Finally some first hand Apriltello and Leorai - if you squint!

Thank you so much to our beta readers Queequegg and TheHeroComplex. You guys are the best and we don't know what we'd do without you.

As always, co-written by me and Violette-Aner. Look her up on tumblr or on DA.

That morning Donatello was near impossible to tear from his computer, and only Leonardo knew the real reason.

It's not like it was a rare thing, when his intelligent brother found a new project to get excited over. Often a task just wouldn't get done before bedtime, and then he would pull out the cot, set it up in a corner of the lab and pretend to sleep there. This time it had been his fear of missing future Donatello's next message that had kept him in his lab all night. When Leonardo entered the lab, he had found the nest of blankets over the cot and his brother buried deep within. Knowing Donnie, he had probably spent more time waiting for his T-Phone or his computer to beep at any moment than trying to get any real sleep.

Leonardo had gone in with an offer of breakfast, but he still wouldn't budge from his seat, so what he did was bring breakfast to him. At least that way he could make sure he ate something, even when the look he got from Donatello when he saw the piece of toast—topped with muesli and sesame seeds—was nowhere near gratitude.

"Seriously, Donnie, you don't get enough sleep," Leonardo said, ignoring the consequent eye-roll.

"I'm perfectly fine," Donnie replied, voice still thick and a shadow under his eyes peeking from beneath the purple fabric, none of which were good alibis for his words.

Leonardo pointedly nudged the plate closer to the keyboard and then stepped out to let him eat his breakfast in peace before anyone accused him of nagging. But one thing he was not about to do was let Donnie skip the workout. It was time for their morning training; everybody was already gathering in the dojo, and Donnie was going to train like all the others, whether he got six hours of sleep or half. After the exercise, he would make Donnie drink a nice cup of lemon balm tea and hopefully get him to lie down for a few hours.

When April showed up at the turnstiles and Donnie was still not out of his lab, Leonardo decided to pull out the big guns. If there was anyone that could convince Donnie to move, it was April. However another closer look at her stopped the request from even leaving his mouth. She looked a little worse for wear, heavy-lidded and heavy-footed.

"How's everything?" he asked as he walked with her to the dojo steps, and he could tell she was forcing her eyes open in an attempt to look awake, and not like she was about to pass out.

"Good!" she lied, but was obviously not up for chatting, so Leonardo thought it better not to insist.

"Well, you go ahead, April. I'm going to go get Dr. Nefario out of his cave. Last night was one those nights."

"Good luck." She smirked like she knew exactly what he meant, climbing up the remaining steps. Her movements a tad slow, she tripped and barely caught herself from crashing into one of the columns nose-first before acting like nothing just happened.

"Hm," Leonardo said, brow furrowed before turning around to make his way towards the lab, to haul Donnie to the dojo himself if he had to. That's when he spotted Karai, scurrying inside the lab. And barely a moment later she was out again, carrying something in a bundle and Donnie following closely behind.

They hadn't noticed him, and Leonardo watched behind the arches as they both shared an earnest thumbs up before Karai trailed off to the bathroom, leaving Donnie to climb the steps by himself.

Well, aren't they getting along just wonderfully, those two? a little voice mumbled inside Leo's head as he quickly stepped out of his sight. He huffed and mentally slapped the thought away, not wanting to make it a big deal, before sitting down on the carpets in front of Master Splinter with April and his brothers.

Donnie joined them only a few seconds after and everybody turned their heads when they heard him enter.

"What's taking so long?" Raph griped, and the same question could be seen on Splinter's stern expression.

"I was, uh, helping Karai out with something. She says to wait for her," Donatello said apologetically as he went to sit on his heels between April and Raph, a twinkle of a smile in his sleepy eyes.

Leonardo felt the unexpected sting of suspicion again, but did his best to ignore it.

They'd been sitting for a few minutes and Splinter was calmly pacing around the dojo while the rest waited with different degrees of impatience when Raphael thought to express his boredom with a loud groan.

"Why are we all just sitting here like mushrooms again?" he groused in his usual 'I-don't-give-a-damn-about-anything-but-kicking-ass' tone.

"Mmmm, mushrooms."

"For the third time, Raph," Donnie drawled, "Karai wants to show us something."

Raphael groaned again.

"That spells trouble. A few months ago, if she said anything like that we'd be running in the opposite direction, fast."

"Don't say those things, Raph!" Leo spat under his breath, casting a sideways glance at Splinter. "Especially not in front of her!"

Raph rolled his eyes. He had never believed in being overprotective towards Karai, and he enforced these beliefs everyday at all times, just to be safe.

"Are you sure she said she wanted to show all of us? It sounds like something she'd want just Leo for," Raph jested.

Leonardo heard what seemed to be a discreet grunt of distaste coming from Splinter's corner of the room where he stood, but it didn't stop Raphael's smile of derision.

