I don't own TMNT or UY.

Apparently FF dislikes double question marks. This irritates me.

EDIT: FF also apparently dislikes question marks and exclamation points next to each other. This really makes me angry since it messes up the infliction I'm going for in certain sentences. Does any-one have any suggestion on how to either fix this or a substitute of some kind I could use?

Xxxxx

I did not sleep well that night.

It seemed to be turning into a habit of sorts as I found myself continuously waking up from strange dreams lately. They were never overly disturbing and I never remembered them once I was properly awake apart from the unsettling feeling they left me with, but it was still an annoyance when I found myself waking up earlier than I needed to and was too restless to go back to sleep. So far however, it had only happened now and again with a good number of days in between where I was able to sleep like the dead. This was the first time I woke up from a dream the second night in a row.

The previous night I had put it down as unease as to what Lord Nagahashi's envoy might say. I had been worried that we were getting involved with something that a small group of people like us had no hope of standing up against. I was still unconvinced that there wasn't something strange happening within those palace walls regarding this situation and the strange messenger who had appeared out of nowhere, but my worries had been tamed and I'd been sure that I could rest easy tonight, confident that there was nothing to be overly concerned about.

This was not the case. I fell asleep just fine, but as I slept I could feel an anxiety growing within me. A sort of primordial fear, as you would feel when you're half asleep and lying alone in the dark, plagued by inventive but unnerving images that your imagination seemed to be toying with. I could feel myself drift in and out of sleep, one moment aware of the subtle sounds and darkness of the room I was in and the next lost to my own mind.

Eventually, fatigue won out and I fell properly asleep, but this did not help. If anything it made matters worse as pure sleep brought about proper dreams which I could not escape from so easily.

Tonight was the first time some recollection of what I had been dreaming about stayed with me as I woke up. The memory was shattered into fragments as soon as I opened my eyes, but I could recall that I had dreamt about myself as well as another person, or perhaps it had been several people. I think we had been discussing something, or we might have been listening to some-one saying something to us, or perhaps I had been a witness to a conversation between two other people. I could not remember. As soon as I tried to piece the memory together I became frustrated and lost track of what I could really remember and what I was making up to fill in the gaps of logic.

Regardless though, I remember that whoever the conversation had been between, the topic was something that, for some reason, I felt a little repulsed by. I could not clearly remember my emotions towards the speaker though. The memory was confused on whether I felt frightened of them, angry at their presence, or if I felt a certain degree of affection for them. When I woke up there was a strange sadness clutching at my heart, and I felt reluctant to go back to sleep.

I had not slept as much as I should have the night before and I could feel fog in my head, signalling that I hadn't slept enough tonight either.

I wrestled with myself for a few moments before I gave in and sat up. I gave a sigh, running a hand through the fur on my head as I stared at the hills and valleys created by the blanket over my knees. It was still dark, but the thin, cool sting of the air seemed to suggest that sunrise was not far away. It was that awkward time where you have woken up too early to do anything, but going back to sleep would be futile as you would need to be awake in a few short hours anyway.

I shared a room with the four turtle brothers which may have made the room slightly stuffy, but it also helped keep it warmer than it would have been otherwise. But I did not feel like sitting in the dark waiting for them to wake up. I got up, got dressed and made my way downstairs. I did not know whether the innkeeper or his wife would be awake yet, but I felt no harm could come from me lighting a lamp and waiting for my travelling companions to wake up.

The wind had died, and in the silence of the early morning I could almost trick myself into thinking I could hear the soft fall of snowflakes outside, but it was more than likely just my imagination. Once every-one was awake we needed to check the weather and assess when and how we intended to travel back to Sanshobo's temple. Once there we would be right back where we started; trying to find a way for the four brothers to return home somehow.

I rubbed at my face. I was sure there was another way we could approach the problem and get them home, but the answer eluded me. And the more I thought about it the more frustrated and hindered I felt. I gave a sigh, crossing my arms over the top of the table and rested the side of my face against them, staring at the wall beside me as I tried to think of how I could approach this problem differently.

