Letters from Home

by hiddenshadowwolf

Book 2 of Kismet. Shredder has been defeated and everyone came home alive, if only barely. But some wounds don't leave scars, and when those injuries affect those you look to as an example and a leader it can put more strain on a family than one turtle can take before he snaps. Can an unlikely Sensei save the family dynamic before a new evil comes knocking at their door?

11. Leonardo's Humility

Yay for Chapter 11! Also, sorry guys, now that NaNoWriMo is done I'll be on a slightly more irregular update schedule. Unfortunately in this month before christmas things always get crazy busy at work. Once Christmas Vacation is here though, I'll be able to hammer out a couple of chapters. My usual schtick seems to include getting a couple of hours to pound out about 2000 words each on Saturday and Sunday mornings so just depending on how long the chap is that will dictate how long it takes to get out the new chapter. This one is about 6000 but with Thanksgiving break I was able to take some time on Friday morning as well to get in another 2000. Hopefully that means I'll be able to get at least one chapter done before Christmas Break but we'll see.

Thanks for all of your reviews to my regular crew: Omobolasire1, Beeder, SuperNovaWolf, and DragonEgyptianBlue as well as a couple of new faces MarshWolffe and Sunstar Writer! Your kind words feed my soul always. Omobolasire1 made me giggle and Beeder and SuperNovaWolf especially are to thank for inspiring the addition of some more Yeti Time in this chapter. I loved seeing that Sunstar Writer got what I was hinting at and we'll be seeing a little more of that here in the next chapter. Good eye on you!

No trigger warnings for this chapter, Leo kindof gets his butt handed to him but honestly it's just a little scratch so he'll be ok physically *waggles eyebrows* Hint Hint THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE THE BIG THING HAPPENS I HOPE YOURE ALL READY FOR THIS BECAUSE IT IS DEFINITELY EVIDENT THAT LEO IS NOT WOOOOOOOO!

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Japan. Finally.

It was all Leonardo could focus on and quite frankly Aaliyah was sick of it. He was missing the point of Everything completely because his sole focus was here, in Japan, and while he SAID he was travelling the Five Fold Path there was a big difference between going through the motions and really taking them to heart. And the fact that he wasn't learning a single thing from all of this was truly heartbreaking for her.

Leaving the Yeti had been hard too, Uuri was such a kind matron and had taken the time to show Aaliyah what bounty could be found in the rolling mountains of Mongolia, the plants and the mosses that could be eaten and what could kill them. It was a good thing too because they never did find the monastery that they had been hoping to find for the sake of provisions. And while it was a long two weeks living off of grass and moss before they finally made it to a town it did keep them alive and Aaliyah held tightly to the tuft of Uuri's fur that the matriarch had given her to remember them by.

And she thought about them a lot as the two travelers walked that next month. That was really what she did best, think about everything, since she really was sticking to her guns about this 'not talking to him while he still had his head shoved so far up his ass he couldn't hear her anyways' stint she'd been on. And it wasn't hard, really. There wasn't anything to say to him. Nothing that he was going to listen to. And as a teacher she had mastered the "I'll wait" technique in her classroom enough that simply not speaking to him took zero effort on her part. Who wants to talk when the only person you can speak to refuses to listen?

And so she thought. She thought and dreamed and reasoned and remembered, and in those long weeks of walking through the slowly thinning mountain range she thought mostly about the Yeti. Their social structure. The way they communicated with each other. Listened intently to what each had to say. It was so refreshing to be able to talk and be heard. And in a way it made her pine for Donatello deeply.

He would have loved getting to meet the Yeti. As cryptids he would have been utterly fascinated with their advanced intelligence and she could just imagine him chattering away with all of them excitedly about their history. How the Yeti came to be. Did they have a written record? How far back did the oral history of the Yeti go? He would have had hundreds of questions for them.

