A/N: OMG you guys! The things I have to do to get things done on this site! Here is the long awaited conclusion to Yuku Sue Unmei. As my WHOW reviewers have heard, I am still unable to upload ANYTHING on the site at the moment, despite trying with three different stories, three different Word formats, two browsers, and two computers. Yeah. Not a happy camper right now. I had to copy and paste this into one of the current fic uploads, so I just hope this doesn't ruin anything.

Get the kleenex ready, cause this is a sad one, but ends happily. Also, be sure to check out the newest fic, What Happens Off World. It is the indirect sequel to this, as people you know here will show up there. As stated last chapter, yes there will be a direct sequel to this. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, and been alerted. Domo Arigato :D

EDIT - Try as I might, I could not get rid of the formatting here. Maybe when I'm able to upload again I'll replace this. Sorry in advance.

運命が割り当てれば

Yuku Sue Unmei

EPILOGUE

One month later

It was good to be out of the lair. The last month had been hard on everyone, especially his younger brother, but it was definitely hard. Leonardo had decided to get himself some air, even if no one really wanted to go with him. Two months ago, he would've been joined by his brothers and this would probably be a normal outing, either a training run or just heading to get a pizza.

One month ago, however, all that seemed to change within just one week. In one week, they had been joined by another turtle, just like them. After hits and misses, they finally discovered his true identity – he was Donnie's son, from the future. But it wasn't a future they were familiar with. This nephew of Leo's was from a dimension where Donnie was dead and he had a hand in raising him. He was from a dimension like theirs, but not.

Despite that and even all the secrecy, the family had grown to like the teen – he was family after all – and while they knew he wasn't a part of their time, he was still their nephew, their grandson, and most importantly, Donnie's son.

Then one night, it was all gone.

They knew, they all knew even Nick himself, that he couldn't stay in their time. There would be a point where he would need to accompany Renet and go back to their own time. But the leader of the Foot, Oroku Karai, had made certain Nick would never go back to anything again. Leo had never felt so much hate towards the kunochi before, even when he had returned to find the lair in ruins and his family gone. But he had thought – he had always thought when dealing with her – that after their brush with complete annihilation at the hands of the original Shredder, she would remember her honor, the honor that she knew was counter to what her father was teaching her.

And once again, she proved him wrong at every turn. That was one reason he wanted to go out tonight; the atmosphere within the lair was sad, of course, but it felt as though something was missing and could never be replaced ever again. They hardly even knew Nick, but they knew enough to know that he was loved in whatever time he came from and ultimately, that seemed to pass into their time as well.

They all grieved like they had lost a family member, which they had.

Donnie, poor Donnie, just held up in his room, much like he did when Dell had broken things off with him. But this…this was much worse. Leo didn't think he had even seen his younger brother in that time. He had been inconsolable. They had carried Nick back to the lair, in an eerie version of a funeral procession. Nothing was said on the way, just quiet sobbing from Don and sniffling from Mike. They had taken the young turtle to the infirmary, even though they had protested. That was Donnie's lab and he was suffering enough; he didn't need to be reminded every time he came in.

But the brainy turtle insisted and they weren't about to argue with him in the state he was in.

He hadn't wanted to be away, despite the knowledge that there was nothing he could do to bring him back. The others had left him then, each wanting to grieve by himself. It was so strange, feeling connected to someone you barely knew, but then again, isn't that how April came into their lives? Or Casey? Or even the turtles for Master Splinter? Leo had gone to his room, the thought that perhaps meditation would help, but all he had done was just sit on his bed and think.

Was this how he would feel if one of his brothers died? Or their father? It was something he had never wanted to experience or think about, but now, here it was, but it wasn't his brothers nor his father. It was his nephew, one that he didn't think he would ever have, much less watch die. He had been well aware of the probabilities of their ability to have children, which were slim to none. Oh, he wanted to believe that there were other humans like April and Casey, who would except them for who and what they were. However, Leo had no illusions that finding a woman to love them for who and what they were was near impossible, if not completely.

