Author Notes:

I seriously debated on how to proceed with the next part of the story. It's going to be rather episodic, and normally, I'd just combine them all into one chapter, indicating time skips between each episode. It just made for better pacing for the story overall.

But... I wasn't sure if that's how I should proceed here in this particular instance. The episodes each have different emotional feels to them, some of them rather charged and/or plot heavy, and combining them might diminish the individual feels. They are each so different that they just didn't connect well with one another.

So I was left debating between one very, very long chapter that might make for a more organized overall look, or a few very, very short episodes which might prolong the first half of the story longer then I intended, and make the story pacing slower then I'd like, but will also highlight and contain each episode better. Should I go with what's good for individual chapter pacing, or overall story pacing?

Then I thought, hey, shorter chapters make for faster update times and people always like that! Plus, I have to admit, my average chapter lengths over the length of my fanfic writing career here seem to be getting longer and longer, and I have to start reigning myself in somewhere. It'll be good for me! Therefore, for at least the next three chapters, expect shorter chapters then I usually put out.

(EDIT from FUTURE ECHOKAZUL: It didn't work. At all. Author turns out to be EXTREMELY wordy.)

Sitting on the ground in front of the cabin, Leo held a small knife in one hand and a flat piece of driftwood he had found, probably an old plank or something, in the other. He carefully held the piece of wood firmly, and pressed the knife into the weathered grain. After he had made the appropriate mark, he then leaned down and blew on the wood a few times, to dislodge any splinters or sawdust that might be caught in the groove, before he set the knife aside and reached up to run his hands over the wood, feeling all the marks on it, indents he had made that were deep enough to detect easily by touch.

Including the one he had just made, there were seven of them now.

Seven days.

It had been a whole week now.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall of the building, setting the plank down next to the knife, before drawing up his knees and pressing his forehead against them. Only a week, and yet it felt like a lifetime.

A week ago, he had three brothers.

A week ago, he had his sight.

A week later... he had neither.

Never before in his life had Leo felt so miserable. So... lost and without purpose...

...

And then a kumquat soared through the air and struck him in the face.

He bristled up and gritted his teeth tightly as his hand shot out to catch the fruit before it fell to the grass. He slowly lifted his head and directed his unseeing glare in the direction of the old man, even though it was, obviously, completely ineffectual. "Would you quit DOING that!" he snapped in annoyance.

"You're not listening, Kumquat!" the Ancient One scolded him, without really sounding annoyed. "You need to start paying attention!"

"See, that's not exactly a promise to stop." Leo pointed out with a low huff, turning his head off to the side. Then he frowned and wrinkled his brow. "And listen to what?" He hadn't heard the Ancient One talking to him.

"Everything!" the old human informed him as if it were obvious.

Leo narrowed his eyes. Was... was he being mocked?

But there hadn't been any mocking tone in the old human's voice. Instead, unperturbed by his companion's displeasure, the Ancient One waddled off back across the yard to continue his morning exercises, or whatever he called was doing.

Leo sighed, then absently turned his senses back towards the tiny citrus that he held between his fingers.

Just why did the human keep throwing things at him? Most of the time, as annoying as he was, he didn't seem like he was acting maliciously. Was he trying to annoy Leo? And... and just how did he always have such unerring accuracy?! The old man was blind, he shouldn't be able to nail Leo with such precision!

Or...

Hm.

Leo paused as he thought of something.

Was... was that what he meant by telling Leo to listen to 'everything'? Was that the old human's way of passing on some sage 'blindness' advice? Just what did that mean even?! How was Leo supposed to 'see' by just listening?

...

Why did that sound so... so... familiar?

And then Leo swallowed hard as memories hit him.

Of training with Master Splinter...

Darkness isn't something to be feared...

Oh, how his brothers detested those particular lessons, when Master Splinter trained them to fight in total darkness, because it often led to thwaps with the walking stick, or humiliating falls off of perches. But they had all learned together, as always, and they had each mastered the lessons in their own ways. Using blindfolds while trying to avoid attacks... or navigating obstacle courses in pitch black rooms... All that to learn one vital core tenant of true ninjitsu...

A true ninja sees more then with his eyes. He sees with not only every sense that he has, but with his whole being. He see with his ears... his nose... his body... his heart. And thus, even in total darkness, he sees...

Leo frowned, and rolled the piece of fruit between his fingers, considering it thoughtfully for a long moment.

Then, with a sigh, he tossed the small citrus fruit to the side, sending it rolling it across the grass. And yup, there was a rustle, and then the pounce of an entertained cat.

He leaned back against the house and let his head fall back against the cool wood.

Okay, so maybe some of his training still was there, but still... what was the point? Learning to catch a piece of fruit before it hit him in the face didn't mean anything.

It still wouldn't help him get off this island, or allow him protect his brothers.