Aaliyah had asked a few but for the sake of being polite hadn't wanted to pry too much into their lives. They had been guests in that underground home, after all. But what little she'd pried into had been truly fascinating. Like the fire that they had in the pit of their cave had been burning for at least 7 generations of Yeti, fed constantly so that even as small embers it never truly went out. There had been the time, 7 generations ago, when they had been forced to abandon their cave for a couple of weeks because of some persistent explorers and the fire had gone out then. But even at that it had been going for 6 generations even before then when they had first found this mountain home, making 13 generations of Yeti that had lived in the same cave. It was deep and winding and while they did have excellent night vision the depths of the cave were simply too dark for them to live down there without some light.

The other hilarious thing that had especially tickled Aaliyah was that Uuri and her mate Aal were quick to shoot Leonardo a disapproving glance on the couple of occasions that he had made an offhanded remark about Aaliyah or his brothers for one reason or another, gently reminding him that family was all he had in the world, all that anyone had in the world, and that the family relationships he had should be treated with respect. And funnier still was that since theirs was a matriarchal society they instinctively turned to her to ask about their family, and it was easy to see that Leonardo viewed it at a personal slight to him. He wasn't used to being second place, especially not so casually, and his frustration with it had him packing his things after only a few days of staying with the Yeti.

Aaliyah of course would have preferred to stay just a couple of days more, after all it wasn't just anyone in the world who was able to actually speak with and stay with a family of enormous fur people, and truth be told her shoulder still hurt quite a bit. But Leo had decided and so they bade the Yeti goodbye with their eternal gratitude. In parting Aaliyah left with them the only thing she had to give, a beaded necklace that Michelangelo had given her that made a beautiful bracelet for Uuri. And in turn Uuri had asked what she could give Aaliyah. They themselves had very little to give as well, so Aaliyah had asked for a little bit of her soft fur to remember her by. Uuri held very still, an action that showed great trust that wasn't lost on the woman, while Aaliyah used a knife to cut a small fluff of fur from Uuri's side. She would have liked to turn it into a pendant but without any kind of materials to do so she had to simply wrap the tuft in some fabric and tuck it into a safe place in her pack for now.

And then they were off. The Yeti followed them for a little while, making sure that they would be safe, but eventually they had to turn back and head to their own home and allow the wanderers to continue their journey alone.

Which brought them here.

Civilization again at last.

It was almost jarring, honestly, going from a place with nothing to a place with everything. They followed a large river into China which led them to Liaodong Bay, water finally affording them some faster travel that didn't require them to use their feet so much. All of the walking they had done over the past (... two months? How long had it been anyways? Time felt kindof fuzzy to her now since the days and nights had all kindof blended together into a blur of mountains and snow and walking) extended amount of time had at first been very hard on her feet but by now the throbbing and aching had died down and her legs had stopped twitching so much by the end of the day. It was still nice to have a day on a ship, though, and by now she was able to simply pass out as soon as they were squeezed into a hidden corner of the ship.

And then it was Japan, bustling cities and a sprawling countryside that was a unique blend of historical and modern that made it feel kindof surreal in a way. And the first thing they needed was supplies, which was Aaliyah's time to shine. She got plenty of odd looks as she headed into town, not that she blamed them at all with her being both a fair-haired foreigner and a homeless looking one at that, but she ignored them all. She was on a mission and that was what mattered.

Another internet café. Another faire paid. And another wait while Donatello's programming whittled it's way through the internet and finally set up a secure link to his coms.

Donatello: AALIYAH ffs it's been forever where the hell are you? Are you ok? What happened?

Aa: Hello to you too

Donatello: I'm sorry. Can you talk? Like with a microphone? We're patrolling and the holographic display is kindof bright and obvious

Aa: uhhhhh lemme check, one sec

It took a little bit of searching but she located a headset on the back of the computer and slid it over her ears. The attendant looked a little bit disgusted and she did feel a little guilty at the state of her hair but it really couldn't be helped at the moment. There were more important things to worry about.

Aa: Ok I've got some headphones

Donatello: Alright just give me a second on my end, I need to widen the connection a little bit and set up a secure a safe, untraceable call. Just a sec.

