When we got back to the lair, I had to excuse myself. Tonight... Tonight had been rough on me I was was honestly questioning myself. Was I really being a sister, or was I just a brat. Was there some right to my wrong or was there too much error that needed erasing? I really was trying to figure out what to think.

      I walked into the dojo, and thankfully, Sensei was meditating under the tree. As soon as I spotted him, I was over and kneeling before him. I needed to speak my mind about this. There was too much for me to comprehend on my own. I think I honestly needed to dissect the situation and find the underlining.

     As soon as I kneeled, Sensei opened his eyes, "Alexis... Something troubles you."

     I nodded, "It's about the past two days. I... I don't even know what to think."

     "Please explain."

     I did. I told him all about king of the hill to after our escape from Karai. I told him about my brat-i-ness. (It's a word now, deal with it). I spoke of the fear I felt and how I wished I had spoken in the first place. I wasn't interrupted, I was only met with nods and encouraging looks to continue speaking. When I finished, he was stroking his beard.

     "Let us start from the beginning," he told me. "This started when Raphael marked Leonardo's katana with insulting words."

     "I don't know how often he brings it up, but I know he always questions himself about being leader," I admitted.

      "And with how you defused the situation?"

      I sighed, "I know I was being childish. I could have gone about it differently, but I was mad that Raph would strike a blow to Leo consistence."

      "Do you find Leonardo to be helpless in personal battles?"

      "Not at all! I probably should have left it be, but as a defense, a troubled consistence can lead to a doubting leader. " He raised a brow as I continued, "As an excuse... I've been struck that was before and that lead to me drowning in a hole of darkness."

      He nodded, "Good. You know what should have happened and have learned from your mistakes."

     "Pardon?"

      "You realized too late that you should have left the situation to defuse on its own. When you choose your battles, make sure they are yours to begin with. When you enter a fight that you had nothing to do with in the first place, where will that leave you in the end?"

      "I see. But what about when I was with Karai?"

      "That is another tale." He stood and walked towards his shrine of Teng Shen, "You suffer with nightmares of Shredder. Your time with him, should have been avoided, but fate seemed to believe you worthy of suffering."

      It felt that way. For better or worse, I knew it had changed me as a person all together. At the same time, it was one of my greatest fears. Amazingly enough, as much as I dreamt of the place of hell, I feared words more...maybe even spiders. Yet, I was curious as what this man was getting at.

     "While you have become physically stronger, your metal strength still needs to be trained. You are emotional, a normal trait and nothing to be ashamed of. As a kunoichi in training, you need to learn to control emotional impulses. It is the same as when Raphael allows his anger to lead over sense and and head."

     "Oh..."

      "But I applaud you." I tilted my head, wondering what the heck I had done, "You remained with Leonardo even though it meant facing your greatest fear and threat. While I believe you forced yourself into a situation that you were not ready for, not only did you face a fear..." He walked back and placed a hand on my head, "You handled it like a true warrior."

      I felt heat rise to my face with a blush along with a smile. I felt defeated, but I had gained a victory from it after all. Though it might have been small, it was a grand achievement to me. The man who was both my father and teacher had given me a complement that made my confidence grow ever so slightly and it was something he thought was the making of a warrior.

      I knew it would have been out of bounds in Japan, I stood and hugged sensei. I knew he was caught by surprise, but he returned it. I needed to hear those words. I was lost without touch and sound. Without words, I didn't know what was right or wrong. Without touch, I didn't know my worth. As much as I hated it, I needed affirmation in both speech and contact. Thankfully, it seemed that sensei somehow knew.

      "Thank you, Father."

      "You are welcome." His hand went to rest on my shoulder, "Now go get some rest. Tomorrow, I'd like to work with you on defense."

       "Hai." I smiled, "I'll do that. Thank you. Really, sensei. Thank you."

       He smiled back and pushed my towards the exit. That, I couldn't argue with.

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A/N: HA! Father daughter moment! *confetti falls from the sky and the masses are cooing* I feel so accomplished and complete. So this for I Admit, I Can be a Brat. Leo says Alex excused herself to speak with sensei and then headed straight for bed.

      I wanted to know myself... Why exactly did she go talk to sensei? What was on her mind that made her go and confront him? So here it is. Splinter would listen, but he knows Alex is smart enough to know what can change in the future. It's just more development and helping her grow to be the woman she is later on in our tale.

Tootles~

-Muse