Hello all! This one has been in the works for a very long time. Splinter is a character that I find difficult, but rewarding to write. I hope that you enjoy this piece half as much as I did writing it.
I would like to thank notawordsmith for the inspiration for this piece and for being my beta for the majority of the work.

A disclaimer- I do not own the teenage mutant ninja turtles. Nor do I claim ownership of the song You'll Be In My Heart. That belongs to Phil Collins and/or Disney. Thanks to the owners for letting me borrow... without permission :P

One of the small ones was whimpering. Splinter glanced down at the little beings that had attached themselves to him. Ah, the littlest one. He was tossing and turning in his slumber and had rolled away from where he had fallen asleep next to the others.
On an instinct foreign and yet natural to him, Splinter reached down and pulled the smallest of the four turtles closer to him, waking him from his fitful slumber. The infant looked startled at first. Then he smiled and snuggled into Splinter's fur, sighing contentedly.

Come stop your crying it will be alright.
Just take my hand, hold it tight.
I will protect you from all around you.
I will be here don't you cry.

How had this happened?
He honestly did not know.
But looking now at the four young ones who had so readily, so innocently entrusted their lives to him, he could not find it in him to argue with what fate had brought him.
His Master Yoshi was gone. He could not change that. But these four small ones were here. And they needed him. Even with the strange and unexplained change that they had all gone through, the four were too young to survive on their own.
They would never take the place of his Master Yoshi. But they didn't have to. The four helpless turtles had each found their own way to pull on his heartstrings.
It would be dark out soon. He would set up a barrier so that they could not wander off and then go looking for something feed them when they woke up in the morning.

For one so small, you seem so strong.
My arms will hold you keep you safe and warm.
This bond between us cannot be broken.
I will be here, don't you cry.

'Cause you'll be in my heart.
Yes, you'll be in my heart,
From this day on, now and forever-more.
You'll be in my heart.
No matter what they say.
You'll be here in my heart,
Always.

(Four years later)
"…So you see, my sons, we would not be accepted by the surface-world. That is why we must never reveal our presence to humans. They would not understand us for who we are."

Splinter thought his heart would break as he carefully explained to his almost four-year-old sons that the world would never embrace them as its own. He could see in their eyes that they understood the cruel reality he was trying to teach. And he wished with all his heart that it did not have to be so.
Splinter could, and would, live with the world's rejection. He could survive an existence in the shadows for the rest of his days. But his sons deserved so much more than that. Their talents would be stifled down here and they would be deprived of all the things he knew that they deserved. Though he would teach them to be accomplished warriors, able to defend and protect each other, there were many other things that he would not be able to teach them. There were so many beautiful and wonderful things that they didn't know they would never experience.
Splinter wrapped his sons into a comforting hug.

"The world does not know what it is missing," he said "when they hide treasures like you in the shadows. It is they who lose, my sons."

Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust what they can't explain.
I know we're different, but deep inside us,
We're not that different at all.

And you'll be in my heart.
Yes, you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forevermore.

(Eleven years later)
Thud
Thud
Thud

Splinter sighed. His sons had just had their first battle. They had won. He had trained them well and they had been more than prepared to fight the criminals that they had encountered. However, no amount of training could have prepared them for their first encounter with humankind.
Splinter stopped some distance from the punching-bag that had somehow survived the mousers attack.

"Raphael." His voice was quiet, but loud enough to be heard. His son stopped and turned to face him.

"Yes, Sensei."

Sensei. Teacher. He only hoped he could teach this lesson.

"What troubles you, my son?" He watched Raphael's fists clench and unclench as he searched his mind for the words. Splinter waited patiently for him to speak.

"I… the fight, Master. Those humans… they said some stuff… I can't get it out of my head! The stuff they called us! They said we were—" Splinter held up his hand. He could guess the words that had been spoken.

"What they said is unimportant. It is untrue."

"But—"

"It. Is. Untrue. Raphael, do you doubt your Sensei?"

A small voice. "No." Raph looked down at the floor.

Splinter lifted his son's chin and forced him to look into his eyes. "Raphael. Do you doubt your father?"

More confidently this time. "No Master Splinter."

"Those humans are blind. They do not understand. They speak of what they know nothing about. Pity their foolishness, and know that their words mean nothing. We know who we are. They do not."
Raphael nodded. The lesson had been taught. Splinter's heart lifted a little. Perhaps someday there would be humans who understood, who did not judge or fear. But that was only a dream. Until dreams and wishes came to pass, all they had was each other. They would stand together: family.

Don't listen to them.
'Cause what do they know?
We need each other,
to have, to hold.
They'll see in time.
I know.

It was just a piece of cloth. He was a ninja master. How could a piece of cloth make his blood run cold with fear? Splinter stole another glance at the fire-red emblem and shivered as he remembered what it meant.
He had to do something. He could not just sit here and stare at a piece of cloth all night. Slowly got up and lit some candles, then sat back down to meditate. He wasn't having much luck though.
Why had he allowed them to go on a training run? He knew now! Before he had only suspected, now he knew that the ninjas that his sons were encountering (fighting) were the same band that had killed his honored and beloved Master Yoshi. If they continued to train above ground, they would continue to encounter these ninjas. And eventually, they would either fall, one or more of them would be seriously injured, or they would attract the attention of the Shredder. Each possibility made him shudder.
At the moment, all he wanted to do was order his sons to remain underground as he did when they were young. Surely the dangers were greater now than they had ever been for his sons as small children. Would that not justify greater measures to keep them safe?
No. He sighed at the answer he already knew. His sons had tasted freedom. To snatch it away now would not only be cruel of him, but they would never understand his reasoning. They would rebel against his decision and he would not be able to stop them before they discovered the dangers he was protecting them from. At least this way he knew what they were doing. At least this way they would not hesitate to come to him. At least this way he could keep them safe for a little while longer.
From then on, whenever his sons were out, Splinter meditated with a shell-cell by his side. If his sons needed him, he would be there.

When destiny calls you, you must be strong.
I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on.
They'll see in time, I know.
We'll show them together!

Splinter ran. He ran as he had never run before, silently cursing. He cursed the Shredder. He cursed the Foot. He cursed himself and his moment of weakness. He had allowed his four students to slip past him. Desperately, he prayed to whichever deity would listen that he was not too late to intercept them. That he would not lose another family to the Shredder.
No! He stopped the thought in its tracks. It. Would. Not. Be! He had not been able to protect his master all those years ago. But now he was stronger in body and mind. He was capable of doing far worse than 'leaving his mark'. Now he was the master with sons to protect. And he would protect them. Anything else was unthinkable.

'Cause you'll be in my heart.
Believe me, you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forevermore.
You'll be in my heart
no matter what they say.
You'll be here in my heart
Always.

Always.

As always, thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated but not required.
Other than that, have a nice day! :D