I felt as if I was trying to bore a hole through a stone wall with a woman's hairpin. I wished rather childishly that there was some-one I could ask for help. Some-one who might provide us with an easy answer and I would no longer have to wrack my head trying to come up with a solution on my own. Yes, Leonardo and his brothers were trying to think of something as well, but I still felt as if the responsibility fell on me as their guide and friend. I knew more of this world and its workings than they did.

I felt as if we had been swept up by a river, but instead of being washed out to the ocean we had been caught in an endless maelstrom which was spinning us around and around, overpowering and overwhelming us with its waves, with no-one who could throw a life line to pull us free. The situation seemed to be becoming more and more hopeless, and I felt as if I was drowning.

"Hey? Usagi?"

I jumped as I realised a hand was on one of my shoulders that wasn't my own. I hadn't even been aware of any-one coming into the room, let alone coming close enough to touch me.

I blinked my eyes back into focus to see who was there. The person had been surprised when I'd sat upright so sharply, but now stared back at me with a concerned frown, relaxing again.

"You ok?" Leonardo asked.

I nodded, rubbing at an eye. The corners of Leonardo's mouth pulled slightly as he watched me. He then rounded the table and sat down opposite me, not breaking his eye-contact. I gave my head a slight shake, hoping to gather my senses a little better before I tuned to stare back at him.

"You startled me." I said.

"I dunno how." Leonardo frowned at me. "I think I called you twice before you reacted."

I felt the skin on my cheeks grow hot in embarrassment as I gave a sheepish laugh, a nervous habit I seem to have. "I must have dozed off."

"Either that or you were completely comatose." Leonardo said with a lopsided grin, although he still looked concerned. "What's wrong? Couldn't you sleep?"

I was feeling too groggy to try and give a long explanation so I merely nodded. "I seem to have come down with a bad case of insomnia recently."

Leonardo made a wincing noise. "Sounds like fun."

"Not exactly what we need if I am to lead us back to Sanshobo's temple." I said, straightening in my seat.

Leonardo gave a thoughtful nod at this, biting his bottom lip as his gaze drifted downwards. He then looked up at me again, focusing back on the present. "Well, it's not gonna help if you keel over on us. I guess we'll put it off for another day until you actually manage to get some sleep." a smile spread on his face. "Sleep in a bed that is. Not ontop of a table."

I pulled a face, but I felt very grateful for his compassion. I had half a mind to go back upstairs and try to get an extra hour's sleep before we discuss what we should do from this point, but I knew I couldn't do so. The other three would be awake soon and no doubt anxious to know what we were planning.

"Are you still worried about this Nagahashi guy?" Leonardo asked conversationally.

I frowned at him slightly. "No more than I was yesterday. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I'm just wondering if that's maybe what kept you up."

I made a thoughtful noise to myself. "I suppose it is possible... but I doubt it."

"Really?" Leonardo pulled a face. "Why?"

I made a frustrated noise. I didn't feel like giving him the full story, but I knew if I tried to avoid the subject he would keep prying until his worries were calmed and that would end up being a lot more taxing than simply telling him. "I think perhaps I am overly concerned on how to get you and your brothers home."

Leonardo blinked at me, seemingly surprised by this. "...You're that worried about it?"

I shook my head. "Not so much worried as frustrated. I keep feeling there is a simple answer and in my desperation I am searching for complicated solutions when the key to getting you home is ingeniously straightforward."

"I agree this whole thing sucks hard." Leonardo said, staring at me with a reproachful frown. "But you shouldn't let it get to you so badly that its keeping you up at night."

I made a meaningless noise at this. "It is not intentional, I assure you."

"Hey guys!" a much too cheerful voice greeted us as Mikey walked over, smiling at Leonardo and me.

