A/N- Merry Christmas everyone! My gift to you: The final chapter of Home Ties! This has been so much fun to write and the feedback has been really positive. Anyway, enjoy, and I will see you at the end!

Chapter 9

China provided a welcome escape for the unique family; Northampton acted as a safe-haven but the glade just emanated a pure serenity that made everyone for some reason feel naturally relaxed. Venus took the guys on some forest trails she used to pursue as a child, even heading up towards the village where their gracious host had come from. But she was saddened to see the huts in disrepair, with only a couple of happy children running about whilst their mothers assisted the remaining elderly.

"Where is everyone? This village could house three times that many people!" Mikey asked, not seeing the look of despair on Venus' face.

"Most have moved to the city, well, those that can afford to. Meanwhile, the weak and elderly are left behind, along with the poorer families whose husbands send back money every month and perhaps come home to visit once or twice a year." She turned away deeper into the trees, unable to look anymore. "This is why my people are dying out. As humanity becomes 'smarter', inventing things that simply allow them to become less self-dependant, they are losing sight of tradition and the very foundations of the culture they are growing up in."

"Venus, you're not saying that computers are a bad thing are you?" Donatello asked, slightly incredulous. "I mean, look at all the good things they have done, like curing diseases and allowing people easy access to knowledge about their culture and history."

"I am not arguing that technological advancement has damaged the world more than helped it, Donatello. I just wonder how much we have sacrificed in order to make our lives easier."

She led them back through the forest, pondering her thoughts. Raphael could see a lot was on her mind, but he was a little unsure of what she was upset about. Turning his head slightly, he could see Leo's face full of understanding, realising that once again their Leader seemed to just know Venus more than his brothers. Leo sensed his brother staring and twisted his neck round and met his glance with a knowing gaze, making Raphael understand instantly: 'It is a reminder of her burden'.

However, the mood did not remain so gloomy for the group. A lot of their time involved meditation or swimming in the lake, where Venus was also happy to show off her skills; she could cause jets of water to form underneath the guys and push them into the air before releasing them to make them crash back down again.

"Ah come one Venus, do you have to stop them so quickly?" Mikey whined, liking the feeling of almost flying.

Venus laughed. "I'm sorry Michelangelo but I'm not enough strong to provide a constant seat for you 10ft in the air."

"Well then, how about a race?"

Raph saw Venus cock a brow slyly, saw a sudden glitter in her eye.

"A race?"

Raph smiled. "What's wrong Shinobi? Afraid you'll lose?"

"No, I just don't believe we have ever had a swimming race before. The sewers are a little narrow, and aren't exactly the cleanest of places."

The five of them lined up on the shore, ready to begin while stretching. Raph was surprised to find even Leo smiling in anticipation when a memory struck him. 'Oh shell…' The guys hadn't raced in the sewers (in the cleaner parts) for a long time, favouring the rooftops. And where Leo lacked stamina for long stints on land, he made up for it with incredible speed and breath-control under water.

Master Splinter and the old woman were to referee the match, Splinter banging his stick on the ground to begin the three laps of the lake. All five jumped into the water, speeding off, Leo and Venus immediately diving as deep as they could. Raph, knowing the tactic, tried to follow, noticing his brothers stayed closer to the surface. All five, as usual, remained pretty even with each other for a while until about four minutes in, when Raph felt his lungs beginning to burn a little. Being a turtle, he was naturally able to hold his breath for quite a bit longer than a human, but a lack of practice was leaving his head woozy as he kicked towards the surface, remembering now why Don and Mikey always swam higher up. He took a gulp of air before resuming the chase, remaining even with Donny as the others sped off ahead.