He knew April loved them, like the little brothers they were. Once, like Donnie perhaps, he thought maybe the red head may have held feelings for his younger brother. That would've told them it could be possible, possible for them to fall in love, get married, the whole nine yards. The leader had once thought, imagined really, that he might find that happiness with Karai. It was only after her betrayal on Shredder's ship that he admitted his infatuation with her and then cursed himself with it.

The air was crisp and the leader knew that he should be wearing protective gear against the cold, but it was biting and in a sense, liberating; it meant he had a distraction and he wouldn't have to think about the death of his nephew and the grieving the family still felt. It had been the next day when Donnie had left the lab, worn out from the previous night. He had stood in the doorway of the kitchen and declared that Nick was gone, literally gone, dematerialized and just…gone.

None of them understood, maybe except Don, who didn't want to speak about anything to anyone. They had to let it go, even though he knew Raph wanted answers and he wanted them immediately.

Maybe that was the worst thing; Nick was dead and now they had no body to bury or mourn.

Leo stood on a rooftop he had just landed on, running his hands over his face and sighing. As sad as the situation was, the blue banded turtle wished things would go back to the way they were., before they ever ran into a young teenage mutant ninja turtle named Niccolo di Roshi. But Leo couldn't think that and it brought him back to where he was when he started this. His musings were interrupted when his senses picked up someone was on his rooftop. With lightening speed, one of his swords was in his hands and he spun on the spot, waiting for his enemy to strike.

"Would it help if I waved a white flag?" asked the stranger. "I come in peace?"

Leo huffed slightly, replacing his weapon and crossing his arms across his plastron. "How long were you married to my brother?" he asked. "Surely you know to never sneak up on a ninja."

"Sorry," the blonde said, shrugging. "You looked like you were miles away."

The leader stared at the time mistress. "I don't have to tell you anything," he said. "You already know. You knew what was going to happen."

Renet looked away, her happy façade quickly dropped. "I had hoped you were going to tell him he was home," she whispered. "That he was watching TV or something. But I know that wasn't true, even as I got here. I knew it the night I brought you all to that warehouse."

"That's why you wanted him to go with him," Leo growled. "You knew he was going to die."

"As did he," she shot back. "I tried to warn him and he…he knew he wouldn't come back. He also knew the consequences and yet…he risked it. For his father."

"What consequences?"

It seemed as though Renet aged ten years in that span of time, even though Leo knew she was much older from the time she came from. "Let me tell you about time, Leo," she began. "There's a reason Lord S was always on my ass for jumping to different times and dimensions. If you go to the past and change something, as you know, that has dire consequences on the future when you return. It's the same situation with other dimensions, though, there's more at stake.

"When dealing with dimensions that are separate from our own, when someone comes from one dimension to another and makes changes to that dimension, things…aren't necessarily good for the one that been left. Especially in cases of…alternate dimensions." Renet looked at the turtle who was her brother in law in another time. "I take it Nick…is no longer…there."

Leo nodded.

"He wasn't supposed to be here," she continued. "Nor was he suppose to be in any of the other timelines that I caught him in. I was just lucky that he kept missing actually meeting you until he jumped further than either of us figured. His interactions with you…canceled out, if you will, what was true in our time."

"You mean," Leo began. "If Nick is…was killed here, he no longer exists in your time?"

He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a small tear on her face. "No one exists there anymore."

"You mean everyone's gone?" The time mistress nodded. Leo looked at her, a thoughtful look on his face. "If everyone's gone, if that dimension…no longer exists, then how are you still here?"

Renet gave a watery laugh. "You're a good brother in law, Leo," she chuckled. "Noisy as hell, but a good brother over all. Let's just say that in order for me to…get over, if you will, one of your brothers, I decided to test my luck in another dimension where, ironically enough, I fell for another one."

