The lair at night is more alive than it should be.

Diaval wanders out of the dojo, his eyes as drooped as his shoulders. He sighs and runs his hands down his face, tugging at the pale skin and making the dark circles underneath his eyes shift. He can't sleep, again.

He heads for the other bedrooms at a shuffling, slow gait. The last thing he wants is to trip over something and wake everyone else up. He'd never hear the end of it from Raphael.

As he passes Destiny's bedroom, the sound of something all too familiar reaches his ears: whimpering, weak sobs, rustling sheets. He stops and turns to the door, pushing it open slowly. Sure enough, Destiny lays on her bed, whimpering into her pillow as she curls up in a tight ball. Tears start to run down her face as her claws dig so far into the pillow that he fears she may puncture it.

Diaval moves to her side and reaches out, his fingertips already starting to tingle with the warmth of her desire, but something makes him stop. His hand stays poised over her, ready to flush her troubled mind with images of Leonardo, but he doesn't do it. He sighs and lowers his hand before turning and leaving the room.

He stands before a different bedroom door, takes a deep breath, then knocks. There's silence on the other side. He knocks again. After five more seconds, the door creaks open and Leonardo blinks sleepily up at Diaval, eyelids drooped.

"Diaval?" he asks. "What are you doing? Can't sleep?"

"Don't sleep much anyway," Diaval admits. He takes a deep breath. "Destiny's having a nightmare."

Leonardo's gaze flits in the direction of her bedroom. "Don't you handle that now?" he asks. There's no denying the bite in his voice.

Diaval's face doesn't change. He blinks. "She wants you. Better to have the real thing, right?" Leonardo purses his lips and Diaval's mouth twitches as his fingertips tingle. "You want to. Go do it."

Leonardo frowns and rubs the base of his neck. "Didn't I say to stay out of my head?"

"Yeah, but..." Diaval shrugs. "Gotta do what you gotta do."

The turtle's face softens just enough to make him look less angry. He sighs and bobs his head, slipping out of the bedroom and shutting the door. "Alright," he says.

He walks to Destiny's room, turns the handle, and goes inside. Diaval wanders closer to the door, just able to hear the gentle words within the room.

"Hey, ssh...you're okay. It's just me," Leonardo murmurs. "Leo."

Destiny's fast breathing slows and there's the sound of legs dragging against sheets. Diaval peeks in just enough to remain inconspicuous. Leonardo has knelt next to the bed, murmuring under his breath as Destiny gazes at him with reddened, tear-soaked eyes. She occasionally sucks in a very long, cleansing breath, then releases it.

When Leonardo goes to stand, she grabs his wrist. "Don't go," she pleads. "They'll come back."

His expression is sad. "Des, we...we aren't..."

"Please?" she asks. "I don't want to be alone."

Diaval turns away from the door, bracing his back against the wall as he stares at the blank space ahead of him. Leonardo's soft, hesitant agreement floats through the nighttime air and there's a few more rustling noises before silence blankets the lair yet again. When Diaval wanders by a final time, reaching for the door handle, Destiny and Leonardo are sleeping soundly, wrapped in each other's arms and blankets.

Diaval shuts the door, steps back, and looks down at his hand. The warmth of his magic floods his entire palm and he grits his teeth as he closes his fist around it. This is better, he tells himself. She wants it this way.

----------

Donatello sips his fifth cup of coffee, one finger tapping at his keyboard as his tired eyes scan the screen. Displayed before him is a digital flow chart. There's very little actually on it, but he can't stop looking at it.

There's two words on one block: the scientist. Whoever she is, Donatello knows that, judging by what Renet said, this scientist becomes an important part of his family's lives.

There's another block labelled with "Subject". Five-year-old Destiny mentioned something about gaining her name from a friend at TCRI. No doubt this person is a test subject of the Kraang. Interesting points, no doubt, but unfortunately nothing that Donatello can make sense of.

The third block is marked by the words "Diaval, Kraang subject circa. 2002(ish?) to 2006". Thanks to Diaval sending them on an extra trip, Donatello now knows that Diaval was also a Kraang subject at around the time he was nine. Donatello can venture that Diaval's present appearance is due to the extensive testings of who knows what on the boy up until he joined the Foot Clan.

There's yet another block: "Foot Clan, Diaval thirteen". Destiny once mentioned that Diaval had been loyal to Shredder since he was thirteen years old, allowing Donatello to guess that that was when the Kraang experimentation came to a halt.

Another one, marked "Destiny, Kraang subject circa. 1997 to 1999." Destiny was a year and a half when she escaped, or at least that's what she told Donatello, meaning that she must've escaped sometime during 1999. That's a shaky calculation at best due to the fact that nobody, not even Destiny herself, knows when her birthday is. All she knows is that she's around fifteen years old.