Down in the depths, Leo could centre his thoughts. It was easy to shut off his ears to the sounds of his brothers swimming, meaning he could focus on saving his breath as much as possible and enjoying the colourful water-weeds that stemmed from the bed of the lake. It was strangely beautiful down here, the sun causing an eerie glow. There were even a few tiny fish flitting about, speeding away as he approached. He took a moment to glance upwards to see Mikey a few feet directly above him while Don and Raph were lagging slightly. Raph had always lacked proper breath control and Leo remembered that after a certain day when they were children, Donatello had never been a fan of swimming in deep water; getting his leg trapped at the bottom of a collection pool after trying to retrieve a toy car (Don would kill him if he ever called it that to his face) kind of spaced him out for life. Leo remembered with both pride and fear that that was the first time he had acted entirely out of instinct with no regard for his own safety; his brother was in danger and he needed to help him. And thankfully, he had, though the telling off Master Splinter had given them afterwards still made him shiver.

Lost in his thoughts, Leo didn't notice Venus stream past him until he noticed a flash of light blue dance in front of him. He smiled as he realised she was twirling underwater, dipping and diving between the reeds and plants. Even the fish appeared to mimic her movements, seemingly unafraid by her presence. But most noticeable of all was her smile, broad and practically glowing. He looked upwards again and saw that even Mikey had fallen back quite a bit now, his sprinting speed and lack of breath control often meaning that he would become pretty tired pretty quickly. Leo decided this would be a good time to venture upwards for a breath of air with one lap still to go. He kicked his legs downwards and pushed with his arms, breaking the surface with a silent splash. He took one breath, let it go and then took another before diving back down again, speeding ahead of Venus as she took came up for air. She repeated the same breathing tactic before diving, seeing Leo weaving through the weeds. His grace underwater matched his poise with his blades; seamless and streaming. What did surprise her was the sudden rush of bubble next to her, a flash of red peeking through. She blinked to find Raphael storming ahead of her, trying to catch up to Leo. Surprise hit her as she saw his elegance, his legs kicking an erratic yet delicate rhythm; compared to his bulkiness and strength on land, Raphael now reminded Venus of a tadpole, darting through the water having just escaped its egg. She smiled before resuming her original pace, swiftly catching up to Raph and winking at him as she overtook. He rolled his eyes but smiled in defeat, determined to try to complete this lap in one breath and stay ahead of Mikey.

Leo was nearing the finish when he sensed someone getting closer to him; he twisted to find Venus streaming towards him and he quickened his pace, pushing his legs to their limit. But it was no use as Venus simply glided past him, seemingly flying rather than swimming. She smiled, a genuine smile without any sense of victory, before pushing past and going on to finish the lap. She even did a graceful little twirl before breaking the surface, Leo soon following. He stepped out on land, earning a proud smile from his father before a reckless splash erupted behind him. He span round to find Raphael sprinting out of the water before landing flat on his back on the grass, panting heavily. Leo chuckled.

"Run out breath there bro?"

Raph merely snorted before trying to stop his chest from exploding. Mikey was next, stepping out of the water before Don clambered out afterwards, both of them exhausted.

"My sons, you have forgotten how to control the air within you."

"Sorry Sensei, it's just been a long time since we raced under water." Donny panted, joining Raph on the ground.

"Venus, how'd you get so fast?" Mikey asked, stretching his arms. Venus chuckled at their lack of energy.

"Mikey, I grew up here. I went swimming every day, either here or in the river."

"Well now we know why water is your strongest element." Leo commented, making Venus smile.

"Yes, well done Venus. Well done everyone. And now I have some news for you; we shall be leaving tomorrow."

The group turned round all at once, Raph and Don snapping upright.

"Really?" Leo asked, a little miserably, Venus noted.

"Yes my son. We have a duty back in New York, and although it is good to take a break to centre our thoughts from time to time, we cannot simply run away."

"But Sensei, there isn't another boat for at least two weeks." Donny stated, his notes and a calendar back in the hut having provided a sense of time for the group.

"Yes but there is an airfield not far from here that deals with small shipments that need to get across the world quickly." The old woman began. "There is one, I have noticed whenever I take a walk down river, with New York written on it and it comes but twice a month."

