Again, thank you all for your amazing support and words of comfort. You guys really helped me through this difficult time. I'm still hurting, but it'll heal over time.

NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes which I will fix later.

After splashing some cool water on his face, Donnie looked up from the sink and at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes trailed down to the what remained of his robotic right arm. The acid completely melted off most of the limb up to the shoulder. He easily repair it, make it better than ever, and go back to work.

He briefly looked down at the sink to turn the faucet off and then back up at the mirror. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw his reflection.

It was his teenage self again, glaring at him disapprovingly.

"What have you done, Donatello?" he hissed.

Donnie shook his head and turned away from the mirror, gripping the sides of his head. "Not again," he mumbled. "Just go away."

"Go away?" Younger Donnie snorted. "I'll never go away. And neither will the guilt."

Donnie turned back to the mirror. "What guilt?"

"The guilt you feel for not keeping your promise to Timothy."

Donnie flinched, the words stabbing at his heart. "No," he denied angrily, stomping over the sink and gripping the edges. "I did try. There was nothing more I could do for him."

Younger Donnie shook his head. "You know that's not true. You could've tried harder. Or you could've acquired the assistance of Dr. Rockwell."

"I'm telling you," Donnie yelled, "it was completely hopeless! I did the right thing by putting Timothy down and sparing him the pain of living in such a painful existence!"

"Sparing him the pain?" Younger Donnie hissed. "Are you kidding? You made him feel EXCRUCIATING pain in his final moments! You remember, don't you? His screams and that look of betrayal in his eyes. Oh, sorry, I meant, EYE."

Donnie gritted his teeth and closed his eyes shut. "Shut up," he mumbled.

"He was your friend, Donatello. He trusted you once. He called you his hero.

"I know that," Donnie snapped. "And I failed him. You don't think I'm aware of that?"

"And you're about to give up on Leo, too. You're going to let the police kill him...if he doesn't kill himself first."

"Leo chose this path himself. I'm not responsible for whatever happens to him."

"But you can prevent it."

Donnie shook his head. "No. I won't get involved. I've got too much to lose."

"So you're saying that your job and reputation is more important than your brother's life?"

Donnie banged on the sink furiously. "Why should I do anything for him?! He abandoned us! He's smeared our family's name with the blood of countless people! As far as I'm concerned, he's not my brother anymore!"

Younger Donnie's glare did not falter. "You talk as though you're better than him. But you're not. You turned your back on your family. You betrayed a friend's trust and then tried to kill him. And now you're going to let your brother die because you're too conceited and selfish to help him."

The cyborg Turtle's breathing became unsteady as those words began to sink in. "No...that's not..."

"Leo's not the only one who has tainted the Hamato name. You destroy and turn your back on people who need and depend on you."

"N..No...stop it...!"

Younger Donnie sneered. "You're a disgrace to the Hamato Clan. And you spit on Mikey's grave with your selfish-"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Donnie punched the mirror over and over again as he screamed, shattering the glass and leaving shards on the floor. After a few minutes of punching and screaming, he finally regained his composure. He panted and wheezed, gripping the sink to support himself, and he looked down at the shards of glass on the tile floor.

Instead of his reflection, the scattered pieces each showed a memory that he spent thirty years trying to forget. One piece showed him and Mikey as babies, not long after they mutated. Mikey had his mouth on Donnie's leg and the older Turtle whined in protest. Another showed a memory of when he was six, after he fell and scraped his knee. Leo knelt down and gently placed a Band-Aid on the wound before giving Donnie a loving pat on the head.

More and more memories appeared on each shard. Donnie was holding April in his arms and smiled down shly at her. Raph had Donnie in a headlock during training and was giving him a playful noogie. Timothy was fangirling over the awesome adventure he just had with the Ninja Turtles. Mutagen poured all over Timothy and he transformed into a blob monster. Mikey was being torn apart by Super Shredder in front of his eyes. Raph was begging for him to stay during their father's funeral. Leo smiled sadly at him as he walked out of the lab.

The final shard showed a memory of him and his brothers when they were nine. They were sitting in a circle in the dojo. Leo stood up and cleared his throat.

"Okay, let's say the oath," he said, raising his left hand and place his right over his heart. The others did the same. "Repeat after me. I, Leonardo..."

"I, Leonardo!" Mikey squeaked happily.

Donnie rolled his eyes. "No, Mikey, you're supposed to say, 'I, Michelangelo.'"

"Oh. I, Michelangelo!" "I, Donatello..." "I, Raphael..."

"...swear on my life..." Leo continued.

"...swear on my life..." the other Turtles repeated.

"...to always look after my brothers..."

"...to always look after my brothers..."

"...to put my family first before anything..."

"...to put my family first before anything..."

"...and to stick together no matter what."

...and to stick together no matter what."

"Okay, now let's do the blood oath," Leo held up a small sewing needle.

