A/N: Hi guys! I'm so happy that you all enjoyed my previous chapter, I hope this one is just as good! Thanks for all the love :P

"Ugh. . .what hit me. . .?" Donnie groaned as his senses returned to him, along with searing pain. He scrunched his eyes up in agony, biting down as sweat rolled off his warm face. He shivered as chills rattled through his body. His muscles ached, his breathing harsh. Donnie's head pounded with an unknown, but powerful force. He could feel his heart rate increase. He only became aware that he was laying on his bed when his body tangled itself into his sheets. He kicked them off, sitting himself upright and breathing heavily.

His room was coated with darkness and silence. The last thing Donnie remembered was being trapped in the devilish chair, forced to watch his past memories. Did his brothers rescue him? But. . .he had no memory of them saving him. Had he been unconscious? No, he couldn't have been. Sure he had been exposed to extreme trauma but he never went unconscious. If he had been asleep, he would have woken up from the sounds. Donnie was always known to be a light sleeper, add in the fact that he only saw nightmares when he slept, his brothers' presence would certainly have been noticeable.

He was fed up with all these questions and no answers. He needed to know what happened and, well every other detail after that. He needed to see his brothers. Not only to learn of what happened but also. . .they needed to talk. If these memories were truly as traumatic as he thought then there would need to be a serious conversation about them and how they would be handled. As much as Donnie wanted to shut them out and forget they existed, he knew he couldn't. The memories needed to be addressed.

He stepped from his bed, untangling his feet from the mess of sheets that now littered his floor. He minded where he stepped, not that he could see all that well but the embarrassment of slipping was enough for him to be mindful. Sticking his tongue out, Donnie made his way to his door. He felt a sense of accomplishment that was quickly overpowered with a sudden case of uneasiness. He carefully opened his door, peeking his head out like a scared little tot. He searched the hallway. The lair was quiet, but instead of a peaceful silence, an eerie silence met Donnie's ears.

He cautiously stepped out into the hallway, the cold floor created goose bumps on his arms. His body shivered as sweat continued to form. He didn't feel as painful as he did when he woke but the symptoms still lingered.

He quietly walked out into the main room of the lair. It was barely visible but he could feel the nostalgic comfort from his home. He smiled and sighed. His brothers were probably each asleep in their own rooms, most likely tired, from what Donnie assumed was a painful and challenging rescue.

Content that his anxiety was nothing more than the after effects of a troubling and excited day, Donnie made his way back to the corridors.

"So the dork's awake."

Donnie stopped in his tracks like a deer in headlights. His head slowly turned around until he was facing Raphael. His older brother was standing right behind Donnie, no more than five feet. His arms were crossed and his expression was the opposite of pleasant or anything caring. His emerald eyes glared at Donnie's soft ones. His face was contorted in a snarl. Donnie, for reasons unknown to him, felt his guard rising. He turned his body to his brother, putting up his hands in a defensive manner.

"R-Raph. . .?" Donnie croaked, "Is it really you?" He realized that this was the first time he was really seeing his brother, not just some hurtful memory. It was actually his brother. His big brother! Donnie felt his guard go down once again. This was Raph, not an enemy. His protective, big brother.

"Yeah, it's me." Raph said, almost irritatingly.

Donnie didn't notice, nor did he care. All he cared about was that he wasn't alone. For who knew how long he was forced to hear over and over again that Leo and Raph didn't care about him at all. He was told that they thought nothing of him. He was a pathetic failure to them. All Donnie could cling to was Mikey. Yet, he rarely had time to relieve his stress through the memories he shared with Mikey. Moments like that were rare and fleeting. They happened whenever Donnie wasn't escaping from a horrific nightmare or when he was being subjected to torture.

Still, during all that he was beginning to feel alone and just the sight of his brother. . .it was too much to take in. Donnie could feel an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness.

"Raph!" Donnie ran to his brother, wrapping his arms around his older brother. He could feel tears gather in his eyes but he didn't care. The fact that he could hug his brother. It was almost too much. His tears flooded down his face and down Raph's shoulder. His sobs filled the lair's silence. Donnie wrapped his arms tighter, yet he couldn't feel the gesture being returned. He blinked back his tears. He loosened his grip on his brother and slowly looked back at him.

"I never thought you guys would never come. . .I was so w-worried. I was starting to believe t-that everything he t-told me was true. . ."

"So, you really are still that dumb." Raph stated bluntly, keeping his eyes focused on Donnie.

"W-w-what. . .?" Donnie choked.

"You really thought that we cared? That we were going to come? Pathetic."