"Oh hey." Leonardo said. "You're up early for...you know... ...you."

"Geez! I haven't even sat down yet and you're already starting with me!" Mikey said with a frown as he did so. "I'm just itching to get going is all!" The frown immediately changed itself into a grin. "I figured since we got this whole Naga-whatever mess sorted out we should be good to go back to the temple right?"

Leonardo and I exchanged glances. I wasn't sure what to say.

Leonardo turned back to Mikey. "Actually, we think we're gonna take an extra night before we head back."

"Aww, really? Why?" Mikey said with an obvious pout.

Leonardo seemed unsure about how to answer before he said; "We just got here the day before yesterday. I think we should take an extra day just to catch our breath before we hit the road again."

I breathed a silent sigh in relief.

Mikey seemed disappointed but apparently accepted the answer. "I guess that makes sense." He smiled again. I was getting dizzy watching him go back and forth with his emotions. "So what're we talking about? You guys seemed to be having a pretty deep conversation when I walked in."

Leonardo sighed. "Just the usual stuff. What do we do now. How the heck do we get home." he gave a shrug. "Nothing new."

"Is that all you guys ever talk about?" Mikey said, pulling a face of what looked like honest annoyance. "You're getting boring talking about the same things over and over again."

"Yeah well, if we could figure something out I'd more than happy to talk about something else Mikey." Leonardo said, halfway between amusement and annoyance.

"Arggh." Mikey made an irritated noise, rocking in his seat. "Can't we pay some-one to do all this figuring out stuff for us? At least then we could use our time to do other stuff that doesn't bore the creamy nougat centre outta me!"

"Hey, if you know of any-one be my guest." Leo chuckled. "Until then we're on our own."

"It is funny." I said, leaning back slightly. "I was thinking more or less the same thing a short while ago. Except I was wishing we could ask some-one for help rather than have them do everything for us."

"Like asking for directions or something?" Mikey asked, scrunching his muzzle slightly. "Only girls ask for directions Usagi!"

I laughed slightly. "No. More like some-one who would actually know more about this sort of thing than us."

"Like who?" Mikey asked, staring at me with large eyes.

I ran a hand over my face. "No-one. I was merely feeling frustrated and amused myself with the idea."

"Aw man. Why you gotta build my hopes up like that?" Mikey said disappointedly.

"Come on Mike. You weren't actually expecting there'd be some-one here who'd know about stuff like portals and things did you?" Leonardo said with a smile.

Mikey gave a shrug. "Why not? Usagi and Gen know don't they? There's gotta be other people who do too right?"

"I guess so..." Leonardo said although he sounded reluctant to accept this possibility.

"We know how to use them," I said, feeling I needed to prevent any misunderstandings on this topic. "But we do not in actuality know how they work. We know as much as you do really."

"So don't you guys have like... portal experts or something?" Mikey pressed. "Like some-one who'd actually know more about all this other dimension and travelling back and forth between them and stuff?"

I shook my head. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"Oh come on! There's gotta be some-one!" Mikey whined. "I mean aren't there things like people who specialises in er... creepy crud?"

"Like what exactly?" Leonardo asked with a confused frown.

"You know." Mikey said, turning to focus on him. "Portals, other dimensions, ghosts, demons, Summoning monsters to do their bidding... you know! Typical magic stuff!"

Something clicked inside my head.

"Sounds like you've been playing waaaay too many video games Mikey." Leonardo rolled his eyes at him.

"How?" Mikey retorted with a sulk. "In case you haven't noticed they don't exactly have the newest Xbox here! If anything I'm in withdrawal!" He stared at the ceiling wistfully. "First thing I'm gonna do when I get back is a serious game marathon! Something with lots of gore and-"

"Say that again!" I said, standing from my seat slightly. I could feel a plan trying to form itself in the back of my head and was afraid that if we veered from the conversation it would vanish.