Aaliyah drummed her fingers on the desktop while she waited, jumping at the sound of static blaring loudly through the headphones rather suddenly. Soon the static melted away though and Aaliyah couldn't help but gasp at the sound of his voice in her ears. "Hello? Aaliyah? Can you hear me? Hello?"

"Donnie?"

"...Aaliyah? God you sound... actually you sound different?"

"Heh, gee thanks. That tends to happen when you don't speak a word to anyone for two weeks."

"Two weeks? Why? What happened?" There was an audible gasp and his volume level picked up a notch with worry. "Did you get captured? Where's Leo? Is he hurt? Are you alright?"

She chuckled deeply and shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm ok, Don, Leo's ok. It's just more of the same, like I told you last time. It's really good to hear you. I miss you a lot."

"I miss y-"

"AALIYAH BABY GIRL HI CAN YOU HEAR ME? OW! Donnie it's my turn! I wanna say Hi!
"Mikey I'm still talking!"
"Ya ain't hoggin' the line, Dee, or Imma take that off ya head."
"Guuuuuuuys please! Just TWO MINUTES!"
"Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme!"

"Donnie..."

"Just a second my angel, I need to-"
"OW!"
"DAMMIT DON THAT FU-"
"One more second princess I need to make a hasty exit here..."
"DONNIE IMMA STRING YOU UP AND SHOCK YOUR ASS, SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT!"

"Donnie you didn't."

"Maybe?"

"DONNIE GET BACK HERE O- OW! SUNOVA-"

Aaliyah snorted loudly and dropped her head into her hands, shaking from how hard it was to not burst out laughing and disturb the other patrons there. Voice strained and squeaking she giggled out, "You know you're just egging them on right?"

"Look, I JUST want to be able to talk to you in some PEACE and QUIET-"
"Donatello you get back here!"
"-and I really don't see why that's so much to ask!"
"When I get my hands on you!"

"They're going to murder you when they find you."

"… you need any help there in Japan? Cause I could postpone that murdering by a couple of weeks if you need me there."
"Donnie c'mon man! That ain't cool brah!"

"Where the heck are you now?"

"Get down here right now or I'm gonna rip this shit apart and I'm not kiddin'!"
"I may possibly have used my staff to vault myself onto the top of a radio antenna for Channel 6 News and the antenna is only sturdy enough for one turtle at a time. NO YOU WILL NOT BECAUSE THAT'S DEFACING PUBLIC PROPERTY."

"Donnie I really don't have all that much time."

"Oh, well I can fix that."

Aaliyah raised her eyebrow at the computer screen, eyes darting down to the bottom corner where the timer that read 00:07:34 suddenly read 02:07:33. "Donnie..."

"Whaaaaat? Come on you really think I'm going to let some digital timer tell me how long I can or can't talk to my lady?"

She could hear the mirth in his tone and she couldn't help but snort again at him, shaking her head that was still couched in her hands. "You're really something, you know that right?"

"Why yes, yes I do thank you."
"Dooooooooooooonnieeeeeeeeeeee"
"FIVE. FUCKING. MINUTES. I WANT FIVE MINUTES OF PEACE AND THEN I'LL COME DOWN. THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING. FIVE. CAN YOU DO THAT?"

"Donnie baby you do realize that every time you shout at them you're also shouting in my ear right?"

"Oh... sorry... I'm just... I just want to have you to myself. Just for a little bit."

"I know. How are you holding up?"

"I'm ok. It would be better if you were here."

"And I'd rather you were here too but I'll be home before you know it. I promise."

"Does that mean Leo's doing better?"

"Oh, no, Leo's still an asshole. But we're getting there. Slowly. I can just... feel it. Like when you're watching cartoons and the ominous music starts playing? It feels like that. Like something's coming. I don't know what, but it is."

"I don't like the sound of that... are... is he going to lash out again? Like he did in Portugal?"

