Chapter Four: What Was Lost…Now Found? Part 3

"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." ~ Unknown

Chapter revised October 22, 2022.

"One thing was clear. There was no way they could have survived that explosion. No matter how many times he went back before the humans got there, the tunnel was still flooded with water. The turtle frowned and slumped down to the floor of the sewers.

If only he had listened to Master Splinter, they would still be here…

For the first few weeks, he had believed they were alive. No one can just accept death

The day had started with their training. It had not been Donnie's best practice. In fact, it was most likely his worst practice in a long time. Then there had been a fight with Leo and then he ran out of the lair…

That was when everything started to go wrong…

x-x

For months Donatello had focused on his grief and denial. Supposedly, there were five stages of grief. If that was the true case, whoever came up with the idea sure did not cover the sixth stage- the fear for his future.

He missed his family more than anything and longed for the comfort of his brothers. The 11-year-old reached up and touched his head from the light fading scar on his head. His memory was still fuzzy about that day.

He remembered something hitting him in the head and waking up far away from home in the sewers. Yet, despite him always trying to memorize the city's sewers, he simply could not figure out where he had woken up.

Donnie had even tried to venture above the surface to find any familiar landmarks that may be familiar or even the Hudson River. Master Splinter had taken them there once younger. Yet, he was nowhere that seemed familiar. Why could he not figure out where he was?

x-x-

Agent Bishop was not a patient man. He was used to getting things done the way he wanted. He had cheated the American Government so many times it seemed doubtful that it would ever stop. Today was just another day of observation on Oroku Saki and these...turtles. Interesting creatures, they were.

Saki and the turtles had fought plenty of times before. Three against one hardly seemed unfair, yet here was Saki able to beat these fighting reptiles. Though, Bishop had to admit he would be a far better opponent for the turtles.

He would have to move in on the turtles before Saki – aka known as the Shredder – killed the turtles. Oh yes, he would intervene in their current situation, if it only meant he would get to "experiment" on them later for himself.

Ahh…experimenting…the only true fun he got anymore.

All thanks to his ideas being greatly funded by the American taxpayers. Who would have thought that paying an extra 50 cents on a can of Dr. Pepper would turn out to be a great way to fund his program? Also, with a few of the tax dollars coming in from the popular chain of Starbucks as well?

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes when he noticed one of his men drinking a Starbucks coffee. The man had just used his own money to help continue funding Bishop's program.

Who or what would have thought that the turtles would have a brother so easily defeated? Saki would be getting his revenge against them by taking out one of their own clan members. It was ingenious. Yet… something was off about this turtle.

Saki could tell this turtle had a passive nature. The way he fought against the Foot Ninja was different compared to the other three. He did not seem entirely as experienced in battle.

All well…

Now he had a chance to see one of these turtles…he raised his "clawed" hand towards the injured turtle.

Clink!

A sword struck Saki's armored hand. It was a familiar sword all the way up to the blue cloth surrounding the handle. It was the eldest turtle's sword…

x-x

Did he believe his eyes? Was there an injured turtle at the Shredder's feet? But this turtle seems so familiar to him. The olive-green skin, the bo staff laying off to the side of the Foot Ninja.

Leonardo wished he could say that his eyes were playing tricks on him, but they were not. He knew what he was seeing. There was a turtle at the feet of Shredder, and he somehow knew it could have only been one turtle. Mikey and Raphael were standing next to him in the snow…so it had to be that this turtle was Donatello, his "dead" brother.

Yet, there was a part of him that kept saying Donatello was dead…but here was the proof! Right in front of his own eyes! The purple bandana especially was

"I see, you have come to the rescue of one of your pathetic brothers," Shredder stated as he withdrew the sword from his hand. He threw the sword at Leo's feet. He had no reason to try to use the sword when he preferred to strike with his hands. There is nothing like the feeling of his own blades being torn into someone's flesh, especially when he could get revenge on the turtles and the rat by killing one of their own in front of their eyes.

Leonardo did not seem to take the remark but Raphael, however, was another story. Before the oldest turtle could respond, the hot-tempered turtle already had his sai out ready to lash at the Shredder. One glance and Leonardo knew there would be no stopping Raphael unless they all got involved.

