Note: This chapter is rated R for adult themes and character death. Yes, that's right. A character will die by the end of this chapter. Who will it be?

Chapter 19: Can't Wash It Away.

"What is it you wish to speak about Galileo?" Shere Khan asked the cheetah that stood in front of him.

"It concerns your servant, Venus," Galileo started. Vasha and Shere Khan eyed him with interest.

"Go on," Shere Khan coaxed.

"Last night, I watched in the shadows as Leonardo married Venus," Galileo said slyly, watching the expressions on the tiger's faces.

"What?" Shere Khan exclaimed out of shock.

"Venus and Leonardo were secretly married last night, outside of Ikhaya Labantu. But that is not all. I'm afraid to say that Rachel was in on it as well. In fact, I know that Rachel has been trying to date Raphael," Galileo explained slowly. Shere Khan's face turned sour with anger. A cruel smile appeared on Vasha's face. Things were starting to go her way now. With a slight bow of the head to show respect, Galileo departed from the room, wisely leaving the two tigers behind.

Vasha teasingly smiled at Shere Khan. He growled in response. "You've won the bet. Do what you want," Shere Khan murmured.

"Don't worry. She'll die eventually. But first, aren't you forgetting something?" Vasha asked cruelly. Shere Khan looked at her in confusion. "Prima Noctra," Vasha continued, knowing that Shere Khan wouldn't have known the answer.

"No. I can't do that!" Shere Khan said loudly, thinking of what Vasha was suggesting.

"Fine. Don't do it. But first, think of it my way. After months of acting kind to the locals, you finally pull the plug and introduce a law that makes people quiver with fear. Then, when your most hated enemy is the first to break this new law, you chicken out. Your soldiers already doubt your leadership, but bringing back Prima Noctra has made them respect you again. Imagine what will happen to your reputation if you don't go through with this, even if this is your worst enemy… You'll be the joke of a nation, Shere Khan. A joke. A pitiful excuse for a State Enemy," Vasha said. Evil glinted in her eyes as she spoke. She had Shere Khan right where she wanted him.

Shere Khan growled. Vasha had him trapped. If he didn't go through with this, then Vasha will make sure that his reputation would be worthless by the next morning. Angry yet saddened at the same time, he pushed past the female tiger and stormed out the door, mentally preparing himself for something he knew he'd regret later on.

*****

Venus sat cross-legged on her bed, peacefully flicking through one of her Shinobi books. A slight noise disturbed her, making her look up. She jumped out of her skin when she saw Shere Khan standing at her doorway with a painfully sad expression on his face. "What's wrong?" Venus asked, concerned and startled at the same time.

"Why did you do it?" Shere Khan said with a tone to match his face.

"Do what?" Venus asked nervously, thinking of the many places the conversation could lead.

"Of all things, why did you have to marry him?" Shere Khan said, his voice thick with despair. Venus was too shocked and frightened to answer him. "I'm sorry that I have to do this to you, but law is law," Shere Khan said, closing the bedroom door. He slowly yet strongly approached her. Venus scrambled to get out of his path but Shere Khan managed to grab her in time, throwing her back down on the bed. The tiger followed and climbed on top, pinning her to the mattress.

Venus eyes open wide in fear. Panic rattled through her bones when she realised what Shere Khan wanted to do; rape her. She flung her arms around desperately, hitting him numerous times in defense. The tiger grunted in effort as he tried to stop her attacks. But the onslaught kept coming despite him. She wasn't going to make it easy. Shere Khan didn't want to do this. He had grown quite fond of the girl. But now his reputation, his life, was at stake, and this was just an obstacle that he needed to overcome.

Shere Khan tried to grab her wrists to hold them down, but she kept on slipping out of his grasp. "Sebastian!" Shere Khan roared, beginning to get frustrated. Half a minute later, his son entered the room. The younger tiger stood frozen as he watched the scene before him. His father looked at him for help. "Sebastian, go grab me a rope!" Shere Khan ordered.

