Authors note: Hey guys I'm back! This will be a few chaps long, and there would be no scheduled updates as usual haha. Anyway, I hope you guys like this story, it's a little confusing right now but everything should make sense soon. Reviews would be nice : )!
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If it weren't because he was running a fever, Donnie would be more than angry. He didn't want-nor like-to admit that he was lost. And for that stupid cold he's fighting, it was making everything twice as hard.

His feet splashed on the cold water, and his arms folded over each other as his spine shivered. He hated being out in the sewers during nighttime. Everything was scarier, and it was way too dark for his liking. Papa always claimed to adapt to the dark, but all he can see was the water faintly dripping off the pipes. If only he brought his flashlight.

Donnie sighed. He was smart, and gifted as Papa would say, but he didn't memorize the sewers, and can't see much to add the cherry on top. As smart as he was, what he did was dumb, he couldn't believe he left his spot. Raph would have come for him any minute if he stayed where he was. He hoped that Splinter realized that one of his sons was missing.

"Raaaphie?" His voice echoed, Raph should be around here right? He was bringing their toys.

His thoughts clunk around his headache, Raphie was probably home getting Papa once he realized he left the spot. And once they found him, and got him home into bed, he wasn't getting out of it. He didn't care what Raphie had to say to him, or what anyone had to say at this point. He trudged his legs forward, defeated.

There was a splash, a loud one, and his heart beat way faster than he could think. Rats splashing the puddles fooled him, but this was a larger splash, like his father was coming towards him.

His heart leapt in excitement as he ran, he didn't care about being punished, or the long grounding Splinter would give him. He's gonna go home and hug all his brothers to feel the warmth and love he was so missing right now, he was-Donnie skidded to a stop.

He was met with a dark silhouette, taller, and gave Donnie this weird feeling in his tummy.

That wasn't Papa, that can't be... the man was silent, his back was facing him, instead of the welcome arms his father would have done...

He can hear his own breathing as he backed up; his eyes glued to the man, but Papa taught him to hide from humans. He concealed himself in the shadows, no normal human can see him, his Papa has said, his back arched as much as it can, and he held his breath. The human didn't see him, couldn't have for being faced the other way, so Donnie freaked the heck out when the man turned and looked directly at him.

"Donatello." The voice calm as like a human-turtle didn't freak him out, and Donnie's face paled. He didn't move, he couldn't-not when fear took over him-Papa wasn't here to protect him - this human knew his name somehow.

He wasn't running away like Papa's story tells; he was staring at him, like he knew him. After what felt like minutes, Donnie stepped out of the shadows. "You know me?" He whispered out, fear clinging on his throat which made his voice raspy and small.

The silhouette came closer to him, and Donnie can barely see something sticking out his hand. Like it was... sharp? He backed up again but stopped himself before going near the end of the tunnel.

"Donatello, I am your father's friend." He crouched down to be the same level as the toddler. "Are you lost?" He asked, grinning under his helmet as Donnie slowly nodded. His brown eyes traced along the mans, each gulp he took was painful. He didn't know if it was for his sore throat or fear.

"I just want to go home." He said, his posture slouching as the man didn't lash out at him or called him names like his Papa have warned. This man was his fathers' friend, why was he being so scared for?

"Come here, boy." He told him, and with reluctance, Donnie listened. He was a stranger, but at this point he was his only hope.

Donnie rubbed his face as sweat beaded down. The kneeling man put a hand on his back, and Donnie froze.

"Now tell me," Donnie looked at his eyes, "why are you out here all alone, little one?" The man reached for his head and Donnie ducked away shyly.

"I was with my brother." Donnie told him, and his brown eyes looked at his. He was mostly looking at his burns and quickly blinked away. "And I got lost."

"I will bring you home." He stood up and took the boy's hand.

A smile ghosted on Donnie's face. "Really?" He asked in disbelief. And through his aching body, he bounced up and down. "Wait..." He exhaled, and his brows knitted in thought. He quickly pulled his hand away from the man. Due to the dark, he had forgotten about the sharp metal and his palm neatly sliced right through it.

Donnie inhaled, pressed his hands together, and eyes welt up in tears.

"... You're a stranger." Donnie uttered his voice nasally, and the small turtle looked at the cut. "Papa warned me about you people." He started to back away, his thoughts were frantic, and he was trying to figure a way out. He doesn't know how he knew about him or his papa, but his father warned him about the people from above. He couldn't get himself in trouble cause of some man knowing about him.

"Donatello," the man's voice was smooth and calm, while Donnie's heart was racing, ", no need to run, we are all friends here." He reached for the toddler, but Donnie shook his head.

"You're not my friend! I don't know how you know my name, but I'm not dumb!" He wiped away the tears, afraid to turn around from this man. His hand trembled from the cut, and it was stinging at this point. Cuts turns to infections, and he knew that. He wanted to go home, now.

"You have three brothers'." The man began, taking each step closer to the boy as Donnie took one back, his eyes not blinking at all despite it stinging with tears. "Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo. I know all about you, Donatello and you know none about me?"

