Destiny slips into the dojo as soon as the turtles leave for patrol. She moves without confidence, her head lowered and tail tucked close to her legs. Her eyes dart all over the place, her body present but her mind far away.

"Destiny."

She snaps out of her distracted trance to find Splinter watching her, arms folded behind his back. Destiny clears her throat and bows her head to him.

"Sensei," she greets, straightening up. "Uh...hi."

"Hello," Splinter says with a warm chuckle. He looks down at the clothing Destiny is now wearing—a black tank top, jeans that actually fit her, a new pair of runners and socks that she didn't have before—and his furry face flickers with surprise. "New clothes?"

"April," Destiny says, looking down and tugging at the hem of the shirt. "She insisted I deserved something new. It's weird to be wearing something that actually fits me," she admits. She jumps in place, kicking out and bouncing on her good leg with her still-bandaged foot held horizontally out from her body. "But wow...these runners feel amazing! There's so much support!" She smiles as she looks to Splinter, regaining her balance. "My feet are size nine, and I didn't even know feet came in sizes..."

The rat laughs agains. "You look very nice."

She bows her head again. "Thank you." Her face lightens with remembrance. "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask if I could do some training exercises with you while the turtles are gone."

Splinter arches an eyebrow. "Oh? Are my sons not good teachers?"

Her cheeks turn pink. "No! No, not at all! I just...uh..." She purses her lips. "I wanted to see what you could show me, but you don't have to...it was just a question."

"I am teasing you, Destiny," he says, stroking his goatee as his eyes glint. "I would be happy to show you a thing or two."

Her tail wags as her head flicks back up. "Really? Thank you, Sensei!"

He gestures for her to come closer. She obeys, trying to keep her back straight, and only once she's in front of him does he speak again.

"Tell me, Destiny, what skills could you do before now?" he asks.

She shifts in place, looking at the dojo floor. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" he echoes. "I do not think that is true."

"I don't have anything useful," she repeats.

"Everything is useful," he says. He turns and motions for the girl to sit down, the two of them settling onto their knees. "The skills you already have will make ninjutsu easier to master. Your path to being a kunoichi will grow smoother," he continues. "So, I ask you, what skills do you have that my sons have not taught you?"

"I...can climb, run, jump...do a couple flips and stuff...nothing like what they can do..." Destiny mumbles, getting quieter and quieter after every pause.

"My student, you must speak up if I am to hear you," he says, teasing slightly.

She clears her throat. "Sorry...um, I've done climbing, running, jumping, and flipping. There was some punching and kicking, but I tried to avoid fights instead of engage so those aren't as good."

"Which is why you can practice them," he says, giving her a look that is both kind and authoritative at the same time. "Those skills are an asset to you and anyone you are working with."

"Sensei," Destiny says, her face falling. "Why...why even bother training me?" she asks, her wolf ears sagging as her lips form a sad frown. "I don't even know if I'm going to stick around, and I have my wolf form to help me fight if the need comes along."

He smiles, shutting his eyes and nodding. "My sons have grown...fond of you," he says. "As such, they are concerned for your safety and want you to be more prepared."

She crosses her arms over her chest. "Yeah, I know they worry, but it's pointless. I lived this long," she says, a huffiness to her tone.

"Have you thought that maybe they're just excited to share their craft with you?"

She swallows. "No, not really."

The rat opens his eyes again. "Why do you think they want you around, Destiny?"

She shrugs. "I don't know, Sensei. I haven't given it much thought."

"I can tell you a theory. As you know, there are not many females that they come across, save for April," he says, his whiskers twitching. "Even so, she's human, and has a human life to live."

"What does that have to do with me? I mean, I'm just another mutant..."

Splinter says nothing, his hand moving back to his goatee as he lets out a low hum. He leans his face closer to the girl, visible discomfort wrinkling her nose as he does. She looks away, unable to look him in the eye.

"Why do you bring yourself down?" he asks, nearly whispering the words. She opens her mouth to answer, a defensive aura already swirling around her, but he holds up his hand to stop her. "You have a hard time letting yourself relax, you hate when people express concern for you, and you feel like one can't do something for you unless you do or have done something for them in return."

Her face flushes. "I...how did you—"

"You may be closed off, but you're very easy to read," he interrupts. "You wear your emotions like a mask." The wolf mutant bites her lip, clenches her hands into fists, and takes a long breath. The barest trace of a laugh comes from Splinter. "See? I have hit a nerve. You don't like that I can figure you out."

Defeated, she nods. "Yeah..." Feeling awkward, she finally meets his eyes as she tries to wipe her face of expression. "Uh, so, April is human, I'm not, and you think there's some reason that's important to the turtles?" she wonders, cringing at how blatant the question is a second after she's asked it.

"Indeed, but is not only because you are female," he corrects, "but because you have no real home and no real family. Hence, you could live inside the lair with us. The idea that they could gain a new family member excites them."

Destiny shakes her head, her voice mumbling again as she says, "They have each other..."

"But they do not have a sister. Females tend to bring out different sides of us males, and this is no different." He pauses, seeming to remember something. He chuckles at whatever memory. "Michelangelo has asked me many times about having a mother or a sister, but I am unable to give him either."

"Don't they have a mother? Everyone does, right?" Destiny's eyes flicker to her lap again, the vacant knowledge of her own parents causing a feeling of longing to swell inside her.

