137Hi, all! Sorry it's been so long! Hope this suits for the moment.
TMNT are the property of Mirage. I don't get anything from it except some satisfaction in writing my own little tales.
Stalking the Green-Eyed Monster
"Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo, Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo..."
Raph's snickering voice, cheerfully crowing the refrain over and over burned a hole in Leo's forehead, right between his eyes. He could feel it boiling up the resentment, the mortification, the anger-
- the jealousy- into a bubbling soup of Vengeance!
"Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo, Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo..."
Leo's ears began to sing like the tea kettle when it signals to Sensei that the water is ready to brew his morning's cup of fragrant pleasure.
"Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo, Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo..." Raph kept jeering in that singsong way, and Don now joined in, dancing around their Ani as if he were a May Pole (whatever that was- Leo still wasn't sure if that was a good analogy, but he didn't dare think "Indians around a bonfire", that would be considered Stereotypical, and Sensei had WARNED him about Stereotypical...
"Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo, Mike knows more than Leeeeooooo..."
Leo's anger was such that he was straining with all his might to contain it. Desperately he looked around the dojo for Sensei. Surely he was witnessing this desecration of his eldest- I mean, the dojo! Surely he would step in and stop this. Surely he did not expect Leo to reprimand his brothers, not at least while Sensei was present!
Surely-
"Michelangelo, my son," Sensei's voice sounded out of nowhere, "You have today surpassed your Ani in training. You have mastered that kata perfectly!"
Raph and Don interrupted their singing and dancing to cheer for Mikey. Then, with a grin more evil than the Grinch's in that Christmas cartoon, Raph continued his song with a slight variation. Don was quick to join in.
"Mike is better than Leeeeooooo, Mike is better than Leeeeooooo..."
"No he ISN'T!" the young (Future) Leader shouted, and launched simultaneous kicks at both sneering and jeering brothers-
THUNK!
Leo sat up on the floor, blankets and sheets entangling him, pillow (mercifully) lying in a way to suggest that his head had much to thank it for. The soft glow of the night light helped to calm his racing heart. Gentle breathing (and the occasional snore from Raph) told him that the others were sound asleep, and no one had heard him fall out of the bed.
The door opened with a whisper, and the flickering light of Sensei's candle faintly illuminated the Tangle that was Leo even more. Well, almost no one.
"Are you all right, my son?" Splinter's whisper was full of concern. Leo wasn't fooled, Splinter thought-
No, wait, that was just a dream...
"Yes, Father," he whispered his reply, getting up before Splinter could assist him. "Sorry, Father, I was dreaming about... about... being in a tournament... and I was fighting the champion... and I had won!"
And he innocently accepted Splinter's help in getting his bedding back in order.
"Well, then, if it was as you say, pleasant dreams," Splinter said as Leo settled back into bed. Then he was gone, leaving Leo to Think Upon the Evilness of Brothers in General and Michelangelo in Particular.
Earlier that night, while Mike had been preparing for his Bath Ritual (as Splinter once termed it, under his breath in a way that he thought no one had heard), Leo had been skimming through his "Art of War" and making notes here and there on his List for Finding Out What Mike's Top-Secret Project Is.
17. According as circumstances are favorable,
one should modify one's plans.
"Yes, I definitely need to modify a few of these," he mused, tapping the pencil thoughtfully on the notebook. He turned back to the list, steadfastly ignoring the cross-outs (he shunned the eraser- after all, one might need the crossed-out ones later for something else. That's what Sun Tzu said. Well, that's how Leo interpreted it, anyway). Leo looked at his book.
20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder,
and crush him.
Hmm... Mike HAS been wanting a skateboard... and Don owes me a Big Favor... hmmm...
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him.
If he is in superior strength, evade him.
Leo snorted in disbelief at that one. No way was Mike in superior strength. Who did he constantly go to for help with opening pickle jars and mayonnaise jars and sauerkraut jars and...
Duh, he goes to Raph, genius Leo's inner voice replied.
Leonardo, with great dignity for a 10-year-old, ignored his inner voice.
22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to
irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
Ha! Speaking of Raph, this was the perfect one for their next match in the dojo. Leo made a few quick notes on a clean sheet of paper, punctuating his plans for Raphael with many "ha!"s and "yeah!"s.
Then he got back to Mike. He expanded his Search for Wisdom to Chapter VI.
WEAK POINTS AND STRONG
1. Sun Tzu said: Whoever is first in the field and
awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight;
whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle
will arrive exhausted.
2. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on
the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him.