"I don't know, honestly, and you know that if I did I'd tell you. The only thing I remember from reading the comics about this Five Fold Path stuff is that he has to go on this journey and I remember the big idea being growth and learning but I honestly don't remember much besides that. It was a long time ago, even in my own dimension and timeline, when I read it. And if I remember right the comic doesn't even go into much detail. It just kindof highlights the big things that happen. And we've been walking for so long I think most of my brain has kindof turned to mush anyways."

"Wait... you've been walking?"

"From Kazakstan, yeah."

"… But that's thousands of miles away from Japan where your ping puts you at."

"Well I mean we didn't get there overnight. It took us a few weeks."

"Yeah... I guess. Speaking of which, Aaliyah do you know what month it is?"

"Uhhhhhhhh... Well... It's cold and snowy outside so... Winter?"

"Uhm... It's February. Valentine's Day was last week."

She blinked dumbly at the screen, eyes staring that the corner of the screen where the time was displayed next to a date she couldn't read because of the language barrier, trying to wrap her head around the idea that she'd been gone for over three months already. "… I'm sorry. And I completely missed it."

"I-It's ok. I know you've been busy and all. I know you didn't mean to."

"I didn't mean to but that still doesn't change the fact that you were alone on Valentine's Day."

"A-actually it wasn't so bad. Mikey and Raph were here. We, uh, made cards and little Valentine's day presents for you and Leonardo that we're saving until you can get back. It was pretty fun, Mikey's idea."

Aaliyah giggled as he carried on, describing all of the things that Mikey had wrangled him into while the two of them had been away from home. It was good to hear that he seemed to be doing well, though obviously there were a couple of instances where his voice cracked and strained from emotion. In general he sounded well, a great relief to Aaliyah since he had been so heartbroken when she'd left. And then Raphael had a turn to talk, Donnie whispering that he was going to give Raphael a turn second so that he wouldn't have the chance to get back at Donnie while Mikey was talking until he'd been pacified with a turn to talk.

Raphael sounded good as well and while he did grumble a lot about how damn hard it was to be the leader and all of the Everything that came with it he did sound like he was at least doing his best. And that was all anyone could ask for. She gently reminded him that even when it got hard his brothers really did need him to step up and be the big brother, that he shouldn't go off on his own just because it would be easier than trying to wrangle them into formation. He reluctantly agreed and gave her an update about Splinter who was still putting along but his age was definitely starting to show. Which reminded her about something that she really needed to talk to Donatello about but it would have to wait for another day.

Next was Michelangelo's turn and he gallantly regaled her with all of the exciting details of the happenings in New York while she'd been away, gushing over his brothers and just how proud he was of both of them. His new high score was absolutely unbeatable and apparently he'd met someone who hadn't screamed at him immediately, making him very hopeful that the public view of vigilante turtles was changing. There were plenty of grumbles in the background but Mikey was unphased, spending a good ten minutes along just picking Aaliyah's brain for information about the other turtle universes that were able to be seen by the people of the city. She really did her best to be realistic about it, about the time and work that went into being able to maintain that kind of freedom, but even still it made him giddy just to think about it.

And while Donnie had adjusted the meter to give them more time twice she really did have to go, Mikey leaving her with a small plea that she include Leo on the next call. Aaliyah promised that she would try her best, but internet cafes were only open in daylight hours and Leonardo was presently hidden away and sleeping until it got a little bit darker outside and he could more easily slip through the streets unnoticed.

The rest of her shopping trip was rather uneventful as far as tales to tell were concerned however it was noteworthy that most everyone she needed to buy from all spoke excellent English. One woman was kind enough to usher Aaliyah into her home after they chatted for a minute and the woman heard about the journey she was taking with her 'brother' to find spiritual enlightenment, insisting that Aaliyah shower while the woman and her daughter cleaned her clothes.

"There is a man," The woman, who's name turned out to be Sun Lee, told her after Aaliyah had related a slightly modified version of her story to her, "who lives at the feet of Fuji-san. He is a great master of ninjutsu. He is Kyūshi, The Old Master. If your brother has dedicated himself to traveling the world in search of enlightenment and the Five Fold Path, as you say, of Ninjutsu then he should seek him out."