The sound of metal hitting metal was all Leonardo needed to hear before the battle began…

x-x

Raphael did not know how to deal with pain without taking it out on someone. Sure, he could take it out on Mikey and the punching bag, but it would feel much better right now to take it out on Fearless Leader (as it was the red banded turtle's favorite thing to call his eldest brother).

But then again, taking it out on his oldest brother always left him with a massive amount of guilt later. That would not help him feel better later. But he wanted the satisfaction of releasing it now. Whether it was a bigger hit to his youngest brother's head or to his oldest brother's head, he wanted release it…

Though he couldn't…

Donnie would not want him to take it out on the family. His little brother would not want him to wither away in self-pity (or whatever big words his smart brother would throw in).

Sure, his second youngest brother knew he would want to let it out some way as he could be the hot-tempered kid that he was. Raphael also knew that Donnie would be saying the same thing to Leo.

Leo was probably the only one who even felt possibly even a similar feeling that he was feeling right now.

He was equally protective of his brothers, whether it had to deal with someone ever hurting Leo or looking out for the younger brothers. However, he just knew he always felt like he should have been the one to go. Not Donnie or Mikey. They were the little brothers…they were supposed to watch over the younger brothers. That was in the job description somewhere. To watch over his little brothers…

That was his and Leo's job…

At least it should have been Leo's job as the leader. If the older brother had not feared heights, Donnie would not have been the last one up the later after the explosion but before the waters started to rise…

x-x

"Child, why must you live in the sewers? You can easily be hidden up here, where it is warm," Akira remarked. The turtle sitting at his small dinner table was shivering. It was apparent the turtle only came up this year when the worst snowstorm on record in 25 years had hit the city.

Donatello released a breath had been holding as the elderly woman placed an electric blanket around the shivering turtle. The teen eyed her for a second as she shuffled towards the stove, obviously preparing some form of tea to help warm the turtle up.

Donnie resisted the urge to gag. He disliked tea. If there was one thing Donnie did not like, it was tea. No matter how much he remembered Master Splinter forcing them to drink it when they were kids, it never did quite settle with him well. He only hoped it would not be the English Breakfast tea. Of all the teas, that was the worst!

However, he knew better than to request to simply have hot chocolate or coffee. Especially coffee. If he did, Sorano would go off in her native Japanese tongue about ungrateful teenagers and a certain kame who would complain often about tea if he requested not to drink it.

"Akira, I cannot blend in well up here. The last thing we need is someone spotting a five-foot-tall turtle leaving your apartment. Such things are not normal, even in New York. " He dodged the question in a way. Could he say, 'My father would have wanted me to live alone in the sewers' when the answer may not be entirely true?

Akira's response was a sigh.

"Donatello, though I do not know much of the ways of bushido, I do believe you are well equipped to avoid people…"

"Is that because I'm always down in the sewers to make you say that?" An eye ridge raised up.

Oddly enough, a light chuckle escaped from Sorano who walked over from the stove with the heated tea and placed the cup in front of Donatello. He gave the cup a glare and even risked shifting one at the elderly woman who took a seat at the table. The tea was English Breakfast tea again. For a Japanese woman, she never really gave him any oriental teas very much. It was always the English teas…

"No, dear child, he believes that you do exceptionally well in avoiding being detected. The only few problems you ever had was the few crazy kids who involved themselves in gangs, yes?"

Tea forgotten, Donatello shivered again, causing the married couple to look at him in concern. This time he did not shiver because he was cold. It was because of the statement, 'The only few problems were the kids.' Oh, he had more than a few problems in his life.

x-x

"Come on! Work!" Sorano was startled when she woke from her afternoon nap. That voice was all too familiar and yet, she pondered why the turtle child was still in her little kitchen still.

Moving slowly from her couch to peer into the kitchen, the elderly woman was not surprised to see the young turtle. Donatello had been visiting while Akira was away on a trip to northern New York state, trying to fix the most annoying household item she ever owned.

Donatello sat on the floor, several small tools lying on the floor next to him and one in his hand. In his hands, was of course, the toaster. She could never quite figure out why it kept breaking. It almost seemed to have a mind of its own every time it broke. The sad problem was the toaster was rarely used and it would break even with each use.

