Destiny lays with her stomach facing the fire, sleeping soundly thanks to the exhaustion from her hunt, Leonardo's lap acting as her pillow. Leonardo stares at the fire and absentmindedly strokes her curls, occasionally looping one around his finger. Raphael groans and flops over, bored out of his shell, while Donatello leans against a nearby tree and stares up at the foliage as he ponders their predicament. Michelangelo hums to himself, shell turned to his family.

"What the heck are you doing?" Raphael asks, annoyed by the consistent noise.

"Baking a pizza," Michelangelo answers. He spins around and displays his creation to the others. "Berries, spider eggs, and worms on a thin slice of bark, covered in mud sauce. Mmm, mmm, mmm!" He grins and leaps over to Raphael. "Here, Raph, try a bite!"

He shoves the imitation pizza into Raphael's mouth. He retches, claps his hands over his mouth, and spits it out in a waterfall of nasty. Raphael growls, turns to his brother, and tackles him with a shout. Destiny jolts from her sleep with a startled bark, claws unsheathed. Raphael and Michelangelo keep hustling, rolling over and over as they shout and grunt, and they careen right into the path of a young woman and the baby that she's cradling to her chest.

The woman gasps as her baby starts crying, instantly ceasing Raphael and Michelangelo's fighting. The woman clutches the baby tighter, eyes slightly narrowed. "Yokai!" she cries.

Leonardo, Donatello, and Destiny get to their feet and go into submissive positions, hands raised and cautious smiles on their faces as the woman stares at them in utter horror.

"It's okay, it's okay," Leonardo says as Raphael and Michelangelo get up and back away. "We're not gonna hurt you."

"Yeah, we're friendly Yokai," Raphael says.

"Check out the cute eyes," Michelangelo pipes up. He musters the biggest, anime-style goo-goo eyes that he can, but the woman looks no less calmed.

She backs away, her baby crying even harder. Destiny's ears flatten against her hair and she tucks her tail between her legs as she crouches low to the ground. There's a shout from behind the woman and Saki appears, leaping between her and the five mutants with a sword at the ready.

The teenagers seem to melt into the trees, the turtles hiding behind the wide trunks as they ready their weapons while Destiny moves completely out of sight. Saki's blade glints in the moonlight.

Leonardo's gaze darts to his nearest brother. "Mikey, we need an exit," he says, his words a yell but his volume stuck at a whisper.

"I'm out of smoke bombs, dude," comes the hushed response.

Raphael readies his sai, the faint sound of ringing metal resonating in the air, but Saki's sword impales the tree he's hiding behind and nearly turns him into a turtle shish-kabob. With Raphael startled, Saki lunges around the tree and smashes him in the jaw with the hilt of his sword, sending him sprawling to the forest floor.

"Fear not, Shen," Saki snarls as he looms over the fallen turtle, weapon aimed. "I will destroy these wretched monsters. Hyah!"

Michelangelo wraps his kusarigama chain around the blade and jerks it, momentarily knocking Saki off balance. Leonardo swoops in and lifts Raphael to his feet, helping him run away. Saki yanks his sword free and launches a kunai at the retreating turtles. Donatello appears and sweeps across, deflecting the kunai off his bō. The three turtles disappear in a moment.

Michelangelo blows past, making Saki turn with a gasp. The others peer out from a cluster of trees, eyes narrowed.

"Now's our chance. We can change the future," Raphael whispers. "We can take Shredder down."

"No! We can't mess with time," Donatello warns. "Worse stuff could happen!"

Saki stalks closer, searching for the supposed Yokai within the shadows. There's a low, rumbling growl from behind him and he spins around to find Destiny standing where the moonlight can't brighten her face, leaving her eyes as the only beacons to her position. She snarls, her fiery glare burning into his and her teeth glinting in the dark. He lunges, but her eyes close and his blade slices through darkness. The forest falls silent, save for the gentle, blubbering cries of a baby.

Saki turns to the woman, still calming the baby's cries as she kneels on the ground, and he walks to her. "Are you alright, Shen?" he asks, legitimate concern in his tone.

"Yes, thanks to you," Shen answers.

Saki reaches over to run his hand along the infant's face. "I would never let anything hurt you," he promises. There's a moment of silence where Saki just gazes at Shen, a small smile on his face. "I...overheard your conversation with Yoshi," he admits as his forehead wrinkles. "It is futile, you know. He will never leave the clan."