Sun Lee was kind enough to give as best of directions as she could to the Old Master's dojo, as well as a few tips about where to buy good provisions that would last them a while in their packs without refrigeration. Dried fish were everywhere and while Aaliyah really had eaten more of that than she ever had wanted to in any lifetime it was at least better than moss (bless Uuri for that, while it had kept them alive, it definitely wasn't the best tasting meal.)

She thanked Sun Lee profusely for her kindness and hurried on, feeling rejuvenated and truly clean for the first time in months. River baths just weren't the same as having hot water to really scrub in, especially with most of the rivers recently being dangerously cold. They had once or twice put in the fuel and effort to heat up some water enough to clean themselves with but even that wasn't the best situation to be in. Wet skin plus snow was not exactly her favorite sensation in the world and they'd had to stick close to the fire for a while to keep from freezing solid after their baths were done. So to have a shower again was absolutely heavenly.

Leonardo seemed especially keen to learn about the old master and set off to find him immediately with Aaliyah once again in tow. It took another night of travel to get there but with so much public transportation available they were easily able to hop from bus to bus until there were only a few hours of walking between themselves and their destination. Leonardo didn't speak as much Japanese as he thought he did but between the two of them they eventually found a well kept but unassuming building with no signs or indication that anyone or anything extraordinary was happening there. It was clearly a beautiful place to be though, even when covered in snow there were raised beds for flowers and sweeping trees, all of it on an even spread of … probably grass. It was covered in snow so it was impossible to tell but the snow was level and impeccably smooth so… probably grass.

It was late afternoon when they arrived, Leonardo finally bringing her along rather than leaving her behind for the simple fact that he needed someone to announce his presence so he wouldn't have the school chase after him for looking so different. Luckily when they entered the dojo it was empty save for a small handful of older men kneeling at a low table, chatting and laughing over tea. The laughter died down when they spotted the two travelers and the youngest at the table, probably about 50 years old, stood to greet them.

At first he tried a greeting in Japanese, one that Aaliyah didn't understand one bit, but she bent at the waist and bowed to about a 45 degree angle nontheless. "Uhm... Kon ni chi wah, Ky- um- Kyūshi. Wah tah shi Aaliyah, uhhhhh... koreh wa Leonardo..."

The gentleman chuckled and held up his hands to pause her stumbling attempts, smiling warmly. "We do speak English here, young one, please. Your efforts are much appreciated but it is much better to speak in a way that is understood by all."

She couldn't help but sigh deeply in relief, the little Japanese she remembered from her father only included about 6 phrases and the numbers 1-10. If she was going to have to translate or speak for the two of them they were going to be in very big trouble. "Thank you. My name is Aaliyah and this is Leonardo. He has been traveling the world in search of the Five Fold Path and has come here in the hopes of proving his humility. However, he looks very different and is hoping that he will be judged according to his skill and merit rather than his appearance."

The teachers all looked at each other and then to the very aged gentleman sitting at the head of the table. A short, portly fellow with an impressive white beard that seemed to reach almost all the way to his toes and a long ponytail of sleek white hair to match. He hummed in thought, stroking his beard, and then asked, "He has come to prove his humility, has he?"

Aaliyah grinned at the old master, likely THE old master, and tried to keep the mirth to a minimum in her expression. "Yes sir, this is why he has come today."

Another hum and some more stroking of his impressive beard. "Well then. Let us see the sort of man we have here then."

Leonardo nodded, tacking on a "thank you Sensei" before turning and walking to the wall of the dojo. He removed his pack and placed it along the wall, motioning for Aaliyah to join him. She trotted over and he peeled off his coat, handing it to her once it was off and plopping his wide-brimmed hat down on top of it. He straightened the leather strap across his chest that held his katanas in place on his shell and sucked in a deep breath, then turned and walked back to the table of teachers.

While Aaliyah didn't much appreciate being used as a coat rack she still wasn't cruel, so she lay his coat over top of his pack and set his hat down gently on the pile before also removing her own pack and coat.

