Chapter 16: The Ghost.

"No! No trade! NO TRADE!!!" The female Mona monkey hooted and screeched, bouncing up and down while banging on her chest. She quickly picked up a pebble and threw it at Donatello. It hit him in the middle of his forehead. After that, Raphael and Donatello quickly backed away.

"Creepy little monkey…" Donatello muttered while he rubbed his forehead. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if 'no' and 'trade' are the only words in those monkey's vocabularies," Donatello analysed. Raphael shrugged, unusually quiet. The two brothers were lucky. Unlike their other siblings, they weren't given any punishment, as they complained that they were only following Michael's orders. Since Michael and Leonardo were both grounded, Raphael was to accompany Donatello into Ikhaya Labantu, hoping to trade bows and arrows for the final electronic gadgets needed to build the long awaited solar-powered laptop.

Donatello looked at the bows and arrows in Raphael's paws and sighed. They'd hoped that the male Mona monkey's sister would have been more of a help to them, but obviously she was not. "What are we going to do now? Shere Khan's stall is the only other place that trades electronic equipment!" Donatello groaned. A sly smile swept across Raphael's lips. Donatello could almost read his brother's mind. "Raph! No! Saringai said that we're not allowed!"

"Well… Saringai's not here now is he? And since Michael's not here, I'm in charge!" Raphael said almost evilly, his voice sounding a little off.

"Huh? You're in charge? Since when has that been a rule?"

"Its always been a rule. Michelangelo's the oldest, so he's the leader. I'm the second eldest, so I'm second in line, then it's you, then Leonardo," Raphael said, rubbing it in.

"Well… fine! But Master did still say that we're not allowed, and he'll punish us like the others if he ever found out!"

Raphael rolled his eyes, starting to get irritated. "Look, do ya want ya lap-thingy or not?" Donatello thought about it before finally giving into Raphael's bad influence. The two boys walked over to Shere Khan's stall, preparing themselves for whatever could happen next. A great big smile planted itself on Raphael's face when he saw who was in charge of the stall today.

Rachel and Venus were restocking the items for trade at Shere Khan's stall. Originally, Venus wasn't allowed to work at the stall, as Shere Khan feared that she would either run away or become friendly with one of his many enemies. That decision was soon changed, thanks to Rachel's charm and persuasiveness.

A lone cheetah, wearing a black bandanna and cargo shorts, approached the stall's tables. Rachel growled inwardly when she recognised him as Galileo. "Hello ladies. What a pleasant surprise", he said with a cynical tone. Both Rachel and Venus held a disgusted expression. Galileo focused his attention on Venus, causing her to feel uneasy.

"Are you going to trade anything?" Rachel said quite rudely through her teeth.

Galileo kept his gaze on Venus. "I would like to trade actually. I asked your Master Shere Khan if I could own you. I'm well endowed, you see."

It was then when Raphael and Donatello walked up. They stood behind Galileo, patiently waiting to be served. Galileo gave the two brothers a quick look over, before returning his gaze on Venus. Galileo hadn't heard about the whole 'State Mutants' and 'State Enemies' thing, and frankly he didn't care who they were. Galileo was the master of himself, allied with no one.

Venus looked at the two new comers behind Galileo. "We have people to serve. If you're not going to trade for anything you're actually going to get, then please step aside," Venus said boldly.

"Ok, I'll leave. But next time you see me, you'll be mine," Galileo threatened. He slipped away, over to the stall next door. He pretended to be looking at the objects on the tables, but really he was only there so he could still hear any talking from Shere Khan's stall.

"Hello again Raphael," Rachel greeted warmly. Raphael blushed a little, then cleared his throat. He felt a little uneasy speaking to Rachel, especially with his little brother around. He didn't really want anyone in his family to know that he liked a female. After all, according to Michael, girls were gross and had cooties.

"Hi," Raphael muttered, his voice going funny again. Rachel just giggled. Donatello, still nervous about being at Shere Khan's stall, decided to step in, fast forwarding the awkward conversation.

"Hi. Do you have any electronic equipment?"

