Leap of Faith, Part One: Out of the Darkness

Chapter Ten


When they entered the practice area, the Turtles and Splinter convened in the center of the large cork mat that filled the space, while Miranda sat at a safe distance on the steps that lead into the room. Easily the largest and most ornate chamber in the lair, the sparring room smelled of incense, cork and sweat, indicating that a great deal of time was spent on the mat. A wide variety of weapons adorned the walls, along with various other memorabilia. In one corner, punching bags and practice dummies were piled; in another, an assortment of weight training implements.

Sparring sessions usually began with simple stretching and breathing exercises to clear the mind and loosen the muscles, after which the brothers would usually pair off for ten or fifteen minutes at a time. When Splinter gave the signal, they would switch, thus allowing the matches to be evenly spread. Some days they worked without weapons. Today was not one of those days.

Leonardo relished the weight of his twin katana strapped to his back as he moved through the initial stretches and warm up. Soon enough they were facing each other, Leo and Don, Raph and Mike. At Splinter's signal, they began.

His muscles were warm, his mind was clear, his spirit, well, his spirit was....joyful. Leo spun and twisted as he almost never had before; his blades were extensions of his arms, his legs felt weightless and pliable, and he felt freer with each movement. A wide smile came across his face, which Donnie returned, even though it was clear that he had lost the battle in the first few moments.

"Slow down, Raphael," Splinter instructed. "Take the time to perfect your form. Don't loose focus, Michelangelo-keep your eyes on your opponent. Donatello, nice legwork, but remember to fully extend your torso. Very good Leonardo, stay in the moment."

After a few more minutes, Splinter gave the signal. Now Leonardo and Raphael faced each other, and the pressure in the room seemed to change. It took every ounce of self control that Leo had not to look at Miranda. He told himself that she was there, that should be enough. Raph was not as single minded. He glanced her way and flashed a thumbs-up before turning back to Leo, his expression challenging.

"You wanna rumble?" Raph muttered under his breath, only half-joking.

In response, Leo slid silently into position, blades drawn, muscles ready. Another signal. It was time to begin.

The mock-battle with Donatello had been fairly intense in its own right, but sparring with Raph was a hairs-breadth from deadly. Leonardo normally tried to be cautious of his feelings, but Raph was the one person who could make him truly and irrationally furious, a fact his younger sibling was well aware of. Part of him knew that Raph was just showing off for Miranda, and he worked very hard to turn his anger and resentment into finely honed technique and power. Leonardo pushed himself, harder and harder. As good as his brother was, he was better, and he knew it. They both did.

They fought with sword and sai, metal gleaming as the blades sang in contact with each other. They fought with strength of body and will; Raph was more compact and stockier than Leo, who in his travels had become sinewy and lean. And Leo could match Raph's sheer strength with speed and strategy; he saw an opportunity, and in an instant, it was over.

Raph was down, his sai clattered against the wall from the force of Leonardo's attack. Leo stood above him, breathing heavily, though his expression was passive. Mikey and Don had paused to watch their brothers' mock battle, so engrossed that they had not yet lowered their weapons. Splinter regarded his two eldest sons for a moment before tapping his walking stick firmly to the ground to formally end the sparring session.

"That's enough for today, my sons."

As the Turtles began to stretch and cool off, Leo finally looked over at Miranda, who was still seated on the stairs. She was staring at him open mouthed. He gave a curt nod to her as he seated himself in lotus position, and decided not to look over again once his master began the hatha yoga session.

Leonardo enjoyed yoga for many reasons, not the least being that it gave him the opportunity to focus on each of his muscles, assuring that they were all in excellent working order. As they moved into an asana that was somewhere between a push up and a cartwheel, he happened to glance over and catch Miranda's eye; he was surprised and pleased to see her watching him intently, and there was something in her gaze that made his skin tingle. A slow smile spread over her face as she watched him, and he finally turned away, still feeling her eyes on his body.

The session finished and they were dismissed, though Leonardo lingered a moment as his brothers headed off for a well-earned soak.

Miranda stood and approached him. "That was incredible! I had no idea how....skilled you guys were, though I was kinda worried there at the end, with you and Raphael."

"We were just sparring," Leo said, removing his katana and carefully placing them in their holders against the wall. "We've done it hundreds of times before. Raph sometimes gets carried away."

She shrugged. "I'm sure you're right, Leonardo. But to my untrained, non-professional eyes it seemed like there was more than just simple sparring going on." She took his hand, met his gaze. "And it was pretty intense."

.His knees were starting to go weak, he must be more tired than he realized. She was now so close, and he badly wanted to kiss her, but just then Raph's voice rang out gleefully from the doorway.

"Hey, Leo! You comin' or what?" His brother was grinning wickedly. "Come on, Donnie still 'aint got that water heater working right-get it while the gettin's good."

Leo dropped his hand and nodded to Miranda. "Well, I'd better...."

"Yeah you should. You smell a little funky," she replied, grinning broadly at him.

"Thanks for your concern Raph," Leo muttered as the brothers left the sparring room. "You know, you're enjoying this whole thing way too much."

"Somebody needs to."

"Why do you have to make everything so hard? How is this a big joke to you?"

"Like I haven't heard you say that before," Raph chuckled. "Lighten up, Leo! Look, I'm just givin' you a hard time because it's what I do. I don't think that I'm gonna be the one to screw up what you've got going with Miranda."

"Oh really?" Leo replied stiffly as they entered the bathhouse.

"Well, I figure the best one for that particular job is you, Fearless Leader."

Leonardo had no reply.