"For cripe's sake, Mike, will ya get in there and take yer bath so's I can finally have MINE? An' DON'T use up all the hot water!"
"Raphael, do not shout."
"Sorry, Sensei, but he's takin' so long an' he hasn't even got to take any clothes off or nothin'."
"I'm almost finished," Mike's faint reply reached Leo's ears. After dinner Mike had gone with much ceremony to the dojo (!) with his notebook "for some privacy so I can work on my Top Secret Project", to which Raph had earned ten more flips for his reply of "Who gives a damn?"
Evidently he'd been in there longer than Leo had thought. He had little time.
Plan Number Two- Bath Time
Stealthily he entered the bathroom, surveying the battle field. Cupboard? Nope, Mike would never put the notebook there, and they'd all been warned (repeatedly) to never hide in that old thing. Splinter had been pleased when he'd found it, as it gave him some extra space for the towels and other bathroom supplies. But he had grown tired of picking the lock to free careless sons who had either trapped themselves or each other ("Accidentally, Sensei, I SWEAR!") in it while hiding, and had threatened that next time he would leave whomever in there until he himself was calm enough to NOT "spank the green off of your tails" once freed. Even Raph had stopped hiding in there.
The tub was large and not close to the wall. He could try hiding in that corner. Mike was usually too preoccupied with searching out just the right toys to accompany him in the bath to pay much attention. Towels usually ended up stored there when the hamper was too full (or the turtle was too lazy). He could hide there under some towels!
But how would he get out? It's a tight squeeze, and he needed to be stealthy as well as quick.
The hamper? Nope, he'd grown too big to hide in it any longer. But piled near it were some towels that were awaiting washing. The hamper was full of sheets at the moment.
Leo smiled in satisfaction, then quickly got to work.
"MIKEY!"
"All right, hothead, I'm goin' I'm goin'."
Michelangelo came strolling in, bulging notebook under one arm, and closed the door. Carefully he placed his precious book on the ledge of the sink while he turned on the water in the tub. Then he shed his gear (He was geared up? For studying?), strewing it carelessly here and there, and began to search out some toys for his bath.
"Sensei, can I have a bubble bath tonight?" he called out, still rummaging through the box that held all of their most precious and favoritest bath mates.
"No!" Raph's voice replied, " 'cause you use too much and then it takes too long to clean the bathroom!"
"Raphael!" came the sharp reprimand. Then, "Not tonight, my son. And do not take too long, I want you all in bed early tonight."
Mike shrugged an "ah well" shrug, then gathered his armful of friends and ceremoniously dumped them into the almost-filled tub. Then his eyes scanned the bathroom. For some reason he kept looking at the pile of laundry lying next to the hamper. It seemed... oh, I don't know... larger than it was earlier when he was in there for Other Business.
He turned back to the notebook.
"Now, where shall I put you?" he mused aloud. "I don't want you to get wet, but I don't want to put you in my room. Leo's been awfully nosey lately... and Raph threatened to toss you in the sewer if I mentioned you one more time. Maybe Don would take care of you? Nope, he's too curious, he'd probably look in to see if there were any good ideas for inventions."
He looked around again, then grinned.
"I know! I'll put you in the toy box under Raph's shark toy and Don's racing boat that doesn't float! Then you'll be safe there, under all that stuff, with the box under the sink!"
And without another word, he was in the tub, sloshing water onto the floor and the pile of towels as well.
"Okay, guys! Let's get started!" he addressed three rubber ducks, two tugboats, a plastic fish that could squirt water, He-Man™, Skeletor (also™), and a hand puppet/washcloth in the shape of an octopus. "Tonight's adventure: The Gigantic Octopus of Doom!"
And the theme music began, as well as the story of how the innocent ducks were being terrorized by the Gigantic Octopus of Doom, which had been set loose on the Unsuspecting World by Skeletor™, and He-Man (again, also ™) had to battle it with his Squirting Fish of Victory...
Leonardo, under the increasingly soaking towels, was becoming more and more miserable. Terry cloth towels that are wet become heavy, and the chill of the clammy, drippy things crowded down on the back of his neck and into those miserably hard to reach places between shell and skin.
"Look out, Squirting Fish!" Mike shouted in his hero voice. "Don't let Skeletor cast his spell upon you!"
"Too late, He-Man!" he now imitated the evil villain, voice nasally and punctuated with Evil Laughter. "Now the fish does MY bidding!"
Leo's snout tickled as if sneezes were lining up to make their escape from the smell of the dank towels. More water seemed to find its way onto the towels and slowly down to Leo. It wouldn't be so bad if the water would have been warm, but by the time it got to the hidden turtle it was cold cold cold! Leo shivered under the heavy load, and longed for Mike to get on with it.
