The rise of the chinese sun bore from the mountaintops, spilling its light through the swinging bamboo and into her room window. Such vibrancy seeped through the cracks of her lime colored eyes, urging her to awaken. Last night was a hard one as she could feel how uncomfortable it was to sit up. It hit her. Leonardo probably hates her right now. Venus propped her knees up so she may rest her elbows onto them. Her large hands rubbed her face rather than wipe anything off of it.

The sky was still purple; she observed as she looked out. About now was the time they would wake up every morning. The female terrapin flipped back around a lay on top of her crossed hands. There she lay, wishing to doze all the while trying to listen to her roommate get ready for the day. Minutes passed until a minute turned to five, and then to ten. Peculiar; she forced herself up and stopped her sulking to check on him. If he didn't get up now, Miwa would have a herd of cows. Tip toeing, she crept around her own home. Her hands gripped the door frame first so she could pull herself to see. There lay no giant mass, let alone stand. Mona's old room was completely deserted. The blanket was not folded up neatly underneath the pillow, but tossed and stretched to the side. He didn't even take the time; he didn't want to take the time. Leonardo wanted to get out of there before Venus could wake up. The female turtle felt even worse as she turned away from the room.

By now, the sun sat directly on top of the majestic mountains. Venus took the back entry to the Wu Kwan. If Miwa wasn't in that specific room, she didn't want to face Leonardo by herself again. The back door creaked as she pulled it open and entered the kitchen. T her surprise, someone was in there. Putting down the daily newspaper was Miwa. Only her eyes were seen until she identified the visitor.

"Zǎoshang hǎo." she greeted, bringing it lower to her lap. Venus smile genuinely and relieved.

"Zǎoshang hǎo." she breathed. Miwa nodded and resumed reading. It did not dawn her what Venus' intentions were or her own mental predicament, so she carried on as usual. The female turtle looked off, bringing her hands up to grasp her shoulders. They moved up and down, nervously. "Leonardo's in the other room?" She inquired even though she couldn't hear a sound from it. The disappointed shake of Miwa's head had her already guess to what he actually may be doing at the moment.

"He was acting up, so I sent him up the Tùzǐ de yùnxíng trail." She explained. A little observation and you could tell that she wanted to keep her mind off of her newly irritated student. The shuffling of the newspapers irked her more as she wanted to search for something to distract her. "I can't believe how ornery he has become since he's been with us. He seemed like such a nice student in the beginning." There was disappointment in that last bit of her voice. The female turtle groaned gently and took a seat beside her at the table.

"I assure you he's always been. It's just been complicated lately."

"You know" her tone dropped in a low melody. "the half of that "complicated" frustration could be diminished if you talked to him." Venus looked up from her lap. Barely, Miwa lowered the newspaper once more. This time, her welcoming eyes now had a brow raised knowingly. She just shook it off with her head.

"I have talked to him." She forced out. She sounded much like an annoyed child. With a slouch and folded arms, the turtle completed the look. Her teacher didn't make much of it. She knew the situation well and knew Venus was trying to be vague about it.

"Not the way you should be." Miwa turned the page. "Learn to grow up, Mei Chan."

"Still learning." Venus grumbled.

"What was that?" That caught Venus by surprise. It wasn't an angry type of delivery, but a 'I know what you said, let me hear you say it again' type of voice. The turtle sighed.

"Nothing. You're right, but, I'm not at all comfortable about it." She brought a leg up, letting the heel of her foot sit on the edge of the main platform. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me. I didn't even imagine it since there could be no way." It was true. Never in a million years did the terrapin believe she could be in a such a predicament. She was caught off guard yet alone shy about the subject because she never wanted to think about it. One who didn't want to remember that she was probably not going to be exposed to numerous people and living the sheltered life; it was better not to imagine it. Now, she was in the middle of it and didn't know what to do. Eyes were shut up tight, trying to block any dark thoughts and wishing that the situation could disappear altogether. If you thought Leo was stressed, Venus had been stressed for the same "half frustration" he was facing, but hers was at a different angle. She wondered why she had to grow up and face these things in the first place. Everyday she gets closer to adulthood and is constantly reminded of it. Heck, Miwa just told her, but these weren't the type of things she wanted to face. Venus didn't wish for anything like this at all. How come she just couldn't live in her own world; the world Mona once let her live? Venus rolled over and hit her head on the table. Only her forehead propped her face up to allow her to breathe.

