A chapter regarding Yoshi musing over his past.
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Even now, he clearly could recall that night, that equally horrible and wonderful night. The transformation thanks to mutagen had rocked his body to its core, shifting bones, teeth and skin. Hamato Yoshi was not a man any longer. Not a human man. When he saw his reflection in a puddle fear and disgust settled sharply in his belly. If not for the faint gurgling and whining from the turtles, Yoshi had been certain he would have fled deeper into the sewers to hide. He could have easily vanished into his own grief and disgust.
Instead he fumbled to his feet, realizing the transformation had taken hours when he saw the sky above. It had shifted from the blue of mid-afternoon to a dark sky full of stars. All his disgust with himself melted away when he remembered Tang Shen.
He tucked the children (were they children… or animals?) in the ratty fabric of his coat for warmth, finding himself using old training to find a pay phone. Their home number comes easily, even with his strange new hand. Even in New York, this part of the city was dead enough at night he didn't have to be completely on guard while calling his wife.
The phone barely has a chance to ring before it's picked up. "Tang-" He barely had a chance to say her name before she cut in. "Yoshi, where are you?" Worry and panic clear in her voice.
"There was an accident, I- something happened." He found himself staring at his free hand, examining his fur and claws. Putting his words together felt nearly impossible now. "I went to get you a surprise from the pet store and there was an accident."
Less an accident and more a fight thanks to his own need to investigate. He didn't want to scare her any longer. After what happened to their clan, fighting much less ninjutsu was a sore topic.
"Yoshi, where are you? Are you hurt?" Tang was not going to let him handle this alone. "I'm coming for you, so do not try to tell me this is nothing. I know you Yoshi. You're barely making sense now." He relented, checking the streets for names and telling her to be careful. Tang simply snorted in response and told him the same in return before hanging up.
Tang was his rock then, even when she found him in tatters of his clothes, more of a giant rat than a man she did not run. There was shock, questions and worry, but no fear.
When she saw the four turtles bundled in his coat, something changed on her features. Her expression softened. Even now he was not sure what that meant, or why she took such fondness for the turtles. Sometimes he wondered if it was because of their loss of Miwa. The loss was still fresh back then.
"We need to get home, take care of all of you." She managed to cover him up enough with a floppy hat and gigantic jacket to smuggle them both back to their apartment. A small humble home not meant for six people. Much less meant to hide five mutants.
She had insisted back then on carrying the boys back, protectively keeping them close to her chest. Mutagen was fresh on the turtles still, but Tang would hear not a word of Yoshi carrying them when he was still so unsteady on his feet. When things settled, he explained what happened. The strange men, the odd canister.