"NO! PLEASE! DON'T!" Venus pleaded, tears falling down the side of her face. Defeat began to settle into her hopeless mind and body, knowing that she couldn't hold Shere Khan off forever. Sebastian didn't know what to do. He trusted Venus, and time and time again she gave him advice. But then there was his father…

"Sebastian, do want to be my heir or not? Stop fooling around and get me a fucking rope!" Shere Khan roared, this time extremely angry. Scared, Sebastian darted out of the room and came back a minute later with the item. He hesitatingly handed the rope to his father, and helped to tie Venus' hands to the bedpost.

"Sebastian…" Venus sobbed uncontrollably, knowing that her last chance for help was gone.

"I'm sorry," Sebastian whispered. He stepped away and tried to ignore the severe guilty feeling that was lodged in his heart. Venus tried to move, but the tiger's firm strength and ropes stopped her. She knew it was all over know. She stared at Sebastian the whole time; tears slowly traveling down her face as his father subdued her by force.

*****

Rachel softly knocked on the door. There was no response, but the jackal wasn't expecting one. She slowly opened the door and spotted Venus sitting quietly on her bed. The cheetah's eyes were red and swollen obviously from the excessive crying she had endured beforehand. Currently there were no tears on her face, but her worry was written all over her body as she tenaciously twisted her bed sheet between her hands.

"Venus?" Rachel questioned softly. She slowly made her way over to the distressed girl and put a friendly arm around her for comfort. There was a painful silence. Neither of them could think of anything to say about the horrific incident. A scared voice broke the dead silence.

"I have to get out of here," Venus said simply as she stared into the nothingness of space. When there was no reply from Rachel, Venus continued to speak. "Shere Khan said that I am to marry Galileo later this week. I don't want to do that," Venus said. The tears began to fall again with the thought of her master's decision.

Rachel closed in and gave Venus a hug. "Don't worry. I won't let that happen," Rachel said softly, yet the determination was heard clearly in her voice. Venus continued to cry.

"How am I going to tell Leo? What will he think?" Venus sobbed. So many emotions washed through her body: anger, sadness, guilt, helplessness, used, shame, and most of all, confusion. She was scared. She was scared because she didn't know who she was anymore. Venus had always been able to be confident enough to stand up for herself when need be. But now her confidence and trust had been shattered. She feared Shere Khan. She feared Sebastian. She was now frightened of every male, except one, and his name was Leonardo.

A voice deep inside told herself to reject the feeling of fear. To act like nothing had happened, so that nobody could see her weakness. Venus gave a small smile to show that she was feeling better, but Rachel knew that she was simply bottling up her true emotions.

Rachel didn't know what to do, so she stared into the nothingness where Venus was looking earlier. Almost out of nowhere, a cunning plan appeared in the jackal's brain. "You know, I think there is a way to get out of here," Rachel said slowly, thinking through her plan.

Kathryn's ears perked up when she heard this line. Her head was crammed up against the door, trying to pick up every word of the conversation occurring inside. Her mother, Vasha, had told her to spy on Venus and Rachel and to report back on how the cheetah was coping. The tiger's ear strained to hear the next part of the conversation, but to her the voices were muffled. She had heard enough of the plan though.

Quietly, Kathryn backed away from the door and began to make her way towards her mother's room. She found Vasha sitting at her bedroom table, reading a book about World War 2. "What's the news?" Vasha asked, not looking up.

"Venus is devastated about what happened to her," Kathyrn started.

"Naturally. Who wouldn't?" Vasha said bluntly. She looked up at her daughter. "Well… is that it?" She asked rudely.

"Rachel is helping Venus to escape," Kathyrn reported.

"How? What's their plan?" Vasha said, showing a slight interest in the topic.

"I don't know. I didn't hear most of it. But Rachel has to meet Zareb tonight for some reason."

"Well then, we'll have to interfere with that, won't we? And I know just the right person for the job," Vasha said confidently with a sly smile on her face. Without saying anything else, the tiger returned to reading her book.

