"Um...hello everyone, my name is Hamato Asher."

Most of the grade eleven Roosevelt School students sit in neat little rows of plastic chairs inside a serene little park. An enlarged picture of Kelly is propped up next to the stand that Asher is currently speaking from. He gulps and adjusts his tie, looking to Dakota and Lukas fleetingly. Dakota keeps her head down, a veiled hat covering her one visible eye, and Lukas holds her hand comfortingly.

In the audience, the other Hamatos sit among the students. Destiny is staying with Dean back at home, so she's the only person missing. Nixie and Mitch stay side-by-side, their hands clasped around one another's. Tiki's mother, who had borrowed a human patch, sits next to her son, her sleek black hair framing her coffee-coloured skin as she rests a hand on Tiki's knee. Copeland watches from next to them with her parents on her other side. Elisabeth sits with her family, her head down and her eyes reddened.

"Kelly...Kelly..." Asher says, trying to say the right words.

He looks over the crowd again, seeing Ruby in the front row. She nods and flashes a weak yet encouraging smile his way.

"Kelly was unlike anyone I've ever met before," he continues, letting his heart speak for him. "Her death was a tragedy, like most deaths are, but...this one was different. She was young, she had a life ahead of her...and that was taken." He looks down briefly, adjusting his glasses. "Kelly once told me that she never thought of herself as brave and strong, or even all that smart. Well...if she were here right now, I'd tell her that she's the bravest girl I've ever met. In my eyes, she'll always be a hero."

Dakota lets out a small sob, covering her mouth with her hand again. Lukas wraps an arm around her shoulders, his face stony with the effort of keeping his own tears at bay.

"Many of you didn't know Kelly on a personal level, but I did. Dakota and Lukas did, and we know her for her. On the outside, she was a quiet and shy girl with a big imagination and a passion for discovery. On the inside...she's brave, selfless, and...and I wish that I could just tell her how much she really meant to me, to the world. She...she was so special, so important, but she never realized that." He looks down, his fingers gripping the podium tightly as he swallows the lump growing in his throat. "Her...her last words, as I held her at the sight of the accident, were 'I believe you'. It doesn't seem like much to all of you, but to me...having someone who believes what I tell them is something rare and precious, and I'm so blessed to have had someone like that in my life." He straightens up, shutting his eyes briefly. "Rest in peace, Kells. We'll never forget you."

He turns and leaves the podium, rejoining his spot next to Dakota and Lukas. Dakota grabs one of their hands each with her own, squeezing lightly as the funeral continues on.

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Leonardo heads towards the turnstiles at the front of the lair, his stride fast.

"Where do you think you're going?"

He stiffens, gritting his teeth and looking behind him at Destiny. She crosses her arms and arches an eyebrow.

"Out," he answers.

"Yeah, like you always are nowadays," she comments, her tone angry.

Leo turns around, his eyes narrowed. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Not leave and ignore the fact that your son is hanging on to life by a mere thread!" she snaps, her voice breaking.

"There's nothing I can do to help Dean. It's all on him now, and that's it."

"Really? You're abandoning him?"

"I am not abandoning him, Destiny. I'm letting him fight his own battles for once. He wanted it so badly anyways, why not let him?"

There's silence for a moment. Destiny moves closer to her husband, hurt and disbelief swimming in her eyes.

"I can't believe you," she whispers. "He needs his family to be with him, and you leaving to deal with those stupid treaties-"

"Stupid?!" he exclaims. "I'm securing our future!"

"We won't have much of a future if we let Dean die!" she retorts.

"It'll be better than nothing! I have work to do, and maybe you should find something useful to do too. It's not like you're doing anything to drastically change what's going on around here."

"Why are you making me look like the bad guy?!"

"Why are you treating me like I already am?!"

"HEY! CUT IT OUT!"

The two mutants stop quarrelling, seeing Raphael standing a little ways away. The red-masked turtle storms forwards, flicking both of their foreheads. They yelp and rub the spot.

"Ow...what was that for?" Leo demands.

"For being idiots!" Raph snaps. "All you two have been doing for a month is yelling at each other, and I'm sick of it." He points at them both accusingly. "The only reason you're fighting is because you're worried about Dean. I get it, we all are. But that doesn't mean you can just ignore Venus! She needs her parents now more than anything, and what are you doing? Fighting! How is that going to look to her?"

Destiny looks at her feet, her ears drooping. Leo shuffles his feet, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.

"Raph, we just-" Destiny starts.

"No, you don't 'just' anything. You're taking out your anger and grief on each other, and that's just going to cause more pain in the long run. You two need to straighten up and get your heads clear, or figure out what else do to. Just stop the fighting and go back to being those silly lovebirds that I know you are and always have been."

Raph turns and storms away. Leo and Destiny look at each other, then avert their eyes again.

"I'll be back in a few," Leo mutters.

He moves past his wife, not looking back. She sighs and turns away, walking slowly to her room and shutting the door.

Venus peeks out of her bedroom, her lips turned down in a frown. She looks to her mom's door, sniffling a little before shutting her door again, the soft click the loudest thing inside the lair.

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Donatello focuses intently, helping Sarina out with her arm. He twists a wire or two, smiling and leaning back.

"Okay...tap your pointer finger," he says.

She takes a deep breath, urging the finger to move. To her surprise and delight, it does. She grins, slowly moving more of her fingers until he entire hand is moving.

"It...it works! It really works!" she exclaims.

"IT WORKS! EUREKA!" Donnie whoops, leaping out of his chair and doing a happy dance around the lab.