"Mutant or not, I always had faith in you." A sweet hand pressed on the sweaty, three fingered one. Through her fingertips, she could feel her shaking. Poor chihuahua, she was. The blue fabric wrapped around her head glided off of her head. Venus clenched it in her hand, letting her frustration go directly to it. "Don't let your special attributes get in the way of letting you be happy." The motherly teacher leaned over as an attempt to look at her. Feeling the pressure, Venus turned her head some towards her, dragging it along the tabletop. Eyes once bright and lime now began to change into a pink hue. The most understanding smile was granted upon her older lips in a way that soothed the terrapin girl. She returned a sad smile as she picked her face off of the table. Soon, it went away.

"Shì." The side of her palm pulled back the corner off her eye, wiping away any incoming tears. She began to nod, accepting the facts. "I'll try to fix this."

"How I want it?"

"Not really." Miwa raised a brow. Did she really have to retell her about how they got here in the first place? Venus knew and thought up quick to explain herself. "I know, I know, but I'm not ready for that yet. I have another trick up my sleeve that might take care of the 'other' half of that complication." Miwa could see that her student was so wrong up and thinking straight again, or so she hoped. "I just need to call up a friend."

"Who could that be?" The newspaper no longer interested her. Miwa awaited her answer when she got up out of her chair. On the counter was a teapot. Without whistling and watching her pour it in her cup, it was already made. Must be her second cup.

"My best friend is Leonardo's younger brother, Donatello." Miwa nodded while swallowing.

"Ah, yes. I remember Leonardo speaking of his family. Which one is this one?"

"The engineer." Her response was spritely. "He is really good and well practiced in the technological, engineering, and bōjutsu arts."

"Good boy, I assume?" She took another sip. The rim stopped just under her widened eyes. Probably the dopiest grin on a female turtle plastered Venus' face just that second.

"The sweetest." She nearly sang. It's her bestie after all; got to talk him up to make a good impression on mom. So far, so good. Miwa was grinning in her cup.

"Good. I don't want you to spend too much time with nasty folk, like that one brother he described. It might rub away at your kindness." Her joke was half-hearted, especially when she giggled for a few seconds and leaned gingerly on the counter.

"Raphael isn't bad," Venus spoke in his defense. "he's just grouchy at times. Believe me, he really is a teddy bear. A very moody teddy bear." Just about every word she hears about Raphael is negative, but never do they tell about the sweet things he does. Okay, he was totally 'rude boy' when he met Mona, but now their great friends themselves. He always looked out for everyone in a way even Leo couldn't see. Who to go to when you need some muscle building advice or non-ninjutsu training; the one to go to when someone's chasing you or beating you down knowing full well that he'll return the favor to the oppressor. He's own own special brand of sweet.

"Watashi sore o hanbai shiyou to shite kudasai. Tsuneni daremoga yūjin o tsukuru shiyō to shite imasu. (Keep trying to sell me that. Always trying to make everyone a friend)." The crooked smile on the turtle's face gave in to a playful chuckle.

"You know I can't understand you when you speak in Japanese."

"Which is why I mutter in it. You can't understand a word I say." Both shared a light moment until their stomachs settled. Miwa took another sip and looked out to the window. The sun was in the same position as it was when Venus arrived with the exception of the songbirds choosing to belt their melody at that moment. Venus sat there, much obliged to how much better she felt since arriving.

"I'll dial him up." The turtle girl reached to her side, raising her hip up. Her phone was now in her hands as she turned it on and checked the time.

