Mizuki walked down the hallway and headed to where April's class is. Instead of wearing her armor, she was dressed in a red shirt, blue jeans, boots, and a golden-rose jacket. Her locket is still there around her neck, safely hidden beneath the shirt.
She did not know how the students aren't suspicious of her when she entered the school. But she was relieved that the disguise worked for her.
She soon found April's class and entered with ease.
A few students looked up from the computers they are on and became astounded by her strange beauty.
"Yeah, I know," Mizuki nodded her head at their expressions.
She looked around the room until she noticed a familiar head of brown puffs.
"You called us down here?" Mizuki whispered, taking a seat next to the brown-haired girl.
"Yeah," April nodded. "I kinda need something with Donnie, who should be here any moment now."
Shurikens were thrown near April, reading "I'm here!"
She looked up and gasped surprised.
Donnie, who is wearing a purple hoodie, was hanging over them on the lights. He yelled as he fell near the girls.
Mizuki winced at the impact.
"Hi, Donnie. Thanks for coming over, guys," April said.
"No probbles," Donnie stood up and sat on another chair. "I love this place."
He inhaled and stood up in a flash. "Smells like learning and puberty!"
Mizuki quickly pulled him back down, shushing him. "You've got to keep it down, okay?"
"Oh, right. Yeah, gotcha," he winked at her before turning his attention back to April. "So, what do you need help with?"
"My computer science project," April typed on her laptop. "Just need you to check the code to make sure I haven't missed anything."
Donnie scooted up next to April and typed on the computer. "Ah! You don't know how lucky you are to be in school, April, surrounded by true intellectuals, scholars after my own heart, resplendent in gorges purple satin jackets—"
He stopped suddenly when he saw a few people wearing what he was describing last beforehand. "What?! Purple satin jackets?"
His eyes sparkled at the smooth clothing. "The shimmering sheen, the exquisite violet hue, the silkiness of the fabric! It has everything I love, and even things I didn't know I loved yet—"
"Donnie, if you drool in here, something's gonna short-circuit," April remarked, pushing herself back on the chair with her foot.
Donnie was drooling as he stared contently at the people wearing the jackets. Mizuki giggled and closed his mouth.
He snapped out of the trance the moment she touched him and quickly sat back up on his chair. "They must be the kings and queens of high school."
"The Purple Dragons tech club?" April glanced at them with envy. "Yeah, if by kings and queens, you mean stuck up jerks who think they're smarter than everyone else."
"Oh, that's what I'm hoping you'd say!" Donnie spun around on the chair, his arms up.
Mizuki took a moment to study their environment in the far back of the computer lab.
Two students on one side are hanging by their underwear on the towering drives.
The walls are decorated with spray-painted words 'Dragons', with three computers set up in the center.
A girl with light pink hair, tan skin, and a red bonnet watched the younger man type on the computer, while another boy sat on the floor and typed on another laptop.
Mizuki narrowed her eyes at the people.
The boy at the three computers suddenly screamed and moved around as if he was trying to get away from something.
The two teens laughed and bumped their fists in a strange way.
"Oh, my gosh, did you see that?" Donnie grinned widely.
"What? That wack high-five?" April remarked.
"Nay, fair April," he lifted his finger up at her. "A secret five evocative of the golden ratios of the cosmos. Superior minds, glorious jackets—"
He was floating up in the chair in a zen motion before he eyed the group again determined. "April, Mizuki, I am joining this club."
"You what now?" April raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Mizuki said to him as he walked to them in a calm manner.
She sighed, rolling her eyes, and followed behind to make sure he doesn't get into trouble.
"Greetings, tech enthusiasts," Donnie declared and bowed to the Purple Dragons, who eyes them. "I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of your club—wait for it, here it comes—it's me."
The girl was holding the goggles away from the boy with the glasses, who was holding onto them. She let them instantly, and the goggles hit him in the face.
"Uh-huh," the girl said and checked her nails. "April, that's your name, right?"
"You've known me since kindergarten, Kendra," April remarked and slid up on her chair behind Donnie and Mizuki.
"Uh-huh," Kendra hummed again. "Who are these people, and why does this guy look like mold?"