She smiled when he saw the look on his face. "I know," she said. "Time travel is majorly sucky and hurts brain cells."

"I'm convinced."

"On time travel?"

"No," the turtle smirked. "That you're Michelangelo's wife."

"Funny."

Somehow, even the joking seemed melancholy. Maybe it was the sudden realization that with the loss of Nick, there was a loss of his dimension, a dimension in which Renet lived; one where she had family.

Who were apparently all gone.

"What will you do now?" Leo whispered.

The blonde time mistress shrugged. She usually did well at hiding her feelings, well before she'd been a part of the Hamato clan. Outwardly, she was calm, able to tell Leo what he needed; inwardly, she was an absolute mess. They had lost a nephew, Donnie had lost his son, even though they had no prior knowledge of him and for all purposes, he probably wouldn't even exist in this time frame. But for Renet, she had lost her entire family; her sisters in law, her nephews, her brothers in law, her father in law…most importantly, her husband and her children. Eighteen years, she had been married.

Twenty two years she had lived in that dimension, between that and her duties for Lord S. She didn't think he knew about her domestic life and if he did, he never said anything or berated her for it. She had never once thought she would be married, even if she tossed around the idea of Donatello showing an interest in her. It wasn't that marriage and family life didn't appeal to her, but she was a time mistress. How exactly would she explain that to her date or her boyfriend?

"I…go back to being a scepter wielding time goddess," she chuckled, sadly. "There's nothing else to do."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah," she whispered. "So am I."

"Where…" Leo began, nearly choking on what he was going to say. "Where do they go? Those people in other dimensions; if they…if they cease to exist, where do they go?"

This time, Renet did smile, a true genuine smile. "There is a place for them," she said.

"Like Heaven?"

"Kinda," she said, nodding slowly. "It's…like a void really, but it's pleasant. And they're with people they know, family, friends."

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Because I made it."

Nick awoke in a place he had never been before. It was foggy, though not badly. It was like a mist, one made of clouds. As he thought about it, Nick knew he was dead. He had known he was going to die that night, that's why he had apologized to his aunt. How ironic. He had been adamant on getting rid of her, of escaping her from keeping him from his tasks; in the end, he had understood. When he had realized he was in the wrong time period, Nick knew his actions from then on could possibly be disastrous.

He wasn't his father's son for nothing and certainly, having an aunt who's 'job' it was to manage time didn't hurt. Nick was no stronger to the damage one can do while time traveling. There were so many paradoxes that could occur when one left the safety of the future to go back into time, especially when he was doing both time and dimensional traveling. After telling his father, grandfather, and uncles his true story, that's when he had been slammed with the reality.

He was in the wrong time, as noted by his father's exclamation. His parents weren't together in this time, which was completely contradictory to what had happened in his time. If his parents weren't married in this time, this meant that he wasn't even born and he probably wouldn't be. It was then he knew the overwhelming damage he had done; he had introduced himself to a family that didn't know him and wouldn't know him, told of a history that would never happen to them.

And he had no one to blame but himself.

And now…he was dead.

Despite his misjudgment, the teen couldn't deny that it had been wonderful interacting with his father, even if he wasn't truly his father. He had meant what he told Donatello. He had a happy life, he was well provided for; he was loved by his family, all of them. His mother's duties never once interfered with raising him, even as a single mother. Master Splinter had watched over him, just as he had done for his uncles and father.

His uncles had taken it upon themselves to help in raising their brother's son, even when it hurt them to know that Don couldn't be there to hear Nick's first word, see him take his first steps, and all the other firsts he had gone through.

And Nick had never once, never, wished he didn't have his family. While his cousins could be annoying at times, he loved them; they were the siblings he would never have. Benji, Leo's son, was his best friend and the closest thing he would ever have to a brother.

The only thing Nick ever wished for was that his father was with them and that he could know him. As he got older, his wishes evolved, his decisions usually based on what his father would've thought if he had lived. When he first began having feelings for Michele Jones, he had so desperately wished he could talk to his father, ask him how he felt when he realized his mother wasn't just a friend anymore.

