If Master Splinter seems a little bit OOC, it's because... this is him fifteen years before the series of course. He's younger, maybe about twenty four? At least, that's my headcanon. But he's still young, still struggling, still growing up. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Thank you guys so much for the reviews, you guys are so sweet!3

He was disoriented. The world was swimming before his eyes, and he lay dazed with the side of his face pressed against the ground. Someone was screaming. Miwa? No, it was an older, mature woman. At the end of the alley. It was so loud… It sounded as if she were screaming right in his ears...

Splinter lifted his head, finding it a heavier weight than he anticipated. Confused and dizzy, he struggled to move. He could hear Miwa crying. Not just Miwa, either, but the sound of other babies sobbing out their hearts. Car horns and screaming, as well as the irritating ringing in his ears. Drops of water dripping from last night's rainfall… the sound of scurrying tennis shoes… constant screams and terror-filled conversation… it was too much.

He turned his head. Focusing on the sound of Miwa's crying, and finding... something else in her place. It seemed odd... something completely irrational that Yoshi almost doubted his own eyes. For moments, he stared in disbelief. His fingers caught locks of fur between his knuckles, where baby-soft skin should be. Flat, pointed ears stuck from her head, and her nose and mouth had formed into a muzzle. She was still screaming. Crying.

A cat. She was a cat.

The noises around him continued as he reached out. He almost yelled in alarm as he found hairy, brown arms with wrinkled gray hands in front of him, where his own partly-wrinkled fingers should be. Nauseous, he stumbled, falling against his right elbow. Shock spread through his bone from the impact, and he shook his head to clear his vision.

Miwa began to cough and choke. Lashing out as quickly as he could, he scooped up the form in his arms and held her close. No matter what, he had to get her out of here. Somewhere away from all the noise… And that was when he spotted the four, tiny green mutants with shells, milling about crying and screaming as if lost and scared.

So much noise...

Car wheels screeched, and the screaming woman raced into the arms of her husband in fear. Confused, Yoshi stumbled to get to his feet. Startled at this weird weight, he fell to his knees, still cradling young Miwa close. She trembled, her sobs coming broken and strained.

Everything was hazy and a blur. But he could hear the young turtles crying out, and instantly his heart dropped. They sounded so child-like, so... human. Like children so similar to Miwa.

That was the sole reason that his heart gave them pity. He couldn't leave such helpless children alone with the people of New York.

There, a few feet over, sat a sewer cover. The alley's dead-end was a no-go, and the other direction was filled with screaming people. One man decided he was brave enough to near them, and Splinter gave an involuntary hissing-like noise, opening his mighty jaws and spitting towards the man. The citizen flinched back, stumbling into the safety of the sidewalk once more. Surprised at his outburst, Yoshi hesitated. But then realized stopping now was foolish. The only direction to go was down. Without hesitation, Splinter hopped to the side, reluctantly setting Miwa down beside him and slipping his savage-like fingers into the edges of the sewer cover. Lifting his head to bear the strain, he felt the cover give and begin to shift.

When he was able to flip it the entire way, he felt a pang in his head as if someone had beat him. Though no one was nearby. Winded momentarily, his hands grasped his head, only to find two unfamiliar ears sticking from the sides. Feeling as if his limbs were on fire, he doubled over, attempting not to throw up. He felt sick.

He didn't care anymore. No, there was no reason to care. He was on auto-pilot. The only thing on his mind was escaping the noise. There was a distinct ringing in his ears. Being as careful as possible, he scooped up Miwa and reached towards the children figures screaming to the side.

The onlookers were still watching. The woman had fainted into the arms of her husband. Had the situation been any less crucial, it might have been funny. But he was working against a clock. Using his elbows, Splinter attempted to rally the four and herded them towards the opening in the ground. At first, they didn't comply. They only cried, and sobbed, and sweated, and screamed. Hamato Yoshi finally used one hand to hold Miwa, and the other to pick up one of the little figures at a time. The first, a chubby one, spots upon his face and eyes clenched shut in horror, did nothing as he was carried off his feet. Trying to be careful, but unable to afford any time, he sat him at the very edge of the cover.

Reaching for the next, his fingers grasped the shell of a bigger one, with his eyes open. They shone a light green, and the figure's hands were clenched and held to his chest as he screeched in terror. Master Splinter, like the first one, set him down beside the cover and reached for the last two. They were cradled against each other, with their arms grasping the other in a protective motion. Master Splinter was able to scoop the both of them up easily under his arm, holding on tight as he stepped towards the man hole.

Sirens screeched. The citizens must have notified the police, or something. Maybe animal control. Why that thought even occurred to Splinter, he didn't dwell in it. He curled himself sideways, stepping onto the ladder that led underground. The two sitting by the manhole cover were carefully grasped and placed on his shoulders, where they clutched to him and buried their faces in his… dare he say it… fur.

He had to leave the cover open. He could still hear the many people outside watching with mixed curiosity and horror. What they had just seen will never be forgotten, he knew. Setting all five of the small children down, he grasped the rungs of the ladder and had to pause. Another pang in his head, and he shuddered. He felt ready to throw again, but forced his churning stomach to silence. He forced on.

Reaching for the manhole cover at the top, he pulled with all the strength he could muster, and drug it until it shifted into its fixed position, enclosing them in dramatic darkness.

He knew there would be no time. He had to get him and the little ones out of here. Still on an auto-pilot default, he had no time for thoughts as he attempted to scoop them all up at once. Oh how this could be so much easier if he had something to carry them in! Knowing it was far too much to ask for right now, he picked up Miwa first, holding her close. The sirens could be heard above, increasing in their noise.

