Reflected Future

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Part Four: Go

Splinter:

When Leonardo came to inform me about Michaelangelo's insight to his daughter's future, I was relaxing in my room reading a book of poetry. I knew that Leonardo had his concerns about how well his brother would accept things.

I knew this information couldn't have come to light at a better, or worse time. It was for the best that Michaelangelo knew, in fact I rather doubted our ability to keep it from him much longer, though considered our selves to be rather lucky in the endeavour thus far. As it was circumstances had intervened keeping him from the truth and giving us far more time then we might have had other wise.

It was the worst time for the knowledge to come to light, because due to the more recent occurrence involving Ramiela it was only natural for him to be protective, and desire to shelter her from anything he perceived as a threat.

I listen calmly to Leonardo's report and watched as he gave a slow sigh and a sad shake of his head " I don't think Mike wanted to listen to me Master."

I arched one of my bushy eye brows " And you feel he would choose to listen to me?"

Leonardo gave a small smile " I think he would be more open to what you say" he replied, his gaze meeting mine.

" More open to my words perhaps, but he still might close his heart to the truth, and what the heart refuses to accept the mind can also ignore" I stated softly.

" It won't do Ramiela's training any good if Mike decides to work at odds to what we are teaching her" he stated logically.

Sometimes he saw too easily the logic and felt it was the only way.

I glanced up at him smiling slightly " All children must be allowed to rebel and say no! It is how they search for independence. Raphael learned this lesson well" I paused as I considered this, " too well." I amended.

Leonardo gave a wry chuckle " Your right he is too independent." He agreed.

" This is not the fault that you see it to be my son; I have told you that before." I insisted as I stood up from my chair slowly, my old bones protesting the movement only slightly.

I have heard that with age comes wisdom and that is true, yet I have also found wisdom in the words or actions of my children and at times in Ramiela. Aiden and Kaliann were too little as yet to offer much in wisdom.

What they don't seem to tell you is with the wisdom comes all the aches and pains of a body that is slowing down.

I had forged a stronger relationship with Michaelangelo in these last few years as he often had sought advice on what to do for the infant Ramiela had once been. Then just as he was used to her infancy she became a toddler.

She had a firm mind of her own, the fits and temper tantrums she threw over trivial things could often have him comment that he was living with the child from the Exorcist movie.

A remark I had never fully understood, as I had never seen the show.

" All I can do is see if Michaelangelo is open to an understanding," I decided as I walked over to Leonardo he bowed and then took his leave, to spend time with his own wife.

I left my room heading towards the living room and the other bedrooms, which were on the other side of the lair from my room, the dojo, meditation room and the playground.

He was just entering the living room a worried look on his face, deep in thought hardly even aware of my being there.

" You are troubled my son?" I inquired innocently as if I had no idea of his worries.

He shot me a baleful look " You don't fool me Master. I know what you and Leo have planned for Rama," he stated sharply.

" This displeases you?" I wondered.

Michaelangelo crossed his arms over his plastron " There is no need for her to be jonin" he declared firmly.

His stance and tone telling me the subject was closed.

I furrowed my brow and twitched an ear " So you believe that Leonardo or I have immortality and can remain jonin of the clan forever?"

He glanced away, the subject of my death always seemed to unnerve him, and it was a subject I knew he would rather avoid as if by doing so he could pretend that it wouldn't happen. I suppose no child really wants to see their parent dead even if they do wish for it on occasion.

" No but it is opening the door to too much trouble" Michaelangelo insisted.

" Michaelangelo recent events have steeled your resolve to protect Ramiela, perhaps because you lack faith in yourself and see only the guilt of not protecting her in the first place" I suggested kindly " however you have learned the wrong lesson my son."

Michaelangelo arched an eye ridge and gave me a scrutinizing stare " I don't see how it can be wrong to want to protect her Master."

I moved over to his side " I did not say it was wrong to desire such a thing, only that you have learned the wrong thing from it" I corrected, " can't you see that you can not be there to protect her from everything that might befall her in life. Isn't it better to teach her to stand on her own?"

I gave his fore arm a reassuring pat.

He shook his head, slowly deliberately " Teaching her to stand on her own doesn't have to include training for jonin."

I nodded my head, so it was like that. He was very closed; perhaps there might be another way to get through to him.

" Let us talk and play some wei-chi," I suggested.

Wei-chi often known as Go, was an ancient game of strategy, that was far more involved then chess. For it took an average of thirty to fifty moves before one could even start to see their opponent's strategy.

It had originated in China and was brought to Japan by visiting Buddhist priests; the Japanese warrior clans took to the game quickly and taught it to their children.

Children could enjoy it, or adults for one could learn from their mistakes and improve on it by the next game.

I had taught all of my sons to play the game in their youth, and they would often play the game against one another. It had been a game that the young Donatello excelled at often beating Leonardo.

Now that my sons were grown I would still enjoy a chance to play one or the other of them at the game.

I was also teaching Ramiela the strategy games of chess, and wei-chi. However Ramiela was very stubborn in chess insisting she could only move the horse, because he got bored standing around. She didn't want or care to move a pawn, rook, or another game piece.

The game of Go was played with stones and therefore couldn't lure her into playing favourites.

She was picking up on the game very quickly and with her crafty memory had often played things she had recalled me playing before.

To Ramiela it was only a game, little did she know that these games could later be linked to plotting real life battles and knowing when, where and how to place the people at her command.

" I'm not into it tonight Master" Michaelangelo declined.

" We will play wei-chi and you will be black" I announced firmly making sure that he was fully aware that this was not an option.

Besides I was giving him the advantage of first move.

" Yes Master" he relented quickly.

I smiled my tail flicking slowly behind me in satisfaction as we headed back to my bedroom. In one corner of my room was the table for playing called the go-ban a large table set up with numerous intersecting lines and grids this was the playing field.

