Author's Note: This started as a what if that ran through my mind, and I had to write it. In this story, the Ninja Turtles are separated after mutating and placed in different locations across the country after Splinter is found by the Shredder. This is focusing on Donatello's time growing up and how he discovers his origins and looks for his brothers. Please rate and review!

Chapter 1: Separated at Birth

To My Sons

I'm sorry that it's come to this. The Shredder and the Foot have found me sooner than I thought, and I'm afraid that my time has come to an end. But I will not risk your lives. I shall make sure you are safe. I have befriended a young woman…no…she's not human…but she has agreed to help me keep each of you safe. However…the only way for you to be safe is to be separated from each other.

Each of you will be placed in different locations across the country…across the world, if needed. I pray that one day the four of you will be reunited…and that there will be humans willing to show compassion upon you and care for you. My friend will make sure you find each other when the time is right…I just hope she will remember to do so…they may wipe her memory or destroy her. Forgive me, my sons… We will see each other again one day.

Goodbye my sons…and I love you.

From Your Beloved Father and Sensei,

Splinter (aka Hamato Yoshi)

Why she chose this place was a mystery, but she figured that Shredder wouldn't think to find one of them in some neighborhood in Kentucky; he would probably look to the big cities. This was the promise she made to Splinter…to protect his infant sons at all costs. However, it was more than she could bear to separate the boys…and she had to make sure she chose the right places. After all…people had a hard time accepting mutants. She found a house during the cold night; a stone-based one-story home with two pickup trucks and some toys and a bicycle outside, obviously belonging to a child. Maybe a child already present would give this one a better chance of being accepted…because children weren't harsh critics like the adults that taught them to be.

A small whimper got her attention. She looked down and saw the one she had bundled in her arms was cold and getting ready to cry. She shushed him as best as she could as she quietly approached the door in the open garage, the most-often used entrance. She already placed two others in other states, and there were two left. Once she placed this one here, then she could work on the last infant. It was obvious from the start that the siblings didn't want to be separated, but what else could she do? Well…she would make sure they met again…maybe when they were grown up. Until then…keeping them safe was her top priority.

Placing a small engraved amulet in the purple blanket, she gently placed the bundle on the steps and frantically knocked on the door. When footsteps caught her attention, she quickly disappeared with the remaining infant. She could only pray that all would be safe…until she returned.

Inside the house, a blonde-haired woman groggily got up from her spot on the sofa and went to see who could be at the door in the middle of the night. Was it her husband's best friend coming over due to an emergency? Highly unlikely. Thinking it might have been a neighbor who had one too many to drink, she was cautious when she opened the door. However, there was no one insight, so she assumed it was one of the local teenagers playing a prank. As she was about to close the door, she could hear a weak wail. Her eyes darted down and she saw the purple bundle laying on the step…obviously an abandoned baby.

"Ch-Charlie, get out here! There's a baby on our doorstep!" The woman called to a further part of the house.

After a moment, a dark-haired man sprinted to the door, still in his underwear. He went to his wife's side as she carefully picked up the bundle, noticing it to be a bit heavier than for a normal newborn baby. Who would leave a baby on their doorstep? Was it a local teenager who got pregnant and abandoned it to cover her actions? When they peeled back the blankets…that was highly unlikely.

"Oh my God!" The woman shrieked. "It… I-It looks like a turtle!"

"Sandi, calm down." Charlie shushed. "You're scaring it."

That was apparent when the mutant infant turtle began to whimper from the woman's frantic cry. She quickly shushed it as she brought it inside, her husband following close behind her. She slowly sat down…and that was where she was able to get past its appearance and look at things more closely.

"…Poor baby…who would abandon you?" She paused and unpeeled the rest of the blankets covering the turtle to get a look at the gender. "…Oh…poor little boy…"

"What do you suppose…made him look like this?" Charlie asked, examining the turtle.

"I don't know…but we need to call the police first thing in the morning." Sandi paused and noticed the engraved amulet…and it had a name on it. "…Donatello? Is his name Donatello?"

A small, feminine yawn caught their attention as they looked towards a door leading to a hallway. Out of the shadows came a six year-old girl with messy brown hair and some of her baby teeth missing. She was holding a stuffed bear given to her by her great-grandmother and she stood in a messy, slightly-stained t-shirt. The child focused her eyes and gasped when she saw the bundle in her mother's arms.

"Mommy…I told you I didn't wanna baby…" She groggily muttered. "Is this a bad dream…?"

Her mother shook her head. "Chey-bug…we found him on our doorstep. He was there because someone didn't want to take care of him."

"Come here, Cheyenne." Her father ushered. "Come take a look at him."

The girl came forward, dropping her bear, and got a look at the infant. She let out a loud gasp when she was WHAT he was…but it wasn't a gasp of fear. Instead, she reached her hand out and touched his cheek, causing it to twitch and a soft giggle to come out of him.

"Aww…he's so cute. He looks like a cuddly little turtle!" She stared up at her parents. "Can we keep him?"

Charlie and Sandi looked at each other nervously; this was the first time little Cheyenne actually like the thought of having a brother or sister. Other times, she begged her parents not to have another child because she wanted to be their one and only…but maybe she wanted to keep him out of pity…or it was love at first sight. How could they say no to the little pout she was displaying? But they were financially tight at times, and they couldn't really afford a baby. Still…the little guy needed a family…someone who would accept him.

"Yes…we can keep him." Her mother answered quietly before showing the bundle to her. "Say hello to your new brother…Donatello."

Cheyenne cocked her head to the side, her messy hair bouncing a bit. "Don…a…tello?"

Her father laughed. "It's Italian…after one of the Renaissance painters. Of course, you're more familiar with Leonardo and Michelangelo even at your age."

Tiny Donatello suddenly opened his eyes, revealing maroon irises, as he reached his small three-fingered hand to the girl. Cheyenne couldn't help but laugh as she pretended to shake his hand.

"Hi Donatello!" She greeted as any six year-old would. "I'm your sister! You're my little bro-bro!"

Her mother laughed as well. "Bro-Bro? Where did you come up with that?"

"Dunno. Just came to me."

"Well if he's 'Bro-Bro', then you'll have to be 'Sissy'."

The six year-old nodded her head furiously, her hair bouncing. "Yeah! Bro-Bro and Sissy!"