Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT, so you can't sue me. I'm just borrowing them for a bit. But all the original creations are mine, so if you want to use them, please just ask. Thank you.

Chapter 6: Annoyance strikes again

A week later.

Compared to the action that we saw at Climhazzard, the trip home was pretty uneventful. All we did then was go out a few thousand light years, find an abandoned planetoid with no name, and ditch the transport after gladly relieving it of its cargo. After that, it was just a simple matter of driving home.

If I weren't so used to riding with Reno the Reckless Wonder, I might say that the ride back was an adventure in itself. Neutrinos aren't the most cautious of drivers even under the more dire or circumstances and it shows especially when they're in a good mood. You can never really tell just when the next barrel roll and vertical drop will occur. But I've more or less gotten used to that in the last few months and so I just slept in the backseat on the return journey when I wasn't on guard point or listening to Reno and the guys sing their heads off while they attempted very bad kareoke.

Needless to say, everyone was pretty happy with the success of our mission when we got back. It was the first time in awhile that we had gotten by without any hitches in a mission and this got everyone into a good mood. Of course, it meant more work storing what we now had and planning for the next raid, but that's beside the point. Which leads me to where I am now.

Leaning against the guardrail, I watch the very people in question below me. They're all bustling about on one errand or another, most of which have to do with the new supplies. None of them are aware of my presence above and seem more bent on their own business. That was perhaps for the best, since all I wanted to do right now was watch them and relax for a few moments.

I had earned that much at least. I mean, not counting sleep, it had been a long time since I had been able to stand around and do nothing. Ever since I recovered enough, I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. It's been so long since I did something like this that I was actually starting to forget what true relaxation felt like.

Well, today was only the first of at least a four-day period where there was nothing serious that I was needed for. I'd already had a debriefing with Kale about the mission at Climhazzard, as had all involved, and after that he said I was free to take a break if I wanted. Like I needed to be told twice.

I've been going almost nonstop since I started with the rebels five months ago. I take part in a lot of undercover missions, espionage, supply runs and that sort of thing. Anything, with the exception of morgue duty, that they can think of for me to do, I'll get it done. As for morgue duty, I keep my distance from that. Despite my times on the battlefield, I just can't handle being around the dead for too long, especially if they're people that I know. It's too depressing.

But that's all beside the point. What matters is that I'm free from all that and for the moment, this is how I choose to spend my time. Watching others from the heights and feeling good knowing that unless we have an emergency, I won't have to rejoin them for the next few days.

Unfortunately, some other force seemed to have other plans for me. I stayed where I was a bit longer before I decided that it was time for me to move on. I thought maybe I would track down Reno. He was bound to have a bit of free time as well and maybe I could talk him into a game of Genku. That's a type of card game played here in Dimension X and is one of the few things other than fighting that I've actually become quite an expert at.

Since the loading bay was closest to my present location, I thought there might be a good place to start looking. If I was lucky, Reno would be there trying to woo Kala, a young Neutrino woman that I had become friends with a couple of months before. He's always flirting with her, particularly when Zan, another possible suitor, is around. She hasn't accepted either of them however, and tends to keep the two at arms' length, just to give them something to work for.

And because I knew that Kala had been assigned to the loading bay this week, Reno would probably be there too. So with that in mind, I headed for the stairs and for the bay.

I hadn't gone far when I heard someone call out my name. I halted and glanced about, not sure if I had heard right or not. It had been a bit faint and had bit of an echo with all the rock around. Shrugging, I started off again and then heard my name a second time.

This time, I could tell that it was coming from behind me, so I turned around to see who it was. To my dismay and disgust, it was none other than Talceryn with his group of flunkies coming up behind me. Talceryn was a Katrian like myself and Zenith, one of about a dozen that make their home here with the Neutrinos at Furlough. He's what one might consider the pinnacle of Katrian physique and breeding, or at least, that's how he sees things. I for one, think he's just he pinnacle of egotism.

