Ancient Prophecy.

Chapter twenty two.

In, out, in out. Mikey had been watching them for several minutes. The first few days had been like hell for the youngest turtle; Raphael had woken up from twenty four hours worth of fevered sleep and when he had he had no memory of the fight beyond helping his brother. Consequently the red banded turtle had panicked upon opening his eyes and seeing nothing but darkness. What irked him the most was that they had only left the room for a second to speak of their next move, so Raph had been alone when he had awoken to the nightmare situation he was now in. Between himself and Yuri they had managed to calm him down and he had quickly drifted back to sleep, from then on they had made sure he was never left alone again just in case. It had broken Mikey's heart to watch as his strong brother took his first steps as a blind man with arms outstretched and his feet shuffling in such an insecure way. But Yuri had spoken to him often over those first days and it wasn't long before Raphael was more like himself, a little reluctant but himself none the less. That soon led to what was happening at the moment. Yuri had explained that there were certain methods they could try to help Raphael 'see without seeing'. He didn't really understand what she was talking about but it sounded cool. He wrapped his new coat around him a bit tighter to keep out the chill breeze that the pair didn't seem to notice and settled down to take a nap before Archie got back with the horses so they could leave in the morning for some place named the Crystal valley.

Raphael had always found it hard to meditate; it was difficult for him to still the emotions within his mind in order to create the state that his master had wished him to establish. He was always the last to complete any tasks set to them, if he managed to complete it at all. He'd never known any other way until Yuri had come along, he doubted his master did either but she got him to use his emotions to concentrate on them and use them to reach the higher state of mind. With his hands in hers he felt her confidence in him as she leant her strength to get him that bit further. Every time he meditated with her he opened his senses that little bit more and he was starting to feel things around him now which helped him a lot when trying to move around.

"Raph," Yuri spoke up gaining his attention, "it's getting late your brother's already asleep. Maybe we should pick this up tomorrow?"

"Do we have to stop?" his colourless eyes were trained in her general direction, "I kinda like this stuff now I can actually do it." He snickered and shook his head, "If Leo heard me say that he'd never believe it was me!"

"Are you worried about them?" she asked glancing at Mikey who snorted in his sleep then turned over.

"Every day, but Leo'n Donnie can take care of themselves. Splinter's gettin' old though." He stopped and frowned.

"You're afraid he might not be there when we return?"

"My bro's think he'll go on forever, but I'm more practical and I know he might not . . . he was beginning to look so old and Leo was taking over the training sessions more and more even before we met you and Lysie." He sighed not sure what to do with himself now he couldn't see her reactions, "I just wanna tell him. . ."

"Tell him what Raph?" she moved her right hand to place it on his cheek smiling when he leaned into her palm.

"Tell him I'm sorry for being a screw up."

"You are not a screw up Raphael!" she snapped in a harsh whisper so as not to wake Michelangelo, "And if your father is not proud of the warrior he's raised then he's doesn't deserve you!"

"Don't say that Yuri, he's still my dad no matter what he thinks of me."

"I'm sorry; I just . . . please stop talking like that. Your worth so much more than what you give yourself credit for." She bit her lip as she fought an internal struggle to decide what she was about to do. Mikey was still asleep so with a continually reddening face she leant forward and placed a chaste kiss on his beak. It was certainly not what Raph was expecting and he jumped back in surprise lifting one hand to his face to touch the place where she had kissed him. "Sorry I shouldn't have done that I . . ." she got up blushing furiously as she backed away, "Good night Raphael."

"Wait." He said pulling himself to his feet, "Please don't go. I mean, why'd you do that?" When she didn't answer he headed towards where he'd heard her voice being sure to tread carefully in case anything had been moved without his knowledge. "Sayuri?" His hands found hers and he felt her tense beneath them as he turned her around.

"I shouldn't have done that you would never. . ."

"Never what Yuri?" he asked wishing he could see her so he could at least try to read her expression.

"Never like me that way." She tried to pull away but his hands stayed where they were and his grip tightened to keep her there.

"You didn't . . ?" He laughed, "Yuri I was hooked on you from the first time you rescued me like some loser damsel in distress. I thought that you could never like a thing like me." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again but this time he didn't back away.

"You are not a thing and certainly not a monster," she kept her arms around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder; "You are brave and strong and loyal. You could never be any of those things." She lead him to the bed and stopped, "I . . . I don't want to be alone anymore Raph." He heard the pleading tone in her voice and smiled finding her with his hands and pulling the smaller body to his and held her tight.

"You'll never be alone Yuri," he whispered, "I won't let it happened, ever." They both made themselves comfortable on the bed and spent the night in each others arms.

Xxx

"No, don't want to!" Donatello pulled his head away from his father as the rat tried to get his once genius son to eat something.

