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When Leonardo went to wake Michelangelo the next morning, he found his youngest brother's bed empty. Surprised, Leonardo went to check the kitchen, thinking that maybe Michelangelo had gotten up early and was reading the paper or something. The kitchen was empty as well. Leonardo's wondering was just beginning to turn to worry when Donatello appeared in the kitchen doorway.
"Hey Leo, come see this. But be real quiet."
Leo followed Donnie through the lair and into the infirmary, where he was met with a sight he was not expecting. Sasha was sleeping peacefully in her bed. She was curled in a ball. At the foot of her bed, curled around her feet, was Michelangelo, also asleep. The innocence of the scene and the calmness of the two people creating it made Leo regret having to awaken Mikey. But practice was more important than a picturesque moment, and so he reached over and gently shook Michelangelo awake.
"Hey, practice time."
Michelangelo blinked his eyes a few times, and then sat up. His movement awoke Sasha who sat up as well, brushing her silver hair out of her face.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing," Donnie said, helping Michelangelo stand up. "We need to go to morning practice. You can go back to sleep if you want."
Sasha shook her head. "I'll get up. I liked watching you guys yesterday."
They headed to the dojo, where Master Splinter was already sitting. His eyes were closed, and the expression on his face told them all, even Sasha, that he was meditating. Raphael came in right after the group. While the turtles went farther into the room to practice, Sasha squatted down beside Splinter.
"You are up early this morning," Splinter remarked a few moments later as he opened his eyes.
Sasha shrugged and said nothing.
"You were up late last night as well," he continued.
"How did you know?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the turtles.
"Do you think Michelangelo is the only one with ears good enough to hear you scream at the top of your lungs?"
"He's the only one who came to o calm me down."
"He's also the only one with such an extensive gift of compassion."
She didn't respond.
"Who were you talking to before your out burst last night?"
Sasha shifted her position to a kneeling one before she spoke. "I don't know," she said. "He is very familiar to me. I know I have seen him before. A friend, maybe? Or a..." she trailed off, not quite sure of the word she was looking for.
"An enemy?" Splinter offered.
Sasha jerked as if the word physically hit her. "Yes, that's it," she breathed. "He's an enemy. A really old enemy. I still can't remember why he's an enemy, though."
"And you say you are not a warrior," Splinter commented. There was no sarcasm in his voice, just a vague amount of amusement. "You must be a warrior of some sort in order to have an enemy that could come into this house undetected."
Sasha took a deep breath. "I sensed him before I saw him. Like he was giving off a signal or something. He was in the room before I saw him, too. Which is weird, because I can see in the dark."
"You can?" Splinter sounded mildly surprised at this. "What you are telling me is beginning to make me wonder if you might be more than simply a normal, lost girl who's forgotten her past."
"I'm a little more than normal, Splinter. I have a tail, don't forget. I don't know too many girls my age who have tails."
"How old are you, Sasha?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"How old would you guess?"
"Judging by my physical features and the shape of my face," Sasha said after a moment's thought. "I'd say somewhere around sixteen. Maybe eighteen, but probably closer to sixteen."
Splinter nodded, but did not speak. Sasha watched her reptilian friends practice, relieved that the conversation had ended. She liked Splinter, but talking to him bothered her. It stirred things up in her head, a sensation she did not enjoy.
But over and over again, her mind returned to the comment Splinter had made the day before about the warrior-like focus in her eyes. What if she was really a warrior? What if she could fight? But then, if she was a warrior, then why hadn't she been able to defend herself against those Foot soldiers? There was no possible way for her to be a warrior...but then, there was no possible way that she could have a tail. Or that she could wake up on a barge in the middle of the Long Island Sound with no memory. Or that a young man could appear out of thin air, and then disappear the same way. Even so, all of those things had happened, and if they could happen, then why couldn't she be a warrior?
Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael were all attacking Leonardo, making the eldest turtle battle offenses from three different sides. His katana blades sliced through the air, ringing out sharply as they came in contact with Raphael's sais and Michelangelo's nun chucks. Donatello, being that master of a weapon that the swords could easily cut, had started attacking Leonardo with a series of kicks and punches. Unfortunately for his three younger siblings, Leonardo was easily deflecting everything they threw at him.
"Com'n guys," he teased. "Stop goofing around and hit me already. I mean, if this is all you guys can through at me, then I need a new challenge."
Sasha raised an eyebrow and looked over to Splinter. He turned his head and returned her gaze. His expression gave her all the permission and approval she needed.
"Time out!" she called, standing up.
The four turtles froze in mid-battle and turned their heads towards Sasha. "What is it?" Raph growled.
Sasha took a deep breath and then said, "Leonardo, you just said you want a new challenge, right?"
The blue-masked turtle nodded slowly. "Yes..."
She bowed slowly to him, maintaining eye contact the entire time. "Then, Leonardo, I challenge you to a duel."
