Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT, but if I did there would be a lot more of this stuff in the cartoon! Thanks for reading!

All I Needed

All I needed

was someone

to talk to

when things got rough

All I needed

was someone

To hug and to hold

through all of the

tough times.

All I wanted

Was someone

to be there for me

when I needed it

And someone to be there

for me

when I was feeling

so alone.

And when I

call upon you

I hope you answer

with dignity

and respect

Respect your own decisions

For they may lead

to someone's life

and someone else's death

Remember me friend

For when the time comes

for us to make a decision

We can make that journey

Together.

My friend

who has always been there

for me when I needed it most.

As Donatello finished the last line of the poem, he regrets not seeing how much a change a friend could make in someone's life. He remembers a time where he felt so lost, like nothing could get him out of the rut he had slipped into.

"Yeah, those were some dark times, but a friend is sometimes all you need to get you through a tough time in your life."

Donatello remembers the day he learned this lesson, and how much it had changed his life.

It started out as an ordinary day in the life of a teenage turtle living in the sewers of New York. At least, for Donatello. He had been moping for the past few months, and the other were starting to observe this fact as it became more noticeable. Michelangelo, however, was the most curious about Donatello's current condition. He decided to talk to him about it, after all that's what he did when he was feeling sad. Michelangelo just wanted Donnie to feel better.

"And today," Michelangelo said to himself, "is the perfect place to start."

He then snuck into Donnie's workshop, somewhere he was not often allowed to be because of his tendency to break things while he was in there. Mikey though today would be an exception, he was just trying to help.

But then again, that was what he said a lot of the time when his brothers blamed him for things he broke or when he played pranks on them.

It almost worked.

"Donnie, are you in here?" Michelangelo inquired as he stepped quietly into the lab. "I just want to talk to you, I thought you might need someone to talk to since you've been kinda sad lately."

Donatello then stepped out from behind his desk, red circles around his eyes that identified that he had been crying.

"Donnie are you okay? You look like you've been crying..." Michelangelo expresses his concern by walking up to his only slightly older brother. "Yeah I'm fine." Donnie whispered with a sniffle. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Mikey inquired as he sat down on chair next to where Donatello has stationed himself for the time being.

"I don't know, just that I've been feeling kind of alone lately, like I don't belong." Donatello hung his head at the word, belong.

He had never been fond of this word, it just seemed off to him. Ironically, it was like the word didn't belong in his mind.

"Why would you ever think something like that?" "Because Mikey, I feel like I'm a useless part of this team. I don't do anything but get in the way when we're fighting, and I always mess everything up."

Michelangelo was shocked to hear those words come out of his intelligent brother's mouth. He had no idea he felt this way about himself. Maybe it was time he talked to Donnie.

"You're not useless, you're just not as good at some things as you are at other things. You build gadgets, cars, and security systems so we can stay safe and stay alive for a long time Donnie. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, and you are the least useless person I know." Michelangelo ended that last line with a smile, like he did whenever he was proud of his words and what he had just said.

Donatello thought this over for a minute, contemplating what Michelangelo (who had sounded an awful lot like Splinter at that moment) was trying to get through to him. The way Mikey had phrased that, he had sounded like he knew what he was talking about and knew just what he needed to get back on track.

"You're right Mikey, I just needed a friend and a brother like you to remind me what makes me special, and everything that I do that makes this team great." This time it was Donatello's turn to smile.

"Glad you see it my way bro. If you ever need a friend to talk to, I'm right down the hall." Mikey then waltzed out of the lab, feeling confident that he had helped his brother feel better and brought him the comfort he needed.

As the door shut behind Mikey, Donnie smiled for real, for the first time in a long time. He was truly happy with the way he was.

"Maybe all you need sometimes is a friend."

~FIN~