It was all Leo could do to hide his embarrassment in his disciplined posture, sitting stiff as a plank and hoping it wouldn't show on his cheeks. He didn't even bother with Raph. His block-head of a brother never really made any efforts with him when it came to Karai, or with Donnie and April for that matter. He always went out of his way to prove both his brothers were idiots who didn't know any better.

"She was very clear, Raph. She meant everyone," Donatello said, the strain in his voice a sign that his patience, like Leonardo's, was wearing thin.

Then from right outside the dojo came Karai's voice.

"Okay, guys! Ready or not, here I come!"

"Everybody hit the deck!" Raph yelled in mock-urgency.

"Funny, Raph! Maybe I can help you with that. With my boot," Karai's voice snarked before it was followed by Karai herself, and Leo suppressed the smack that he was going to give Raph at the sight of her.

Karai stood at the threshold. She was wearing new armor over her regular black clothes, made from brown leather and speckled by a multitude of metallic rivets arranged in decorative patterns. The dark specks gave off the faintest pinpoint glimmers in the hard sunlight filtering through the grates in the ceiling as she strolled her way to the middle of the dojo.

Suddenly AC/DC's "Back in Black" started blaring from the T-Phone held high in Donatello's hand. A mischievous smile was plastered on his face, and he got a couple of finger guns from Karai for his trouble as she started her catwalk in front of the line of ninjas.

"Whoa-ho-hoa!" Mikey hollered loudly over the music, hands up in a three-fingered interpretation of rock-on hands. "Looking good, Karaiwa!"

Everybody's interest was piqued, so much that no one even batted an eye to their sister's new name, courtesy of Mikey. They were all too preoccupied with the spectacle to even hear it. Leonardo, for instance, had suddenly lost his voice. He gulped, starting to feel rather sweaty underneath his elbow and knee pads as Karai showed off her impressive new look.

The armor was a revamp of her old Foot armor, redesigned in tough leather that went nicely with the rest of the group's aesthetics while still retaining that attitude that was so Karai. An iron ring buckle much like the one Splinter wore held her sash in place, making her look as if they were both in a kind of Hamato uniform. Elegant. Stylish. But very practical. And together with that new haircut… Well, it was turning Leo into a wax sculpture that had been left under the heat of the spotlight for too long.

"So that's what you two were up to in the lab!" Raphael cried suddenly, giving Donnie a jumbo pat on the shell and the purple-clad brother nearly choked on his own spit. "I was starting to worry!"

"Me too! About the whole world conquering and stuff!" Mikey added, getting a giggle out of the kunoichi in question.

Leonardo suppressed an agreeing nod. Yes, he had worried as well. A little bit. Not for the same reason as Mikey did exactly… but yeah.

"It was all Karai, though. I only provided the workspace," Donnie said, seemingly unaware of the way Leonardo was watching them.

He had never even considered the possibility before recently, and he was certain Donnie still was very much in love with April. But he couldn't help become uneasy after all those hours spent inside the lab, the two together, being quiet and secretive. He knew they'd been hiding something, but it had taken him a good amount of effort to convince himself that neither of them had that kind of interest in each other. Karai was an amazing woman, after all. Who wouldn't fall for her? Not only that, but she had been known to use her knowledge of that to achieve her objectives.

Without even realizing it, he had turned to look at April, and was surprised to find his own doubts etched in her expression as well, or at least… at least that's what it looked like for a brief moment there before Donnie turned to look at her and she looked away, pretending to watch Karai.

"So what do you think?" Karai asked, stopping to pose between Leo and Splinter, her eyes flicking from one to the other.

She's so beautiful, Leo thought. She's so beautiful I want to die. Say something, she's waiting!

"It's so pretty!" he cawed, and immediately ducked his head, embarrassed by what had just come out of his mouth.

"Yeah, it's awesome!" Mikey agreed loudly, awe sparkling in his eyes, and Leo had to thank him mentally for providing a distraction so he could collect himself.

Karai felt herself swelling with pride, and something else that wasn't all that familiar to her. It felt more than satisfactory; it was… nice. Very nice. All those shouts of approval, the awe in their eyes, they were warming her right through.

And the look on Leo…

Karai allowed herself a low giggle, snatching a glance at the blue-clad brother before turning to Splinter, who in turn had been extremely quiet. Hands behind his back and studious glance under his thick white eyebrows, Karai couldn't quite read him. At last, she held her breath and tipped her head up to face him, a question in her eyes.

"You made this yourself?" Splinter asked, his eyes lingering on the chest piece and the barely perceptible engraving of the clan's symbol on the leather. And that glimmer in his gaze finally gave him away, his chest puffed out.

"Yes, father. I wanted to surprise you," she said with a low bow.

Splinter approached her, his tall form towering over her, and put both his hands on her shoulders making her stand upright so he could look in her eyes.

