Sorry it took so long everyone! I've been busier than anticipated lately! Hope you enjoy!


Ch. 12-Clairvoyance

Raph stretched and settled down into a cross-legged position on the ground in the center of the empty courtyard. The evening mist surrounded him. Cool, clean, moist air filled his lungs.

"Good evening, Rapheal."

"Good evening, Sensei." Raph greeted respectfully, shifting to kneel before his instructor.

Adachi grinned slightly and motioned him to stand. "Three days ago you took the first vital step in your training: you released the anger which you had kept inside you. Now you must learn how to prevent your rage from building up inside of you."

Raph frowned, doubting his abilities were as great as Adachi made them sound.

The ninja master held up a hand. "Do not lose faith, young one. I have seen your strength and potential. You have the power inside of you, but your own doubt is the thing that holds you back. Let your anger leave your body like a deep exhale, constantly expel it and do not dwell in your rage."

"Easier said than done," the turtle grumbled.

Master Adachi chuckled and clapped a hand on the young turtle's shoulder. "Today, you an I shall find ways to help you manage your anger more effectively than you have in the past."

"Master Adachi, I just don't think it will help. Master Splinter's been trying for eighteen years to get me to control my anger and it never worked."

"That is because your father did not correctly assess the issue, Raphael. Urging you to control your anger without teaching you how to release it only taught you how to keep it inside until it exploded from within."

"And now you're going to teach me how to release it?"

"Yes."

"Just what kind of methods are we talking about?"

Adachi shrugged. "That will depend upon you. I will present you with several different methods that I, myself, find useful. Then, perhaps, you can choose of them, those which prove most effective for you."

Raph shifted. "Okay, so where do we start?"

"We start with meditation." He stated, grinning at the sound of Raphael's groan.

"Can't we try one of the others first?"

"I'm afraid not. While your father certainly trained you in discipline, he has much to answer for in the area of patience."

Raph laughed a little and settled down cross-legged on the floor. "Not his fault. I didn't have much in me to begin with. Really gave him a run for his money."

"I can imagine." Adachi rubbed his temples dramatically. "How he managed to raise four sons on his own…and you turned out so well."

The red-masked turtle scoffed. "Ha, you think I turned out well. Wait till you meet my older brother, Leonardo. You'll never find a more ideal son."

Adachi's face fell and he crossed his arms. "He is the one whose spirit has constantly reached out to you."

Raph blinked. He got that strange feeling again, though by now he'd gotten used to such accurately penetrating statements. "Yeah."

"An interesting character, from what I can sense. Very overprotective and very worried."

"Yeah, that's Leo," Raphael said rolling his eyes, and smiling affectionately. "He sure is both of those. Always acting like a mother hen."

"Understandable. As your older sibling, he feels your safety is his responsibility. There is a lot of doubt in his aura. Fear."

"Fear? Psh. Leo's not afraid of anything. Damn fearless leader." He grumbled, clenching his fists.

"I can assure you that is not true." Adachi sat down across from his student. "Close your eyes, concentrate. Do not contact him, but concentrate on his aura. Think of it as a thread in your consciousness, tying the two of you together. Tell me, Raphael, what do you see?"

Raph did as his Sensei instructed, though he was slightly confused as to the purpose. His eye-ridges furrowed. "I—I don't see anything."

"What do you sense, then?"

"I-I don't—"

"Focus, Raphael! Concentrate!"

"Determination, strength, willpower. But I sense—I sense—something. I-I see…" Raph winced at the memory.

"What do you see, Raphael?"

"I see—me. Myself. Fighting, angry, yelling." He gasped. "The skylight…Fear, so much fear. The—the rooftop, the rain…all those words, underneath it all—fear." Raph snapped out of it and his form broke. "Leo…" He murmured breathlessly.

"I suggest to you, Raphael, that your brother's greatest fear is losing one of his younger siblings."

"Master Splinter said that it was our close bond that would allow us to communicate spiritually. But what I did just now, that wasn't communication."

"You are very perceptive." Adachi grinned. "Normally, spiritual contact cannot really be achieved without some measure of communication and awareness, like when Leonardo was spiritually monitoring you."

Raph looked wary and confused. "Yeah, I'm not very spiritually trained, the only one that Splinter has really taught all the nuances of mental training to is Leo. So how did I?"

"Whether you realize it or not, Raphael, your spiritual powers are quite formidable, more so, I'm sure, than any of your brothers."

"But Leo's the one who trained—"

A stern hand rose to silence him. "Training is not everything, Raphael. You are unique among your brothers, you were given a great gift. And now the time is right for you to learn to use it."

"I don't understand. Is this more of that stone nonsense?"

Adachi's eyes flashed and he whirled around. His eyes burned like fire. "What planted that idea into your head?" He asked, a dangerous edge in his voice.

Raph stiffened and glared straight back as best he could. Adachi's face became stone cold. It sent a nervous shiver down Raph's spine.

"Come." The old master ordered. The tone with which he spoke booked no room for argument. Raph trailed behind him hesitantly, warily. One thing he had learned during his time here: if obeyed and respected, Adachi was an excellent yet stern teacher, but if crossed or challenged, he was by no means hesitant to pound his student into the ground for good measure. Master Adachi led him straight to the room that housed the stone and motioned him inside. He went slowly, the ninja master following behind him and closing the door. The only light came from the stone itself and it made Raphael uneasy.

"Touch it."

"What?! But you said—"

"You have already been connected to it. Its power already flows through you."