"It would be a whole lot quicker than a boat," Raph muttered, Mikey nodding avidly.

"But how will we sneak on board? They are hardly going to be big like commercial planes." Leo asked, not liking the sound of this plan.

"Well, to be honest the security this end is a little lacking," the woman smiled. "And there are very few people working there. You can sneak on in the hanger after the plane has landed."

"And when it lands and the crew open the door and find six mutants camping out inside?"

"We can make a jump for it when it gets over the river. The wheels will be lowered by then and we sneak through the gap. They'll never see us. And one of us can carry Sensei." Donny explained, frowning at the look of disapproval on Leo's face.

"I don't like it. It's too risky. We should wait for the boat."

"Enjoying your holiday then, Leo?" Raph jeered, having an inkling about what this was all about.

"It's not that, Raphael. Don't be so childish."

"You're the one letting a little fear of heights get in the way of us going home."

Leo turned, prepared to fume at Raphael before seeing his father's face and hanging his head in shame. Splinter placed a paw on his son's shoulder.

"I know that you have never flown in a plane before my son, but I can assure you that there is nothing to be afraid of. And we shall all be together and not in a quarantined cage as I was when my Master Yoshi brought me to New York from Japan."

Leo took a deep breath and smiled, resigning himself to the group's decision before they retired to the small wooden house for the evening. The woman made them a hearty noodle broth as the group told stories from their childhoods, such as when Mikey glued one of his feet to his skateboard so that he could never fall off it.

"It seemed a fool-proof plan at the time, you know. But then I realised-"

"What? That you would have to wear your skateboard in the shower? Or to bed?" Raph scolded before slurping his soup.

"It's alright Mikey," Venus comforted. "I once tied my Master's incense burner around my neck so that I could constantly smell the sandal wood. Unfortunately I couldn't see when the stick had burnt down until I felt it burn my neck. I shrieked and jumped into the lake while ripping the thing off my neck. I still have the scar." She twisted her neck round to show the guys a small dark green dot.

"Was Chung I mad?" Leo asked, helping their host clear up their bowls.

"Yes, but more so that I had dunked his six-hundred year old stone incense burner in the lake. He kept it on a very high shelf after that."

"My child, what did it look like?" The woman asked.

"It was a jade elephant, with a small hole running through its trunk for the stick to sit in." Venus answered, frowning at the question. "Why?"

"Wait here." The woman answered, handing the plates she was holding to Raphael before rummaging through a wooden box hidden under her pillow. The group exchanged glances before she suddenly whipped out said incense burner, making Venus' eyes widen.

"I found this at the bottom of the lake a few months ago while looking for water-herbs. I am not a fan of incense but found it too precious to discard. It is yours now child. Let it be a memento of your home and your time here now."

Venus was speechless, clutching the object tightly before placing it in her bag with her Master's pendant. She slept soundly that night, awaking early morning to sit outside the hut. She breathed in the cool morning air, the night's influence casting a blue sheen across the valley. A single line of orange burned above the rim of the mountains, signalling the day's arrival.

Leo awoke to find Venus missing, stepping around his sleeping family to check outside. He found her sat on the ground, simply staring ahead. He stepped towards her, knowing she would sense his presence anyway.

"Err, you know we don't have be up another two hours, right?"

"I know, but I don't know if I will ever be able to watch another sunrise such as this again. I took it for granted as a child, but I learnt too late how much I would miss it."

Leo was a little dumbstruck at the profound statement, returning to the house. But as he saw the orange rim becoming a red, he decided to sit underneath the little window, giving Venus a little privacy but allowing himself a stunning view. 'They certainly don't make sunrises like this back at home' he mused.