*****

The moonlight shined over the mansion's enormous garden. Sebastian quietly admired the moon while he fed the hyenas that he had the responsibility of training and taking care of. He reached into his bucket and threw another lump of meat at the giggling beasts. The hyenas cackled and whooped as they fought over the freshly killed food. The tiger sighed to himself as he threw another piece to stop the creatures from fighting.

A light rustling sound in the background caught his attention. It was almost impossible to hear as the hyenas were making so much noise, but Sebastian sensed that something was up. He crouched down and peered around the corner of the building, searching for the source of the mystery sound. A familiar figure gently ran across the lawn towards the mansion's gates that lead to Ikhaya Labantu.

'Odd', thought Sebastian. 'I don't remember Vasha giving Rachel permission to leave at this time of night.'

"Follow her," a voice from behind said strongly. He jumped out of fright and turned to see Vasha standing behind him. 'Where did she come from?'

"Follow her," Vasha repeated.

"Why? What's up?"

"She's betraying me by visiting someone without my permission. Rachel needs to be caught and punished. She's on her way to Zareb's hut. Make sure that Rachel doesn't get there," Vasha commanded.

"Why should I? Why can't you stop her yourself?" Sebastian replied with defiance in his voice.

"I'm doing you favour. You're father will praise you if you catch the culprit that is sneaking classified information through," Vasha said falsely. Sebastian sighed. He didn't have the courage to argue with her. With nothing more to say, Sebastian gave into Vasha's bidding and went after Rachel.

Vasha smiled with success. 'Now this is where it gets interesting…'

*****

The morning sunlight seeped through the leaves of Leo and Raph's bedroom. Leonardo yawned and stretched his arms over his head before sleepily rubbing his tired eyes. He looked over at the bed opposite and noticed that Raphael wasn't there. Curious, Leo crawled out of bed and grabbed his bandanna off the floor. He made his way to the dining room. Michael, Raphael and Donatello sat at the table. They all showed unreadable expressions. Something was wrong.

When Michael noticed Leo's presence, he stood up and walked solemnly over towards his youngest brother. The orange-banded cheetah opened and closed his mouth a few times as though he couldn't form the words he wanted to say. Michael took a breath and spoke. "Venus is… has passed away. She died last night…"

Leo's heart skipped a beat. Denial quickly set in soon after. "Michael, that's not funny. Don't joke about things like that," Leo said firmly, almost whispering. Michael looked downwards and shook his head in despair.

Saringai appeared and put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Leonardo, we need to talk," the leopard said simply, yet the sadness could be heard clearly. From that moment onwards, Leo knew that this wasn't a cruel joke. He didn't know how to take the news. His chest choked up with disbelief, his legs felt like jelly underneath the feeling of tremendous loss. The cheetah didn't know what to say. Then like a wave washing upon a shore, all the emotions of grief showered upon him. Within seconds, streams of tears dripped down his face.

His whole body shook, all too suddenly feeling nauseated. He unsteadily stepped away from his family, backing away into a corner where he crouched down and rocked himself in a ball, tears continuing their path on his face. Leo shook his head from side to side almost as though he didn't want to believe what he'd just heard. Venus was dead. His wife, his most beloved had died. Leo's shoulders slumped as he broke down, giving into the tears of despair.

The others in the room stepped forward to try and comfort Leo, but they all knew that whatever they said, it wouldn't make him feel any better. Venus was gone and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Saringai crouched down so he was eye level. "Leo…" Saringai started, but couldn't finish. The cheetah furiously wiped his eyes then ran to room to grab his katanas. A second later he was out the door running as fast as he could towards Ikhaya Labantu. Without warning, Raphael did the same and rapidly sped after Leonardo. "LEO! RAPH!" Sarinagi called out in an attempt to bring them back, but it was futile.

Leonardo's chest pounded with anxiety as he bolted along the rocky region. He had to know if it was true. Leo had to see it for himself. He noticed that one of his brothers was following him, but he didn't bother to turn them away. He needed the support more than ever. His heart beat a mile a minute as the ever-growing dread increased as he swiftly made his way to his desired destination.

