I own nothing.

A white rabbit walks

Across his homeland alone

Or with a rhino

Leonardo laid his head down on his arms and groaned. Despite everything he had learned from Donnie and his computer, and April and the books she brought from the library, he still stunk at writing haiku.

He'd somehow made a rhyme without meaning to. Maybe, like April had said about herself, poetry just went along with rhymes in his mind despite his knowing better now. Donnie had protested after April's comment that poetry was really about patterns. He'd continued by saying patterns in poetry always had to do with numbers as well as letters. Even poems with rhymes were this way. Haiku, however, were different being patterns of a set number of sounds or syllables written around a theme usually having to do with nature. Of course, there were other rules too. Donnie had happily filled them in on those too. By the end of their research, Leo thought Donnie, who'd "just" claimed to be a scientist and engineer not a poet, was the one eager to try writing a hundred haiku.

Leo ground his teeth to himself. "He'd" said "he'd" do this, and he wasn't going to cheat by letting Donnie take over for him, no matter how much he thought the genius might do a better job. He looked down at his first attempt again and sighed.

"Having trouble, my son?"

Leonardo looked up and saw the ever silent Splinter standing behind him, both hands resting on the top of his staff and eyes gazing in concern into his own. The turtle sighed again. "Master Splinter, I'm bad at this. I don't know how I'll have anything decent by the deadline let alone 100 of these that are any good."

He crushed the bit of stationary in front of him with his writing on it and tossed it over his shoulder. Splinter caught it, something Leo wasn't expecting. The rat then unfolded and pulled the paper flat again, or "flatter" at least. He studied it a moment, before looking back down into the eyes of his blue-banded student. "Leonardo, this is very good for a beginning, my son."

Leonardo raised an eyebrow ridge at him. Splinter shook his head back. "Leonardo, we all must have a beginning, when we try something new. As a teacher, the Ancient One understands this."

Leo looked down and sighed again. "It's just … it's not a lot, really … for him to ask ... especially for a good katana. 100 Haiku for a sword? Really? I just ... I'm really grateful ... But … Couldn't he have asked for a thousand perfect katas, instead, something I'm actually good at?"

Splinter shook his head. "I fear the Ancient One is a teacher and thus interested in you, Leonardo, learning to do something new. Besides, some things can be learned by observing a person trying something new that can not be learned about them by watching them achieve what they already believe they can achieve."

Leonardo grimaced and sighed. "I just … specially to get something so … important, expensive, unique, for a friend who saved my life and you guys' lives too, I wanted to do the thing … well."

Splinter laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "I believe you will do well, my son, especially by the end of this."

. . .

Usagi went with Lord Noriyuki, followed by a large entourage of guards, the only reason Noriyuki was being let out of the palace proper, to see the purifying of the metal for Leonardo's sword. A large amount of special sand had already been bought and brought to the city to make such swords for new Samurai. Sadly, many of those who had once served Noriyuki's father had been killed during the same struggle for power Noriyuki's father had been killed in. Tomoe Ame had done well getting Noriyuki safely away from that while also taking him "to" the Shogun that Noriyuki might be declared by him the new, rightful daimyo of the Geisha Clan. That, at least, Usagi pondered, we accomplished together. And Noriyuki had never forgotten either of them doing so.

That is really why, Usagi thought to himself further, I am here with him in the best place in this part of the world to get pure steel to make great blades, watching as such is made by his request after I requested it from him.

The heat in the building around the furnace was immense. Usagi felt himself sweat. He also saw the fur on the brows of Tomoe Ame and Noriyuki as well as the other guards get wetter. Gennesuke, who had wanted to see the making of the sword Usagi had bought for Leonardo with so much time and trouble, was beginning to stink. Usagi had long gotten used to this scent though.

The Ronin glanced over at the old hound in charge of purifying the metal for Leonardo's blade. The crafter squinted, which might have been due to his staring at the fires glowing through carefully placed gaps in his furnace, or to the deterioration that often comes with advanced age. Noriyuki looked to the master of purifying metal for blades too and asked, "Is it going well?"

Usagi watched the hound's face and was surprised to see his ears prick forward before he nodded. "The fire sounds as though all is going well, my lord Noriyuki."

The panda cub gave a bright grin. Usagi studied the young daimyo, wondering if his cheerfulness was due to how well the process of making the sword he'd commissioned was going, or possibly also due to already getting out of the palace after agreeing to be more careful by staying in it, though at the cost of bringing two dozen now sweating samurai with him. Usagi glanced at the now damp necko and hounds lined up behind Noriyuki.

Usagi looked back toward the furnace again. He watched younger hounds than the one in charge, and two necko, busily feeding the fire inside it. He wondered how many doing so were members of the old hound's family, possibly his sons, and how many had come into this business from outside the family. How many years had it been since the old master did what they were doing now? How long had he been learning to do this, before he became great? He truly hoped all this effort would in the end bring about a blade worthy of Leonardo a hero of the Battle Nexus, though, he never got to even finish his last bout in the tournament. Maybe he could use this blade in the next, perhaps even win with it? Though, hopefully he and Willow Branch, and probably Young Willow too, would do their best to prevent that last possibility.

Usagi suddenly clutched the hilts of his own blades. He mused on how the process of their forging might have proceeded in another place under the direction of another master of this craft. They had done well, whoever they had been. A wave of respect and gratitude filled him. He clutched the hilts of Willow Branch and Young Willow tighter. They were so many things to him now.

They were a reward for learning under a sensei no one else had successfully learned under in his sensei's opinion at least, and triumphing against every student in the school he had chosen "not" to learn in in order to learn under that sensei instead. They were proof Lord Mifune had seen in him enough to make him his samurai and later his personal retainer. They were what he'd used to avenge his daimyo's wife and son, defend him on the battlefield, cut off his head to make sure it was not displayed by his enemy.

"Usagi, why are you sad. I mean you to be happy. Aren't you happy about how the sword-making is going?"

Usagi looked over to meet Noriyuki's gaze. The cub was staring at him with eyes intent with sympathy, or perhaps concern, or maybe even disappointment. He tried to give the cub a small smile. "Indeed, Daimyo of the Geisha Clan, I am more than pleased with all you are doing for me and my friend. Nor am I at all disappointed in it, but rather impressed by the wondrous running of this forge."

Here Usagi turned to look at the old hound, who nodded his head in acceptance of his compliment. The master of the forge also seemed to have turned his attention to the apparently disappointing look on his face as he'd watched those under him work, though without actually seeing them for the last several moments. He continued to explain, "But seeing all this being done to make a sword made me think of how the forging of my own blades must have been done, and that, in turn, made me think of my Lord Mifune, and my service to him when he lived, and after his death."

Noriyuki gently and solemnly laid a hand on Usagi's arm as he met his gaze with only slightly wider eyes now. "You have my deepest condolences on your loss of such a lord, Usagi, as well as my greatest respect in how you continue to honor him even now."

Usagi gave the cub a shining grin back.

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes