Chapter 16

She couldn't help but go to that place. That quiet, deep, dark place where even Leo could not follow. It was in times of great distress where she would go where she felt the safest. Venus' declining health had sent her fleeing to what she called 'the great within.' There were only a few times she had gone to this place. One occurrence was after the death of her beloved father, Chung I. Another was when she witnessed the demise of Master Splinter and her healing mentor, Pacha, right before her very eyes. Now she sought refuge in this secret place once again. At least she thought it was secret. She didn't understand why, but she sensed another presence.

Venus had her eyes closed and her body curled in a fetal position as she floated in the inky blackness of her consciousness. Normally she wouldn't be disturbed but right now she could hear a voice. It sounded far off but it was getting closer. At first she couldn't understand what was being said, but after some undetermined time the words became clear.

"You should be ashamed, little kumquat! Look how you treat your mama when she give you life! That's the problem with you younglings. No self control! No true discipline! She know you are strong, you made your point. Now stop showing off for mama and behave!"

Venus' eyes flew open when she felt a wave of resistance slam against her, bringing with it a bout of dizziness. She made out the outline of a foreign form in the distance and wondered if this was the source of the strange, squawking voice. She was drawn to the form so she let her mind close the distance between them. Within seconds she was looming over a short, squat being in a straw hat. She moved back from the person a bit when he turned around, his dark, squinty eyes settling on her.

"Ah, there you are, pretty one! This little one very hardheaded. Needs discipline, tough love. Mm hmm! Only you can give it, Mama! Now talk to this little pea pebble and put her in her place!"

Venus followed to path or the odd looking man's fat finger to see a little being sitting in front of him. It's features were not distinct, except for the eyes. They were strange, haunting eyes that she would not soon forget. There was such defiance in those eyes that the young mother found unsettling. She blinked as she gathered her thoughts, realizing she was dealing with the mind of a child. Soon the shinobi's inner voice filled the entire inner space.

"Little one, you will quiet your spirit, you will be still, and you will respect your mother!"

As her voice reverberated around them the defiance in the child's eyes melted into a look of reverential fear.

"Ah...now we getting somewhere!"

Venus wasn't the only one struggling with turmoil within. A deeply distraught ninja clan leader sat on the tatami mat of the dojo clutching a simple walking stick to his chest. It was all that was left of his beloved master and father that he had brought back from the Battle Nexus. The Turtles had barely discussed what happened, each dealing with the tragedy and mourning in their own way. The main reason they rarely spoke of it was because none of them was sure what happened. All they knew was that one moment their loved ones were there, then they just weren't, seemingly vaporized out of existence. All that was left behind were objects connected to their existence, such as a walking stick, colored wooden beads, or a a pair of glasses. The Daimyo would send word now and then about the progress of the investigation, but so far none of the findings made any sense. They still didn't know what happened, how it happened, or why.

Now the Hamatos were at a point where they could lose more family members, and he just couldn't bear even the thought of that. Once again they were at a loss for a reason for what was happening to someone he loved. Leonardo grit his teeth in frustration as he wished his father was there to provide wisdom and guidance. He felt so lost right now.

"Leonardo." At the sound of a soft, feminine voice he opened his eyes. His blues eyes locked in the gaze of a pair of cat-like, emerald green ones. "You must calm your thoughts and relax just in case we are needed again."

Leo huffed as he sat Splinter's walking stick squarely on his lap. How could he possibly be calm and relax at a time like this?

"I appreciate your concern, Karai, but I'm all right. I'll be ready if the Ancient one calls upon me. Don't worry." The raven haired woman bit her bottom lip as she carefully regarded her fellow warrior. She could see how he suffered. She understood his torment for she too lost someone she held near and dear to her heart. However, the dark kunoichi had learned not to wallow in the past for she saw it as a sign of weakness. She believed Leo should focus on the here and now. As a friend she would do all she could to help his deal with this situation. Right now her focus was the task at hand. Help Venus stabilize her chi. When she felt the unspoken prompt from upstairs she called out to her fellow swords master.

