Seconds become minutes, minutes become hours, and hours become long days full of the Hamato Clan trying to put their lives back together.

They buried Splinter, taking him outside the city in the Party Wagon and laying him to rest in the serene quiet of the woods. It reminded the turtles and Destiny of the forest back in Japan when they had gone there with Renet.

Mr and Mrs Byrd, Kelly's parents, had a private funeral for their daughter, but chose to arrange another funeral for when Dakota wakes up, one that all their classmates can attend. They wanted Dakota to be present, hoping that she would wake up soon.

Casey and April came over often with Blake. He hadn't talked at all since the fight, only saying a few words to Venus. His parents remained hopeful that he'd work past it. Venus was the only one he spoke too, and she kept his feelings secret.

Copeland, Asher, and Mitch tried going back to school, but they didn't last a single day. Everyone was swarming them, begging to hear about the accident, wanting to know about Dean and Dakota's condition and buzzing about how sorry they were about Kelly. Katie even started crying about Dean, something they all ran away from without any hesitation.

Asher couldn't even last through first period, which was science. Him and Lukas sat next to each other, but the empty lab table beside them only made the pain worse. His teacher accidentally called both Kelly and Dakota's names, and Asher broke down crying. He was sent to the guidance counsellor, who asked him, "How are you feeling right now?"

His answer, "Lost."

Mitch got up and left his math class after the hundredth person asked him about the accident. His teacher let him go, alerting the office that he needed to stay home until his mental health was under better control.

Copeland went to the guidance counsellor herself, knowing that she would do something she regrets soon, running into Asher there. The counsellor called their home, informing Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo that perhaps it was best for them to return to school when they were feeling better.

At home, Asher spent most of his time sitting in him and Dakota's shared room, holding her hand and telling her about what he was feeling. His twin always understood him better than anyone else, so he chose to talk to her even if she wasn't awake to hear him. He played his violin often.

Dean didn't wake up, and according to Donnie, his condition didn't seem to be improving except for the fact that his cuts and bones were healing. The wolf-raven was moved to his bedroom, still hooked up to the needed machines. Copeland stayed by her oldest cousin, watching and waiting for whatever may come. Venus would come in and watch too, just sitting in silence, while Destiny would just cry every time she saw him.

Lukas, Tiki, Elisabeth, and Nixie didn't say a word to the people at school, keeping their friends' secrets under wraps. Each of the remaining four friends came by the lair often, acting as support. Tiki stayed in dog form and cuddled with Copeland, knowing that it helped her relax. Elisabeth came by to check on Dean often, and Nixie would come and take Mitch out for skating or playing video games; anything to take his mind off of his troubles and get him feeling happier. Lukas simply sat next to Asher in Dakota's room and gave him a listening ear.

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo's time was spent working out treaties with the former Foot Clan mutants. Them being human again allowed them a chance to restart their lives, and the turtles wanted to make sure that there was peace between them before they left each other alone.

Taylor and Annalise went back to work, but everyone in their workplaces knew that they weren't doing so well either. They refused to leave and take time off at home, claiming that, "Work takes their minds off of the...other stuff."

Sarina kept trying to make herself a suitable new arm, but nothing worked and she had no one to help her out. Donnie had too much on his plate already with the treaty arrangements, Asher was pretty much unresponsive, and Dakota...Dakota wasn't waking up. The cyborg woman never gave up though, spending long days inside the lab, trying to work with being one-armed.

Destiny lost countless hours of sleep, her relationship with Leo getting more and more strained every day. Their sadness about losing Splinter, about Dean's condition, everything, caused them to turn on each other, quarrelling relentlessly. It only added to the gloominess that permeated the lair. Destiny went for long flights at night, just trying to clear her head, and Leo threw himself deeper into his work in an attempt to forget about his family troubles.

Three weeks passed like this, accompanied by the feeling that nothing was ever going to improve.

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Lukas walks into the lair, hearing the soft strains of Asher's violin in the still air. The sandy-haired boy sighs, clutching the little note in his hand. Ruby had left it with him, asking him to give it to Asher when he had the time.

Lukas moves to the bedroom, listening to his friend's soft crying as he plays. The teen sighs, slipping the note under the door and returning to the living room.

Asher deserves alone time, he thinks.

Looking around the nearly empty lair, he decides to go the laboratory. Peeking inside, he only sees a frustrated Sarina as she crumples a sheet of paper in her fist.

"Nothing works! I can't do this!" she cries, clenching her one hand and pressing it to her forehead. "I can't do this..."

"Mrs Hamato?" Lukas asks.

She spins around, not having noticed him come in. She wipes her eyes and forces a smile.

"Oh, hello Lukas," she greets stuffily. "Asher is in his room."

"I know. I came here instead." He shoves his hands in his pockets. "He's playing again. I think he needs the alone time."