"You did! It is magnificent, my daughter. You did an excellent job," Splinter said, still admiring the result of her dedication. Beaming.

"Thank you, father," Karai replied, captivated by Splinter's approval. It felt strange, having a father who smiled at her, and hugged her and felt deeply proud of her simply because she was his daughter. Such a feeling, which had once been so foreign to her, was the most beautiful thing she had experienced in her life.

"I gotta tell ya, it's a whole different deal seeing it on," Donnie said, and Leo tore his eyes from Karai in time to catch his brother's smile, reaching from ear to ear as he glanced at Leo and the thunderstruck look that he hadn't realized was so obvious on his face.

"It's beautiful. Makes me want to get an armor of my own," April said.

Karai then shot Donatello what was clearly meant to be a covert wink, but Leonardo saw it. Donnie's smile widened, shoulders giving off the lightest of tremors, and Leo's brow furrowed a little deeper, wondering what it meant.

"Is it comfortable?" April asked in all interest, looking at the suit with eyes that were avid even when puffy from an obvious lack of sleep. Up until then she'd been practically sleepwalking, but Karai's surprise appeared to have coaxed her out of her lethargy.

"It needs a little breaking in, but otherwise it's lighter and more maneuverable than my old steel armor," Karai replied, performing a few moves to try it out.

"Certainly looks versatile," Donnie observed.

"We'll just have to see if it holds up outside the catwalk," Raphael said through a baleful grin, and Karai responded in kind, striking a combat pose.

"Well, how about we try it right now, brother?"

"Anytime, sister." Raphael cracked his neck, stalking towards her ready to pounce.

"Yame!"

Splinter's order resounded around the dojo, and everybody, including Karai and Raph, stopped in their tracks to stand on attention facing their teacher.

"Warm-up! In silence!"

Splinter was back in sensei mode, his tone terse and commanding. But he still had one smile left to spare for his daughter before she joined the group in their warm-up rounds.

Training went by according to routine. They stretched, they did their breathing exercises, practiced their katas; Raph bullied Mikey when he thought Splinter wasn't looking and Leo was the definition of self control as he'd actually managed not to stare at Karai and the way that armor snugly fit her form, though it did take a good amount of concentration.

April's bout of wakefulness, however, was short-lived. Once it had been necessary for her to display any form of agility or reflexes, all her resolve had come tumbling down and she soon regretted coming to the dojo that day.

She had barely made it through the lesson, running on fear of disappointment alone, when Splinter started dividing them into pairs for the final sparring exercise: unarmed hand-to-hand combat.

Leo was visibly relieved when Splinter paired him up with Mikey, because that way he didn't have to go up against Karai and her new suit. Raph, on the other hand, seemed absolutely thrilled to have been pit against her.

"Yes! I was hoping to be able to help you break into that suit, Karai! "

"Much appreciated, brother," she said sweetly. "But try not to hurt yourself in the process."

"Sister, I'm going to tenderize it like yesterday's leftover steak."

Mikey giggled.

"I just love when you guys smack talk," he said. "It's so cheesy."

Leo was already poised for combat staring Mikey down, but snickered at the exchange and the look of aggravation on Raph's face. Karai didn't seem at all bothered by the comment, coming from Mikey. She was probably glad it managed to warm Raph up for her.

"Face your opponent!" Splinter commanded, looking over each of his pupils. He would have to keep a close eye on Raph and Karai especially. If they had to fight, then they better do it with a sense of sportsmanship. However this kind of rivalry was prone to cause accidents. He already had a moral speech in mind for when he found himself ultimately forced to break them apart.

"Don't you dare go easy on me, Donnie. You always do that."

Splinter only barely turned his head to the pair at the far end of the room, but his keen rat ears picked up every word.

Donatello's brow twitched at the girl's comment.

"I do not! I merely adjust to your level," Donatello retorted, and immediately regretted those words. "That's- that's not… I didn't mean to be offensive, what I meant is… If we were characters in a game of Mazes and Mutants, if you will, you'd be a lower level than me and… and that made it worse," he chuckled hopelessly.

"Just please beat the crap out of me, Donnie," she grumbled and the turtle let out a little snicker in reaction.

"Well, I don't believe I've ever had anyone say those words to me, in that order."

But April was clearly not in the mood at the moment, judging by her unwavering glare. So Donatello thought it best to zip it for now and mirrored her ready stance, eyes narrowed in concentration. A flash of purple caught his attention for a moment, there among the ginger locks, tucked away underneath April's headband. He hadn't noticed that before. When did she get streaks? Pretty.

He quickly filed that away to comment on later when they had time to talk.

She saw it; the little approving quirk of his eyebrow ridges, and it tugged at the corner of her mouth despite herself —a welcome detour from her current thoughts— before they both locked eyes again, waiting for the signal.

