Disclaimer – Well, calls to E & L to buy out the TMNT's resulted in howls of laughter and giggle fits. To say I was a bit miffed is an understatement. I mean, I had millions of dollars to throw at their feet, but I guess Monopoly money doesn't go as far as it used to. Nuts…guess that means only one thing; I still don't own them – except for Kira. I do own her, lock stock and pork barrel! LOL Sorry about the wait!
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CHAPTER 21 – A Break In The Storm
Dinner was a solemn event with everyone focusing on their own meal. Father had shared the truth about me earlier with the rest in a quick clan meeting. I remained in my room while he and the others convened in the dojo. The end-results were a renewed sense of understanding from them towards me. It felt good for a change to be out from under the weight of everyone's condemnation, but the dye had been set as far as Raphael was concerned.
I still didn't like him! When dinner was called and I came out of my room, we nearly bumped into each other. I didn't say anything at first, but the expression on his face was unreadable, almost condescending in nature. I then mumbled something of an apology while he grunted in reply, and then Raph motioned for me to lead the way – which I resisted doing. However, the glare he gave me when I refused pretty much told me to reconsider. Consequently, I obliged and headed for the kitchen, albeit very uneasily knowing that Raphael was following me. Though I couldn't be absolutely sure, I sensed that he was sizing me up, probably wondering if what Father had told him earlier was the truth or just an elaborate lie.
As I took my seat between Don and Raphael's, Raph remained reticent and distant towards me. It was quite possible that Father told him about my knowing how he had unintentionally led the Foot to our old lair. Considering the clan did not keep secrets from each other, I was sure of this. I suppose it would be to my benefit that he would know. At least, now, if I reacted in bitterness or anger, Raph would understand where it was coming from and be able to deal with it.
Quite honestly, I didn't feel one way or the other about it, only because my lack of memory took away whatever feelings I had for Mei Pei. I was sure, though, that if I had my memory, Raph would not be getting off so easy with me!
Now, as we ate our meal, it seemed that everyone was silently digesting this bit of news about me. Splinter, from where he sat at the table, would occasionally look over my way with a saddest expression on his face. His eyes seemed distant in thought. I wondered if maybe he was assessing my time with him earlier or possibly a future time in his presence. Either way I tried not to catch his gaze. Though Splinter was compassionate, I knew I had endangered the clan and, despite Father's insistence, as far as I was concerned it was the second time, too.
During the meal, Mike nodded once towards me as if accepting things for what they were. His easy-going smile was at the ready and I received the distinct impression that, for what it was worth, he was trying to bolster me in some way. Yes, I think finally things for me had taken a turn, but I wasn't too sure if that was a good thing, yet, or not. At least I was receiving an occasional smile from someone!
Father told me when dinner was over that patrol for the evening had changed. Depending on Drial Namtsae's reply to my inquiry, his response of lack of would determine the clan's next move. Don released me from having to do the homework, too; satisfied that my memory was Alicia's and that Kira's was no longer apart of me. He did imply, however, that as soon as things returned to normal, with or without my old memories, school would intensify! With all I had gone through so far, I thought it quite bearable.
After dinner and after helping Father clean up the kitchen – it was his turn this time – he took me down to the dojo.
"Kira," he turned towards me once he had me in the center of the room, "you need to refresh yourself with your skills before this evening's patrol. I know for a fact that your body remembers ninjitsu; you proved that the other night."
"But, if I can't remember how to execute the moves, how can I make my body do what it needs to do?" I whined. I knew that Father was the better ninja in the clan, though at Don and Raph had proven to be close equals to him. Mike could intimidate me, proven by example, and I was sure he was just as skilled in the 'arts as the others. Yet to have Father instruct me deliberately seemed all too overwhelming!
"Don't worry about telling your legs and arms what to do. Just react, that's all you have to do!" he smiled at me.
Consequently, for the next three hours Father's approach to rekindling my recollections was to walk me slowly through certain katas. Then, after several repetitions, he would have me speed them up; all the while following me in like manner. "Think of it as dancing, Kira, okay? You're only learning dance steps." He encouraged.
In my old life as Alicia, I had loved to go club dancing. Swing was one of my favorites and I had learned quite readily the different steps required to do the style of dance well. I could only assume that Father understood humans and what they enjoyed doing regarding recreation. Maybe he had known a few people in his time and learned from them. Either way, once he told me to regard the kata movements as dance steps, it seemed to help. Before long, I was picking up the different moves more readily and executing them nearly as fast as Father was showing me. I felt good about it, too. I think Father did as well because after I had successfully completed a difficult set, he smiled at me!
