The end is almost here! Time to build up to yet another emotional ending...though I can't decide whether I want to kill them off or give this a happy ending...
Well, at least after this I can get started on part 3. Love y'all.
Please review! All advice, suggestions, and critiques are welcome!
-Katt B.
**DISCLAIMER: WE DO NOT OWN TMNT**
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Strike of the Dragon
PART 2
15
3-8: "Vision Quest"
Ryu watches from the swing, head perches on her hand, in boredom. It's been too hot to do anything all day and yet these people have found some form of energy to train. Growing up in the mountains, she's gotten more accustomed to cold weather versus the heat. A heavy sigh from behind her makes her turn to look back over her shoulder at Venus who leans her head back in the swing with her eyes closed. A thin gleam of sweat is on her forehead and her eyebrows are furrowed in frustration; obviously she's not enjoying the heat either.
Venn had decided to go to the store for everybody so that they could all get in some training, but who could get anything done in this roasting weather?
Raph punches forward and snaps the chunk of firewood into splinters, grinning smugly, "You like that?"
April and Casey roll their eyes from their place by the swing as the red turtle shows off arrogantly. Ryu lets the corner of her mouth lift up into a smirk as she watches Raph. Sometimes his childish egotism could be quite cute.
Sometimes.
"Ugh, why did I leave home. I'm 'bout to die," Venus grumbles from her place sprawled out in the swing.
"Go inside then," Ryu tells her as she observes Casey sets up a short log for April to take a swing at while the other turtles advise her from the sidelines. "Clean, organize, wash the dishes, check on that scan I have Metalhead doing in the barn."
Venus groans louder, "It's too hot to move!"
Ryu rolls her eyes, dropping her chin back onto her hand. As she turns back to the group, April kicks the block of wood and Casey is thrown back onto the ground. A movement along the tree line catches her eye; Ryu sits up a bit straighter.
"Leo?" she climbs to her feet quickly when the blue turtle suddenly falls to his knees. Her outburst makes everyone stop and follow after her to Leo's side. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I just had a realization in the woods," he answers, out of breath.
"Going off alone with a bum leg was a bad idea?" Raph scoffs.
"No, it's just what we need. What we all need," Leo growls. He tells everyone what happened. He had been hunting and then how he had come across a deer.
Ryu raises an eyebrow when he mentions the deer attacking him, but Mikey starts laughing loudly, "Ha! You got beaten up by a deer."
"It's a sign, Mikey. We're so caught up in T-phones and junk food and TV that we've become at odds with nature. A true ninja must become one with it to master himself," Leo tells them.
"Hey, man, you leave TV out of this!" Mikey warns his older brother.
"We'll do three days of meditation and awareness in the woods-."
"Three days! We're gonna live like animals!" Mikey exclaims in a panic.
"I think Leo's right. Camping's a great idea! I'm tired of being stuck at the farm house," April smiles excitedly.
"Sorry, April, this trip is ninja's only," Leo tells her as Raph helps his brother back towards the house.
"B-but…I'm almost a Kunoichi!" the red-head argues.
"Yeah, almost," Raph chuckles.
"Ryu," Leo calls, "I think you need to come as well."
"What?" April gasps.
Ryu jerks back in surprise at Leo's words, "I second that: why?"
Raph and Leo stop so that the blue turtle can turn to look at her, "I'm not sure…just a feeling I got out in the woods."
Venus has stopped by Ryu's side and they share a confused look, "Guess I'm stuck at the farmhouse."
"Guess you'll be catching up on some chores."
Venus growls, narrowing her eyes.
Ryu shifts her small backpack on her shoulders, comparing the size of her load to the turtles who march ahead of her. Leo is discussing what all they need to work on while they're out here in the woods, something about the first eighteen ninjitsu disciplines. She's never studied the actual art of ninjitsu, except for a few of the lessons she picked up from Splinter, so she's kind of zoning them out while they're walking. Her mind drifts off into random thoughts as they hike. It's not ten minutes later that they stop in a small clearing and Leo tells them that they'll first work on their meditation, Ryu keeping her complaints about already knowing how to meditate to herself, and they all drop their bags in the clearing at the foot of the large oaks.
It's when Leo tells them that they'll be doing their meditation among the tops of those oaks that Ryu lets her complaints known, "Yeah and that's where I draw the line. I don't do heights."
"Ryu, a ninja must face their fears and-."
