10 Years Ago

New York City

New York was a busy city. As many called it, a concrete jungle but instead of millions of trees and insects, there were millions of skyscrapers and people. Each person was unique, each had their own life, some more chaotic than others but despite all the hustle and bustle of the city, they loved it.

Below the concrete jungle, there was a man who loved the city just as much if not more but not for the hustle and bustle. No, quite the opposite for in the sewers there was peace.

That man, had a very chaotic life compared to those on the streets above because he was no ordinary man. Well, no one would call him a man but the man knew in his heart that he was.

That man was a rat. A mutant rat. And that rat had four growing sons to look after.

"Yamea," the rat man said. Four turtles snapped to attention. Each one dropped their fighting stance and lined up before their father. "Leonardo, well done today though I recommend you practice the more advanced techniques before you use them in sparring. Raphael, you need to work on your control. Donatello, next time try to act more and think less. Michelangelo, well done but you need to focus more."

"Hai Sensei." The four bowed.

"You are dismissed for the evening. Go play boys," the rat man smiled.

"Thanks Dad!"

"Thank you Father!"

"Thanks Master Splinter!"

"You're the best Dad!"

Four sets of feet ran out of the dojo and into the common room. Splinter smiled listening to their voices. He knew many found children annoying, he used to himself, but the sounds of his children were better than the best song to his ears.

Splinter sat down in the center of the dojo and went into a lotus position. He began to meditate. Despite the happiness and peacefulness he was blissfully aware of, anxiety and stress shone through. He knew that their home in the sewers was safe but he always feared the humans would find them or worse, the enemies from his former life.

Watching his sons train brought joy to his heart but joy was always followed by fear. Fear that his joy would be stripped away as it once had. That was why he meditated. To forget that fear and hopefully bring himself to a place where it no longer existed, pestering him.

Splinter was hardly aware of the hours ticking by until his eldest son entered the dojo.

"Master Splinter?" Leo asked as he entered.

"What is it, Leonardo?" Splinter questioned, his eyes opening. He saw the small form of a child standing at the doorway. The feelings he had before beginning his meditation rose up again and flooded through his body and mind. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just think you should get some sleep," Leo told him. "It's pretty late."

Splinter had no clock or watch but he knew it had to be late if his sons thought it was. He mentally scolded himself. His sons always needed to be reminded to go to bed. When they went to bed on their own accord, they were exhausted in the morning.

Leo seemed to read his face. "Don't worry, I made sure everyone went to bed at a good time."

Splinter's heart swelled in pride. His son's responsibility and caring for his brothers always brought him happiness. "My son, you need to go to bed as well."

Leo nodded. "I know, I just wanted to make sure you got to bed too."

"Thank you, Leonardo," Splinter said and got to his feet. He picked his son up and carried him to his room. He smiled softly at him. "What would I do without you?"

"Mediate all day," Leo responded. Splinter chuckled and set Leo down in the child's bed. Leo's eyes closed almost immediately showing Splinter truly how tired he was. The boy was asleep by the time Splinter tucked him in. Splinter smiled down at his beautiful son and blinked his own tired eyes before heading to his own room.

Splinter often woke up far earlier than his sons but today he woke up at a time irregular for even him. He had this terrible feeling in his belly. He put his hand on it, worried that maybe he'd eaten something bad but he felt the feeling spread to the rest of him. Splinter shook his head. It was just his usual uneasiness. This is why he had to meditate.

Splinter got up and headed to the kitchen to get some water and maybe start preparing breakfast. He didn't make it a few feet from his bedroom door when he sensed that something was wrong. He grabbed a toy block off the floor and hurled it across the room.

To his horror, a man fell out of the shadows. The rat man dropped into a defensive stance and edged closer to the fallen figure. He gasped. Splinter recognized the man's suit. Solid black, that red symbol… He was of Foot. His enemies.

"Leonardo! Raphael! Donatello! Michelangelo!" Splinter yelled. Several more ninja leaped from the shadows of his home. Each one had a weapon, each one aimed at his throat.

The four young turtles appeared in the room, yawning and rubbing their eyes sleepily, and froze at the sight of their father being attacked. Splinter was a great fighter but he didn't have enough time to land more than one blow to knock his attackers back each time one of them lunged. He was greatly outnumbered and these ninjas kept appearing out of nowhere.

"Dad!" Mikey cried and tried to run to him but Leo grabbed him. Splinter desperately tried to push the ninjas in a direction away from his children.

"No! You'll get killed!" Leo said. Donnie and Raph grabbed onto Leo's arms, seeking comfort from their big brother.

"Run, my sons!" Splinter ordered. "I will hold them off as long as I can."

Mikey was crying. Leo held his hand and took off across the room towards the exit followed by his two brothers. Splinter didn't know where they would go but he prayed they all lived long enough for that to be an issue.

His prayers were not answered. Splinter's attention was drawn away from fighting the ninja when he heard his youngest son squeal in fear. He looked to the entryway and his fears increased tenfold.

"Hamato Yoshi." A man stood at the entryway covered in heavy metal armor. From his wrists sharp blades stuck out and on his head a large helmet sat, giving him an incredibly intimidating vibe.

"Oroku Saki," Splinter hissed. He forgot about the ninja he was fighting and lunged towards his enemy who was trying to do everything he could to keep him from his sons.

Splinter didn't even make it halfway across the room before the ninjas he was fighting decided to tackle him down. There was no real skill or strategy in this attack, they just piled on top of him. The weight was too much for him to fight against and he was pinned to the ground.

At this point, all four turtles were crying. They all huddled close, clinging to each other for what little comfort their siblings could offer. The Shredder turned his armored head to stare at them. Light from another room caught his armor, causing it to glint. Splinter was blinded for a moment by the glare.

In a moment, the Shredder stood crouched, towering, over Splinter's sons, inspecting them. They shrank back more until their shells pressed against the wall, tears flowing fast and silent save the occasional whimper. They only heightened when the Shredder suddenly rose back up to full height and rose his metal plated arm.

"Shut up!" Shredder snarled. His hand came down and Splinter's ears were filled with the sound of harsh contact followed by his sons' screams.

"No!" Splinter howled. He struggled against the mass on top of him but he couldn't even get his tail free. The weight was too much and the struggling seemed to make it worse. Splinter felt like his chest was about to collapse, he could barely breathe but that wouldn't stop him. He had to get to his beloved sons.

"You care for these creatures?" Shredder mused. He kicked out with one foot and sent the nearest turtle, Donnie, flying across the room.

"Donatello!" Splinter cried and began struggling again. Donnie cried out as his shell rammed into the wall with a terrible sound and collapsed on the ground unconscious. The Shredder started to laugh. Splinter hissed. How could someone be so evil to kick a scared child?

"Foot ninja, gather these turtles and dispose of them." Shredder said. "The rest of you, try up the rat. I have plans for him."

Splinter did everything he could to break out of the ninjas grip and get to his sons but there was nothing he could do but watched four Foot Ninja pick up his screaming children and carry them out of sight.