Balancing Act

Chapter 1: Weight of the World

A/N: This is a bunny I've had for a little while, and I've finally begun to write it. I've always wondered about how Leo really healed after his visit to The Ancient One. I don't believe that it took two months for him to get better and that it took more time than that. So, that's pretty much what this story is about. It'll start off with Leo in Japan and talk about some of his time there until he goes home, then deal with having a new home and such. I really hope you enjoy it. Feel free to leave a review after you've finished reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT who are owned by Nickelodeon.

Summary: Balance is essential in life. If one does not have balance, one will fall.

The day was clear and bright. The sun shone, casting light over everything it touched. He felt it on his skin as it touched him, but he tried to push the feeling away. The wind gave off a slight breeze and caressed his skin with a light touch. It felt good, but he couldn't focus on it. He had to clear his mind of all thoughts and feelings. That was the object of meditation.

Usually he excelled at it, something his brothers were always curious about. But today, he just couldn't concentrate. Thoughts kept bombarding his mind like a swarm of mosquitoes. Some of these thoughts centered on his family and how he missed them. Although he could easily push these thoughts away, he didn't want to. Missing them showed that he had feelings in him again, which was a good thing. Before he had come to seek the Ancient One, he hadn't really had any happy feelings inside him. He'd only had bitterness, hatred, and worthlessness within him. Now, he felt feelings that were very different within him.

Guilt….

Anguish….

Regret….

He couldn't help thinking about what he'd done to Master Splinter. Even though it had been a minor cut, Leo knew it could've been much worse. What if he had aimed for Splinter's heart and killed him? The thought made him want to throw up. Was Splinter still angry at him? Did his brothers resent him? He hadn't had much time to really talk before he left. Although he didn't want to believe that they felt that way, he couldn't help but think about it.

"Kumquat, meditation time is over," the Ancient One declared. "It is time for you to learn your life lesson for the day."

Leo opened his eyes and saw the Ancient One standing in front of him. He had an odd contraption he was carrying which consisted of two buckets attached to a stick. The Ancient One beckoned Leo to follow him. Puzzled, the blue-clad Turtle did so, wondering what this was all about.

The Ancient One stopped beside a pile of rocks. "Now, Leonardo, you are here to learn an important life lesson," he began. He pointed to the buckets that were connected to the stick. "This represents you. Put it on and see how it feels."

Leo took the contraption and put it over his shoulders. The buckets were a bit heavy with the stick, but he could still hold them perfectly. He was a bit confused as to what the Ancient One wanted him to learn.

"This is you with no worries," the Ancient One continued. "As you can see, you are able to balance the buckets nicely." He pointed to the pile of rocks. "These rocks represent burdens and worries. By themselves, they do not seem like much." He picked up a rock and placed it in one of the buckets. "But when you add a burden, it carries weight. Do you feel it?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, I do," he said.

The Ancient One continued to add more rocks to the buckets. The weight kept increasing, and it was all Leo could do to keep the buckets balanced evenly. The Ancient One saw this and couldn't help but grin.

"You are having trouble balancing them, yes?" he asked.

Leo nodded as he tried to keep balancing the buckets. He was a bit wobbly and was afraid that he was going to fall.

"You see, kumquat, when you choose to burden yourself with the weight of the world, it can be too hard to bear," the Ancient One explained. "You have chosen to carry the burden of your failure, and it has become too much for you. But once you let go of the weight, it will get easier, and things will start to take shape." He removed the rocks from the bucket, and Leo felt relief when he did so. "Do you think you can do this?"

"Yes, but it's going to take time," Leo responded.

"Of course it will," the Ancient One agreed. "You have been carrying this burden for a long time, but you can let it go. Sometimes you just need help. Have you ever talked to your family about the burden you have been carrying?"

No, Leo hadn't talked to his family about the burden. He had pushed them away and tried to deal with it on his own. Looking back on it, Leo was ashamed that he'd never talked about his problem. He should have consulted Splinter about it. So why didn't he? Because you thought Splinter was ashamed of your failure, a voice responded in his head. You thought Splinter was ashamed of how you hadn't protected your brothers during the final battle. Leo agreed with the voice in his head and felt that if he'd talked to Splinter about all of this, things would've been different. He should have gone to his brothers as well. Sometimes he could talk to Don about things because Don was a good listener. Don wouldn't have judged him too harshly.

"No, I didn't," Leo finally answered. "I know I should have, but I didn't. I was afraid they were ashamed of my failure and that they hated me."

"I see," the Ancient One mused. "The stick is the support for the buckets just as your family is your support. Even though it was hard for you to balance the buckets, the stick continued to support them. It will always support the buckets no matter what. In the same way, your family will support you no matter what you do. I was the same way with my children. Even though I felt that something was not right with Mashimi, I still loved him as a father should. Do you understand, kumquat?"

Leo nodded. "Yes, Sensei," he said. It made him think of Karai and the question she'd asked him once before. "Would you turn against your father if he did evil things?" Although he understood where Karai was coming from, he didn't think he'd share the same sentiments she did. He remembered how Mikey had been sent to that alternate universe where their father was evil. No, he didn't think he'd still support his father if he did evil things unless he could be reformed. His code of morality was too great for that.

"Good," the Ancient One said. "Now, let us go to the dojo to see how your skills measure to mine."

Leo nodded and followed his sensei back to the temple. He thought more about the life lesson and how he'd been misleading himself. He would definitely have to change that and let his family support him some more. He realized that he had failed them and had failed himself by pushing them away from him. He really hoped he could make it up to them somehow.

