Thanks to everyone! TMNT are the property of Mirage. "Akio" is the nickname that Splinter and Machias Banshee use for Donnie in their many RP games- loosely translated it means "bright boy", and they have allowed me to use it in the same manner here. The doggie is the property of me! Nice doggie! Cute doggie!

Don kept "running"- he did a sort of limping, hopping run that was motivated by fear. He had lost his flashlight, but the weak lighting system of the sewers was enough to guide his flight.

But all too soon the pain in his leg reminded him with each step that he was injured and needed to stop.

"Dog- coming- gotta- RUN!" he gasped in frustration, but his body kept slowing and slowing until he collapsed onto the side floor, just managing to keep from rolling into the runoff channel.

Immediately he got into a defensive position with the Jo, facing the way he had just come, ready for the dog.

After a few minutes he realized at least two things. First- the dog had not followed. As his heart calmed down and his breathing eased up, he felt a sort of "glow" at the knowledge that there was no dog behind him waiting to take a bite out of his "already-nibbled at by Adventure" butt.

"Jodan Gaeshi!" He shouted again the name of the suburi like a battle cry, and once again the dog was knocked away. Then before he knew what he was doing, he was running straight into the tunnel, the stunned dog, recovered, hot on his heels.

Don did a purely Raph thing at that moment- he kissed the Jo, and grinned in spite of everything.

Then realization number two hit him like a ton of bricks: this was the wrong tunnel.

"Aww, man... Aww, MAN!" he muttered, almost giving up.

The distant sound of barking once again reached his ears, and all thoughts of backtracking up to the right one were lost in a seven-year-old panic. Up he got and moved as fast as he could, straight on straight on don't stop keep going straight on!

He thought he heard something in the distance, but he was in a blind panic. That dog was coming! He could hear it, he could feel that it was coming, wanting payback for his thumping it a good one on the head with his Jo, for defeating it on its own territory!

Run, Donnie, run, run, run!

Up ahead another tunnel opening, set about three feet above this one and dumping runoff into this one- as well as two others, he realized when he got there. He must be close to a drainage junction. No point going left, right, or back, he struggled in the cold, nasty "waterfall" of sewage water and made it into the new tunnel, hobbling onwards.

He'd get to the drainage junction- he'd get there, then rest, and try to figure out how to get home from there! He could do it! He could solve this problem!

After all, he'd been solving problems this entire trip.

There was not a dry place to walk here- the water was knee-deep and cold cold cold! Soon he could barely feel the pain in his ankle- or his toes, for that matter. Several times he stumbled and nearly ended up taking a bath in the sour, rank liquid.

Up ahead he could hear lots of sound; water pouring in, water swirling. He would need to be careful, he didn't want to fall into any larger pool and be swept away.

At the end he stood in the opening, glancing around. The junction was much better lighted, and for a moment the "brightness" blinded him. His eyes adjusted quickly, and he spied a narrow ledge that could get him to the upper floor and main walkway.

His numb feet slipped and slid along this narrow path, but the desperate turtle kept his focus on reaching his goal... closer... closer... he grabbed for a ladder just as his poor abused ankle once again gave way, and he hauled himself up, still holding onto the Jo!

YES! Whatever else happened, he hadn't lost the weapon! Surely that would count in his favor once Splinter found him and started the punishments...

Don sat down and stared around him. So many choices. So many ways.

HOW did he get into this mess?

"All I wanted was to do something for the guys," he tried not to sniffle, but he'd had enough. The "glow" of battle, the pride of having survived so much and solved so much dissolved into the tears of a cold, hurt, hungry, thirsty seven-year-old. "I want to go home! I want to go home now!"

And he gave himself up to his misery, sobbing loudly and creating many echoes of his grief and suffering. How did all of this happen? I just wanted to do something nice! I just wanted to make things better! I just wanted-

"AKIO!"

His head snapped up! He turned it desperately, this way and that, trying to locate the correct direction that it was coming from in this junction with the multitude of possible ways to go...

