Chapter Text
He could not believe this was happening...
He did not want it to end this way, not with his children watching...
"SPLINTER!"
They scream his name yet he could not respond to them, assure them that everything was going to be alright. There was still so much he wished to say, to tell them but not enough time.
He could not even say a word to the person who stabbed him, the brother he used to love before he threw him off the roof.
As he fell, with his children crying, screaming his name, he could not help but think how he got here. How he went from who he was to who he is now. How he went from being Hamato Yoshi to Master Splinter. How he became a man of nothing but loss, to a father of four wonderful mutant turtle sons and a beautiful daughter.
But most of all.
He wondered where it all began...
...
May 11, 1967, was the night when a heavy storm rained all over Tokyo City. The skies clapped loudly with thunder and flashed with lightning while down below, the streets were flooding, trees were falling, and the wind was blowing.
On a night like this, people start to wonder what could cause such a great storm. What the heavens above must be saying, to turn what used to be a bright sunny day, into a day like today.
Some think when a storm like this passes, a great evil is soon to rise but others believe it is when a great hero is born...
Up on top of the mountains, far above Tokyo City where no one dares to travel, lived a secret hidden ninja clan known as the Hamato Clan. This clan was, of course, heard of but everyone thought they were nothing but a myth.
The Hamato Clan were said to be one of the best in ancient histories, old legends but some still believed the Hamato Clan still existed while others believed differently. Afterall, nowadays, who needs ninjas anymore?
Little did those people know that The Hamato Clan does indeed still exist but as all wise ninjas do, they kept their identities and whereabouts a secret.
Hamato Yuuta, the headmaster of the Hamato Clan, is known for being one of the best ninjutsu masters there ever was. For he, at only the age of 17, was able to slay the previous leader of the Foot Clan, Oroku Maji.
To his clan he was a hero to be admired but to the people of Tokyo who would never know his true identity, he was a successful business owner and a very respected teacher.
Yes, many respected Yuuta, he was a great master and he led all of them with a heavy hand but...Yuuta could not protect his clan nor the people of Tokyo forever, as strong as he was, death is something no one is able to truly escape and that is why he needed an heir...
"UAHHH!"
Just as loud as the fierce storm that blew outside, inside the dojo that was the center of the Hamato Estate, a Japanese woman was laying on the floor of the dojo, screaming and sweating in pain.
Her name is Hamato Atsuko, Yuuta's beloved wife and The Hamato Matriarch.
Atsuko is a beautiful woman with long straight black hair which she has styled in a bun with side bangs, monolid shaped amber eyes, light skin and she is wearing a red kimono that has black trim, organic print, and the Hamato Crest placed on the center of her obi.
Atsuko is greatly respected and loved by many in the clan, and for good reason. She is known for being one of the best kunoichi. She has never faced away from battle and right now, she is facing the greatest battle of her life.
Yuuta sat beside her as she continued to wail in pain, looking completely helpless as he held her hand and tried his best to sooth her.
Yuuta is a tall Japanese man with long jet-black hair that he had pulled back in a high bun, u-shaped beard, hooded shaped reddish-brown eyes, tan-skin and he is wearing a reddish-brownish kimono with the Hamato Crest on the back.
After a while, Atsuko stopped her screams and whimpered as she looked at her husband. "Yuuta..." Yuuta frowned and wiped the sweat from her head with a damp rag. "Just hang on a little longer, Atsuko."
Just then, the door flew open and Yuuta perked up when he saw two of his ninjas run in, "Master Yuuta, I am sorry but there is no way we can take Lady Atsuko to the hospital! There has been a landslide! It is not safe to go down the mountain in this storm!"
Yuuta gritted his teeth at the news but he knew, long before he even sent his ninja out, that would be the case. He had just hoped there would be some kind of way, some small chance to get his wife help but...there were going to have to go to drastic measures.
Yuuta then ordered his ninja to leave and once they were gone, he sighed heavily, looking down at his wife. "I am sorry, my love but we are going to have to deliver this child ourselves."
As Atsuko continued to pant and sweat, she let vicious swears slip from under her breath. It has been so hard for them to get pregnant, they have waited for this moment for so long and the fact that they could not go to a hospital had both of them on edge.
Atsuko has had five miscarriages. It took six tries until she was able to make it full term and her pregnancy had been awful. She was constantly sick and the whole pregnancy was just spent worrying that they would lose another one but...they made it.
