137Been forever, I know- stupid writer's block! I am hoping that I'm finally over it, as I have so many things I need to finish as well as begin!
TMNT is now the intellectual property of Nickelodeon- if one can use the words "intellectual" and "Nickelodeon" in the same sentence. "Spiderman and His Amazing Friends" are owned by someone I'm sure. The episode quoted from, "Sunstar", was written by Christy Marx. "The Art of War" is attributed to Sun Tzu and is in the public domain. I am sure that has to be one of the longest disclaimers I've ever written...
Stalking the Green-Eyed Monster
Kusanku: This kata was adopted and developed by Okinawan Karate men after it was brought to Okinawa in 1761 by a Chinese Martial Artist named Kusanku. This kata is the most magnificent and advanced kata of all Matsubayashi Ryu Karate. It is also the longest and most difficult kata, requiring painstaking practice for more than a decade for mastery.
1. Look
2. Left pinan block
3. Right pinan block
4. Pull
5. Knife hand
6. Right punch, outside block
7. Left punch, outside block
Ninja-Master Leonardo studied the scroll fragment yet again, lingering on the introduction. Though it was only a fraction of what he was seeking, he could sense the importance of it all. Indeed, his vast skills would be hard-put to the test, but he was confident that he could- and would- decipher the secrets that the scrap of paper held.
He couldn't help but smirk at the carelessness of his Opponent. True, he had led Ninja-Master Leonardo on a merry chase, but as good as he was, he had still Slipped Up.
Once again he perused the fragment. He would have to commit it to memory, and quickly. He was certain his Opponent would realize his careless mistake, and come searching.
Ninja-Master Leonardo composed himself; the silence that filled the solemn chamber was comforting even as it invigorated him. Breathing in with his typical disciplined way, he entered the First Stance... concentrate... visualize... begin the first move...
"Whatcha doin' in here?"
Leonardo, with an involuntary shriek, nearly jumped out of his shell at the sound of Raphael's voice as said Turtle practically kicked the door open, causing it to bang against the wall.
"Jeeze, Leo, you screamed just like Mikey!" Raph laughed, pleased at the unexpected yet entertaining reaction of his brother.
Righteous anger quickly moved in to cover total embarrassment.
"Don't sneak up on people, Raphael! It's not polite!"
Raph gave him a disbelieving Look.
"We're trainin' ta be NINJA, LeoNERDo. We're suppose ta sneak up on people!"
"Well, don't sneak up on ME!"
"Why? Ya losin' yer edge, Splinter Junior? I thought no one short of Sensei could sneak up on the Mighty Leonardo."
The snerking sound Raph made as he said this, combined with those rude "quotation mark" gestures he made with his fingers at the words "Mighty Leonardo", almost- ALMOST- caused Leonardo to react in a way that a (Future) Leader should not react in. But he held onto his Composure.
"I mean, damn, Leo! I can't even sneak up on Don when he's concentratin' on something. What the hell you so absorbed in?"
Breathe... breathe... BREATHE...
"What do you need, Raph?"
"Well, if ain't too much trouble, I really need ta take a dump," Raph replied as if nothing else had taken place. "And since this IS the bathroom, and since you AIN'T usin' it at the moment except ta practice katas in..."
"I wasn't practicing katas in here!" Leo's quick response was more than a signal to Raph that Fearless (Future) Leader had indeed been doing such. But Raph had more pressing matters at the moment.
"So anyways, unless yer interested to see if I gots sinkies or floaties, I suggest-"
Leo's retreat was as dignified as possible considering the speed.
Everywhere was busy at the moment. Splinter was practicing in the dojo and was Not to be Disturbed. Mike was hogging the living room couch, watching "Spiderman and His Amazing Friends" while "studying" (loudly, whenever Leo was present) from his Notebook. Don had the kitchen to himself for a few precious minutes to Build Something. And the bedroom had pretty much been staked out by Raph, who was in the midst of building the Super-Mega Motorcycle Racetrack of Violent and Terrifying Death (which pretty much covered the entire floor and one of the bottom bunks as well).
And they couldn't go past the close boundaries today if they went outside. Mike had slipped up and mentioned the workers from the other day who had shown up at Secret Hiding Place Number Four, and Splinter had been Angry, and even though it had been so far away, as far as Sensei was concerned, they'd been right on their doorstep. So Mike (and the others) could not go further than the front door until Splinter was satisfied that no one was going to come closer than they had- which was pretty much miles away- Mike had even pointed it out on the map with a "But Sensei..."
"I am not disappointed that you were able to cleverly avoid them, my son," Splinter had lectured. "But you did NOT return home at once, as I have always insisted. You should have come to warn us!"
Leonardo, mouth open to join in on the lecture as warranted by his status as (Future) Leader, had found that he was suddenly in a dilemma: if he admonished Mike, then he'd be a hypocrite. He knew the same rule as Mike, yet he had not gone home directly to warn Sensei! He had followed his little brother instead.
And trying to justify his action by declaring to himself that he had only been keeping an eye on Michelangelo? Why his own brain laughed derisively at his audacity in formulating such a defense!
Anyway, Mike's innocent comment had prevented Leonardo from beginning (yet again) to teach himself the first seven steps of this most difficult of katas.