No... he imagined it. He had been wishing and crying so hard that he imagin-

"AKIO!"

"Father? FATHER!" He bellowed, still looking around for the source of his rescue. "FATHER! Where are you?"

"Akio! Stay where you are, my son! Do not move! I will find you!"

Don stayed seated and waited, trying not to cry anymore, trying not to worry, trying not to get up and follow the sound of that voice.

"Talk to me, my son! Talk to me!"

"Father! I'm sorry! I was wrong to leave home! I'm sorry! Raph was right! I DON'T know Adventure when it bites me on the ass!"

A startled gasp was his reply... followed by what sounded like stifled laughter... and then there was Splinter, appearing out of the same tunnel that Don had recently exited!

Don would have gone back to him if he could have. As it was, he had actually gotten to his feet and was desperately trying to get as close to the edge as possible, waiting by the ladder for his father to climb up to him!

Splinter moved as quickly as safety allowed, but in almost no time he was on the same level as Donatello and had scooped up the sobbing, injured child, hugging him so tightly that the little one, if not for his shell, would have been crushed.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," he kept sobbing, clutching Splinter tightly and refusing to let go so his father could examine his injuries.

"My son, my son," Splinter kept soothing as he sank to the floor with the child in his lap, trying and finally succeeding in getting Donatello to loosen his grip long enough for his father to examine his leg.

"I got stuck in a hole in the floor," he sniffled as Splinter manipulated his injured leg with the skill of a loving father. "I got my ankle stuck between some pipes and I couldn't get out..."

"How did you free yourself?"

"I- I just figured it out- like you taught me to," he murmured. "And then I tried to get home, but I was lost- and then I thought if I could get to the junk yard- and I almost got the right tunnel, but I was dumb and tried to get the controllers anyway, and then the dog came and I fought him with the Jo and escaped and- and-"

Splinter wrapped his son up in his arms again, and struggled not to cry. His son should NOT have had to figure out how to free himself- he should NOT have had to fight the dog, he was too young, he was just a baby, he was...

"Akio," he finally said, voice choked up with emotion, "Why did you do this? Why did you not wait for me to return?"

"I'm sorry!"

"It is all right, Donatello... it is all right, my son," he replied, wiping away the turtles fresh round of tears. "But you did not answer my question. Why did you do it?"

"Be-because the guys were mad, and- and- oh, papa, I'm so stupid!"

"You are not stupid," Splinter smiled in spite of everything. "You are my Akio! Come- let us return home," and he picked up the child, adjusted him so that he could carry both him and the Jo stick, and then made his way home with his lost son.

And the entire trip, Donatello sniffled out the story of his foolishness; of hearing words that had hurt, of breaking precious items, of trying to make his brothers happy.

"... and then, Mikey swore an oath of honor that only Raph and Leo were his bestest brothers in the world and the onlyest favorite brothers he had- he was going to swear a keppan, but once Leo reminded him that he'd have to cut himself, he changed his mind about that- but now he hates me! And then I broke his controller, and mine, and you KNOW how Raph and Leo are, and I wanted Mikey to be able to play, but he wouldn't be able to, and everything was working perfectly and- and- I just wanted to make them happy! I just-"

"My son," Splinter finally interrupted as he took the long way home- to go the short way would require his putting Donatello down a lot, and both were reluctant at the moment to give up their contact with each other. "My son, I think that you were trying to make yourself happy."

Donnie moved his head from Splinter's shoulder to look him in the eyes.

"Make myself happy? I don't-"

"I think that this obsession with the game system became something that was going to benefit Donatello, not his brothers. You imagined how they would react, right? They would be happy."

"Yeah, they would be ecstatic!"

"Yes, and they would praise you and thank you and call you many many nice things."

Don froze; he didn't want to admit that he'd imagined them treating him like a king. He didn't want to admit that he'd dreamed that they would treat him like the bestest brother in the entire world.

He especially didn't want to admit it to himself!

"Well- they'd maybe say how great I was," he finally said, trying to quash the memory of his daydream, where they would carry him on their shoulders and pledge their undying loyalty to him and offer to do his chores for him for an entire year...

