Mikey hadn't been kidding when he said he was a pro at hide-and-seek.

The first round lasted for nearly two whole hours. Finding Donnie and Raph hadn't been hard, the first turtle hiding in the rafters and the second covering himself in a black garbage bag and hiding in the shadows just off the exit to the garage. But finding Echo and Mikey was near impossible.

"How are they so good at this? How is Echo so good at this? She hasn't even been in the lair that long!" Leo exclaimed in frustration as he walked about the living room. Donnie and Raph were seated at opposite ends of the pit, the brainiac occupied with his laptop and the muscle pretending to be interested in another Batman comic.

"This is just embarrassing, Leo," Raphael taunted from behind the pages of his entertainment. "I mean, she has absolutely no training in stealth and she's still kicking your shell." Though the blue-masked turtle was up to his neck in confusion, Raph was enjoying the show.

Every minute or two he'd glance over at the kitchen to see if there had been any change in Echo's position. How she managed to hide in such a cramped spot for this long, he had no idea. She didn't even have her phone with her to keep her company. When it came to dedication, Echo definitely had that going for her. Either that or she'd fallen asleep.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that the muffled sound of a sneeze came from the pots and pans within the cabinets.

"Ha! Found you!" The leader exclaimed in victory, like an explorer plagued with insanity due to years of looking suddenly discovering El Dorado. Echo rubbed the itch in her nose with the back of her hand and smiled.

"Nice work. Can you help me out of here now? I think my vertabrae fused together about an hour ago."

The only reason Mikey came out of hiding was when Donnie announced that they needed to prep for the mission, and that they'd all be in the lair so no one would be watching him emerge from whatever crazy place he'd squirreled himself into. (Though Echo had to drag Raph by the red straps of his mask away from the door so he wouldn't peek.)

After about an hour of testing their new supplies and rehashing the plan, the group was ready for their first real mission outside the sewers. As much as Echo wanted to tag along, it was obvious even to her that she'd only be in the way; she'd almost passed out just from sprinting through the sewer. The only way her new friends would have the best odds of rescuing April and Kirby is if Echo sat this one out.

"You guys be careful, okay?" She said to the four as they all started hopping into the van. Although the plan was to use it as a distraction, the signal Donnie managed to pick up from April's phone was far off on the outskirts of the city; there was no way the four would've made it there by rooftop-hopping. "It would really suck for me to be staying in New York with no one to hang out with."

"Don't worry, we've got this in the bag," Donnie patted her shoulder assuredly. He folded his arms over his plastron and leaned back against the driver's door. It had been a heated debate, but they ended up deciding that the smartest of the bunch would be the best at the wheel for this mission. Especially since he knew which wires to cut to keep the van moving forward even if no one was in the driver's seat. "In a few hours, we'll be back with April and her father."

"Thank you," She spoke sincerely. "I owe you guys, really. I can't express how much I appreciate this." Donnie smiled and nodded in return before opening the door and sliding into the seat.

"I'd hold on to that 'thank you'." Echo turned to see Raph behind her, just about to step into the backseat. "I mean, at least until we get back." She didn't know what it was about him, this strange young mutant that came thundering into her life in a flurry of blades and punches, but Echo had a good feeling when it came to Raphael Hamato. She had a good feeling when it came to all the turtles, but the hot-headed one especially had somehow managed to fall into her good graces.

"Fine, I'll be sure to thank you," Echo emphasized the word with a grin. "When you guys return. Just be careful out there. Okay, hot-shot? I'm great at unintentionally killing plants so Spike doesn't stand a chance if you die and leave me to take care of him." She chuckled; he rolled his eyes with a smirk on his lips.

"Y'know, I was actually planning on taking a bullet to the chest, but now that you mention accidental plant-slaughter-"

"As amusing as this is, the longer you two flirt the less time we have to save April and her father," Leo called out from the passenger's seat; Echo did her best to stifle her laughter as Raph's cheeks began to flush and his smirk turned into a bashful half-smile.

"I'm not flirting-"

"Just get in, shell-brain," Donnie playfully honked the horn twice. The sound bounced off the abandoned subway walls and reverberated into the darkness beyond. Raph did as he was told, smacking the back of Donnie's head before sitting down and sliding the van door shut behind him.

With one last round of "good luck"s and "see you later"s, Echo watched as the van's lights disappeared in the distance of the tunnels, leaving her alone at the mouth of the garage.

***

"I see you've taken a liking to my sons."

The voice caught her off guard; she jumped nearly a foot into the air. But then she remembered the other member of the turtles' family that lived in the sewers. His footsteps were silent, but Echo knew Splinter was making his way towards her from across the living room. It had been an hour since the four mutants had gone on their rescue mission; Echo had found a comfortable spot on one of the bean-bags scattered throughout the pit. The girl pushed her glasses back into their proper position on her nose and cleared her throat.

"They're good guys. That's hard to come by in a big city like this," She responded with a small smile. The giant rat mutant stepped down in the pit before taking a seat near to her. With his pupils gone, Echo took this chance to really examine the man addressing her.

His dark red Japanese robes were a change from the  usual jeans and jackets she'd seen constantly on the surface, but it was a good change; the soothing crimson and black color scheme was calming. The hand-stitched imagery within the worn fabric brought back memories of her old life from an entire world away.

"I lived there."

The rat's ear twitched at her statement.

"That robe is Japanese... I was born in Japan, actually."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Truly?"

