Proof that you are still alive.

💔

"I am going to shower," Master Splinter says the moment they get into the lair. He stifles a yawn, his whiskers twitching. "Then...I think I will sleep for a few days."

"Hai Sensei," Sarina says. "I can help you with your wounds later if you need."

"Thank you, Sarina."

He disappears down the hall, leaving the others to get to work and situate themselves. April heads to the kitchen to try making soup while Sarina and Destiny go into mom mode. Casey and Destiny move the turtles to where Sarina tells them while Taylor lingers by the pinball machine, unsure of where to go or if she's even welcome anymore.

When Leonardo and Raphael are put on the couch, pillows propping up their heads, and Donatello is settled onto the beanbag chair, Sarina starts firing off directions. "We don't want to give them too many liquids at once," she says. "Casey, feed Donatello with this dropper. Destiny, you do the same for Leonardo. I've got to get Raphael's cuts cleaned."

Michelangelo limps up to Sarina as she brushes her bangs from her eyes. He reaches out and taps her shoulder.

"I can help," he insists before she can get a word out.

She shakes her head, unable to ignore the dark circles under his eyes and his sluggish movements. "No, Michelangelo. Go get some rest. You need it," she urges.

"But—"

"I said no. Go to your room, lay down, and sleep. I'll get April to bring you some soup later, okay?" She can't get herself to smile, no matter how much she wishes she could for his sake.

He gives in, nodding. She moves forwards and wraps him in a hug, kissing his forehead lightly.

"It'll be okay, Mikey," she murmurs. "I love you."

He takes a deep breath, glad for her warmth. "I love you too, Sari."

He heads off to his room and Sarina returns to her work. She kneels next to Raphael and starts wiping antiseptic on his cuts, getting rid of the dried and fresh blood.

Taylor watches everyone work, her gut twisted in knots. Destiny has Leonardo's head in her lap, slowly but surely giving him water. He's out of it, but the bobbing of his Adam's apple that comes after each drop shows just how badly he yearned for hydration. He lets out a weak, hacking cough before another shudder racks his body and he rolls over, curling into a ball as he nuzzles his head against Destiny's stomach like a turtle tot. Casey helps Donatello near them and Sarina alternates between him and Raphael almost effortlessly.

Taylor finally gets herself to move, shuffling to the living room and sitting down next to Raphael. Sarina is stitching some of his deeper cuts and despite being asleep, his expression twitches with discomfort. Taylor reaches out and takes his hand, rubbing circles on his palm, and he sighs, grip tightening around her.

"Taylor," Sarina says softly, pressing a bandage into place on his bicep. "Thank you for helping us."

Taylor looks at her lap, shoulders sagging as she shakes her head. "I'm the reason you're in this mess. I had to change it." She purses her lips. "My plan didn't even work, and without Hanovitz—"

"You owned up to your mistakes and helped to remedy them," the cyborg says. "We know more about Mutacorp now, thanks to you, and perhaps once we've got our strength back we can focus on taking them down." Her lips twitch a little as her eyes flash. "We got some good out of this...less than good."

Tears prick at Taylor's eyes. "You're too nice, Sarina. I'd hate me if I was in your shoes."

"I spent much of my life with hatred as my only tangible emotion. Why would I linger on something so consuming when there are much better things to feel, like gratitude? Or forgiveness?"

She sniffs hard and drags her hand under her eyes as she looks back at Raphael's face. "He said that he hates me," she whispers. "He's never going to forgive me."

"Taylor—"

"It's what I deserve."

Sarina's gaze is sad. She sighs and looks back at her work. "Al fin es debido el honor," she murmurs.

All's well that ends well.

----------

Raphael groans as he wakes, immediately recognizing the soft comfort of his bedroom. He stirs a little, the blankets shifting around him, and his muscles cry out in protest.

"Oh, you're up. Good."

He turns his head to see Taylor sitting at his bedside, Bindo perched on her shoulder. He doesn't say a word, rolling his head back onto the pillow as he stares up at the ceiling. A breath escapes him.