"We do," Rachel answered. Venus searched through the boxes and neatly laid out all the electronic gadgets she could find onto the table. Donatello's mind went into hyper drive, searching through the complex objects, while his older brother flirted with the jackal.

"Hey… Raphael…" Venus started, even though she hated to interrupt conversations. Raphael stopped talking to Rachel and looked at her. "Can you give a message to Leonardo?" Venus asked. Raphael nodded in response, his face showing that he didn't know how she knew him. "Ok then. Can you tell him for me, that I had a wonderful time at the party and that I would really like to see him again?"

'So Leo! That's what you got up to at the party!… Well, at least I'm not the only one who sorta likes girls…' Raphael thought. "He is grounded right now… but I'll give him the message anyway," Raphael said, feeling generous. The girls grinned. By this time, Donatello had picked out the three gadgets that he needed.

"Um… can I trade these bows and arrows for these three electronic gadgets please?" Donatello asked politely.

"Are you serious? You're giving weapons to Shere Khan?" Rachel said, astonished. The two cheetahs looked at each other, then nodded at Rachel. The jackal sighed. "Here… take them, free of charge."

"Really?!? But won't Shere Khan be angry with you?" Raphael questioned, his voice going funny again. Rachel shook her head.

"No, he can't stay angry at me. Besides, if he asks, then I'll just say that you stole them. He hates you guys anyway, and he'll probably believe that story," Rachel explained cunningly, then giggled. The boys smiled and gratefully collected their long awaited mechanical parts. They said their good-byes and went on their way.

"Who was she?" Donatello asked curiously. Raphael didn't answer, his cheeks beginning to blush. "I think she likes you," Donatello commented.

"Oh shut up…" Raphael said for the sake of saying something. They headed for home in silence.

"I told you he was cute…" Rachel gossiped to Venus when the boys were gone.

"Not as cute as Leonardo though," Venus said jokingly using a somewhat bragging tone. "… Is it just me, or is Raphael's voice breaking?"

"It makes him all the more cuter!" Rachel squealed, then giggled like a little schoolgirl. Venus smiled, rolling her eyes.

'Leonardo, eh?' Galileo had heard almost all of the conversation. He crept into the crowds of the bustling citizens of Ikhaya Labantu, keeping his new information to himself.

*****

Venus waltzed down the corridors of the mansion, heading towards her room. She stopped suddenly when she heard an unfamiliar noise coming from Sebastian's room. The noise was majestic and enticing, it's tune carried emotions with the melody. Venus curiously entered Sebastian's room slowly, and found him playing a violin. The tiger, sensing her, stopped his music and looked towards her.

"Don't stop… I thought it sounded great," Venus complimented.

"…Really? I thought you hated everything that I do," Sebastian commented, surprised that she actually liked something about him.

"It's impossible to hate everything," Venus replied.

"Heh, tell that one to Vasha," Sebastian joked. Venus gave him a slight smile.

"I didn't know that you could play an instrument."

"I don't play very often."

"Why not?"

"Because my father doesn't like it. He says that I should stop wasting my time and that I should focus on my ninjutsu studies instead. He told me that if I wanted to one day take his place as leader, then I have to work on my reputation. My father said that playing the violin makes me look like a wimp or a sissy, and that leaders have to be tough and mean. Reputation has got to be one of the most important things to my father, because it controls how your enemies perceive you. He told me that if I succeed in obtaining reputation that I want, then I could accomplish anything I want. Reputation is everything around here," Sebastian explained.

"If reputation is so important, then why do you still play the violin?" Venus asked curiously.

"Because I want to. I don't want to follow in my father's footsteps. I don't want to turn out like him; a tiger who spends most of his hours worrying about how others perceive him… But I do want to please him… It's hard. I want him to be proud of me for who I am," Sebastian said sadly. He'd never told anyone about this, and didn't really know why he was telling her.

"Who are you?" Venus asked him.

"…I don't know… You told me that I was the guy who breaks girl's hearts. But truthfully,… I don't know who I am anymore…" Sebastian told her openly.

"Why's that?"