But he could tell by the amused look in Splinter's eye that the wise Rat had guessed there was more to what he was saying. Donatello's face fell.

"You mean, I only did this for myself?"

"No, but I think that you became the focus. As your brothers grew more frustrated with your behavior, your secrecy, you grew more determined, and you justified you actions- 'wait until they see this, Sensei! They're going to LOVE it!'... That is what you told me- several times, my son."

Donatello began to cry anew as he realized fully the truth behind Sensei's words. Splinter hugged him even tighter if possible, and laughed.

"My son, do not cry! Do not cry any more, my son, my Akio! You are safe now, and things will be better, I promise you."

"Am I gonna get a spanking?" he sobbed into the Rat's warm, furry neck, soaking the fur and the collar of his robe in the process.

Splinter, still laughing, shook his head.

"Not a spanking perhaps, but you will be receiving punishment. Surely you understand that you must be punished. You broke many of my rules, and you placed your life in danger! Surely you understand that."

Sniff-sniff-snifflesniff...

"Yeah... I understand. I can take it."

"That is right. You are brave and resourceful. You survived a tunnel collapse, being lost, and a dog attack. Punishment cannot be any worse than that."

Silence.

"Well, except for spankings," Donatello said sleepily, snuggling his head onto his father's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"I don't care," Mikey declared heartlessly. "I'm gonna enjoy watching his get his punishment! He shouldn't of stopped wanting us for brothers! He gets what he deserves."

Raph gave Leo a "this is all your fault for saying that in the first place" look, and Leo shrugged. They had been trying and trying to convince Mikey that Don had NEVER said he didn't want them as brothers, but once Mike latched onto something, it was hard to get him to let go.

"Mikey, for the LAST time-" Leo, sighing in frustration, tried again. "Donnie is our brother, and we want him back. He WANTS us as brothers! I was just saying something because of-

"Leonardo! He left us! HE LEFT ME!" Mikey was not to be soothed. His brother had abandoned him, just like the Don Bunny Brother had abandoned his family. The pain was too much! "I hope Splinter gives him TEN spankings! And I want to watch! I want to see Mr. 'Grown-up' Donatello get his tail handed to him! I'm going to laugh and clap and cheer Sensei on! You just wait and see!"

"Mikey-" Raph was trying again when the door opened, and Splinter came in, carrying Don.

"PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM!" Michelangelo shrieked at the top of his voice, nearly tripping his father up and causing Splinter to almost drop the one he was carrying as Michelangelo made a grab for his father's legs, latching on in a fierce hug. "HE didn't mean it! Really! He won't do it again! PLEASE DON'T KILL DONNIE!"

Splinter, looking like he was doing a balancing act on a high wire, made it to the couch before the death-grip pleadings of his youngest sent himself and Donatello falling onto the furniture.

"Hamato Michelangelo!" he snapped at him, and the turtle in question released his grip just a little bit.

"You owe me five cookies," Raph said casually to Leo. "Told you he'd be begging in less than five minutes."

"Five minutes? That wasn't even five seconds," Leo said, shaking his head at the still pleading youngest who was assuring their terrible and powerful Sensei and Father that Don was "just misguided" and "needed understanding" and "please don't KILL HIM!"

Splinter, wondering where on Earth Michelangelo had learned how to use such phrases as "just misguided" and "needed understanding", took a calming breath.

"Michelangelo, please go get something for Donatello to eat. Raphael, I will need the first aid kit in the bathroom. Leonardo, bring me some pajamas and a blanket as well.

One freed of the death grip on his legs, Splinter carried the embarrassed turtle into the bathroom and began running the tub.

"Did you swallow any of the sewer water?" he asked, getting a glass ready.

"NO! NO, I was very careful, Father!" Don, finally finding his voice, assured Splinter. There was no need to make him throw up!

"Here, Father," Raph announced, and then stared hard at Don's now exposed knee and ankle. "Man, Donnie, what the heck did you do to yourself?"