When Leonardo went to wake Michelangelo the next morning, he found his youngest brother's bed empty. Surprised, Leonardo went to check the kitchen, thinking that maybe Michelangelo had gotten up early and was reading the paper or something. The kitchen was empty as well. Leonardo's wondering was just beginning to turn to worry when Donatello appeared in the kitchen doorway.
"Hey Leo, come see this. But be real quiet."
Leo followed Donnie through the lair and into the infirmary, where he was met with a sight he was not expecting. Sasha was sleeping peacefully in her bed. She was curled in a ball. At the foot of her bed, curled around her feet, was Michelangelo, also asleep. The innocence of the scene and the calmness of the two people creating it made Leo regret having to awaken Mikey. But practice was more important than a picturesque moment, and so he reached over and gently shook Michelangelo awake.
"Hey, practice time."
Michelangelo blinked his eyes a few times, and then sat up. His movement awoke Sasha who sat up as well, brushing her silver hair out of her face.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Nothing," Donnie said, helping Michelangelo stand up. "We need to go to morning practice. You can go back to sleep if you want."
Sasha shook her head. "I'll get up. I liked watching you guys yesterday."
They headed to the dojo, where Master Splinter was already sitting. His eyes were closed, and the expression on his face told them all, even Sasha, that he was meditating. Raphael came in right after the group. While the turtles went farther into the room to practice, Sasha squatted down beside Splinter.
"You are up early this morning," Splinter remarked a few moments later as he opened his eyes.
Sasha shrugged and said nothing.
"You were up late last night as well," he continued.
"How did you know?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of the turtles.
"Do you think Michelangelo is the only one with ears good enough to hear you scream at the top of your lungs?"
"He's the only one who came to o calm me down."
"He's also the only one with such an extensive gift of compassion."
She didn't respond.
"Who were you talking to before your out burst last night?"
Sasha shifted her position to a kneeling one before she spoke. "I don't know," she said. "He is very familiar to me. I know I have seen him before. A friend, maybe? Or a..." she trailed off, not quite sure of the word she was looking for.
"An enemy?" Splinter offered.
Sasha jerked as if the word physically hit her. "Yes, that's it," she breathed. "He's an enemy. A really old enemy. I still can't remember why he's an enemy, though."
"And you say you are not a warrior," Splinter commented. There was no sarcasm in his voice, just a vague amount of amusement. "You must be a warrior of some sort in order to have an enemy that could come into this house undetected."
Sasha took a deep breath. "I sensed him before I saw him. Like he was giving off a signal or something. He was in the room before I saw him, too. Which is weird, because I can see in the dark."
"You can?" Splinter sounded mildly surprised at this. "What you are telling me is beginning to make me wonder if you might be more than simply a normal, lost girl who's forgotten her past."
"I'm a little more than normal, Splinter. I have a tail, don't forget. I don't know too many girls my age who have tails."
"How old are you, Sasha?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"How old would you guess?"
"Judging by my physical features and the shape of my face," Sasha said after a moment's thought. "I'd say somewhere around sixteen. Maybe eighteen, but probably closer to sixteen."
Splinter nodded, but did not speak. Sasha watched her reptilian friends practice, relieved that the conversation had ended. She liked Splinter, but talking to him bothered her. It stirred things up in her head, a sensation she did not enjoy.
But over and over again, her mind returned to the comment Splinter had made the day before about the warrior-like focus in her eyes. What if she was really a warrior? What if she could fight? But then, if she was a warrior, then why hadn't she been able to defend herself against those Foot soldiers? There was no possible way for her to be a warrior...but then, there was no possible way that she could have a tail. Or that she could wake up on a barge in the middle of the Long Island Sound with no memory. Or that a young man could appear out of thin air, and then disappear the same way. Even so, all of those things had happened, and if they could happen, then why couldn't she be a warrior?
Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael were all attacking Leonardo, making the eldest turtle battle offenses from three different sides. His katana blades sliced through the air, ringing out sharply as they came in contact with Raphael's sais and Michelangelo's nun chucks. Donatello, being that master of a weapon that the swords could easily cut, had started attacking Leonardo with a series of kicks and punches. Unfortunately for his three younger siblings, Leonardo was easily deflecting everything they threw at him.
"Com'n guys," he teased. "Stop goofing around and hit me already. I mean, if this is all you guys can through at me, then I need a new challenge."
Sasha raised an eyebrow and looked over to Splinter. He turned his head and returned her gaze. His expression gave her all the permission and approval she needed.
"Time out!" she called, standing up.
The four turtles froze in mid-battle and turned their heads towards Sasha. "What is it?" Raph growled.
Sasha took a deep breath and then said, "Leonardo, you just said you want a new challenge, right?"
The blue-masked turtle nodded slowly. "Yes..."
She bowed slowly to him, maintaining eye contact the entire time. "Then, Leonardo, I challenge you to a duel."
