Identity

It was a never-ending cycle.

Every night those creatures that were neither man nor beast came lurking, hunting for him, and every time he would strike them down, tear them apart limb from metal limb with his elongated claws and bared teeth. He didn't know why they continued to come after him, even though he continued to decimate each and every creature sent his way. Perhaps it was due to their interest in him in general. After all, he was a bit odd when he really thought of it.

He didn't know why he was so strong. He couldn't remember what his name was, if he ever had a name to begin with, that is. He couldn't remember where came from, why he was so large compared to his rat brethren, or why when he looked at his reflection in the pools of sewer water, his eyes reflected not the soul of a rat…but the soul of a confused, heartbroken human.

This, of course, made no sense to him. He wasn't a human. He was a rat. A normal – and admittedly over-sized – sewer rat that for some reason or another was being hunted by small white creatures that screeched like cats, and black clothed demons that sprang out from the darkness of the sewers when he'd least expected it.

He also tended to have nightmares. More often than not, they included a man - a monster - with blades upon his head and shoulders, and cold eyes that glared into his very being as he struck him down...

There were also screams. Screams that belonged to whoever was watching his torture from afar, unable to help him as they could only helplessly call out for him...

He was alone within the dark sewers. He was afraid of whatever the next day would bring with those monsters always on the prowl. But despite his confusion, despite his fear, he continued to fight them off. He wanted to survive, to find out where he was…or who he was supposed to be.

He knew that there was something he should've been looking for, something that he should protect at all costs once he found it...something that he loved dearly with all of what remained of his fractured being. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was.

All he knew was that it was important that he lived long enough to find what he had lost.

It was on this particular night that his cycle had been broken.

It had started out the same as any other night, with him tearing the soulless creatures apart in his fangs, snarling and clawing as he fought for his life, when suddenly...

"Sensei!"

His eyes flew open wide. Something in the very back of his mind seemed to flip like a light-switch.

That voice…I know it...

His ears pricked up sharply at the unexpected call, and he swiveled around to find a pair of humans…and four giant, odd looking reptiles staring down at him, their eyes and mouths gaping as if they had witnessed a horror from their deepest nightmares.

The reptiles…they looked just like him. Well, they weren't rats of course, but the way their bodies moved, the way they walked on two legs– almost like humans if not for their green skin and hard shells – was almost like what he looked like when he stood up on two legs.

Their faces were young, reminding him of what the human children on the surface used to look like before they became those hideous pink creatures. And they were...almost familiar to him, though he knew not how or why...

The turtles...I know them…

But they were not his friends. No, they were hunters, all of them. They all carried weapons on their backs or in their hands, and they were afraid of him as he crouched down low on all fours and hissed at them through his bared fangs.

He had to destroy them, too. They were a threat to his survival. They were a threat in his quest to find what he was missing.

Snarling, he darted past the turtles, knocking them all over as he bounded straight for the skull-faced man, tackling him to the ground as he attempted to bite his face, but his struggling and squirming made it rather difficult.

"Gyah! Get him offa me! Get him offa me!" the man screamed.

Large hands seized him then, dragging him off and away from the man and as they clambered onto his back and restrained his arms, shouting and calling out to him as he thrashed and hissed madly in their grip.

"It's okay, Sensei, it's us!" one clad in purple cried out, his voice oddly familiar. "We're your sons!"

Sons? What were they talking about? He had no sons. Especially none that were turtles. And who was this 'us'? they were talking about? Was he supposed to know them? And how did they know him?

They kept calling him 'Sensei'...was that his name?

A name among many others they call me...

So many questions reeled through his pounding head as he continued to struggle, fighting against their grasp as the purple one looked him in the eyes. "Try to remember!" he begged, his brown eyes wide with traces of tears. Something inside of his heart seemed to break upon looking into his distraught eyes…

I'm trying…

Primal instincts quickly took over once more as he lunged out to bite the purple one, who reeled back with a yelp.

"Sensei, it's us! It's us…calm down!" called another one, his tone soothing even though his vice-like grip was anything but. His face was familiar. But his voice was wrong…

He has changed…I sense it…

Eventually, he couldn't fight any longer. Days without proper food had drained him of his energy piece by piece, and now he had spent the last of it as his ears drooped and his body finally relaxed. As he heaved out an exhausted breath, his arms trapped in the grip of two of the turtles, the other ones gathered around him. He could have sworn he heard the one in orange sniffle miserably as he clung onto his arm like a child would cling to his father...