"I am Leonardo. My father has sent me to follow the Five Fold Path, all the way from New York City in America. I have already proven my Courage, Compassion, and Selflessness and now I seek the opportunity to prove my Humility and offer myself as a student to a great Master such as yourself. I know that I may not look like your other students but I have studied the art of Ninjutsu my whole life, diligently, I have dedicated myself more than any of my other brothe-"

"Quiet, toad boy, nobody wants to hear you brag." The squat old master snapped at him, and even from the other side of the dojo Aaliyah could see Leonardo stiffen in indignation. It was cruel, yes, but afte of dealing with him being insufferable it lifted the corners of her lips just a little bit to see him knocked down a peg. What she didn't expect was for the old master to call out to her next.

"You. Toad boy's errand girl. Come here."

Well that was rude. But it wasn't her place to argue and so she walked over with her chin tipped down respectfully and stood by Leonardo. The master waved her closer, however, and so she walked over next to him, sitting in the spot on the wooden floor where he pointed to. "Alright froggie, show me your katas. Sensei Iro will call them out for you."

Leonardo's face twitched at being called a frog but nodded anyways and replied, "Hai Sensei."

While Leonardo was busy showing off his katas the old master turned to Aaliyah and asked, "How long have you been traveling with this turtle? I take it you do not feel he has been following the Five Fold Path, or else you would have said so."

She grinned and looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap, taking a moment to choose her words carefully. "I have been with Leonardo since I was sent to this planet almost a year ago. He and I have been traveling for three months around the world, as he said, in search of the Five Fold Path. But... to answer you honestly, Kyūshi, he has not been ON the Path since he began. He is stubborn and hard headed and listens to no one except for himself and those he deems worthy of listening to. And unfortunately I am not worthy of such an honor."

"Hmmmm..." The small old man thought this over for about three of Leonardo's katas before asking, "And yet you stay? Why not go home if he will not listen? Is this turtle your husband?"

She snorted and made a face, shaking her head at him emphatically. "No no no, not even close. Honestly his brother is the one that I've become closest to in that way. I left him to be here with Leonardo. I've been tempted to go back home so many times it's impossible to count but he Needs guidance. What little I can give him. He doesn't take it at all, but I still have to try. Well... I mean... when I can. I can probably count the number of sentences I've spoken to him in the last three months on one hand. Usually we walk in silence. I figure that if he won't listen when I do speak I might as well save up the words so that they at least mean something when I try."

"So you left his brother to be here with him, who doesn't listen to the few words you speak, as he does not travel the Five Fold Path he was sent to follow. Hm. I have heard enough." The little man stood up, which honestly didn't give him much height compared to when he was seated, and he toddied over to Leonardo and called out a harsh "YAME!"

Sensei Iro bowed to the Kyūshi and headed back over to the small table, taking a seat silently to watch what would happen next. Leonardo knelt respectfully in front of the old one who planted his feet and stood squarely in front of the turtle. "So. You can memorize some katas. A monkey can be trained to do katas too! I hope you are warmed up now, monkey boy, because now it is time to test what little mettle you possess!"

Leonardo blinked at the old master, tensing up in apprehension for what was to come. The old master took a step forward, putting himself right in Leonardo's face and added, "Well, DO something monkey boy!"

"But..." Leo blinked again, Aaliyah scooting just a little bit behind one of the Senseis as that feeling of dread became louder than she could stand. "But you're unarmed."

The slap that followed made her jump and between the echoing sound of it and Leonardo's automatic "OW! Hey!" that followed it completely covered up the singing of one of Leonardo's blades as it was drawn from its sheath by the old man.

"Unarmed you say? I think you are mistaken, Monkey Toad." The old master was grinning sadistically as Leo jumped to his feet, drawing his remaining sword defensively. "You had better act quickly now, Kumquat, before I slice you in two like the piece of unripe fruit that you are!"

It was surprising to Aaliyah just how open the old master's stance was, sword lazily held up on one side of his body while it appeared that he was just standing there, waiting for Leonardo. Apparently the turtle noticed it too because he wasn't attacking either.