Sorano and her husband had given up on the thing and were saving a bit of their money to work on buying a new toaster. Apparently, Donatello did not see the use of them simply just buying a new toaster with him actually talking to it. The woman resisted the urge to laugh as a big grin appeared on her face.

"This thing seems to taunt me worse than Mikey ever did…" the words sprang from the turtle's mouth. The grin immediately faded. In their time of knowing the child, they had rarely heard him mention anything of his past except light details. She did even know how family members had met a tragic end that accident that made the poor turtle live by himself.

For her to hear Donatello so easily say a name without worry that she would hear, it certainly meant the turtle was focused on the toaster. Her heart ached with pity again for him. She often longed for the turtle to be reunited with his family somehow, but she knew it was not possible. Especially if the explosion in the sewers that caused the collapse and flood the turtle mentioned was caused by Oroku Saki.

Little did the turtle know that Akira had looked up information about the 'construction' that had apparently been taking place in the sewers that day…

x-x

"Get the shell away from my brother!" Raphael's sais had blocked the hand. The shaking turtle on the ground had opened his eyes by then. Raph spared a quick glance toward his other brothers' eyes and saw the familiar confusion and pain.

Mikey could hardly believe his eyes. To say the shocked look on Leo's face most likely mirrored his own was an understatement. In a way, he could almost say he was looking at a mirror without officially looking into one.

However, a quick glance at Leo showed that the look on his face had quickly changed to one that eerily resembled Raph's now. Mikey shook his head to clear his thoughts and followed his eldest brother in the charge with one thought on his mind. Is that really Donnie?

No, Donnie died five years ago and drowned in the rushing waters, remember? It was your fault he died and here your mind is playing tricks on you again. Get a grip Leonardo.

Leonardo could not imagine though the Foot would know of Donatello's former existence…or real existence in this case.

Shredder by now had moved his arm to put more effort into pushing the sais away from his hand. He, however, was not expecting to get a roundhouse kick from the other two, sending the man flying into his group of ninjas.

"Mikey, get him out of here!" Leo ordered as he looked at the turtle struggling to stand up now that did not have the immediate threat of killing him within the next few seconds. Whether the turtle was an imposter – which did not feel likely at all – or was Donatello, it was best to get the turtle away from the fight. They could easily make their escape that way.

"Gotcha Leo." Mikey moved carefully as he eyed the turtle first watching the Foot Ninja who oddly had started to retreat at the sight of the turtles. If the situation did not look so serious, the youngest turtle pictured himself or Raphael making a remark about the treating Foot Ninja. However, now was not the time for such a remark as he moved towards the turtle in the snow.

And they say I'm always acting stupid…

He was in pain. That was obvious. He also felt himself starting to lose consciousness. That last hit to his head must have been harder than he thought. He blinked through it and forced himself to try and stay awake. If he were to go unconscious, he could quite possibly die if he had a concussion. Hopefully he did not have a concussion.

However, the pain he seemed to be feeling the most was the bodies of his friends…Akira and Sorano. Was it possible to have emotional pain hurt more than physical pain? If so, then Donatello himself was living proof.

Donatello registered movement at first. He must be getting very nauseous if felt like he was moving. He did not have the strength to move. However, his stomach did not feel like it was turning. More importantly, unconsciousness approached just as he suddenly realized it wasn't his stomach that made him feel like he was moving. He was being lifted.

That was all he realized before the blackness won...

x-x

Mediation was not helping. No matter how much he meditated lately, his son Donatello kept putting his mind at unease. Though why?

No matter how many times Splinter tried, he had been restless lately with the thoughts of his dead son. The candles in his room vaguely lit the room, as they flicked slowly. The rat opened his eyes and stared at the candles.

His thoughts traveled once again to the journal that had belonged to Donatello. One of the two things that had survived from his son that Splinter kept locked away in his room. The other was the broken bo staff, which the pieces sat safely locked in a small chest along with the other item. He sighed and opened the journal again, deciding to read it. Yesterday the journal had helped ease his thoughts well enough for him to rest for a few hours and maybe this time his mind would get some answers.

Within seconds, his ears picked up the sound of his sons coming home. He sighed and put the journal back into the chest as he walked out to greet his sons.

He, however, was not expecting to hear the panicking voice of Michelangelo.

"Master Splinter we got a problem!"