Mizuki resisted the urge to attack Kendra full-on.
"Jeremy, Jason, Kendra," April sighed before gesturing to Donnie and Mizuki. "These are my friends Mizuki Harrison and Don—"
"Othello Von Ryan—" Donnie slid up in front of April and made various heroic poses.
He jumped behind the Purple Dragons as he went on. "Maker...coder...artisan."
"I am ready to join your esteemed collective," he stepped in front of them proudly.
He then studied Kendra's jacket. "And with regard to purple jackets, I am a medium."
Kendra suddenly slammed her foot on his own, prompting him to yelp in pain and soothe his aching foot.
"Sorry, Von Ryan," Kendra said. "But to join this group, you gotta bring something to the table. So...buy-bye."
"Prepare to be...Von Ryaned," Donnie smirked.
He whipped out his bo-staff, which formed to different weapons on both ends. Jason and Jeremy gawked at it in wonder.
"Wow! It's the granddaddy of all multi-tools!" The one with the yellow glasses gasped.
"Okay, it's not bad," Kendra nonchalantly shrugged and gently pushed the flamethrower away from her. "What else ya got?"
"Come on!" April rolled her eyes in annoyance. "You don't have to impress these fools."
"That's what people say when they don't have anything impressive...like this!" Donnie pressed a button on his goggles.
A few seconds later, his battle shells appeared in the computer room and floated above the ground. The students in the room gasped in amazement.
"Sweeeet!" Jeremy gasped in excitement and studied the shells. "So, how these things communicate? Is it a microwave transceiver?"
"With class C encryption protocols," Donnie smirked and pressed a button on his bo-staff.
"Oh...my...fave!" Jeremy's eyes shone at the staff. "I know class C inside and out."
"Can the bromance," Kendra grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him away.
"Von Ryan..." she pointed at Donnie before smiling. "You're in."
Mizuki sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Me, too, girl," April nodded.
"Quit smiling, Jase," Kendra ordered the boy with the glasses, who stopped dancing around. "You're still low man on the totem pole."
She then pulled off the jacket of him and threw it up in the air.
The jacket landed on Donnie's arm. He suddenly gasped in delight and put it on him.
"Yes! Be honest, girls," Donnie turned to April, who still had her arms folded, and Mizuki. "Do I look fantastic or superbly fantastic?!"
"You look like you dropped a juice box in the laundry," April remarked unimpressed.
Mizuki heard beeping from the back of the jacket and peeked behind Donnie to find the red eyes of the dragon image blinking.
She narrowed her eyes at the Purple Dragons in suspicion.
*****
Later on, Mizuki, now clad in her armor, entered the lair through the opening above and landed on the skating ramp with ease.
"Hey, guys," she greeted the other turtles.
"Hey, Miz," they said collectively.
She studied their expressions carefully before realizing something. "Did you notice Donnie's new jacket?"
"Yep, we did," Leo groaned and threw his comic to the ground. "I can't believe it! The nerve of that guy!"
"Who brings something that beautiful into a place like this?" Mikey fell on his knees.
"I would give up every red bandana to feel the silky smoothness of that purple satin on my skin!" Raph complained.
"I had a sense that you're jealous," Mizuki remarked, her hands on her hips. "Where is Donnie, anyway?"
"He went in his room before you came," Mikey gestured to the tech genius's lab. "Probably fawning over his new jacket."
"Well, I don't intend to interrupt his alone time," Mizuki explained. "But I have a feeling about the group he had joined, a sense I can't quite dig through to."
"Aw, don't tell me you're jealous of Donnie's new coat, too," Raph smirked at her.
"No, it's not that," Mizuki denied. "There's this strange vibe I have around those Purple Dragons, but I can't seem to catch it."
"Either envy or desire to join, too?" Leo suggested.
Mizuki shook her head playfully and chuckled. "Anyway, I was just checking up on you guys, to see if you're not affected by Donnie's new coat wear."
"Too late, we already are," Mikey piped up.
"Tell him I've stopped by, okay?" She called as she exited the lair.
"We will!" Raph called back.
*****
Mizuki tossed and turned on her bed later on that night. She groaned and gripped the bedsheets.