The main courtyard of Ikhaya Labantu was eerily quiet. Not a soul was in sight. Fright sunk into Leo's mind as he regrettably accepted the news. Raphael by this time had finally caught up to his brother, yet didn't say anything or try to stop Leo when he slowly started to head towards Shere Khan's mansion.

Everyone in town was standing in the front lawns of the massive fortress. A feeling of loss and sadness settled and floated like a mist in the atmosphere. Everyone knew. Heads bowed down to show respect to the passing coffin.

To Leo, the whole scene was so surreal. He walked over to join the procession as though he was in a trance of disbelief. The locals looked at the Leonardo. They knew what had happened and what it meant to their hope of freedom, and showed it in their faces as they all watched the cheetah's reaction quietly. Leo saw Zareb nearby; his face mirrored everybody else's. The coffin, carried by both mutant tigers and lions, drifted by Leonardo. A thousand and one emotions flooded him; the strongest was hopelessness. Questions such as 'how' and 'why' bombarded his depressed mind. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, a single tear slid down.

Leo's predictable appearance didn't go unnoticed by Vasha. The tigress stalked over towards the completely distracted enemy. She grabbed Leo from the behind and spun him around sharply to face her. "Have you got a death wish? Fool. You'll never get out of here alive. Not this time," Vasha hissed and threatened.

"I don't care anymore. I'm dead already," Leo admitted softly, eyes downcast with gloom. The tears didn't cease as he spoke. Instead they silently fell to the floor in defeat. To Vasha, Leo was easy prey. Raphael gripped his sais at the ready. Vasha prepared to make a single killing blow, but she was stopped by Shere Khan.

"Hasn't there been enough deaths for one day?" Shere Khan asked quietly. Vasha hesitatingly backed off and wandered elsewhere, leaving Leo, Raph and Shere Khan to themselves. Shere Khan stood silently beside Leonardo. No words were shared, only sadness.

The tiger blamed himself for Venus' death. The female cheetah had committed suicide on the same day that he had raped her. He couldn't help but feel responsible for her death. He was disgusted with himself. Shere Khan didn't want to do it, but was forced by Vasha. It had led to Venus' death. The tiger was so ashamed that couldn't even bring himself to look at Leonardo, who was no doubt devastated. Venus' death should have been a victory for him, but her being dead meant that he couldn't turn her against his enemies. She had grown on him, and he had to admit that he enjoyed Venus' company. Just as much as he enjoyed Rachel's company. Which brought him to his next thought. 'Where is Rachel?'

The tiger looked around the depressed crowds yet couldn't spot the jackal anywhere. Shere Khan left the ceremony to go in search of her. Curious, Raphael followed, wondering where the tiger was headed. He figured that Leonardo needed some time to himself.

Judging from the emotions emitted from the enemy, Leo figured that Venus' death was not on purpose. He needed to know everything otherwise he would never feel closure. Like old times, Leonardo walked over and climbed up the vines to the balcony that overlooked the pool; Venus' room. Once again, the emotions took complete control of him as he stepped into her room. He shuddered at the thought that this would be last time he would stand in this room.

Venus' Shinobi books caught his eye. Leo picked them up, feeling as though he should take care of her possessions. It was then when he noticed a neatly folded piece of paper, laid preciously on her pillow. He stared at it cautiously before building up enough confidence to read the message hidden within. It was hand written by Venus. It read;

If I was to obey my Master by living my life the way he wanted me to, then I'm dead on the inside.

If I was to live my life the way Leonardo wants me to, then I'm dead on the outside.

Only when I live my life the way I want to, then will my spirit truly be free. Until then, I might as well be dead…

Leonardo couldn't believe what he had just read. His face screwed up in a confused, sorrowful expression as he folded the message back up before ripping it to shreds. He watched, with waterlogged eyes as the tiny pieces drifted and danced their way to the floor. There was nothing left to do. He gingerly looked at the books in his hand and realised that he couldn't bear it anymore. An enormous hole had been stripped from his life, and it was a hole that would never be filled.