Talceryn stands about as tall Zenith, but is shorter than him by about four or five centimeters and still larger than me by a full foot. His fur, a deep and rich mahogany, is finely textured and seems to hold a constant sheen even when dirtied. He's a finely muscled creature and no one can doubt that he has excellent reflexes. In fact, there's hardly anyone among us who can match in speed and agility, including most of the other Katrians. Thankfully, I'm not among those and can still give this creep a run for his money in that department.

With all that and the Katrian form of good looks, one might think that he had some modesty and a little bit of compassion for others. Ha! You couldn't be farther from the truth. Talceryn is selfish and self-centered, right to the core. All he cares about is making himself look good in the eyes of the leaders and getting all the glory that he can. Sometimes I think that's the only reason why he even helps out here. That and it means a safe place for him to hide out when there's trouble. Even with his talents, I seriously doubt that he would last very long on his own.

Thankfully, Talceryn and I never have to spend a lot of time around each other. When we do, it's almost always when we're assigned to a mission and then we're with at least one or two others, so there's always a chance of me having backup. If I see him in the corridors and if there's time, I always head in the opposite direction. The last thing I want is to spend my time listening to Talceryn talk about how great is and insult everyone else in the process.

Because that's what he does in his spare time. With the exception of his special group of three, Creva, Tedoi, and Ebon, all Katrians of course, Talceryn has a smart remark to say to just about everyone. Either they're not fast enough or good enough to be on the battlefield, or they're just too ordinary to be a real warrior. Usually something along those lines. The petty things that make him feel better about himself.

Only a commander like Kale is safe from that sharp tongue saying something to their face. Talceryn isn't stupid enough to insult one of them to their faces. Instead, he does it behind their backs and around those who won't pass the word back to the victim. The face-to-face confrontations he saves for the common soldier like myself, Reno, and others.

So any time I see him coming, I just go in some other direction. It's not that I mind when he insults me about my height or what others see as strange habits, like my meditating and tendency toward privacy. To be honest, I could really care less about that sort of thing.

I mean, what would be the point? If I got upset, it would just give him what he wanted and he would keep up at it. So when he does get near me and starts spouting off, I just zone off like I did when I was a kid listening to one of Leo's longwinded Splinternese speeches and soon enough, when I don't respond, he and his band of merry fools are usually gone again.

So as they came closer, I pretended not to notice them. I just kept going on my way, finally heading down the stairs and slimly hoping that I just might be able to find some excuse to avoid them before they caught up. No such luck. Before I had gone too far, just making it to the cavern below the walk where I had just been, Talceryn and company caught up to me.

"Hey, hold on, Lia. What's your hurry?" Ebon asked, a male with a coat of black fur very similar to Zenith's but a bit paler.

He's the middle sized one of this bunch and one of the biggest motormouths in Furlough. The largest is Tedoi, a beige colored male with a series of scars on his right arm and one bent ear. He doesn't really say much, but says enough with his fist when he wants to. Smallest is Creva, a ruddy furred creature that is the one Katrian male that I've met who stands at my height. The only way to describe him is to call him a pest and that's putting it mildly. He can get under just about anyone's skin and sometimes even his own friends have a hard time dealing with him. In-between these three and leader of the whole crew is none other than Talceryn himself, who has been described more than enough by now.

"Yeah, we just want to talk," Creva snickered.

Ugh. So much for having a quiet afternoon. Guess I'll just have to get this over with. The sooner I get passed the niceties, the sooner I can get away from King Annoyance and his Knights of the Ridiculous Table.

"About what?" I asked coolly, merely glancing over my shoulder at them instead of turning around completely.

"Actually, I'm the one who wants to talk with you. These guys just came along to make sure we weren't disturbed," Talceryn replied as he left the group and came up to me.

Big time red alert on that one. Now I knew that something here wasn't right. The only time when Talceryn wanted to talk about something, it was to get it for himself and that always meant trouble for someone else. This time, it turned out to be me.