The first hour went by faster than I had realized; I was starting to enjoy what I was doing. Maybe it was because the pressure of being 'Kira of old' was no longer hounding me. Regardless, I found my self more relaxed as I succeeded with each task my sensei set before me. I was finding my rhythm.
The next hour dealt with handling the bo-staff. Father felt that considering my lack of memory, giving me the least lethal weapon was a wiser course of action. I was quite happy to abide with his decision, too. The katana swords gave me an instant nightmare while the sais just gave me the willies. As far as the nunchukus were concerned, I could just see me knocking myself out with an errant swing from them and thereby settling the question whether I'd be going out on patrol later or not! After I reasoned away all the other weapons, the bo-staff looked very inviting indeed.
The second hour focused mainly on executing proper handling of the bo-staff. There was one kata that Father had me work with repeatedly. It was easy at first, but as it progressed through, I started to find it quite difficult. The Sakugawa no Kon, when done swiftly and precisely, could be a very deadly and defensive force. Father demonstrated how it was to be done in battle and I was quite impressed with him, to be sure. However, he took the first time through slowly, showing me the different steps and his precise handling of the bo. It was almost like ballet the way he executed the kata and nearly flawless.
Then, he gave me a wink, saying, "Now, for obvious reasons if you find yourself in battle, you would not be taking these steps so exactly or as slow." He immediately launched into a whirlwind of activity!
I stepped back, startled, as he cut the ninety seconds it took him to do his first set of the Sakugawa no Kon down to ten! I just stood there slack-jawed and impressed. "There isn't any way I can do that!" I stammered in shock.
"Yes, you can and you have!" Father replied, cocking his head at me and smiling. "You just can't remember. However, by the end of this hour, you will!"
I wasn't so sure about that. Yet, I had to trust him since the previous hour had shown me that it was possible to re-learn with out my old memories to help me.
I started with the bo in a vertical position, holding it upright along my right side with it gripped on the inside of my right hand. Then, I turned it, using my left hand for momentum, like a windmill in front of me. I completed a three-hundred sixty degree turn around, ending up with the bo in its original position and steadied at the top with my left hand. The next movement had me swinging my left foot just a little in front of my right and then pulling back around to the left quickly, forcing my body to turn in that direction, all the while keeping my bo-staff upright and straight. Then, I had to bring my right foot back to where it had been before, only a little more in front of that point, which forced my body to turn in that direction as well. Bending my right knee and keeping the left foot back for balance, I manipulated the bo-staff as if I were rowing a boat, stepping forward a couple of times as I advanced upon Father. He was my focal point. I then did the 'row' maneuver twice and swung the bottom of the staff up, over, and then down and forward, ending the bo at a point that would have targeted an adversary's head or face. My next move had me swinging the opposite end around violently from my left side as if aiming for my target's knees or legs. I did that twice. Following through, I brought the opposite end up, then down and forwards as if to further disable by hitting the shoulders or, again, the head.
I continued with the rest of the kata with its dozen or more additional moves. It soon became abundantly clear, though, that any weapon handled correctly, whether it was a bo-staff or katana sword, could maim or even kill. I was impressed and intimidated all at the same time!
By the end of that hour, although I wasn't even half as fast as Father was, I was able to get through the exercise in less than thirty seconds! I was elated – and tired!
Father was beaming! "I think at the end of the week, certainly by your birthday, you should be up to your regular speed, Kira!" He grabbed me in a hug and embraced me with a strength that I thought for certain would snuff the air right out of me. "I'm so proud of you. For all that we've put you through these past couple days to do as well as you are doing is quite an accomplishment!" He then quickly kissed my forehead for emphasis.
We rested after that, sitting down against one of the walls. Father told me what the next hour would entail. "I want you to work on going ninja, Kira. That's what we'll focus on next. Without that ability, you would find it difficult to get around outside the lair. That and learning to be silent- including how you walk!" he shot me a mild look that brought back my experience with him in the sewer tunnels. "You were way too noisy, you know!" he chided me. Then, his smile returned, "But I do have to admit, I did get a lot of amusement scaring the daylights out of you!" He chuckled right about then and grabbed me in another bear hug. I had to smile; his good mood was starting to become contagious.
Father's current composure was very different to what I knew of him since 'arriving'. He seemed more relaxed. Maybe the problem for him regarding me was trying to understand me. I suppose it can be quite frustrating to have a loved one seeming to be hell-bent-for-leather to upend the peace and harmony of a family unit. Considering I was at a loss in the beginning as to why I ended up in this reality, I had to relate! As I thought about that and then compared it to my present situation in the dojo, I just had to ask him.
