Author's Note: Hey guys! Long time no see! I'm so sorry for my lack of work this month! I don't really have an excuse, just real life stuff and me being lazy. I've been working on a few things at once, but I wanted to get this out real quick!

So out of all the characters, Shredder and Splinter are the hardest for me to relate to. I was on a 6 hour train ride through the mountains two months ago just daydreaming when I started to think about this, and I began to wonder what I could do to try and better understand these two characters. And then, BOOM. Story idea! I was going to write it down in my notebook then...but I get car/train/motion sick whenever I do anything except look out the window, so that didn't work out. Anyway, long story short, I decided to do the scene where Shredder kills Splinter's wife. Super intense, right? It's going to be a two-shot, and the other half will be up either tomorrow night or Sunday night. And seriously, I promise that this will not end up to be some crazy 50,000 word story like Sacrifice did. Just a nice, simple, totally heart-wrenching flashback of the man who started it all.

Heads-up, I tried to use some Japanese terms in this one, and I'm basically as American and white as you can get, so with that being said, I probably screwed something up in here. Feel free to correct me or give advice on how to better use the terminology! I'm pretty sure there's only one word in here, but there'll be more in the next chapter/update thing. And ah, contractions! How I absolutely hated to part with you in this story.

I hope I did this okay. Like I said, Splinter's hard for me to connect with, and I'm not so in-tune with the way he thinks or talks. But then, this is young Splinter, so maybe you'll let me off the hook if I screwed up, lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT or anything related to it. I just like to write about mutant turtles and anthropomorphic rats in my spare time. You know, normal teenager stuff.

And here we go!

When The World Stopped Turning:

"Yoshi."

Her sharp whisper drags me up from my sleep. I roll over, blinking groggily as my mind struggles to churn. The darkness of the room threatens my sight, but slowly, my eyes adjust, and I see Tang Shen sitting up on her matt with a fearful gleam in her deep eyes.

"What is it, Sakura?"

It troubles me to know I had drifted off whilst my wife and child lay awake. But she had been singing Miwa to sleep…I could not help but to doze.

Foolish.

"Someone is here," she whispers quickly. Miwa is gathered in her arms protectively, and the sight of my wife so alarmed sends cold waves of fear through my body. I sit up defensively.

"What?"

"I heard something outside, Yoshi. And just a moment ago, a shadow crossed the yard."

Ice forms in my chest. I stand to my feet in one deft move, and I reach for the Wakizashi in its place against the wall. Unsheathing the blade, I carefully step across the room, pausing for a moment to listen at the door.

Nothing. Just silence.

The night must be playing tricks on her.

I glance back at Tang Shen and mentally reprimand myself. She is no fool—if she says there was a shadow, then there was a shadow, and I cannot rest until I know my family is safe.

I lift a finger to my lips and motion for her to stay put. She nods, clutching our child ever closer to her chest as she mouths the words, "Be careful."

I step out of the room and silently close the door behind me. I take a deep breath and steady my mind in preparation, gripping the hilt of the blade with strong hands.

It is probably nothing, I tell myself. But if it is something…

Then what? We have never endured intruders before…

My thoughts race with possibilities, and I have to continuously close my eyes and regain control over my restless spirit. Fear will not help me. I must brace myself and be strong.

Nothing in the hallway. I gently push each door open and scour the dark rooms for any sign of the unordinary.

But again, there is only nothing.

With an uneasy sigh, I make for the last room of the house, all the way at the front of the structure. The large entry room is empty and dark with the silence of the night. Tightening my grip on my blade, I inch my way throughout the entire space, peering behind each and every piece of furniture and décor.

But still…nothing.

A frown tugs at my lips, my expression as stiff as the rest of me. I let out a breath in an attempt to calm myself, but my muscles remain rigid in expectation. The adrenaline that has laced my blood will not leave me be until the last shred of doubt has been surrendered within my mind.

I hold the sword close and turn for the bedroom once more. With wary glances to each side as I move, I try to stifle the cloud of fear pluming into my mind with reasoning. I could not see anything, nor did I hear anything.

But she did.