"R-Raph, I don't understand. . ."

"What's so hard to understand Donnie?" Donnie's head snapped to the corridors. He squinted at the figure until his eyes focused more, adjusting to the darkness. He could feel his heart stop. He became breathless.

Leo walked from his stance in the hallway, standing a few feet away from the pair. Similarly to Raph, Leo's expression was cold and dark. His eyes, that normally made Donnie feel safe and loved, were full of hatred. Donnie just couldn't understand. He was home, with his brothers. Obviously they cared about him enough that he was here, in his home with all of them. Shell, the last time he was with Leo his brother wanted to help him through his depression but now. . .Neither Leo or Raph looked happy that Donnie was there. And where was Mikey? Was his little brother asleep or did he not care that Donnie was awake?

"G-guys, w-what's going on?" Donnie asked, his voice shaking as he could feel his defenses act up again.

"You still don't get it do you Donnie? We didn't save you. Osamu couldn't get through to you so he brought you back here." Leo stated.

"But then why are you guys a-angry?"

"Why do ya think egghead. After you were taken we realized just how much you made things harder. While all of us got over father's death you still struggled. We saw how without your attitude we were able to come together and enjoy ourselves. We realized how much of a burden you were." Raph said, pushing Donnie from his body. Donnie fell to the floor, the pain from earlier returning. For the life of him, he couldn't pick himself back up. He was forced to watch Leo join beside Raph, mimicking Raph's stance.

"When Osamu took you Donnie, sure, we were worried. I mean look at this lair. It's chalked full with all your tech. With you gone how would things get repaired? Or what if we were found out again? Without you, we wouldn't be able to get a new lair set up."

Donnie let out a short chuckle, mixed with fear and relief. On one hand they saw him as a burden but on the other at least they felt he had some use. It wouldn't be all bad going back to being the repairman. At least he would still have a purpose.

"Then, since you were gone for so long, we all started to assume that you would never come back. So, when we gave up our patrols, we started taking up some of your responsibilities." Leo continued, crushing his brother's heart.

"That's right. Everything came easy to us. We learned that you had nothing to offer us anymore." Raph finished.

"N-no. . .No that's not true." Donnie replied, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I told you he would deny it." Leo muttered to Raph. "Look Donnie, you can still live here and you're still our brother but. . .that's pretty much it."

"No!" Donnie shouted, placing his hands tightly over his ears.

"You're useless."

"No."

"Pathetic."

"No. . ."

"Failure."

. . .

"Worthless."

"A sadorable, idiotic excuse of a brother."

"NO!"

Donnie's eyes shot open, revealing nothing but darkness. He panted heavily, his head resting on top of his chest. His arms struggled against the familiar restraints. The weight of the overhead helmet along with the echoing Donnie's shout had sprung up, informing him that he was still trapped in the hellish chair, stuck in the same hellish place, having the same hellish nightmares.

A nightmare. That's all it was. But. . .Donnie swore he could feel his brother's presence. They felt so real. It was the first time he was able to touch them, to hug them. They're voices never sounded closer. It was like they were right there. Right in front of him, but they weren't. Not this time or the time before that and the time before that. Heck, they probably wouldn't be there next time either. How long had he been gone? Were they even still searching. Surely they were. Or at least Mikey had to be.

Donnie hated to admit it, he loathed to, but he could feel himself slipping. Every time he tried to replace his sickening nightmares of his older brothers with pleasant ones, it always failed. Whether it was from the lack of pleasant memories or that the horrific ones were just that bad, Donnie didn't know. He couldn't stand the idea of losing his brothers but it just didn't feel like that's how it was on the other end.

Leo had talked to him. He tried to get Donnie to open up like he truly cared about Donnie's emotions. Or, at least, that's how it seemed. . .

Donnie could still feel the effects from the nightmare. He could still hear the vile and hateful things his brothers had said. Raph saying he was a burden and Leo saying he was replaceable. Was it how his brothers truly felt? It's not like they ever gave Donnie a reason to think otherwise. With the constant belittling, pressuring, and isolation, it made pushing his emotions harder.

Though. . .Donnie still couldn't hate them. He still wanted them to save him and take him home. His feelings from the nightmare weren't wrong. He knew it would take a while to get over everything, that it would be double the challenge of healing, but they would be at his side. . .Right?

'At least I have Mikey. . .' Donnie thought.

Mikey was the only brother Donnie didn't have nightmares about. He was the only brother Donnie felt he could truly trust and felt safe around. His little brother, his only little brother was Donnie's last relationship that hadn't been tempered with. He loved Mikey to death and knew that his little brother would never, could never hate any one of them. No matter what.