"Because I can't win with you! You're the first girl I've failed on. No matter what I do, no matter what I say, you see right through it… and it drives me insane. Just tell me honestly, what did I do wrong?" Sebastian confessed. He'd given up on his father's request for him to get Venus to fall in love with him. He tried everyday, but failed every time. He was sick of playing games with her; he was sick of his own games. It bugged him day and night as to why he was failing, and now he just wanted to know why.

"True relationships aren't about lust and winning. They're about trust and companionship. That's where you went wrong. If you want someone to like you, then it's best to be honest and genuine from the start," Venus explained to him. She'd never seen Sebastian like this, and began to feel slightly sympathetic towards him.

Sebastian nodded his head a little in understanding. "… Is that why Rachel doesn't like me as well?" Sebastian questioned her trustfully. Venus nodded slowly. "… Do you think it's too late for me to start over again with Rachel?"

"I don't know… it's all about reputation; whether you can change it or not," Venus told him. Sebastian sighed. She didn't know why she didn't simply say that Rachel would never date him. Maybe it was because she didn't want to shatter all of his hopes. Venus was relieved that Sebastian had finally given up on her. This meant that Sebastian would leave her alone, along with Kathryn. An idea popped into her head. "… What about Kathryn? She's nearly the same age, and she's also seems to be quite friendly around you," Venus suggested, hoping that she triggered something.

"Kathryn?" Sebastian thought about this. "…It would never work. Our parents wouldn't allow it, and besides, I see her too much as a sister," Sebastian confessed.

"Do you know if she feels the same way about you?"

"…No. But as I said, our parents will never allow it."

"You know who I think you are? I think you're the guy who doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps, yet he contradicts himself by doing everything his father expects of him." After saying that, Venus vacated the room, leaving Sebastian with something to think about.

*****

It was a crystal clear night. The stars shone in the sky next to the glowing moon. The ground was damp from the day's downpour, the strong smell of rain in the air. An unusual figure stood perfectly still, taking in the natural smells that surrounded him. His ears twitched, his tail flicked. He breathed out quietly, his breath creating mist.

Not quietly enough it seemed. Michelangelo had been lying in his bed, listening to the stranger outside. His imagination ran wild as to what the creature could be. Being careful so he wouldn't wake up his twin brother, Michelangelo crept out of his bedroom and stealthily made his way outside. His heart boomed in his ribs, his nunchaku clinked as he moved. With his back against the tree, he peeked around to view the stranger. The moonlight illuminated the environment, creating a silhouette around the creature. Michelangelo's eyes widened in shock to see that the mysterious animal was… a zebra.

Michelangelo calmly moved from his position and walked a couple of paces away from the tree. The stallion didn't move. The zebra looked Michelangelo straight in the eye from where he was standing, as though he was staring him down. This surprised Michelangelo, as most wild animals would be wary of a carnivorous feline, especially one that stood on two feet. What surprised the cheetah even further was the simple fact that the animal was a zebra. Zebras didn't live in Lesotho, and if they did, they would live in a herd. This stallion was clearly alone.

Michelangelo carefully approached the magnificent wild animal, wondering how bold or how tame this zebra was. All of a sudden the zebra reared up, its short mane glinting in the moonlight. Michelangelo backed up a little, scared that he would be trampled. The zebra lowered itself, then flicked around and darted off into the night, disappearing like a ghost. Michelangelo stood where he was for a moment, startled with what had just happened. When he had recovered, he walked over to where the zebra had stood only to find no trace of his existence.

"His name is Kuthixo, which means 'In the eyes of God'". Michelangelo jumped out of his skin upon hearing the voice of his master. Saringai smiled at his student's reaction and leapt down from the tree branch he was hiding in. "He's a local myth around here. Some say he's alive while others say that he's a ghost horse. Personally, I just think that he's clever."

"Don't scare me like that!" Michelangelo said, still a little shaken by Saringai's sudden appearance. Saringai just gave an uncharacteristic grin in response. "You enjoy creeping around in the dark and scaring the living daylights out of people don't you?" Michelangelo wailed and complained.

"Leopard's are nocturnal. It's what I do best," Saringai answered his distressed student modestly.

"Then how come you're awake during the day?"

"Because I have to teach you."

"So when do you sleep?"

"… I don't," Saringai muttered under his breath. "Actually, the real reason I'm awake tonight is because Leonardo has ran off."