"Mama! Papa!"
She panted heavily as sweat poured down her forehead.
"Mizuki!"
"Mama!"
"Mama..." she mumbled.
"MIZUKI!"
"No!" Mizuki shot up on the bed and breathed greatly.
Her eyes were wide with horror and shock and sweat was pooling down her head. Her hair was a complete mess from the tossing and turning.
She exhaled and rubbed her forehead.
A few fast taps on her window brought her to look up. She became surprised to see Donnie, whose face was panicked and determined.
"Donnie?" Mizuki yawned and opened the window. "What's going on?"
She yelped when he suddenly lifted her up bridal style and jumped off the fire escape.
"I'll explain on the way! Just hang tight!" He quickly said as he headed towards April's place.
*****
"They did WHAT?!" Mizuki practically yelled as she sat behind April on her bike.
Donnie sat on the bike basket and held a flashlight as April cycled down the road. He had brought Mizuki an extra jacket for Mizuki to wear.
"I warned you about those guys!" April panted.
"You said they were full of themselves, not that they were criminal masterminds," Donnie shone the light on the brown-skinned girl. "So in a small sense, this is entirely your fault."
"Let's not play the blame game here!" Mizuki interjected. "Although you were clearly entranced by their jackets and their technology. I knew there was something fishy about them."
"First off, Mizzy's right," April agreed. "And second, what kind of criminal masterminds just rob electronic stores?"
"Maybe they just need equipment for a bigger job," Donnie suggested.
"You mean like the one they were practicing on that VR simulator? The Nakamura vault?" April leaned into his face.
"No, that's a real company!" Donnie replied. "Nakamura computer chips are in like every computer in the country!"
"So, if they get to the computer chips..." Mizuki realized.
"Not gonna happen while we're around!" Donnie smirked, along with April. "Let's go!"
April pedaled down the road to the Nakamura company building as hard as she could.
They soon arrived at the building and found the Purple Dragons already entering the highest floor.
"How are we gonna get up there with no tech?" April wondered.
"Old-school," Donnie said.
He whipped out knife claws and placed them on his palms, making a pose like a tiger.
"Jazz hands!" He exclaimed before jumping towards the windows.
He splattered on the window, and Mizuki winced at the impact.
"Come on. Plan B," April grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him to the other side of the building, with Mizuki following behind them.
They busted through the doors and stopped at the stairs, which turned out to be pretty longer than they imagined.
Donnie growled while April narrowed her eyes.
"Let's get them!" Mizuki said.
They ran up the flight of stairs as fast as they could without stopping for a rest.
"I hope we're not too late," Donnie mumbled.
"Me, too," Mizuki replied.
Finally, they reached the room where the Purple Dragons are already downloading the virus.
"Okay, nerds. I want my stuff back!" Donnie pointed at Kendra.
"I got the code!" Jeremy exclaimed, holding up his laptop, and got up. "Let's go!"
Kendra and Jason followed after him.
The teens growled and chased after them.
Mizuki and April turned and the corner to the hallway of computer codes. Donnie slid past the hallway the Purple Dragons went to and picked up a wheel of wires.
"End of the line, buddy-o!" He threw the wheel, which rolled near the two girls. "April, Mizzy, heads up!"
April picked up the end of the wire and kicked towards Jason and Jeremy.
He was hit from behind first before the wire tied around their feet and they fell to the ground. The laptop flew out of their hands in the process.
"The code!" They shouted.
"Got it!" Kendra caught the laptop and continued running down the hallway.
"Never betray...Othello Von Ryan!" Donnie said victoriously. "Grab the tech!"
"Sorry, fellas," Mizuki picked up one of the shells off Jeremy's back. "But my friend here needs it more than you do."
She handed it to Donnie, who smiled at her. Then they followed after Kendra.
"I'll tether myself to your jetpack!" He said.
"Wait—what?!" April yelled.
Kendra jumped through the hole she had made to break in and forced the hover shell to open up. She flew up and chuckled darkly.
"Hang on to me!" Donnie grabbed Mizuki by the waist and shot up a rope for April to grab.
"Donnie, are you out of your miiiiiind?!" She shrieked and wrapped her arms around his neck.