"We're out," he whispers.

"Sí," she replies. She lifts Bindo off her shoulder and sets him inside a small cardboard box.

He shuts his eyes and tries to keep his body from shaking. He remembers her saving him, her tears falling on his face as she whispered apologies, his hand resting against her face. He thought it was a dream, but now he sees that it's true. She saved him.

"Is everyone else okay?" he asks.

She nods. "I got the others. We snuck in and got you out. It was...quite the adventure."

He bites his lip. "Why?"

She blinks, hazel eyes flickering with confusion. "Simple. I had to save—"

"Not that," he snaps, making her slam her mouth shut. He turns his glare to her. "Why would you do this to me? To my family? What did we do to deserve this?"

Her face falls and she opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. He grits his teeth as he forces himself onto his elbows, shoving himself into a seated position against the wall. He's fighting a war within himself, stuck between never wanting to see her again and wanting to look at her forever.

"I...I told you, Hun's word is law. I thought—"

"I already know what you thought, and it was stupid and fearful." His expression remains stone-faced. "Why? Before everything, why did you agree? And...why did you change your mind? Just tell me the truth."

Her chest tightens at his heartbroken expression hiding behind the anger. She grips her fingers and forces a big breath into her lungs.

"I thought it was fun," she says, voice hitching into a higher pitch at the last word. "I didn't know what you were like. Hun told me you were monsters, so I expected something detached and harmless. Mutacorp's plan wasn't revealed, I just—"

"Get to the point," he snaps. "What are you thinking? What's going through that head of yours right now?"

Her eyes meet his and he notices for the first time that the edges are red. Has she been crying since their rescue? She sniffs hard and her lips part, his attention flickering to them for a second. She shuts her eyes, breathes, and composes herself.

"When this all started...I didn't expect to fall in love with you," she admits. Her face splits with a heartbreaking smile and she lets out a choked laugh as the tears reappear. "But I did."

Her saying that just makes it harder. If the truth was that everything was a lie, he could scream at her to get out and he would never see her again. She isn't lying now. All of her actions leading up to this point debunk the idea that she could be and he hates it, because how can he possibly hate her when she loves him just as much as he loves her?

She wipes her face and stands, scooping Bindo out of his box and turning away. He almost calls her back as she reaches the door, his inner turmoil building. She takes another shaky breath and reaches for the knob.

"Wait," he says. She turns around, eyes glimmering with hope, and he sighs as he looks down at his feet. "Where will you go now?"

She can't hide her utter disappointment even as she dons a weak smile. "I've got some unfinished business to attend to. After that, I...I'm just gonna try and get my life back on track," she says. She turns the knob and pushes the door open as tears start to run down her face. "Adiós, Raphael," she croaks.

Just like that, she's gone. Raphael sinks back onto his bed, eyes on the ceiling as they start to burn. He feels his chest starting to constrict as his throat chokes and he tries to swallow it back. There's a soft tap on the door before it opens a crack and Destiny appears with a sad smile.

"Hey," she whispers.

His expression crumbles and he claps his hands over his face. "Leo was right. I let myself love her and she brought it all down. He warned me and I didn't listen. I didn't listen 'cause I thought I knew better and now..."

Destiny moves into the room and sits on the edge of his bed. "I know," she murmurs, ears tucking against her hair.

"I thought he was stupid for being so upset over you, but I get it. I don't blame him for it anymore," he keeps rambling, eyes growing mistier by the second. He forces himself to sit up. "I told her I hate her, but I don't. I want to and I can't and...this sucks. This sucks so much. I just..."

He put his head in his hands as he starts to tremble. Destiny brings herself closer, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"You once told me that it's okay to cry," she says. "That means you too, Raph."

That's all it takes, the nail in the coffin, and tears roll down his face as he starts to sob. Destiny starts to pull away, unsure, but he tugs her back into a tight hug. He cries into her shoulder, shaking and coughing and muttering unintelligible words through his tears, and she wraps her wings around him, letting him release all of his hurt.