Mikey blinked in confusion. "Say what? Xbox?" He put his hands on the table, tracing the imaginary boundary of what looked like a box. "See it's a big square thing like this-"

I shook my head hurriedly. "No no before that!"

He frowned at me. "What? Creepy crud?"

I nodded, feeling the urgency rise in me. "Yes! What did you say?"

Mikey rubbed his chin in an melodramatic display of thought. "I said other dimensions, summoning demons.. ..uhm.. ..I think I said something about monsters." He gave a shrug. "Just... ordinary magic stuff."

I dropped my gaze, scanning the top of the table unseeingly as I tried to wrestle and pin down the thought that had struck me, trying to deconstruct it.

"Is something wrong Usagi?" I heard Leo's voice ask.

I shook my head, standing upright. "Not at all! In fact, I think I may have come up with an idea!"

"About what?" Mikey stared at me with a confused expression. "Getting home?"

"Yes!" I nodded, thinking it over again franticly.

"What?" Leonardo got up at this, rounding the table to stand next to me. "What? How?"

"I am thinking!" I said, afraid I might break the plan forming in my head. However, I was pretty confident it might actually be something that could help us. I turned my focus back on Leonardo. "I think I might know something we can do to find out how to get you home."

"So tell us already!" Mikey blurted out impatiently, standing up too. "C'mon, spit it out!"

"We are going to ask some-one for help." I said, frowning slightly as I though it over once again, calming down enough so that some more troubling realities starting entering my head.

"Wow. That's.. ..anti-climactic." Mikey said, sitting down again.

"Wait a minute!" Leonardo interrupted, his energy still running high. "Usagi, what d'you mean we're gonna ask for help? Who on earth's gonna help us with something like this?"

"Some-one who specialises in, as Mikey-kun put it, 'creepy things'." I said, turning to him. "We need one who is adept in maho."

They both stared at me dumbly.

"'Maho'." Leonardo repeated. "You mean magic?"

"Yes." I curled a hand around my chin, thinking it over again, a little calmer this time. "Although in all honesty, I am not overly keen on sorcery. However I do believe we have reached a stage where we can not afford prejudice to stop us from exploring any opportunity we can think of to get you home."

"So what're you gonna do? Call up Glinda the Good Witch or something?" Mikey asked.

I frowned at him. "Who?"

"Ignore him." Leonardo said, waving a hand in Mikey's direction as if to shoo him. "But seriously. You're really thinking of trying to find some-one to just zap us home with magic?"

My frown deepened as I looked back and forth between them. "Of course not. It does not work that way. But we could at the very least ask why you are unable to open a doorway back home. That will give us some answers and a starting point we can work from."

"Yeah but who're you gonna ask?" Mikey piped up again. "I mean, are ya just gonna go find the local fortune-teller or something?"

"No of course not." I said, rubbing my forehead in frustration. I was too tired for this lack of understanding. "We will need some-one who is in tune with the spirit world. A crone. But I am not sure where we could find such a thing."

"This is starting to sound a little ridiculous." Leonardo said with an aggravated sigh.

"Well I say we go for it!" Mikey said with a bright, hopeful smile.

"Let me see if I can find any word of some-one with those kinds of gifts being in the area." I said, turning to Leonardo. "It may be futile, but it is the closest we have come to having a real plan."

Leonardo frowned quietly to himself before he sighed in defeat. "I guess so. But I'm not sure I like the idea."

"Oh I am completely against it." I said cheerfully, smiling at him. "But it is the first thing I have thought of that sounds even remotely possible of helping us."

"Or we could all end up as frogs." Mikey said thoughtfully.

I laughed at this. "Hags do not turn people into frogs!" I sat back down at the table. "They eat you."

"Oh is that all." Mikey said, pulling a face at me as he paled slightly.