Leonardo aimlessly wandered around the mansion, staring at the numerous saddened faces, but none were as mournful as his. He overheard that Venus' body was to be placed on an altar, so that people could pay their last respects. Leo absentmindedly wandered over to the room where she was being held. When he arrived, there was no one else in the vicinity. Just the body of Venus and himself. He gently stroked the side of her face, hoping that a miracle would happen, but deep down he knew that it wouldn't. As he looked over her cold body, a deep feeling of loneliness hit his heart like a hammer. His mind was drained of all logical thought as he unsheathed one of his katanas. Leo studied the shiny blade that was alive in his hand. The sharp tip slowly placed pressure on his lower abdomen. He closed his eyes; the tears didn't stop. Leo breathed in sharply preparing to end his life.

"Leo…"

His eyes shot open in surprise upon hearing the whisper of his name. There in front of him sat Venus. Leonardo stood flabbergasted, staring at the living person in front of him. "Leo, why are you crying," she said, concerned. Venus carefully reached out and wiped the tear that was currently falling down his face.

Leo mentally shook himself and jumped in surprise at the warmth of her touch. "But… but you're dead?" he managed to fumble out from his quivering lips. Venus gave him a look filled with worry.

"Not I'm not. Didn't you receive the message? Zareb was supposed to give it to you," Venus informed.

"But… I just saw Zareb and he didn't tell me anything," Leo answered, still in shock. "How? Why?…" Leo stuttered, unable to string a sentence together.

"It was a Shinobi spell. The effects work exactly the same as though I had poisoned myself. Cold body, no breath and a greatly reduced heartbeat. I had to fake my own death; it was the only way out. Rachel was supposed to tell Zareb, who would in turn tell you that I hadn't died, that it was all just one big trick…" Venus explained.

"But… Zareb never got the message, otherwise he would have told me. I haven't seen Rachel."

"Then what happened to her?" Venus asked, worry written all over her soft features.

After searching everywhere, Shere Khan still hadn't found Rachel. He knew of only one more place to look.

"Vasha! Where's Rachel?" Shere Khan demanded when he saw her next. The tigress simply shrugged in response, a smug smile on her face, completely contrasting the mood experienced by everyone around them. "Don't act dumb! She's your servant. What have you done to her? Where is she?" Shere Khan growled.

Vasha shrugged again, showing the least bit of concern. "I honestly don't know. She sneaked out last night and I told Sebastian to go after her. I don't know what happened after that," Vasha said, trying to act as innocent as possible. "I guess your son is to blame for her disappearance." The tigress smiled once again, glanced in acknowledgment of the eavesdropping Raphael, and disappeared into the saddened crowds.

Raphael growled to himself. He also searched everywhere for her, but like Shere Khan, was unsuccessful. Uneasiness filled every bone in his body, when he listened into the rather heated conversation between the tigers. Not long after, a deep hatred for Sebastian sprung up from the depths of his soul.

A vibration from his cell phone distracted him from his thoughts. A message had been sent from Leo to tell him to come back home. Uncertainly, Raphael did what his brother wished and headed towards the exit.

*****

No words could describe the expressions Leo received from his family when they saw Venus beside him, alive and well. Getting Venus out of the mansion and through Ikhaya Labantu had been a rather easy task, as everyone was at her funeral. She was welcomed with open arms by her new family, although Michael seemed a bit standoffish, considering that he still believed in cooties.

The devastating emotion that had consumed everyone earlier had now disappeared completely, and was replaced by a much happier one. Though not everyone was delighted with the new addition to their family. Raphael was still deeply worried about Rachel. The longer he thought about it, the angrier he became.

As the day wore on, Venus settled herself into her new home, taking up residence in Leo and Raph's bedroom. It wasn't the fact that they were going to be sharing the same bed that bothered Raphael. After all, they were married. But what really got to him were the happy faces that he kept on seeing. By the time it was nightfall, Raphael had had enough, and left.