"My son you must eat, please." He pleaded. Splinter frowned when his son still refused to take the offered food and nearly didn't notice the approach of the little girl.

"Hi Donnie!" Annie said cheerfully, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Play?" The turtle asked hopefully.

"Only if you eat all your food, cause otherwise you won't be able to play right. You'll get tired and then you'll have to stop for a nap." She paused and sat beside her friend, "you don't want to start playing and then have to stop do you?"

"Play all day!" Donnie said cheerfully and opened his mouth for his father to feed him. In turn Splinter began feeding his son the sustenance he needed whilst keeping a warm smile on his face for both Donatello and Annie. Before long the last spoonful was swallowed and Annie was leading her turtle friend to play with all of the other children who had been rescued and given a haven at the surrounding farms over the last few months.

"I'll find a way Splinter I promise." Serena placed a hand on his shoulder making the rat jump despite himself. "I'm not sure how yet but there has to be a way to bring him back."

"I know you are doing everything in your power my child," he placed his paw on top of the hand still occupying his shoulder, "how is Leonardo?"

"Still won't leave our room," she sighed, "at least he's playing with Yoshi now. But otherwise all he does is stare out the window all day. With the exception of when he's injured, this is the longest I've ever seen him go without training in some way or another. It's a little unnerving."

"How goes the organisation of the crops and livestock?" he changed the subject before he could upset the girl he'd come to think of as his daughter.

"We have managed to gather the surrounding farms' wayward stock so we'll have plenty of milk and meat to last us, if we can manage the breeding of the cattle then we can supply our little colony for quite some time. As for the crops? Well there were three ranches to the west of here, not particularly big ones mind, but there were horses of varying types." She moved around him to take her place in the chair Donnie had previously occupied, "I'm not an expert on horses but a few of those we've rescued seem to think there are plenty to use to round up the cattle we've got. And there are around a dozen heavier horses that we can use to tend the fields. Unfortunately not only will that mean widening the reaches of the protection barrier around us, but it also means we need someone who knows what they're doing with horses. We have no idea how to train them and I'm told that if they're not already trained then we could ruin them."

"And with limited options that would be unwise." He supplied.

"Exactly." She nodded, "It's a shame Sayuri's . . . you know. She told me once that when her parents retired from the warrior life they began training horses for battle. She grew up with them and would know a lot more than the little knowledge I've managed to glean from our weekend riders that live here now."

"Then we will simply have to learn by trial and error in this case." With a nod and a wave of her hand two cups of tea appeared and they sat drinking their tea in silence.

"I found you!" Annie cried then pouted when Don jumped away to hide again. "That's cheating Donnie!" She whined then grinned, "Ollie, Ollie, Oxen free!" She yelled at the top of her young lungs and with several squeals children from three to fourteen were running from their hiding places to the side of the barn where they would be able to claim safety from the person named 'it'. Annie also ran laughing as she went tagging as many other children as she could reach with her tiny legs carrying her. Donatello ran as well but in his current state his coordination was no longer what it was and he tripped on a tuft of grass and scuffed his knee on a stone.

"Ow!" He cried, sitting up, he held his knee as tears began to well behind his chocolate eyes.

"Are you okay Donnie?!" Annie ran up to him followed by several of the other children.

"Someone should go get Rose or something" one of the older girls said out loud.

"I'll go said one of the pre-teen boys who instantly turned on his heels and shot off to find someone to help.

"Hurts." Don pouted still crying.

"You'll be okay Donnie, you're real brave!" Annie encouraged then had a brain storm, "say I'll bet Shadow and Yoshi are up now from their nap. I'll bet we can go see them when you're fixed."

"Marri's coming!" The boy who'd gone to find some help yelled as he sprinted back to the group. Barely moments later, Marisa appeared and shoed most of the kids away so that she could check there was nothing seriously wrong with the boy who her sister had been so fond of.

"Hey Don, can I have a look?" She asked gently.

"Lysie?" he frowned looking at her carefully as if trying to remember the link between Marisa and the girl he remembered being somehow important to him, his face dropped as he remembered she was a sister not his Lysie, "Lysie gone." He said unhappily looking away from her.

"I know Don, but we're all still here and I need to know how bad your knee is, okay?" she wiped a few of the tears away then turned to Annie, "Will you get me a small bowl of water please Annie?"

"Okay?" the little girl nodded and ran off immediately.

"Good girl." Producing her first aid kit she took out a melanin pad and pressed it to the bleeding knee to stop the reasonably heavy flow of blood dripping from his knee until she could clean it properly.

In the house Leonardo lay on the bed he shared with Serena staring at the crib opposite him. His child stirred and began to whine for attention, which his father was more than happy to give. Father stood up and leant over the crib taking his baby boy into his arms, with a few whispered words of comfort and sways, his son was soon sound asleep once again. Instead of placing him back down Leonardo lay on the bed once more and rested his son on his plastron. That was where Serena found them not ten minutes later fast asleep looking at peace together.

