After watching Tale of Yokai, I had a particular idea hit me. I really liked seeing Tang Shen as a PERSON opposed to this fabled true love who is perfect/beautiful in every way. I wanted to try my hand at making an AU where she gets to live and the turtles have an actual mom.

This will be a series of drabbles in the same universe. I don't plan on recounting whole episodes, as this will mostly be exploring Splinter and Tang Shen's relationship/their bond with their children. The timeline will jump around a bit, but when we're on a certain episode or the like I'll make it clear.

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Fate always had a deft hand. Quick illusive fingers that could snatch one thing from you and grant another only moments later.

The loss of the dojo, the loss of his father, his daughter and his clan had been a terrible volley of blows. If not for Tang Shen, Yoshi wasn't sure what he would do. Her careful grip on his battle hardened hands was a rock like he had never known. A steadying force in the storm of their lives collapsing on itself. She grieved just as much as he did, but held fast. Some days he could not rise from his futon, but she would pull him from the grief with a soft tired smile or a sly joke. A riddle or game would fall from her lips and Yoshi would find himself distracted from what ate at him.

The tragedy had only brought them closer. Funerals had been arranged, land sold and plans slowly being built for their future.

They mourned together for the past, for the future. Yoshi saw no reason to stay in Japan now. He relented to his wife's long held wish of seeing America. It was as beautiful as they imagined, sweeping skyscrapers, a lively populace, a sea of possibilities for their future.

Their home was nothing akin to what they once had, but starting over always had its disadvantages. With all the opportunities and promises, there were still problems. Rude neighbors, wary stares and the occasional comment could grate at anyone.

The couple made the best of the situation, sprucing up the place with potted plants, old remnants of their previous lives, framed photos. Tang Shen found comfort in a routine they built together.

He wanted to be a rock for her just as she had been for him. The comforting shoulder for days when she came home teary eyed and frustrated from comments from co-workers. The gentle hand that held her own when they sat on the balcony together trying to see the stars over the glow of the city. The quiet ear to hear out her irritated complaints about the injustices laid out on the citizens.

Yoshi had assumed one more thing could help ease the burden, pets. That walk to a pet store after his shift turned out to be a life changing one for the couple.

"Michelangelo!" The small turtle froze where he stood, shoulders hunching in on themselves at the familiar tone of voice. "Aww maaaann." He reluctantly turned to face his mother, guilt written across his face.

"Mooooom, c'mon, it's… not even a big deal."

"It is very much a 'big deal', young man." She reached out to gently pluck the cookie from his hand, depositing it back in the jar. "You know you cannot have sweets until after dinner." The youngest of the four brothers wilted under his mother's gaze, devolving into a pout.

"But I'm hungry now!"

"We have other things to eat beyond cookies." She reached out to scoop up the small turtle in her arms, "Come now. Last I checked it was time for a nap."

The youngest simply grumbled, pressing his face into her shoulder as the woman carried him out of the kitchen. The walk did the trick of lulling the small turtle to a light doze. Even at seven years old, Mikey was susceptible to falling asleep in Tang Shen's arms.

It wasn't hard to find the rest of their family, the three other children were napping comfortably in a pile. Yoshi peeked in from the next room, surprise flickered across his features before amusement settled in.

Her husband chuckled lowly as he stepped out of the dojo, he closed the shoji doors silently behind himself as he walked forward. "Trying for another cookie, I see?"

"Of course. Our children are more than a little rambunctious." The woman murmured lowly back, settling Mikey down next to his brothers. With only minor grumbling Mikey rolled back into his usual spot in the nap pile to get comfortable. Satisfied Mikey would stay, she turned to face her husband smiling at him.

So many things had changed, but Tang found herself able to see Yoshi easily in the new body he bore. His smile, his gentle gaze and flowing movements. The way he looked at her now, an almost silly lovesick expression.

She gestured for him to follow after her, not looking to see if he did as she walked. Her own movements weren't as quiet or well practiced, but she had picked up a few things from living as they did. She could only tell he was following her from the occasional swish of his tail against the concrete.

The kitchen was as she left it, warm from an afternoon of baking and a little messy from lunch with a set of four seven year olds. A single stood was propped against the cupboards in an attempt to reach the cookie jar. Tang Shen chuckled lowly, moving to tuck it away where it belonged before settling her back against the counter to gaze at her husband. The warmth faded as what she wanted to speak of came back to her.

"It seems you may have been right." She knit her fingers together over her chest, "They do have an aptitude for ninjutsu."

Surprise rolled through the rat, followed by a quiet gratefulness. "Does this mean…?"

"I, I'm still not entirely sure if I am comfortable with the idea, but…" She spared a glance in the direction their children lay napping before gazing up at her husband. "You are right. They won't be able to live without knowing how to defend themselves. Not in this world we live in."

"I will train them in a year or so. I want them to still have a childhood, just as you do." He reached a clawed hand out to settle over her own. Yoshi wasn't oblivious to his wife's worries. They had more than a few heated discussions regarding the idea of training the children. He had arrogantly claimed they would be ninjas and been told soundly that it was best not to assume such. "I don't want them to be warriors too soon either."