*****

Sebastian sighed as he stared into the twinkling stars that shone far above him. He watched his breath that became visible because of the nippy environment. It was way past his bedtime, yet he couldn't sleep. So he decided that a night walk would clear his mind.

A lone figure was spotted in the shadows. The starlight glinted off the weapon in the stranger's hand. Sebastain stood completely still, staring in the direction of the mysterious shadow.

"You killed her," the stranger accused. Sebastian gave a confused look. "You killed Rachel," the figure said, clearly and violently. Raphael stepped out the shadows, eyes piercing through Sebastian.

"Raphael, I…you don't understand," Sebastian said, slightly frightened. Raphael tightened his grip around his sai. How dare Sebastian deny it.

"Don't understand!" Raphael repeated loudly, raising his sai. Sebastian raised his hands in defense. The tiger could see that the cheetah was really angry and really confused as though he was still trying to comprehend his emotions.

"Please understand Raphael. I couldn't… I… I… loved her."

Wrong answer. Raphael was certain that Rachel was dead. Otherwise why would Vasha have been so smug about it earlier? He knew that the last one to see her was Sebastian, who was intercepting the message to Zareb. It was obvious that the killer was Sebastian. Yet here he was, denying that she was dead, and even had the nerve to say that he loved her. That made him boil.

A jealous rage like no other captured Raphael. His whole body shook with a confused anger. Raphael tried his best to think clearly; to control it. He let out a scream of pain and confusion as his emotions took over. Without thinking, Raphael rushed at Sebastian and skewered him with his sai.

Sebastian shuddered at the extreme fire of pain that the sai delivered. Panic settled in as Sebastian tried to call for help, but all that came out was his erratic breathing. His heart sped rapidly, feeling as though it might explode in his chest. Then all of a sudden, the pain dissipated, and a peaceful feeling arrived to take over. As he relaxed into oblivion, he locked his dying eyes onto the scared Raphael's.

*****

Raphael furiously tried to scrub the blood off his hands in the pool of water. It was the pond he had drank from when they had first met Saringai. The water that had saved their lives from dehydration was now accepting the blood of a lost one. The deep, dark red liquid swirled amongst the small ripples. Even though he could wash the blood off his hands, he knew that he could never wash the blood, guilt and anger that resided in his soul.

He was scared of himself. Raphael knew that he had a mean streak, but he never knew that he could go that far. What he had just committed was murder. Even though he killed everyday for food, this was the first time that any of them had killed someone they knew, a mutant like them. The cheetah was scared at how easily he lost his emotions. What scared him even more was the fact that he enjoyed it.

"Raph? What are you doing?"

Raphael glanced up and saw Leonardo looking at him with concern. He didn't want his youngest brother to know what he had just done. "Leo, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Venus?" Raphael said more forcefully than what he had intended.

"Venus is asleep. She needs her rest. Besides, I was wondering what had become of you," Leo answered timidly. He moved in closer. "Raphael, what did you do?" Leo asked, looking at the dark swirls of water.

"GO AWAY LEO! Don't look at me. Leave me alone!" Raphael yelled violently. Leonardo backed off, looking quite hurt. Raphael had never spoken to him like that before. Upset and aggravated, Raphael left instead, storming off to nowhere in particular.

Leonardo stayed by the pond, too scared by Raphael sudden violent outburst to do anything else. He watched as the blood twirled amongst the ripples. He admired the water's sleek composure and the bouncing reflections that danced upon the surface. Leo wondered what it would be like if he became water, adapting so efficiently to any environment, whether it be rocky or flat. The sky flickered weirdly, though it went unnoticed by the mutant below. A warm feeling surrounded the cheetah. Blinding light engulfed him as he evolved to his next stage.

A/N: Yes, the final movie was Romeo and Juliet as Raphaella had mentioned earlier. I just didn't want to admit it yet as I thought it would spoil the chapter. Don't know when I'll have the next one updated, but I'll try my best to make it soon.