"Hajime!"

The dojo was suddenly flooded with the sounds of battle, the padding and stomping of feet on carpet and the dull thuds of the impacts on flesh and bone. Splinter appraised the various matches under his critical eye, pacing his way around the dojo, hands behind his back, starting at the far end where April and Donatello had engaged in what was a rather unremarkable fight.

Splinter had known something was out of sorts with April the moment she came in the dojo, despite her attempts at concealing it. Something was certainly troubling her as of late and it was hindering her performance. The impetuous young woman was usually passionate and intuitive, with that fire that he himself had admired from the very first day he started teaching her. He had been certain even then that she would one day become a great kunoichi. It was hard to believe this was that same girl.

Once training had begun, her grouchiness had been hard to miss; she was sluggish and hasty in her movements, missing her cues, her katas sloppy and aloof. And that attitude had plainly transferred to her match against Donatello, who seemed at a complete loss, a look of concern etched across his face, and Splinter knew he had done well in pairing her off with him.

His son had mentioned that she had been having trouble sleeping lately because of exam stress, although something told him there was more to it. He didn't want to meddle—she already had her father for that—but it worried him, and if it went on like this he would definitely have to intervene.

"Your head and heart are not in the fight, April! Show some enthusiasm," he shouted over the ruckus.

An apathetic "hai, sensei" was her only attempt at a proper acknowledgement. Splinter gave a throaty grunt of disapproval, but moved on to the next match, trusting those two to work something out on their own.

Raphael and Karai were a whole different thing altogether. Loud and brash, they were a cyclone of claws and growls, like a wild dog fight.

It was imperative that he kept one eye on them while he supervised the rest.

And as for Leonardo and Michelangelo, they probably were the most notable contrast. Leonardo was disciplined and efficient, never one to waste his energy on vague strikes. Michelangelo was frantic, light on his feet as though there was always music in his head. Compared to him, Leonardo was almost static, like a snake waiting to strike at the right moment, when his prey would come within its reach.

Splinter was used to this, watching over several of his children at the same time. It was a skill he had developed long ago out of sheer necessity, when they were but these tiny things crawling around, so easy to lose sight of.

And it was this skill that granted him the ability to see every crinkle in his sons' brows, every flicker of their eyes and every waiver in their voice. They might think he wouldn't notice certain things, but Leonardo's special attention for Karai was never lost on him. Splinter could see the way he deliberately wasn't looking at her.

He had to make sure this wouldn't be a distraction. Even while still watching over Raphael and Karai, Splinter examined Leonardo's and Michelangelo's match with a critical eye, taking note of their performance.

It was quite astounding, how fast Michelangelo could be. When his orange clad son was motivated, he was like an explosion of shrapnel; a succession of lightning quick hits, his rapidly moving form a series of blotches on the retina. This approach worked wonders against outside opponents who could never see him coming, but Leonardo knew his brother all too well.

One time Michelangelo got too close, and Leonardo crouched to sweep his foot under him. But Michelangelo only backflipped out of the way, untouched, and started circling Leo like an excited chihuahua.

"Stop hopping around and play some offense!" Leonardo cried, trying not to follow his brother with his gaze or else he'd get dizzy real fast.

"This is my offense, bra! I'm wearing you out! That's how I roll! Woooooo!"

Michelangelo performed a few circus grade flips around Leonardo, bouncing off the dojo's tree and scoring a few slaps and tugs of his bandana, taunting him. Leonardo gritted his teeth, but waited… waited… until finally in one unexpected swoop he grabbed him mid-flip around his shoulders and neck and drove him shell-first into the floor with a loud thump.

"Aughhhh… good one, Leo…" Mikey croaked, sprawled as he was on the carpet. Leonardo stood victorious over him.

"Up, Michelangelo! The fight isn't over!" Splinter said behind them before turning his head back to the adjacent pair.

"Okay," Michelangelo squeaked, but was soon up in one jump as if nothing happened and he hadn't just been body-slammed against the ground. He stood, dancing on his heels, lips pursed in concentration, ready for more.

They circled each other, their eyes locked trying to predict the other's first move. Mikey kept moving somewhat erratically, waggling his entire body—and was he humming?

Leo attacked first, going for a frontal assault, but Mikey's reflexes were too quick. He dodged the fist and threw out his own, which connected with Leo's chin. Leo reeled with a cry of surprise and Mikey barked a celebratory guffaw before ducking his head to avoid the next strike. And the next, and the next. The onslaught put Mikey back in flight mode, when it was damn near impossible to land a good hit, and Leonardo gritted his teeth in exasperation.

"Can't touch this, bra!" Mikey cried jubilantly, dancing and prancing about as though dodging a Kraang laser machine gun, while Leo just watched in deepest annoyance. He stealthily pressed down on the carpet with his foot and tugged. Mikey lost his footing when the floor moved beneath him and he tumbled face first into the rug.