With a free hand, he grasped the shell of one of them, lifting him to his shoulder where he automatically latched on. Good, this was good. He picked up another and felt it screech, its jaws parting to reveal teeth. Placing him on his other shoulder, he felt the infant hold on tightly and keep himself pressed against Yoshi.

The third, the chubby one, he placed in his arm next to Miwa. At first, he cringed, wondering if it were safe to let such a monstrosity touch his daughter. He hesitated, but then decided it was the only way. Then he picked up the last, his mouth parted to revel a distinct missing tooth on his upper jawline. Unsure of how it came to be that way, he held him in his free arm and then took off.

As soon as he turned a corner, he heard the sewer cover lift and voices fill the tunnels.

Pipes and bars lined the walls, going places Splinter would never know. He moved hastily and kept to the shadows, relying on all his ninja training. Though it truly didn't help that he had five screaming children on him. They'd surely attract the men entering the sewers.

"Silence, small ones. It is alright…" He spoke, finding his voice come oddly. It sounded the same, yes, but the way he spoke it felt weird. His vision was beginning to clear, and he could see something between his eyes. His nose? Oh man, even it had formed. Not sure what he looked like, or if he truly wanted to know, he pressed on, finding his auto-pilot begin to die out. Questions and horrors filled his mind, and he found himself afraid.

On he ran. He was attempting to be as careful as possible, knowing that silence was an issue right now. He had to separate himself from these men. Though he was getting farther, he knew that he could not stop. Not until he was certain they were not near.

Minutes passed. The crying children in his arms began to falter and quiet, much to his advantage. They were tiring themselves out. Realizing that for a few minutes, he had not heard the men or their footsteps, he hoped for the best. Slowing his run to a walk, then to a complete stop, he listened closely with his eyes shut. The silent tears of the children in his arms and the hiccups in their breaths didn't mask the point that there was no one following them any longer.

No, wait-

Splinter flipped around, seeing a man with his hand held out, a device in his hand. A metal spring shot out, and it didn't take a genius to know it was a tazor. Leaping into the air, avoiding the hook, Splinter planted a heavy foot against the man, feeling him reel backwards and slam into the bricks. Another came to him from the side. The children in his arms held on tightly, while he did the same in return, as he lashed out another kick.

The group must have split up at some point, for no one else was nearby. But he had to go before these two men awoke. On the run once more, the children's cries had begun to grow once more. Unable to comfort them, he pressed on, fighting back his own tears of terror. Not sure what was going on, not sure of anything.

Minutes of silent running. The only sound filling his ears were the tired tears of the five infants and the echoing of his feet clacking against the cold stone ground. What had been a seemingly normal day turned into a nightmare, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. He didn't know what to do. Never in his life had he felt so helpless.

Not since the fire.

A strike and he felt himself being pulled through his memories. Refusing to dwell too long in the pain, he hmmfed and forced himself to run at a faster pace.

And at last, once he was certain the men were no longer nearby, he gave up.

Dropping beside a stream of sewer water, his knees hit first and his sore arms strained with the weight of three infants. His shoulders sagged from the other two, and he felt for them to set them down. The darkness was uneasy, but there was enough light to see what he was doing. He sat criss-cross, forcing himself to breathe slowly and deeply while he arranged the children around him.

He hesitated, swallowing bile as he temped a look at his reflection. Shutting his eyes, he took a deep breath and leaned forward, reluctantly holding his head above the water. And then, he opened his eyes. What stared back at him was terrifying and grotesque all at once, startling him. When he blinked, this image blinked in response. A long muzzle and ears, definitely rat. Whatever that liquid was… it had turned him into… this!

For several silent moments, unaware that the children had fallen asleep around him on the dirty sewer floor, he stared into the water, disbelieving his own eyes. And then, he cried out. Holding his hands to his head, he curled into himself and shuddered. No, this couldn't be happening. This couldn't. The young man refused to believe such a horrible thing would happen to him and his daughter. How could he have been so stupid? So foolish?

Nothing could have prepared him for this. Every different though was coming at him in a rush, as if a fast ball had been driven into his mouth and down his throat. He felt on the verge of tears. Why him, of all people. Why his daughter, of all innocent children. Why Tang Shen… No, he did not want to bring it up at all.

Removing his hands from his head after a moment of silence, blinking away the water in his eyes, he looked down at the infants at his knees. Miwa had curled up against his side, one arm- paw- resting on his leg. The chubby one was curled up on his side, his shell pressed against Splinter's knee with his face looking the other direction. The bulky one and the one with the tooth gap were curled up against each other, sleeping in each other's laps half-lying against Yoshi's other leg. The last one… was facing him.

Piercing dark blue eyes stared up at him, and the turtle kneeled with his hands pressed against the ground. His eyes were red from crying, but now, he was quiet. Seconds passed as they stared at each other, studying one another with interest and curiosity. And then finally, the small infant broke the gaze first, reaching out and grasping the fur on Splinter's leg. His hands were freezing, and Splinter watched the young one. He pulled himself up, causing pain to erupt from his brown coat being pulled at. But Yoshi did nothing. The small one crawled his way up until he was successfully in the older's lap before collapsing and nuzzling into his fur. He stared up with his dark blue eyes, blinking once before closing them and cuddling against him, putting full trust in the stranger kneeling beside the sewer stream.