Leorai A-Z Challenege

Balance

Breathe....don't look down....breathe....don't look down.....breathe.....don't look down
With his arms spread out like he was balancing on a tightrope in a circus and his gaze directed before him, Leonardo made each step he took careful and slow.
He knew this was dangerous, but come on....he face worse situations than walking across the very narrow ledge of a startlingly tall building. Besides, this was practice and it felt relaxing. He remembered Master Splinter telling him that balancing was one of the important skills of the ninja.
Leo felt his muscles loosen at ease and his breathing becoming steady. He was finally beginning to master his stunt and not just that....but he felt so relaxed. The gentle breeze he felt against his skin and the echoes of the city's noises helped him feel calm and focus on his act better.
The young ninja also remembered Splinter telling him that one of the best ways to feel relaxed in order to keep yourself balanced is to allow your subconscious wander to something else. Something that you makes you feel calm. And so Leonardo took that advice and ran with it. But what exactly was he going to think about? Now there was something that.....wasn't so relaxing.
Perhaps he should envision the night sky above him? His brothers? Master Splinter?
What?
.............
...............
....Karai....

Leonardo took a deep breath. As he kept his eyes on the ledge, the young female ninja wandered around in his head as if she were a tiny ballerina and his own head was her music-box. Huh...Karai as a ballerina? No way. She was too tomboy-ish for that.
Leo couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Karai wearing a black leotard and a red, frilly skirt with tights and ballet shoes and her hair done up. It was an entertaining thought to him.
Karai wasn't exactly ballerina material, in all honesty. That sounded stupid since Karai was as lithe as a cat and agile as a bird, both qualities perfect for a ballerina. A ninja too. But that wasn't really it. Ballerinas were always considered feminine and perfect and pure. Karai was something else.
Karai was tough as nails, a magnet for trouble, always played jump-rope with the line between bad and good, and was unpredictable.
....And Leonardo wouldn't have her any other way....
Something about these thoughts concerning the female ninja brought Leo to another memory of his, this one about what Master Splinter told him when he was younger....

"Master Splinter, I'll be honest...I hope to rid the world of all evil some day." the little turtle said to his adoptive father/teacher. The rat-man carefully placed his cup of tea down onto the table. "Unfortunately, my son, I believe that such a quest would be impossible." he said. Leonardo looked up at him in surprise. "What? Master Splinter! You're always telling us about the good and the evil and defeating the evil!" he exclaimed. Splinter reached over to his son and lifted him up, then placed him in his lap. "Let me explain to you about something called...balance."
Leonardo rose an eyeridge at his father. "Donnie says balance is even distribution or something like that. Like when things are equal."  Leonardo spoke up. Splinter nodded. "In definition, it is. But balance can be more than that." he said. Now Leonardo was really interested.
"You see, evil is not something that can be obliterated completely. Even if it was, good will have no meaning anymore. It will be almost nothing. But without the good, the evil will overcome, but it too will be nothing. Nobody would know what they are if one of them ceased to exist. Good and evil must balance each other. Good cannot destroy evil, but it can control it and prevent it from taking over. The same is with the evil. One cannot exist without the other. In ways, they help each other. They give each other...balance."

When Splinter stopped, the turtle child was in deep thought. As usual, Splinter was right. It made sense to Leonardo. "But...can I at least make evil stop taking over?" he asked. Splinter smiled. "Of course, my son. I believe in you in doing so. But remember: balance is not only equality, but stability brought between separate parties. No matter how different they may be. Because in ways, they help each other. They bring stability to each other. That is balance." he finished. Leo looked down at his feet and muttered, "....balance...."

The memory on balance and the thoughts of Karai connected together within Leonardo's subconscious. As said before, Karai had played jump-rope with the line between good and bad. She wasn't evil, but she was no saint. And Leonardo liked that about her.
His world was once black and white but it was separated with beautiful gray when he met Karai. She showed him the balance between good and bad. She offered him balance. While he was serious about his job as leader and hero, she gave him the opportunity to loosen up and have fun. She was new to the role of being all-good, but he made it easier for her with help due to him being no stranger to the good side. He offered her what she would need and she with him.
Together, like the yin and yang, they brought balance to each other.