Whoever these creatures or these people were, even though he was at their mercy, he couldn't help but feel an old ache in the very pit of his chest as they stood around him. The purple one that he'd attempted to bite before came and put an arm around his shoulders. His touch was hesitant, but it was no less comforting.

Lean on them...I am safe in their arms...

Perhaps they really meant him no harm after all. Perhaps they would help him find what he was searching for.

That dreaded high-pitched screech from the mouse monster rang in his ears, making him snap his head back up as those tall black creatures slid down on ropes from the ceiling. "Oh no! Foot!" he heard the purple one cry in fear. His tail flicked behind him in anger as the black things drew near.

"Get ready, team!" shouted the blue one with the different voice as he drew out a long blade. "Don't let them harm Splinter!"

Splinter? Was that his name as well? How many names did he have?

The black things attacked. And as the turtles and the two humans retaliated, his overwhelming urge to escape, to survive, to run away, was what finally gave him the strength to struggle out of the hold of the two turtles. He leapt at one of the black men, ripping off its metal head from its shoulders before he darted down the nearest tunnel to escape this battlefield.

"Oh no! Splinter!" shouted the red one.

This time he didn't respond. He dared not turn back or stop, for he knew that the men in black were on his tail now. He couldn't let them catch him. He couldn't let them stop him from finding the important thing.

Something suddenly leapt on top of him once more, causing him to tumble off balance and roll along the ground. It was then that he realized that the black men had caught up to him, trying to pin him to the ground even as he fought viciously, tearing his claws into them with desperation as he hissed and snarled. But then a glowing stick was plunged into his back, sending a horrible flash of pain through his body as he let out a scream, before his body fell limp.

Just as he slipped into unconsciousness, he heard a voice call out to him one last time...

"SPLINTER!"

When he awoke once more, he found that he was slung over the shoulder of one of the black men, carried through an unfamiliar dark hallway with several other black men walking behind.

There was no room for questions this time as he immediately lashed out, his tail whipping outwards as he attempted to get away, but he was quickly restrained once more as they pinned his arms behind his back, marching him through two black doors and into a wide open room, where a giant tiger and a man stood and watched him thrash about with bafflement.

"What?! It cannot be!" the tiger gasped.

"...Hamato Yoshi...lives?" the man breathed in disbelief.

Ignoring them both for now, he fought harder, tearing himself out of the grip of the black men and ripping out the throat of another. But despite his efforts, he was once again grappled harshly and then pinned to the ground, a solid foot stamping on his head to keep him down for good. Still hissing and snarling, he looked up at the tiger creature that was dressed like a human with a black patch over his left eye...

And next to him, staring down at him with narrowed eyes full of disdain, stood the bladed monster from his very nightmares.

Oh no. He was here. He was going to hurt him again, torture him before finally killing him...

Do not give up...fight back...I cannot allow myself to die here...

Instead however, the bladed monster appeared thoughtful as he regarded him. "...take him to Baxter Stockman."

It wasn't long before he found himself being dragged into an underground cave of some sort, still thrashing and fighting in the hands of the black men as the bladed monster led them towards a large enclosure, with a giant running wheel inside. He was tossed within the pen, and as he turned and hissed at the bladed monster and lunged for him, a wall of glass came down before him, separating him from the creature whose face he desired to rip off more than anything.

"I want you to restore Hamato Yoshi's mind," the monster spoke, not to him, but to the hideous bug creature that flew next to him behind the glass. "I want him fully aware of who and where he is...before I finish him off," the man growled, glaring at him as he spat and scratched at the glass before walking away.

"Yezzzz mazzzzter," the bug replied. He decided to bite out at him as well, simply because he looked disgusting, and the bug flew away from the glass with a yelp of fright.

Once his anger had dwindled, he crouched back on all fours and looked around at his new environment, his whiskers twitching as he sniffed. It was littered with wood chippings that scratched at his furry skin, and it was quite small, for him that is. But he got the impression that he was going to be staying here for a little while, so it was better than nothing he supposed. At least it was warmer in here than the sewers. And he even had a machine that gave him clear, clean water instead of the foul-smelling liquid he'd been forced to drink before.

He turned his attention to the running wheel on his far right near the back of the room. His ear flicked with interest. He had nothing better to do.

Might as well give it a go.