"Hey, Leo," Mike, lounging on the couch, broke into his thoughts. "Wanna watch this show with me? It's a good one! It's got this Japanese superhero named Sunfire, and his powers are just like Firestar's, and they start to fall in love, and he tells her that his uncle Genju needs both of them to help start his Fusion Reactor. Sunfire thinks that it'll provide energy to the entire world, but his uncle has LIED to him and really plans to use their combined powers to release his Fire Monster. Then Spiderman and Iceman decide to check out Genju's company called 'Ichi-Ban Electronics'. Sounds like the only Japanese word the writer knew I guess, what a silly name, I would have called it 'Kasai Kaibutsu Electronics' 'cause that would have been funnier- I mean, putting 'Fire Monster' in the title, since Genju wanted to release his fire monster..."
" 'Kasai' is also used for 'fruits and vegetables'," Leonardo pointed out, "so your monster would have sounded like something you'd find on a farm instead of a factory."
"So do you wanna watch with me?" Mike was not deterred. "Of course, you'd have to promise to not bother me during the commercials, on account of I have to study." And he needlessly held up the battered blue, bulging with who knew what kinds of papers, loose-leaf binder.
Leo could not take his eyes off the words "Michelangelo's Top Secret Project for Michelangelo's Eyes ONLY! Keep Out! I mean it, 'cause it's TOP SECRET!"
It was like they were eye-magnets, designed with the sole purpose of fixing Leo's attention on nothing but those seventeen words.
Indeed, they seemed to glow with a type of fire; yes, a taunting, in your face, ha-HA type of fire! It was the type of fire that sparked off and ignited an ember of... something... within the heart of the Young (Future) Leader, burning brighter and brighter, growing and growing until...
"No thank-you, Michelangelo," Leo heard himself say in a very Grown Up Tone of Voice. "I have to do something else. Outside."
Mike sat up straight at those words.
"Outside? Sensei said we couldn't go outside!"
"Sensei said we could not travel past the boundaries," Leonardo corrected him, as he approached the door. "I shall be Just Outside."
"Want me to come with you?"
Leo favored his brother with a condescending smile. He would have patted him kindly on the head if he'd been closer.
"No, thank-you, Michelangelo. I believe that I can step outside without needing the supervision of my baby brother."
Mike frowned, feeling insulted, and prepared to follow anyway. He was not a baby! He had just as much right to 'step outside' as Leonardo! HE was...
"Robots! Attack!" ordered the evil uncle Genju, and Spidey and Iceman were captured, while Sunstar got Firestar to go ignite the fusion reactor to "prove that my uncle wants to help Mankind!", but of course once they ignited the fusion reactor, the Fire Monster was released and both Firestar and Sunstar had their powers drained from them and...
Leo had no worries about being followed.
Outside, he sat on the ledge where the stream of water flowed past their well-hidden home, lost in thought. The flame that Mike's notebook had ignited was starting to fade as he sat there, staring at the water, looking for Enlightenment.
Splinter was a worrywart sometimes, Leo had to concede. Sensei knew a lot, true, but sometimes... sometimes he was overly cautious.
The flame sprang up just a smidgen.
Leo was shocked at himself for having such thoughts.
But it's true, his inner voice said. Those workers were miles away. Only one of them even came close, and he ran as soon as those rats appeared! There's no way he'd come down this far, after all, they were no where near where those guys were supposed to be working anyway.
Leonardo looked around. He could try practicing out here. But the risk of a nosy brother or concerned Sensei and Father suddenly opening the door to see what he was up to was too great. While he could probably fool his brothers into thinking that he was just practicing normal katas, he knew that Splinter would immediately know that those seven moves were Kusanku. And Splinter was adamant with a capital "A" about anyone- ANYONE- trying to learn new katas before old ones were mastered.
If I only could have explained to Sensei just how far away they were... but then he would have known that I was there instead of the old drainage junction...
Leo found himself gazing in the direction of the old drainage junction even as he had that thought. It, too, was well-away from Secret Hiding Place Number Four. Perhaps he could persuade Sensei into letting him go just that far...
Yeah, and perhaps Raph would suddenly be smarter than Don! No way is Sensei going to let me go. I mean, really!
Sun Tzu said:
11. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the
likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness
to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking,
but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
Leonardo froze as those words from "The Art of War" came to him like a bolt from the blue. The truth of those words were Crystal Clear!
They were always ready! They were!
The flame grew brighter and hotter.
Leo strained his memory to recall the rest of that section, pleased that he was starting to recall sections almost at will!
"12. There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general:" Leonardo repeated aloud, and began to count them off on his fingers:
" (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction;
(2) cowardice, which leads to capture;
(3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults;
(4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame;
(5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.
13. These are the five besetting sins of a general, ruinous to the conduct of war."
Leonardo was shaking his head in amusement. Sensei was exhibiting fault number five- over-solicitude for his sons, which exposed him to worry and trouble.
"Ah Sensei," he indulgently chuckled. "Who can fault you? I mean, look at how the others have acted in the past. Don going off to the dump like that on his own when he was seven; Raph and Mike trying to settle that bet topside...
He conveniently forgot how he, himself, had ventured far from home when younger. Besides, that had been Different!
Leonardo stood up and smiled. His way was clear. He would start practicing at the old drainage junction. It wasn't too far past the boundaries, after all, and besides, Splinter trusted his judgment.
Yes, he would set off at once. He could be there and back again before-
"Leonardo, training!" Splinter called from the open door, causing him to jump almost as much as he had done earlier when Raphael had entered the bathroom.
Thankfully he did not shriek this time.
"Hai, Sensei!" Leo dutifully returned to his home. The flame was set on low, but just for the moment.