Mikey whimpered a bit and scooted closer to Raph. "Do we have to do?"

Raph scowled and slapped the back of Mikey's head. "Come on, you big baby! It's not that bad!"

"Actually, I share Mikey's concern," Donnie said a bit nervously. "You could catch certain diseases through blood oaths. There have been reports."

"So you're saying I might catch Mikey's stupid?" Raph snickered.

Mikey glared at him and stuck out his tongue.

"Come on, guys, this is a serious oath we're about to take here," Leo said. "We have to stick to it until the day we die. And I doubt we'll get sick, Donnie. You worry too much about that stuff anyway. I'll go first." He winced as he pricked his finger with the needle. He then passed the needle to Raph, who pretended not to feel any pain as he pricked his own finger. When he offered it to Mikey, the freckled Turtle whimpered and shook his head. Raph rolled his eyes and huffed before he came up with an idea.

"Alright, Mikey," he calmly said, "let's settle this with rock-paper-scissors. If you win, you won't have to take the blood oath. If I win, you'll stop being a big baby and prick your finger. Okay?"

Mikey nodded and held up his fist. Raph raised his and together they chanted, "Rock...paper...scissors...GO!" Raph had paper while Mikey had scissors.

"HA!" Mikey smiled triumphantly. "Scissors beats pa-OW!"

While Mikey had his fingers in the scissors formation, Raph took the opportunity to quickly prick one of them with the needle.

"You tricked me!" Mikey shouted before he placed his bleeding finger into his mouth.

Raph only smirked. He predicted that Mikey would pick scissors because he always did. He handed the needle to Donnie, who quickly pricked his needle, watching a tiny dot of blood form.

They turned to one another, rubbing their fingers together and mixing their blood, and after they were finished, Leo smiled at his brothers and held out his fist. "Remember, we must stick to the oath, no matter what happens in the future."

The four young Turtles fist bumped, nodding to each other. The vision faded, and Donnie could see his reflection again. He felt a shiver go down his spine as he stared down at his own robotic eyes. Had he always looked this frightening?

His knuckles were injured from the repeated punches to the mirror, and blood oozed from out of the cuts, dripping onto the floor.

"Do you remember now?" Younger Donnie's voice echoed in his head. "Who you really are?"

Donnie felt a lump form in his throat and the oil spilling out of his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a choked sob. His knees gave out and he dropped to the floor, not caring that the shards were digging into his hand.

"You're not a machine. You're Hamato Donatello. And your family needs you. Remember the oath. It was more than just a promise made between a group of kids. It was a promise made between brothers."

The cyborg Turtle began to wail and he bowed low to the ground, covering his head with his only arm. He didn't care if everyone outside the bathroom could hear him. For the first time since Mikey's death, Donnie let out his emotions.

As he continued to weep, he felt a warm hand touch his shoulder. He didn't look up to see who it was, but he didn't have to.

"It's okay, Donnie," Mikey's voice spoke softly to him. "Let it all out."

This made him cry even harder, and Mikey gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. He didn't know exactly how long he stayed like that, but it felt like an eternity before he finally calmed down. The spirit of his little brother knelt down and soothingly rubbed his shell.

"There," he said. "Feeling better?"

Donnie looked up at him, streaks of oil running down his cheeks. He tearfully laughed as he wiped his face. "More than I have in years." The smile dropped and he looked away from Mikey in shame. "Mikey, I...I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, bro," Mikey whispered, handing him a paper towel to clean the oil off his face.

"I broke my promise," Donnie gratefully took the towel and wiped the oil away. "Not just to Timothy, but to you guys, as well. I could've been there for Raph and Leo, but I was too busy being a selfish jerk."

"Yeah, but it's not too late," Mikey smiled warmly at him, taking his brother's hand which was still bleeding. Donnie looked on in amazement as the cuts suddenly disappeared, his knuckles completely healed. Mikey then pressed his finger against Donnie's, and the genius Turtle felt a warm sensation filling his heart and flowing through his veins. "Feel that, Donnie? Even after what happened years ago, we're still connected. I'm always with you, bro."

Donnie sniffled and smiled at him. "I know that now, Mikey. And I'm going to make things right again. That's a promise I intend to keep."

Mikey smiled even wider and lightly punched Donnie on the shoulder. "I knew you'd come through." Then he faded away, leaving Donnie alone in the bathroom.

Donnie looked at his reflection on one of the shards again. I think I'll start by making a few adjustments to my appearance.

"Timothy was just trying to protect me," Shadow quietly said as she took another bite of the Mexican Pizza. She and Raph sat at a table in the Paraiso restaurant. After hearing about what happened last night, Ronny kindly offered to cook them a free meal. "He didn't deserve what happened to him," she looked down at her plate in sadness.

Raph sighed and reached over to pat Shadow on the shoulder. "I know, kid. I just wish that...you know, that I could've done something. That's another person I failed to save."