"Perhaps you speak the truth," she says softly, rocking her daughter back to sleep as her fair face softens with sorrow.

"Shen, take me back," he offers. "I will help you take care of Miwa. We will go to New York together, just the three of us." He places one hand on her shoulder, the other gently tilting her chin up. "I'm a different man than the one you once knew. Believe me."

He presses a kiss to her forehead, making her eyes flutter shut.

In the trees above them, Destiny's ears flick as she hears a soft gasp. Her gaze flickers towards the ground, where she can see Yoshi watching his brother and wife. He grits his teeth and turns away, making Destiny's shoulders slump.

"Woah," Michelangelo whispers. "Young Oroku Saki is kind of a good guy, right?"

"Are you crazy? He's a total creep," Raphael sneers.

Destiny's hand drifts to her chest, where it forms a fist over her heart. "When Splinter said that they had a rivalry over her, I didn't imagine this," she murmurs. "He...he cares for her and Karai—" She stops, backtracks, and corrects herself. "Miwa."

Leonardo's expression is as cold as the blade of his katana. "Maybe we should take Shredder down," he says.

"If we interfere with history, Splinter will never move to New York and buy four baby turtles," Donatello points out with an urgency edging into his tone. "And then who's gonna stop the Kraang invasion and save all of New York? Huh?"

"And...what would happen to me?" Destiny asks, locking eyes with Leonardo. "Without you guys, without Shredder, I'm...just..." She bites her lip and turns away.

"We've already interfered with history," Leonardo points out, although his jaw has clenched and his calm disposition has faulted. "Shredder just saved Tang Shen from four turtle monsters!"

Donatello's face slackens. "Wait a second," he mutters. He pulls his t-phone out and finds a group picture of the turtles with Destiny, Casey, and April. Right before his eyes, Casey disappears. "Casey's picture is fading away...like we never knew him. Time is already being altered."

"It's just like that movie! We're doomed, dudes!" Michelangelo shrieks. "Dooooomed!"

"Calm down, man!" Raphael shouts, silencing his brother. "We just have to make sure that Tang Shen doesn't like Oroku Saki."

"We have to convince her that he's the evil jerk we all know and hate, so history stays on course," Leonardo agrees.

Destiny nods and flicks her tail. "Let's play matchmaker."

----------

The next morning comes. The turtles wait patiently in the trees, hoping that Tang Shen will walk by. Destiny wanders the woods, annoyed by the constant "chi chi chi" song that trails her wherever she goes.

Tang Shen comes into the turtles' viewpoint. She looks around with hesitance at the sound of the birds singing, changing her step slightly and continuing to walk with caution. Raphael and Donatello drop down in front of her, making her gasp.

"Tang Shen!" Raphael says.

She turns to run the other way, but Leonardo and Michelangelo block her path.

"Tang Shen, hold on," Leonardo pleads.

"We come in peace," Donatello adds, flashing a gappy smile.

Michelangelo slides over to her, starting to dance and hum. "La-la la-la. Do-do do-do do do-do do. Da-da-da da-da da. Ta-da!" He poses and Miwa laughs, waving her chubby hands at him.

Shen's face softens. "Woah..."

"It's okay, Tang Shen," Michelangelo says, calming her further. "We promise we won't hurt you."

Shen looks to each of them, lips slightly puckered. "Are you aliens or Yokai?" she asks.

"We're...um...friendly Yokai, Shen," Donatello answers. "We need to talk to you."

She nods. "Alright, but we shouldn't talk here. There's an okuri-ōkami following me." She glances over her shoulder. "Do not stumble, or it will attack and devour you."

Leonardo blinks a few times, looks at his brothers, then perks up. "Oh! Uh...that's also a friendly ōkami. She's...uh...making sure to protect us from the other vicious creatures...in the woods."

The other turtles nod as soon as Shen looks at them. She spares a kind smile. "Very well. Follow me," she murmurs.

----------

The turtles look around Shen's quaint little home with a curious air. Leonardo winces a little as Miwa tugs on his mask tails, her pacifier bobbing in her little mouth. Leonardo smiles fondly at her.

"I was raised in Fukuoka, but my grandfather is Chinese," Shen says as she works at her kitchen counter. "I moved here to be closer to Yoshi." She chops up some cucumbers on a cutting board while Michelangelo gnaws on a tabletop near her. "I've heard that Yokai are always hungry. That's why I made a meal all kappas love."

