Destiny wanders into the living room one afternoon, instantly stopping dead in her tracks when she sees Donatello and April standing near each other. April holds a music box in her hands, which is playing a happy little tune, and her expression is less than comfortable.

"Wow, that is just super neat," she says. "Thanks so much, Donnie!" She grins awkwardly and shuts the box, putting it to the side. Donatello just smiles at her. "Well, gotta go! Got some, uh, training to do!" She chuckles weirdly. "Thanks again, Donnie!"

She dashes from the room, brushing past Destiny on the way. The sound of the door slamming shut makes Donatello's shoulders droop. Michelangelo peeks out from the couch and drapes himself over the back as Destiny purses her lips.

"I can't even imagine how you're feeling right now," the orange-masked turtle says.

"Devastated," Donatello mumbles.

"Aw, man! I was totally gonna say 'devastated'! I should've just went for it." He hops over the couch and grabs his brother's shoulders. "I've gotta learn to trust my instincts!" He squeaks as the purple-masked turtle grips his face. "I mean...that's rough, bro."

Donatello releases his face rather forcefully, making him tip off the couch and hit the ground. Donatello sighs, looking at his feet.

"Smooth move, genius," Raphael says from the living room entrance. The two turtles look over at him, where he's leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "It's never gonna happen, Donnie. We're mutants. She's a girl." He shoves off the wall and walks further into the room, uncrossing his arms as he goes. "You're a giant talking turtle. The sooner you get used to it, the better."

"When you say that, are you nixing Destiny from the equation?" Donatello asks, giving Destiny a pointed look. "She dated Leo, didn't she?"

She frowns slightly, her cheeks flushing with colour as she sits down on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. "Leo didn't get me weird gifts."

"Mikey said it was perfect!"

"And you're listening to him because...why?"

He opens his mouth to protest but quickly shuts it again. Raphael chuckles, earning a short glare from the purple-masked turtle.

"Okay," Donatello sighs, his brown eyes focusing down at the wolf mutant. "What would you suggest?"

Destiny hums to herself, standing up and wandering over to the music box. She picks it up, opening it and examining the inside. "Well, first off, I think a music box with your face on it is more of an...in a relationship sort of gift," she says.

Donatello huffs and crosses his arms over his plastron. "So, if Leo got you a music box..."

Her nose crinkles. "Shell no. I don't like music boxes." He groans as she sets the gift down. "But Leo and I aren't in a relationship, so that doesn't matter. This is about you and April." She steps in front of him and looks him over, her facial expression dead serious. "Do you know what sort of things April enjoys?"

"Um...she's...uh...well, she likes..." He purses his lips and shakes his head. "Okay, no, I don't know what she likes."

She nudges his shoulder with her fist and forces a smile. "That's where you start. Talk to her, find out about her interests, and then work up to giving her gifts. Having a crush is fine, but you're bordering on...creepy."

He makes a dissatisfied noise and she pouts her lip out slightly. He sighs. "Okay, Des. I'll try to...back off," he says. "But—" He pokes her forehead. "I don't think I'm creepy."

Michelangelo and Raphael exchange a glance, making sure that their intelligent brother doesn't catch it. Even so, Donatello's face grows sad again when he catches sight of the music box, the rejection resonating in his brain.

Raphael perks up and hops over to his side, giving teasing punches to his arm. "You know what you need? Huh? Huh, buddy? You know what you need?"

"You to leave?" Donatello suggests.

"A little forest ninja training!" He places a few more light punches. "Ha! Huh? Huh? Sounds like fun, right? Right? Ha!"

Raphael wraps his arm around Donatello's head and noogies him. Donatello whimpers and droops his head in defeat.

Destiny grins. "I think that's a great idea, Raph," she says, her fangs glinting. "Last one outside does fifteen extra push-ups!"

With that, she dashes out the door, the three turtles shouting after her.

----------

Donatello and Michelangelo thoroughly get their shells kicked by Raphael just during the warm-up. Every time one of them rushes the red-masked turtle, they get flipped over and flung somewhere else.

Destiny tests her punching and kicking with Diaval, making sure to keep her gaze well off of Leonardo, who's standing on a small knoll near the training spot. Diaval stands in place, holding his hands up and letting Destiny land her hits. Right hand, hit. He puts it down and puts his left hand up. Another hit.

"Aren't you gonna spar with 'em?" Diaval asks, glancing sideways at the three turtles nearby as Destiny's fist makes contact with his palm.

She steps back, wiping her forehead as her wild green eyes flicker to them. Michelangelo gets flung into Donatello, both letting out short cries at the blow. Destiny turns away, exhaling through her nose as she shrugs.