Sarina laughs, the sound almost foreign to the gloomy lair. Donnie turns around and lifts her into his arms, spinning them both around as he hugs her tightly.

"It works..." he whispers, overjoyed that something is going right again.

She smiles, looking down at the mismatched hands again. She clenches her fists, the bionic hand moving a little slower than her real one. She looks up at her husband as her eyes flash, while he returns the smile to her.

"Well...it's a good thing I'm a cyborg," she comments. "At least this doesn't look to out of place."

She waves the arm, testing out how it moves on her shoulder. Donnie leans forwards and kisses her gently, caressing her face.

"You still look amazing," he whispers.

A loud beeping emits from one of his computers, making him spin around. His eyes widen and he dashes out of the lab towards Dean's room. He nearly knocks the door down getting inside, running into Copeland immediately. She looks up at him with scared eyes, and he nods before moving past her.

Dean spasms noticeably, his heart rate spiking. Donnie tries to calm his breathing, rustling through his medical bag.

"Donnie, what's going on?" Copeland demands.

"He's having a seizure," he explains hurriedly.

"Okay, I'll...I'll hold him down," she starts.

"No! Do not, under any circumstances, try to hold him down or force anything into his mouth."

"What? What can we do to stop it?" she demands, her volume raising with panic.

"To prevent head injury...um...gently position a soft, flat object like a jacket or a pillow under his head," Donnie remembers. "Fix his pillow, try to keep him cushioned, and remove any hard or sharp objects that are near him."

He pulls out a watch, his nervousness growing. Copeland removes a few action figures from near him and fixes Dean's pillow as the boy keeps jerking uncontrollably.

"What are you doing?! He's spasming and you're checking your watch?!" she shouts, looking at her uncle again.

"I'm timing the seizure. Anything over five minutes and..." His face grows dark. "Then...well, there'll probably be brain damage."

At the three minute mark, Dean's body falls limp. He coughs once, lets out a shuddering breath, and then his heart monitor flatlines. Copeland and Donnie tense up.

"No...no no no," the male turtle mumbles, moving to Dean's side.

He starts performing CPR, pumping rhythmically on his nephew's chest and blowing air into his mouth. Copeland stumbles back until she hits the wall, covering her mouth with her hand as she stares at her cousin with wide, scared eyes.

"Come on, Dean, breathe," Donnie begs, his voice edging on being angered. "Don't go now, come on!"

Just as he's about to give up, Dean coughs, inhaling deeply. His eyes fly open for a brief second, and then roll back and close again as he flops back into unconsciousness. His heart rate beeps weakly again, but it shows that he's still alive. Copeland moves forwards, sinking to her knees by the bedside and pressing her face against the mattress as her body trembles.

Donnie steps back, running a hand over his head as he tries to calm himself down, his heart rate accelerated. He grabs his bag and leaves the room, immediately seeing Sarina waiting outside.

"What happened?" she asks gently, her face scared and worried.

The purple-masked turtle lowers his head. "Dean had a seizure, and then his heart stopped. I resuscitated him, but..."

He squeezes his eyes shut, sniffling a little as he wipes his eyes. Sarina moves forwards, resting her non-bionic hand on his arm gently.

"What are we going to do?" she wonders. "It's been over a month...Leo was unconscious for three, right?"

He nods. "Yeah, but Leo's injuries weren't nearly as extensive as Dean's. Dean...his bones, his wings, everything...if he does wake up, he isn't going to be the happiest person ever...I doubt he'll ever be happy again."

"What are you saying?"

"We...we should talk to Des and Leo. We need to discuss the options." He looks away, his heart clenching as his voice grows thick. "We...we need to decide whether or not to just shut off the machine and let him slip away, or let him fight it out and wake up when he does. They need to choose whether they want him to be at rest, let him remain in a coma for however long that may be...or fight through whatever hardships follow should he wake up."

Sarina looks away, her metallic hand grazing her lips as she thinks.  A few tears threaten to spill, making the edges of her eyes itch, but she blinks them away.

"That's a decision no parent should ever have to make," she murmurs.

Donnie moves closer and gently wraps his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"I know...but it needs to be done. We'll talk to them tonight."

Meanwhile, Copeland pulls away from the door and looks back at Dean. Tears sting at her eyes as she moves closer, sitting down and leaning over him.

"Dean, they're going to turn off the machines if you don't wake up soon," she whispers fearfully. "Those machines are keeping you alive right now...and if you're going to wake up, do it soon. It's not good over here, but I know it'll be better once you're back in our lives."

She pauses, as if waiting for him to answer her. A breath passes his lips, but that's the only movement his beaten body makes. The pink-masked turtle scoots closer, grasping his cold hand in her own warm one.

"Come on, Leo Junior. Our team can't lose you. You're our leader," she continues, rubbing circles on the palm of his hand. "I...as much as I told you I wanted to lead, or when I argued with you about it when we were little...I know I could never be the leader you are. I'm not courageous like you, or somewhat selfless...or even all that brave. I'm scared right now, Dean. I'm just hotheaded...like my father before me, and like you and your father before you, you're our leader, our Captain Ryan." She lifts his hand up to her chest and hugs it gently, a few tears running down her face. "Come on, you stubborn shell-for-brains...keep fighting. I know you will."

He doesn't respond, his chest falling and rising minimally. She presses a kiss to his bruised knuckles, lowering his hand as she gently runs her own three-fingered hand over his muscled arm.

"I'm still not giving up on you."