"No, He-Man!" Mikey's voice interrupted the thoughts of Leo. "Do it like this: 'Kick, down up, step behind, seisan- Punch punch- Down- Up, double strike- Down and strike- Right seisan, block- Punch punch turn- Punch punch-' Hey! Did you guys hear something?"
Mike froze in the tub, searching out the steamy room. He could have sworn he'd heard a Sound. Just exactly what that sound was he couldn't tell, but he knew he'd heard Something. Warily he eyed the cupboard, then the hamper, and finally the large and soggy pile of towels. Belatedly he realized that there was an oozy puddle seeping from the pile, and wondered if he could wring them all out before Sensei found out he'd soaked them through and through...
Then the battle resumed between the good guys and the bad guys and Leo breathed a SILENT sigh of relief. When Mike had started speaking out the steps to what Leo knew was a kata he'd never heard of before, his surprised gasp had escaped him before he could stop it.
But he had to wait it out. Soon Mike would turn on the water again to replace what he'd used during "battle", and there'd be that one moment where the Evil Bad Guy would squirt soap in Mike's eye (no matter what the story, the Evil Bad Guy would always squirt soap in Mike's eye. Even Don couldn't figure that one out, and he was the smartest of them all.). Then, undercover of the steamy fog plus the splashing cries of a brother who feared permanent blindness and then how would he get around unless Sensei let him have a Seeing Eye Dog, he could crawl along the floor, slip the notebook from its hiding place and escape to his room, unseen and silent and-
"Aww, PLEASE, Sensei!" Raph's voice sounded just outside the door. "He's gonna start the second act any minute, and I'll NEVER get to take a hot bath tonight, and I really want to get this gunk offa me from the junk yard!"
"Michelangelo," Splinter entered the bathroom after a small knock. "It is time you were out of that tub. Your brothers are waiting."
"Okay, Sensei, sorry Sensei," Mike, fish toy filled with soapy water and just about to do his evil master's bidding in blinding the turtle, quickly rinsed off and pulled the plug.
As Splinter was about to leave, his eyes noted the now shivering pile of soaking wet towels. Leo had grown so cold under those wet things that he couldn't control his tremors, and between that and his cursing his own bad luck, he was not being stealthy enough to escape his father and sensei's notice.
"Leonardo, I want you to put those towels in the washing machine, then go to bed." And he left without a further word.
Mike looked with "surprise" as the failed (for the moment) young (Future) Leader emerged from the soggy pile, looking as if he, too, was fresh from the tub.
"Why, Leo! What were you doing in here?" Mike demanded. "You weren't trying to get my Top Secret Notebook, were you?"
"Of course not!" Leo scoffed loftily. "I was practicing my hiding and endurance skills."
"Under all them towels."
"Yes. It was the perfect place. I can see us being able to use this- once I've mastered it."
Mike, in the midst of drying himself, cocked an eye at his Ani.
"You can see us using this? What, are we gonna infiltrate an enemy's bathroom?"
Leo merely shook his head and sighed. He staggered slightly under the weight of the soaking wet towels.
"This is why you will never be a Leader, Michelangelo," he said. "You have to be prepared for any situation."
And he left a dripping trail to the washing machine.
Mike smiled, then, collecting his Top Secret Project, headed to their room, followed down the hall by Raphael's comments of "Jeeze, it's about time, and you'd better of not used up all the hot water, or I'm so gonna pound ya!"
ooooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooo
Leo, lying there in the dark, wondered if it really was worth the effort. Splinter had not questioned his actions, and Mike seemed to have believed his explanation.
But really, was all this planning worth it? Was it really worth the time and effort to find out what Mikey's stupid old top secret project really was? So what if it sounded like a kata I've never heard of before? Big deal! Mike probably is getting a punishment and he's just pretending that it's something top secret. He's probably been made to copy kata instructions a thousand times or something, only he's got them all messed up and out of order. That's it! Mike is just doing lines for some sort of punishment, like not knowing his basics yet!
And then he remembered what Mike had said earlier:
"No, He-Man! Do it like this: 'Kick, down up, step behind, seisan- Punch punch- Down- Up, double strike- Down and strike- Right seisan, block- Punch punch turn- Punch punch-' "
Leo sat up in bed, fists tight on his blanket, as the realization hit him full-force: Mike WAS learning a new kata! Splinter was TEACHING Mike a KATA!
Mike was trying to take over as LEADER!
TBC