"I try, but I always get my butt kicked," she admits. Diaval arches an eyebrow at her and she rolls her eyes. "Okay, that's a stupid excuse."

"Mmhmm," he agrees.

Her ears flatten against her sweaty hair and she lifts her arms, aiming another fist. He raises his hand and she punches.

"I can hardly use my uchigatana," she says. "I'm just going to take it slow, maybe get more one on one sparring instead of these group fights."

"Wish..." Diaval starts, swallowing as he blocks her next blow. "Wish I could help."

She smiles. "You're doing what you can, Di. It's okay."

"Aw, you guys are rustier than the Titanic's butt!" Raphael shouts.

He flips into the air and aims a kick at Donatello and Michelangelo. The two scramble to their feet in an attempt to escape, running in different directions only to ram into two separate trees. They groan and slump to the ground as Raphael lands, placing his hands on his hips.

"You're not in the city anymore. You need to get used to this new environment. No buildings, no subways," he says. He lunges at Michelangelo with fist raised, making the younger turtle squeak and run into the trunk again. He grins. "Lots of trees."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Michelangelo groans.

Raphael turns to face Leonardo, flashing a grin. "Well, what do you think?" he calls.

The blue-clad turtle nods his head slowly as he thinks, tapping his fingers against his crutch. "Hm...turtle hunt," he says.

"Turtle hunt," Raphael repeats.

"Turtle hunt?!" Donatello and Michelangelo shriek. They look at one another swiftly, scared out of their shells.

Destiny's ears perk up and her tail flicks. She lowers her fists, a glint growing in her eyes. Diaval's jaw clenches slightly.

"You gonna help out, Leo?" Raphael asks.

He nods as an excited smile lifts his cheeks. He takes a step forwards. "Yeah, I—" He groans as he lands on his bad leg. He pushes his crutch back under his arm, a frown erasing the smile from his countenance. "Sorry. I guess I'm still not up to it." He turns away but glances back over his shoulder. "Enjoy your little hunt, guys."

"Keep working at it, Leo!" Destiny calls.

He catches her gaze and flashes a light smile, but it's quick to disappear as he hobbles away. Diaval crosses his arms over his chest and acts interested in a bird soaring above them.

"Hey Des, get over here," Raphael shouts, beckoning her with large, sweeping motions of his arm. Her tail starts to wag and he smirks as she comes bounding over to him.

"Dude!" Michelangelo gasps.

"What do you mean by 'turtle hunt'?" Donatello inquires, although the grimace on his face alludes to the fact that he can figure it out.

"You guys are gonna head into the forest," Raphael explains as he starts doing some rapid stretches. "Des and I will give you a five minute head start, then we hunt you down." He throws his arm around Destiny's shoulder and rattles her, earning a light jab to the plastron. "If you can't stay hidden for at least an hour, you'll have to..."

He hums and taps his chin. Destiny grins wickedly, instantly making Michelangelo whimper and shrink back to stand closer to Donatello.

"Clean out the chicken coop?" Destiny asks, directing a questioning look at Raphael. The red-masked turtle nods with a similar devious grin to hers.

"No way!" Donatello exclaims.

"Not the chicken coop, man!" Michelangelo groans.

"It smells like cheese fossils!"

"It's got spiders so big, they play the banjo!"

For a moment, it's as if everyone pauses as they imagine said spider playing the said banjo. The imaginary vision explodes into dust as the younger turtle brothers keep insisting.

"We can't clean that thing!" Donatello finishes. "Besides, Des can sniff us out in a couple of minutes!"

Raphael releases Destiny and cracks his knuckles. "Then maybe you need more practice covering your scent." They gulp and he smirks. "Get moving."

They scream and dash away into the forest. Raphael and Destiny look at each other for a second before they fist bump.

"I didn't expect you to invite me," she admits, her smile faltering slightly.

He rolls his eyes. "Please, I'm not cleaning that coop. With that sniffer of yours, we're sure to win."

"I'll give them a bit of a chance," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "They're at a disadvantage here, Raph."

"Ugh, fine," he sighs, although he doesn't look upset in the slightest. He glances over his shoulder to find Diaval glaring at him from a distance. Their eyes lock, Raphael's eyes narrow, and he steps closer to Destiny. "I think that's enough time. Let's get going."

Destiny arches an eyebrow at the sudden change of tone and starts to turn around, but Raphael grabs her wrist and starts leading her into the forest.

Diaval watches them disappear, his heart starting to pound. He takes a few deep breaths and walks away, heading back to the farmhouse with his hands clenched into tight fists beneath his cloak.