"Donatello."

Donnie yelped. The voice was unexpected and echoed loudly through the cell, causing Donnie to cringe.

"How are you?" Osamu asked. Donnie snarled.

"Peachy. Just peachy."

"I'm sorry for making you suffer, you must understand it's the only way I can get you to see the full picture." Osamu replied, in a calm tone.

Donnie turned his head away. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't need Osamu's voice, giving him sympathies or pity. He was already dealing with the voices of his brother's belittling him every moment of the day.

"Tell me, what are you feeling?" He asked, once again.

"Why don't you tell me. With your technology I'm sure you're able to monitor every emotion I'm feeling."

"You aren't wrong Donatello. Our monitors here inform me of the deep war within yourself. I can see your logic trying to overwhelm the emotional part of your brain. I can see that your heart rate increase with every memory that flashes through your mind. I can see your adrenaline rise. Please remember Donatello, I am not the enemy here. I'm simply a man that cares for your well being. If that means showing you that you are not safe within the arms of your brothers and friends, then so be it. But I am not to blame, child. Believe me, it hurts to see you suffer in agony each day."

"Then how long are you going to control my mind like this? You claim watching me is painful yet you sit there on the sidelines watching, sending in one of your soldiers instead of yourself to take care of my injuries and my health. If you truly cared for my health, some say that actually trying to help speeds up the healing process." Donnie responded.

"In order for the healing process to begin, I need you to understand why your brothers are in the wrong. That leads to my next question. Have you had enough? I'm giving you an opportunity to let go of your past and start again. No more pain, no more suffering." Osamu continued calmly.

"You will no longer be seen as just someone who can fix things, nor will you be forced to fix things. You will be surrounded by people who only care about your well being even if you have done nothing for them."

Donnie raised his head toward where he imagined he was being watched. Even though his eyes were concealed, he formed a glare.

"No. . .even if Leo or Raph. . .even if that's how they see me. . .even if that's how my friends see me, I still have Mikey. I can't let go of everything and leave him behind. He's my best friend, my only little brother. I know he still cares about me. . .'' Donnie panted, he could feel his body become more and exhausted. Sleep deprivation, nightmares, abuse, flashing memories, it was all beginning to take its toll on him as he struggled to defend the last turtle he knew wouldn't think of him as Leo and Raph did. Mikey, his baby bro, his best friend.

His last hope.

"I was afraid of this. I'm sorry Donatello but until you let go, I must continue."

"Do your worst, Osamu. I'm n-not letting go."

"Osamu," Katsumi pleaded, "Look at him, I don't think he's going to be giving up anytime soon. You've already put over a month's worth of suffering into his mind. Don't you think that's enough? Don't you think now is the time to stop the torture and prove to him why you're the better option?"

Osamu looked over at Katsumi. He could clearly see the begging in her eyes. He looked back at the glass, revealing the cell to which Donatello sat. The mutant was bruised, and almost skeleton like. His skin was several shades lighter than it had been when Donatello was first brought in. The turtle was panting heavily and sweat coated his shivering body. From Katsumi's visits, he was close to a fever. His health was getting worse as were his nightmares. Osamu could see that Donatello was hiding the pain he was feeling. He could hear the anguish cries of the turtle as he spoke against the harsh words that he heard within the depth of his mind. What used to be nights of Donatello calling out for his brothers to come save him, were replaced by them to go away. Even pleas to his deceased father were rare but not unheard of.

Speaking of Splinter, Osamu knew in the very beginning that driving the turtle away from his father would be an added challenge. It was already past a month and Osamu still needed to enforce the youngest turtle's role in everything. Having to add the father's influence would just be a pointless hurdle that concealed a better solution. With Splinter dead, Osamu knew there was no way for the father to be with Donatello physically. As for spiritually, with Donatello's spirit a chaotic mess and the boy's already struggling with meditation, Osamu knew he didn't have to worry about such a gathering happening anytime soon. So, instead of forcefully showing Donatello any negative emotions with his father, Osamu figured he could use the rat's death to his advantage.

When he had kidnapped the turtle he knew that Donatello hat yet to mourn the passing of his late father. With those emotions of missing his father, along with the mixture of fear from his brothers, Donatello would be longing for someone to take the place of his usual source of comfort. That's where Osamu was going to step in. Once Donatello had nowhere else to turn to he would either let go of his life completely or be willing to try again.

He knew the perfect way to test the idea but he couldn't yet. Not with Donatello obviously still clinging to the safety of his little brother.