She been feeling odd all day but had stayed up in order to trawl through several more ancient books salvaged from the lair in the city. She gently took her son and placed him gently down into his crib once more before turning to Leo. With a shake of her head she covered her lover's body with one of the blankets. She stopped momentarily as a wave of dizziness hit her and she nearly fell on top of the sleeping turtle.

"Maybe a short nap wouldn't be such a bad idea." She said pulling herself onto the bed and curling up against Leo who wrapped his arms around her in his sleep.

Xxx

She hadn't worn such finery in years and hadn't expected to again, but it was necessary if she were to make sure that Minerva was ready for the very real threat Ursa posed. The court was out in full force and she felt a few nerves causing her stomach to flutter, she hated crowds. Making her way down the aisle she bowed before the royalty of Avalon.

"You have never needed to bow in this court." The queen chuckled, "rise." The elderly monarch waited until Sayuri had risen to her feet, "It has been too long dear. We were beginning to fear the worst."

"Where have you been lady Sayuri?" The king asked looking less pleasant than his wife.

"I have been in pursuit of my brother highnesses." She didn't meet their eyes knowing they would not like the whole truth when she admitted it.

"Did he just call her lady Sayuri?" Raph asked in a harsh whisper.

"Yeah, who knew she was so upper class." Mike whispered back.

"Shh, I want to hear this, its imperative we keep a check on what's said in case their highnesses take offense." Archie hissed.

"You have been pursuing your brother for all of this time?" Queen Serenity asked.

"Yes, and I am afraid to say I bring ill tidings. I followed Zuko and his bride to Earth . . ."

"You know it is forbidden to leave this world!" Yuri clenched her fists at Aurther's words expecting the worst, "You made yourself a criminal in order to bring your brother to justice?!" The king roared in outrage and her three companions tensed, ready to jump to her aid if needed.

"Hush Rupert!" The queen scolded.

"I had to make sure he didn't hurt anyone else." She clenched her fists staring at one spot on the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, "But that is not why I am here your highnesses. The pair has called forth an ancient and powerful demon, which has already conquered Earth and Minerva is her ultimate target. I have come here to warn you to raise an army to combat her."

"And what of you?" King Rupert asked.

"I intend to return to Earth to try and prevent her from ever getting this far." She replied. She was aware that the guards were now edging towards her but she held her ground hoping the Queen would understand.

"You and your friends aren't going anywhere. I am well aware of your current mental state." The king spat ignoring his wife's protests, "I have been informed that you joined your brother and a powerful witch banished you to a hell dimension." Sayuri was speechless; she simply could not believe that the father of her sister in law would believe such things of her after all she had been through.

"I told you dear that is simply preposterous." The queen interjected through gritted teeth, "Sayuri has always been a good girl, if a little high spirited." Raphael and Michelangelo snickered in the background on hearing this, Yuri's cheeks flushed, "But Azmaria always spoke quite highly of both her fighting skills and her moral character. You cannot fault her for mistakes she made at such a young age."

"This may be so but until I have proof that she isn't working with that murderer, then she should be locked away in the farthest dungeon for safe keeping!" The king of Avalon had worked himself up into a frenzy at that point and the guards had taken a light hold onto Yuri's upper arms. "Take her away!" The queen began protesting to her husband loudly but he would not be swayed, as the guards began to drag their captive away her three companions started to push their way through the crowd until. . .

"Enough!" The main doors burst open and an ancient looking man walked into the room, his way made clear by the parting crowd. His white hair and beard swayed just above the floor as he marched into the room, pulling the hood to his robe off at the same time, "Arthur, you would dare question the integrity of one chosen by Mab? Of someone the gods themselves have blessed? Do you wish to bring ill fortune upon your kingdom?" He paused momentarily but never gave the stuttering King time to reply, "Serenity dear, you always were the one with a level head on those delicate shoulders of yours, now why don't you get some of your maids to attend to Lady Sayuri and her young friends. It would seem that they have been travelling for some time and I am sure they would appreciate being pampered for at least a few hours before they must be on their way once more." Queen Serenity bowed to the man and caught the attention of some girls waiting at the side of the room who quickly guided Yuri and the others away, "As for you Arthur," he turned back to the king, "I would suggest you get started on that army Sayuri suggested. Particularly as Ursa is a very real threat and if she is not stopped then we will enter an era darker than any this or any other world of light has ever known."

Hey another chapter, instead of doing my essay, I am so gonna fail! Ah well, thanks to all of you who are still reading this and those of you who have tagged this as a fav. One of these days I might get organised enough to reply to some of your reviews etc . . . Till then know that you have my thanks and more reviews (good or bad) are always welcome! Toodles Angel xxx