I had made the suggestion of trying to speak with a witch literally as the idea had hit me, not taking time to sit back and fully think the option over before I let Leonardo and Mikey know what I was thinking. In retrospect this was perhaps a very bad idea. I myself am more or less against maho and sorcery. In all of my experiences, it has only ever lead to trouble and, in some cases, serious injury on my part. Experience has taught me that of all the things that are to be avoided in this world, sorcery, ghosts and obakemono are at the very top of the list. I should have thought this over more thoroughly before I said anything, but it was too late now and having made the suggestion, I couldn't turn around and decide not to go through with it. I would of course, try and find out if any such a person exists near the town and if they do I will dutifully let Leonardo and his brothers know, but I was half hoping that I wouldn't find anything.

It was not only self-preservation that made me reluctant to seek out a witch or yama-uba, but I was also concerned it might end up causing more harm than good for my friends. But, I have never been one to let fretting and anxiety prevent me from doing something that might prove to be useful. If you let hesitance rule your life you will never end up making any kind of progress or achievement.

The truth remains that a hag might be able to provide us with an answer, and that is something I feel my friends were desperately owed. If there were consequences to this I would take them upon myself as this was my idea and at the end of the day, my fault if anything should go wrong.

I said none of this to either Leonardo or Mikey though as the topic drifted to more pleasant things that did not involve unsettling powers or cannibalistic monsters. I said very little, but I enjoyed watching the eldest and youngest brothers' interaction with each other. Being part of an active conversation was keeping me awake and helped pull me out of my weariness so that I could work my way through the rest of the day without being groggy. I have done more on much less sleep during circumstances much more dire than this. I would be fine.

After some time Raphael joined us and not to long after him, Donatello came down as well. By this stage we were not the only group awake and the downstairs was starting to bustle and become quite lively with other patrons who were looking for a meal to start their day.

Raphael and Donatello both seemed fine with the idea of us spending another night here which I was relieved about. I was even more relieved that they didn't seem concerned enough to question why. Truth be told I felt I was more than capable of leading us back as it was, but with nothing to rush us I was more than happy to recharge and lead us back to Sanshobo's temple when I felt more rested.

However, one thing I was not eager to discuss with Raphael and Donatello... particularly Raphael, was this new plan of searching for a witch to give us some insight on how to get them home. Call it a hunch, but I was pretty sure Raphael would have something to say about that, and I really did not feel like arguing with him. So, I tactfully excused myself, not even waiting for food before I left the inn and decided to see where would be a good place to look for gossip and rumours.

The weather was much better today. It was almost sunny and the wind had died. I don't think it had snowed the night before either. It was, I had to admit, perfect weather for travelling. I wandered the streets of the town, staying closer to the commoner's district, hoping that they would have looser tongues than the autocracy although I wasn't sure how eager they would be to share gossip with some-one of a higher class such as myself. But perhaps I could find some-one who was a traveller such as myself and would be willing to divulge some information.

I was content walking through the town for a while though, even if nothing came of this little venture. I was pretty sure I had travelled through this part of the country at some stage, but I had never visited this town or its surrounding lands before. The province itself was small and it was north of the Geishu lands.

If given the choice, I would most certainly always choose to travel through the Geishu lands. For various reasons.

The town seemed all in all pleasant as far as towns go. I had no doubt it had its share of problems, but the people did not seem miserable or hungry and it was clear this Lord Nagahashi was providing for them. There was a rather large presence of samurai, all bearing the arched mon of Lord Nagahashi but other than that it seemed as normal as any other city I've seen.

I knew better than to try and speak to a samurai serving the lord though, and instead tried to see if I could find any ronin. Luck was with me as I found a rather tall, sturdy looking man who seemed eager for some company. Especially company who would pay for a drink.

Once we got some sake involved in the conversation I asked him if he'd seen anything strange in the woods around these parts, not really expecting much. Or perhaps hoping not to hear much. To my surprise however, I got the exact opposite reaction.

"Where do I start?" The man said as he took a swig from the sake jug. "According to the peasants the woods around these parts are crawling with all kinds of strange things in the night!"