Turning partially so that I could have a better look at him, I replied," And what's so important that you need to make sure we're not bothered?"

"You'll see. Why don't we go to my quarters and I'll tell you further?" Talceryn answered sweetly.

Oh brother. Did this guy honestly think that I was stupid enough to fall for that one? That I would actually go somewhere alone with him with just the three Stooges around if he tried anything? If he did, then I think that someone needed to give this guy a serious checkup from the neck up because he needed one bad.

"I think here will be just fine," I said," Whatever you have to say to me shouldn't be too private that you can't trust a friend or two overhearing."

Hmm, let him chew on that one. If my hunch is right and he seriously wants to talk without making a scene, then he won't press the issue. He'll agree to talk here in the open, and if he doesn't and tries to get nasty, well, I'm ready if he tries anything.

"Are you sure? It is something of a personal nature," Talceryn insisted lightly.

Yes, I had him. He's getting a little nervous. Now if I can just work this right, I can get rid of him and be on my way.

Shaking my head, I replied," Unless you can say it here, then please don't bother."

"Oh, very well," he sighed, glancing over his shoulder to make sure his friends were acting as guards," If you insist so much, we'll just talk here."

All right, that was easy. Hold it. Maybe a little too easy. From what I know about this guy, once he sets his mind to something, he doesn't give up so quickly. So why was he starting now? I'm not quite certain on that one. Guess I'll just have to be on my toes until this is over.

"So what's so important?" I asked.

"You're an impatient little thing, aren't you?" Talceryn smiled," You just want to get straight to business instead of having a pleasant little chat first."

That's probably because I would rather spend my time listening to Doc drone on about first aid than stand here with you. At least with Doc I know he hasn't got anything nasty planned.

"I don't mean to be rude, Talceryn, it's just that I really don't have time to talk right now," I lied calmly," I just have a lot planned for today and I'm in a hurry. So please, just tell me what you want so I can get going."

All right, so I was stretching the truth a bit. The only thing that I had planned was tracking down Reno and I had just come up with that plan about five minutes before. But I was willing to use any excuse to get away from this crowd, even if it meant resorting to lying.

"Oh, I think you might want to slow down for this one, Lia. It does involve your future after," Talceryn smiled.

"My future?" I scoffed lightly," What could you possibly have to say that would involve my future, Talceryn?"

Acting as if nothing were wrong, Talceryn continued with a leering grin," You're a pretty little thing, you know that, don't you, Lia? You have many traits that a male like myself finds desirable in a female. You're quick, agile, and have great potential as a warrior. It's quite a surprise that no one has offered himself to you yet."

Okay, now this was just too weird. Talceryn actually complimenting me, saying that I was desirable as a female. All right, either he's playing a really funky joke on me or else he's high on something. And the more I listen, the more I'm leaning toward number two.

"Of course, it might be because of all those little habits of yours that drive the males off. What, with the way you keep to yourself so much, go into these trances, and sparring with your shadow at all hours of the night," he shrugged, finally sounding like the creep that I knew and loathed so much," But those are things that can be overlooked, if you were willing to stop wasting your talents on the battlefield and put them to better use in the bed of your champion, where you could really make a difference."

"And just who is this champion of mine?" I asked.

"Why, me of course," Talceryn purred.

GROSS!!! Was this guy actually serious!? Him, my champion? Please. I have more faith in being rescued from a horde of deranged Stone Warriors by Warlord Krang himself than this guy. As to waiting for him in a bed, not in this lifetime or any other. I'll let myself be taken back to Rancor in live electric wires before that happens.

"That's something you may want to consider, Lia," Talceryn continued," I mean, you can't just keep wasting everyone's time by fighting when you could be an even better service by producing more warriors from the finest lines. What do you say?"

All right, now I'm really starting to feel sick. First of all, there wasn't enough money in any universe that could be paid to me in order to share the same room, much less the same bed with Talceryn for even one night. Just the thought of that makes my skin crawl. As to 'producing warriors from the finest lines' and wasting everyone's time by fighting alongside others, I have only one answer for that. As Raph once put it so adequately, and I quote: HELL NO!