"Why are you calling me names? I didn't travel halfway around the world to be insulted! I came here to learn!"

Suddenly the master leapt into the air and slashed viciously at Leonardo's head, reflexes alone saving him from getting decapitated. Not enough to keep the master from drawing blood but enough to save his life at least. "Ha HA! Nearly lost your head, stupid fruit pie!"

Aaliyah could almost hear the snap of Leonardo's patience as it broke and he shouted back at the master, "Stop!" Standing in ready position now he twirled his blade and lunged at the old master. "STOP CALLING ME NAMES!"

Blades flashed and sang as steel bit into steel, the master hardly even moving while Leonardo worked himself into a frenzy. "You call this an attack, Toad? I have seen better form from ninja babies! Maybe I should take your other katana too, you unworthy ninja baby!"

"There is NO WAY a fat old man like you could POSSIBLY-"

It happened faster than Aaliyah could actually process, but suddenly Leonardo was flat on his shell while the old master stood on his chest, both katanas in his hands. He smugly leaned down towards the turtle's face and retorted, "Way."

Leo struggled beneath the weight of the round man, wheezing, "Get off... of... me! You weigh a ton!"

But instead the old master chose that moment to sit on Leo, leaning in closer with a challenging sneer. "So you think yourself better than your brothers, better than this woman, do you? You think yourself good enough to leave your Sensei in search of better? Foolish kumquat."

"can't... breathe..."

"You still have much to learn, ninja baby." He tossed Leonardo's swords down by his head and slid off of him with a dismissive harumph. Motioning to the other Sensei, drawing the rest of them to their feet and towards a doorway that led deeper into the building, he bowed at the waist towards Aaliyah. Blinking in surprise at the respectful motion she scrambled to her feet and bowed in return, a little bit unsure of what to do with Leonardo now. But apparently the Kyūshi had one more thing to say to him as he left the room and slid the rice paper door closed behind him.

"One does not face the Five Fold Path alone, Kumquat. The Path begins and ends with others. You would do well to listen to your Sensei Aaliyah for once."

And then it was silent.

And it was dark.

He didn't move immediately but when he did he barely made it to his knees, her heart going out to him as he struggled with himself. She padded quietly over to him and picked up his swords, holding them up for him while he got himself on his feet. His arms shook and he wobbled a little bit once he was upright, but he kept his chin down. She couldn't tell if it was out of embarrassment or true humility but either way he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. Instead he stared at the swords in her hands, hesitating before bringing his own hands up to take them from her. And even then he simply stared at them for a little while longer, Aaliyah wondering what was going through his mind but once again keeping quiet about it.

Turning to walk past him she picked up her coat and put it on, donning her pack and situating it on her back when he finally decided to move. He slid his swords into their sheaths and walked heavily to his things, preparing again for the cold outside world. His pace remained heavy and slow for the rest of the night while they looked for a place to sleep, finally finding a barn with plenty of hay for them to rest in for the night. They set up their sleeping bags and Aaliyah snagged their canteens with the idea of filling them for the night but a soft hand catching her arm stopped her as she moved to walk past her traveling companion.

Neither of them moved for a few beats of time, soft puffs of breath ghosting towards the rafters while she waited for whatever had pulled his hand to her arm, but instead of a question or an accusation the grip on her arm only tightened as he tugged her carefully around to his front. Two strong arms wrapped completely around her as he bent over to tuck his face into the crook of her neck, Aaliyah freezing in confusion until it was finally clear that he was hugging her. Then her own arms snaked up behind his shoulders so she could hold him back, letting him crush her a little bit under the weight and strength of the emotional support he needed in that moment.

"I'm so sorry. I've… been…"

"A jackass?"

"… yeah. I didn't… I don't know what I was thinking. But he was right, I haven't been listening."

"Not worth a damn, no. But I'm still here."

"You shouldn't be. You should have gone home a long time ago. I don't deserve to have you here."

"Do you want me to go home?"