Sarina nods, her face saddened. "Yes...he does like his quiet time." She moves closer to her son's best friend, instinctively reaching to fold her hands together, but her right hand only brushes air. "What can I do for you?"

"The real question is, what can I do for you?" he corrects. "Ash mentioned you were trying to make a prosthetic...but didn't have a lot of help."

She nods. "It's...it's a lot more difficult than I imagined."

"I bet," he agrees. "Can I help?"

A flicker of surprise crosses her features. "You're up for it?"

"Ash...he's playing his violin, writing down music trying to get his mind off things. Me?" He shrugs, his lips barely twitching with the ghost of a smile. "I need to build electronics, and your arm is right up my alley. You're already trying to work with one, I'll help you with my two."

Sarina smiles and ruffles his hair lovingly. "Okay. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, Mrs Hamato."

"Just call me Sarina. It's easier."

He nods, his grey eyes growing excited. "So? What've you got so far?"

She ushers him over to her work station, where numerous sketches and scribbles can be seen all over the top. An almost complete bionic arm sits at one end, but the work is sloppy. Lukas narrows his eyes, looking over the drawings.

"See, I took a mould of my arm in an attempt to make another of the same size, but it's just...incredibly difficult to do when I have only one to work with. None of the drawings are coming out right either," Sarina explains. "So...that's all I've got."

He picks up one drawing, smiling a little. "Well, then let's finish it up."

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Leonardo walks into the lair, followed closely by Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo. From inside the lab, they can hear buzzing and the soft tones of Lukas and Sarina hard at work. Mikey stretches a little, looking around the nearly silent home.

"Mitch is out again," he comments.

"Uh huh," Raph mutters. "Copeland's probably with Dean."

They listen closer, hearing the sad strains of violin music. They sigh, looking to Donnie with pity. The purple-masked turtle shakes his head, his shoulders sagging.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," he admits. "She's healing perfectly, she just hasn't opened her-"

"DAD! DAD!" Asher dashes from the hallway, his eyes wide. "She's up...she said my name!"

Donnie barrels towards their room, his heart bursting. Sarina and Lukas appear at the lab doors, eyes wide. Sarina has her new arm attached to her shoulder, but it doesn't move at all, since the two were just working out the mechanics.

Asher grins for the first time in a long time. "She's awake, Luke! She's awake, mom!"

They head off, zooming into the bedroom. Dakota sits up, holding her head a little as she winces. Asher engulfs her in a tight hug, kissing all over her face.

"Ew, Ash! Get off me, you lug," she groans, pushing at him.

He laughs and embraces her tighter. "Oh, how I've missed you, big sister."

She smiles lightly and returns the hug. "Yeah, I missed you too." She finally notices her parents and Lukas, a smile breaking across her face. "Mom! Dad! Lukas! You're here too!"

"Hey little miracle," Donnie murmurs, hugging her gently. "You had me worried."

Dakota smiles, but then her eyes flicker to her mother's new arm. She seems to remember the battle that took place.

"Wait...the battle," she says. "What happened? Is Kelly here too?"

She looks to Lukas hopefully. His heart stings and he looks away, unable to bring himself to shatter the hope inside her mismatched gaze. Sarina tenses, as does Donnie. They look to each other.

"Well-" Sarina starts.

"You know what? You three should keep working on mom's new arm!" Asher suggests jovially. "Go on, it's alright!"

He nudges them out the door and shuts it. Dakota pushes herself out of bed, wincing slightly.

"What aren't you telling me?" she demands.

The violet-masked turtle turns around, his face saddened.

"Kota..."

"I know that Sensei's dead, but I can tell that there's something else," she interrupts. "Asher, I need you to tell me only the truth."

His heart breaks, but he reluctantly moves towards his twin and sits down next to her on her bed.

"Kelly...was the one who set off the explosion that finally killed Shredder," he says slowly. "But...she didn't...she didn't..."

"Didn't what?"

"She's..."

He looks up at her, his face miserable. Dakota instantly realizes what he means.

"She's dead...isn't she?" the young cyborg whispers.

Asher nods solemnly. "Dean...he's in critical condition. You've both been out for three weeks...and a lot has happened."

Dakota doesn't answer, her eyes falling to the floor. She makes a dry choking sound as tears well up in her eyes, and she claps a hand over her mouth as the sobs start rolling from her. Asher doesn't hesitate to hug her close to him, letting her wail into his chest.

"There...uh...there's a funeral for her that her parents want us to attend. They want us to do the eulogy," he adds gently, his mouth twisted in a sad frown.

Dakota doesn't respond, simply crying harder and harder. Asher stares at the wall as he gently comforts his sister, thinking of Kelly. It doesn't just hurt him to know that she's dead, but also because no one will ever know the truth. No one will ever know that Kelly Byrd died a true hero, that she's the reason that Shredder is out of the picture for good.

No one will know, except for those who lived it.