"You may want to leave when you take that call." Venus looked up from the device and towards her content teacher. She kept her eyes out in the distance. Some features of her face lit up while the crevices of her eyes and under her chin were shadowed. "I see Leonardo's shadow a distance away."

"Donnie. Donnie."

"Hm?" He woke with a start. In the crack of his eye, he saw Vern with eyes peeled as he flew the night air. A shaking arm underneath him pressed his plastron for he shook him awake. Secondly, his vision could see a bright light bending off of himself. The turtle slowly regained a sitting up position in the co-pilots chair as he reached for his side. The bright light dilated his eyes. A finger or two readjusted his crooked glasses as he squinted to read the caller ID better."It's Venus." That woke him up some.

"Take that in the back, it might mess up the instruments." Vern advised, less snarky as usual. Must be because he was tired himself but he was too busy making sure they don't crash into the ocean. The groggy terrapin unbuckled his seatbelt and rolled up and out of the chair. The small space posed a little challenge as he crawled over the seat. Not that getting over it was the challenge, but making sure that he didn't crush the phone still sitting in the palm of his hand. As his body rolled over it, he used only the side of his phone carrying hand to catch himself and pull his legs up and over the seat.

"Graceful." He heard Vern comment as he opened the door out.

The passenger cargo was just as dim as the cockpit. The stars whizzed by as the plane flew through the night sky. Only the blue light of the moon let themselves into the plane. Without anyone making a comment when he came in quite casually, he assumed they were asleep. He had to be quick as the phone continued ringing. As he fast walked down, he saw his family. First there was Michelangelo. A pair of headphones squeezed his head as he lay across all three seats in his row. The top of his head pressed into the side of the plane as his arms straddled the seat. Donnie made sure to step highly as he came over. Also to his right, just before he could open the door to the back compartment of the plane, there was a funny sight. Raphael and Mona Lisa were sleeping side by side, hands still intertwined from earlier. Don thought nothing of it, especially the funny but as to where both had their heads lolled back. Raphael's rested on the side of the plane while Mona's pressed against his arm. Both sleep soundly enough, but their gaping mouths were wide enough to catch flies. Man, if Venus wasn't calling he'd take a picture on the spot.

He answered the phone the moment he shut the door behind him.

"Good night?" He yawned while trying to figure out what it was like in her time zone. He passed out so quickly that he couldn't recall how long they've been hiding.

"I am so sorry, Donnie." She was very sincere. Venus knew she often called him at an inconvenient time for him, but he couldn't care less.

"No, I've been awake... all night." He lied, trying to wake up. "What's up?"

"It's Leonardo."

"Are you guys okay? What happened?" His voice cracked at the last sentence.

"He's been acting up lately."

"Leo? No. It's not like him to act up when it came to his teachings, especially when sensei was around."

"Well, he's still listening and carrying out her instructions."

"Ok, so the bad part is…?" He really didn't, but he wished there was something bad going on. She didn't wake him up for nothing.

"He's trying way too hard." What? Does she remember who she was talking about?

"Of course, Leo's a try hard." Try hard at winning, try hard at kissing up, try hard at being perfect, the list could keep going.

"No, I mean, really trying hard. Every task she gives him, he becomes angrier, furious even,if he doesn't get it right. It doesn't take my gift of senses to see that Leo is carrying a dangerous amount of stress in his system."

"How dangerous could it be? On your guess, how serious could this get?" Taking extra care not to scrape his shell on the door and wake up the mutants just on the other side of it, he crouched down and sprawled out his legs, sitting down. Currently, the phone calls from Venus were strictly between the two of them.

"Honestly?" She sounded unsure, unsure that he would agree with her personal diagnosis.

"Honestly." He assured her. There was a breath on the other side of the world.

"Leo might fall into depression."

"I don't think he'll…" Before he could finish, Venus cut him off. It wasn't her nature but this was an exception.

