Chapter 3: Shōkan
The falling rain kata.
Leonardo swung his katana in a solid, fluid motion, his eyes closed in concentration as he tuned out his surroundings. He performed a second slash, slicing one of the tiny leafs falling from the tree in the dojo.
The way of harmonizing one's self in action; this was the spirit of Yardo.
Performing his third slash, the swing of his blade putting out three of the candles he had lit in the room.
The mind, spirit, body, and weapon working in harmony.
Going off pure instinct, he put out row after row of candles with his sword, his movements almost like a dance of sorts.
And in those moments, he felt nothing but peace, serenity. Like Master Splinter had taught him before his untimely death at the hands of the Super Shredder.
But still, he did not let these strong emotions get to him. That time was over, and the Shredder was gone for good.
"Hey, Leo!"
Snapping his eyes open, he turned to see Michelangelo standing at the entrance of the dojo. "You wanna watch another episode of Space Heroes: The Next Generation?"
Smiling fondly, Leo placed his sword back in its scabbard. "Sure, just a sec, alright."
"You got it, bro!" The young turtle said, rushing back out into the living area. "I'll get the anchovy and jalapeno pizza for ya!"
Shaking his head a bit, Leo soon found his thoughts going back to Master Splinter. He turned towards the framed pictures of him on the wall and knelt down in front.
"Hi, sensei." He said, trying not to sound too downtrodden. "I don't know if you're going to appear again and talk to me again like you did before, but I just wanted to say that we're doing fine on our own right now." He lowered his head a bit. "Yet, I can't help but get the feeling that something new is going to happen sooner or later, and whether that's good or bad, I don't know. But, I know you'll be there to guide me and the others from the other side."
He did a short bow before getting up to head out.
However, just as he was about to exit, he felt a strange feeling come over him. Almost feeling like it was pulling him towards something. And he could swear he could just hear this strange voice chanting in what he thought was japanese. And judging by the look on Raph and Mikey's faces when he entered the living area, he wasn't the only one feeling like this.
Just then, there was a bright flash that caused Leo to shield his eyes, that strange feeling coming over him again in full force.
It almost felt like that time when they had been with Renet and they had been pulled back to the time Oroku Saki became the Shredder and saved Splinter's life when he was still human. Only this time, there was something wrong about this, something that made his gut churn.
When he blinked his eyes open, not only did he see Donnie, Mikey, and Raph with him, but they were in mid-air.
But gravity soon kicked in, and with four loud cries, the turtles fell into a pile on the dirt ground below them.
Sitting up, Leo's eyes widened upon seeing that they were no longer in the Lair, but instead on the side of a tall mountain, a desolate gray fog all around him.
"What the-?! Where are we?" He questioned aloud.
"Donnie! Were you messing with some portal experiment again?!" Raph demanded.
The smart turtle huffed. "Why do you always assume it's me?"
"I don't know, you're the scientist!"
"Well, I'll have you know I was continuing my work on curing Timothy!"
The argument continued to get heated while Leo was still trying to make sense of all this. Mikey, however, didn't seem bothered at all by the sudden change in location as he continued to munch on the slice of pizza he was holding.
"These are the great warriors I asked for?"
Jei then chuckled as he made his way out of sight, using his spear like a walking stick as he pretended to limp his way down to them.
These young ones were clearly disoriented and had not a clue what was going on, which would make it easy to manipulate them in his favor.
Donnie and Raph continued to fight, now getting physical while Leo tried to tear them apart and Mikey finished his pizza.
Just then, they heard a soft clinking noise and they turned to see an old-looking wolf with a human-like body limping down towards them, much to their astonishment.
"Ah, turtle ninja. Mythic kappa of legend, I need your help." When the wolf spoke, he sounded weary and pitiful.
"Uh, are you alright, sir?" Leo asked hesitantly, becoming tense. Despite the wolf's tone, there was something about him that Leo didn't trust.
The wolf didn't answer at first, limping over until he was right in front of them. "I was attacked by a vicious rabbit ronin." He then grabbed Mikey's shoulder, forcing him to look directly into his eyes. "Save me, save me from the wrath of this madman, please."
And as Mikey looked, his body became stiff as a board, the baby blue pupils of his eyes fading until they were a soulless white like the wolf's.
"We can take care of this evil jerk-face for you." Mikey responded in a monotone, almost robotic voice. "No worries, brah."
"He is pure evil, I can sense it inside of him." The wolf continued, laying his hand on Raph's shoulder and staring into his eyes. The hot headed turtle's eyes turned the same soulless white as the wolf gaze at Donnie, the smart turtle's eyes turning the same.
"He must be stopped, the evil is corrupting him like a plague." The wolf finally walked up to Leo, laying a hand on his shoulder and staring deep into his eyes.
Staring into the wolf's eyes, Leo found himself unable to look away, almost like it was having a hypnotic effect on him. He tried to resist, but the strange spell this wolf had over him was powerful as his mind soon caved in, his eyes becoming white and soulless.
"Evil." Leo responded almost lifelessly. "Yes, we can help you, old man. No problem."
"You can count on us." Donnie added with the same lifeless tone.
The wolf smirked, continuing his weak old man facade. "Hunt down and destroy the long-eared ronin who travels with a child. But do not harm the boy." He told them, dropping the facade at the last sentence.
He then turned to his new turtle warriors. "Go." He ordered. "Do my bidding, my young servants. Destroy the one called Miyamoto Usagi!"
The Turtles bowed before they sent off down the mountain and disappeared into the fog below.
Jei chuckled.
Let me know if I'm updating too fast. Bye! (Another note, Leo's little kata session was inspired by the opening of one of the 2003 TMNT episodes if some of you haven't noticed.)