They jumped out through and the jetpack fired up. April screamed as she flew, trying to stay in control. Donnie and Mizuki flew behind her by the rope.
"How do you fly this thing?!" April asked.
"Everyone's got their own style," Donnie reassured. "Just do what comes natural."
"What comes natural is not flying!" She shot back.
"I'm afraid I'm going to agree with April on this one!" Mizuki added and clung onto him.
The jetpack fired up again and they flew straight towards Kendra.
Kendra shot at them with the bo-staff, laughing.
April, Donnie, and Mizuki then soared straight at the Purple Dragons leader, who flew at them as well.
Mizuki shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for impact.
However, Kendra hit the jetpack with the bo-staff and smirked evilly.
The jetpack caught on fire and began to malfunction.
"Oh, no!" Mizuki exclaimed.
They fell towards the city and screamed. However, the rope got caught on a telephone line, slowing their fall. It snapped into two, and the teens fell into an alleyway.
Donnie sighed in relief when he realized he is still holding Mizuki, who is unharmed from the fall.
"Glad I have you as a landing pad," she joked.
"I think I broke your jetpack," April got up and glanced at the now damaged jetpack.
"No probbles. I got this!" Donnie smirked proudly.
His spider shell opened up behind him, preparing for the fix.
"Not so fast, Von Ryan," Kendra floated behind the pair on the hover shell.
She typed on the computer before the spider shell unexpectedly turned on Donnie.
"Oh—Hey—Oh—Stop!" He yelled as it attacked him. "Override! Override! Alpha Bootyyshaker9000! Three Ys!"
"Well, Von Ryan, looks like you're outta luck," Kendra smirked smugly and floated near the ground. "I'd love to spend all night beating you up with your own tech, but I've got a global bank to hack."
"Buh-bye," she blew a kiss before she starting to fly away.
Mizuki narrowed her eyes at the Purple Dragons leader. She ran up to a dumpster can and jumped off the top. She yelled and caught her by the waist before she climbed up to get the computer.
"Hey—What are you doing?! Get off me!" Kendra demanded.
She attempted to pry her off of her, but Mizuki was stronger and faster than her.
Meanwhile, April wrestled with the malfunctioning spider shell away from Donnie, who then glanced at the two other girls wrestling for the laptop.
The blue-haired girl finally grabbed the computer away from her hands and glared at her.
"Nobody messes with my friend like that," Mizuki sneered.
She punched Kendra in the face before she jumped off and landed safely on the ground.
She raised the laptop high in the air and smashed it on the ground with all her might.
"No!" Kendra cried.
The spider shell ceased fighting with April and fell to the concrete. She exhaled exhausted.
"You little—" Kendra growled at Mizuki. "You ruined everything!"
She zoomed at her and grabbed her by her armor. Mizuki yelped and continued to fight with Kendra while they floated in the air.
Donnie got up and eyed his hover shell carefully.
"Those rotors. The reason I never wear a jacket is that I'm terrified it would get caught in them," he hugged the jacket that he is still wearing.
"How 'bout using a jacket to block those rotors?" April suggested, close to being agitated.
"Exactly! Give me yours!" Donnie pointed his fingers like a gun at her.
"She's talking about your own jacket!" Mizuki called down to him annoyed before avoiding a punch from Kendra.
"Gah! You know, even though this whole thing was April's fault, I guess it is up to me to solve it," Donnie stood with pride.
"Ooh, we are gonna have a talk!" April glowered at him.
Donnie unzipped the jacket and rolled it up into a ball. He backed away and readied himself in a baseball pitcher position. He narrowed his eyes at Kendra, who is trying to attack Mizuki without the latter noticing.
"Fare thee well, my synthetic darling," he sighed and hugged the balled-up jacket close. "I hardly knew ye, but parting is such sweet—"
"Just do it!" April and Mizuki shouted at him in unison.
"Okay," he said.
He threw the jacket at the rotors of the hover shell.
Kendra was about to punch Mizuki again, but the sleeve of the jacket got caught in the rotor before the hover shell abruptly stopped working. The two girls screamed as they fell to the ground below them.