"Really? I didn't know that." I said, careful of how much I let myself believe whatever it is he was about to tell me.

He nodded enthusiastically, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. "Oh yes! Nothing big of course. No overly violent obake or ghosts, but certainly strange things." He pointed with the jug of alcohol in the direction of the city's wall. "When I was approaching the town when I first arrived the sun was just setting. I knew for a fact that I saw strange lights among the trees, trying to lure me away from the road and deeper into the forest."

"Fox-fires?" I asked with a light frown.

The man nodded. "Maybe. I didn't trust them and kept to the road so I didn't investigate. But I've heard the locals here talk about similar things stalking them at night recently, although you never know how much you can trust the talk of peasants. Superstitious lot that they are."

I nodded, turning away from the wall and back to him. "But that's all there is around here?"

"Don't drop your guard that easily." The man said, waving the jug at me as if to scold me like a child. "The strange lights are the only thing I can give you a personal account on, but I've heard all kinds of strange things. I've heard peasants who say they've actually seen foxes in the woods."

I pulled a grim face. I'd rather not get involved in anything to do with those creatures if I could help it.

"But it doesn't stop there." the man went on casually. "There're stories of a young woman who lures who she can into the woods where she will kill and devour them. Some of the locals claim she's a vicious monster in disguise who reveals her true form before she does so."

"Sounds like typical superstitious nonsense to me." I said, not believing this story for a second. "I suppose when something as mundane as lights in the woods is all there is people feel a need to over-dramatize everything."

"Maybe." the man shrugged, still nursing his sake. "But I suppose that's how it is. People will talk. I haven't heard anything to really support this woman story though. But people around this area seem content to listen and concoct macabre stories to tell each other. I've heard a few tales about Lord Nagahashi's palace itself being haunted."

"That is going a bit far isn't it?" I said, pulling a face at this.

"I guess so yes." The man said. I noticed the sake jar was getting tilted back further and further. His drink was almost finished. "But then can you really blame them? Ever since Lord Nagahashi's son died the whole town seems to be eager to spread the morbidity."

I blinked, surprised at this. "Lord Nagahashi's son is dead?"

The man frowned at me. "You haven't heard?"

I shook my head. "I arrived in town about 2 days ago."

The man relaxed again and nodded in understanding. "You're obviously not from around here then. Lord Nagahashi's son, Fuyuki, died about 2 months ago from a horrific illness. I believe the boy had been sick for a little under 2 weeks before he finally passed away. Very sad business that. He couldn't have been older than 10."

Somewhere inside me I felt an uncomfortable chord being struck at this. I did not really want to hear about little boys dying and leaving behind grieving fathers.

"That is a tragic event." I nodded. "I was not aware of this."

The man nodded again. "Apparently it's sparked all kinds of rumours and gossip. I've even heard some of the commoners blame a yama-uba living in the woods. However I've never heard of any such thing being around these parts. I think they're just trying to find something to blame for the tragedy."

I blinked, suddenly reminded of why I was having this conversation in the first place. "They say there is a crone in these woods?"

"That's what they say." The man said, pulling a disgusted face at this. "But who knows if its true. She's suppose to live in a small shack by the river where the rapids are. They claim she's responsible for several people going missing in that area, but from what I can tell that terrain is very dangerous already. It's easy to fall and get hurt. And in this weather you know you'll either freeze to death or hungry tokage will take advantage of the situation."

I nodded in agreement, although I wasn't so quick to write off the possibility of a witch being in the nearby woods just yet. That she was the cause of sickness though, I highly doubted.

"Well, I need to be on my way." the man said, putting the now empty jug back in my hands, leaving me to decide what to do with it. "Thanks for the drink pal. If you come across anything strange let me know."

I smiled at him as I adjusted my hand on the jug, finding the rope tied around its neck so I could carry it better. "I will, although I do not think there is anything out there really." I lied.

"There are strange lights out there." the man said. "That much I can guarantee you."