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Small was an understatement when describing the airfield just a couple of miles away down river. The group took the small speedboat, planning on dragging it near the airport so that someone could find it and return it to its owner. The back of the hanger stood looming above the water, the trees thinner now. The guys clambered out and cracked a small, little-used door open; in the hanger sat a tiny cargo plane with a picture of the statue of Liberty painted on the wing. Two men were loading it with crates while a third was checking the plane over.

"It should be leaving soon. We'd better get inside." Donny explained, earning nods from his brothers. Venus turned to the woman and bowed.

"Thank you for everything. I shall never be able to repay you."

"Do not worry my child. While I can, I shall protect your father's home, but do not dwell on the past. You have a new home now; make the most of it, and make the most of your gifts. You hold the future of our clan within yourself." The woman smiled and retreated back into the trees, waving them off. The entire group bowed to her before sneaking in through the door.

The last box was just being loaded before the men returned to the front of the plane,

"It's now or never," Leo stated, and the group moved one by one, hiding behind various containers in the hanger before climbing into the back of the plane and crouching amongst the strapped down crates. There was barely any room to move, and the group knew that though this journey would be quicker it would undoubtedly be more uncomfortable. One of the men quickly glanced in the compartment before shutting the door.

"Phew, this is too tense," Raph muttered, leaning against a crate.

"Err Donny, don't you think the pilot will wonder why the weight of the plane is so much greater than it should be?" Leo suddenly asked, his panic spreading through the group. Donny racked his brain for a solution before something caught his eye out of the window behind his brother.

"Not if that's the pilot." Donny smiled, causing the group to turn and find a huge, rather round man making his way to the front of the plane before taking a seat. Mikey grinned before leaning back to relax.

"This is gonna be a piece of cake. 14 hours of simply sleeping."

"You can't snore Mikey," Raph warned as the plane began to speed out of the hanger. The 'drive' was bumpy for a few minutes before suddenly stopping.

"What's wrong? Has the plane broken down?" Mikey whispered but Splinter shook his head.

"My sons, I suggest you grab onto to something."

The turtles looked at their Sensei blankly whilst Donny wrapped a free piece of strap around his middle.

"Don, what-?"

Master Splinter smacked a paw over Raphael's mouth to stop him crying out as the plane suddenly jerked forward, gaining more and more speed and rumbling quite loudly for such a little vehicle. Mikey grabbed on to Venus arm, who was holding on to a strap behind her. Leo however was sat alone, his eyes wide with fright as they ascended into the air at a sharp incline. Venus tried to push calming thoughts his way but his mind was too erratic so she merely encouraged him to breath, focusing her eyes on his. When the plane finally levelled, Leo relaxed a little but remained alert, even when the rest of his family fell asleep five hours into the journey. Mikey had shoved his bandana into his mouth to stop himself from snoring. Even Venus had gone off, leaning her head on top of Mikey's as he slumbered on her shoulder. Leo smiled at the sight, taking some time to meditate. They would land at 11pm local time due to the 7pm take off from China, along with the 14 hour flight and 12 hour time difference, New York being behind. They were going to be shattered when they got back. Leo knew he needed to get some sleep, it now being around midnight for them, but his mind wouldn't rest. Only Raphael knew that he hadn't still quite mastered his fear over heights, and although now he could look down from the top of a New York apartment block without freezing up, he really hated the idea of hovering thousands of feet above the earth in a tin can with wings. However, 7 hours in he found his eyes drooping.

Donny woke up to everyone still being asleep, even Leo thank goodness. He checked his shell cell, still on China time: 7am. They only had four more hours to go before they would finally be home. He lent back against a crate and took some time to let his thoughts dissolve; it was very rare that Donatello had chances to meditate, and he admitted to liking it, although maybe not as much as Leo. Soon, however he found himself being shaken awake by Raphael.

"Yo, we gotta go bro. Jumping time."

"What? Already?" Don felt ashamed that his meditation session had simply sent him back to sleep.

"The wheels have just been lowered. We're not too far above the river but it is still quite a drop. We need to jump one after the other, okay?" Leo explained as he placed a rubber cover over his bag to make it waterproof while his family did the same.

