Rating: Overall story rated T

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Warnings: Overall story contains disturbing imagery such as blood, gore and the like, not to mention disturbing situations.

Summary: The world as they knew it has gone to ruins. The shadows, once their greatest allies, now harbour threats so great it's better to risk walking in daylight, and Mikey and April will do anything to keep what remains of their family safe; even if it means abandoning home and everything they knew. This story is AU and a collaboration between Sampsonknightand Zelgadis55.

Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.


Sekai no Owari

Ch 4

The whirling fans crackled and hummed, stirring the atmosphere and giving the cold metal room an eerie, nightmarish feel. A wail suddenly split the air and limbs began to thrust repeatedly, desperately, hitting warm and soft, yet also solid flesh. Donnie groaned and sleepily reached out a hand, pushing away the offending object hitting him. "Mikey," he whined sleepily, "leave me alone..." There was no response to his plea until moments later when, as if in a fit of pique, he was full-on whacked again, far harder than before.

"Mikey!" Donnie yelled in annoyance. His hands flew to his beak to cradle the pain and protect himself from further abuse as he sat up. "I'm awake already!" Then he blinked, looking around in confusion; his mischievous brother was nowhere in sight, in fact, no one was. Suddenly, it hit Donnie that he wasn't in his warm, soft bed where he expected to be but instead, on the ground. Donnie stared around, trying not to tremble in his quickly rising fear. He didn't know how he got here and he was here all alone, no brothers, no father and neither did he recognise this strange place. In fact, the last thing he recalled was being tucked into bed by his father, in the bedroom he shared with Mikey. So how did he get here and how did whoever brought him here get him past Master Splinter? Suddenly the terrible screech of a cat in heat reached his eardrums, interrupting his thoughts, and startled, he looked around for the source. A tiny mutant turtle baby lay in front of him, kicking out wildly at nothing as it wailed. Hesitantly but curiosity leading him, Donnie swallowed his fear and reached out slowly to touch the small child, wondering where the shell it came from.

The baby, laying on its shell on the cold metal floor, couldn't be comfortable. Donnie swallowed painfully as he sympathised, turtles weren't meant to be on their shells and it had taken his brothers and himself years of training to be comfortable, defying their instincts to lay that way. No wonder it, he, Donnie felt on impulse, kicked and screamed so loudly. Loose swathes of material lay nearby, previously worn, with what appeared to be a ragged and slightly stained red mask, longer than but not too unlike those he and his brothers wore with pride, along with bandages and roughly scuffed knee and elbow padding.

Confused, and shell did his face and throat hurt, that little mutant baby sure kicked hard, Donnie thought as he reached down to pick him up off the ground, only to notice what looked like a belt far too large for the little turtle laying across him, weighed down by twin metal sai with sharpened tines. Donnie quickly pulled the belt free before picking up the child who suddenly somehow reminded him of his brother Raph and not just due to the hue of his skin.

Stopping his cries for a moment, the baby turtle gawked up at him, bewildered as he stared back, unsure. Moments later, the silence was shattered again as the baby's face crumpled up before suddenly screaming again, thrashing his legs about, trying to break free of the much bigger turtle.

As the baby stiffened between kicks, limbs akimbo, Donnie struggled to keep a firm hold of him and a surge of panic arose within. How was he supposed to know what to do? They'd never dealt with a baby before, turtle or otherwise. Frantically, his logical mind worked on the problem, his memory flashing back to times he'd seen mothers with crying babies on TV, "Shh, little baby, shh, it's okay," Donnie desperately tried to soothe, his voice cracking with unease.

The baby shuddered in his grasp as his voice miraculously reached him. Fearful golden eyes wide open, the small mutant baby stared up at him oddly before tilting back in horror as if Donnie had grown three heads. Once more, he screamed his lungs out, wanting, needing, someone to save him from the monster holding him.

In panic, Donnie looked wildly about yet again. Talking to the baby didn't work and he didn't know what else to do! "Master Splinter?" he called, trying to dampen down his panic as he tried to hold tightly to the flailing, screaming child. "Where are you, Master Splinter? I really, really need you."

A slight moan came from the door, causing Donnie to look over to see a vaguely familiar-looking small, forest-green turtle stagger in, rubbing his eyes with a too big, blue bandana which hung loosely around his neck. Swallowing his disappointment that it wasn't his father coming to help, Donnie watched the young turtle pause in fright and eye him with uncertainty. The child shuddered in fear, panicking as he took a step backwards, looking sick as his breathing quickened.