Splinter put the turtle in the bath and bathed him himself, wanting to be sure to clean away all of the sewer contaminants. Indeed, after the first scrubbing, he drained the tub and refilled it with fresh hot water, so he could be sure to prevent as many possible infections as he could- after all, Donatello had several open wounds!

"The gash on the ankle will not need stitches," he said, causing the turtle in the tub (who had been having a hard time not whimpering and crying out at every application of the soapy rag to his owies) to grin shakily. "Your knee is only sprained. But I suspect that you might have fractured your ankle. We will not know until the swelling goes down. I will wrap it tight and you will stay off of it for several days."

Finally the turtle was dried, bandaged, dressed in warm jammies and wrapped in a blanket, then carried into the living room and set down on the couch. Michelangelo had prepared him some hot cocoa and soup, and was waiting for him with the items sitting on a kitchen chair that was serving as a makeshift table.

"Do you want me to feed you?" he asked his brother, trying to bring a spoonful of the steaming hot chicken broth to Donnie's lips as if he had agreed.

"No, thanks Mikey!" he quickly and carefully took the spoon from his brother. "I can do it myself."

He was so hungry that after that first spoonful, he picked up the bowl and, alternately blowing and sipping, finished it up in no time, noodles, carrots, and all. The hot cocoa followed soon afterwards.

All this time Splinter sat in his chair, watching and waiting. So did the brothers. They sat around Donnie, wanting to ask a million questions and yet waiting for some reason.

Nobody spoke for several minutes after Don had finished his meal.

Don finally grew uncomfortable at being watched by everyone. The silence was growing unbearable.

Yet he didn't know how to begin.

"My sons," Splinter broke the silence, slightly startling them all. "We will discuss this in the morning. For now I wish your brother to go to bed and go to sleep. Donatello, I do not want you walking on that ankle. I will take you to the bathroom now, and if you need anything in the night you must call me! Do not get out of that bed!"

"Yes, Father," he murmured.

"I want the rest of you to get ready for bed as well. You may stay up a little longer."

Soon, Don was tucked into bed and falling asleep. But he kept his struggling eyes open long enough to look at Splinter.

"So, I gotta tell them tomorrow about everything, huh," he said rather than asked.

"Yes. You must tell them tomorrow."

Don sighed.

"I understand. Good night, Father."

"Good night, Akio."

The dog stretched and yawned. It had been a fairly quiet night after that incident with the rat and the whatever-it-was, and the lump on his head was finally not hurting.

He slowly made his sniffing, panting patrol, startling a few rats and early morning pigeons. The sun was about to come up and soon the place would be busy with customers and such. Perhaps some nice children would be there today, petting him and dropping him pieces of their candy and other treats...

The scent of the Rat reached his sensitive nose; his hackles rose as he realized that his nemesis was back!

Slowly the dog followed the scent, stalking his prey, ready to defend this place against this clothes-wearing animal!

Tensing, he leapt forward, dashing around the mound of junk and launching himself at his enemy- only to see the creature already disappearing into a tunnel!

Oh, the barking! It was a good thing Splinter did not speak "dog", he would have heard many unkind and untrue things about his mother, his father, and himself as well, along with many promises of a violent and painful death...

"... and that is why I left," Donnie finished his story. Instead of telling it in the dojo, where he normally would have had to do it, he was telling it in his father's room, where three brothers stared with wide eyes at the new game system, longing to touch their individual controllers but knowing that it was not permitted at the moment.

"Wow," Raph breathed, more from the story than from this wonderful surprise. "You hit the dog with the Jo? AND you got stuck in a cave-in? AND you got lost? MAN, Donnie! That was some ADVENTURE!"

"No it wasn't, Raph," Don asserted from the old rocking chair. Splinter had moved it closer to his bed so Don could sit in it with his injured leg propped up on the mattress. "It was stupid. I nearly got killed, and for what? 'Cause I got my feelings hurt."

"Don, we didn't know you were listening," Leo said. "We didn't mean anything bad by it, you know."