"Kappa? What's a kappa?" Leonardo questions, his head craned back from Miwa's insistent tugging.

"Turtle Yokai, and your favourite food is cucumber." She chuckles sheepishly as she places the cucumber slices on the table. Michelangelo stares at them. "At least, that's what the legends say."

"Cucumber?" Michelangelo repeats. "Little known fact, our favourite food is pizza. Thick crust, thin crust, no crust." He grips Shen's shoulders. "Hook a turtle up!"

She laughs a little as he releases her. Her eyes widen and she glances out the window. "Oh, I will go place some food outside for the ōkami. You are supposed to feed them once you arrive home safely, as a way of thanking them for protecting you."

She gathers a small bowl of cooked meat and brings it to the doorway. Leonardo gets up and follows Shen to the door, making Miwa squirm.

"That's really nice, and I'm sure Des—I mean, our ōkami friend, would love some meat, but..." He smiles and bounces Miwa lightly, making her coo. "Could she join us inside?"

"Us kappas really like this particular ōkami," Donatello adds.

Shen nods, opening the door to her home and peeking her head outside. "Okuri-ōkami, I invite you into my home," she calls.

Destiny appears from below the steps leading up to the house, shifting out of her wolf form as she does. Shen's mouth falls open as the turtles peer out over her shoulder. Destiny walks up the steps and reaches the landing, face to face with Shen. The woman still looks shocked by the transformation.

Destiny flashes a fanged grin as her tail wags. "Thank you, Tang Shen, for letting me join my kappa," she says with a light laugh. "Hundreds of years and you're the first person who has let me in. I appreciate that."

She sweeps past as Shen smiles and bows her head. Three of the turtles stare at Destiny with wide eyes, whilst Michelangelo looks impressed by her improvisation and shoots her a thumbs up. The mutants settle back in the house as Michelangelo grabs a cucumber and starts gnawing on it. Destiny sits down next to Leonardo and gazes at Miwa. She leans against him, her gaze darting to his profile as a small, dreamy smile flickers across his face.

"My grandmother told me the story of a kappa that came out of the river as a young girl was fetching water," Shen reminisces softly, handing Destiny the bowl of meat. "The kappa terrified her, but the girl always carried cucumbers with her to ward off Yokai. The kappa was so thankful, it told her of a great hurricane that would devastate her village." Her ruby lips turn up at the corners. "It saved her people."

"That's right!" Raphael says, getting to his feet. "And we want to save you, Tang Shen."

"Which is why we, um, kappa have come to talk," Donatello adds as Michelangelo snatches another cucumber. "We also bring you...er, dire news."

"You can't leave Hamato Yoshi," Leonardo says grimly. "He's a good man. Oroku Saki is evil."

Her face falls as she looks at her hands. "No. Saki is a good man."

"If you choose Oroku Saki, the world itself could be at risk," Donatello says, his voice gaining a higher pitch. "Take it from us," he pleads, shoulders slumping, "the kappa brothers."

Shen looks to where her daughter sleeps soundly in Leonardo's arms. "Yoshi is too dedicated to ninjutsu to raise a family," she says sadly, albeit there's a biting edge to her words.

"That's not true. Splinter loves little Miwa. She's so cute!" Michelangelo coos.

Miwa spits her pacifier out. It bounces off Leonardo's face, sails over Destiny's head, and lands in Raphael's hand. The red-masked turtle's expression is downcast.

"I don't know who I will choose," Shen utters. "I must do what's right for my daughter."

"Follow your heart, Shen," Raphael pleads, gazing up into his adoptive mother's eyes. "You know who the better man is."

Miwa squirms a little before rolling over and snuggling closer to Leonardo's plastron. Destiny reaches over and strokes her velvety head gently, a slight quiver to her hand.

"Shen," Destiny murmurs. The woman's gaze flits to her. "I fear what will happen to you. We cannot change what could happen, but...you can. I see..." Her jaw clenches. "I see suffering."

Shen lowers her head. "Please, let me get you more cucumbers," she whispers. "Ōkami, is there anything else you need? Perhaps more meat?"

Destiny's shoulders sink. "No...I'm fine."

Donatello looks down at his t-phone, his pupils dilating. "Um, Leo?" He holds his phone out. April fades away from the group photo. Half of Destiny's face has disappeared. "What's the plan now?"

"The only noble thing we can do is finish Shredder," Leonardo replies. "Once and for all."