When the others return from patrol, a dark cloud follows them. Casey and April are nowhere to be seen—they most likely had to go home—and none of the turtles or Destiny look pleased. The worst of the five of them is Leonardo, whose entire face is drawn with sharp, narrowed eyes and a thinly pressed mouth.

Sarina leaves the kitchen, where her and Splinter had been getting more tea, and greets them. "Hello everyone," she says. "How was patrol?"

"Boring," Raphael says.

"Not a single baddie to be found," Michelangelo adds.

Destiny purses her lips. "Even the Foot were quiet."

"As per the usual," Donatello sighs.

"It was fine," Leonardo says stiffly. He storms off to the dojo without another word, earning more than one heavy sigh from his brothers.

Sarina blinks a few times and looks to the rest of the team. "Something tells me that patrol was not fine..." she says.

"He's just on edge," Destiny says. "Things are quiet, but it's almost too quiet, you know?"

There's a few agreeing hums from the others, creating a drone that could be mistaken for a herd of insects. Nobody says another word. Perhaps they're unable to find a response or they just don't see a point in saying anything more. What good would it do?

"I've got some work to do," Donatello says. He heads to his lab and shuts the door behind him.

His leaving triggers a chain reaction from his remaining brothers: Raphael heads for the bedrooms, Michelangelo for the TV set. That leaves Destiny standing there before Sarina, arms crossed and face blank. Sarina imagines knocking lightly on her head and asking if she's home, then proceeds to wonder where that idea for a joke came from.

Sarina purses her lips as she again looks to the dojo. "Perhaps I could go and talk to him," she offers. Destiny blinks rapidly as she comes back to Earth, making Sarina smile a little. "I would not mind talking to Leonardo, one on one."

Destiny ponders, then nods. "If you think it'll help," she says with a shrug. She bites her lip and looks at her feet, arms crossed over her chest. "I think he could use someone with a clear head."

"Very well. I will be back soon."

Sarina takes off for the dojo. Inside, she finds Leonardo working on that same notebook as before. She eyes the crude drawing of an armoured man on the front as she gets closer. She stops in front of the turtle, folding her arms behind her back and she bends over far enough to look him in the eyes.

"Leonardo," she says.

He looks up at her as his pen stops moving. "Sarina," he replies.

"I have come to talk to you about your frustration," she continues. "Do you mind if I sit?"

He stares at her for another second before he sighs. "Yeah, sure, but try to be quiet. I really need to keep working."

She settles down at his side and peers over his shoulder. Inside the notebook is a myriad of notes and diagrams, all with titles and explanations. Words like "trap" and "lure" are common, making her believe that some kind of trickery is going to be involved in the "Shredder Takedown".

"Splinter told me about Oroku Saki," she says. "I understand now that the Shredder is your enemy, but I do not understand why you are so dedicated to destroying him."

Again, Leonardo stops writing. He closes his eyes and takes a long, cleansing breath, holds it, then lets it out. "As long as Shredder lives, my family is in danger," he starts.

"Yes, I know," she says. "But why have you chosen now? From what I heard, the city is the safest its been in a while. Even the Foot Clan has gone silent."

"That's what worries me."

Her eyes flash. "Why is that?"

He looks straight at her, his expression dead serious. "Shredder won't stop until he's had his revenge. He has never stopped hunting us, so why would he give up now? No, he's planning something. He's trying to lull us into a false sense of security so that we'll let our guard down. That's when he'll strike." He grits his teeth, one hand forming a fist. "Not on my watch."

"So...you are dedicated to taking him down because you hate him deeply, but you're fuelled by a deep need to protect the ones you love," Sarina reiterates.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," he says softly, scratching at the back of his hand.

"What will change for you if the Shredder is gone?"

He lets out a one-syllable laugh, like a hiccup. "Everything," he answers, "or at least, almost everything. If we take Shredder down, Splinter will finally get some peace. He won't have to live with constant reminders of the past hovering around him all the time." He seems to brighten. "Destiny could be happier and she could have fewer nightmares, Karai and Diaval could come home—"

"Karai?" Sarina echoes.

His small smile fades. "Karai is Splinter's daughter and my sister," he says. "I'll tell you the details later if you want, but long story short, she used to be a part of the Foot Clan before she joined our side."

"And she is gone?"

"She's in hiding, as far as we know. We haven't seen her in months."

"I am sorry."

"It's okay. We'll find her again as soon as Shredder's out of the picture. Then, everything will change for the better."

Her eyes flicker back to the empty dojo. "Before I came here, hatred was one of the only emotions that I understood. Now, I understand so much more. This world, even the world beneath the streets, is full of wonders that have yet to be explored, and suddenly, hatred is no longer something that I wish to feel. It is powerful and blinding." She shuts her eyes, allowing her thoughts to flow freely from her lips and tumble into the quiet air. "The Shredder allows hatred to fuel his every move, leaving him as cold and uncaring as the armour that he hides behind, and because he has no love in his heart, he has become a monster."

Leonardo stares at her, his mouth slightly agape. The cyborg's eyelids flutter open and she leans closer to him, even daring to reach over and rest her hand against his arm.

"Do not make the same mistakes that the Shredder has made," she warns. "It would break my heart to see you like that."

A shiver rolls down his spine, spreading across his entire body. "I won't," he says.

She keeps gazing at him, reading every aspect of his expression as if he's a book. "Come to think of it, I don't think that you could ever become like him," she admits with a tiny smile. "You are motivated by love while he is motivated by hate. Both feelings are strong, but one is a coal fire within a steam train and the other is a wildfire. One fuels you and helps many, one is harmful and uncontrollable."

"Uh..." Leonardo gulps, then smiles a little. "Wow. You've thought about that a lot, huh?"

"I have spent a lot of time with Splinter lately. He has made me think more deeply about what I know and experience," she says. She pauses. "I hate to change the subject so abruptly, but...I don't think I've learned an emotion from you yet."

"Is there anything you want to know?"

She ponders, lips puckered, then nods as her face floods with excitement and her eyes flash. "I want to know all about how you plan to lead your family to glorious victory against your foe."

He smiles rather widely. "Alright," he says, moving his notebook over so that they can both read it. She scoots right up to him, their shoulders touching, and he flips back to the first page. "First, we need to strike when they least expect it..."