After they arrived at the dojo, the Ancient One asked for one of Leo's swords. "I want to drill you on sword katas to see what you know and what you don't know," he said.

Leo was a bit confused. "Shouldn't we start with some warm up katas?" he asked.

"Normally, we would, but you must remember that in battle, you will not have time to warm up," the Ancient One replied. "You must get used to both conditions. Now, let us focus on the sword katas."

"Yes, Sensei," Leo replied. He couldn't help but think about what happened to Splinter the last time he'd had a katana lesson. He hoped it wouldn't happen again.

"Begin," the Ancient One commanded, and the lesson commenced. He started with a few katas Leo already knew, including the one he'd gone through with Splinter the last day he'd been in New York. Leo hesitated a bit during that one but willed himself to get through it. The Ancient One then went through katas Leo didn't know and had him repeat them until he got them right.

"Hmmm, you have good skills," commented the Ancient One when the lesson was over. "However, you can improve in practice to become better." Seeing the look on Leonardo's face, he added, "Do not misunderstand me. I do not feel you are not good enough, but I do feel that learning new skills will make you better than you already are."

Leo nodded to show that he understood. There were times he felt that he wasn't good enough and that he had to be better for the sake of his family. In reality, he didn't need to impress his family because they loved him regardless of his skill. Maybe training with the Ancient One would be a good thing, and he was glad his father had thought of it.

They left the dojo, and the Ancient One instructed Leo on the chores he would be required to do. "Though you are a guest in my home, you will not be pampered and spoiled. You will do your chores and earn your keep here."

"I will do whatever you ask me to do, Sensei," replied Leo. "Master Splinter always makes us do chores and has since we were little. I bet my brothers are upset that they have to do my share of chores, too, but I'll make it up to them when I get home." He talked more about the chores he and his brothers did to show that he was far from spoiled or pampered. The Ancient One was impressed and instructed Leo on what he wanted him to get done. Leo washed dishes, scrubbed floors, and even reorganized a stack of boxes the Ancient One had left neglected. He was warned not to touch anything that shouldn't be messed with and that he should just put the items in the boxes that were marked for keeping the items or throwing them away. Leo didn't mess with anything he shouldn't because he didn't want to face his sensei's wrath if he did.

Leo worked for most of the day only stopping for lunch, dinner, and the Ancient One's stories on television. During lunch and dinner, the Ancient One talked more about Yoshi, Mashimi, and Shen and stories of when they were children. He even asked Leo about his own childhood and what it was like growing up in the sewers. Leo told him that while living in the sewers was far from pleasant, Splinter did the best he could to make it a true home.

The Ancient One also insisted that Leo stop work so that he could watch the Ancient One's stories with him. Although Leo would've rather continued working, he knew the Ancient One really wanted him to do this, so he did. The Ancient One kept making comments during the show about the characters and their problems. Leo thought of Splinter, who often did the same thing. He and his brothers would often tease their father in private about it and only once did Mikey make a comment about it at dinner, which resulted in fifty flips. Leo wondered if the Ancient One had gotten Splinter hooked on soap operas.

"Feh! Look at those two idiots!" scoffed the Ancient One. "They barely know each other, and they're already in bed! Such foolishness. Are you paying attention to this, kumquat? This should teach you never to fall in love foolishly. Think with your head and not with your heart when it comes to love."

"I will, Sensei," promised Leo even though he knew there was no chance of anyone falling in love with him. Not only was he a mutant, but his lifestyle made falling in love impossible.

After evening practice, Leo spent time in his room. He was allowed to watch television if he wanted but he wasn't in the mood for that. It made him miss his brothers, and he didn't watch that much television anyway unless he was with them. Instead, he wrote letters to his family and April and Casey to let them know he was okay. He wondered if they missed him as much as he missed them.

He finished the letters, meditated for a bit, and settled down to sleep. His thoughts were on his family and when he'd see them again.

22222

Karai sat at her desk and tried to get through a document the mayor had sent to her. Even though she hated the business aspect of the job, she knew it was necessary to keep up the façade her father had forged for himself. She kept thinking about him and what he would think of her now. Why had the wretched Utroms stolen him from her? Why wasn't he allowed to see her rise above the Foot and take power? Had they thought of how she would feel if he had to be exiled? No, they hadn't. They had only thought of themselves and how they wanted to get rid of her father.

And who else was responsible for her father's exile? Leonardo and his accursed family. If they had just let her father leave on his ship, everything would have been fine. They would've been rid of him and would have had a good life without him. But they had chosen otherwise ad had made her life miserable.

Cursing in Japanese, Karai decided to leave the document until the next day. There was no way she'd be able to work on it anymore. She went to her dojo and began her katas. She aimed punches and kicks at the practice dummy, imagining it to be Leonardo. This fueled her rage even more, and her katas became more intense. She unsheathed her single katana and continued to work on the practice dummy. Her muscles screamed in protest, but she ignored them and finished her workout by decapitating the practice dummy's head.

Panting, she sheathed her katana, bowed to the dojo, and left for her private quarters. She settled herself in the lotus position and began to meditate. But as she did so, thoughts of Leonardo still entered her mind no matter how much she tried not to think of him.

"Filthy beast!" she spat. "This will not do! I must rid myself of this thorn in my side once and for all!"

A/N: Dun dun dun! Sounds like things aren't going to go well for the Hamato clan, huh? So, what did you think of it? Did you like it? Hate it? Feel free to leave a review and let me know. Have a shelltastic day!