"I'll go first," Venus offered. "Then if someone has a problem I'm already in the water to help."

No one disagreed with her; she'd already proven that she was the most skilled in the water. She slung her bag over shoulder and sat down on the edge before grabbing the wheel stem and sliding down. She took a deep breath, the size of the drop making her anxious before she let go. The feeling of weightlessness was spectacular as she quickly span round so that her arms were pointed towards the water as she dived in. The autumn night water was definitely cold but Venus steeled herself to quickly kick towards the surface. Her wave was the cue for Mikey to jump next.

The orange-banded turtle span and flipped all the way down, screaming 'Cowabunga' before he hit the water with a loud splash. Venus rushed over to him as he emerged, shivering.

"Did you like my moves, Venus?" He asked between chattering teeth.

"Yes Mikey but we need to move so we can try and stay level with the plane."

The pair dived underneath and swam towards shore, a splash erupting on their left. Venus found Donny struggling and spluttering, and she could sense his fear.

"It's alright Donny just stay up here. Grab onto my bag."

Donny did as he was told while Leo waited his turn up above them. Sensei would dive next, then Raph, then him. Sensei hit the water with a graceful ease before joining the constantly moving group.

"You wanna go next bro?" Raph asked, earning a shaking head from Leo. "Well too bad. Venus is hardly gonna let you drown. Just angle the dive right and you'll be fine. Besides, I ain't leaving you up here on your own to chicken out and then get discovered by animal control. Now jump."

"But Raph-"

"Come on fearless, we both know that name ain't completely accurate."

Leo stared at his brother before he was pushed down the gap. They weren't far from the docks now. Leo kept his eyes focused on the water as he let go, forming a perfect dive as he sliced into the water. He wasn't prepared for the cold though and he felt his legs seizing up with his previous panic when his head broke through the surface of the river.

"Leo! Leo calm down and just tread water. You did great, okay."

Leo could barely hear Venus' words as she rubbed his arm, willing him to calm down. He returned her smile, relieved when Raph splashed down just a few metres away from the docks.

"Let's go."

The six of them swam up to an old pontoon and clambered out of the water.

"We need to get home fast otherwise we're all going to catch hyperthermia." Donny ordered, running through the docks. They found a man-hole cover nearby and jumped in, the air being slightly warmer.

"Phew! Who knew you could forget the smell of a New York sewer." Mikey commented before the group trudged on home.

The journey took about half an hour, the warmth of the lair piercing their skin with an uncomfortable prickle at first before settling into a comfortable heat. Mikey immediately ran towards the T.V.

"Yes! Oh videogames, how I have missed you."

"Michelangelo, it is midnight. Far too late to playing videogames. You will go to bed."

"But Master Splinter, I'm not tired! I'm still 12 hours ahead."

"You've got to settle back to New York time Mikey," Leo added. "And now is the best time. Otherwise you'll feel dead in the morning."

"Oh man," Mikey wined, throwing his controller down before shuffling to his room.

The group dispersed into their chambers and Venus immediately felt a sudden comfort. Before going to bed, she retrieved her father's pendant and incense burner from her bag, placing them on her little table in her room. She thought back to the old woman's words and realised that although she missed China greatly, she no longer considered it her home, but rather her childhood which had been cruelly stolen from her just over a year ago. But sat in this warm room, with people she loved just next door or down the hall, she realised with a sense of contentment that this is where she wanted to be. This was her home.

A/N- So here we are, at the end of Home Ties. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it and has a fab New Year. Bring on 2015! New episodes of TMNT return on 11th January apparently, season 3 finally screening here in the UK in February (I think) so we have plenty to look forward to.

My next story is 3/4 written and currently untitled so bear with me. I plan to have at least the first chapter up in the next couple of weeks but I still need to finish the first draft. Anyway, have a fab New Year everyone, and see you in 2015! :)