Author's Notes: Me again...I got several chapters done in my holiday!!! :D That means I can try get them out nice and steadily. I know where this is going now, so let's try finish this sometime in the near future :3

Things in italics and centralized are dreams.

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT...I think Nick does...anyway, I own Violet, Keiko and the plot ;)

Chapter 21: Instincts

The ride home was probably worse than the ride here. It just seemed so much longer!

I ended up in the very back of the van with a bemused Don and a sleepy Michelangelo. The reason Don was puzzled? I keep feeling the side of the van, testing it with my hands.

I sit in the corner, constantly testing each patch near me, as my senses keep telling me to do so.

"What exactly are you trying to find?" Don asks me as I rub the metal again.

I shrug, "I don't know…I'll know when I find it, but I just feel that I should be looking"

He sighs, "You might want to get some sleep, this is quite a long journey," he suggests to me kindly.

"Yeah…I will," I answer, checking the patch of floor beneath me.

Another sigh, "Night Violet"

"Night"

After a little while, both Don and Mikey are asleep, leaving me feeling around the corner of the van.

"It's time to let this strange obsession go", Keiko comes over to me, kneeling in front of me, "You feel you need to, but what you really need is rest, otherwise you'll exhaust yourself"

"But-"

"No Violet, instincts aren't always right". She stands, taking my hand and leading me away from my corner. "Sleep, then you may continue if you desire" she smiles, making sure I'm settled down before leaving me.

I take her and Don's advice and let myself give up all the thoughts on the corner of the van, soon feeling relaxed and easily drifting into a peaceful sleep.

"Dude!" I hear Mikey exclaim, pulling me from my sleep.

I yawn, sitting up slowly and stretching my arms out.

"Hmm?" I groan slightly, trying not to seem too sleepy.

He laughs, "We're home!"

"Really?" I stand up slowly, moving over to him.

Don opens the back doors revealing our storage area. As I walk forwards, I can't help but notice all the walls…all the spots…

"Babe?" Mikey takes one of my hands, "You okay?"

I shake my head slightly, "Um…yeah!" I force a smile quickly, leading him over to the actual lair. "Just as we left it", I say, ignoring all the screaming feelings running throughout my head.

"You're still tired, aren't you?" he grins at me, lifting my chin up with his spare hand.

I quickly smile, "Of course!" I lie, "Perhaps I should try get a bit more sleep…" I trail off, thoughts of finding the right spot still in place.

"Come on" he smirks, leading me to our room. As I sit on the bed, he turns to go, only to be stopped by me. "Where are you going?" I ask quietly, kind of surprised.

"Well…I…um…" he thinks carefully about his words. "I need to go get something"

I yawn slightly, "Okay, just don't be long"

He leaves me to sleep, which I find hard because of my senses, but manage a couple more hours.

I walk through the dank sewers, eventually coming up to the surface through a nearby manhole. As I come out into an alley, I quickly and stealthily make my way up to the rooftops and perch on a ledge. I breathe in slowly, taking in the scenery happily.

A noise comes from behind; it sounded like someone kicking a stone by accident. I don't turn, pretending I didn't notice. They continue to move forward, approaching me slowly. As they near me, I jump up and over them, dazing them quickly with a swift movement.

I inspect my stalker carefully as they lay unconscious on the ground. They look like an agent, wearing all black and they are carrying a lot of weapons. "Bishop…" I mutter as I stand up straight, trying to carefully go back the way I came.

As I get to the edge of the roof, I feel something hit me in my arm. I pull out the dart as soon as I realize and attempt to run. I can't lead them down into the sewers because they may find the lair! So instead, I run along the rooftops, finding more agents coming out from hiding.

Lucky for me I managed to get the dart out before too much of the tranquilizer went in. The bad news though is that all these agents are all loaded with guns full of the things!

"Get them!" I hear one of the division leaders shout.

I jump a rooftop, landing easily. I almost end up holding my breath as I run, worry invading the whole of me. I start having to leap over more and more rooftops, trying to lose my stalkers, but Bishop has sent a lot after me, I don't know if I can escape.

I crouch behind a chimney, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I close my eyes, trying to wake up from this bad dream when another dart skims past me. It burrows itself in the ground before me.

I grit my teeth. I can't run anymore, and they know it.

There's a sudden pain in my leg! Before I can react, I spy a dart injecting it's content into it. "Damn…" I curse as I try to get up, going kind of numb. I stumble forward and fall on my face. I glance up as I begin to black out, seeing a load more men approach me.