"Wait!" Donnie yelped as he reached out to the child with one hand, only to suddenly realise he'd half released the baby in his arms who screamed louder as he flopped badly from the lack of support; he quickly replaced his hand. "Who are you? How did you get here?" he called, desperate for answers. "Do you... know where we are?"

Wide-eyed, the younger turtle swallowed hard, shaking his head in terror, searching around as if for someone he knew, someone to help him as he took another step back, readying himself to run.

Donnie clambered unsteadily to his feet without the use of either hand. He opened his mouth to speak once more but consumed by his fear, the child wildly shook his head, whimpering under his breath loud enough to be carried over the screaming baby turtle in his arms, "Daddy!"

Leaping to one foot as he pivoted on his heel, the small child scrambled forward, nimbly avoiding the clutter of gear on the ground and making a dead run for it. Inches away from the door to this strange, terrifying lab, he took a deep breath to help power his voice as his echoing cries bounced off of every surface, "Master Splinter!"

Mouth agape at the over-the-top reaction from the small turtle bearing one his brothers' colours, Donnie blinked as the child cried out for a second time, calling for Donnie's father. He glanced down at the still screaming and contorting baby, wanting to put him down but knowing he couldn't, and back after the fleeing child. Donnie began to shake again. Two young turtles, both with the colouring of his brothers and with their bandana colours on or near in an unknown lab, yet none of his brothers around. Nor his father.

Donnie began to race after the terrified turtle, calling out to him, only to feel something slip down his leg before tripping him up. Donatello cried out as he fell forward. Instinct kicked in and he twisted mid-fall, drawing the screaming infant in as close as possible to protect him as he fell on his shell instead.

For a moment, Donnie lay there, breathing heavily, before pushing himself up and examining the baby for injuries. As far as he could tell, he was fine, other than the infernal screaming which had only increased in pitch and volume, so he turned his attention to himself, wondering just what it was that tripped him up.

To his surprise, he saw one knee pad tangled around his feet and he shakily reached down in shock. Taking it off, he examined it. It was far too large for him, as if made for a much bigger turtle and he began to breathe hard, wondering just what the hell was going on.

Then he looked at his other gear. His belt, too, hung loosely along with his elbow pads, only even still on his arms due to the fact he was holding the screaming infant. One knee pad was missing entirely and as he looked back into the room he'd just exited, he saw it puddled in an untidy pile on the metal floor. And there too, was a bo staff far too large for his use.

Donnie began to shake harder as his quick mind tried to piece everything together. As far as he could see, there were just two possibilities. One was simply impossible and the other, well, one brother sure was a master prankster, even at the tender age of twelve.

But where would even Mikey have found a baby mutant turtle and a small child?

While Donnie worked to understand the situation, the baby, bawling and coughing with snot running from his nostrils suddenly stopped, instead tugging hard on Donnie's purple mask tail. The more he pulled, the more the whimpering finally died down, replaced by some curious and happy coos, fascinated by the texture of the fabric and how it felt in between his tiny fingers. Instinctively, the tail was shoved into his mouth as his tongue experienced the odd tastes and roughness of the material and with a high pitched coo, he chewed on the end with delight.

Donnie started, shocked out of his thoughts as he felt something pull taut across his strangely sore throat. He stared down, mesmerised at the baby, momentarily forgetting all else as the wonder of the baby in his arms beginning to quieten down sank in. Suddenly realising that it was his mask being tugged on, a mask that like the rest of his gear was also too big for him, Donnie adjusted his hold on the infant to support him better and reached up with his other hand, gently pulling the material away from the child's grasping, pudgy fingers and wet, bubbling mouth.

"You can't chew on that, it's not a toy," he explained softly, his heart breaking in fear over everything that'd happened since he awoke. "You don't know where it's been. Shell! I don't know where it's been..."

The string of drool trailed from the baby turtle's mouth to the soaking wet mask tail and Donnie couldn't help but shudder at the sight, reminded of times certain brothers had woken him when they were younger before Master Splinter put a stop to such behaviour. The little one's eyes glistened, lips trembling ever so slightly before alarming cries burst anew out of him over his new found comfort being taken away.

"No, no, no, no! Please don't cry again," Donnie begged, feeling panic surge within once again and he desperately cast his gaze around the room to find something, anything else he could give the infant in place of his mask. To his shock, the unfamiliarity of the surroundings and the fact that they were in a lab, a damaged lab, struck him full force and he felt weak at the knees. Without noticing, he let go of his mask tail as he stared all about and it soon found its way back into the baby's grasp.