It annoyed him to still see that even after a month that was filled with weeks of suffering and nightmares that not once did Donatello show signs of letting go his loyalty for his baby brother. He knew that the youngest would be the toughest one but he was hoping that it wouldn't take as long to sever the connection.

That's what today was about. From Donatello's vitals and emotional state, he could see the psychological damage that had occurred. It would be wasted time to keep indulging the turtle with memories of his oldest brothers. The nightmares the turtle were having we're doing a good enough job to keep the turtle on his feet and reluctant to reach out to both Leonardo and Raphael.

If he didn't start engraving Michelangelo into those nightmares soon, he knew he would never be able to and Donatello would never willingly follow his plans.

Osamu glanced back at Katsumi, giving her a gentle smile. She had been the one that had been taking care of Donatello. She treated his injuries and did her best to make sure he was healthy and that his body was never in immediate danger. Osamu had a scientist on hand that was always aware of Donatello's vitals.

He could see that his friend wanted this to end, that she wanted him to either drop this project or stop the torture. There was a part of Osamu that was close to pulling the plug on this project, there truly was. He sometimes laid awake at night wondering if this was all worth it. He thought of how his parents would feel if they knew what he was doing. Was he as dishonorable as the clan he sought to destroy? Was the turtle truly worth all this trouble?

Then came the other part of Osamu. Every time he came close to stopping everything, he looked at the turtle as he suffered. It was almost as if he enjoyed it. Seeing the turtle writhe in agony, watching his world burn. It felt relieving in a way. After years of seeing his world burn as he struggled to gain control of everything, Osamu could feel his pent up anger and rage turn into greed as he watched Donatello suffer the same thing. Finally, someone else knew what it was like. Someone else was feeling the pain and it wasn't him. He didn't see Donatello as the frail, depressed turtle he was, no, he saw Saki there in the turtle's stead. He saw the foot clan. He saw all the members of the Hamato Clan. Everyone that pained him, that hurt him, mocked him, replaced the turtle. During those moments, Osamu increased the pain. He ordered more shocks, more abuse. As much as he would be allowed to, Osamu ordered more suffering, barely giving Donatello a break during Osamu's intense moments of unforgivable rage.

"Sir?" Katsumi asked, seeing that her friend was in deep thought."

"We can't stop." Osamu muttered. "We won't stop until he's given up."

"Okay. . ." Katsumi reluctantly agreed.

"Doctor, are we good to go for the next stage?" Osamu asked, turning the scientist at the computers.

"Yes but be careful. The patient's recently had a nightmare that's shaken him up more than usual."

"Understood." He replied, leaning his head toward the microphone that was connected to Donatello's speakers that were hung around in his cell. There were two speakers in total. They were at a safe enough distance that they wouldn't cause permanent damage to his ears but just close enough that they would be nearly impossible to ignore.

"So Donatello, what makes your little brother so special to you that you cling to as if he's the last source of comfort in your life." Osamu asked.

"What makes y-you think I'm g-going to tell you that?" Donatello asked with his barely audible, scratchy voice.

"If you'd rather not talk, I can leave you alone with your nightmares." Osamu said, hoping that at this point talking to him was better than seeing nightmares in Donatello's perspective.

"He's my best friend. As kids, Leo and R-Raph would get into fights. . .Mikey and I would s-spend that time together. He would come to me when he had nightmares. I would be his confidant as he would be mine whenever the issue was made known to him. He h-helped, or at least kept me company in my lab. Besides. . .he's Mikey. Our baby brother. . .I could never. . .He would never think. . ." Donnie stopped, thinking he justified his brother enough.

"I see what you're saying Donatello. Michelangelo means a lot to you and I struggle to find moments where he has shown that he holds any negative feelings towards you."

"Ha-"

"However, there is something else." Osamu stated, keeping his voice relaxed.

"What. . .?" Donatello asked, trying to mask his fear.

"It seems that you depend on Michelangelo for a means of emotional support that is lacking between Leonardo and Raphael. You see your relationship as a way to help you get through the emotions that are too challenging for you to handle on your own."

"My question is. . .are the feelings mutual? Before you get defensive, hear me out.

"From your answers and from what I've seen from your relationship second hand, it's clear that you truly depend on Michaelangelo. He's there to help you calm down from the stress of your position, he is the reason you are an older brother. As you said, he's the only brother that has ever really taken an interest in your sciences, so he's there to help you feel like your feelings are important."

"Where are you going with this. . .?" Donnie asked.

"You need Michelangelo more than he needs you."