"The way you are now, compared to earlier - is this the way things used to be before Mei … ah…Mother died?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at me with his eye ridges pressed together.
"Well, you've been rather …um….assertive with me up until now. Quite honestly, you terrified me." I cringed inside for being so honest. I rather liked this new version of him, but I didn't really know him well enough to understand what would set him off. So far, I found that it didn't take much!
Father looked at me thoughtfully, a small smile growing bit by bit on his face. He had taken his mask off to wipe away the perspiration from his forehead. He now held it in his hands, fiddling with the tails. He nodded just a little as if affirming my observations and then replied, "I'm sure I did terrify you; that was the point. I had tried so many other avenues to get through to you but I had run out of options. Intimidation was my last resort." He studied me for a moment, I'm sure to assess my reaction. Then, he continued, "Yet, what we now know about you and what actually happened, I've concluded that Alicia, for the most part, was the one primarily responsible for your misconduct, not that there were times you didn't test me before your change!"
He looked away, wistful as he recalled those events, "I just couldn't understand why she would venture topside during the daylight hours when we taught her…ah, taught you otherwise." He looked at me again, saying, "I can only imagine the frustration she must have felt, knowing what she did about her other life, then having to live below ground without the privilege of sunshine and going where she pleased. If we had known, well, I don't think it would have made much difference. She was still you. It's perfectly obvious that adhering to certain topside rules was imperative, if only to keep her and the rest of the clan safe!"
Then, he slipped his mask back on and stood up, offering me his hand as an assist. I took it willingly and found myself instantly whisked up to a stand. The momentum startled me, causing me to giggle out loud just a bit. Father laughed with me, grabbed me in yet another hug, whispering to me, "I love you, Kira! I think your mom would be proud of you right now!"
When he pulled away from me, I saw his eyes glisten over just a little, but then he composed himself for the next task.
The last hour didn't go as well as the first two. Apparently, where it concerned 'going ninja', it was mental strength more than a physical one. My body might have been used to doing the different katas and wielding the bo, but walking silently and so quickly, that it defied logic took an attitude. By whatever measure I was able to do it before when I had my memories, I was at a loss now.
"Kira, you need to just focus on where you want to be, think about it and focus. Then, imagine that you are already there and you will be!" Father instructed.
I tried, I really did, but he beat me each and every time. I was able to silence my steps, though, so at least I accomplished that much. However, my sensei seemed disappointed about the other aspect of my training.
"I guess we'll be working a little more on that in the days to come, won't we?" Father suggested soberly.
"I'm sorry, Father. I tried, but it's just too difficult." I lamented.
"Hmm… Well, at least your steps are quieter! Maybe after this Drial Namtsae problem is over, all of us can work with you on it. Sometimes going through it as a group can help." He then smiled at me, "However, I think, over all, you did rather well. Now, I believe we need to see if you've received a reply back from our mystery person!"
With that, Father led the way out of the dojo and to Donatello's bedroom.
"Ah, timing is everything…we just hit pay dirt!" Don exclaimed as we walked into his room.
"He replied?" I asked, astonished.
"Yep and it appears as if he's believed you. Wants to meet you tomorrow night at Turtle Pond." Donatello chuckled a little bit, "I wonder if maybe he picked that spot out of irony?"
Father smiled a little bit at what Donatello said and then he turned to me, "Well, it looks like patrol will resume tonight as usual. You and Mike will be taking the eleven to two shift, so you have about two hours until then. Why don't you go grab a nap, okay?" He squeezed my shoulder affectionately, "I think you'll do well this evening!"
I wasn't going to argue; I was beat. Between all that transpired since morning, I felt as if I had packed an entire week of events into just one day. If my experience the other night on patrol with Father gave me any indication of what to expect, I knew I had to be fully aware of my surroundings. A nap sounded perfect.
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I didn't recognize the room, not at all in fact. It was white, with a bed covered in white sheets and a thermal blanket. The bed itself looked very institutional, as if it were a hospital bed. There was a heart monitor and a couple of IV hook-ups with IV bags dispensing their liquid down a clear tube and into the arm of the patient occupying the bed. The person was sleeping, or maybe unconscious, but she looked very familiar to me, as if I should know her. I saw her eyes flutter just a little, almost as if she were trying to wake up, but couldn't. Her face was partially bandaged with her head completely covered in bindings. What skin was exposed was bruised and swollen. Unlike the rest of her, the girl's eyes were unaffected. She had one leg in a cast that stretched from her foot all the way up to her thigh. Her leg was held up above the bed in a sling that kept it stationary while the white blanket covered the rest of her.