Kendra bounced off a few boxes and dropped to the hard earth. Mizuki would have hit the concrete as well, but Donnie caught her in his arms in time and carried her steadily.
He set her down just as the shredded remains of the jacket fluttered down around them. He raised his hands halfway to his chest and glanced up at the sky.
Mizuki saw the disheartened look in his eyes and wrapped her arm around him.
"Alas, a classic tale of a well-meaning loner who just couldn't fit in with a band of well-dressed crooks," Donnie said and lowered his arms.
"It's okay, Donnie," April stepped next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You'll always be in the April O'Neil Dorky Pals for Life Club. No matter how stupid you dress."
"And you will always be in my Honorary Warriors Club," Mizuki added.
"Thanks, girls," Donnie smiled at them.
Police sirens wailed for a distance but are getting closer to the alleyway.
"Hey, you girls wanna help me get this stuff back to the lair?" Donnie asked and picked up his hover shell.
"I say yes to you way too often," April remarked and scooped up the spider shell.
Mizuki took the last roboshell off Kendra, who is now waking up, and stopped to give one last glance at her.
"Have fun trying to hack yourself out of prison," Mizuki smirked at her before following behind Donnie and April.
*****
A few days later...
Mizuki jumped in through the entry of the lair and landed with ease. A bag was wrapped around her shoulder.
"Hey, guys," she greeted the others.
"Hey, Miz," the brothers said.
"Let me guess, Donnie's in his work room?" She theorized.
"You got it," Leo answered. "Apparently, he's been moping because his jacket got damaged."
"I've noticed," she nodded. "I'm gonna go talk to him for a bit."
"Sounds great," Mikey added.
She smiled and strolled towards the headquarters belonging to the genius tech. She pulled out something from the bag before discarding it to the side.
Mizuki peeked from outside the laboratory with her hands behind her back. She noticed Donnie sitting at his work desk and resting his head on the surface.
She sighed deeply and knocked on the archway.
Donnie perked up and saw her standing there with a calm little smile.
"Come in," he nodded.
Mizuki stepped inside, her hands still behind her back.
"Um..." she cleared her throat. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened to the jacket."
Donnie half-heartedly chuckled, still sitting on his chair. "It's not your fault, Miz."
His smile fell after a second. "But still, it was a pretty good jacket while it lasted."
Mizuki bit her lip and stepped forward to where the soft-shell turtle is. She inhaled greatly and smiled warmly.
"Well, if it makes you any better..." she paused and positioned her hands in front of her, holding the object she was hiding.
Donnie raised an eyebrow when he noticed a box in purple wrapping paper and a lavender bow.
"What the...? It's not my birthday," he pondered as he took the box gently from her palms. "Or Christmas? Unless it's a surprise party..."
His eyes went big with terror and gaped at her. "Oh, don't tell me you're..."
"No, none of these," Mizuki giggled, shaking her head. "Just open it."
Donnie stared at her smiling features before he unwrapped it slowly. His eyes then sparkled when he saw the content hidden in the box.
"Oh, what?!" He laughed in excitement.
Mizuki stepped back a bit to let him jump out of his chair and pull out his gift, still smiling.
"A new satin jacket!" He practically yelled.
"I figured I'd find you a new one to replace the Purple Dragons jacket," Mizuki explained. "Plus, you must have loved the original one a lot."
Donnie took a moment to examine his new coat. The jacket was purple, just like the Purple Dragons coat-wear, except it had his name written in cursive in the back.
"So soft and silky, the same way," he cuddled it close to his face. "I'll never let it go."
Mizuki giggled at his wonder and giddiness. "I'm really glad you like it, Donnie—"
Donnie instantly trapped her in a hug, his arms around her and his hand still gripping the new jacket. She gasped in surprise the second he pulled her in.
"Thank you so much, Mizzy," he said to her, beaming with a few tears. "I'm so glad to have someone like you."
Mizuki smiled and hugged him back. "Of course, Donnie."
From outside the lab, the other three brothers watched the two embrace one another.
Mikey took a picture of them, his eyes sparkling lovingly at them. Leo smirked at them, his arms folded across his chest. Raph almost cried at the sight of his brother and Mizuki.