Osamu could see the turtle freeze from the statement. Donatello was caught off guard, he had been ready to jump on the defensive side, ready to make claims that Michelangelo wasn't in the same category as Leonardo or Raphael.

"Think about it. For starters he already has two older brothers. If he goes to you for comfort what's the difference in going to either Leonardo or Raphael? Sure, Raphael is more gruff and Leonardo may not always give him the same comfort but think about how life has been recently. With the loss of your father, all of your brothers have been in an intense emotional state. Michelangelo is more than likely receiving enough support from them.

"Do you truly believe that just because you see him as your best friend that that automatically makes you is? Look at his relationship with your older brothers. Him and Raphael, while still not the perfect relationship, have seemed to greatly improve from the times I fought with you all during my time as a soldier. Or look at Leonardo. With your Sensei gone He's sure to draw closer to him as a way to preserve what he sees as your baby brother's innocence.

"Whereas your best relationship is with Michelangelo, his relationships seem farther than your brotherhood. He has, what's his name, ah, Leatherhead. Let's see he's also got that gecko kid. Whereas you have April. . .but then she killed you. . .you got your bro-nope, they think nothing of you. That monkey guy. . .? Oh wait, he nearly killed you too and that's when your brothers did nothing but laugh at you. . .

"I could go on, Donatello. Face reality. Michelangelo doesn't depend on you. You need him more than he could ever need you."

Osamu turned the microphone off as he finished. Through the thick glass he could clearly hear Donatello's anguish cry. Tears started to fall down his face, his voice whimpering from his words. Satisfied, Osamu turned to the scientist once again. "Play back some memories you stored from his little brother once he's a little more calm. I'm heading out to see what the scouts in New York have reported. Katsumi, you can go ahead and release him from the chair for a couple minutes. See if he needs anything. Also, feel free to talk to him today." Osamu said as he prepared himself to leave.

"Are you sure?" Katsumi asked, unsure.

"Absolutely." Osamu said before leaving.

Katsumi looked over to the turtle and entered his cell. As she entered, the bonds on Donatello's chair released. If not for Katsumi, the turtle would've slumped to the floor. Katsumi was there to catch him in an instant, wincing from the weight and how it was getting lighter with each time she did this.

Donatello groaned in response but immediately quieted as he was lowered to the floor. She could see his body relax on the cold tiles as it stretched itself out from sitting from so long.

"I'm sorry Donatello. . ." She said as she stroked her finger alongside the visible parts of the turtle's head. She wished she could take the helmet off; such action was only permitted when the turtle needed to use the restroom or from when it had to be.

"Y-you're talking to me. . .?" Donatello asked, having only heard her voice once.

"How are you feeling. . .?" She asked, avoiding the previous question.

"Numb. . .like. . .-"

"Like there's no one else in the world to save you? I get it. I felt like that after my family was murdered and my home was destroyed." Katsumi interrupted, speaking from her own experiences.

"I'm sorry that happened."

Katsumi had to stop herself from laughing. Even if she wasn't directly part of the turtle's torture it's not like she really did anything to prevent it, yet here he was, giving his sympathies for her instead of ignoring her or flat out cursing her out.

"H-How did you. . .heal. . .?" Donatello asked.

"Osamu found me. We had already been friends previously but he gave me the chance I needed to get off my feet and do something with my life. I won't lie, it took me a while to get back to a hundred percent, even now I don't think I'm fully there yet.

"Look Donatello-"

"Don." He stated.

"I'm sorry?" She questioned.

"J-just call me Don, it's easier than having to always s-say Donatello. . ." He responded with a weak smile.

"Don. . .What Osamu did for me, he's trying to do for you. He needed to show you all of this so you could see that you were surrounded by an unsafe and unhealthy environment. That's it. He only wants to help you and give you a greater opportunity. I promise, that once this is all over and done with he will never hurt you. He won't criticize you, belittle you, or make you feel like you're a failure.

"You just have to give him that chance. In the end, if you really rather be with your brothers then I will personally bring you back to them, okay? I promise." She knew that if Osamu heard her last line that she would get into serious trouble but she didn't care. It was worth the punishment.

"O-okay. . ." He responded.

"Try to get some rest, I'll start treating your injuries." She said, giving his arm a little rub.

As Katsumi turned to the med kit, she failed to hear Donatello mumble before falling into another uneasy sleep.

"Subete no nozomi wa kiete. . ."

All hope disappears. . .

A/N: Poor Donnie, he is really starting to believe all hope is lost. . .on another subject, we have Mikey next week! We'll finally get to see how a certain baby bro thinks about everything that's been going on. . .

Don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing from you guys! Have a fantastic day y'all. . .