"Leonardo, it is time."

Down the hall from the dojo a lone figure slumped in a swivel chair. It was dark in the lab except for the eerie glow of a computer screen. The screen was blank, a cursor blinking at the top of the screen mocking a troubled terrapin to his face. A half empty coffee mug sat on the desk strewn with papers. He and Leatherhead, with some help from Atima, had put their heads together to try to find a logical reason for Venus' illness. In spite of all their tests they couldn't even find the problem, let alone the solution. All of the pregnant Turtle's blood tests came back normal. Even her vitals read normal. The problem was the data didn't add up to her physical appearance. She had lost so much weight and had a sickly complexion. Her visage bore the face of death itself. Donatello was terrified of losing Venus. The thought that their unborn child could be the cause of all this bore down on his heart and troubled his mind.

Worst of all he had come to a terrible conclusion. In spite of all his accumulated knowledge of his kind he could do nothing for his beloved Venus. Donatello laid his head down on his keyboard, sobbing heavily as a garbled trail of letters, numbers, and symbols dribbled down the screen.

Upstairs in the nursery Mike and Raph watched over the babies. Venus had been non-responsive for several days and even the hatchlings noticed her absence. Tokio was getting around pretty well by crawling and was attempting to speak. He had even learned to ask for his mama, which under the current circumstances was heartbreaking to say the least. Since Donatello was an emotional wreck and Leonardo was often in deep meditation, it fell upon the hot head and the goofball to manage the care of the Turtle babies. They took their task very seriously and made sure to meet all the needs of the little ones by feeding them, bathing them, and playing with them. Playtime was a welcome distraction for adults and little ones alike. It kept the infants happy and eased the troubled minds of the two brothers. However, once the little ones were laid down for a nap the usually cheerful and playful Michelangelo became quiet and sullen.

Very few words were spoken between the two brothers, as Raph would often offer comfort with a simple hand on his youngest brother's shoulder. This particular day Mikey decided to voice one of his fears.

"Hey, Raph..."

"Yeah?"

"You think V is gonna make it?"

"I don't know. I really hope she does, but I just don't know..."

Mikey chewed the inside of his cheek as his sky blue eyes moistened.

"What's gonna happen to the kids if...?"

"Don't worry, Mikey. Their gonna be well taken care of, no matter what happens. Got that?"

Raph had his brother by the shoulders and was looking him square in the eyes. Mikey hung his head as a teardrop splashed against his thigh.

"I...I don't want Venus to die..."

He could no longer hold back the deluge of tears as his older brother held him close.

As the days passed it seemed that Venus' condition would never change. The Turtle brothers did all they could to keep each other from descending into the pit of despair never to return. After days of intense meditation Karai had found herself close to the breaking point. Poor Leonardo lay exhausted, his head resting on her lap. She was beginning to think all was lost when she heard the dojo door slide open. She didn't know what to expect as the squat sage waddled over carrying a bundle of stained sheets in his hands. Not a good sign in the raven haired woman's eyes.

"Wake up, kumquat!" Leonardo shot up from Karai's lap, his eyes darting around in confusion.

"Huh? Wha? What's going on?"

"For shame! Too busy cuddling with beautiful woman to be aware of surroundings? What kinda ninja are you?"

Leo sneered up at the ancient One, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"How is Venus? Is she all right?"

"She gone..."

"WHAT?"

"...to sleep, dum dum! Her struggle from within over for now. But there is still one matter to take care of. What should I do with this?"

To the Turtle's surprise the pudgy man pulled the soiled sheets open to reveal an unusually large egg.

"Uh...you might want to pick your jaw off the floor before it get rug burn, youngling."

*Next Chapter. Venus embarks on the road to recovery to everyone's relief. Karai's presence causes a bit of a rift within the clan. Also...time for potty training!