After tending to Michelangelo's wounds and making sure he is fast asleep, Splinter takes a deep breath.
He closes his eyes, furrowing his brow, and for a moment, he allows himself to feel the pain.
It sits there in his chest, a cold iron fist around his heart, clenching, trying to squeeze out the last of his hope.
And for a heartbeat Splinter even thinks this fist has succeeded.
He has lost his daughter again, he almost lost his son.
But there it is, this tiny word.
Almost.
He almost lost Michelangelo.
This is almost the end, but it isn't entirely.
Karai knows the truth now. She can decide what she is going to do with this information.
It is dangerous. No one knows that better than him.
Shredder has always been dangerous when his perfect little lies broke and showed their ugly faces.
But Karai is safe. Or as safe as someone can be who has betrayed Shredder.
He isn't going to kill her, no, he can't.
Yes, Karai has his, Hamato Yoshi's blood, and he is sure, if Shredder could, he'd wash out every drop of it out of her body.
But she's Tang Shen's blood as well, and to take anything away that reminds him or could remind him of Tang Shen one day, that's something Shredder would never risk.
Michelangelo stirs in his sleep, a little moan escaping his mouth, and Splinter quickly puts his hand on his son's cheek, stroking it gently.
Michelangelo sighs, and it appears to Splinter it's a relieved sigh, and the young turtle calms down again, his face relaxing.
Splinter keeps his hand on his son's cheek.
It is going to take some time, but Michelangelo is going to fully recover.
Splinter hasn't been so sure about that when they brought him here, with all his wounds and his shell knocked loose. It had looked so bad, so really, really bad.
He hadn't even been sure if his son was going to make it.
But then again, it's this little word that makes this big difference.
Michelangelo has almost died.
But he lives now and hopefully for many, many years to come.
This little magic word can't help him with Karai, though, he remembers. It doesn't belong there.
He has really lost here. Again.
But not forever, he realizes.
Karai lives, thanks to her mother, and Tang Shen's blood inside her is going to protect her from Shredder.
And then his eyes widen.
He could have lost her completely like he had lost his beloved Tang Shen all these years ago, but he didn't.
He almost lost her completely, but Shredder is going to let her live.
The magic word again.
Yes, this has looked like the end, it almost has been the end, but it isn't.
Because as long as there's an almost, there's hope.
And as long as there's hope, this is just the beginning.