For a long time, Leo sat there. His hand slipped downwards to rest on the ground, then absently began to traced circles in the dirt.

Pangur quickly grew bored with the kumquat since Leo wasn't playing with him. For a while, the cat sat there and watched him curiously, but then eventually wandered off to stalk through the grass instead.

Leo swallowed hard and paused, clenching his fist. Then he relaxed it again and lifted it to rest across his plastron. Leaning against the house, not moving, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, not so much to block out the world, his status as blind did that quite well on its own, but a reflexive motion to help him concentrate.

And he began to listen to everything.

The wind was rustling leaves in the forest around them, and there was the ever present songs of birds calling out to one another in amiable conversations. Off to the side, he could faintly hear a cricket chirping. There was the sound of the waterfall, deeper in the woods up the mountain path. And, even further away, the very faint sounds of the ocean surrounding them.

A little closer to Leo, the Ancient One was doing whatever the Ancient One did. Which seemed to mostly be moving around in place out in the front yard, like he did every morning around this time, doing who knew what. Leo had very early on given up on trying to understand this human.

He could hear the old human's feet glide across the grass.

Step.

Step.

Turn and exhale, his body apparently going through motions that seemed to be carefully planned and executed.

For such a short, fat old man, he seemed to be surprisingly light on his feet. As he moved through twists and turns, his breathing was measured and calm, expertly controlled.

Leo frowned, then finally pushed himself away from the wall into a sitting position. "What are you doing?"

"My morning katas." was the simple reply.

Leo blinked. First he meditated, now he did katas?

"Why?" he wondered, continuing trying to sense the human's exact movements as he continued his katas. "And how, exactly? You're blind."

"Hm." The Ancient One didn't sound the least bit perturbed. "Wasn't aware that eyesight was a requirement for every single function and movement of the body." He didn't seem to slow down at all as he continued to move. "You can still have use of your arms? Your legs? You are aware that you can still move them about without permission from your eyes, right, Kumquat?"

Leo frowned, and leaned forward to pull his knees up to his chin, his arms wrapping around them as he thrummed his fingers against the scales on his shins.

Off in the distance, there was a quick and sudden disturbance in the long grass, and the lone cricket's chirps were abruptly cut short, followed by pleased purrs and somewhat disturbing crunching noises.

Leo chewed on his lip for a long moment, then gave a long exhale. He unwound himself and slowly, hesitantly stood up. Inwardly wondering why he was doing this and what he hoped he'd get out of it, he took careful steps out further away from the house, eventually finding an open spot in the grassy yard where he wouldn't interfere with the Ancient One's own routine. He straightened up and spent a few minutes taking a few deep breaths.

Then he slowly lifted his arms, held them out in front of him, and took a step.

He could feel the grass and earth under his feet, the warm sunshine on his scales and shell, even if he couldn't see it.

He moved his arms around, and let the movement carry him into his next step.

As he moved, the familiar movements flowed more easily, coming to him as natural as breathing. The next step was quickly followed by yet another, and then a twist.

At first, he had only intended to move through a simple warmup kata. But as he came to the end, he instead let it flow into the start of another one, never breaking the fluid motion.

The muscles in his limbs, in his arms and his legs, shifted as he moved, just as they always had. Moving in harmony just as he honed them his entire life to do. They were still there, powerful and strong, just waiting for him to command them once more.

Faster and faster he moved, working his way through one kata, and then letting it flow into the start of another, chaining them together into one fluid routine, each one more complicated then the last. Never stopping, never slowing, lest by letting go, he lost them forever.

Twisting, turning, kicking, and spinning, his whole body moving in perfected harmony. He knew these katas. He had practiced them hundreds of times. And as his body moved through the motions he knew so well, he slowly began to realized that he may have lost his sight, but he was still here. He still existed. He was still Leonardo, whatever that may mean.

Finally, his eyes closed and face calm, he took a final step and brought his arms around in a graceful sweep as he finished through the last step. Then, standing there, his chest heaving only slightly from the exertion, he took a few moments, just breathing through his nose and letting the emotions flow through him. Then he cupped a fist in the palm of his three fingered hand, and respectfully bowed to the clearing in front him.

"Hm. Not bad, Kumquat, but your left foot is off." came the critique off the to side.

Startled to realize that he had an audience, Leo jumped slightly. "What?!" Then he blinked, and huffed. "Wait, how can you tell?!" The old man was blind!

"Am I wrong?" the old man sounded amused.

Leo paused, then glanced unseeingly downwards, concentrated on the positioning of his left foot as he tried to figure out if it truly was off the mark. He then scowled, and shifted it ever so slightly.

The Ancient One laughed, and then moved next to Leo. "Come, Kumquat. Let's run through the routine again, but this time, watch your footing."

Leo blinked, then he exhaled and rolled his eyes, even as a slight smile curved his mouth. He raised his arms and shifted into position, getting ready to continue once more.