"Leo, I love ya lots, but one, I'm not a ninja like you guys, and two, I'm not afraid of heights…I just don't do them," she spins on her heel and goes to sit down on the ground at the base of the tree. Folding up her legs India-style, Ryu closes her eyes and begins to calm her breathing as the boys take off climbing up the oaks around her.
And that's what their first day consists of: meditating, hiking, stretching, saving Mikey from some squirrels he peeves off…by the end of it all, Ryu has slumped to a bad mood because of the heat. The second day, rains came, forcing them to take shelter in a small cave and watching Raph build a fire to keep a light going for the night. The third day is more stretching, more meditating, more hiking…
She finally stops and lets them wander off while she sets up their campfire for the night before the sun can set. A scream from Mikey has her rushing off into the trees towards it, finding him falling to the ground from above and landing face first into the dirt. She goes to his side as his brother's leap to the ground around them a few seconds later.
"Whoa…"
Ryu's eyes look up at Leo's soft gasp and she follows his gaze. A huge buck stands a little ways off, staring back at Leo with a stern expression; weird considering deer are more well-known to run off at the first sign of movement.
"Guys, look!" Leo points off and looks back, Ryu blinks, and the deer has vanished from view. Something moves out of the corner of her eyes and she jerks her gaze towards it. Whatever it is, it's moving like a shadow. It's not normal. "It was the same deer. I think it's been following us."
"Yeah, it's probably laughing at the four dumb turtles lost in the woods," Raph laughs.
"Actually, in the Shinto religion, deer are considered messengers of the divine," Donnie adds a fact to the conversation. "Maybe it means we're on the right path."
Leo gazes off behind his brothers and spots the deer as it reappears long enough to stride gracefully behind a wide tree, only to reappear a moment later…
Ryu's eyes widen in astonishment, spotting it the same time Leo does and recognizing everything in a split second. The deer now stands on two legs, its dark brown fur spiraled in ancient swirls of lighter tans while white tuffs twist from its elbows and around its neck. Its antlers have become impossibly larger, looking more now like wood than bone.
Oh my giddy aunt…!
Raph, Mikey, and Donnie all burst to life at the sight of it, "MUTANT!"
"NO!" Leo and Ryu both yell at the same time, only Ryu moves forward.
She rushes forward, skidding to a stop between her friends and the deer before digging her fingers into the dirt and solidifying it with her power. The soil shifts to solid rock and spreads up her forearms to form glove-like weapons which she raises up and turns towards the approaching turtles. The rocks shoot out spikes from the tops of her fists, threateningly, and they all stop in alarm.
"R-Ryu?" Raph says, confused.
Ryu doesn't move. She remains rooted, eyes glaring at all of them, daring any of them to make a move.
"Guys, stand down!" Leo orders, taking a step further forward to calm his brothers.
"Turn your eyes down!" Ryu growls.
"What?!" Raph gawks.
"Guys, look!" Mikey points behind Ryu, "It's gone!"
Ryu spins around and sure enough the deer has gone from their presence. She balls her hands into fists, the rocks falling away to the ground back into dust, and squeezes her eyes shut.
"Hey, Ryu."
The voice raises her eyes from the ground, finding Leo standing beside her.
"You seem to know something about all-."
"You don't?" she cuts him off, growling through her teeth. When his only answer is a puzzled look, she sighs heavily to face them all, "That deer was no ordinary deer. That was a Spirit Guide."
"Huh?!"
Ryu doesn't move to stop him when Raph takes a seat beside her, the warm glow of the fire highlights his green eyes like blazing emeralds. She sighs heavily, "Guys, I'm sorry."
"It's fine, but…" Donnie trails off.
"No, it's not. I should've explained my actions, not threatening you. It's just…" she pauses, breathes, and gathers her thoughts, "That deer you saw, the Spirit Guide, they are special, very powerful creatures."
"Spirit…Guides?" Donnie raises an eyebrow, throwing a look at Leo.
The blue turtle does the same, "What's a Spirit Guide?"
Ryu eyes him carefully, "You don't know? He was yours."
Leo starts.
"Spirit Guides are sort of like familiars in the sense that they only have one ward, but they're so much more. They only appear before their wards, which was why I was so surprised since you all saw him," Ryu explains.
"Does that mean that deer was…all of our Spirit Guide?" Mikey scratches his head.
"Is that possible?" Donnie adds.
"No," Ryu shakes her head quickly, "But I have seen that happen for twins once a long time ago. They both shared an otter as a Guide, but it didn't…it didn't end good."
"What happened?" Leo leans forward to wrap his arms around his knees, the fire popping noisily as he does.
