A sweet aroma filled the air from the many candles burning in Master Splinter's room. The wise rat meditated under the great oak tree in the dojo. A soft blue light enveloped the sensei's body. He breathed in deeply and let out everything he was feeling. Fear. Anger. Sorrow. He just let it all out. Then he heard a scream from the kitchen.
"Give it back Raph! I saw it first!" The scream echoed from the dining area, breaking Splinter's concentration, letting all the memories of fear flood back in. He winced as he heard another high pitched squeal, then crying. The rat sighed, annoyed by his sons interrupting his meditation. But he wasn't mad. Just frustrated.
The sensei got up from his seat on the floor and walked slowly to the kitchen. He wondered what his little ones were fighting about now. It was usually Michelangelo and Rapheal who fought. His second youngest Donatello normally stayed in his room toying with trinkets and gadgets he'd occasionally find. Or reading the large dictionary that washed up from the sewers. His oldest son, Leonardo, was either watching his favorite television show, Space Heroes, or training.
As the rat walked into the kitchen he found his suspicions to be true. Rapheal and Mikey were arguing over a skateboard. When Mikey saw his father enter the room he ran to his side.
"What is going on in here?" Master Splinter asked calmly. Raph held the skateboard protectively in his hands. The board was black with silver lines curving through it and, surprisingly, it was just big enough for the young turtles to ride on.
"I was looking around in the subway tunnels and I found the skateboard sitting there and I took it back to show you and Raph grabbed it from me!" Mikey said in one breath.
"That's not true!" The second oldest turtle said defensively. "I found it!" He shouted emphasizing the word I.
Mikey shook his head and looked up at his father with his large, innocent, blue eyes. "Dad-I mean Sensei, he's not telling the truth!"
"Rapheal. Michelangelo." He said addressing his two sons. "I will take the skateboard until I can decide who's being honest."
Splinter took the skateboard into the dojo setting it beside the large wooden shelf that held several trinkets. The rat turned around to find the two turtles right behind him. How they managed to sneak up on him, he had no idea.
"What are you doing in here?" The rat asked. Michelangelo shuffled his feet on the ground.
"We wanted to see were you put my skateboard." Mikey said.
Raph growled. "You're skateboard?! I found it!" He snatched the skateboard from where it was and was going to run off with it but the youngest turtle was too fast. In one movement he sent both of them flying into the shelf knocking down everything from photos to candles. Splinter grabbed his two sons out of the way before anything hit them, then snatched a photo frame from the air.
His sons looked away from him eyes filled with guilt. "We're sorry sensei." They said simultaneously.
Splinter kneeled down so that he was eye level with both his sons. "You understand the consequence of you're actions?" Rapheal nodded but Mikey shook his head.
"No?" The sensei asked. "Then that's a week of no tv." Raph glared at his younger brother. Mikey protested against the punishment but Master Splinter didn't change it.
Then Mikey had a curious look on his face. "Who's that?" He pointed to the picture in his father's hands. The rat knew this question would come someday. The turtles had never been tall enough to see the picture where it rested. Whenever it had been knocked down from training accidents and they asked about it, he always said he'd tell them another time. The turtles were almost nine now so he figured they would be able to handle it.
"Go get your brothers and I'll tell you the story." The rat said.
"I'll get Donnie!" Mikey said and raced off to find his brother. The purple masked terrapin sat toying with the toaster that Leo recently broke, again. Toasters never liked Leo. Or maybe it was just this toaster.
"Hey Don! Splinter wants us to tell us a story!" Mikey jumped excitedly. Donnie turned around quickly.
"Really?" Donatello asked. Sensei never told them many stories. "Is it the one of our mutation?"
"No it's a new one!" Mikey grabbed his brothers hand and pulled him along the hallway. "C'mon c'mon c'mon!"
Donnie laughed at his younger siblings excitement. He ran with him into the dojo where their father was waiting. "Where are your brothers?" The rat asked.
Mikey scanned the dojo. "I thought they were in here! Should I get them?" He asked impatiently.
"No. We will wait for Rapheal and Leonardo."
So the trio sat and waited.
-:-
Raph walked into the living room to find an upset and burnt Leo watching tv. "No Space Heroes?"
Leo jumped almost spilling the water in his hand. "Didn't see ya there! No they don't have it on tonight."
"Maybe they finally cancelled that dumb show!" Raph exclaimed, though he kinda liked the show. Then he decided to tease his brother about the scorch marks on his face. "What happened to your face?"
Leo got up in rage from both the statement and the question. "Actually Raph, Space Heroes comes on at eight tomorrow, and my face is none of your business!"
"Somebody's in a grumpy mood today! Anyway, Sensei wants us in the dojo. Some kind of story." The red masked turtle walked off in the direction of the dojo with his older brother following behind him.
-:-
"What happened to your face Leonardo?" Splinter asked as the scorched turtle walked in.
Leo's face turned red in embarrassment. "Toaster problems."
"Maybe you should let someone else cook your toast for you." Splinter sat down. "Now I called you all in here to tell you a tragic, but true tale." The four turtles sat and scooted up close to their father and listened closely.
"Now you remember the story of your mutation?" The quartet nodded. "Good. And you remember how I used to be human?" Once again the terrapins nodded. "This story takes place before you were mutated. Probably before you four were born."
Mikey's hand shot in the air. "Was our mother human?"
The purple terrapin shook his head. "No you dummy, if we weren't mutated yet then we were still turtles, meaning our mother was a turtle."