"Well," Talceryn demanded impatiently," What do you say to that, runt? I've made you an offer and I want an answer."

Hiding my disgust under a mask of calm, I replied," No. The only bed I sleep in is my own. Not yours, or anyone else's."

"WHAT!?" Talceryn snarled in surprised outrage," You're refusing me?!"

"I believe that about sums it up," I replied, still keeping my cool," Now if you'll excuse me, I have other things to do. Good day."

"You're not going anywhere," Talceryn growled as he grabbed my arm.

"Let me go, Talceryn," I warned," I don't want any trouble."

"Oh, I'll let you go, as soon as you learn your place in this world," Talceryn sneered.

I should have known then that he was up to something. He always was. I should have taken the first chance I had and gotten away from him by giving the jerk a good hard scratch across his face. Then I could have just escaped while he was crying about his ruined face. But no, I had to be a civil idiot and try giving him a chance at being reasonable. Yeah, like that would ever happen.

As I find out when Talceryn suddenly flung me toward a wall and I got the wind knocked out of me. I let out a sharp gasp as I hit and fell to my knees. I sat there a moment, bracing myself and trying to get my breath back.

Leaving behind his group of snickering cronies, who were still keeping others at bay, Talceryn sniffed haughtily," I think since you're still new here, Lia, there's a few things that you ought to know. Number one, no one ever refuses me, especially a pathetic female like you. Number two, I always get what I want and nothing ever stops me. Got that?"

Oh, I got it all right. I get that he was the biggest egotistical jackass that had ever lived. Honestly, did he really think that if he beat me up a little bit that I was going to cave in and settle for his demands? If he did, then he was seriously mistaken. Magnolia gives into no one, least of all scum like this.

Which meant that the time had come. Enough was enough. For months I had put up with snide remarks and insults from Talceryn and his cronies. I chose to ignore them for the most part instead of acknowledging them, thus never giving them the satisfaction that I knew that they sought. And now this; bullying and threatening me into become his willing concubine. This time, Talceryn had gone too far and it was time that someone taught him a lesson. Namely, me.

So as Talceryn neared me a second time, I jumped to my feet and lashed out my fist, aiming straight for his face. Now, I had never been seen to fight in anything but a true battle, so retaliation was never expected from me. Which meant I had the advantage of surprise on my side and I was rewarded with a satisfying smack as my fist made contact with his nose.

When it did, I knew right away that his nose was broken. There was a sound of bone crunching that left little doubt of that. I really didn't stop to notice, since my mind was already focused on the next move.

While Talceryn fell away from me and went into shock over his broken nose, I twisted my body and slammed my elbow right into his stomach. He instantly doubled over, forgetting his nose for the moment and clutching at his stomach instead. Leaving me open for yet another move and that was when my training suddenly kicked in for the first time in a long while.

Acting on instinct, I followed through with an old kata that Splinter had taught me when I was just learning the basics. It only involves a quick spinning foot kick and an arm defense, but it's still pretty effective. As I saw when my foot caught Talceryn across the cheek and knocked him to the ground.

He literally flew about ten feet before he landed and fell to the ground again in a heap. He didn't have a chance to get up and try to retaliate, since I was on top of him with my foot planted on his chest almost as soon as he hit the floor. Once again, the ninja training was taking control and I wasn't about to stop it.

I drove my foot deep into his chest, making sure that he knew that I was there. He gasped in pain, probably aching in more than one place by now. I glared down at him while he did, part of me actually surprised that I had won so easily and quickly.

"Fair warning, gutter trash. If you ever touch me like that again or even come near me for any reason," I snarled," you'll be wishing that the Stone Warriors had gotten a hold of you instead. Got it?"

"Y-yeah. I-I got it," Talceryn choked.