My frown deepens, carving into my face like a chisel to stone. I must remain alert, but for now, comforting Tang Shen is what matters. I must soothe her fears, which will rid me of my own, and we can go back to sleep like any other ordinary night.

I enter the bedroom to see her sitting up on her matt in the same position as when I left. Miwa is sleeping soundlessly against her chest.

"Well?" she presses softly. Her eyes shine with an uneasy gleam. "Did you find anything, Yoshi?"

I meet her gaze and shake my head. "I searched every inch of our home, but I found nothing."

She watches me for a moment before her brow slowly lowers, sharpening her narrowed eyes.

"You do not believe me, husband?"

My own gaze hardens, and I set the sword aside to lean against the wall.

"That is not true, Sakura." I step forth, kneeling down before her to grasp her shoulders gently. "I believe you…but there is no one here."

Her eyes flick back to the hallway behind me. "Did you check outside?"

"I did not," I answer as I run my hands down her arms reassuringly. "That would leave you alone. But the doors and windows are shut and locked—no one would be able to sneak in without us hearing something."

She averts her gaze and bites her lower lip. I lean in closer and lift a hand to cup her chin.

"It is alright, my love. I would never let harm befall you…" I look down and smooth back Miwa's hair with a soft smile. "…or our daughter. Now come, rest with me."

She sighs and tips forward, pressing her forehead against my neck. I wrap my arms around her, cradling Miwa between us, and stroke her hair lovingly. Her warm breath whispers across my skin, and I exhale softly, tightening my hold on her and our daughter. In the quiet of the night, I feel myself begin to doze off…

But then her body becomes rigid against mine. Her breath hitches and she pushes back from me, and in that instant, a hundred thousand moments take place. Before her scream pierces the night, my hand is shooting down towards the sword by the wall while the other is knocking her back.

"YOSHI!"

Her cry shatters the peace, and as I whirl around, my eyes catch the darkened silhouette of the figure standing behind me—

SHING!

Blades clash, scraping across one another as both our bodies move in opposite directions. I snarl breathlessly, ripping my sword to the side and going in for another swing. I lunge forth and start swiping my weapon in frantic arches, bent on pushing the assailant back, but he jerks sharply to the left and knocks my balance off. With a grunt, he shoves me back, his lip curled above his teeth and his eyes gleaming like fire and rage and hell—

No.

"Saki?" I shout incredulously as I fend off the cry of his katana. "Oroko Saki?"

His response is only a beast-like snarl that escapes his clenched teeth. He wrenches his arm down into my own and pain tears up through the limb. A brutal kick is planted on my abdomen, slamming me back and ripping the breath from my lungs. Flailing for some sort of solidity, I stagger back, waving my blade forth in an attempt to stop another attack. But I am not given the chance to fight him off before he slams his shoulder into me, ramming us further into the dark room. A vase is knocked over and shatters to my right. Tang Shen screams—a sound that feels like needles plunging through my spine—and the next arch of Saki's blade shreds the wall.

"Saki!" I shout frantically. "Saki, listen to me!"

He slices his sword an inch from my face. I drop to my knees and jerk my blade upwards just in time to deflect another crushing swing.

I can hear Tang Shen scrambling for safety behind me, and now Miwa is crying. Struggling to my feet, I block the constant, raging jabs of Saki's sword, but he continues to force me back into the room, slicing through my shoulder twice and my forearm once. I cannot feel the blood seeping from my wounds, or the shortness of breath in my lungs, or the dull throb of each strike. I only feel the fear, the anger, the bewilderment. Why is my brother here, in my own home, attacking me like some deranged man?

But deep down, I know why. Beneath the haze lies clarity, much too potent and personal for me to willingly touch. I can see the vexation rippling from his body, and his eyes pierce the darkness like the fires of hell.

He is here for her. For my wife.

The realization, however obvious, is slow to reach my whirling mind. But when it does, it only shoves the ice further into my chest and all the way down to my gut. He is going to kill me, and take her for himself.

Our blades clash once more, holding against one another in a fierce battle of strength.