Leo sought to take advantage of his adversary's fall and plunged forward with a roar. But Mikey rolled out of the way in time to avoid his fist. He capered about in the air, landing cleanly on his feet facing Leonardo, who was on him in an instant with a new tirade of furious punches. Mikey blocked them one by one, and swat away an oncoming kick to the side when Leonardo finally pinned him to the wall.

Now you're mine, his inner voice growled, confidence surging pleasantly through him when he finally managed to get his hyperactive flea of a brother exactly where he wanted, which was quite the achievement if he said so himself.

He was looking Mikey dead in the eye through the blurry haze of his own fists and elbows that Michelangelo was desperately trying to block when suddenly at the corner of his eye he caught something.

A flash of a smile, a pair of staring eyes.

His head flicked around ever so slightly, in a reflex triggered by his most deep-seeded instincts, to see Karai giving him a look that could've melted concrete. The moment lasted but for a split-second before she turned her attention back to Raphael's charging mass.

He didn't see what happened next because in the brief moment that his mind had been elsewhere, Mikey had broken his defenses, shoving him off and landing a spinning kick to his temple.

And Leonardo was thrown sideways into the carpet.

"Aw, yeah, son!" the victor shouted.

"Keep your focus on your own fight, Leonardo!" Splinter said harshly, when in truth he was grinning inwardly, fully aware of what had transpired between the two youngsters.

"Hai, sensei," Leonardo responded dejectedly, rubbing the side of his face if only to hide his humiliation from Karai, who was sporting a triumphant smile even after having been brutally tackled to the ground herself by a boastful Raphael.

She'd been distracted for a fraction of a second, and Raph had rewarded her accordingly for that.

Worth it, Karai thought as she propped herself up on her elbow clasping her palm against her side.

"Guess you're outta luck, sis. See, your little seductress numbers don't work on me," Raph crooned over her, an ample grin on his smug face. Big mistake.

She kept up the charade until Raph was close enough, and just when he seemed most confident, she shot out her leg and tripped him, and he fell on his rear. Just like that, they'd suddenly changed places, and now Karai stood tall, chuckling devilishly at the look of shock on Raph's face which was quickly morphing into one of unalloyed hatred.

"Luckily, a kunoichi has a whole arsenal of secret weapons at her disposal, none of which you've probably even heard of."

Raphael got up in a squat.

"Let's see you pit them against these, huh?" he growled, flashing his bulging biceps before lunging right at her like a derailed train. Another mistake.

Karai was lightning quick, dodging Raph's charge with an easy roll.

He skidded on the rugs and before he could turn to face her again she was jabbing her knuckles into the tender spot at the back of his knee, making him lose his balance.

She rolled to position herself at his side and Raph barely dodged her foot but by the width of a hair, feeling it graze against his cheek.

Karai hoisted herself up to get away but Raph landed a furious punch on her stomach and she bent over with a puff.

A second punch connected with her face as she tried to move away, but she managed to block the third strike with her bracelet, causing the turtle to lose his footing, giving herself some time to recoil. By the time the fourth strike came, she was ready.

Using Raph's own momentum against him, Karai intercepted his fist and yanked. Raph ran face first into her knee, letting out a cry of pain through the hands now covering his own snout, eyes glossy with tears. Karai took this opportunity to slither around him, shooting back her heel and throwing Raphael on his plastron so she could immediately climb on his carapace to lock both his arms at his back, immobilizing him.

As he struggled to break free, the kunoichi leaned in to whisper sweetly in his ear.

"Awww, already? I hoped a big, strong boy like you would last me a little more. How disappointing."

She basked in the way his body tensed with rage before letting him go. Raph twisted himself out of the lock with a war cry and Karai's lips spread into an impish grin, all ready to test out another secret kunoichi weapon on Raphael: to get him pissed off his wits.

"Tell you what; if you last 20 seconds I'll call it a draw."

Karai basked in the fire burning in Raph's eyes, grinning in anticipation.

Witness to this furious exchange, Splinter had expected having to scold Raph for going too far with Karai, but as it turned out Karai was more than able to take him on, and was in fact enjoying it, with that hint of sadism that she so unabashedly displayed whenever she bested someone in combat.

Just as Karai intended, Raph's rage had flushed all his better judgement down the toilet, thus making it very easy for her to thoroughly kick his ass once more.

"Raph, you're too easy!" she laughed after the fourth time the angry turtle had kissed the floor.

"Brute force isn't everything, Raphael!" Splinter said for what felt like the hundredth time. "She is winning because you are letting her get to you. Control. Think!"

"Yeah, Raph. Think," Karai mocked in an infuriating singsong.

Raph curled his lips into a snarl, but stood his ground, and Splinter could almost hear his own words inside his son's head. Like a river over stone, like a river over stone… That is if he could even hear it over the sound of his grinding teeth...