He didn't know where he was.

He didn't know where his brothers were, or his father.

And he was suddenly lumbered with a baby that he wasn't old enough to deal with, nor had he the experience to do so.

-:-

Pelting frantically around every corner, twist and turn he could find in a desperate effort to lose the strange monster he was sure wanted to eat him, Leonardo found himself coming across dead-end after locked door after terrifying drop.

He didn't understand why he was here, what that terrifying yokai was and why he wasn't safely home with his brothers and father.

Calling out repeatedly for each by name and even nicknames, he whimpered softly, holding his sides for comfort as feelings of loneliness and abandonment took root.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to curl up in a ball in the nearest dark corner, but he couldn't. He needed to be strong, knowing that Raphie would make totally make fun of him if he found him that way.

Then there was the fact that he knew that if his father found him first, he would be disappointed that he wasn't acting like the big brother he was named as.

Slowing down, his little legs were getting tired and sore, Leonardo sniffled miserably, wiping his dripping nose as he finally came to a door that sat ajar.

Peeking inside, Leo gawked at familiar dolls decorating the brightly painted dresser in the corner. They looked just like Mikey's, but the rest of the room was full of large and strange furniture that was too big for his little brother, not to mention there weren't any of anyone else's things in there either.

Not bothering to explore any further into this room he moved on seeing more doors open, even as others were closed. As he wandered by, he tentatively tried each handle, opening the doors to peer inside when they were unlocked, but it wasn't until he reached the last one that his hands shook, a dreadful feeling washing over him as if warning him not to enter.

Ignoring the silly feeling, he struggled to twist the unlocked handle and push the door open, screaming in fear and disbelief when he did.

In the middle of the room sat a memorial. Knowing all too well exactly what it was and what it represented, Leonardo shook his head in denial as he stared, tears falling from eyes no longer able to contain them.

This was for his Master… his father. The picture was of him, the cane presented was his and every piece to honour his memory all belonged to him!

Unable to fathom how this was possible, Leo cried out in pain and confusion. This all had to be some hellish nightmare and he just wanted to wake up! Right now! He wanted to be home again, he wanted this place to disappear and he wanted to be surrounded by the comfort of his father and brothers.

"DADDY!" Leo screamed, taking a few stumbling steps back.

"MIKEY!" he cried out again, scrambling from the room.

"RAPHIE!" he begged, desperate for someone to answer him.

"DONNIE!" he lost all composure and his legs collapsed out from under him.

-:-

Suddenly aware the baby was quiet and chewing on his mask once more, Donnie sighed softly to himself and straightened; he wanted to take it away again but he really couldn't deal with that screaming, not right now. He stared around the strange place he found himself in again. It was unlike anywhere he'd seen within the sewers and he wondered just how far he was from home.

Ignoring his disturbing thoughts from earlier, he hesitantly began exploring his surroundings beyond the room he'd woken in. It wasn't long before curiosity and fascination took over and he realised the machinery around him was that of a pumping station. While it didn't look abandoned, it certainly didn't appear to be in use either, at least not for its original purpose at any rate.

Just then, over the soft cooing of the babe in his arms, he heard the distant echo of a traumatised child's voice, terror inherent within. Donnie looked in the direction the sounds came from and remembered the child, who at a guess looked like a five or maybe six year old, who, if he remembered right, and he always did, looked just like Leo did at that age. He opened his mouth as if to speak but closed it again, instead concentrating on listening to and following the voice.

As Donnie traversed the foreign cage of metal gantries and catwalks, he found numerous doors leading to closed-off rooms. Though his curiosity ate at him, he ignored them, in favour of continuing to follow the child's voice. The voice he could now hear calling his name and those of his brothers and father.

A chill surged through him as he realised the one name not being called was that of Leonardo...

The small child had looked just like he remembered Leo looking years before...

He glanced down again at the baby fearfully, a voice whispering deep within that his outlandish theory was becoming more and more realistic, no matter how impossible it was, and he began to shake again.

Ra... No! The baby... stopped his chewing, looking up at Donnie and blinking. He reached out a tiny hand to Donnie's beak, grasping at it gently as another soft, plaintive coo came from him.

Donnie's eyes widened as the drool covered hand gently clutched at him. For some reason, he immediately felt calmer and he smiled wanly down at the little turtle. "It's okay," he said softly, "everything's going to be just fine. Once I find Master Splinter," he added distantly as he looked up again. He had to find Le... that other turtle.