We sat on either side of each other; Michaelangelo scowled a bit, his fingers drumming on the edge of the table as he plotted his move and where to place the first stone.

I knew Michaelangelo could be rather haphazard in playing the game especially when first starting out marking his territory on the board.

I looked up at him and smiled " I believe Ramiela is well suited for Jonin" I stated in a pleasant conversational way.

I watched as my son jerked his head up " I beg to differ. She ought to have the choice Master. There is no need to train her this young," he refuted before placing his stone.

" The sooner she starts training the more she will learn, and thus be better prepared." I countered " if you truly wish to protect her you won't oppose this training as it could help her further." I twitched my whiskers a bit well satisfied with that bit of logic.

" Training her for Jonin means opening her up to more threats and dangers" Michaelangelo countered seriously.

I found that hard to dispute. I watched as he focused on the board it was amazing how he turned so serious and focused strongly on the game at hand. Strategy was not his strong point but he did well enough at the game to prove that there was more to him then what he often displayed to the family.

" I can't permit it. She is my daughter and I have some say in her future" he said flatly.

" You have a say in her future yes, but you can not control it" I reminded him.

" Yet you seek to control it," Michaelangelo snapped his eyes suddenly narrowing.

I allowed this anger to pass, as in the game I was now engaged in, I knew when to accept a battle and when to ignore an opening to one.

I calmly steepled my hands under my chin, as I eyed the board awaiting the next move.

I instead choose to remain silent, knowing that silence is often the best answer one can give.

I watched him squirm a bit under my penetrating gaze and smiled inwardly.

" Master Rama ought to be allowed the chance to be a child. Isn't it bad enough she has to be trained as a ninja?" Michelangelo sighed a bit in frustration before clarifying his last words " I know Rama needs that training to keep her safe but she doesn't need her training to take her that far."

" Look at what she is capable of my son" I encouraged, " she learns from what she sees as much as what she is told or shown." I didn't bother giving him examples; I knew that he ought to be able to easily come up with a half dozen things to prove the truth of that statement.

" She is intelligent and has a fairly good memory for one of her age." I pointed out.

" You are saying it has to be her!" he grouched a bit.

" I am saying that many of these traits are a part of who she is my son. All ninja are expected to use their skills and talents to benefit the clan" I reached across the board and rapped his knuckles slightly.

" You can not suicide your piece" I reprimanded him reminding him of the rule against placing a stone where it would be captured, the only time a suicide was allowed in Go was if you could afterwards capture one or more of the opponent's stones by the sacrifice of the suicide.

He glanced up at me giving me a sly smile, and I realized that he had fully intended for me to think that was his intentions. It seemed I was not the only one waging a battle both on and off the go-ban.

" I wasn't going too" he smirked a bit " you can't presume to know everything Master." He retorted both his tone and his posture giving a double meaning to his words.

I gave him a hard glare to let him know he was over stepping and best be careful how he choose to tread this path of defiance " I do not presume" I replied icily, " Ramiela is a fighter and one who thrives on a challenge. I see it in her heart and in her spirit."

" All I see is a little girl and how this training will change her," he snapped shaking his head.

" Life is change my son. Summer turns to winter, the young grow old. It is inevitable and can't be escaped or stopped" I replied kindly, I reached one arm over the board where the black and white stones lay testifying to who held what part of land, my hand came to rest on his cheek " When Shay kidnapped Ramiela at the age of four she hit and kicked to try to get free. She fought!" I reminded him " This time she has fought for her life and won. She accepts the challenges life gives her and fights to survive even when there is no one to tell her what she must do."

Michaelangelo raised his head from the game board and for once I saw not the refusal of what we intended but his own confusion and desperation. The loving father in him, at war with the warrior ninja. I gave him a tender smile in return.

" These skills that are useful to her now, can be useful to her alone or to the entire clan" I allowed a hint of pleading to enter my voice. " Her sense of humour will also stay with her and that may help her as a leader as well. It is as much a part of who she is as the other parts."

" How did you do it Sensei? How could you teach us and then just let us go out there and face what we did?" he asked.

I chuckled a little "I had to have faith that what I taught you was enough to see you through the through. If I didn't believe that then I would never find peace in my own heart and soul."

" Your saying you didn't have doubts?" Michaleangelo inquired.

" I doubted that is natural enough" I corrected, " but every time you came back from battle you had learned from the best teacher there is."

" Expirence" he whispered.

I nodded " loving means wanting to protect those we love, but it also means letting go."

He sighed glanced away for a moment or two " I don't know Master. I know what you want from me but…"

" All I ask of you my son is to allow Ramiela to continue in her training without interference." I insisted.

Michaelangelo looked into my eyes and gave a little negative shake of his head " I can't promise you that at this moment Master" he said stubbornly.

I knew he was as good as his word, and that was why he was reluctant to give his word now.

That was fine by me. I could accept even this, for I knew he would still think about what had been said.

Only later would I be able to see if tonight's talk had helped him reach acceptance. He needed time to consider and I knew it wasn't an easy decision to make so continuing to speak of it might only cause an overload of information.

I was satisfied with the seeds I had planted and the strategy I played in this area.

I glanced down at the go-ban and realized that a few of my stones were in Atari, which was similar to check in the game of chess. He was playing a strong game tonight.

Ah, well one could not win every game.

TBC

Reinbeauchaser: Daddy might be ninja but so is his brother and mentor a fact that can't be lost on Mike while he tries to protect his baby.

Lenni: All kids are innocent then they grow up. How long Mike's duty to Rama wins out over his duty to clan remains to be seen.

Splinter: As you can see the talk came. If it any good comes of it remains to be seen. Course if all else fails they can still hit Mike over the head with a picket sign.