"Mikey was gonna swear a keppan."

"I was NOT! Well, I was, but- well, I was mad, Don! I didn't mean it when I said I meant it- know what I mean?"

"So, now you all understand why your brother has been so secretive?" Splinter brought the meeting towards its conclusion.

Three heads nodded, eyes torn between staring at this unlooked for surprise and their brainy, thoughtful, oh so marvelous wonderful brother in the rocking chair.

"And now, the punishment," Splinter announced, and Mikey got into pleading position- but Splinter held him off. "Michelangelo, if you say one word, you will receive Donatello's spanking."

Mikey loved his brother, but not that much. His lips pressed firmly shut even as his hands moved to protect his tail.

"Now, I told you last night that I would not spank you, Donatello," he reminded his son. "But, for leaving the Lair, you are grounded for two months- and that will start as soon as you are able to walk, so your recovery is NOT a part of the grounding."

"Wow, for a minute there I thought Don was gonna get off easy," Raph whispered to Leo, who nodded in agreement.

"For taking a weapon from the dojo, you are grounded from further trips to the junk yard for an additional two months. When your injuries are healed, you will do your brothers' chores for one month, and I will expect the dojo floor cleaned daily as well, with no help," here he gave yet another warning glance at Michelangelo, who so hated that punishment that he had been known to sneak in and help out."

"Finally- for putting your life at risk over this system, you are not allowed to play with it."

Three stunned brothers stared at Splinter.

"At- at all?" Leo managed to get out. Mikey looked as if he was going to cry. Raph's face was clouded as well, thinking this last punishment was unfair.

Splinter returned their gazes calmly.

"Your brother nearly died," he said simply. "He put himself into great danger. He knowingly did many things, and as a result he was nearly killed. I do not want my sons to put themselves in such danger. I cannot do without any of you. This game system was his excuse for disobeying me. He may not play it."

Donnie hung his head. He struggled successfully to not cry.

"Hai, Sensei," he said, bowing in the rocking chair as best as he could.

But it was a bitter blow! Why did Splinter bring him two new controllers early this morning if he was going to ban him from ever playing? Why did he help him decorate the two new ones with stickers? Indeed, Splinter had decorated Donatello's personally! Why do that? Is that what was meant by "rubbing salt into one's wounds"?

Mikey looked at his very own "Mikey" controller with the superheroes stickers, and sighed, and swallowed. Don had gone out because of him. Now Don couldn't even play with it?

"Um, Sensei... since Don can't play with it, then I guess I won't play with it either," he said sincerely.

Splinter looked at his youngest.

"Are you certain?"

Mikey stared and stared at the controller. Then he took a deep, deep breath, put a determined smile on his face, and looked his father in the eye.

"Yes. I'm certain. I'll even swear a keppan."

"I'll go get the knife!"

"Raphael!"

"Well," Leo sighed, not wishing to be shown up by his baby brother. "Since Donnie can't play it and Mikey won't play it, I won't play it either."

Then they looked at Raph.

"But it's got racing!" he sputtered. "It's got motorcycle racing!"

"It's okay, Raph," Don said, but Raph shook his head, closing his eyes, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. After a few seconds, he looked calm, and managed to relax.

"No," he said, looking at Don. "Leo's right. I won't play it either. Thanks for doing it though- not the 'almost getting killed' part; I mean about the game system and all."

"Yeah, thanks Don! It's the bestest thing we've ever gotten- even if we can't play it!" Mikey grinned, going to his brother and giving him a hug.

Splinter nodded, satisfied.

"Very well," he said. "Since you have all shown such unselfishness and solidarity with your brother, that particular punishment is rescinded. Now, let us turn it on and see how it works."

The shouting was deafening, but Splinter heard every word that Donatello now said.

"Father, I'm so sorry, and I swear I will never do such stupid things again."

"I know, my son, I know," Splinter replied, moving the chair so that Donatello could be closer to the system. "But are you willing to swear a keppan on it?"

"I'll go get the knife!"

"RAPHAEL!" everyone shouted.

The End.