Donatello continued walking towards the frantically yelling voice, and finally, as he turned a corner, he stopped dead. There was the wide-eyed child only metres in front him, also stopped stock still but ready to turn and flee at the slightest provocation.

"L... Leo?" Donnie asked hesitantly, believing himself to be insane for even considering his outlandish theory.

Leo paused in mid-flight, tilting his head at the stranger, "How... how do you know my name...? Are you... going to eat me?"

Donnie stared in disbelief, both over the ludicrous question and the fact this child had actually just responded to his brother's name.

At the lack of response, the small turtle seemed to become even more uneasy, taking a step back, ready to bolt.

"Don't run!" Donnie blurted frantically. "I..." Donnie was about to give the whole spiel of his theory and how he came to his insane conclusions but realised there was no way such a small child would understand.

"That's what the scary yokai always says! Before... before he eats the little turtle that disappointed his father... I must have did something wrong... that is why I'm here... I... I didn't mean to break the lamp and make Raphie take the blame, really!" Shuddering in terror, Leo placed his hands on his head as tears rolled down his cheeks, "I'm sorry, daddy! Please save me! I'm sorry!"

"What? No! I'm not a yokai! I'm a turtle! Like you!" Donnie protested, suddenly feeling like what the small turtle said was familiar. He thought back and remembered a few weeks before their sixth birthday when Leo and Raph had been roughhousing in the living room and Leo had knocked their brother into the table, causing the lamp to smash. Splinter had immediately rushed to the scene to find Raph picking himself up from among the ceramic shards and no one else in sight. Raphael had, of course, protested his innocence but with no one backing him up, he'd taken the brunt of the blame. "I'm your brother, Donatello," he explained weakly, suppressing a groan. He barely believed the truth himself, so how was he supposed to expect Leonardo to?

Leo shook his head; it was a trick! "No, you're not! Donnie is my age, a kid like me an' you're an adult!"

"I'm not an adult! I'm only twelve!" Donnie protested, trying to shake the chilling memory of his own gear that was far too big for him. "And you and Raph are supposed to be twelve too!"

"You're lying! You're not Donnie, you can't be! I'm not twelve, I'm five! You're a yokai and that room with Daddy's memorial is also a lie so you can trick me to eat me like you probably eaten Mikey already or Raphie for he is taster them me!" Leo snarled, puffing his cheeks out and thrusting his fists to his sides.

Donnie felt sick at hearing the awful words coming from his suddenly far younger brother. "Dad... Master Splinter's..." he swallowed, "memorial? What... do you mean by that, Leo?"

Leo narrowed his eyes, huffing, then pointed back towards where he came from, "There!" he spat. "Back there! I saw it with my two eyes," he exclaimed, pointing to his eyes with his fingers.

Fear filling him at the terrifying thought it might be real, Donnie looked past Leo, staring down the passageway where Leo pointed. "Will you show me?" he asked plaintively; not really wanting to see but knowing he had to check it out. Without waiting for an answer, he began walking towards the smaller turtle, heading for the passage he'd come from.

Wary and still obviously frightened of him, Leo took a step back, looking as if he wondered if he could outrun him. That was until the baby suddenly started crying again, stopping the older brothers in their tracks.

"Please don't cry again, Raphie!" Donnie cried out in desperation. He grabbed the end of his mask tails again, dangling them enticingly against Raph's mouth, but the baby adamantly shook his head, trying to get away from them.

"Raphie?" Leonardo asked uncertainly. As his name was called by Leo, Raphael tilted his head toward him, then shrieked, extending his arms and clenching his hands repeatedly at him.

Donnie blinked in confusion, glancing from Raph to Leo and back again.

Now wriggling forcefully, Raph continued to reach out, his lip beginning to tremble again in a clear indication that the waterworks were about to begin all over again.

Reluctantly, Donnie held Raph out towards Leo, encouraging him to come closer. "It's really Raphie, Leo," Donnie explained quietly, "I don't know how or why, but it is and he wants you.

"And... and I'm really Donatello."

Still thinking this was just a nightmare, Leonardo stared at the baby that wanted him and then looked back up at Donnie in mistrust. He took a step back and Raph suddenly teared up, whimpering over Leo's refusal to comfort him.

Speaking up, Leo dared to ask, "Prove it! Prove you're not a yokai and you're not going to eat me!"

Donnie's mouth fell open as he gaped at his now little brother like a goldfish. How the shell was he supposed to prove something like that? "Yokai aren't real! They don't exist except for in Japanese fairy tales!" he protested in disbelief.