"Again?!?" Michelangelo blurted out. A few days had passed since the boys went to the party, and during that time Leonardo had been skipping classes and kept running off during the night. Saringai had asked him many times as to where he kept going to, but Leonardo never said a word. Several times Saringai had tried to follow him, but couldn't keep up when Leonardo ran at his top speed.

"Do you know where he runs off to?" Saringai asked. He was greatly concerned about his student's sudden and dramatic change of behaviour. Michelangelo shrugged.

"Dunno. Raphael might know, but he's been really quiet lately," Michelangelo observed.

"I've noticed that too. You know your brothers well," Saringai complimented. Michelangelo smiled. The cheetah looked up and admired the thousands of stars that painted the sky.

"There's so many!" Michelangelo commented.

"You know, many, many years ago, the stars helped to guide people when they were lost. They're your compasses in the sky. Don't forget that."

"Can you teach me how to use the stars as a guide?" Michelangelo asked. Saringai nodded.

"I was planning to. The stars are your best friends at night. Everything in nature can help you in some way, if you're willing to listen and learn from it."

"How can nature help you?" Curiosity brewed in Michelangelo. Saringai took one of Michael's nunchaku from his belt.

"Notice how the moonlight shines on the metal chain…" Saringai began to twirl it. "…Now tell me, can you see it?" As the moonlight shimmered on the metal, some of the beams of light reflected off straight into the cheetah's eyes causing him to squint. To Michelangelo, the nunchaku was a glistening blur of silver; the reflecting light made the weapon difficult to see correctly. "See what I mean? If you twirl the nunchaku at the correct angle, then you can get the light from the moon to reflect into your opponent's eyes. It also works with sunlight".

"Cool," Michelangelo exclaimed. Saringai handed his nunchaku back. "Can you teach me all of these little tricks?"

"These 'tricks' cannot be taught. You already know this; you just haven't discovered it yet."

"Why can't they be taught? How did you discover it?"

"By watching Kuthixo. That zebra is as wild and as free as they come. He's completely in tune with nature. Kuthixo comes around every once in a while, and when he does, I make a note in studying him; his movements, his habits. He was the one who showed me how to tap into my own wild instincts, how to use the environment to my advantage. And hopefully, being in tune with nature will be one of our advantages over Shere Khan. The fact that you were able to hear Kuthixo in the first place means that you already have a good relationship with the environment," Saringai said.

"So Kuthixo showed you then?" The cheetah asked. Saringai nodded.

"It'll do you good to learn from Kuthixo. If you're lucky, he might be able to show how to move stealthily," Saringai suggested.

"What's wrong with my stealth?" Michelangelo questioned, a little offended.

"You're nunchaku's make clinking noises when you move. I could hear you a mile away," Saringai commented. The cheetah pouted in response. "Come on back inside. It's late. Besides, you're grounded. Don't forget that."

"How could I?" Michelangelo answered rhetorically. The leopard and cheetah walked through the moonlit darkness, back to the comfort of their beds.

Author's Note: *Applauds Red Turtle* I was wondering when someone was going to question Leo and Venus' relation. Are Leonardo and Venus siblings? You shall have to wait and see. As for the story's description; the description summarises the whole story. Yes, the TMNT are going to be in the story, just that we haven't reached them yet. As the summary says, it will be a long story… and it will be a long, long time till we reach the turtles. In my mind, I've divided the story up into three parts. We are currently in Part 1. The characters will meet the turtles in Part 2. I've been wondering whether I should divide the story into three separate fanfics, but I don't want people to be sneaky and read Part 2 first.

As for crossovers, the Jungle Book and Aladdin are what I call 'one liners'. The line from Aladdin in Chapter 15 will be the only reference to it in the whole fic, and with the Jungle Book, I'm only using the name 'Shere Khan' from it. Currently the story is loosely following a combination of three different movies, one of them being Ever After. To make it fun, I'll give you guys a hint as to what one of the movies is (this isn't the other one in Chapter 15). What movie is about a bet made between two characters called Sebastian and Kathryn?… And you get ten points if you get it correct :o) … Not that it counts towards anything!