Raph couldn't stop grinning if he'd been paid to. Mikey's steps were still a little unsteady, his shoulder still bandaged and his arm in a sling, but his cheerful banter had never been more welcome as they walked through the tunnels toward home, and it was almost as if nothing had changed at all. But Raph knew they had, and he only wished he'd known enough to change them far sooner.

As Leo had said, though, that was in the past. Now they needed to focus on what they did now and in the future, on making things right and being there for Mikey the way they should have been all along. Even if he'd forgiven them, it would take them far longer to forgive themselves.

And Mikey wasn't the only one who would need support in the coming days. Raph looked over at Hamari walking beside him, then at Grace, who was nestled against Mikey's side with his free arm around her. They'd all decided it was best for the girls to come to the lair with them, since there was no way of knowing if Sakura and the rest of their former clan was looking for them. Both seemed to be handling things well, but Raph knew that didn't mean they weren't suffering. He knew all too well the pain of losing your home and people you love.

With that in mind, the hothead nudged Hamari's shoulder with his own. When she looked at him, he gave her a crooked smile.

"Hey, ya okay? Really, I mean."

Hamari pressed her lips together in thought for a moment, then returned his smile with a slight one of her own.

"I've been better," she admitted softly. "But I'm managing. And I'm glad Mikey is okay."

She looked over at the youngest turtle, her smile widening as Grace rested her head against his shoulder.

"Especially since I know he's one of the biggest reasons Grace is okay."

Raph let out a soft chuckle.

"Mike's got that way wit' people. Trust me, we know."

Hamari let out a huff of laughter.

"If he can cheer even you up, he has got a gift for sure."

Raph snorted, but his comeback was cut off when they rounded the last corner, and the lair door came into view. The red banded turtle's grin widened when he glanced at Mikey and saw the excitement in his younger brother's eyes. Leo punched in the entry code, and the security door opened.

"Ah!" Mikey sighed as they entered. "Home sweet home!"

Leo gave his brother's uninjured shoulder a light tap with his fist, grinning himself.

"Welcome back, little bro."

Right as he spoke, a high meow rang out and Klunk came trotting up. Raph didn't know if it was possible for a cat to smile, but he knew this cat was.

"Klunk!" Mikey cheered as he knelt. "I missed ya, buddy!" The ginger cat placed his front paws on the turtle's knee, purring loudly as he nestled his head against Mikey's hand. Hamari walked up with a smile.

"So, this is Klunk?"

Grace let out a soft chuckle as she stooped to get a closer look.

"He's so cute," she said as she reached out a hand. The cat moved to curiously sniff it, then let out a soft mew and rubbed his head against it as he began purring again.

"Aw, he likes you!" Mikey exclaimed with a wide grin. Raph scoffed.

"Ah, he likes anyone you like, Mikey."

The youngest turtle gave him a sly look.

"Well, sure… he even likes you."

Raph narrowed his eyes, but his grin never faded.

"I can be pleasant too, ya know."

Leo grinned as he tapped a fist against his hot-headed brother's shoulder.

"We know," he said. "And this is pleasant for you."

The others laughed as Raph huffed, and Splinter stepped forward, directing a concerned look at Grace and Hamari.

"I know both of you have endured great loss, and there may be little we can offer to compensate but be assured you are welcome as long as needed."

Grace straightened, and Raph was relieved to see that her smile lacked the coolness she had once looked at the rat with. It seemed their genuine efforts to reconcile with Mikey had done a lot in redeeming them in her eyes.

"I don't know how we can thank you."

Hamari nodded, giving a slight bow.

"We only hope it's not an inconvenience."

"Don't worry about that," Leo reassured. "None of the Gawa know where we live, so provided we're careful they shouldn't find out."

Grace gave a small bow as well, but Raph could still see regret in her face. And a look at Mikey revealed that he saw it too. Eyes full of concern, the youngest turtle placed his free arm around her and gave her a gentle smile.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," he said. Grace let out a quiet sigh and a slight smile tugged at her face before she looked at Hamari. Once again, her friend seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. Smiling herself, Hamari walked over and placed her hands on Grace's shoulders.

"I know you blame yourself," she said gently. "But you don't have to. You didn't do anything wrong. Blood or not, you're my sister and you won't face this without me, I promise."

Raph saw Grace press her lips together, her eyes growing misty as she reached up and gave one of Hamari's hands a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, imoto," she murmured.

Feeling a spur of sympathy, Raph stepped forward and gave both girls a smile.

"We all owe ya thanks too," he said. "Both of ya."

His smile changing into a smirk, he reached out and scrubbed a fist over Mikey's head.

"After all, it's thanks t' you we still got this knucklehead here wit' us."

The youngest turtle smirked back.

"C'mon, Raphie… you know ya love me."

"Hard t' forget when ya keep remindin' me," Raph snorted, but made no attempt to disguise the fondness in his voice and eyes. He was finding his pride didn't seem as important these days, and the way Mikey's eyes lit up when he expressed it was all he needed to forget about it.

"All right, then," Donnie said as he moved over to examine Mikey's shoulder. "I know you won't like this, Mikey, but we've been walking a while."

Mikey let out a huff.

"C'mon Don, I'm fine! Turtle's honor!"

"I know, Mike," Donnie said, smiling. "But you're not fully recovered yet. You don't have to sleep, but you should at least rest a little while."

The youngest turtle dropped back his head, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Fiiiine."

Leo walked over to pat Mikey's good shoulder, a grin on his own face.

"C'mon, little brother. We'll keep you company."

Grace slipped her arm into Mikey's and leaned against him, prompting a wide smile. Raph chuckled; as much as Mikey didn't like feeling helpless, Raph knew he wasn't complaining about all the attention.

But that was fine. He'd felt unappreciated for far too long, and it was past time the rest of them did their part to fix that. In that moment, Raph realized they owed Grace far more than he'd thought. After all, it was her influence that set in motion the reconciliation and healing that Mikey… that all of them… had so needed. Maybe now they could do the same for her and Hamari.