"But the last time I touched it, it sent me flying across the room."

"Allow it to use you as a conductor. Feel the power flow from you to it, release it the same way you did your anger. Do not allow it to build up, or you will have a repeat of last time."

"I don't think this is a good idea." Raph said, narrowing his eyes and taking a few steps back.

Adachi caught his arm and forced the young turtle to look him in the eyes. "There is something in it, you need to see."

At the gravity of the statement, Raph paused and glanced warily in the direction of the stone. He didn't really want to, but he had a feeling, a strong bout of intuition that he needed to touch it. He was drawn to it, like a magnet. He reached out slowly, with one hand, his fingers but centimeters away. Finally, with a deep breath, he closed his eyes and closed the gap. A strangled cry escaped his mouth. His spine arched.

"Let it flow." Adachi's voice swam towards him through a sea of blurry images tainted with a golden hue.

So he did. He let the pictures flood his mind. And sheer horror brought him to his knees.

"No…NO!"

Donnie locked in a cell, writing on the wall, a crazed look in his eyes, muttering rapid nonsense. Donnie…locked away…going insane…

"No…" He turned his head from side to side, beads of sweat running down his face.

Mikey cornered, with no way out, surrounded, helpless, unable to protect himself. Mikey hurt, being repeatedly struck. Crying out for help, not getting any. No mercy. His little brother. Little Michelangelo cornered…injured…dying…

"No! No!" His breathing rate was rapid.

Leo, oh Leo, no…no…

Leo strapped down to a lab table, being poked with all kinds of needles, cut open with scalpels, being experimented on. Leo…being torn apart…dissected…

In the vision, Raphael approached the table, wanting to reach out to his big brother, who already appeared to be dead. He jumped as the horribly scarred and wounded hand grabbed his wrist. Leo looked him straight in the eyes.

"Why couldn't you save us?"

Raph tore his hand away and drew back. He couldn't bear it. Staying there. He had to get out. He had to get out. He rushed out the door of the dream room, tears streaming down his face. His brother's dying voice screamed after him:

"Raphael! RAPHAEL! Why couldn't you save us?! Why couldn't you save them?! RAPHAEL!"

His eyes snapped open and he stumbled back, falling back on his hands. Tears streamed down the sides of his face and his entire body shook with horror. He looked and saw himself in a mirror panel to his right. His jaw dropped. His eyes…his eyes…were…green. Bright, neon-green, the same way they had been when he was a child. Wonderingly, he brought his hands up to his face, but within seconds, they faded back to gold.

Sensing his confusion, Adachi spoke, "Your experience with the stone is precious little. Such a long encounter with it drained you so considerably that your eyes reverted to their original color. But, as you can see, strength can be quickly recovered."

Raph's breaths, still deep, evened out a little and he gathered enough strength to whisper, "And the things I saw?"

"I don't know what you—"

Anger surged up from within him and he whirled around, grabbing Master Adachi by the throat. Raphael stared in astonishment as a golden glow surrounded his hand. Master Adachi's eyes narrowed, he brought his hand to Raphael's arm and a golden flash split them both apart, flinging them back a couple feet. Raph growled. He pointed knowingly at the great ninja master.

"You know exactly what I saw!" he raged, stomping closer. Adachi flung him back with another flash of light, or at least he tried to. Raphael easily deflected it. His lips curled. "What does it mean?"

Adachi didn't answer.

"Tell me what it means!" Raph shouted at the top of his lungs.

Sweeping forward, the ninja master latched onto the irate student's shoulders. In a low voice he murmured, "What you saw are shadows."

"What does that mean?" He reiterated.

"Shadows of a future that might come to be."

"But won't necessarily happen?" Raph demanded.

Master Adachi nodded ascent. "Exactly."

"What do I do?"

Again, Adachi was silent.

Raph pushed. "What do I do?!"

"You must choose. The shadows you saw will come to pass if you fail to train in the ways of the stone. You have already taken the first step, Raphael, you have learned to wield it."

"Can you swear that if I allow you to teach me, my brothers will be safe?"

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed. "How do I know I can believe you?"

"I would like to think that you trust me by now."

"How do I know?" Raph insisted.

"Look to the stone, Raphael. Both of us are linked to it."

The student raised an uncertain eye-ridge at his teacher.

"You can see into my mind the same way I can see into yours. Focus. Concentrate."

Raph did. He concentrated as hard as he possibly could. He saw into the mind of the Sensei, felt the stone's energy passing between them. He could feel the truth of the statement. He bowed his head. "You expect me to choose? There isn't even a choice. If it means saving my brothers, I'll do anything you ask."

A hand clapped his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "I understand completely. You will do as I say—"

"But I don't owe you any allegiance."

"Be careful, Raphael. You must trust in me if you ever wish to truly save your brothers and your powers will only truly blossom if you believe the things I tell you."

Raphael tore away from the contact and rushed from the room. Adachi watched him go. It wasn't until the turtle was long gone, that he allowed his head and shoulders to fall. It is for the best, Adachi. It is for the best. Let him go. For now, he needs to run.

That was the first night that the Mountain Spirit walked. Shrouded in a tattered, brown cloak, he descended upon the town and came to their defense.

Many, many miles away on the rooftops of New York City, a turtle stood outlined against the brightening morning sky. He felt the wind in his face and inhaled a deep breath of air feeling a fleeting sense of peace. But there was something else. Something familiar. He felt closer to Raph up here. Be careful little brother. Please be careful.


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