Where I was standing, I could see that the window drape had been closed shut. The artificial lighting provided enough illumination to bathe the room with a soft glow. For all I knew, it was evening time.
The girl gave out a soft moan and mumbled something; I couldn't make out what she was trying to say but before I could even consider that, a nurse swept in carrying a clipboard. She completely ignored me as if I wasn't even there and went over to the heart monitor. After studying the monitor and the IV bags, she wrote on the clipboard. Then, she went over and looked at the patient. I watched as she observed the girl. I tried not making a sound for fear of distracting her from her job. Then, just before she turned away, the girl mumbled again. This seemed to create quite a stir with the nurse, who furiously wrote something on the clipboard. Curious as to what she wrote, I carefully made my way over to her. She appeared unable to see me as I tip-toed closer. Finally, I could read what she wrote. It seemed to be a chart of some kind, maybe to assess the progress of the patient. The nurse had logged in her vitals for that visit but then added, 'Patient Moved' in bold letters and then the time of the activity.
However, as I took advantage of my position and being able to read this girl's chart, I looked at the heading. What I read nearly made me collapse. There at the top of the chart was the patient's name. I started to hyperventilate and had all I could do to keep from screaming. I shook my head in denial, not wanting to believe it and then, just as I thought I would surely break down and lose it completely, I woke up.
I lay there on my bed trembling from the dream. I saw that I was back in the sewers. However, was it a dream that I just had? It all seemed so real as if I had just paid a visit to that hospital room and was now back in my own bedroom. If it was just a dream, then maybe it was my subconscious helping me to cope with my guilt. Yet, if it wasn't a dream, then - strange as it may sound - somehow I knew that Alicia Gordon was not dead but alive, severely injured maybe, but alive just the same!
I didn't know whether to be happy or if I should be very concerned. Just the same, I began to feel quite nauseous, so much so that I couldn't get out of my bed and out of my room fast enough for the bathroom. Once there, I ended up losing my dinner completely.
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KUROI NEKO-kun: Yeah, I thought giving her a breather was in order. I may turn out to be the best, it may not. Depends on DN at Turtle Pond! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.
PRETENDER FANATIC: Ah, sometimes rehash is better than cold hash!! LOL Anyway, I needed to get Leo to a point of believing Kira so some 'upswing' in her situation can happen. Not sure how this latest chapter panned out; I've been going through severe writer's block like no other! I finally have updated ALL my on-going stories! Whoppee! Maybe DN will be in the next chapter? Hmm…. Well, thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.
TLINGEL – Well, I can credit my kids for getting me into it initially back in the 1990's. Then, TMTN Archive and Fanfiction.net for rekindling my interest in them. However, I beat your age by 11 years! Yep…all I need now are grandchildren so I can validate my watching the current TMNT Saturday morning shows! Hey, since you're proficient in the 'arts, maybe you can assess how I described the kata in this story? I'd really appreciate it. I found a site that shows about twenty katas on an online video! It's really cool. I know – checks my belt collection – nothing about the arts! I have a couple of black belts that I sometimes wear with my dress pants and maybe one brown belt that I tease my kitty with. So, I'd be toast if I ever had to defend myself. I've thought about taking karate or some other form of self defense, but at my age, I'd get thrown and have to be carried out on a stretcher! LOL Anyway, I think I've hinted at Alicia a bit here – somewhat, at least as far as dreams go. I love Lady Rane's Midnight Cry, too, although I hae yet to read all of it. I do keep up with the updates, though. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.
DANCINGFAE – Hey, you love my stories, you really do? Cool!! They frustrate the heck out of me – especially when I'm hit with dreaded writer's block...GAH!! Action? In a TMNT story? Surely you jest? LOL Well, I'm hoping for some, too. I'm starting to fall asleep just typing the chapters out. Anyway, thanks for your kind thoughts and for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.
RAMICA – Yes, we often take ourselves too seriously to where we feel responsible for more things than we need to. I'm hoping to get Kira to the end of that dark tunnel where the light begins. Splinter's compassion and now Leo's love for Kira – I hope I did both justice with this chapter. However, I need to kick up the momentum a bit. Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always, and be blessed!
BUSLADY OF SOCAL – Ah, well, the question if Raph is responsible or Kira – or both – may or may not be answered. Depends on other things. Turtle Pond will definitely provide some answers – or not? Hmm…hard to say since I haven't a clue what's up next! Kira doesn't like Raph, but I can't say that even her feelings will stay that way or not. I'm sooooo evil! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.