"You asked for my honest opinion, and for someone who almost watched one of my own fall almost slip into a depression, I believe he may too." There was a pause. Venus took the time to breathe and regathering her thoughts. Donnie waited patiently on the other line. A quiet yawn escaped from his throat."Leonardo may have a strong mind and discipline, but his heart is getting weaker."Her elaboration perked his brother's interest."He's trying to contemplate two things at once."

"Well, what kind of things?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?" The turtle thought they could talk to each other about everything. What kind of best friend is she?

"As much as intruding my senses are, I prefer not to tell you. But, I will say that he has a fear of some type.Would you know one perhaps? Maybe we could have an intervention with him?"

"Fears?" The word didn't even seem to match up with his bold brother. "Why do you think we call him "Fearless Leader"?" It wasn't for joking reasons.

"There must be something he's afraid of. Everyone is afraid of something."

"I… I don't know." All three of his fingers grasped the side of his glasses as he pulled them off of his head. "From what you're describing, it sounds like maybe one of his fears is failing."

"When was the last time Leonardo failed at something? Anything! Big or small in our eyes."

"Not much. Mikey and I keep a journal of his failures." There was silence.

"You guys keep a journal of Leonardo's failures." It wasn't a question. The female turtle enunciated each word in monotone to make sure she heard him right.

"Yep, but it's more like getting slightly electrocuted by outlets or falling off his scooter." He pushed the phone closer to his cheek as he leaned his head towards the closer shoulder. In doing so, he trapped the phone underneath his cranium.

"I wouldn't think any of those would suffice." Pretty sure he's not afraid of falling off scooters or breaking toasters. It's a little (a lot) far fetched for someone dubbed as the true 'Fearless Leader'. "Think of something really big that happened to you guys."

Brainstorming time; why was this so hard? The turtle girl remained quiet as she thought of her own suggestions as she waited for him. Surely after 26 years of living together, there has to be something Leo would jump or scream at every time he sees something. Something big, something big, something… It hit him. Brown eyes grew wide without the need of his spectacles.

"When Shredder stabbed Splinter and took us away." His whispers carried a haunting tone. Venus held her breath. This was probably the biggest thing that's ever happened to them, how come she couldn't realize this sooner, I mean… Now's not the time. This just dove into some intense territory. Donnie continued. "He threatened to kill him, and before that, I remember Leo shouting out for him. He was trying to protect him. Then, we had to surrender and he stabbed him anyways. We all failed, but I remember Leonardo taking it especially hard. Mike and I were drained in those pods they kept us in, but he was arguing with Sacks." He remembered it all too well. Vivid images of the horror rolled like a camera.

"That's got to be it! Thanks so much, Donnie."

"No prob." H had to give himself a little pat on the back, but a cocky blow on the fingertips should suffice. "You sounded a little upset when you first started talking. Were you crying?" From the air and slight sounds, it sounded like she was fixing herself up.

"No. No, I'm fine. I just wish you were here with me. This whole trip would have been a lot easier with your head around."

"Me too." He smiled."Goodnight, babe."

"Babe?" Her confused reply snapped him awake.

"Bestie!" he belted out, correcting himself on the spot. Venus giggled, which loosened him up to explain without his voice cracking. The nerdy turtle tended to do that when he was nervous. "I was with Vern and he keeps pointing his fingers and such while saying 'babe'." It was really hard saying he was in a cockpit with the man, a cockpit to a plane that happened to be secretly heading to her location. So far, he was doing pretty good of keeping that little bit of a secret. She doesn't tell him about Leonardo, he doesn't tell her that the whole family's coming to her aid. I guess you can keep one truth away from a friend (don't take that to heart, kids!).

"Ha. Fame's really going to his head, huh?"

"You said it." He chuckled along with her. "Goodnight… Bestie."

"Goodnight… Babe." She answered playfully. For sure there was a pink hue on his cheeks, which was quite satisfying. Her giggles prolonged until they became distant and then completely shut off when she ended the call.

A/N: The idea of Donnie and Mikey keeping a book of Leonardo's failures comes from the hilarious mind of tmntimagines via