Neither of them wanted to lose another child to ninja clan warfare. Much less have one of their sons become what Saki was. They both remembered the rage on his face with sharp clarity. The incoming strike meant for Yoshi that Tang Shen took in his place. The scars still lingered on her skin.

"Thank you." She took his hand in her own, lacing their fingers together. "I also request you train me as well." That openly surprised the rat, his ears flicking back and whiskers shifting intently.

"Train you-?" Tang had never shown an interest in ninjutsu, not beyond discomfort and the violence that came along with it.

"Yes. I want to be able to protect them as well, Yoshi. I won't be a bystander."

The rat paused uncertainly, squeezing her hand. "I- If you wish, we will do it." He wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea himself, but he couldn't say no to Tang. Even after his transformation, even at his ugliest she loved him. "It will be a hard path, but I know you will do well."

"When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." He squeezed her hand now, offering comfort. "When the children are asleep, we will begin."

She nodded slowly, "Tomorrow."

###

She was not quite human, but not quite mutant either. Tang Shen straddled the line. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she could pass so easily for a human. She was still the same woman, dark eyes, dark hair, the same nose and same lips. Beyond that, her skin below her collarbone changed to a strange almost sickly green, patches of scales taking root.

With time she found more scales, more patches of different green across her body. The skin of her back hardened, becoming a protective layer. Yoshi had commented it rather looked like a shell trying to form. She could remember his curious fingers tracing along the line of hard skin, how she could barely feel it in certain places.

She wondered how long it would take before all of her humanity was swept away and she was a turtle? Some part of her dreaded the day. Beyond the selfish and petty fear of being a complete monster- it meant she could not gather supplies from the surface any longer. It meant her family would have no food or money.

That thought was far scarier than being a mutant turtle.

"Still troubled by the scales?" Yoshi's voice startled her from her reprieve, the woman jerking back in surprise as she looked over her shoulder at the rat man. His robes were undone, hanging loosely around his body. Her own blouse was partially unbuttoned, revealing the odd scaly skin to the low lighting of their home.

She gave a weak laugh as she turned around, unbuttoning the rest of her blouse. "More than I would like to admit."

"If it does happen- if you do change. We will find another way to keep our family fed." The Yoshi she knew before, he would have commented she would always be beautiful in his eyes. How times had changed them, changed them for the better.

"I know, but it will worry me endlessly." She shed her shirt, loosely setting it aside for now and working on the bra she wore. The rat hummed lowly at that, stepping forward to help her. "We have four sons now. I want to be sure we take care of them."

Yoshi's expression softened at that, a soft smile curling across his lips. "We will. Even if we must dig through dumpsters and alleyways more often for what we need, we will."

"And here I thought dumpsters were reserved for a romantic evening?" She teased, relieved by his assurances. Having a partner made all of this easier. Made all of it feel less surreal.

Yoshi laughed at that, ears flicking upwards his smile becoming more lively now. "Certain dumpsters are reserved for romantic evenings, my love." Her bra fell away thanks to Yoshi's quick hands, being set aside alongside her shirt.

"So you have a system in mind for dumpsters." She mused with an arch of her brow, "A classification system of trash. I hope it isn't too complicated."

"I know you could keep up with anything I throw at you." He leaned in giving her a quick peck, laughing when she returned it more enthusiastically. Nimble fingers threaded through dark colored fur and their laughter quieting as they turned out the lights for the night.

###

Her shell finally grew in when the boys were twelve. Tang Shen thought she had known agony before- she had been very wrong. The pain had been unbearable. At some point she had lost track if she was screaming or if she was imagining it. She had been so purely lost in the haze of pain, time had meant nothing to her, much less her husband's gentle words.

All Yoshi could do was apply cold compresses to her back, carefully clean up lost skin and try to keep her hydrated through the whole ordeal. Her steady rock in the storm.

Some part of her was relieved when it was finished, another angry that it meant they were losing their options. Could she hide this new growth? Could she still pass for human?

She had no real time to be angry, not when her husband and children looked so terrified. Even if Yoshi held a steady facade, Tang could see through it. He had been afraid he would lose her that night. A fear she felt when Saki attacked Yoshi so many years ago.

The boys slept in bed with them that night, nervously protective of their mother whilst Yoshi tried to keep them from making the new sensitive shell hurt. It had been the shift from her old clothes to kimonos and looser fabrics.

###

Not long after her shell settled in, she started to lose her hair. Some part of her was devastated, embarrassed. It was prideful and silly, but she enjoyed having her hair even with the strangeness her life had become. Even with the mutations slowly creeping up on her with time. Tang Shen had hoped she could somehow keep her hair.

Yoshi helped her clean up, carefully pressing reassuring kisses against her neck. "I'm sorry, my love." Long ago, she had been the one cradling his head in her lap, offering him comfort over his lost humanity. She had eased his pain of shifting bones and growing in new teeth and the onslaught of fur settling across his body.

Tang simply bit her lip and held onto his hand. "I'll get over it." She promised, more to herself than Yoshi.

Maybe she could look more like her sons now.