"Okay Kira, here we go. Anastasia," Don said as sat down on the couch next to his sister and wrapped one arm around her as he settled down and picked up the VCR remote. "It's a great movie with plenty of disney action-goodness. And I think you'll really like it." He said as he started the movie. Kira curled up against his side and watched the beginning and blinked at the heart wrenching scene where little Anastasia was seperated from her father- and felt herself pushing away from Donatello a little bit so that she could lean forward.

Don watched Kira like a hawk, suddenly thinking that maybe he should have started off with The little Mermaid after all. He had forgotten that little Anastasia's family either got seperated from her or killed at the start of the movie.

Which would be like re-living Kira's own pain and loss. God I'm such an idiot- Don thought in disgust as he suddenly turned the movie off and reached out and pulled Kira back against his chest and ran his fingers through her thick, dark hair. Trying to sooth her as she hid her face against his plasteron and started crying quietly.

"Oh Kira... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I completely forgot about what happens in the beginning of the movie." Don said softly, his heart aching in his chest as Splinter suddenly appeared and looked at the pained expression on Don's face then at his youngest child and sighed.

"Donatello, let me take Kira." Splinter said as he reached out and gently pried the distraught child from his son. Kira curled up in his arms and buried her face against his neck and let out a small wail as her tears soaked his fur. Splinter took a moment to rub her back and speak softly to her in japanese. Telling her that he would raise her to be someone that her parents would be proud of.

Someone that he and her new siblings would be proud of.

He told her that they would never leave her. That they would always be with her. No. Matter. What. Then glanced at Donatello again and noted that his son was quietly watching them before saying, "I forgot how the story of Anastasia started-"

"It is not the story that upset her, my son. It is the fact that she so recently lost her biological family and had her life uprooted." Splinter said as he continued to rub Kira's back.

"I still should have remembered-" Don said. Splinter shook his head and gave his son a sad smile.

"My son, you did not make a mistake for which you should apologize. Kira's wounds will heal with time, patience, and understanding. As her new family, she needs these things from each of us." Splinter said as he stopped rubbing Kira's back long enough to reach out and gently pat Donatello on the arm. Donatello hung his head as Splinter brushed past him and disappeared around the couch and into his room, carrying his newest child as if she weighed no more than a mere pebble.

Once in his room, Splinter walked over to his bed. The slight sway of his body as he moved had lulled Kira into a semi sleepy state as she clung to her new father. Setting Kira down, Splinter then walked over to a small wooden chest that Donatello and the others had made for his birthday one year back when they were children. And carefully opened the lid and pulled out an origami flower and crane and then walked back over to Kira and pressed them into her little hands and said, "You know, back when your brothers were still young- perhaps even younger than you- they would spend hours sitting here in my room, folding paper and playing with it like normal children. For many years those pieces of paper were the only real joy they had as children. They used to wish to be normal so badly that they began to hate themselves for being different-"

Reaching out he gently wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs and then slipped a hand under her chin and tilted her head up a bit so that he could look into her eyes and gave her a fatherly smile. "I want you to keep those with you, little one. As a reminder- not to hate yourself for something you could not have stopped and as a reminder that you'll always have a family and a place to call home."

Kira looked down at the little crane and flower and then back at her new father, and blinked red rimmed eyes as Splinter asked, "Would you like to play with them while I meditate for a little while?" Not really knowing what to do, she nodded her head and Splinter smiled again and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Good. Come sit next to me." He said as she climbed off of his bed and followed him over to a couple of mats on the floor...

(************************************************* *********************************************)

The second Splinter had taken Kira from the room, Don was up and out of the living room. Making his way back to his lab, he all but slammed the heavy door behind him and dropped down into his computer chair and buried his face in shaking hands. Fuck, how could he have been so cruel as not to think about how the Disney movie would affect Kira? Was he an idiot or something? He wondered as he closed his eyes and got a flashback to the other night.

He could see Kira staring blankly at her parents corpses, her face pale, her eyes red and glassy looking. There had been a brief flash of disbelief followed by shock then horror on her face before her expression had blanked. The other's hadn't noticed- but he had. And despite what others may think, he was trying to be patient and kind and understanding.

He knew that losing one parent was bad but both at the same time, and in such a horrible way- was heartbreaking and traumatizing in ways that he couldn't even begin to understand.

Sighing he lifted his head from his hands, noting vaquely that they were shaking a bit less now. But that didn't mean that he wasn't still upset. He was. And he would have to take his mind off of things for a bit before he well and truely settled down.