Splinter shook his head slowly, certain that this wasn't the end of it by a long shot. The death glares they were giving each other were but the eye of the hurricane. However his eyes drifted off to April, as she was currently standing there throwing angry punches at the sky under Donatello's look of distress.

"Is something the matter, April?" Splinter asked calmly, and immediately April's arms stopped thrashing to hang limp and bashful at her sides. She gave her sensei a breathless smile.

"I'm just having one of those days, Master Splinter." She shrugged.

Donatello was mute, like a dog whose master is angry and it doesn't know why.

"Whatever it is, you are letting it win. Focus that energy on the fight, not the air."

"Hai, sensei," she replied, simply out of respect. Splinter only offered a short "hmm" and went back to watching over Karai and Raphael, much to April's relief.

Her mood gauge had finally plummeted, from mild crankiness down to plain emotional wreckage. April really couldn't remember a worse training session where she was just incapable of doing anything right, and every botched attempt only added to her frustration. Even when perfectly aware that she had fallen into a vicious cycle—and on top of everything she was taking it out on Donnie—she was a bit too angry about nothing and everything at the moment. She just wanted to punch the wall and scream and it didn't help one bit that Donatello was looking at her like she was a time bomb and he was at a loss for which cable to cut.

Donatello, on the other hand, wouldn't even ask if she was alright, or what was wrong, or anything. He had already tried that and it didn't do much good. So he just submissively lowered his head and waited for her to return to the match. He heard her sigh loudly before she turned towards him, holding his gaze in an air of defiance, daring him to say anything, but he only pressed his lips.

"Do me a favor and don't hold back, because every time you do you're just making me feel like a lousy kunoichi," she said finally, her voice tense like guitar strings.

"You're not lousy!" Donnie protested.

"Then let me prove it! Come on, give it your best!" she demanded, beckoning him closer with her hands, a challenge in her eyes, and Donnie found himself in a conundrum.

Any other day he had no problem hitting her when it was fair, and he also knew for a fact that she hated being given special treatment. And usually that was reasonable, because she really was far from lousy, and had always had a knack for the martial arts.

But the way she'd been performing today, she was practically asking for a thrashing. There was just no competition in her. Maybe Raph would be okay with it, arguing that it would build her character or some crap, but not him. He doubted it would help her at all. Not when she was plainly so miserable, sweaty, flushed and exhausted, but still oh so stubborn. And just thinking about what could be upsetting her so much was twisting his insides.

Notwithstanding, April could get pretty intimidating when she felt contradicted. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Donnie, I swear to God, either you stop treating me like a lady or this is the last time I spar with you."

Donnie straightened up like a meerkat, his brow knitted in disbelief. That's what it was, then? Well, he took offense to that! She thought he was undervaluing her, did she? And she wanted him to be ruthless and inconsiderate? Fine. Then he would be!

...to an extent…

"Okay, April," he said evenly, flexing his knees in a determined, combat-ready stance and watching her do the same.

She gave a long exhale, taking a few seconds to focus.

Then, as unexpectedly as she managed, she attacked, going for a frontal strike at Donnie's plastron. He blocked effortlessly, snatched her arm, twisting it until it went rigid while pivoting around himself. April grunted in surprise before she could even see the elbow coming right at her guts.

She doubled over, pausing to rub her shoulder but for a heartbeat. And before she had time to adopt a new defensive position, Donnie was already sweeping his leg underneath her. His foot hooked onto her ankle and she lost her balance. Her knee connected painfully with the floor and she rolled to avoid Donnie's finishing jab on the back that would've stamped her into the rug.

He recoiled nimbly from her pirouette as she strived to break her own momentum, her muscles in strain.

Once her feet were again firm underneath her, she threw a rotating kick. Donatello blocked with a rock-hard forearm, the impact knocking her off balance. As she was forced to lower her leg back down to try to regain her stability, Donnie used this instant of hesitation to shove a hand into her solar plexus. The thrust propelled her backwards and she landed on her butt with a cry of pain.

When she lifted her gaze, she saw Donatello standing there looking at her with an apologetic wince that only made her angrier.

And he wasn't even breaking a sweat.

She pushed herself off the floor with a growl, jaw set, and stood facing him. He immediately adopted a ready stance again and they looked in each other's eyes. He seemed to be waiting for her to make the first move.

April took her time, gauging him, thinking of ways she could fool her way past his defenses. She would try to catch him off guard this time.

She baited him with a step forward and feigned a punch. It seemed to work for a millisecond as Donnie flinched to avoid it.

But he quickly saw through her ruse. He moved in time to block the kick that she'd tried to sneak in from the side.

As he dodged her, he put her arm in a lock and pushed to unbalance her, then pulled, twisted on the spot, jamming his back against April's torso and flinging her over his carapace. Her back and pelvis bounced against the rug and she gave a strangled cry.