"Well I thank you for the information." I said.

He nodded, turning to walk away. "Good luck. Abayo."

I watched him walk off before I raised the empty jug, pulling a face at it. What was I suppose to do with this?

I walked back to the inn, leaving the empty jug on top of a water barrel in an alley as I went. As I made my way through the town's streets, dodging hawkers and people as I went. I was surprised to see a very large crowd lined along the main road leading from the palace's gates to the gates of the town's wall. I frowned, walking closer to see what was going on.

a Procession of what was obviously Lord Nagahashi's soldiers were making their way through the town. Some were on horseback but they had already exited the town's gates and were seen making their way along the road, across the small field that separated the town from the woods. Most of the men passing us were common foot-soldiers, but every now and then the small group of men would be broken up by a handful of gunmen. Eventually a palanquin passed by although it was not as heavily guarded as it could have been, signalling that the person it was carrying was one of importance, but most certainly not the lord himself.

The procession was small as far as these things go and it passed quickly, disappearing across the field and in between the trees.

"What was that about?" I asked the person nearest to me; a noodle seller, carrying his wares on his back.

"Not sure." the older man said. He sounded rather blasé about the event. "Every few days a small troop of Lord Nagahashi's men leave the city and disappear into the woods. Lord Nagahashi hasn't made anything public though, so really it's none of our business how our Lord operates."

"Who was in the palanquin?" I asked curiously.

"A member of the court." the noodle seller said, turning away rather rudely, obviously eager to get back to his daily business. "Don't concern yourself too much samurai. It's become an average sight around here and nothing serious has come of it. Lord Nagahashi's probably just distributing troops to the rural countryside more evenly. I hear there's been a lot more incidences involving bandits along the northern coast."

"Mmm." I said, frowning deeply to myself. I did not fully trust a humble noodle seller's opinion on politics.

I turned to stare back at the Lord's palace for a few moments before I continued back to the inn, my suspicion from last night returning in full force. There was definitely something strange going on. But it would have to wait.

Once I entered the inn I became aware of how chilly it'd really been outside and gave a shudder. Leonardo was still sitting at the table as he had been earlier this morning, but the other three had disappeared, probably to take advantage of the good weather while they could.

Leonardo smiled at me, standing up when I came over. "Any luck?"

"I suppose so." I said. "A lot of hearsay and rumours... but how much of it is reliable remains to be seen."

"Ok." He frowned slightly at this, but didn't seem overly concerned. "Anything you yourself feel good about?"

"Apparently," I said. "there are rumours of a crone in the woods near the stream by the rapids, but it could be nothing more than a way to explain the disappearance of people who wander that area and fall in the water or get killed by animals."

"Worth checking out though right?" Leo said with a smile. "I mean it's the best lead you have, obviously."

"Yes." I said, feeling my initial reluctance to this endeavour return. "However, I think perhaps it would be best if I first go and scout out the area and see how reliable this rumour is."

Leo's frown became hard-set. "By yourself? And fall in the water or get killed by animals?"

I rolled my eyes at this but couldn't help but laugh slightly. "No. I intend to be a little more cautious than that."

"Yeah right." Leonardo scoffed. "Look, you know I'm gonna follow you whether you like it or not so-"

"No!" I said, a little too forcefully. "No I... I would prefer it if you didn't."

Leonardo frowned again. "Why not? Look I'm good on my feet, I won't go drowning on you. And I'm sure the two of us could fight off-"

"It is not that." I said, shaking my head.

He pulled a face, obviously getting confused. "Then what's the problem?" He smiled. "Getting sick of me?"

I shook my head again, not wanting to be disarmed by his lightheartedness. "I am just uncomfortable about this plan."

"You were the one who suggested it." Leonardo pointed out.

"Yes, and I am rather unsure whether I should have." I sighed.

