was impossible to tell.
Normally, in the book, it was reccomended you put a baby lying on their back....
...but with their extremely limited mobility, and the fact that they had small shells slightly encasing their backs, Splinter found it better to put them
down on a soft surface on their tums. Otherwise, they usually kicked about and started crying.
Splinter reached for a match in his inside pocket and sighed.
It was.......time for his alone time...
With his Master.
Stttttttttttt.
A small, tounge of light burst into life from the small match, a trail of wispy smoke following it as it greedily began to burn, taking up inch by inch of
the small wood....
Splinter silently lit a row of candles, all crooked, misshapen, and used before, but all standing at attention as he carefully blew the dully burning
flame out. He didn't want to catch the paper screens on fire.....
After quickly checking to see in the glossary that it was a mild type that wouldn't harm the babies' lungs if they breathed it in, the incense was lit
with another candle.
Ah...
That infernal burning in his eyes once again....
In a carefully repaired wooden frame, there smiled Master Yoshi in blue uniform-as he had been in the west Kyoto unit-gold Dragon medallion
depicting his rank....and a furry grey rat on his right shoulder.
Splinter bit his lip hard. A ruby red drop appeared on the grey, and he impatiently wiped it away.
On the old wooden tear, there was Yoshi's portrait, traditional carnations-in Japanese, they symbolized Mourning-a pot of seedlings from Yoshi's
window-he always had a soft spot for violets and snapdragons....
...not to mention Teng Shen's favorite, orchids....
With incense burning nearby, Splinter leaned so that he was upon his knees, and bowed, once, twice.
There were also two books Yoshi had enjoyed reading on the wood with a red bowl of rice the turtles couldn't eat beside them.
One book was The Minamoto and the Heike, a story of war in feudal Japan.
"The humming-bulb went into the sea; the fan flew toward the heavens. For a time, the fan fluttered in the air; then it made an abrupt descent toward
the sea, tossed and buffeted by the spring wind. The red fan with its golden orb floated on the white waves in the glittering rays of the setting sun; and
as it rocked there, dancing up and down, the Heike in the offing beat their gunwales and applauded, and the Genji on the land struck their quivers and.."
Yoshi always enjoyed that one, but he'd liked this one even mo...
A piercing scream broke his quiet monotone of thoughts, like a shock of cold water.
Heart racing, Splinter jerked up, staggered, and rushed out from the screens.
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Splinter stopped dead.
Turtle Two was now screaming and SCREAMING his head off!
Turtle Four was staring at him, looking bewildered.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"
Two's face was twisted-in pain or sorrow, the rat could not tell.....although he was curled in a little ball.
Splinter paused before scooping up the whimpering boy and hurrying outside the home.
What on earth was wrong?
He'd never seen Two lose control like this. Normally a fairly calm and certainly good natured.....
Was it anger?
But that didn't seem to be it.
No matter how many strokes on the shell or gentle shushings Splinter gave the distressed boy, Number Two continued to scream.
It's almost as if.....ah.
And Splinter carefully placed Number Two's head in his hand, and held him close as he continued to scream.
The newborn continued his frantic sobbing, salty pearl after salty pearl after another falling from red eyes onto rough brown cloth.
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Screaming turned to wailing.
Wailing, to sobbing.
Sobbing, to whimpering.....
Splinter stood up once again, Turtle Two clenched tight in his now slightly salty arms.
The other three had stayed quiet...
Hand on Turtle two's shell, he silently walked back inside.
When Splinter returned inside, he did not set the gasping turtle down.
Instead, he carried him gently behind the screen with him, carefully sitting down again.
Turtle Two began hiccuping slightly. Splinter resumed the pat until he felt Two fall quiet and still.
Very good.
Now, to the other book....one that, in an odd sort of way, contradicted the other.
The Arts of Peace....
The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
If we harken unto the goodness of our souls, is that not good?
Yoshi sometimes read this chapter out to Splinter in the mornings.
The candles were now burning low. Time to conclude with tea.
Splinter awakwardly bowed twice-hard to do so when you were holding a baby-and proceeded.
In the tea ceremony, water represents yin. The fire in the hearth represents yang. A stoneware jar called the mizusashi holds fresh water and symbolizes purity
and only the host touches it. The green tea called matcha is kept in a small ceramic container called a chaire that is covered in a fine silk pouch (shifuku) and is
set in front of the mizusashi.
Splinter turned the bowl, wiped it, bowed again, and sipped.
Turtle Two watched everything, albeit with cross, unfocused eyes.
Splinter closed his own eyes.....
And they opened immediately once again.
Two reasons why.....Two had shifted position, trying to make himself more comfortable.
....the other.....
...he could've sworn he felt a prescence......
Splinter blew out the dripping bits of wax, smoke flying in every which way.
He abruptly stood, heading out, scooping up three others while he was at it...
Two looked up at him, face sorrowful as Splinter began to tuck him in.
Splinter sighed.
Was was he about to start crying again?
Two had just gone through what every child inevitably goes through-
.....a breakdown of confusion, sadness, anger, fright......
.....an overwhelming amass of feelings that you have no idea what to do with.....and are suddenly under your posession.
But Two just gave a tired little smile, faintly tugging the rat's sleeve before turning his head.
Momentarily distracted from the pounding against his ribs, the rat managed a surprised, gentle smile.
He cautiously drew his hand forward.....then jerked back a bit.
They were almost a week or so old....
Splinter let his palm rest on the turtle's thin forehead, then, moved to another, another, and the last....
The rat jerked his hand back, mentally slapping himself.
No. He couldn't.
It would just lead to...
Oh! Yes! The prescence!
Splinter looked around the room...
...this stick fallen from one of the beams would have to suffice.
All thoughts of sleep driven from his mind, the rat grimly headed towards
Best to be on vigil until he was sure all was secure...
Silhouetted outside in the darkness, a figure smiled.
Excellent.
The freak realized he was there.....
This would be a lovely hunt, indeed.
Undoubtedly, the rat would be waiting for his attack. Well, he himself had never been one for a schoolyard game....
...but he was more then capable of landing a checkmate.
A smile twitched into a grin as he reached for his heavy metal instrument at his side, having just removed it from his case.
A click sounded in the shadows as it was carefully loaded.
Might as well take care of the turtles, as well. There was really not much point....but, it would be interesting to see the rat's reaction when they all
were crushed, one by one...
Kanone Hilbert smiled merrily, yellow eyes turning a light shade of butterscotch as his mouth turned to a twisted grimace-a ghost of mirth.
Next chapter:
Delphinium:
