~ INTRODUCTION ~
Here we go with chapter 2. Sorry this took a bit longer than I said for it to come out. But hey, it's worth it! I'm sure it was weird having a chapter that didn't feature the female lead at all. But there was some exposition to get through and I wanted to make Venus's introduction to be more unique. So here's the next chapter, enjoy!


Chapter II: I'm Your Venus...

"Venus! Where are you!? I want to meet you!" Raphael called out in the back alleys.

He knew the best places to look for ninja and the alley was as good as any. Though the others had a pretty good idea, Raphael knew best how he felt. Despite being in the company of his fellow turtles and sensei, he was lonely. And though he would never admit it to anyone, not even Splinter, he knew deep down that, up until now, he and his brothers were the only ones of their kind. To know that there was another like him, and female for that matter, really meant something to him. More than any of the others, Raphael wanted to fall in love. He wanted someone who could be the yin to his yang. And it excited him to no end that he might finally find his happiness.

But that was where the conflict came in. There was only one of her and four of them. Even if she were the type who would reciprocate love, who would be the one to win her heart? Despite his aggressive nature and tendency to fly off the handle, Raphael was fiercely loyal to his comrades; his brothers. And he loved them as such. But he very much doubted that there were other female mutant turtles out there, and this could be his one and only chance. Sure it might be selfish, but all is fair in love and war. He would find Venus first and win her over.

"Hey Venus! My name is Raphael! I'm a mutant ninja turtle just like you! I know you're nearby! I can feel it!" Raphael called out.

In the shadows, high on the side of a building, the silhouette of a mutant turtle clung to the wall. A subtle glow of energy emanated from her hands and feet, connecting her to the wall. From that perspective, she had a clear view of Raphael from behind and above. A closeup of her eyes showed the feminine beauty in them. They also had an intensity in them that would send chills down one's spine. She clung there like a shadow, watching her prey. With her three fingered hand, she reached into a pouch on her leg and pulled out a kunai. She released her energy grip on the wall and fell downward until she neared the ground. At the last moment, she gracefully propelled herself away from the wall, sprung off the opposite wall, and landed on the ground without a sound. She remained shrouded in the darkness as she snuck up behind her prey.

Raphael kept walking. He was no amateur. He had his senses on full alert. Knowing full well that if she were as skilled a ninja as he was told, she would try to surprise him. And he could feel her presence nearby. He walked a few more paces and instantly swung around with his sai drawn. To his surprise, no one was there. There weren't any large objects to hide behind. What if? He looked up the walls, barely able to see past the darkness that shrouded them. But there was nothing there as well.

Venus appeared from behind him again and made her move. She aimed for his neck, a guaranteed deathblow if it hit. Raphael, without even thinking, swung around as fast as he could and just barely got his sai up to parry the attack. Venus jumped back. She remained silhouetted by shadows. Raphael strained to see her. What he could see was that she wasn't petite. When he parried that attack, he felt tremendous strength behind it. Just half a second longer and he would be dead now.

Venus stood there a moment. "You got good senses; I like that. Now let's see you handle a direct assault."

Venus charged straight at Raphael with amazing speed. Raphael kept his defensive stance as she swung her kunai at him. He blocked the attack, but she kept up the pressure. Raphael was stunned to feel her immediately overpowering him with relative ease. This forced him to leap back away from her. Venus stood there again; it was like she was taunting him.

"So, I finally meet one of the infamous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and he can't handle a simple attack from me. Well then, it seems I really am so much stronger than you. In fact, if that was your best, then I know that I'm stronger than all four of you combined," Venus said.

Raphael wasn't too surprised at this. It wouldn't be the first time he has gone up against a mutant that was superior in physical strength. But he also knew there was more to being a warrior than just brute force. He would show her first hand that he was not one to be taken lightly. Still, he found himself feeling...exhilarated by this battle. He knew she was testing him. At least that was what he hoped. She could've killed him with that sneak attack. Raphael raised his weapons and went on the offensive.

"Alright! You want me, then here I come!" Raphael yelled as he charged.

He jabbed his sai at her, but she bent backward into a bridge, causing the sai to pass right above her. She swiftly did a fast handplant and kicked upward, knocking Raphael's sai out of his hands into the air. Before Raphael could react, she sprung from her hands and leapt back to her feet and landed a punch directly to Raphael's midsection, sending him flying back several feet. The force and speed behind that punch was unreal! Raphael clutched his stomach area, clearly feeling the pain from that hit. He saw Venus strolling up to him like it was all casual, grabbed him by his shell, and lifted him up over her head.

"Up you go!" she said with glee.

The last thing Raphael experienced, before he was launched into the wall, was how strong she was. He was not a lightweight by any means. But he felt like he floated up. It was all over in an instant as she hurled him at the wall, causing him to crash in an unconscious heap. All the while, she remained shrouded in darkness. But hard as it was to make out her physical appearance, it was known that she was far from being a lightweight herself.

* * *

Back at I Chung's house, the remaining turtles and Splinter were sleeping. They knew there was little they could do to stop Raphael. In certain cases, they may have tried, but this time was personal. So the only thing they could do was leave him alone to do his own thing. It was the middle of the night. No one noticed the front door opening slowly and a shadowy figure, carrying another, entering. It set him down on the couch, and set a note on top, and left; all without a sound.

The next morning, I Chung's voice reached into Raphael's consciousness, "Hey, wake up!"

Raphael opened his eyes to see I Chung and Splinter standing over him. It took a moment for him to realize where he was. He then remembered what happened previously and how Venus just manhandled him. He put a hand to his head. Surprisingly, he felt no pain. In fact, he felt rested.

"Are you ok?" Splinter asked.

Raphael got into a sitting position, "Yes, I'm fine. How long have I been out?"

"I don't know. We all went to sleep figuring there was nothing we could do to stop you. Next thing we know, you're here on the couch, asleep. Nice to know you came back," Splinter said.

Raphael's expression became stern. "I didn't come back here of my own will. I met her... sort of. I never could get a good look at her. She was able to consistently remain in shadows. It almost seemed unnatural though, like she was manipulating the light around her somehow to keep it off her."

I Chung smiled faintly. "It's one of the mystical techniques that I taught her. It's called shadow manipulation. It's more of a psychological tactic than anything. It makes it harder for the opponent to read their movements. It's kind of like fighting in the dark, hard to fight properly if you can't see."

Raphael pondered this as I Chung asked what he and Splinter were both thinking, "What was the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

Raphael recalled Venus's unbelievable strength. For a girl, she was very strong. Raphael clearly didn't want to answer that question.

I Chung seemed to read his mind when he saw his embarrassment, "Forgive me for being blunt. But judging from your reaction, she overpowered you and knocked you out, didn't she?"

Raphael crossed his arms and looked away. To put it simply, he didn't want to tell them that he got beat up by a girl.

Splinter was in no mood for Raphael's stubbornness as he joined the exchange. "Look, the others are still sleeping so they won't interfere in this discussion. It's still early in the morning, so it's just us three. Will you drop the tough guy act for just a moment and tell us what happened?"

Splinter was the only one whose command Raphael would obey; he complied. "Yes, it's true. I had a hard time anticipating her next move with her being in perpetual shadow. She nearly killed me with a sneak attack that I barely sensed coming at the last moment. I held my own briefly. But her physical strength was overwhelming, and her speed was equally impressive. She knocked my sai out of my hands with a handspring kick. The last thing I remember was her punching me with enough force to knock me back several feet to the ground. She... lifted me above her head and threw me full force into a brick wall, knocking me out. What puzzles me is why I'm not in pain or why I don't have a concussion or something. I hit that wall really hard; my head especially."

Splinter looked to I Chung for an answer. Talented as he was in ninjitsu and other branches of the martial arts, he didn't know much about the mystical arts himself.

I Chung went on to explain: "First of all, Venus is many things. But one thing she isn't is a cold-blooded killer. Chances are if you wouldn't have reacted to her sneak attack, she would've stopped just shy of the striking point. At least that's the case if she doesn't consider you a threat. And she's heard a lot about you and the others. She knows that you aren't evil so there would be no reason for her to try to kill you."

"Then why did she have to throw me into a wall and cause what I thought was a serious head injury?" Raphael asked heatedly.

"Yes, I can see where you're coming from. Though if you really want me to explain her in detail... Well forgive me for putting it like this, but it might hurt your ego," I Chung said delicately.

"I doubt anything can make me feel worse than I already do," Raphael replied.

I Chung breathed a sigh of relief. "Fair enough. She has acquired a thrill for fighting. She's not much unlike yourself actually. She tends to be aggressive and if you piss her off, it can get ugly real quick."

"Sounds like you two would really get along," Splinter said chuckling.

Raphael looked embarrassed. "Please, spare me."

Splinter said nothing. He wanted to try to break some of Raphael's tension.

I Chung continued: "You asked how you're unhurt after being hurled into a wall. Remember, Venus is skilled in the mystical arts that I trained her in. Not many people out there know of this art. Instead of using physical energy, this one uses spiritual energy. And it's not easy to control either. It takes a great deal of focus, concentration, and control to use properly. But once a shinobi successfully learns to control spiritual energy, it has a great number of uses. We also use special orbs that are made from spiritual energy which help amplify the use of a particular art. In the western world, they would call it magical energy. You see deep down, Venus is a caring individual and would never kill someone without good reason, or leave them injured. What she did was apply a healing technique using spiritual energy. It's a lot more effective than conventional means. The only drawback is that it requires a lot of spiritual energy to heal an injury, especially one as serious as a head injury. Chances are she used the orb of healing to amplify the effects of the technique."

Raphael found himself becoming intrigued by all this. Things finally began to make sense to him. And though he wasn't about to admit it; now that he could look back at it in hindsight, he found himself... exhilerated by his meeting with Venus.

I Chung took Raphael's silence as a cue to keep going. "You're probably also wondering how she overpowered you so easily? I've heard that your physical strength as a mutant turtle was greater than that of an ordinary human. But I've seen how strong Venus is, and it made me believe that she is even stronger than any of you. I don't mean to belittle you. It's just that from what you told me, that seems to be the case."

I Chung turned to Splinter. "I think you might want to explain this part to him."

Splinter nodded. "I believe we know why Venus, despite being the same type of turtle that you four are, is a lot stronger. When I discovered you, I never knew at the time that there was a fifth. And it was some time before your mutations took effect. Not long after I first started talking with I Chung here, he told me about his visit to Manhattan. Neither of us were certain how long it was since I left the scene where I found you and the others. But I Chung happened to come across the same place before cleanup crews eventually arrived. Apparently, Venus strayed from the area for a while and then returned after we all left. Being ignorant to the mutagen that she was walking through, she was exposed to it for a longer period of time than you four. As a result, when she mutated, her physical strength became much greater than yours and the others. In fact, based on what I Chung described at the time, Venus's strength was estimated to be even greater than Tokka's or Slash's."

Raphael's eyes went wide. "You've...you've gotta be kidding me! So you're saying she's some kind of... musclebound freak?!"

I Chung slowly nodded. "Basically... yes."

What they didn't realize was that Raphael's reaction wasn't how he really felt about this revelation. He wasn't sure what he was feeling. But when he thought about his prospective female counterpart being an Amazon, the thought actually excited him. As familiar as he was with society, that was one thing he was unfamiliar with. Was it... normal for him to desire a woman like this? He never did get a good look at her, but he did know that she wasn't small. He had to meet her again, but on more even ground. And even if she was a woman, even if she was the unexpected type of woman he desired, he'd fight her again if it came down to it. And this time, he will be ready.

Splinter produced the note that was left with Raphael. "And she left you this. I hope you can forgive me, but I read it. I Chung didn't read it though. It's addressed to you.

Raphael took the note and read it to himself:

Dear Raphael,

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed our little fight. I must admit, you had some pretty good moves. I always wanted to see how I fared against one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I must also admit that I kinda like you. You're every bit the bad boy I've learned about. And I could tell that you weren't psychologically prepared to fight me. You made it too easy for me. I'll keep it real simple, I want to fight you again. But this time, I want you to hold nothing back because I'm a woman. And believe me darling, I'm every bit a woman. I perform at a place called the Phoenix Club downtown tomorrow night. I Chung knows where it is. And bring your fellow turtles with you. I want to meet them as well.

I know you're just itching to see me. Believe me, if I wasn't using shadow manipulation while fighting you, the battle would've been one-sided. There isn't a man yet who hasn't reacted to my appearance. It's why you live in the sewers, right? Anyway, don't disappoint me sugar.

X O X O X
Venus De Milo

PS: It's nice to know you have great reflexes. I wouldn't have actually struck if you didn't react. I just wanted you to understand that I'm a lot stronger than you think. *wink*

"I want to meet her. I mean officially meet her. And you, I Chung, are going to take me to her!" Raphael demanded.

I Chung shied away at this. "Are you crazy!? You haven’t seen her! She's not exactly the Venus I raised anymore. She's changed! She's become unpredictable in the things she does!"

I Chung seemed to blush at this point, "And... she's become somewhat... indecent. While she is a highly skilled shinobi, well... she..."

This time I Chung really began to blush. Raphael knew what he was getting at.

"I already know," he said as he held up the note.

I Chung finally resigned to the inevitable, as he realized from the note Raphael held up, that Venus had already let the cat out of the bag. "I think it's best that we just take you to see her where she works on the side. But on one condition, we all go. The other turtles need to see her as well. It's what Splinter brought you here for, remember?"

Raphael wasn't keen on the others tagging along if he had anything to say about it, but he knew that Splinter would give him no other choice in the matter.

"Fine," Raphael said as he got up and walked into the next room.

Dawn had fully come. Leonardo was the first to wake up, followed by Donatello and Michelangelo. Splinter came into the room.

"Good morning, everyone. Did you sleep well?" Splinter asked.

Michelangelo stretched and yawned as Leonardo began to put on his ninja gear. Donatello went to grab some breakfast.

"I'll take that as a yes. Anyway we got some training to do. Because tonight, I Chung has agreed to take us to where Venus works," Splinter said.

Leonardo was the first to respond, "What do you mean where she works? She actually works at a job where humans gather?"

Michelangelo walked over to them. "Hey, has anyone seen Raphael? I wanted to ask him something."

"He went to the training hall to exercise. But before you go, there's something I need to discuss with the three of you," Splinter said.

And so Splinter and I Chung told them everything they discussed with Raphael previously, as well as their plan to see her. Their reactions differed. Michelangelo had a more traditional taste in women. Donatello was content with his hobby and felt that when the right woman came along, he would deal with it then. But Leonardo, he blushed at the mention of a female mutant turtle with muscles bigger than his. Michelangelo took notice.

"Hey bro, you look like you have a thing for a girl like that," he prodded.

"What are you talking about?! Go away!" Leonardo yelled defensively.

Donatello looked at this exchange. He's shared some personal conversations with Leonardo in the past and he knows of Leonardo's loneliness that he hides under his bold exterior.

"Hey Mikey, leave Leo alone will ya?" Donatello asked.

Michelangelo walked away to grab some breakfast as well. "Alright alright. Sheesh, can't anyone take a joke?"

Splinter walked over to Leonardo. "You going to eat?"

Leonardo finished strapping his gear on and started to walk to the training hall. "I'm not hungry, I think I'll go on ahead and start my workout."

Splinter looked on and sighed as Leonardo disappeared down the hall. "I was really hoping it was only Raphael..."

To be continued...