"Good. I'm glad that we understand each other," I said with disgust, stepping off his chest.

Talceryn lay in a heap on the ground, wheezing and gasping for breath. I watched him briefly, still feeling disgusted and not the least bit sorry for this creep. I may have gone a bit far in dealing with him but at least he now he would know better than to assume that I was an easy mark and pick a fight with me. Which was a bit of peace that I could welcome to what little I had these days.

A crowd had gathered around us by this time, but no one, not even Talceryn's cronies dared to approach us. I guess I had made a better impression than I thought. Well, I had better things to do than just stand around watching this jerk try to regain himself, so I turned and started to walk away.

Almost immediately, the crowd parted, allowing me a clear path across the cavern. Once again, no one was daring to stop me or risk having me bash their heads in. Good move on their parts, considering that I was now in a foul mood thanks to that slimebag and had a growing headache the size of Jupiter.

I walked away then, leaving my opponent to his own devices. He was still gasping and panting fiercely by the time I was gone. When I was far enough away, others came to his side, mostly his own comrades, to see if he was all right. Others just stood by, some caught in shock over what had just happened and other simply grinning with the satisfaction that at least someone had the guts to put Talceryn in his place.

As I strode farther away, I could hear for someone calling for Doc to be found. Good call, but not totally necessary. Talceryn would be fine, eventually. Though I know how to kill or maim someone when I want to, I only do that as a final resort and even then I don't like doing it. Even after what I've seen and had done to me, I just don't feel right taking the life of another, even that of a foe. It doesn't seem like my right to do something that extreme.

So when I handled Talceryn, I had just hurt him a bit. He would be extremely sore in the days to come, especially with that broken nose, but it was nothing serious. He would recover, eventually, and in the meantime he would know to leave me alone.

I really didn't dwell on that for too long though. It really wasn't worth it as far as I was concerned. Talceryn was a bully and had gotten just what he deserved. If others thought I had go too far, then so be it. I didn't care. All I cared about right now was getting a painkiller and taking a good long shower.

"Lia!" Zenith called from behind me, breaking my train of thought.

I sighed, thinking that there was going to be more trouble. There always was when Zenith and I were left alone for more than a few moments. Oh why oh why can't these creeps just leave me alone for a change?! What did I do to deserve this on today of all days?

Stopping, I turned and saw that the one in question was jogging down the corridor after me. He looked a bit winded, as if he had come a good distance. That really didn't surprise me. I hadn't seen him when I was dealing with Talceryn, so that meant he must have come from some other part of the base.

"What is it?" I demanded as he approached me, not in the mood to be polite.

Not surprisingly, Zenith didn't answer right away. He halted just a few feet away from me, taking a moment to catch his breath. Hmm, guess he must have come pretty far if he was that tired.

"I.I saw what happened with you and Talceryn," he said when he was recovered enough," Did he hurt you?"

A little surprised by his show of concern but still wary, I replied evenly," I think the answer to that should be obvious."

"Yes. I suppose so," Zenith nodded, clearing his throat," I saw how you handled him. That was really impressive and I have to say, I've never seen anything like that before. Where did you learn how to do that?"

Oh brother, is that what he wanted to know about? I should have known better than to think he was really concerned about me. All he wanted was to know about were my fighting skills. That's all guys like him are ever very worried about.

"Does it matter?" I countered icily, my mood sour once again.

"It is when you fight with a move that no one's ever seen before," Zenith said," Just like it always is with your fighting style. You always seem to have some new move that no one has seen before, no matter what the situation."

Well, duh! Big surprise there, pal. The only place that I know of where martial arts exists is on Earth and as far as I know, I'm the only species of any Dimension X species that ever had the chance to learn about let alone see it firsthand. So yeah, I seriously doubt that anyone else here would any idea of what I'm doing.

"It's just something that I learned when I was a kid," I replied," and I think that's all you really need to know. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a good, long rinse. All of a sudden I feel really dirty."