"So sensei married a turtle? Gross!" Michelangelo stuck out his tongue in disgust. Donnie face-palmed and sighed.
"Anyway back to the story, which I could tell better if there weren't interruptions." Mikey grinned sheepishly. "I had a best friend named Oroku Saki. We were inseparable at the time and we were also a little mischievous. We sometimes pulled pranks on friends or teachers but they weren't harmful pranks. But one day our close friendship changed.
"There were two new girls in school. Tang Mei and Tang Shen. I thought the eldest of the sisters, Tang Mei, was beautiful. Oroku Saki however, had affections for her younger sister Tang Shen. But my friend became jealous when Tang Shen started liking me. After a while I figured I never had a chance with Tang Mei and became friends with her sister who was trying desperately to get my attention. Oroku Saki saw Shen and I playing and his jealousy grew into hatred. He stopped talking to me and ignored me.
"I missed my friend and tried to talk to him but I never got a response. I gave up trying, but still hoped one day we could be as close as brothers again. I never had any siblings so he was the closest thing I had to a brother.
"As the years went on I asked Tang Shen to marry me. She said yes and we started to plan the wedding. I even invited Oroku Saki though he refused to come. I had worked hard and saved up my earnings since I was young. I bought a house as a wedding gift and Tang Shen was shocked to see it."
The orange clad turtles hand raised once again. "Did you have a dojo?"
"Good question Michelangelo. Yes, I was very skilled in martial arts. I learned techniques passed from my grandfather to my father to me. Like the healing mantra and secrets of meditation.
"Soon my wife had my daughter, Miwa, which means harmony. She had beautiful black hair and chocolate brown eyes like her mother. She was very smart too.
"Unfortunately, Saki learned of his heritage and joined the FootClan. Still angry about me marrying Tang Shen, he planned revenge. First he attacked my family, killing my brethren. Then he hunted me down. He burned my house while we were sleeping. He killed my wife and took my daughter. Since I was the last Hamato I fled to New York. That's where your mutation takes place." Master Splinter was very vague in the last part of the story. He did not want his sons to know just how horrifying that night was.
Mikey sniffed a couple of times as tears ran down his face. "He killed your family? That's horrible!"
"At least he didn't kill your daughter." The sai wielding turtle stated.
"No taking her is much worse Rapheal. With Miwa he has raised her into thinking he is her father." Splinter took a deep breath and sighed.
"Oh..." Raph stared silently at the ground.
Leonardo got up and walked over to his father. "Sensei... I... I mean we, all love you. We'll never leave you." All of the turtles walked up to their sensei and gave him a comforting hug.
Oroku Saki sat in his throne waiting for his daughter. Well, she wasn't really his daughter, but she didn't know that. As the clocked ticked on, minute by minute, Shredder's patience grew thin.
"Bradford!" He yelled. "Is she ready?"
Bradford walked into the cold room. "I'm not sure Master."
"Well go check on her then!"
But just as Chris Bradford was about to leave the room a young girl dressed in silver armor came in. She had short cut, black hair, dyed yellow in the back. Two long slivers of hair hung to her shoulders.
"The armor fits then. Good." Shredder said.
"I found something in my armor Father." The girl said while pulling out a small paper object. "Who's this?" She asked holding up the picture to her father. The picture showed a beautiful woman with someone, but the other half of the picture was torn.
"Ah, Tang Shen. She was your mother."
The girl gasped. "Why didn't you tell me about her sooner?"
Shredder laughed. "You wouldn't have understood child. But sit, I'll tell you the story."
The girl sat down on the hard floor cross-legged. She looked up at her father expectantly.
"A long time ago I met Tang Shen. She was a beautiful woman who showed great promise. Unfortunately another man wanted her and became jealous. Tang Shen loved me though and ignored the other man. Soon we were married but the man blinded by jealousy and rage killed your mother. I barely managed to escape with you. He still is looking for revenge to this day but I will find him first for killing my wife! Hamato Yoshi. Learn to hate that name, Karai. He is the one who murdered your mother. That picture is all that's left of her."
The girl, Karai, was filled with a burning hatred and longing. She wanted to kill the man who took her mom. She wanted to make his life miserable. "I'll remember Father. And when I find Hamato Yoshi... I'll destroy him."
Shredder chuckled evilly. Karai would hate her father forever and there was nothing Hamato Yoshi could do about it.
"Sensei?" A young Michelangelo walked up to his father. The orange clad turtle sat down. "Raph can have the skateboard. I don't want it."
Raph walked into the dojo. "No you take it Mikey. You can have it."
Mikey looked up at his brother. "We could share it! Right?"
Raph grinned and gave his younger sibling a noogie. "Yeah bro, let's share it. I have some paints in my room we can use to decorate it."
"Really?" Mikey's face lit with excitement. He ran over to Raph and squeezed him tight. "I love ya bro."
Raph looked embarrassed for a second but hugged his brother back. "I love ya too." Then he noticed Master Splinter smiling at them. "Ok. Ok. Get offa me!" He playfully pushed his brother away and grabbed the skateboard. "Last one to my rooms a rotten egg!"
Splinter smiled as he watched his two sons race the room. He may have lost his wife and daughter but there wasn't a minute when the rat didn't love his sons. His new family.
Fin.
Hey guys! Hope y'all enjoyed this one shot which took much longer than I expected to write. I had loads of fun writing it though, also this is my first one shot. So please review and tell me how I did and if you liked it! ;) More fanfics to come soon!
-homeschoolrocksgirl