She nodded, though her smile soon faded and her eyes found a spot on the floor to look at intently. Splinter stroked his little white wisp of a beard. "Something tells me your memories of that place are not fond..."

"Oh no no no no," Echo quickly waved her hands. "I mean, yes, but I have some good memories too. Like the cherry blossoms in the spring, that was always my favorite part of the year. My sister..." Her voice tapered away as the word left her dry mouth, but she shook the melancholia from her mind and continued. "A-and my mother and I- we'd walk through the forest near our house after our lessons, just the three of us. Just admiring the beauty of nature."

It had been months, maybe even years since the last time she'd brought up the memory of her big sister. In seventh grade, Echo's class was making time capsules; the girl could still remember putting an old photo of herself and Karai as toddlers inside the little tin box. It was a decision she regretted later, if she was honest with herself. That had been the last time she'd seen a picture of her former best friend.

"Japan is a beautiful place, indeed," Splinter agreed. "Though I left fifteen years ago, I can still smell those same blossoms you speak of." He took a deep, steady breath. Almost like recalling his own history of the country was just as bittersweet. It was selfish, but Echo was glad that she wasn't the only person with a past that stirred up both happy and... slightly less happy experiences.

The happiness outweighed the sting as the duo continued their conversation about their first home, gradually becoming more and more comfortable in the other's presence. Her mom didn't like speaking of the past; Echo hadn't realized just how much she actually missed Japan until she started sharing stories with the ninjitsu master. They spoke of holidays and native foods, historical landmarks they had or hadn't had the fortune of seeing and what they missed most from their homeland.

Echo hadn't intended for that last question to be so difficult but it was then that she heard the story of Splinter's past, how he lost his family because of a rivalry between himself and someone who had once been a dear friend. And in turn, Splinter learned of Echo and her mother's constant fear of her father finding them in America.

"When my mom called... That's why she actually wanted me to stay away and break my phone. She thinks my father picked up our scent. Now she wants me to stay with April and her dad. But if your sons can't save her and Kirby, I don't know what I'll do."

"Do not worry about that," Splinter assured her with a comforting pat on the shoulder as he got to his feet. Echo looked over at the clock in the kitchen and noticed that the little hand was no longer on eleven, it was on three. "My sons will bring your friends back. But I promise, Echo, you are in no danger here in our home if you need a safe place as sanctuary."

Despite having known these people for less than a day, and Splinter for an even shorter time, she knew she could take his words to heart; the tone of his voice and steadiness of his smile were enough to convince her of his intentions. She could trust these individuals, and that fact alone was enough to lessen the nearly unbearable weight that had fallen on her shoulders.

"Thank you-" Echo began to say, but stopped mid-sentence as the sound of the turtles returning filled the lair. She whipped her head in the direction of the entrance and her heart sank to her toes when she saw her best friend was nowhere to be found. Just the four somewhat beaten-looking turtles. Her eyes widened and Echo's lungs couldn't decide whether or not to hyperventilate or shut down entirely.

"April's safe," Leo had been at the head of the pack and immediately blurted the statement out when he noticed the color drain from her face. "We just dropped her off at her aunt's and said we'd escort you there as well."

It didn't register that Leo had only mentioned April and not Kirby; the relief of her friend's safety was enough to hold Echo together for now. In a couple steps, the teenage girl had crossed the distance between them and nearly tackled the leader to the ground as she hugged him tighter than she'd ever hugged anyone before.

"Thank you," Echo smiled and released him.

"Hey! I helped too!" Mikey objected; Echo turned to hug him as well but he was already ahead of her, this time almost knocking her off her feet. She let out a grunt as the air was forced from her lungs, but didn't care about suffocating. She squeezed Mikey back til he was satisfied and let her go.

"You don't have to say it, we'd do it again in a heartbeat." Donnie was much gentler than Mikey and a little more aware of personal space, but he wasn't opposed to the gesture and reciprocated the kind hug of gratitude Echo provided. She couldn't help but notice just how tall the purple-masked turtle was, as well as how long his arms were; she felt like a twig being hugged by an entire branch. Beside them, the last turtle cleared his throat.

"Well you can definitely say it to me," Raph stated with a smirk, arms crossed over his plastron. Echo rolled her eyes teasingly as she broke away from Donnie.

"Fine, I guess I could thank you, too."

He opened his mouth to banter right back but was caught off guard by just how delicately she slid her arms over his shoulders, how she pulled herself against him as close as she could get and earnestly tightened her grip. Not enough to suffocate or cause discomfort, but enough to convey the sincerity in her touch.

Looking back at this moment, Raphael would curse himself for not hugging her back. But at this time, all he could do was stand there, slack-jawed as his cheeks began to turn as bright as cherries.

"Thank you, Raph."

Just three little words, and yet they were enough to send Raph reeling mentally and emotionally as they stood there in the lair, all eyes on them. Raph's cheeks grew darker and Echo let go before stepping back a couple feet.

"Do you guys need to rest a bit before escorting me?" She had only been to April's aunt's apartment once before but she knew it was all the way across town. There was no way they weren't absolutely exhausted after a night of serious action. She glanced over at the kitchen clock. "Sunrise is in an hour anyway, there's no way you'd make it back in time before the rest of the city wakes up."

They could've argued, could've said that they could make the trip unspotted if they traveled through the sewers, but a quick exchange of eye contact from the boys told just how desperate they were for some sleep. They had done the hard part; they rescued the girl and came back alive. The need for action was no longer a pressing issue. Leo looked over at Echo and smiled.

"I think a rest would be good."