The teen was blessed to let his father know he had found the woman he wanted to marry.

In hindsight, Nick knew in his heart that his actions had doomed his family, in both dimensions. He had died in one, which meant he now didn't exist in either. He had changed both dimensions.

He had lost his family, in both worlds. And that, was something he never wanted.

Before he could stop himself, he sniffed, feeling immense regret and guilt. He had done this, out of selfishness and now he had nothing. He wished he had never taken this quest, had never left home. Why couldn't he have been satisfied with the life he led? He had a family, a woman who loved him, and he had thrown it all away for what? A once in a lifetime meeting with a man who was his father in another lifetime.

But Nick couldn't forget how it felt to be around Donatello, to talk to him, to have him acknowledge that he was Nick's father in some other time. It almost…almost felt like he wished it was true, wished Nick truly was his son in that time. Again, the teen sniffed, cursing himself for breaking down like this.

"Why are you crying, Nicky?"

Nick looked up, startled to see the vision that appeared before him. "Mother?" he asked, watching as she came closer to him. She placed a hand on his arm and then he knew it wasn't a dream. "Gomen nasai," he sobbed. "Gomen nasai, Okaasan."

"Oh Nick," she sighed, pulling her son into her arms. Dell had long known where this quest could lead them and she had been at peace with it for some time. Yes, it meant that she may no longer be among the living and she would be unable to watch those around her grow, but she would be with her father, her mother, her father in law, and most importantly her husband. And speaking of…

"I have known this day would come," she soothed him. "I'm not mad or even sad at the prospect. I am only saddened to see you hear. No mother ever wants to see her child in the afterlife. Look at me, Niccolo." The teen looked at his mother, seeing the youthful face he remembered as a baby.

How she had aged when his father died.

"This place," she whispered. "Has everyone I love here. It's not bad and no one is in pain here. We're all right."

"Really?"

Dell smiled. "There's someone who wants to meet you," was all she said, taking his arm and walking with him a little ways.

The mist that he had found himself in suddenly cleared and they were home, right outside their palace. He could hear his cousins laughing and playing, could see the workers working away, could hear birds and other things overhead.

As he looked around, his eyes landed on a figure who was approaching them. He was just as Nick had left him almost, though he had his weapon in his hand and was smiling as he got closer. "Hello Nicky." Nick couldn't seem to speak; he didn't think he would ever see this turtle again.

Donatello, that is to say the long departed Hamato Donatello, looked at his son – his teenage son – and was awed. While he had watched his son grow, watched as his family slowly fell apart and rebuild itself after his murder, this was the first time he had laid on his little boy since he was a baby.

"Look at you," he whispered, looking the kame over. "It's…it's so odd seeing you all grown up. I still remember holding you as a baby and now look at you. My son's a man."

"Not exactly," Nick sniffed. "I mean, I'm a turtle and all, though more like a mutant turtle, I guess."

Donnie laughed, clapping the boy on the shoulder and squeezing it. "I'm so happy to see you," he said, getting a little choked up himself. "While I wished I wouldn't see you for several years, I can't deny that I'm…I'm so happy to see you. So proud of you, son."

"Even though I…"

"Hey," the older turtle interrupted. "The other me, the other Donnie was right, you know? It doesn't what galaxy, what time, what dimension…you are still my son and I will always be proud of you."

Hearing the praise again, this time from his biological father nearly sent Nick back into hysterics. Here he was, the turtle he had gone across time and space for. It was really him. And this time, the teen wasn't going to put off what he had wanted to do for years.

Suddenly overcome, he threw his arms around his father in a tight hug. "I love you, Dad." He felt his father give him a tight squeeze in return. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Nicky," Donnie whispered, holding his son close. Pulling back, he gave him a large smile. "C'mon. Let's go home."