The intelligent turtle leans back from the chart, a yawn fighting its way to the surface and making him squeeze his eyes shut and cover his mouth. He drags a line out on the screen, connecting the blocks between Diaval, Foot Clan, and Destiny. He also connects "Subject" to Destiny with a question mark breaking the line.

He runs his hands over his head, blinking wearily. "There has to be something here," he mumbles. "There just has to be."

----------

A few days later, Diaval wanders into the living room to find Destiny and Michelangelo playing a racing game. They're locked in a dead heat. Destiny occasionally shoves Michelangelo's shoulder in an attempt to gain the lead, but all it does is serve to distract her. Both are laughing their heads off.

"Destiny?" Diaval calls.

Destiny's ears swivel to him, but she doesn't stop playing. "Yeah?"

"Need to talk t'you."

"In a minute. I need to finish kicking Mikey's shell."

"No way, Desti-bear! Michelangelo is the king of the kart!" Michelangelo taunts.

Diaval eventually gets bored of watching them battle it out, so he goes and plays with the pinball machine for a while. Eventually, there's a gentle tap to his shoulder and he turns to find Destiny waiting for him. She smiles.

"You wanted to talk?" she asks.

Diaval nods. "Yeah, uh...come."

He motions for her to follow him past the turnstiles to the front landing of the lair, where he's left a black backpack. He stares out at the tunnels, hands clenching and unclenching, and she keeps watching him. He finally turns around and looks her in the eyes.

"M leaving," he says.

Her smile goes out faster than a candle being snuffed. "What?" she asks, her voice a mere whisper.

"M leaving," he repeats. "Going back to Canada, gonna find Oscar and Melanie again."

Destiny's lips part and close like a fish gasping for breath. "I...who...where did this come from?"

He shrugs. "Been thinking 'bout it for a while." She inhales sharply and blinks a few times. His eyes stay locked on her as he slowly tilts his head. "You could come."

"I could?" she asks. Her watering eyes widen a little.

He nods. "You could, but..." She arches an eyebrow. Diaval exhales hard enough that his nostrils flare as he turns his head to the empty tunnels. "Don't think you should."

"Huh?"

He looks her straight in the eyes. "You're happy, bein' here. Can train, get stronger, have family. I...can't give you that."

"Diaval—"

"Destiny, 'm never gonna be enough," he states. "Know that. It's okay."

"N-No, it's not okay," she insists. Her voice is on the edge of breaking, her tears on the edge of spilling. "Diaval, you're my best friend. You've helped me through so much and you've become such a huge part of my life. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He stares at her as a few tears run down her face. He reaches out and brushes one away as his lip quirks slightly at the side. "You were fine before. Will be fine now." She opens her mouth again, but he shakes his head. "M not gonna be happy. Sewers...closed in, cold, too small. Want to be out in open fields, big sky, wanna be free," he admits. "Gonna keep getting caught, gonna keep getting hurt, making you worry. Shredder won't stop. Wanna feel safe. Oscar's farm, Canada...that's safe."

Destiny sucks in a choked breath, her tears trickling freely now as her reddened face scrunches up. "Why does everyone leave?" she croaks. "I know I leave too, b-but, but people don't miss me when I g-go. The people I love all...always leave. It's...it's not fair."

Diaval steps closer to her and extends his arms to her. She sniffles and walks into his hesitant embrace, clinging to him tightly. He's stiff, his heart is pounding way too fast, but she doesn't care. She wants to take in as much of him—his stupid, shaggy, unkempt white hair, his fumbling hands and the spicy smell of his stupid, oversized cloak, that stupid snaggletooth and the way it shifts with even the slightest movement of his jaw, his hidden strength cloaked by his unsuspecting lean frame and everything that she's come to know about him—while she still can.

"You need the turtles," Diaval murmurs as he pats her back. "Can't ask you to leave 'em again." She makes a weak sobbing sound and he breathes deeply. "M not leaving for good. Couldn't do that. Gonna keep in touch, y'know? Call, text, stuff."

Destiny nods. She can't get herself to speak, not when her throat is this tight. She pulls away from the hug, fully aware that he's probably uncomfortable enough by even the thought of a touch, and she forces a smile. He's right. The idea of leaving the turtles to go so far away yet again is terrible to her, but so is having to say goodbye to Diaval.

"How are you getting there?" she asks.

"Got an address, gonna take a train," he answers.

"You can afford a train?"

He nods. "Got some money saved, for emergencies."

"Oh...good."

