"So? What did you think of Raph's training for the week?"

Destiny glances over at Leonardo, a tiny smile flickering across her lips. Her attention momentarily wavers to the other teenagers in the lair just in time to see Casey bump fists with Raphael. April groans and slumps backwards, glaring at the racing game she just lost as she rolls her eyes. Destiny's smile widens when Raphael noogies the redhead, making her laugh and bat at his hands.

"Good. He gets bonus points because he had to deal with me during the moodier days," she says.

Leonardo exhales, moving his head up and down in a series of short, fluid motions. "That's great. I'm glad to hear it."

The pair enters the dojo. Destiny slows down, rolling her shoulders and pressing her hand against the nape of her neck as she rotates her arm around, feeling her sore muscles pulling and loosening with the movements. Leonardo moves to a spot beneath the dojo tree and gestures for her to sit down. She obeys, hurrying over before settling down on her knees and resting her hands on her lap.

"What're we doing today?" she asks.

He looks down at her, keeping his posture impeccably straight and a look of professionalism on his face. Destiny wonders whether he's purposely or accidentally acting like Splinter.

"It depends. What have you learned and how is your foot feeling?" he asks, arching a non-existent eyebrow.

Destiny backtracks through the last four weeks or so of training, trying to remember everything. "Uh...okay, hold on, I've got this," she says, holding up a hand to the turtle. "I've tried nunchucks, bō staff, done some hand-to-hand combat stuff, and...er...Master Splinter tried to show me some katas and meditation," she reports, her pointed ears flattening against her loose curls as she lists everything. "That's everything, I think." After a beat, she adds, "Oh, and Donnie says my foot is coming along fine."

"Good," Leonardo says, bobbing his head vertically once. "So, to finish up this trial period, I'll help you with kadas and then later, katanas and other sword-like weapon techniques, followed—" She raises her hand. He stops talking to point at her. "Yes?"

"You seem tense," she comments. "Stiff-ish, y'know? You should loosen up."

His shoulders slump. "I'm loose," he mutters.

"Sorry," she instantly apologizes. "I just...I kinda want training to be fun, a little more relaxed."

"Training is fun," he insists, almost pouting as he says it.

"I'm sure it is," Destiny says, "but you're acting weird. Like...way too professional." When he doesn't respond, her cheeks turn pink and she lowers her head. "Or, whatever, just do what you want. You're the teacher..."

He ponders it for another second. "Alright, fair enough. I'll loosen up, but...only a little."

Destiny's shoulders relax instantly, her tail wagging, yet her nervousness doesn't quite disappear. Leonardo clears his throat, losing some of his stoic attitude without dropping the sense of professionalism.

"So...Des, I think that it'd be best for me to help you out with balance and more on your feet activities. Your foot is almost healed, which means we can finally get to work with more than just the upper body," he says.

"Will I still get to try the katanas?" she asks.

He smirks a little, wagging his finger down at her. "If you behave."

She crosses her arms over her chest and fakes a pout. "Aw...fine."

He laughs, the ringing sound of it instantly making Destiny's lips quirk up into a smile. He recovers, clears his throat, and walks to one of the racks, where he grabs two wooden replicas of swords, which Destiny remembers as being called bokken (or was it bokutō?). He tosses Destiny one that she catches before getting to her feet.

"Let's get started," he orders.

Things go smoothly. Leonardo demonstrates a technique for training that Destiny hasn't seen in his brothers. While Michelangelo's training was spur of the moment and scattered, Leonardo acts on a plan—when he planned it, she doesn't know. Where Donatello's training heavily focused on the psychological aspects of ninjutsu and Raphael put importance on the physical side, Leonardo shows her a way of combining her mind and body together while she fights.

She admires his focus and skill, as well as his encouraging words. She realizes rather swiftly why he's the leader of his team.

Destiny readies herself on the balls of her feet, arms tucked close to her body and hands clenched into tight fists. Leonardo holds his hand up away from his body, creating a level for her. She inhales through her nose, spins, and throws her leg up, almost hitting his hand.

"Try again," he urges. She grits her teeth and kicks, missing by a hair. "Again!" he repeats.

She repeats the action, getting the bottom of his hand but not reaching it completely. She takes yet another slow breath, preparing herself. How many times has she done this now? Twenty times? Thirty? It's enough to really get her leg muscles stretching. Only a little more and she'll get it.

She lets out a battle cry and sends her leg soaring around with every ounce of strength she can manage. Unfortunately for her, her foot does not go in a circular motion and instead goes straight up, forwards, and straight into both Leonardo's hand and his jaw, promptly knocking him to the floor with a resonating thud.

Destiny feels her breath escape her as she stares at the turtle now laying on the ground.

"Ow," he groans.

"Oh geez. Leo, I'm sorry!" she apologizes as her entire face and some of her neck (plus her human ears) go red.

He pushes himself into sitting position, holding his face gingerly as he keeps one eye screwed shut. She kneels next to him, pulling his large hand away and letting her own hand linger on his for a fleeting second as she lowers it to their laps.