"Yes, they do! And if you're Donnie, you'd know that! So you are a Yokai!" Leo countered, shuddering in fear and taking another step back.

"But Leo... There's really no such thi..." Donnie suddenly fell silent as he saw the look of terror increase in Leo's eyes once more. He hurriedly cast his memory back several years to before his brothers finally stopped going on about yokai all the time and groaned in disbelief. He couldn't believe Leonardo was demanding him to do that of all things!

Sighing, he looked down at the ground. There was no way he could carry Raph while 'proving' he wasn't a yokai, so he reluctantly knelt down and put his brother on the ground, though he didn't let go. He looked up at Leo. "Fine, I'll prove it, but I can't hold Raphie while I do and he might not like that..."

Thinking it over, Leo looked around and gave a sigh. Keeping his distance from Donnie, he crouched down, extending his arms out to Raph, "Raphie, come here okay?" Hearing his name once again, Raphael excitedly motored it, trying to crawl forward.

Donnie sighed again at the memory of his task ahead and let go of the little tyke. He stood and backed up, blood heating his face in complete embarrassment. He couldn't believe he had to do that. Again!

Taking a deep breath, he stood easily on one foot with the other sitting on his leg just above his knee, then he placed one hand on his head while holding the other arm out at an upwards angle. Donnie spun on the spot and sang three times, "Spout my is here, handle is my here, stout and short, teapot little a I'm."

When he was done, he stopped, facing little Leo and held his position. "Well, is that enough proof, Leo?" he asked wearily, so thankful that Mikey wasn't there to see him embarrass himself so. Especially since his brother kept making 'good' use of that digital camera they'd found at the junkyard that he'd recently fixed up.

Red in the face, Leo was unsure what to say. Sure, Donnie proved he wasn't a yokai but how could he possibly be his brother? Suddenly, it was Raph who finally responded with a laughter so joyful that both brothers were startled, unable to believe something like that could ever come out of Raph's tiny body. The infant, more than amused, clapped his hands enthusiastically, sitting down in front of Leo and facing Donnie.

Other than Raph's delighted amusement, silence reigned for nearly a minute as Donnie continued to stand in that uncomfortable position, waiting for Leo to respond. Suddenly, a sly smile split his little brother's lips. It faded quickly as he became serious once again.

"I don't know..." he began slowly, "you didn't spin fast enough... you has... hasit... hasiteted."

Donnie stared at Leo a moment more, trying to work out what the now younger turtle was trying to say. "Hesitated?" he eventually asked, dread filling his very soul.

Leo nodded, slowly picking up Raph by slipping his arms under his armpits, "Yeah, you did so you can't be Donnie and must be a yokai. What you think, Raphie?"

Raph blinked at Donnie, giggling and wiggling happily as he stomped feet that barely touched the ground.

Donnie groaned, suddenly remembering just how bratty Leo could be when Master Splinter hadn't been around and how it had lasted for a good couple of years before he learnt just how dangerous their lives would be and became more serious. "Fine..." he conceded with a weary groan. He took a deep breath and repeated his stupidly embarrassing dance, ruing the day he'd originally come up with this to console Mikey when they were kids and he was taunted by their other brothers. It really was no wonder Mikey grew up to be the terror of the sewers he'd become; it was all payback for how he'd been constantly teased and scared when they were younger.

In the end, he was forced to repeat his show three more times for the edification of his brothers before finally refusing to go again, knowing that Leo was more than convinced and just making him do this for his and Raph's own amusement.

"You know I'm not a yokai now, Leo, so can you please show me that room you found?"

Growing silent and distant Leo stared down at the floor unhappily. He'd been dreading this moment, knowing that when the dance was over he'd have to face the fact that what he saw in that room was real. Raph stopped laughing, reaching up with a snatching hand and making sounds to get Leo's attention.

"Ah... ah," Raph rambled, "ah... ah..."

"Leo, please, it's important," Donnie pleaded softly. "I have to... I have to work out what happened; how this happened to us, how we got here and where Mikey is and to do that, I need to know everything I can..."

Tears filling his eyes, Leo's lip trembled as he shook his head, scared to go back. "But... I..."

"It's okay, Leo, everything's going to be fine." Donnie came up, wrapping his arms around both brothers in a desperate hug he needed just as much as they did. "If you can take me to where the memorial is, you can wait outside or around the corner while I go in to look," he bargained in a soothing voice, seeing just how upset the younger was now that he was no longer distracted by a ridiculous dance.