Silence. Diaval flicks his hair from his eyes and searches for Destiny's desire. The flood of emotion that hits him is tugged in two directions, one desire wishing for him to stay, the other wrought with a hesitant understanding that she knows that he's doing what's best. Destiny shudders and rubs the back of her neck, then eyes him with a weak smirk.

"You do that a lot," she says. She's trying to sound accusing, but it falls flat.

Diaval shrugs. "Yup." When the quiet invades again, he takes a deep breath. "Y'know...I love you," he admits. "Love you enough to give you your desire, even if I...hate it."

"Diaval, I'm sorry," she whispers with a sad smile. "I'm sorry that I can't bring myself to choose between you and..."

"Mhm, that's why you don't haf'ta choose," he says. "M choosing."

She stares up at him and once again he's struck by how young she truly is. She's got so much to learn about herself, so much to discover, and he doesn't need to be around for that. Her scarred face brightens just a little as she forces out a laugh.

"You know that, even if I can't choose, I still love you?" she asks.

"Don't know why, but yes."

"Have a safe journey, alright? Do you have a bag?"

"Splinter gave some tea, got some spices, clothes, train tickets, food, money, phone..." He gestures to the pack sitting a little ways away. "M all good."

"Good." She sniffs and drags her hand beneath her eyes. "Goodbye, Diaval."

"Bye, Destiny. Call you when...get there."

"Okay."

"Tell Mikey and Casey bye for m...me."

"Yeah, I will."

"Donnie too."

"Okay."

He hoists the bag over his shoulder. "And Splinter. He knows, but...just in case."

"Alright." She almost laughs, one hand covering her mouth.

He heads down the tunnels to the right, waving, and disappears around the corner. There's a few seconds of silence before he reappears.

"The way out is—" he starts.

"That way," Destiny corrects, pointing to the left.

"Right, sorry." He shuffles to the other side, giving one more wave to Destiny. "Bye again."

"Bye, you ruiner of serious moments."

"Bye, reckless, stubborn person that...I know."

She laughs, the sound ringing in the tunnels, and he smiles—some of his teeth showing between his lips—before he disappears for good.

----------

April wanders through the lair, fidgeting with her hands as she bounces on the soles of her feet. The sound of grunting from the dojo is enough to let her know that the turtles are training: perfect timing, she thinks. She heads for the bedrooms and quickly finds Destiny's, where she's putting up a photo of her and Diaval on her wall with a sad look in her eyes.

"Des, have you got a moment?" April asks. There's a nervous sparkle in her blue eyes.

Destiny turns, smiling at her friend. "I've got a few moments. What's going on?"

April slips in, not bothering to shut the door, and hops onto Destiny's bed. "Okay, so...big news," she says, her voice trembling with excitement. "I was at school today and Casey came up to me, we were talking about school and everything, when he suddenly stops and smiles at me."

Destiny sits down, a confused inkling of a smile on her face. "Okay, and...?"

"He says that he's done trying to play it cool and that he just has to go for it, Casey Jones style," April imitates with a small laugh. "He..." She breathes, face flushed. "He asked me out!"

"Holy crap, no way!"

"Yes way!"

"Well, what did you say?"

"I called him an idiot, rolled my eyes, and said yes!" April grins, grasping Destiny's hands. "Can you believe it?"

"No, but wow! That's great!" Destiny gushes. "I'm really happy for you."

April exhales, but then her happy look fades. "And, another thing...can you maybe not mention it to Donnie yet?" she asks. "I'd like to keep things normal, at least for a little bit."

Destiny's wagging tail stills. "You're going to tell him?" she asks.

"I owe it to him to be honest," April says. She bites her lip, tapping at her knee. "Just...please don't mention anything about Casey, me, and dating until I'm ready to break it to him, okay?"

There's a loud crash from outside the door and both girls jump. Destiny races to the door and looks outside to find Donatello scrambling to pick up a fallen box of scientific equipment, his hands shaking so badly that he's doing more harm than good.

"Donnie?" Destiny's eyes widen. "How long were you...did you hear—"

"I heard enough," he says, his voice breaking. He stumbles to his feet as April appears, her eyes locking with Donatello's. His mouth quivers and he hugs the box close. "Congrats, April," he croaks before turning and running away as fast as he possibly can.

"Donnie, wait!" April cries, but he's already gone. Her shoulders slump and she covers her hand with her mouth. "I...I should go."

"April—" Destiny starts.

"I just broke his heart," April says. "I really...really should be going."

The redhead hurries from the lair without another word, leaving Destiny alone yet again. The wolf mutant sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Love is so complicated," she mumbles.

End of Book Two