"At the temple there is a poem called "Loss" carved into the stone. It has three words, but the poet has scratched them out. You cannot read loss, only feel it."
~Arthur Golden
A/N: I'm going out of order today, because the world has gone out of order for someone I love like a sister, an amazing person and a talented author.
I'm so sorry, Sarah. He lives on in you, and I know he was so very proud.
~Remembrance~
He never considered his own mortality, until a small hand curled around his, clinging, trusting, a small face gazing up at his own, looking to him for… well, everything.
He had known fear before, but he had not known that it could run so deep, twisting in his gut. He didn't know he would sit, awake, watching the four as they slept, piled together. What would happen to them when he was gone? What if he left them, like his master before him?
As the years passed, the fear receded. They were older. Capable. He taught them, watched them grow, in size, teamwork, and skill. When the time came, he knew, they would care for one another.
Reclining on the ledge, he felt the world moving away from him, but there was one more thing, one more task. His sons needed one more thing from him.
"I know that you will take care of your brothers."
They weren't ready, he knew. They never could be. He never could be. Leaving the world that contains your children is unthinkable, but then there is no choice. Grief and peace mingled. As his ancestors before him, he would live on through his children.
A/N: The episode referred to is the Return to New York, Part 3.
Splinter is with the Turtles as they go after Shredder. They are at the top of the Foot tower, fighting, when Shredder makes to land a fatal blow on Michelangelo. Splinter leaps, bounces off Mikey's shell, knocking him out of the way, and blocks the strike, but is thrown backward out a window. Leonardo swings out on a rope and catches him. He lays his Sensei on a ledge and Splinter tells him to return to the battle. Leo says they can't do it without him, but Splinter insists, telling him he will lead his brothers well.
Later, after a search and reunion, Splinter reveals to his sons that without the Utrom intervention, he would not have survived his injuries.
I chose this episode for the tribute because it's the closest the TMNT came to losing their patriarch. Fiction is a poor reflection of real life, but it can be an acknowledgement of the best real things we have. Splinter could not be the amazing dad he is without the inspiration of real awesome dads, and he seemed like an appropriate representative for this piece.