"One of the twins…had a child but it died at birth. The twin was pretty shaken up. She stopped listening, stopped believing, so the Guide left her. It even stopped appearing as much to the remaining twin. That kind of existence can be lonely for people like us in the Dragon League who rely on that type of guidance. Most people never see their Spirit Guides unless-."
"They've had the spiritual training."
Ryu looks over at Raph who finally speaks, staring thoughtfully into the blaze.
"Like you and Venus and Venn," he adds. Ryu nods.
"So…a deer?" Leo mumbles mostly to himself. "How can you be sure he was my Guide?"
"He found you in the woods, didn't he? So he technically did appear to only you first, but it's still odd that all of you saw him. Guides tend to make their guidance with their wards a…personal thing, so others never see them."
"So then…what was so wrong with us looking at him if he's the one who showed up in front of us all in the first place?"
Ryu nods at Raph with a smirk, "Well, first off, it's disrespectful. And also because of the connection between Guide and ward; like I said it's a personal connection that will remain strong as long as the ward needs guidance. You won't keep your Guide forever, just until they're needed, then they move on to their next ward and…" she shrugs.
"You never see them again," Leo finishes. The group goes silent, listening to the crickets and wind sing through the grass. "So…what's your Guide?"
Ryu smiles at the fire, "A fox."
"Ha!" Mikey points mockingly at his eldest brother, "Leo's got stuck with a deer!"
Ryu kicks his leg lovingly, "Stop that. It doesn't matter the size or shape of Guide. They all hold the same amount of power and divinity. Venus's Spirit Guide is a moth."
They all open their mouths to spit out their comments but Ryu stops them quickly.
"Don't say anything to her! If she finds out that I told you, she'll never let me hear the end of it!"
Laughing, they all settle in for the night and prepare to sleep. As the fire flares up when Mikey tosses in another log, they lie down and gaze up at the dark sky just peeking through the tree tops.
"Hey, Ryu," Leo calls, "How can I…how do Guides communicate?"
"It's not in a verbal way, if that's what you're asking," she replies, "It's more of an…inner feeling. Just focus inward next time he comes to you. He'll communicate if it's your time. You'll know."
They all go silent again…the sounds of the night singing them to sleep slowly…the fire dies down after an hour or two. The embers are just about to die out, the last flame shrinking away under the coals, when the wind stops.
The fire explodes back to life, turning into a brilliant blue as the flames reach towards the sky above them in a cyclone of heat and light. They all jump and move away from the fire in alarm as it gets higher and higher above them. A form appears in the fire, blue as the flames, but much more alive.
"MASTER SPLINTER!"
The image of their sensei greets them all in Japanese before they all start to pound him with questions. Ryu opens her mouth to speak, so many things spilling onto her tongue that she's not sure she can hold them in, but then her memories come back of the night that she left and of what she said to him. She drops her eyes to the ground in shame, refusing to allow herself to see him.
"Are you, like, a ghost?" Mikey whimpers.
"My spirit has become detached from my body, but that body still lives," the image responds in Splinter's wise tone.
"You're…alive?!" Leo climbs to his feet and the image turns toward him with a nod. "Where are you, sensei, let us help you!"
"You cannot…yet. There is much you must overcome. If you cannot find your inner spiritual strength, you will not stand a chance against the Shreddar."
Ryu flinches at the image's words.
"But, master Splinter," Leo starts again, "My leg injury…i-it's physical…until I heal…"
The image places a transparent hand on the eldest turtle's shoulder, "We chose what holds us back and what moves us forward." Leo nods as the image turns to look over all of the pupils sitting around the glowing blue fire, "You will all learn this. Each of you must journey out alone to face your spiritual adversary."
Ryu raises her eyes, blinking hurriedly in confusion into the bright blue flames, Even me…? But wait…
"Raphael," the image turns to him and they all glance over, "Your temper is like a fire that you must learn to focus for power."
The image then turns to Mikey, "Michelangelo, your mind is overrun with distractions. Learn to be strong and calm like the forest."
Then is Donnie's turn, "Donatello, you rely too much on your mind and not on your body. Be strong like the mountain."
And lastly comes Leo, "Leonardo, you must be the leader in body and spirit. Be like the wind, let nothing weigh you down."
Ryu listens to the image give each of the turtles their tasks in deep thought as she fiddles with a small twig on her lap, Fire, Wood, Earth, Wind…those are four of the five elements that the Dragons taught us that make up the world…but that still leaves-.
"Ryu…"
She flinches, feeling the image's eyes physically lands on her. Her shoulders tense, waiting for his retribution. Her heart hammers in her chest, she squeezes her eyes shut tightly against his oncoming anger.