"I never know exactly what to tell them. Do I tell them that their mother is some unknown turtle from some pet store, or do I tell them something else?"

"What do you tell them?" she asks. Splinter doesn't speak for a moment, his face pained and filled with loss. Destiny immediately regrets uprooting any terrible memories. "So, you're saying Michelangelo sees me as a possible sister?" she tries.

Splinter snaps out of his thoughts and smiles lightly, nodding in affirmation. "I believe that he sees you as the missing part of his life that only a sister can fill."

Her heart flutters, making her automatically move a hand to her chest. "That's sweet of him," she whispers.

"Indeed." He stands up. "Come, walk with me."

She angles her head back to stare at him. "Don't we need to train?"

"Later. For now, I want to show you something."

She pushes herself to her feet, following after the tall rat for only a short distance before he stops next to a candlelit shelf. Pictures and other keepsakes are arranged nicely on it, making her tilt her head a little in curiosity.

Splinter reaches to the top shelf and picks up a picture, holding it out to her in another movement. A man, a young woman, and a baby girl stare back at her from the black and white photograph. For some reason, the man looks familiar to Destiny.

"Is this your family?" she asks softly.

He nods. "That is me, my wife Tang Shen, and my daughter, Miwa."

"They're beautiful," she says. She bites her lip. "What...what happened to them?"

Again, his gaze darkens with loss. "The Shredder killed Shen. Miwa...is not who she once was."

Her heart aches with sympathy as she looks back at the photo. Somehow, it doesn't seem as nice anymore. "Why would Shredder do that?"

"Oroku Saki, the Shredder, was my best friend. We were like brothers," he says, stepping closer so he can look over her shoulder at the portrait. "However, we both loved the same woman."

"Tang Shen?"

He nods. "Jealousy clouded his mind. Tang Shen and I were married and had a child. Still, Shredder stewed in his anger. He attacked me and my family, and the blow aimed for me struck Shen instead. My home was destroyed, my wife was killed, and my daughter..." He trails off, shutting his eyes as a sigh escapes his lips. "Even to this day, Shredder blames me for her passing."

Her fingertips brush the baby girl in the photo. "Miwa...what happened to her?"

"She was taken by the Shredder," he answers, his voice suddenly a lot lower in pitch than before. "You know her by a different name; Karai."

Destiny gasps, slamming her mouth shut a moment after. "She...but—"

"She believes that Shredder is her father, and that I killed her mother."

"But that's a lie!" Destiny nearly shouts, unnaturally angered by the realization. "Does she know? She wouldn't be helping Shredder if she knew, right?"

Splinter shakes his head and steps back, turning his back to Destiny. "Leonardo has tried to open her eyes to the truth, but she is stubborn and does not listen."

Destiny remains absolutely silent, the porcelain faces of the family in the portrait staring back at her. She hands it back to Master Splinter. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

He forces the smallest of smiles. "It is not your fault. There is nothing for you to apologize for." He places the picture back on the shelf with all the gentleness of someone holding a butterfly. "I know that you're probably wondering why I told you this story." He turns back to the girl, slightly amused at the annoyed and stunned expression on her face. "The Shredder is dangerous, lethal, and will stop at nothing to destroy me and my family. Now, he wants you and your ability to become a potentially ferocious animal. This is why my sons fear for your safety and why you must be more careful."

"He wouldn't do anything that bad, would he? You said you were once like his brother!" Destiny insists, a tightness growing in her chest. "Splinter—"

"For some, nothing matters more than their vendetta," Splinter utters, grave. "Believe me when I tell you, Destiny, but he will not stop until he wins. If he wants to use you in his plan, he'll either succeed or die trying."

Destiny swallows, only now realizing how dry her mouth is. She lifts a hand to her head, pressing the heel against her skull and taking slow breaths.

"Forgive me, but I never answered your previous question," he says, distracting her. "I tell the turtles that Tang Shen is their mother, and that Karai is their sister," he says. "Still, they are both absent from their lives."

"That's why Mikey likes having me around?" she guesses in a soft tone.

He looks to the shelf, readjusting a little pink palm tree that rests in a glass bowl. "Correct."

"Raph doesn't seem to like me too much," she mumbles, thinking of the rather cold indifference that he shows towards her—when it's not teasing, that is.

"Ah, Raphael shows his affection rather differently than most. Perhaps his coldness is because he doesn't want to seem attached. I know that Donatello certainly likes having you around, although..." Splinter motions to her foot. "You should be more obedient about that foot of yours."

She rolls her eyes a little. "I know...I know..." she sighs. She tenses slightly and looks to the rat. "What about—"

"Leonardo is another story, but his feelings are his own. They are not mine to share," he answers her unknown question, a slight smile on his furry lips.

She blushes, coughing a little to clear her throat as she turns away. "Oh..."

"Destiny," Splinter says, and it's like Destiny can sense the change of topic. "I know that you are an independent woman, but being independent does not mean being alone," he continues, solidifying her assumption.

She raises an eyebrow as her tail flicks. "But...I've always been alone."

"Yes, but that does not mean that you must remain that way forever." He looks down at her fondly, reminding her of what she's always imagined a father would look like. "My student, please consider staying here. You will be welcomed as one of the family, I can promise you."

She gulps and looks at her feet. "I'll...keep thinking about it."

"In the end, it is only you who can make that decision. For now, we will train. Your skills must be honed."

Her automatic smile is tiny but eager. "Hai Sensei."