He didn't know how long he'd been in this place, but he was starting to get very bored, as well as anxious. What did that monster mean by restoring his mind? What did he have planned for him? Whatever it was, he didn't like it at all. The very thought of it brought an uneasy feeling within the pit of his stomach...

Oh, wait, no it didn't. He was just hungry.

He lifted one hand to scratch the back of his left ear. He hoped that food would be coming soon. They wouldn't just let him starve in here, would they?

There was a knock on the glass behind him. "You want this cheezzzzze, don't you?" asked the bug.

He turned around, and when his eyes fell upon the golden cube on the plate the bug held, his eyes lit up as he approached the glass, sniffing it with immense interest. The bug knocked again. "You want the nizzzze swizzzz cheezzzzze, hm?" he probed, his voice taunting as he waved the cheese in front of him. "Come on! Take the cheezzze! Come on!"

Yes, he did want the cheese, very much so. But he obviously couldn't get to it through the impenetrable glass barrier he was trapped behind. He licked at the glass, his stomach growling louder the longer he stared at it. Was the bug going to give it to him any time soon -?

He got his answer as the bug spat out acid onto the cheese. He drew backwards in disgust as he watched the bug greedily gobbling it up and then licking its remains clean off the plate before laughing at him.

How very rude.

He drew into himself, his ears drooping slightly in disappointment as the bug continued to laugh at him. Oh well, no need to dwell on it. He decided instead that he would appease his hunger by sipping from the water tank instead, ignoring the bug until he finally flew away, probably having gotten bored of tormenting him.

Once he'd had his fill of water, he decided to crawl back over to the running wheel and sit on it, licking his fur clean of the splinters he'd gotten from the wood chippings littered on the floor.

Splinter... Hm. That sounded familiar.

There was another knock on the glass. Oh no, not again. He felt the urge to roll his eyes as he chose to ignore the tapping. What did the bug want this time -?

"Sensei? Sensei!" whispered an urgent voice from behind his cage.

His ear pricked up. Sensei. That was one of his names. And that voice...

He turned around again, and he was surprised to find the four turtles and their human children pets standing there instead of the bug. They had come back for him? But why?

Because they care about me...they missed me...and I have missed them...

He cautiously walked up to the glass, meeting the blue masked one's eyes as they gazed up at him. He tilted his head as he stooped lower so that they were level with each other. His blue eyes were deep, full of sadness, regret...

Why was he so sad? Had he done something wrong?

Is it because of what I have become...?

"Quick, get him outta there!" whispered the red one to the purple one standing beside the device that he presumed was what allowed the glass door to move, which it did seconds later as the barrier lifted up. Now that the glass was gone, the turtles and the pet humans were free to move inside with him. He took a timid step away from them. Even though he knew he was safe with them, he still couldn't let them touch him. Last time they'd touched him, they'd hurt him. He didn't want them to do it again.

The one with the red fur on her head stepped forwards. "Its okay," she soothed, her hand stretched out towards him as she looked deep into his eyes. "It's okay..."

Though her voice was as soft and reassuring as her gaze, he still wouldn't let them near as he took another wary step back. Of course he didn't want to stay in this cage of his anymore, but he just didn't want them to touch him. And what were they going to do with him once he was free?

What were they talking about? Mind melding? What did that mean?

Were they going to take his brain?!

"WHAT IZZZZ THIZZZZ?!"

Startled, he leapt backwards as the bug suddenly appeared, buzzing angrily at first upon finding intruders within his underground cave. But the anger soon turned into surprise as he gawked at the turtles glaring up at him with a vengeance he had never seen. "T-Turtlezzz?! Here?! You were all destroyed!" the bug cried.

He heard the red one growl like a feral dog. "How's this for 'destroyed'?!" he barked before tossing a sharp metal spike in the bug's direction. The bug dodged the projectile, and then spat out more foul acid from his mouth. The turtles leapt out of the way before charging after him.

"April, try and wake Splinter up!" the blue one called before leaping after the bug along with the other turtles.

With the turtles gone, he was left with the two pets as they turned to him. Instantly he became defensive, snarling once again as he glared at the two of them. Despite her words and despite the warmth in her eyes, he couldn't trust them. They were humans. Humans were never to be trusted. And especially disliked the one in the mask the most, which was why when he approached him first, his snarls intensified as a warning, but he clearly wasn't heeding it.

"Splinter! Wake up, Splinter!" the skull man cried.