"… … no."

"Then I'll stay."

"And I promise I'll try to listen more. We only have Community left of the Five Fold Path and I promise that you'll always be a part of mine."

"Aaaaaaaaaactually… I really don't think we're ready for Community just yet."

It was then that Leonardo finally let go, Aaliyah looking up at him with soft reproaches his eyebrows rose in askance. "Calling a baby whale rescue Courage and a slaughter Compassion and getting rescued by Yeti Selflessness doesn't mean you actually learned anything about those values. I can call today the 35th of June and that's still not going to change anything. So we can keep going forward but I think we need to revisit those other folds of the path while we're going forward."

Leo opened his mouth like he was going to protest but ended up clicking his teeth together when he thought better of himself. Swallowing thickly he lifted his hands off of the small of her back where they had been resting and placed them on his hips with a sigh. "O- Okay. I guess maybe we Could revisit those… if you think we need to."

Setting the canteens aside Aaliyah took a seat on one of the hay bales and crossed her knees, regarding him curiously. It was nice to see him finally coming to his senses but there was still a long way left to go before they would be ready to head back home. "It's not about what I think, Leonardo. It never was. I'm here to just point you in the right direction because this path is about your personal growth. Do you feel like Iceland helped you grow as a person? Become a better leader?"

Shuffling a little bit awkwardly his gaze wandered around the barn while he thought it over, finally relenting with a sigh, "No."

She nodded at him, a smile sneaking onto her face. "How about Portugal?"

Another deep sigh. "No."

"Mongolia?"

"Alright, alright, you made your point. So we need to go over the other folds of the path again. But I Really do feel like I learned a lot about humility today!"

Nodding her head she leaned back and kept going. "Do you feel like having the humility to take criticism, even if it's not exactly presented in the kindest way, would make you a better ninja?"

Looking back up at her he thought it over, picking at a strand of dried grass sticking out of one of the bales. "Yes… I think that… I need to be able to listen to my team, hear what they have to say, and… be willing to make adjustments if they have a better idea than I do or if they point out something I might have missed."

"The operative word here being 'hear,' it doesn't do you or them any good if you don't actually listen to what they have to say. Just like it didn't do me any good to try to talk to you if you weren't going to listen."

A look of understanding crossed his face, followed by a humble drop of his chin. "So that's … that's why you've been giving me the silent treatment all this time? You thought that I wouldn't listen?"

'Thought' wasn't exactly the word that she would have used if she was phrasing the sentence but it seemed a bit like a bad time to nitpick semantics. "You said so yourself, the only opinion that mattered was yours. So yes, if yours was the only one that mattered I wasn't going to waste my breath."

Leonardo nodded, a gloved hand raising to rub self consciously at his arm. "I understand. Heh, I thought you were just mad because you wanted this to be a trip for you too. Like a vacation, and you were mad that it wasn't going to be a vacation."

She snorted at him and shook her head, "No I wasn't talking to you because you were being a hard headed, deaf piece of twat waffle jerky. But now that we're past that and you've finally figured out that your most difficult opponent you're ever going to face is yourself… I'm happy to talk."

Leonardo's expression turned sour at that but he offered no resistance to it, if anything it seemed to make him pensive and after a moment his legs tucked into a lotus position. "Would you mind if I meditated? I haven't had the chance to meditate since the boat ride to Odessa and I have a lot to meditate about."

"Nope, you go right ahead. I'm going to get us some water and see if I can make these bales any softer for the night."

"Ok, and… Aaliyah?"

She paused halfway down to the floor, reaching to pick up the canteens, and raised her eyebrows at him. "Hm?"

He shifted a little bit on the bale he was sitting on, looking up at her with his chin still tucked like a puppy who knows he's messed up and was still waiting for the other shoe to fall on his head. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

Well if that wasn't the icing on the cake she didn't know what was, and with her insides all warm and soft she finished scooping up the canteens and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead before moving on to the original chore that had gotten interrupted in the first place.

"I'd never give up on you, Leo. Not now, not then, and never again."