"Uncle Raph, you shouldn't beat yourself over it," the teen said. "You did try to help him. While everyone else gave up on him, you didn't."

The Ninja Turtle nodded and picked up his glass of water. "Yeah, but it wasn't enough." As he lifted the glass to his lips, his eye widened when he saw a familiar figure standing at the entrance to the restaurant.

What was left of Donnie's robotic right arm was a metal shoulder pad. And he had apparently replaced his cybernetic eyes with real auburn ones. Biting his lower lip, the Turtle stepped into the room and softly closed the door behind him.

"Raph?" he croaked. He looked and sounded as though he was crying. "I need to talk to you."

Raph only glared at him and turned his head away. "Get out of here, Donnie. I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"Raph, please," Donnie's voice cracked.

At that moment, Ronny stepped out of the kitchen and noticed the stranger at the door. "Oh, I'm sorry, sir, but we're closed for the night. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to-" He paused when he recognized the Turtle from Splinter's funeral. "Hey, wait a minute...you're Raph's brother, Tony, was it?"

"It's Donnie, actually," the cyborg Turtle politely corrected. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but I need to talk to Raph."

"And I already told you to leave," Raph snapped.

"Uncle Raph, come on," Shadow softly said, taking Raph's hand. "He's your brother."

Ronny stepped over to the table. "I know it ain't none of my business," he said, "but you once told me that you wanted to bring your family back together. Well, now's your chance."

Raph closed his eye and sighed heavily. "Could everyone just please leave the room so that I can talk to him alone?"

"Sure," Shadow smiled and nodded. She followed Ronny into the kitchen, leaving the two Turtles alone together. Donnie walked to the table and took a seat directly across from Raph, who was still glaring at him.

Donnie cleared his throat. "Raph, I-"

"Before you start," Raph crudely interrupted, "let me speak my mind first. I think that what you did to Pulverizer was cruel and unjust, no matter what your excuses may be."

Donnie sighed and closed his eyes. "I know."

"You know, I looked up some information on him last night," Raph continued. "His mom never stopped searching for him for twenty-five years since his disappearance. Then she died in a car accident. As cruel as it sounds, I'm relieved that she's no longer alive, 'cause then I'd have to explain to her why her son was never coming home." He then sighed and rubbed his temples. "I can still hear the screaming."

"I know," Donnie repeated in a hushed, pained tone. "I can, too."

"I mean, what were you thinking, Donnie?!" Raph started to yell angrily. "If you wanted to put him out of his misery, you could've just blown his brains out with your gun instead of using an untested drug on him!" He paused when he realized what he just said. "Oh, god...what am I saying?" He lightly pounded his forehead with his fist.

"No, I understand what you meant, Raph," Donnie softly told him. He then buried his head in his hands and let out a shaky sigh. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to," Raph coldly said. "Unfortunately, it's too late."

Donnie looked up at him with watery eyes. "I'm apologizing to you, too, Raph. To everyone I've hurt." When Raph raised an eye ridge at him, Donnie continued to explain. "I've been selfish and put my work before my family. To be honest, I never really needed a job. I just wanted to numb the pain by working endlessly and sleeplessly. And for a long time, it worked."

He then smiled sadly as tears, not oil, slid down his cheeks. "But after last night, I realized that severing all ties to my family won't make things better. It's making things even worse. I...I lost sight of who I am. And I've forgotten the oath we took when we were kids."

Raph looked at him confused. "Oath?"

Donnie nodded. "The blood oath, remember?" To Raph's surprise, he took his brother's hand and pressed their fingers together. "I, Donatello, swear on my life to always look after my brothers, to put my family first before anything, and to stick together no matter what."

As Donnie restated the oath, Raph's mouth dropped open. He, indeed, remembered the oath they all took when they were kids, and he was surprised that Donnie remembered it too.

"I'm retaking the oath, Raph," Donnie said. "From now on, you and Leo come first. I want us to be a family again."

Raph chuckled in disbelief and shook his head, but he was teary-eyed. "This..." he choked, "this isn't a dream, right? This is really happening right now?"

Donnie smiled and walked around the table to embrace Raph, who gasped softly and stiffened. He buried his face in Raph's shoulder and hugged him even tighter. "Thanks for not giving up on us, Raph," he whispered.

Raph froze before he started to chuckle weakly, hugging Donnie back. Then he started to cry, shedding tears of joy. For the longest time, the two brothers just held each other, sobbing together. They eventually pulled apart, smiling at each other.

"So you got your old eyes back?" Raph asked as he dried his tears with a napkin.

"No, they're cybernetic eyes," Donnie sniffled. "But they're designed to look exactly like my real ones. Plus they secrete water instead of oil."

"Well, they certainly make you look less like a freak," Raph joked, to which Donnie chuckled and nodded his head in agreement.

Donnie's back in the family! Yes! :D

So what happens next? 0.0