He snapped his jaws at them. He wanted them to go away. He wanted to see the turtles again. He felt safer with them, not with their pets.

"You are not a rat," the red girl said. "You are Hamato Yoshi!"

Hamato...Yoshi?

That name...it meant something, and yet nothing at the same time...

The girl closed her eyes, pressing her fingers against the side of her head as her brows creased in concentration.

And then that was when he felt it; a splitting pain in his brain that wouldn't go away, not even as he held his throbbing head between his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

Images flashed before his very eyes. The bladed monster was beating him, swiping his metal claws across his flesh and tearing him apart. A slash across his shoulder whilst his back was turned...and then a savage blow to the head before everything went dark...and then he couldn't breathe as he was washed away within the sewer pipes...

His eyes snapped open again, his eyes wide and frantic as he desperately looked around the room in search for whatever was causing this pain, these images he was forced to see.

The first thing he saw was the skull man... No, it wasn't the skull man. It was the bladed monster in disguise! He was here to kill him!

With a hiss, he leapt at him and threw him to the floor, his tail lashing back and forth as he snapped his teeth at the monster's face.

"YAAA! Not again!" he cried as he struggled futilely beneath him. And it was when he was mere inches away from biting his face off that the human whipped out a device and stuck him with it, sending yet more pain pulsing through his body as he let out a scream of agony.

Then he was sent flying backwards, landing flat on his back before everything turned dark once more...

"Come on, Master Splinter!" a distant voice called to him, hands shaking his shoulder back and forth. "Come on!"

That voice...that girl...it was her that was causing his pain. It was her that put those horrible images inside his head, making him suffer.

He wouldn't allow her to toy with him any longer.

His eyes snapped open, filled with primal rage as he leapt back onto his feet, roaring at the red furred pet as she backed away with a startled scream. The skull faced man stepped protectively in front of her, drawing out a stick from behind him. "I got this, Red!" he declared as he ran to meet him head on.

He didn't care for the man at the moment; he would deal with him later. What he wanted right now was to get rid of that girl.

Swatting the man away like he was no more than a fly, he charged straight for the girl and slammed her against the wall, snapping and bearing his fangs at her even as she begged him to stop. He was inches away from tearing off her nose before her hands slapped against the side of his head, holding him fast as she glared into his eyes. "LOOK!" she shouted. "Look at me! REMEMBER!"

And then he became still, his violent snarling and thrashing ceasing at last as his eyes widened. The pain had returned, but -

"April, it seems that you have a rare gift...I would like to train you to be a Kunoichi; a female ninja."

"Wow! That's quite an honor. If I do this...does that mean I could kick everybody's butt!"

"...we don't believe in using our abilities that way."

"Oh! oh, yeah. Me neither. But I could, right?"

"Heheh, Yes."

...

"PLEASE! Father...we need you..."

"My place...Is with my sons!"

...

"...father..."

"See, Sensei? I told you my plan would work!"

"Perhaps some things are worth the risk."

...

"What shall we name her, Yoshi?"

"Hm? You are her mother; it is your honor to name out child.

"You have always been better at naming things, Yoshi. Come now, surprise me. What should we name our little one?"

"Well, let us see now...let's name her...Miwa..."

He remembered now.

He had been such a fool for far too long. All this time, he had been searching for who he was, for the important thing that he had lost. And yet here they were, and he was fighting against them like the mindless savage he had almost completely succumbed to.

He was no rat. He was their Master Splinter.

He was a father...

Closing his eyes, Splinter gently grasped the hand pressed against his temple. When she flinched, his thumb gently stroked her hand soothingly before she found the courage to open her eyes and relax. She released him then, letting him step back from her as she gazed up at him, still unsure.

April blinked. "...Master Splinter?"

Standing proud and strong once more, Splinter offered April a smile and a firm nod as Casey Jones came to stand by her.

He was a mindless sewer rat no more. He knew who and what he was. He was a man.

He was Hamato Yoshi.

And as a loud roar rang from behind him as a battle between reptiles and arthropods raged on, he narrowed his eyes as he sprung into action, for he now knew what he had to do. He had to protect what he had regained.

Now, he had to save his sons.

A/N: THAT EPISODE GAVE ME FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE NO IDEA! I had to write something for it, so I decided to tell it from Splinter's P.O.V with his rat mind until he got his memory back. The poor guy. But at least they're finally together again!

I OWN NOTHING!

Hope you liked it! I'm still doing the Karai and Brothers thing btw.