Just like that, the match was over. And before it had even begun.

That had been humiliatingly quick...

Okay, she'd been pretty awful throughout the entire session, but this had been the first time she regretted demanding Donnie gave his best. He was friggin' untouchable. This is how he fared even when he was supposed to be tired from lack of rest!

Suddenly she had a realization: all the turtles had been going easy on her, not just Donnie. And this didn't help her self-esteem at all.

April cursed through her teeth and stomped her heels on the carpet before rolling to her feet again, ready to face Donnie and try once more.

She was sweating profusely now, her bangs sticking to her forehead and stinging her eyes with the salt of her own perspiration. But she would not grant herself the comfort of surrender.

She waited for Donnie to mimic her pose, but instead of that, he put his hands up in an offer of peace and approached her. He spoke in a low voice so as not to call Splinter's attention. He probably wanted to baby her with words of unconditional support and she was in no mood for that today.

"Sorr-"

"Don't you apologize for that!" she cut him off, resisting the urge to massage her aching glutes. "We're sparring, it's what you're supposed to do."

"I know," he said, and his mouth started curving upwards in a mischievous grin. "I was gonna say 'sorry for still going easy on you'."

April gave him a death stare, which actually didn't last long before it dissolved into a snarky grin. Eventually that also gave way to an actual smile, even if it was a nervous kind of smile, brimmed with embarrassment and exhaustion.

I guess it would be okay to rest for a minute, she thought, her stance melting until suddenly she found herself sitting on the floor.

Donnie finally deemed it safe to squat in front of her and she in turn crossed her legs, allowing herself a moment to catch her breath. She exhaled; a long, tired sigh.

"Boy, I suck today."

She was sure he was going to contradict her, but instead she saw him nod his head.

"You're sucking stellarly," he admitted, and she couldn't help but press her lips into a thin line, even when technically this was exactly what she'd asked of him.

"Hey, you asked for it," he said right on cue.

"Well, you didn't have to be so blunt."

"Come on, April. I can say that because I know this isn't your usual you. You're just having a bad day, it happens to all of us. You're actually a great fighter."

April gave a disheartened chortle.

"I hope you're not patronizing me, Donnie. You know how much I hate that."

"I am not patronizing you, April!" Donnie retorted, looking insulted. "You've been doing this for what, two years? We've been practicing ninjutsu our entire lives, and you're already this good! Any other day I'd have to put up a fight. You can kick anyone's ass when you put your mind to it, I know from experience! You gotta give yourself a break."

April looked in his earnest eyes, and knew he meant what he said. She lowered her head, but felt a tiny bit better.

"I know, I just… I can't focus at all today. I haven't slept at all, worrying about things and…"

April almost wanted him to ask 'what things', but even when he looked like he would like to, it was already obvious he wasn't going to ask again. Not after what a jerk she'd been last time he tried, only about ten minutes ago.

Maybe it was for the better that he didn't. She wouldn't have known what to tell him anyway.

"Look, why don't we try something else? We can simplify," he said and lifted himself up to his full height. She did the same and listened to what he had to say in his friendly teaching voice. "By working on just one aspect of a given activity at a time we'll be able to pinpoint what you're doing wrong. We isolate and favor the learning curve of that one aspect, maximizing focus. For example, leave all the attacking to me and you can concentrate on your blocking techniques." Donatello was already back in position, but keeping close at arm's reach.

"Fine," she agreed, gathering all her remaining strength to at least get this one simple thing right before the day's training ended, so that she could at least say it wasn't a complete waste of time.

"I've noticed a tendency to slacken your stance. Remember to keep your arms up here." Donnie took her forearms in his big fingers and moved them to their correct height guarding her face and chest, giving a gentle squeeze to make her hold the position.

Of course, she knew all this. The theory, at least. But Donnie was right, she always did that without realizing it. Splinter had called her out on it countless times. Usually she tried to be careful, but today she had completely neglected everything she'd learned in the past couple of years. So, biting back the urge to yell "I know!", she gave a loud sigh and nodded in confirmation.

"Elbows close to your body, mobile but firm, and remember to breathe correctly," Donnie continued, and to prove his point, he simulated a slo-mo punch at her face where his fist encountered the barrier of her forearms, then at her side, and she instinctively flinched moving her elbow to protect her ribs whilst tensing her abdominal muscles, air rushing out in a tight hiss. Her instructor gave her a smile of approval.

As if that was the first time she'd done that right...

She really was trying not to take this the wrong way. She kept telling herself this was only feedback; useful stuff. But her ego was particularly touchy today and any form of correction just felt like an insult. She already knew all this!

Okay, then why aren't you doing any of it?

