Destiny can't explain it, but she's more frustrated during training now, and yet more determined than ever. A moment on introspection would make things clear to her and yet, she doesn't like thinking about her true feelings.

Instead, she surges forward, attacking training like it's her mortal enemy. Every swipe of her sword has to be perfect, every move calculated, every sense trained on every tiny movement that could make her lose focus—

"Des!"

And, ironically, she's so in her head that she loses focus anyway. She freezes, Leonardo's katana aimed at the hollow of her throat, and for a second they stare at each other. He disengages first, sheathing his blade as he crosses his arms over his chest. She slides her blade into the sheath at her hip, grip going white against the hilt.

How is she going to prove herself worthy of being a kunoichi if she still can't beat Leonardo at sparring?

"You're in your head again, and your movements were stiff," he says.

Her ears flatten against her head, jaw clenching. Great, so all that effort going towards perfection and she was still worse than normal? Great. Just great.

Leonardo's expression softens and he comes closer. "Talk to me, Des. What's wrong?"

She tries to talk, but every thought feels stupid. She closes her mouth, turning away as she storms over to the rack and hangs up her sword. She stares at the slightly curved blade, thinner than Leonardo's katanas but perfect for her. She remembers how excited she was when Splinter first gifted it to her, the things she imagined doing once she became a true ninja.

"It's stupid," she mutters.

Leonardo doesn't move. She can't hear his footsteps although, nowadays, that's hardly an indicator of staying still. She hears him sigh. "It's effecting your training, whatever it is, so it's not stupid," he says.

She turns back around, crossing her arms over her chest as her tail tucks between her legs. "I...I just want to get better."

He arches an eye-ridge. "Improvement happens in stages. Swinging at things harder isn't going to speed that up."

"I know, I know, I just..." It's always just. Just one thing. Just one more fight. Just a little more time. She huffs. "I want to join the clan. As an official kunoichi."

His eyes widen, lips parting in a soft "o." Destiny's face heats. It's so childish to be jealous of April. No one told Destiny that she's never going to be a kunoichi. It's just not her time yet.

But, Leonardo smiles at her, finally approaching so that he can grasp her shoulders. She meets his eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that she loves so much.

"You're doing great, Des," he assures her. "You'll get there, I promise. The day will be here before you know it."

"It's just hard to be patient."

He smirks. "No matter what happens, time passes all the same." His hands fall down her shoulders to her forearms, then to her hands, taking them. "But, if you're so eager to join the clan, I've got another idea..."

Her cheeks flush deeper and she lets out a single bark of a laugh. "Ooo, you wanna marry me so bad, huh?"

"It's hard to watch Diaval propose and not imagine us some day."

Her tail wags as she squeezes his hands a little tighter. "Let's aim for kunoichi status first. Then...then we'll see about marriage."

"I'm not hearing a no, Des."

"Because I'm not saying no, Leo," she retorts, poking his beak. "Just not yet."

"See? Patience. We're all waiting for something."

She sputters out another bashful laugh. "Okay, okay, we should get back to sparring," she insists. She goes back out to the mat, jumping in place and shaking out her limbs. "Hand to hand, no weapons, maybe?"

"Up close and personal?" he asks, stepping up to face her. He flashes a smile. "I'm not complaining."

Her eyes narrow despite the amusement threatening to show itself on her lips. "Stop flirting with me. I'm trying to focus."

"A true ninja knows how to fight despite distractions."

"True, but I fight you all the time, and you're always distracting."

"Says you, gorgeous."

She bares her teeth in a wicked smile. "Okay, that's it."

She lunges at him, tackling him to the ground. Maybe more serious training can wait. The time passes anyway, after all.

----------

"Hey, Raph?"

Raphael slows down on his way out of the lair. His brothers, Destiny, and Sarina keep on their way, heading out for patrol. Taylor approaches, fiddling with her fingers, bottom lip between her teeth.

"Yeah?" he asks.

"I'm gonna talk to my papá soon," she says. His eyes widen. "He deserves to know the truth and...I must be worrying him, staying out of the house. I don't...uh—"

"I get it," he says. "It's a good idea."

"Would you come with me?"

"Absolutely," he says without missing a beat. "But...only if you really want me to."

She nods. "I'm sure."

He steps closer, leaning over to kiss the side of her head. "Then it's a date."

She smiles a little. "Come back safe. I hear Melanie's making dinner to celebrate the engagement."

"Nice. We'll be back before you know it."

----------

"Are you sure it's okay? Me just...dumping all this on you?" Annalise asks.

Melanie smiles as she mixes cookie batter in a large bowl. Everyone is going to be hungry when they get back from patrol. "You do know I'm a therapist by trade, right?"

"No, I mean..." Annalise flushes. "I mean, you're a friend. I'd be exhausted if my friends treated me like the answer to their problems all the time. I don't want you to be treated like..."

"The group therapist?"

"Yeah."

"I get where you're coming from," Melanie admits. She sets the spoon down, pausing for a second as her new ring glints on her finger. "But at the same time, I love giving advice. I love helping people. It's why I do what I do."

"Just because you love it doesn't mean you should do it all the time," Annalise says. A shudder rolls up her spine.

She slowly raises an eyebrow and somehow, her face stays kind nonetheless. "I know, and you're right, but I can assure you that I know when to set my boundaries. We planned for this ahead of time. Don't think of it as therapy, alright? Think of this as...conversation between friends."

"Casual conversation over tea, huh?"

"And cookies, of course."

Annalise smiles a little. "I...did feel a lot better after talking to you," she says. "Maybe, when you go back to Canada, we can keep texting?"

"I'd like that."