I should have known better that it wouldn't end so easily. Zenith is stubborn, like me, and that's one reason why we're always butting heads when we're together. He always has a surprise up his sleeve and you can never quite tell what he's about to do next. Like I found out when he spoke again.

"Do you.Do you think that you could teach me how to do that?" he blurted.

As I said, at certain times, you could never tell what he would pull next. And when he said that, it was definitely enough to get my attention. Zenith was actually asking me, the one person he seemed to hate me more than our mutual enemy, Krang, for something? Huh, normally when he wanted something, he would just get it himself. He never depended on anyone else to help him get it, no matter what it was.

"And why should I do that?" I asked," For all I know, you might use it to take advantage of others, when it's only meant to be used as a method of self defense of yourself and others."

"You know that I wouldn't do anything like that," Zenith protested," I'm not like that hothead and never have been. I don't hurt my friends."

"Oh, you have friends now? That's the first time I ever heard that word come out of your mouth," I snorted," Last time I checked, you didn't even have friends except for me, myself and I. Friends just slow you down, they're a liability or at least that's what you told me."

I must have sounded like such an idiot when I talked like that, but to tell the truth, I really didn't care. I was so frustrated with first having to deal with Talceryn the Twit and now Zenith the Creep, the two biggest pains in my life other than Krang's forces, that I didn't feel like being nice at the moment. Especially not to my present company. All I wanted now was to get a painkiller for my intense headache and go to sleep. Anything else could wait until after I got up.

"I have friends here and always have. That is why I remain here, or did you think that I did it for money?" Zenith hissed.

"Actually I thought you did it for the kicks," I answered.

If looks could kill, the next one that Zenith gave me would have sent me to the grave in a heartbeat. He glared down at me, snarling silently and looking as if he wanted nothing more than to bash my head in. But, probably thinking that I would do to him what I had done to Talceryn or worse, he didn't. Instead, he restrained himself and answered in a voice that briefly made me think of the first time that Raph had gotten drunk and Casey Jones had conned me into helping him track the joker down so we could bring him home.

When he first approached me, I hadn't wanted to go, since I was only about thirteen at the time and wasn't that fond of wandering about above ground with just Space Case around. He may have been Raph's best friend, but I had never exactly been very comfortable around Casey and usually didn't spend that much time around him. But I was the only other person that the human knew besides Sensei who could track the Turtles just by scent and the only one who would keep my mouth shut in the process. So he eventually got me to go along with his plan, but only by saying that it was to find Raph before he hurt himself. That was the only reason I agreed to help, since I was in no mood to get caught and grounded alongside my idiot brother by Splinter.

It took till two in the morning but eventually we managed to find Raph almost passed out near the old sewer den. He had drunk so much liquor that it made his breath stink completely and nearly made me gag whenever he breathed in my face. Probably the reason why I can't handle the smell of any type of alcohol now. When we first found him, Raph, more or less caught in a stupor, hadn't wanted to come with us. He wanted to stay right where he was and sleep. Well, that might have been all right if it hadn't been for the fact that this place wasn't safe for us anymore. It was still known to former Foot soldiers and there was no telling when they might come back for a shot of revenge.

We tried to tell this to Raph, several times in fact, but he was just too drunk to care. So after nearly half an hour of arguing with him, we were forced to resort to other methods. Casey, speaking in the same exact tone that Zenith used with me now, apologized to Raph and with one swift punch, knocked him out cold. Then, with Casey carrying the top half and me handling the bottom one, both of which reeked, we managed to drag Raph's sorry butt home.

It was just an hour or so before dawn by the time we got back. We were both sore and tired from the journey, and it was easy to tell that all both of us wanted to do was to just dump our cargo and go to sleep. As fate would have it however, Splinter, as usual, was sitting up waiting for Raphael to come home and met us on the way in. I don't think it took a genius to figure out that he wasn't happy and not just with Raph.