"Always look me in the eyes," Donnie said as sole warning before throwing a hook at her cheek. She barely reacted in time, but blocked it at the last moment and his fist receded. She kept her eyes on his as he instructed, but watched for any movement in the periphery.

She saw his shoulder move one millisecond before his elbow and fist followed like a whip and this time she was ready. Her hand deflected the strike.

But Donnie didn't stop there. Another strike almost caught her by surprise. And then a third.

"Don't nail yourself to the spot. Use the space. Never stay still."

The attacks got faster, rougher.

She was finding it more and more difficult to keep up and started retreating towards the wall. It didn't take long for a blow to get through, and she doubled over at the impact, almost getting an elbow in her nose as a result. She managed to deflect it sloppily with a swat of her hand, but already her forearms hurt, and she felt stitches in her sides.

"You're doing good, April!" Donnie said, giving her a moment's rest to gather herself before starting again and she took the opportunity to give him a disbelieving roll of her eyes. "Keep moving, but don't turn your back on me..."

He made to strike with another deliberate hook to her ribs. April should've known it was a trap.

She moved to block the second fist, swiveling her torso in a movement that turned out too wide. She left her other elbow out in the open and he gripped it, twisting her arm behind her back. She cried out, unconsciously flailing her free arm, allowing Donatello to grab it as well.

"...or else this happens."

April started, surprised by Donatello's voice so close to her ear. He was holding her up against him. She could feel the buckle of his shoulder strap digging into her scapula, and his agitated breaths on her temple.

"Elbows in," he reiterated, letting go of her arms and standing back.

And April hesitated to face him.

The feel of his plastron pressed up against her lingered on her back and neck, and she could only hope it wouldn't be written all over her face, or that at the very least the sweat would mask the burning flush on her cheeks. She rolled away the soreness of her shoulders and finally turned around, panting and aching all over.

And as it couldn't be otherwise, her eyes chose that exact moment to fixate on the elegant curve of his neck, muscles visibly taut under the mottled green skin.

It's a pity he slouches so much.

She forced herself to look away, and ended up just staring at his arms as if she was seeing them for the first time; slender and sinewy, glistening with a thin layer of sweat...

Whoa.

Easy there, April. Now is not the time.

"Alright?" Donnie said cautiously in the elongated silence, the shouting from the other matches sounding far away.

The hell's come over you? You've done this dozens of times with him. Get your head in the game, now!

"Yeah." She immediately regained her stance, shoving aside the pesky thoughts and sensations and forcing herself to hold his gaze.

"Go again?" he proposed.

"Sure."

She meant to sound determined and eager, but she was tired and her forearms were throbbing painfully from all the blocking. Donatello still kept true to his word. He was relentless in his attacks and already she was starting to lose her concentration, and her patience. More so when the next impact sent a jolt of pain all the way up her arm, that latched onto the ball of her shoulder. And once again she neglected her stance.

"Elbows!" Donnie corrected before going straight for the weak spot.

"I know!" she exhaled, barely blocking another attack aimed at her exposed ribcage.

He swung a fist at her left side next, and once again April didn't recognize the distraction. Fingertips dug into her opposite side between ribs, making her recoil with a loud yelp. It had tickled more than hurt, but that didn't make it any less humiliating.

She lifted her eyes to find a fiendish smile on the turtle's face. He must've found that very amusing.

"Sure you do," he chuckled evilly and she felt her shoulders tense and her hands fist.

He kept saying "Elbows in!" and she kept forgetting because she didn't have the energy to care anymore. His pointers hit her like tennis balls to the head, concentration slipping, and still a small part of her was too proud to call time-out. April could feel the pressure inside her rising, rising, her whole body trembling from exertion and rage, tension building with every bullseye of Donnie's fingertips on her side that she failed to block again and again.

Instead of focusing, her mind chose to ask her stupid questions.

Shouldn't it be quitting time already?

She was about to give up and call him off.

"Don't make me tickle you again!"

One last surge of adrenaline took hold of her at the prospect, fueled by all the pent up frustration. And that's when it happened.

Just as Donatello moved to fling out his hand at her abdomen, her fist jerked and shot upwards to strike at whatever it would hit.

It connected with a fwap.

Just one hit. And immediately she froze, knowing that same instant exactly where she'd hit him.

She gasped, eyes shot open to look at Donnie, and her hands covered her mouth at the sight of him kneeling on the carpet, clutching his throat with both hands, struggling to breathe.

"Donnie?!"

Sorry for the cliffhanger!

If you liked it, please leave a comment. It really goes a long way! :D

This chapter took forever to get right omg. It wasn't just the first fight scene we had actually written, but it also had a ton of POVs and after one of our beta readers pointed the head-hopping out to us, we spent some time trying to fix that too. Not sure if you guys noticed anything like that in previous chapters, or if there's still some of that in this one, but we're going to be a lot more careful with POVs in the future.

Thank you so much for reading!