"Have you come to kill me now, Brother?" I growl, jaw clenched. My body shakes beneath the pressure. "Dressed in shadow, like a dishonorable thief?"

Again, he refuses to answer me. But he has made his intentions clear, and fear melts and mixes with the anger. The bitterness of the past is wrenched free from the pit I have damned it to, and every resentful word, every sharp flick of the tongue and every blow of the fist comes rushing back to me.

I had thought that I had won. I had thought that this was over. But now I see that my so-called brother is hell-bent on taking everything away from me once more.

A shout of rage tears up my throat. I shove him back, lashing out with my blade in a reckless, desperate manner, hoping to somehow cut him to pieces before he can take my family from me. Through the dark, burning miasma of battle, I hear him cry out in pain. I rip my sword to the side and feel blood spatter across my cheek. My hands shake with the understanding that this is to the death now. He will not cease unless I put him under.

I pivot my hips, deflecting his blade and jerking my knee up into his gut.

"You are a fool if you believe that I will let you walk out of this alive, Saki," I hiss.

He snarls at me, teeth flashing white against bloodied gums. Our swords clash again, metal shrieking and groaning at the force of the blow. My arms shake, muscles rippling, cramping, giving in just to stiffen again. I can feel the sweat gathering upon my brow; the droplets slipping down the sides of my face, smoothing hair flat against flesh and trickling down to my jawline.

"You are the fool, Hamato Yoshi," he hisses. His eyes burn in the darkness, bright and dark at the same time. Like searing iron being struck with a hammer, hot coals and embers seem to sting behind his gaze, fueling hatred I have never seen before.

He has gone insane.

He pushes back against me, stronger now. Solid and unrelenting. I grit my teeth and fight the pressure he is exerting, bracing myself to stand strong like the mountain. But his rage feeds his resolve, and in an instant, he dips down and kicks one of my legs out from under me. My knee cracks beneath the weight of his foot and buckles. I slip, crying out in shock and unforgiving pain—and I fall.

A moment becomes stretched into eternity as a frigid understanding takes me. I will not be fast enough to block his blow. Not here, not like this, crumpled to the ground as my knee rapidly throbs and begins to swell. I gasp out as his voice thunders above me. Tang Shen screams something, and I am barely able to look up to see the gleam of his blade as it crashes down towards me to sever my spirit from my body, to rend my life from this world and bleed me out in my own home—

But the tear of death does not come. Instead there is another barrage of sounds, softer, but somehow just as loud. The squelch of the blade stabbing into meat and sinew, the hitch of breath, and the dull thump of flesh as it hits the floorboards.

My eyes peel open. My breath slips out in shaky release.

And my world stops.

Her body lies still at my feet. Face down, crimson slowly drains from beneath her, seeping through her nightgown and pooling along the outside of her frame.

My mind has frozen over, and my eyes cannot pull from her prone form. Somewhere behind me, Miwa continues to cry.

And Oroko Saki stands above the body of my wife with his blade glistening in her blood.

A/N: Dun dun DUUUUUN. *sobs* This is making me get all the feels for Master Splinter! ALL THE FEELS!

Anyone like it so far? Yes, no, maybe possibly never? I'd love to hear what you guys think of it! Feel free to be honest because this is not my strong suit when it comes to this series. Let me know what I can improve, and as always, thank you to all of my loyal readers! And dear Guests who don't sign in/don't have an account but still leave me wonderful reviews, PLEASE JUST MAKE AN ACCOUNT SO I CAN PROPERLY THANK YOU. It makes me sad that I can't actually respond to any of you!

Also, before I forget: For those of you waiting on Inhuman, don't worry! I'm working on the next chapter now. I'm hoping it'll be out next week, so stay tuned for that!

AND for any of you Leorai fans, or just Karai fans, you should totally check out Mysteryred's work on here! She's AMAZING, and she will make you cry with all the beautifulness! She also does awesome OC stories, if any of you are interested. Seriously, she's like ten times better than me and really deserves the views for all of her hard work. Go show her some love!

Okay, my ranting is done! I hope you liked the story, and I wish all of you an awesome week!