Title: Moments of Clarity (2k12 – Annihilation Earth)
Rating: K+
Before he had been mutated, the life of Hamato Yoshi was a clear cut path. He did not experience the discomfort of being unsure about his goals and his purpose. It was clear to him that he should be loyal to the Hamato Clan. It was clear to him that Tang Shen was the love of his life, and that he should take care of her and his newly born daughter Miwa. It was clear to him that his brother Oroku Saki was a good man if just a little misguided.
All of that clarity became nothing more than a haze of darkness, uncertainty, and fear the moment he realized that Oroku Saki wasn't just a little jealous of his life, but wanted it for himself and would work to actually take it. His world had transformed into alien landscape at the realization of Tang Shen's death, and his belief that Miwa had also died. His lonely travel to America, in honor of Shen's wishes for them held hope of helping him grieve until that horrific accident with the mutagen. It had taken Yoshi such a long time to accept his new fate, to implement the ninjutsu teaching of adaptation to any situation. After so many hardships, trials and tribulations, there had come a happiness and a wholeness that Yoshi thought he would never experience again in his life. The growth and development of his four surrogate sons. At first the happiness that his new family brought him made him feel guilty, as if he was betraying the memory of his former family. It took years for him to put those feelings to rest and give himself over completely to the love and reverence of his sons.
His sons. They dominated his final thoughts. Saki had betrayed him yet again. It should not have surprised him, but deep down it did. Even through all the deceit, lies, treachery, murder, greed, and lust for power, Splinter thought that somewhere deep down in Saki's spirit was at least a kernel of the teachings they had both grown up with. At the very least he believed that Saki would be driven by his own lust for power to help. He'd had no delusions that there was any altruism involved.
Splinter's eyes and focus were narrowed on the mission at hand. They had to reach that device and stop it. One job. He'd taught his sons to have that same single-minded focus and he'd taught them that that was how they survived. He didn't even sense it coming, and he would not even have the time later to stew in his mistake.
Searing heat. It was all he felt. He glanced down to see the all familiar double blades piercing his midsection. Yoshi did not fear death, nor the oblivion that promised to swallow them all. In fact he feared nothing at all. He felt thankful for his sons, the only regret that he could not completely reconcile with his daughter. His final thoughts were filled only with his children. He supposed in his final moments that it was true that your life flashed before your eyes.
His thoughts flashed to his eldest son Leonardo. Yoshi remembered the day he'd helped Leonardo overcome his crippling fear of heights. He remembered how proud he was that his son had completed his first kata, had earned his swords and had told his father that he loved him.
He recalled a young Donatello and the moment he realized that his son was more than sentient, he was a genius. Donnie had made an alarm clock out of whatever scraps he'd found, and given it to Raphael to help him come to training on time. Yoshi recalled how Donatello always worked on ways to make all their lives as comfortable as possible, and how he never lorded his intelligence over his brothers.
Splinter remembered holding a five year old Raphael as he shook and cried with a rage coursing through him that was too much for any young child to carry. He remembered how it took hours to calm him, just hold him, caressing his head, singing lullaby's to him until Raphael turned and asked forgiveness from his family. He recalled the day a year later when Raphael would secretly ask his father to help him with his anger, and how proud he was of his son to be so mature.
Finally there was Mikey. His sweet innocent Mikey, so full of life and love enough for all of them. It was the day that Yoshi had found Mikey comforting Raphael after Leonardo was named the leader. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but the way Mikey spoke to his brother, hitting at the heart of the matter in a way that made Raphael listen rather than react had astounded him. It was then that Yoshi realized that Mikey's innocence provided him the unparalleled ability to see things as they were, not as he wished them to be, and he acted according to his intuitions.
Master Splinter had never been much for praying, but at this time he did pray to whomever might have been listening. He prayed that the void claiming him into its bosom would claim his sons also, so that they would not have time to feel the pain of this loss. Then there was nothing.