"Well, no point crying over something you've already done." Leonardo shrugged. "Besides, I think we've already established you've been stressing over things harder than you should be lately. Do yourself a favour and relax ok? Besides, with two of us we can watch each other's backs. It'll be safer than you going off to what you just said was a dangerous area by yourself." He gave a small laugh suddenly. "Why do I feel like we keep having this same conversation over and over again?"

"Probably because you are a very stubborn guy." I said, grinning at him. "Or... I am a stubborn guy. I cannot tell which it is." I became serious again. "But back to the topic at hand; I do not think all five of us looking for a crone's shack will be a good idea."

Leonardo shook his head. "No worries there. Raph's made it pretty clear he doesn't like this idea one little bit. He refuses to go anywhere near some-one who can do magic."

I blinked, honestly surprised. Not that Raphael was against the plan, but that he felt strongly enough to exclude himself from this whole thing entirely. "What about Donatello-san and Mikey-kun?"

"Well... Mikey obviously doesn't like the idea of seeing what he calls a 'witch'. He's complaining and whining but I can tell he really is scared of the idea. I'm not gonna force him to do something he doesn't have to. Donny didn't say if he'd go or not. I dunno. He might go either way. I can see him wanting to check this out for himself, but on the other hand Don's a lot more interested in solid facts. I don't think magic's something he'd want to be part of." He shrugged. "We'll ask him and see."

I nodded. I was relieved to hear at least Raphael and Mikey were excluded from this rather foolish plan. I hoped Donatello would sit it out as well. I really didn't want them to get involved in anything with a yama-uba and foxes and strange lights in the forest. I would've preferred it if Leonardo stayed out of this as well, but I knew better than to try and talk him out of it.

"Where are your brothers by the way?" I asked, looking around the inn.

"Don said something about wanting to take a walk around town. Raph said he wanted to get away from me and my, quote, 'batshit crazy ideas' for a while. Mikey followed one of them but I'm not sure who." He seemed unconcerned. "They'll be fine. Let 'em cool off for a while and get some air while they can. Before we all get cabin fever and kill each other."

I nodded, half-turning to the door of the inn. "For all intents and purposes, they seem to be coping well with all of this."

"Don't be so sure." Leonardo said grimly, taking my cue and walking to follow me out of the building. "They're holding it together but it's obvious they're getting edgy about this place. Raph in particular."

"I admit Raphael-san has been acting more aggressive than usual, but he did not strike me as being overly anxious about this situation." I said.

"Oh trust me. He's getting sick of not being able to go home. I dunno if it's because he misses Master Splinter or if it's simply because he's frustrated, but I'm not gonna ask."

"At least the two young ones are being cheerful." I said, trying to veer the conversation away from anything unpleasant.

"Er... yeah. No luck there either." Leonardo said.

"What?" I turned to blink at him. "But they seem fine."

"Oh yeah they seem fine." Leonardo said. "But you don't know them like I do. Donny's keeping himself busy with his little research project, but I'm starting to think he's just using that as a way to keep himself busy. Don's the tech-whiz of our family and, to be perfectly blunt, there's absolutely nothing here that's even close to the kind of things he likes to tinker around with at home. I'm starting to think he's just gathering information as much as he is to stop himself from going nuts. As for Mikey, he's probably holding up the best out of us but I think he's getting skittish and eager to go home."

I felt a weight in my chest at hearing this although I hid it from Leonardo. "Then I am mistaken." I said simply.

"No problem. How're you suppose to know right?" He said, smiling at me.

I smiled back, but it was a hollow mask. I was still very against my own idea, but it seems that tracking down this crone might be the only option we had at the moment. I knew the four brothers were anxious to get home, but I hadn't noticed these subtleties Leonardo was talking about. I was just going to have to swallow my nervousness and see this witch. And of course refuse to let Leonardo out of my sight when we go looking for her. I didn't want another missing person added to the list.

Xxxxx

Maho – Sorcery

Yama-Uba – 'Mountain witch'.

Obakemono – haunts