"Des, I'm fine," he insists. "Happens all the time with the guys."

"Shush, let me see," she retorts, a hitch in her voice betraying what she wanted to be a commanding tone.

He relents, watching her as her fingers graze the beginnings of a bruise on his jaw. She forces her eyes to remain on his face, his body very close to hers and making her have to muster all the self control she can in not staring. She's been close to him before, sure, but right now she can really take note of his muscular arms and the tendons in his neck that move when he swallows, the way his skin has faint freckles along it, how his jaw shifts when he flashes that astoundingly white smile.

Oh god, I'm definitely staring, she whines internally. She thinks a moment after of how the sewers must have something good going on in the world of dentistry for his teeth to be that nice.

"Use that move on a Foot bot, okay?" Leonardo jokes, letting out a soft laugh that snaps her from her trance.

"How are you laughing about this? I hurt you," she mutters as guilt claws its way up her back. "How did I mess up that badly on a spin? It shouldn't be that hard," she continues.

"It's fine. You got my hand, which means you improved," he returns.

She sighs and drops her hand from his face, not sure of how to reply. She looks up from his chin only to see his sapphire eyes already on her, intensity marring all other minor emotions. His gaze doesn't leave hers, nor hers from his.

"Can I ask you something?" he asks, voice suddenly quite a bit softer than before.

"Other than that first question?" Although it's weak, her words still hint at teasing.

He laughs. "Right, I sort of did already." Another short laugh leaves him, more humbled and awkward than the first. "So...I've got a bet going, but do you actually like Space Heroes or are you just trying to be nice to me?"

Destiny arches an eyebrow, her lips lifting into a smirk. "You need to ask?"

"For the sake of the bet, Des."

"Okay fine," she sighs, lips still lifted. "I do like it, actually. I dunno, it feels like my childhood when I watch it," she admits. That makes him smile. "Can I ask you a question?" He nods, urging her to continue. "Do you just happen to be awake when I am, or...?"

His eyes widen minimally, averting his gaze from her as he rubs the back of his neck. "Uh...well, I do watch TV at night sometimes, and then you...uh...er...is it hot in here?" She shakes her head. "Pretty sure it's hot."

She giggles, her tail wagging at his goofy rambling. He laughs sheepishly, automatically making her laughter resurface. He keeps laughing, unable to stop the contagious action as little fits of giggles overtake the two of them. Soon, they're both laughing incredibly hard with no clue why.

"It's not that funny!" Destiny wheezes, wiping at her eyes.

"I know!" Leonardo retorts as he hugs his stomach.

Destiny takes hiccuping breaths, still grinning as the sounds fade, and she finds herself staring at Leonardo again. He looks up at her, still trembling and clearing his throat as remnants of amusement trickle from him, and their eyes meet.

Destiny finds herself unable to look away from his eyes once they're locked on her. They've got such a wonderful colour to them, the colour of an ocean in the early hours of the night when the sun has just sunk below the horizon and the last rays of daylight are still brightening the sky. They almost shine, a sort of childlike innocence hiding behind the leader in blue persona that he always wears.

Someone once said that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, and only now does Destiny realize what that person meant. She smiles a little at that thought, shifting her weight onto her hand and inching forward.

"Leonardo. Destiny."

They jump apart, Destiny nearly falling over and both of them blushing like mad upon realizing how close their faces had gotten. Splinter raises an eyebrow, one hand resting on his staff as he watches them.

"How is training going?" he asks.

"Great, Sensei! Just great!" Leonardo stammers, scrambling to his feet. Destiny, on the other hand, doesn't speak and keeps her eyes trained on the floor, too embarrassed to meet the rat's eyes.

"Yes, it seems so," Splinter says, deadpan.

"We were practicing her high kick and she...uh, caught me in the jaw," Leonardo explains further, rubbing the spot again as his eyes flicker between his father and Destiny.

"And we got a little...distracted," the wolf mutant whispers.

The wise ninjutsu master looks between the two again, scrutinizing their story. His russet eyes linger on Leonardo, possibly noticing the bruising starting to blossom on his chin. He lets out a long sigh.

"Leonardo, keep on track next time," he commands as he turns away.

"Hai Sensei," his son replies, lifting his shoulders at the words.

Leonardo watches his Sensei leave the dojo again, refusing to drop his straightened posture. As soon as the mutant rat has disappeared, the turtle relaxes and turns back to Destiny. She pivots her body in his direction, still sitting on the floor.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I don't know what came over me, I—"

"It was my fault," he says. "I just got...got..."

He trails off, his cheeks turning pink again. There's a beat. Destiny stands up, moving closer to him with tiny lingering steps. Her ears aren't as perked now, remaining flattened against her hair.

"Can I try out the katanas?" she asks timidly.

He loosens up, a handsome smile brightening his face as he nods. "Yeah. I'll show you a thing or two, Des," he says, his tone once again light and almost playful.

He pulls out the weapons, moving to the centre of the dojo and beginning to demonstrate a few moves. Destiny takes in a long breath, her ears perking up, and she leans against the trunk of the nearby tree as her tail wags back and forth.