"I-I, Papa mentioned no one. I don't even know your name!" Donnie yelled in his defense and his lips were quivering, he wanted papa to come out of nowhere and get him out of here. But the man-this stranger-looked hurt, and Donnie was feeling bad. "I-I-I'm sorry." He uttered, feeling rude for yelling at him. All the man wanted to do was to help, but Donnie lashed out on him instead.

The man was quiet, and Donnie couldn't tell if he was upset or thinking. But, Donnie was thinking too, if he left, the man could follow him, and he didn't know where his home was to begin with. He didn't have much of an option.

The deep voice sliced through Donnie's vulnerable thoughts, "I am Oruku Saki." And he knelt, "but they call me the Shredder."

Donnie liked it better when the man was with eye-level with him. Even through the dark, it was better than the Shredder towering over him. Maybe he can trust him, he does know a lot about him. "Why do they call you that?" He asked, now curious as he moved forward and was only a few feet away.

"Come and you will find out." Donnie looked at the extended arm, Papa used to do that when he would scrape his knees in training, or cut himself from metal scraps. He looked at his cut.

"Don't do any tricks." Donnie warned and folded his arms. The only noise in the sewers were the constant dripping in the back, a few rats squeaking, and his own breathing. There were no loud splashes, no yelling, his Papa and Raphie aren't coming. Despite only being five, Donnie feared that this man was his only hope to getting home.

"There will be no tricks, Donatello." His hand was still out. The two stared back at one another. The man didn't move, and Donnie didn't either. He sounded just like his father, always calm and tranquil, almost comforting.

After, what felt like hours, Donnie pursed his lips, and slowly came forward to the man. His bleeding hand rested gently against the metal like glove.

"No tricks." He said and closed his hand. "We are all friends here." He repeated, his head tilting and his eyes squinting as Donnie thought he was smiling. He couldn't tell though, that dumb helmet he wore was blocking his mouth.

Donnie smiled, and though lightheaded, even giggled. "I guess so." He tilted his head, mimicking the man as his eyes sparkled in curiosity. "Is it cause of your armor they call you Shredder?" He asked, he used the back of his hand to knock on the hard metal on the Shredder's arm. Papa never talked about having a friend who wore metal.

"Yes and no," Shredder told him, and Donnie kept finding similarities between him and his father. With one hand, Donnie watched as he signaled him to come closer, he cupped the same hand around his mouth like he would whisper to him; his brothers would do that in the Dojo to not disturb Papa's lesson. "I will tell you something but promise me you would tell no one."

"Yeah, of course! But after you tell me, can you take me home, please? Papa is probably worried sick." Donnie used his other hand to scratch the back of his head. He couldn't wait to tell his father about his friend coming to visit as a surprise.

"They call me the Shredder-" He began to whisper and let go of Donnie's hand, the boy looked at him with growing excitement "-for this!"

The sharp metal struck Donnie's neck, and in the matter of seconds he was on the ground. His throat gave out an almost inhumane wheeze, and he grunted as something wet crushed his chest.

Donnie stared at what was squishing him, he soon realized it was the man's foot. The toddler feeling betrayed, looked up to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but the gurgle of blood replaced his voice. Betrayal turned to fear; his face paled and weakly shook his head as he saw the metal rise. The man lowered his metal and took off the pressure of his chest.

Instead, he knelt, and lifted the boy's chin with the three-finger-like- metal, exposing his neck.

"There is no need for me to stab you again, Donatello." Donnie could only respond with blood bubbling out of his mouth. His eyes glazed in confusion and pain, as he blinked to let the tears fall from his eyes. He was wheezing trying to breathe, but wheezing was becoming hard for him. His small frame trembled as he could not get oxygen.

"Killing you quickly would only satisfy me for a couple of seconds. That is why I will not be doing that." The metal disappeared from Donnie's eyesight, and Donnie's head lolled limply like a rag doll at the man.

Donnie watched him sat down as his eyes were blurring and his head became foggy as time went by. He just wanted to go home; even though he was hurt, he wanted to stay awake to know his Papa would be coming. But it was getting harder for him to keep his eyes open, his chest was becoming heavy, and his throat was burning.

What felt like agonizing hours to him, he closed his eyes only to open them and see the man has disappeared.

Papa had always taught them how to treat cuts, small littered cuts they would get from training or rough housing. But never something like this, the sharp metal hurt more than when he fractured his arm.

As he laid there, his body stinging in pain, he realized Papa wasn't gonna be happy to realize he talked to a stranger. His worst fear came true; a stranger has hurt him for no reason.

Donnie reached for his neck, feeling the pools of blood flow between his stubby fingers. Maybe he can fix this, Papa would never know this happened. Maybe when Raphie comes, he can help him explain a story of how he fell on something sharp. Papa shouldn't even know that they were out...

His mind became muddled as he took one last breath; Raphie...he should be coming soon with the toys.
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To be continued.