First of all, he was upset that Raph had gone and gotten himself drunk and would be speaking with him as soon as he was sober again. Whenever that would be. But he was also upset with Casey and me. Casey for talking me into leaving the lair without permission and me for going behind his back. Oy, I can still remember that lecture. The mere thought of it still gives me headaches to this day.

Which brings me back to the present. Like then, I had a headache and a bad one. Only, it wasn't from one of my Sensei's lectures. This time, it was from having to deal with two boneheads in a row and having both feeling ready to kill me.

"I seek no 'kicks' for anything, Lia," Zenith hissed at me," I'm not some gutless phony like Talceryn. I believe in what we're doing here and that is the only reason other than my friends why I remain here."

"Say what you want, Zenith, I really don't care. Kicks, beliefs, or friends, what you're doing here is your choice," I retorted," Just like what I do is my choice and right now, all I want is for you to take a hint and leave me alone."

"Not until you've answered my question," Zenith said, his voice now a strained calm," Will you teach me or not? I won't go until you give me a straight answer, yes or no."

Oy! What does it take to get rid of this guy? Hadn't I already made it plain enough that I wasn't going to teach him? Or was he just too thickheaded to know when to back off?

I don't know the exact answers to any of these, though I suspected that it was a little bit of both on those last two. All I knew was that the headache I now had was growing and I was tired of arguing with him. So I was left with two choices: either do the obvious and tell him no or be civil and say yes, thus adding a new problem to my life.

At first, I was leaning toward answer number one. I mean, why should I bother teaching him? It would just be a waste of both our times. I was no teacher, no sensei. I didn't know all there was to ninjitsu, especially since my own education had been cut short when I left home. All I knew was about eleven years' worth plus what I had gleaned from watching Splinter teach the Turtles. As far as I'm concerned, that wasn't enough to make me a fit teacher for anyone, let alone Zenith.

Which is another reason why I shouldn't bother. Zenith is more tolerable company than some, but he's still not at the top of my list for close friendships. More like, he's toward the bottom, way above Talceryn's group but far below Kala and Reno. Since we had no close relationship, I had no ties to him other than as a fellow soldier and that meant I didn't have to do as he asked.

Somehow though, that really doesn't settle well with the charitable side of me. It was the part of me that caused me to see the plight of others and want to help them. It's a side of me that makes me realize how lucky I am in being whole in both mind and body, but there are times when I find it more annoying than helpful. Now was just one such time.

Whether I liked it or not, it made me consider other details before I made a final decision. Such as the fact that the reasons I had come up with weren't really good enough to refuse Zenith's request. So what if I didn't know the entirety of ninjitsu? That didn't mean I couldn't at least teach him the basics and let that be it. He just wanted to know how to do it, not make it a major part of his life like it still was with mine.

So went the tug-of-war in my head. Part of me wanted to just say no and leave it at that and another part of me wanted to do the right thing and say yes. It was really confusing and starting to make my head hurt worse than it already was. When I finally did reach a decision, I just hoped that I wouldn't live to regret it.

"If I do agree to teach you, then you have to promise that no matter what, you'll keep going at it. I won't waste my time teaching someone who stops just because they're tired of it," I warned.

Now that was definitely scary. Those words, coming out of my mouth, and saying them to someone just as they had been to me years before when I was five. To be more precise, a certain rat speaking those words to me when I wanted to learn something. What, I don't really remember anymore. But those words had stuck in my mind like a star and had been a major guide in my life to this day. Hmm, guess there's more of the old guy sticking around in me than I thought.

"Yes," Zenith said without hesitation," I give you my word. I want to learn this."

Again, this was too eerie. I remember doing the exact same thing as a child, if not much of else.

"All right," I said," We'll start tomorrow morning, before the next shift starts. I'm warning you though, it won't be as easy or as quick to pick this up as you think. I started learning how to do this since before I could walk and I was still learning when I left home. So there's a lot to learn."

"Yes, I understand," Zenith nodded.

"Good. Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow," I replied, and with that, I turned back down the hall straight for my quarters.