Author's Note: This chapter is a look at how Donatello grows over the years with his human family, but the next chapter focuses on when he's 15 and it goes from there. The first little tidbit here is based off a video I saw on AFV. Please rate and review!

Chapter 2: Like Brothers and Sisters Do

"So let me get this straight: you were painting Donatello?"

Sandi was currently questioning seven year-old Cheyenne regarding a change in one year-old Donatello…most notably in his face. The little turtle was sucking on his pacifier as he played with a toy truck, while his sister stood in a messy shirt and even messier hair holding a tube of some unknown substance, one of her hands covered in white.

"Yeah, I was painting him!" Cheyenne giggled.

"And what were you painting him with?"

The seven year-old proudly held up the tube. "With this sauce!"

The woman took the tube from her daughter and read the label. She would expect it to be actual paint from her craft shelf or even Neosporin or Benadryl. But no…the label read "Diaper Cream". Why on earth would Cheyenne have a tube of diaper cream? She decided to investigate further.

"Why did you paint him?"

The girl smiled. "I painted him to make him feel better 'cause he's got a sore on his face!"

"He's got a sore on his face?"

"Yeah. He was cryin', so I made him feel better!"

The woman suddenly turned to the little turtle. "Is that true, Donatello?"

Donatello suddenly looked up at his mother, his face covered in diaper cream. Of course Cheyenne had good intentions, but she could've just come to her mother if Donnie was hurt. Then again, just about anything Cheyenne did, messy or not, made the turtle feel better. The woman suddenly smiled and lifted up Donatello, the turtle instantly clinging to his mother.

"Here, let's get Donnie cleaned up and we'll put some different 'sauce' on him."

"S-Sissy!"

Cheyenne groggily opened her eyes, surprised she could hear anything at all through the heavy rain outside. She looked to see Donatello at the edge of the bed, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"…What's wrong, Donnie?" The nine year-old asked sleepily.

The three year-old turtle mumbled and glanced away for a second before looking back at her. "I can't sleep! Too scary!"

She immediately realized what he was talking about. "Aw Bro-Bro…is the rain outside scaring you?"

Donatello nodded, his lips trembling. "S-Sleep with you?"

Cheyenne sighed; she was getting too big for him to sleep with her. But…this was her little brother, and she promised to always watch out for and protect him. Pulling the covers back, she patted the mattress and whispered, "Climb in."

The turtle smiled, showing his teeth and the noticeable gap between his two front ones. He climbed into his sister's bed and tightly hugged her. She in-turn wrapped her arms around his shell but wouldn't go to sleep until he dozed off. This would happen just about every night when a thunderstorm hit the neighborhood. The rain didn't bother Donatello so much as the thunder and lightning that accompanied it. She wasn't scared of either one…but whenever there was mention of a tornado, she freaked, especially after watching the movie "Twister". But she knew deep down that Donatello was braver than he wanted to believe…he just had to know it and believe in himself.

Whenever Donatello wanted to play outside, he had to be dressed in baggy clothes, a hat, and sunglasses so he would look a little like everyone else. Donatello was oblivious to it, but Cheyenne resented it because she hated people treating him differently. He just wanted to be like everyone else, so people should just let him be himself! Still…there wasn't much she could do about it…except to be his protector for as long as he was still breathing.

She suddenly glanced down and found Donnie snoring softly. He had finally fallen asleep, but he refused to let go of her. Not that she minded, though. Smiling a little, she rested her head on top of his and followed in sleep.

"Are you reading the manuals to the cars AGAIN?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"Is that all you do is read tech manuals?" Cheyenne asked as she was studying for a test. "Honestly, you remind me of some of the guys at school."

Six year-old Donatello huffed and sat down the manual to their mother's 2003 Jeep Liberty Renegade. "Look who's talking Ms. Gameboy Freak! You can't get away from the PS2 mosta the time!"

The twelve year-old girl looked stunned but sighed. "I'm just sayin' that most of the time, boys your age would rather play in mud, dig up worms, and gross girls out. But…I didn't think you could read stuff like that yet and understand it."

The turtle smiled and showed the gap in his teeth. "Cool, isn't it? Over half of this stuff Mom and Dad don't even understand!"

"I'm good with tech too…but I don't know crud about cars. You could probably help Daddy fix the cars when you get older if you're that smart about 'em."

Donatello suddenly remembered something. A blush covering his cheeks, he pulled something from his book and carefully approached his sister as she was looking through her math book; her most hated subject. Cheyenne immediately noticed how funny her brother looked…and she had a feeling she knew what it was about.

"What's the matter, Bro-Bro?"

"U-Um…well…it's your best friend Anna's birthday tomorrow, right? I-I made her something…and could…could you ask her…"

Cheyenne suddenly took the homemade card from him and wore a smirk. "I'll give this to her, but I'm not gonna ask her if she'll go on a date with you."

The turtle gasped and then pouted furiously at his sister. "W-Why not!? I'm a nice boy! I think she'll like me!"

The girl shook her head and laughed. "Donnie, it's not that. I tell her about you all the time, and she thinks you're really nice. The thing is…you're half her age, and I don't know many six year-olds that date. Save the dating for the teen years; that's what I'm doing."

"B-But you'll be thirteen next year; it's not fair!"

"When I say teen years, I mean sixteen and above." She paused and turned back to her book. "Course…I'm gonna wait until I'm done with college to worry about a boyfriend."

Donatello's eyes widened. "You're gonna wait THAT long? Wait too long and you'll be a crazy cat lady!"

Cheyenne tore her eyes away from her book and almost spat out the piece of leftover pizza she was eating along with the Coca-Cola. "Wh-What!? A-As if that would ever happen!"

"I can just see you now! You'll have hundreds of cats and a stinky house!"

She suddenly got up from her desk and prepared to charge at him, but there was a playful smile on her face as she lunged. "I'll make you think stinky, you little turd!"

The turtle shrieked with laughter as he ran out of her room and into the hallway, Cheyenne following close behind. Once they got into the living room, the girl tackled her brother onto the couch and pretended to wrestle with him. She suddenly got Donatello on his shell and started tickling his plastron and feet.

"AAAHH!" The turtle shrieked. "C-Cut it out!"

"Tell me that I'm the greatest and coolest sister in the world and I'll stop!"

"Y-You know t-that already!"

"I wanna hear it out of your mouth!"

Donatello sputtered and giggled before wheezing out, "You're the greatest and coolest sister in the world and I love you, Sissy!"

Cheyenne suddenly stopped in order to reach down and give her brother a tight hug. "Aw, I love you too, Bro-Bro!"