A/N: So, after all the ideas for Scarlett's nickname, I've finally decided which one I like best! Thanks so much for all the encouragement and ideas I've received over her nickname. Honestly, I thought I was gonna get only one or two, but nope! Way more! Thanks everyone for their continued support of this story! Love y'all! Also, sorry for not updating yesterday. I had soccer tryouts and no time to write over the weekend 'cause me and my best friend got together to practice soccer. Updating schedules should be back to normal now!
Chapter Six
Scarlett's P.O.V.
"Let me meditate on it," were the words Master Splinter had said. They rang in my head all night and all morning once I woke up. April was very nice to me about becoming a kunoichi, after I began to ask her about being one. She told me how challenging it was both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Also that the guys usually made fun of her in the beginning of her training because she wasn't as good as they were, especially Raphael. I couldn't believe that Raphael would make fun of anyone at first, but then I started remembering some of the sarcastic comments he'd made to his brothers and me.
Once April was done telling me a bit more about herself, training to be a kunoichi, and the mutants as a whole, we both decided to go up to Master Splinter and ask him if he would teach me to be a female ninja. The turtles gathered around me, except for Raphael, who I later learned had gone to bed, and everyone had big smiles on their faces. I was astonished at the new friends I'd created and how much they all truly cared for me. I couldn't see any of them making fun of me, but I guess we'll just have to find out.
Master Splinter told me that he'd meditate on it and have an answer in the morning. I'm so excited and sure of it that he'll say yes! He smiled at me right before I left to go up-top, which must mean something. I wish Raphael would've been there to see the look on my face, or perhaps my family or Gabby. It's too bad I have to keep a secret, but I know I must.
I never thought that training to be a ninja would be my kind of thing, but truthfully I'm in it for the physical, spiritual, and mental training. I'm hoping that I can use the physical skills for self-defense and also for the soccer team once I go to college and the mental and spiritual for when I'm stressed out over school.
Eventually, I decided it was time to get up and put on some clothes. I wanted to wear my Southern-belle straw hat but knew that if I was going to become a kunoichi, I'd have to be wearing something different for the first training session. I put my mind to the test and attempted finding workout clothes in my closet, but all I had was cute and stylish jeans, dresses, shirts, and so on. Sneaking over to Gabby's closet and putting on some of her workout clothes, was not the best idea on my part, as it woke her up.
She groaned and nearly scared me half to death. "Scarlett... ugh... what're you doin'?" she asked.
"Alright, look, I'm just gonna go-" I cut off, realizing that I was about to spill on training to become a kunoichi. However, an idea soon popped into my head. "I'm going to a martial arts class! I don't have any workout clothes, so that's why I was getting yours." I trailed off near the end of the sentence.
Gabby then looked at me funny and said, "Okay, first of all, you coulda just woken me up and asked for my clothes. Second of all, you plus martial arts equals disaster, hon! Remember, you're a tough defender on the soccer team, always ready to knock someone out, right?"
"Yeah... what're you sayin'?"
"I'm not meaning to put you down or anything, but maybe you should think before doing some of the things you do. Martial arts? Like what kinda martial arts? Karate?"
"Ninjutsu."
The already strange look on her face suddenly became even more strange once I said that. "Yeah... okay. Girl, I get that you're trying something new, but you know that's gonna take stealth and whatnot, right? And whenever you try being stealthy or sneaky, it usually ends up with you banging your fists on the grass."
I laughed at that, realizing that she was right. "Yeah, I know whenever I try to be skillful or use footwork in soccer, I usually end up... messing up and banging my fists on the grass-"
"Yep!" She burst out laughing and I couldn't help but laugh either.
"But I really wanna try this. It doesn't just do things with your body physically, but also mentally and spiritually. And I think I could definitely use those things for college this year, to help cope with all the stress."
"Dang! I didn't know you were gonna get that deep! Alright, I believe in you, girl. If you feel this is what you wanna do, do it."
"Thanks! I'll try my best!"
"Yeah, maybe I should be getting into this myself! I need to lose a few anyway!"
"Haha! Whatever!" I yelled. "I gotta go."
"Bye," she said, smiling at me as I left.
I closed the door and made my way to the sewers. Gabby knows me better than anyone in this whole world, even better than my own parents. We tell each other everything and always have. She knows that unless I really enjoy something, I'll usually stop it. That's definitely true about me, and I started considering not doing Ninjutsu because of it. But I'll give it a go and see if I have what it takes.
I noticed that Casey and April both had gone home the night before, but that all the turtles and Master Splinter were there. From the moment I walked up, all the turtles ran to me and took me to Master Splinter. They all seemed so excited, and I was even more excited. I almost felt like squealing but tried keeping it down as Master Splinter came out of his room.
"Come in, Scarlett." Right when Splinter said those words, I heard Mikey gasp at the exact same time I did."
I walked in and felt the warm glow of the candle inside his room. Splinter was sitting at a funky table without chairs, and I leaned down to join him. There was a quiet hush to the room, that I couldn't help but grin at. It almost felt like my childhood all over again, but with new friends and a new family.
"I understand that you are very capable of being a kunoichi, Scarlett. Have you ever done any physical training before?"
"I've done soccer, and I play a couple other sports, but that's the only one I've actually trained for."
"I see. To become a kunoichi, you must be determined and stick to whatever you are working at. I will help you learn the basics, and get you on the right foot, but this job is mostly yours, not mine."
"Yes, sir, I understand."
He chuckled at that. "You may call me Sensei, though 'sir' might just work as well."
I smiled.
"Are you willing to take on the challenge of becoming a kunoichi?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"Alright then. Training shall begin tomorrow."
"If the novel has a theme it is that of survival. What makes some people come through catastrophes and others, apparently just as able, strong and brave go under? It happens in every upheaval. Some people survive; others don't. What qualities are in those who fight their way through triumphantly that are lacking in those that go under? I only know that survivors used to call that quality 'gumption.' So I wrote about people who had gumption and people who didn't."
~ Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind ~ (1936)