"I'm scared Donnie," Leo whimpered, burying his beak into Raph's neck, who only cooed softly in reply.

"So am I, Leo, but we have to be brave," Donnie said softly. "I know you can do that because you always were the bravest of us."

Looking up at him confused, Leo wasn't sure what he was talking about; he wasn't brave, things scared him and he always ran. "No, I'm not..."

"Yes, you are. Whenever Master Splinter went out to find food and left us alone, it was always you that kept us safe. It was always you Mikey and I would go to when we had nightmares. It was always you who stood up to Raph when he was bullying us, and it was always you who always knew what to do and kept us quiet and calm when the yokai or humans were under our beds or in the next room or tunnel.

"I believe in you, Leo and I know you can do this."

Leo held Raph tightly, thinking over Donnie's words and recalling all those times, but that was different... this was different... This was about death... their father's death. How could he be dead? It wasn't possible, even if his master had told him everything ends and everyone dies, sooner or later. Letting out a small whimper, he pulled free of Donnie's embrace and turned around back towards that room, dragging Raph since he couldn't carry him properly.

Donnie blinked for a moment before rushing forward to take his littlest brother. "Thanks, Leo. Here, let me carry Raphie so his feet won't drag on the cold ground."

Pausing, Leo looked up then nodded, allowing Donnie to have Raph back, who in turn seemed more than thankful not to be dragged around any further.

For the next twenty minutes, they wandered the pumping station with Leo hesitating at numerous corners and turns as if unsure which way to go. A couple of times, they came across the same corner more than once and while Donnie wanted to speak up and ask if Leo was lost, he knew doing so would be a mistake, perhaps getting Leo's shell up and making him refuse to take him. Eventually, they came to a door which Leo looked up at fearfully as he stopped.

"Is this it, Leo?" Donnie asked softly.

Nodding slowly, Leo took a few steps back and sat down with his shell against the wall, holding his knees to his chest. He refused to say anything, wanting more than anything to forget what he saw in there.

Donnie hesitated at the wide-open door, not sure he really wanted to go in there either but he needed to go; he had to know.

Glancing down at the lost looking turtle, he took a deep breath and placed Raph down in front of him. "Can you keep Raphie safe while I..." he swallowed, wincing at the pain in his still sore throat, "while I go in there, Leo?"

"Yeah," Leo finally answered, reaching out to Raph. His baby brother yawned and crawled up close against Leo, closing his eyes. Leo kissed him on the head, putting all his focus on his littlest sibling, something that gave him comfort, even if he did feel like someone locked him in a dark room with no flashlight.

Donnie stared down at the two for a moment longer, glad to see Leonardo comforting their now baby brother and being comforted in return. He wished he could join them, he too felt completely lost, but he had a job to do and someone had to be the adult right now. Making up his mind to get this over and done with, he stood up straight and strode to the door and into the room.

There he stopped dead in horror.

Leo was right!

Donnie gazed around the room, taking everything in. There was a small Japanese style wooden shrine with twin doors that currently sat wide open. In it sat a framed photo of their father, looking older and greyer than he remembered, and close by stood a small incense burner with four burnt sticks of incense sticking out.

He stepped closer, reaching out to the photo with tears filling his eyes, a lump in his throat and his heart aching painfully. A small sob escaped him as he wondered how and why.

After a few minutes, he looked around the once bedroom, taking in the faded, yet familiar scent in the made futon.

The room was filled with knickknacks and photos. Knickknacks he remembered he and his brothers gave their father at various times in their lives, though they'd obviously seen far better times. The photos... he couldn't remember taking those.

They'd never owned a working camera until recently and unfortunately, they had no way to print the photos from it. As he looked closer at the photos, he saw in it his brothers and himself all the same age, as they should be, but several years older than he was now. Donnie gaped up at what was obviously happy times.

There was even one showing them having a party, with a huge cake with the numbers nineteen on it. Donnie took a step back, only to have his feet fall out from under him in shock as he realised what that meant.

Somehow, someway, he was missing at least seven years of his life. Seven years of memories with their dear father, who'd taken them in when they were so little and newly mutated.

Shaking, his eyes continued to slowly trail the walls, studying each photo in detail, when one such photo made him stop in disbelief.

In the photo was the impossible.

In it was a human woman alongside the rest of them, and he suddenly wondered, not just how she gained their trust enough to be let into their lives in the first place, but if she had anything to do with what had happened to them and perhaps even, if she was the reason they had yet to see any sign of Michelangelo.

-:-


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