Over in China, the sun only let its tip show on the horizon, but was absent from the sight of the mountains. The sky was pink and purple overhead, readying the people and animals below for the numerous stars the night was going to present. In the Wu Kwan, Miwa was by herself. The Ancient One had retired to his quarters moments after eating. If there was anything better he liked to do other than eating was sleeping after a good meal. The woman sat on her bed. She sat criss cross, planning on whether or not to ready herself for bed or look after the missing turtle. Hours earlier, Venus left to scope out the nearby village for any Foot soldiers snooping around. The young turtle informed her that she would be back before nightfall, but by the position of the sun, that was soon to come.

Making the decision for her, she heard a faint noise far from her room. It sounded much like the door was being opened and closed. Her assumptions were confirmed as she heard footsteps on the hardwood floor as someone searched for her.

"I'm in here." Miwa called behind her door. It didn't take long until Venus appeared in the hallway. The turtle smirked as she came through the door. "I thought I had to come out after you." Miwa commented as Venus sat next to her on the bed. It bounced some due to her weight. She looked disappointed. Miwa waited to listen.

"I got nothing!" She belted from her throat. Miwa put a finger to her lips to try and quiet her for the sake of the Ancient One's sleep. Venus shook her head, although she understood; she had to let it out after being silent for hours. "Nobody looked remotely like the Foot."

"Strange. What have you done?" Miwa inquired. Venus shrugged her shoulders.

"I couldn't do much. The Foot are well aware who I am and what I have done to their organization." She could walk amongst the people easily now back in her homeland, but if the Foot are around, it has become a dangerous situation that could mess up their own mission or result in the downfall of herself. The stress was too much to bear. Everything was against her. She allowed her palm to hit her on the forehead a numerous amount of times. Miwa let her as she tried to work things out herself. "Do you know how hard it is to stick to the few shadows in broad daylight, plus my size?! Being up in the trees was my only outlet." Miwa shook her head. As a master of the arts, she normally would not tolerate excuses from her students, yet there were rare occasions where she had to consider Venus'. No matter how she wanted to imagine, she would never understand what it was like to be a turtle, let alone a ninja turtle. She grabbed hold of Venus' wrist with a loving grip. Slowly, she pulled it away from her forehead. There was no resistance from Venus, but she kept her head low.

"Perhaps that is why you could not retrieve any information?" the woman suggested. The turtle shook her head. Then, she leaned far forward. In doing so, the rest of her body followed. The bed bounced as the turtle fell. Her head landed in the lap of her former master's lap. She stretched her body out, legs sticking out and arms tucked underneath her body. Miwa took a hand to stroke her head sweetly.

"Wish I could say yes, but being up there gave me a clear view below. No Foot were down there today." Miwa's hand motions changed from stroking in straight lines to circles just above her brow. Venus let her shoulders relax and fall into her lap. "Maybe they moved on to another village." She suggested while looking up. Miwa didn't stop her strokes, which Venus had hoped not to happen. The woman just kept her gaze up, thinking.

"Maybe so," she nodded. "But the people said they've been there for days. Try again tomorrow, okay?" Venus felt her leaning over her head. Miwa's stomach curled and fell over her as she leaned to look at her in the eye. She could see a single lime orb look back at her. Seeing her made the terrapin smile and look back down to the sheets.

"Alright." She was unsure, but agreed to give it another try. A content sound came from Miwa's throat.

They took the time to sit there together. There was no rush to go back home. Miwa lay back, her head rested on her pillows. Venus was not too far, lying down near her chest. She kept her eyes closed, letting her fingers massage her clothed head. It felt good. The loving feeling was something she had been deprived of since she left home. Also, nostalgia hit as she remembered being in the same exact position when she was a young child. Having a bad day and being upset, she would always come to Miwa to be loved upon and held. She truly was a mother to her when Mona was too busy to play the part. Even sometimes, Mona would be there with them. They'd all lie down together and forget their problems. Just sit and relax, leaving the cruel world outside the room's walls. "Leo's at home?" the question crept into her mind as she recalled the day silently.

"Yes." Miwa answered, her stroke delayed. "He left without dinner, again." Venus sighed heavily.

"Again?" she whined. Lately, the healthy terrapin had gained some nasty habits of not eating. Only sometimes he would accept a meal, but even then, he didn't each much. "What's wrong with him? He knows better than this."

"Leonardo has been slipping into a surly state. I see him cursing and punishing himself at the Wu Kwan, and then he is his old self when he is home. The exercises are getting harder. His mind is trying to juggle multiple things at once." She explained. Miwa stopped her strokes, recalling how she saw his struggle, both mentally and physically. With the disrupted caresses, Venus shimmied up the bed. Her head rested on the edge of Miwa's second pillow.

"I wonder what that is." She asked herself more than Miwa. The turtle let out a sigh.

"I believe you already know." Venus looked up. Her sensei looked up at her with sincere eyes. Miwa knew, and Venus now knew that she knew. Now that she thought about it, it probably wasn't too hard to notice based on Leonardo's behavior. The turtle smiled sheepishly, wanting to turn away from Miwa's face. Instead, she sat up from the bed, her body hunched over her legs.

"Yeah, but it can't be just that. He's struggling to admit something else. I know he is; I sense it."

"Nothing gets past those senses of yours." Miwa smiled. Venus turned to look at her. She let her teeth show as well, laughing between them. Miwa truly understood her now, and now she knew what was going on. Venus couldn't ask for anything else in the lonely world she now lived in.

"Can I get two bowls to go?" She asked. "I'll try to get him eating." Having nothing for hours, she just realized how famished she was. Miwa gave her a nod of the head.

"Of course."

Venus tried to open the door with a minimal amount of creaking. The sun had already gone down, so the house was very dark. She lit one of the candles nearby and took it with her as she ventured through the house. The two bowls she had taken were held in one arm held against her body while the other held out the candle.

"Leonardo?" She called. "Leo?" No answer. Her first stop was her own bedroom, in which she dropped her bowl off to reduce the strain of the balancing act she was commencing. With the second, she was going to deliver to the other turtle of the house. There was no glow against the walls of the house, meaning there was no candle lit for the other turtle to see. She really hoped that he wasn't asleep. Now she brought an extra for nothing and he was sleeping on empty. Tip toeing to Mona's room, she peeked inside, candle first. Sure enough, there he was; shell up and covered with a blanket on the floor.

"Leo. Leo." She whispered. His body had not moved, remaining as still as it was when she came in. The female turtle sighed. "I don't get it." She whispered. "You're not yourself anymore." She commented. Leonardo stayed still, his breathing was shallow. Venus turned her head away and walked off in the darkness to put the uneaten food in the refrigerator. Soon, she was in her own room, eating her food in her bed and in silence with only a candle as her entertainment and light source. In the other, Leonardo remained still. What the female terrapin had failed to notice was that he was wide awake. His head under the covers; his eyes and ears were open but did not dare to respond. He heard what she said. He heard her disappointment. Leo lay there with the idea of him changing dawning on him. He knew he was, and he hated it. Yet, he couldn't help it. That night, he tried to fall into unconsciousness with the thought running through his mind and an empty stomach.