"You are strong willed and loyal…but the fear you hold on to of your past…and your future…are weighing you down," the image tells her. "You must learn to let go. You must learn to flow, to adapt, to be resilient, like the water."
And there it is…, she thinks.
"Master this, and you will master yourself."
She's not sure if the last statement was meant for all of them or just her, but it felt as if it was focused on herself. Ryu, keeping her eyes at the base of the fire, nods unsure.
"Sleep now," the image tells them all, "For your greatest challenge awaits you on the spiritual plane. For the challenges you face there will be just as deadly as those you face in the real world. Be warned."
His last words echo into the forest around them, leaving them all in a silence so thick it's almost tangible. Unsure of what to say or afraid to break the feeling with the wrong words, none of them are sure, so instead they all glance at each other before lying down to sleep.
Ryu lies on her side away from the rest of them, suddenly feeling alone. She thinks over Splinter's words. They sit like heavy stones in her heart. She knows the 'past' that he had been referring to, but how can she face it now? It's over and done with. It's not like she can go back in time and…
Sleep now, Ryu…things will unfold soon…
Ryu closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep as the voice in the back of her mind whispers to her softly. The voice of her Spirit Guide has always been a welcoming song to her all her life.
The turtles sit up and stretch from sleep, restless after last night's message, and find one Ryu missing. Raph glances off in all directions only to be met with trees.
"Where'd she go?"
His brothers shrug, not knowing how to answer.
"I'm here."
When they turn, they find someone unlike any they have ever seen. Ryu has white cloth wound around her bust, leaving her stomach bare, and two thin strips crossing over her shoulders. Her pants are soft gray pants that look like sweat pants if not for the thin material they were made of. More white bindings cover her bare feet, forearms, and hands in anticipation of a fight. This is the first time Raph has gotten a really clear look at the Marks she received after going through the Trial; the bends and spirals of the Marks look like an ancient language inscribing secrets unknown across her flesh. He turns his eyes away when his gaze starts to drift too far down her stomach to follow them, feeling his cheeks burn a little.
"Sorry, but I couldn't sleep," she says, finally lifting her eyes from the ground to glance at Leo.
"It's okay," he nods, "We all know what we have to do. Master Splinter made our tasks clear. It's time we begin."
Everyone nods in response.
"Each of us will forge new armor and weapons then journey on alone where we will be challenged in the spirit realm, a place where the unreal becomes real. We'll meet our ultimate fate."
"Wood, Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind…"
They all glance at Ryu, question marks on their face.
"It's what we learned in one of our lessons back home. Those are the five elements that make up the world. Everyone falls under one of those elements; that's called your Ruling Element. It changes constantly depending on how you grow inside yourself," she explains.
She looks to Mikey first, "Wood, or the forest, stands for a friendly, calm, generous, and caring nature, but its weakness is worry and overprotectiveness. It shows in your love for your brothers sometimes when they're hurt or threatened."
Next she turns to Donnie, "Earth, or metal, stands for a strong-willed, focused, independent nature, but its weakness is anxiety. It shows in your emotions towards April or when too much stress is put on you to be the brains of the group."
Leo is next, "Wind, or air, stands for a leading, hard-working nature, but its weakness is paranoia. It shows when you overthink your plans or worry too much about being the best leader you can be."
Lastly, she turns to Raph, "Fire stands for a talkative, attention seeking, sensitive nature, but its weakness is anger. It shows when you let your temper get the better of you."
The turtles lower their gaze, thinking over what she tells them, but Raph looks back a second later, "What about water?"
Ryu's gaze drops in shame again but she admits, "Water…stands for a loyal, smart, family-centered nature…but its weakness is…fear."
No one asks, they don't need to; somewhere deep inside…they all know.
Author's Note:
Here's a layout of the text affects again:
Italics-any words in this affect are personal Thoughts or Sounds.
Bold-any words in this affect are Computer Messages/Text Messages.
"Bold"-any words in this affect inside quotation marks are Computer Voices.
"Italics"-any words in this affect inside quotation marks are Past words/Emphasizing.
"Bold/Italics"-any words in this dual affect inside quotation marks are Past Computer Messages/Past Text Messages.
Bold/Italics-any words in this dual affect are Voice of the Earth.
Italics/Underlined-any words in this dual affect are Voice of the Spirit Guides.
Bold Underlined-any words in this dual affect are an Unknown Voice.
Again, all reviews, suggestions, and critiques are welcome.
-Katt B.