"Mission successful" the leader speaks into a communicator, "Mutant apprehended"

I glare up at him, still trying to get up and failing. I push with my hands only to fall again. I close my eyes, the world disappearing quickly only to be replaced with blackness.

I awake, gasping slightly; it is now late in the day with no sign of Michelangelo, plus that was the first nightmare I've had in a while, which worries me more.

I go to Splinter's study, finding Keiko meditating in there alone while Leonardo trains with Splinters.

"Keiko-sensei?" I ask quietly as I enter.

She looks up, a small smiling coming across her face. "Konnichiwa Violet" she bows her head slightly, "Come and sit"

"Arigato" I mumble as I kneel before her.

Before I can even say anything, she instructs me. "Clear your mind"

"Hai"

We sit in silence for a few minutes, letting the peacefulness engulf us. "Now, what is the matter?" she finally asks.

"Well, I don't know how to put this…"

She sighs, "Take your time"

I decide to deal with my first problem. "I keep feeling I have to find the perfect spot for something…"

"But why? Why do you need to?" she answers me with more questions to contemplate on, using our meditation as a means of regarding these issues.

I stay silent so the answers can come to me. I don't even realize when I begin speaking again. "I think it's for my nest…"

"You must try and control your urges, my daughter. Instincts are a powerful voice from your head, but you must also listen to your heart. Normally, trusting your instincts is right, but sometimes they can be wrong"

"So how can I tell?"

She takes her time answering. "That is the real question Violet, but only you can answer that for yourself"

"Hai sensei" I bow as I go to bring myself out of my meditation.

"Violet…" she stops me, "What else is troubling you?"

I sigh, "Nothing gets past you sensei…" I settle myself back down. "I had another nightmare"

I sense her concern. "Didn't those end a while ago?"

"Hai" I keep myself calm, "I don't really know who it was about though…"

"Alright" she bows, "If you want to go, you may" she smiles, "But I am always here to talk to"

"I know" I smile back and leave, frowning to myself as I walk through the door. "Building a nest? Weird…"

It's then when my shellcell begins to go off. I pick it up carefully off my belt, answering it as quickly as I can.

"Hey Babe…ow…"

"Mikey?" I ask, wondering why he sounds worried.

"Could you come meet me topside? Perhaps near the pier?"

"The pier? Mikey…what's going on?"

I hear something shove him in the background, causing him to grunt. "Sorry Babe, gotta go…see you soon"

The phone hangs up, leaving me worried. I then find myself shocked again, trying to keep the fear contained. "Mikey…"

I run back to our room and grab my tessen, deciding not to tell the others so not to worry them, as they are all kind of busy. I dash out through the sewers, following the path towards the pier closely.

"I should have guessed that was Mikey" I curse to myself as I move quickly, ignoring the motion sickness I experience with each jump or jolt.

I eventually come to the end of the tunnels, taking a little rest so not to exhaust myself. Taking a nice deep breath, I climb up the ladder to the surface, soon jumping up to the rooftops.

"Mikey?" I ask out loud.

"Vi-" I hear his voice cut off quickly, the sound of cocking guns surrounding me.

I turn slowly, spying a soldier restraining my mate a little distance away.

Before I can react, someone distracts me. "Ah, Violet. What a surprise"

"Bishop" I growl at the hologram of our enemy, "Why?"

"I'm sorry it has to be this way" he lies. "I knew the only bait that would allow me the pleasure of seeing you was this lowly mutant"

"And why'd you want me?" I frown.

He pushes his glasses up; "I've recently learnt some interesting things about you…" he gets a bit of a malevolent smile across his face. "So what will it be Violet, you or him?"

"You mean…trade myself for Mikey?" I raise an eye ridge, finding this a bit too easy.

"Violet! NO! It's a-" Mikey yells before being gagged again, the fear showing in his face.

I sigh. "My instincts are saying hell no" I close my eyes as I find the next words hard. "But my heart is telling me to do it…"

Mikey shakes his head frantically, trying to get me to leave him.

"I've recently learnt to not always trust my instincts…so, Bishop…" I look right at his form, determination taking hold on me, "I accept, so long as Mikey is free to go"

Almost immediately, a dart is shot in my shoulder, injecting me with sedative. I find a couple of soldiers catch me as I wobble on the spot, becoming woozy.

"I'm sorry Mikey…" I whisper as I find myself taken away, reality slipping from my view, but not before hearing Mikey's screams one final time.