Now...out of nowhere, the baby decided to come a week early and she has been in labor for ten hours with a fever...
There was no telling what will happen now...
A look of sympathy crossed Yuuta's face when he met her eyes, her eyes which are usually filled with so much fire, were now put out with tears and dimmed with fear.
He knew what she was thinking; it is like the heavens were trying to tell them a child was just not meant to be. After so many hardships and enduring this terrible pregnancy, a storm just had to come right when she went into labor.
However, the Hamatos were anything but quitters. They have bested fate before and they shall do it again.
With an assuring squeeze and a promising look in his eyes, Yuuta gently pulled his hand out of his wife's grip and moved to look between her legs. "Keep pushing, my love."
"I have been pushing for hours!" Atsuko snapped, anger and dread clouding her mind before she covered her eyes as she began to weep. "Oh Yuuta...what if something is wrong? I...I do not think I can take it if something happens to this one..."
Yuuta was unsure of what to say but he tried to say something anyhow, "This child is a fighter, just like you. He has made it this far, do not give up on him yet."
Atsuko nodded, knowing her husband was right. She had to continue to fight, to hold onto hope for her child's sake and with that thought in mind, she pushed with all her might, squeezing her eyes shut as she let out a furious scream, like she was letting out a battle cry. All the while, as she fought through the pain, she prayed that her child would come out soon, healthy and unharmed.
She huffed and puffed, before continuing to push and after another hour or so, her prayers were finally answered. "I see the head!" Yuuta exclaimed. "Keep going Atsuko, keep going!"
Digging her nails into the carpet, Atsuko gathered all her strength and obeyed her husband's command. Suddenly, something plopped out from under her and she let out a small gasp when she heard a piercing, ear-bleeding cry.
She sat up a bit to see Yuuta, tensed up, as he held a wailing and frailing blood covered babe in his hands. All she could do in that moment was stare in shock, not believing it to be real and her husband looked at her with a ghost of a smile in his expression. "We have a son..."
Atsuko blinked for a few moments, still processing but she soon held out her arms. No matter how weak or tired she felt, she needed to see for herself, she needed to be certain that her son was truly alright and Yuuta instantly obeyed her silent request.
As carefully as humanly possible, he laid the naked babe on top of her chest, putting a blanket over him and once he was placed in Atsuko's arms, his cries slowly died down.
Atsuko studied the infant for a while before letting out a wet chuckle as tears of happiness and relief fell from her eyes. "Hello there, my precious boy," She cooed with much fondness as she traced his features. "You were very impatient, weren't you? A week early. You were ready to see the world, huh?"
Hearing the familiar sound of his mother's voice, the baby scrunched up his face as he tried to peer open his eyes. They were cracked at first but they soon opened fully and once his vision cleared, he was able to see the face of his mother.
His eyes instantly locked with her's and he continued to just stare. She chuckled at the look of curiosity and wonder that was in his eyes before looking toward her husband. "Oh Yuuta, isn't he gorgeous?"
At that moment, the baby noticed someone else looking at him and he looked away from his mother to see a man studying him, hesitantly extending a hand to stroke the damp, blood-soaked hair on the child's head. "Indeed. I believe he has your eyes, Atsuko."
The baby stared at the man when one of the maids came in with a pot of hot water and towels. "Thought you could use these," She whispered while setting it all down next to Yuuta who gave a thankful nod to her as she left.
Yuuta cleaned off his dirty hands first then soaked one of the towels to gently clean off his son's face. Of course, he would need a more thorough and proper bath later but judging by the way his wife was looking at him, he knew she was not going to let him go anytime soon.
The baby whimpered and squirmed the whole time Yuuta cleaned him off with Atsuko trying to sooth him. However, as if getting fed up, the baby grabbed hold of Yuuta's finger when he began to scrub his stomach.
Yuuta did stop for a moment to observe him and he watched as the baby looked curious at his rather large finger before sticking it in his mouth.
Yuuta instantly pulled back but when he saw his son's eyes start to well with tears, he internally panicked and immediately stuck his finger back in his mouth, in an attempt to stop another episode of loud, wailing cries.
Atsuko snorted at her husband's action and he scowled at her but his attention quickly went back to his son. For the life of him, Yuuta just could not stop staring. After so long, his son was finally here and it was so terribly hard to believe.
Soon though, as if just now accepting that this was indeed very real, Yuuta slowly smiled and said, "Kon'nichiwa, musuko yo."
His son only spared him a glance and finally growing bored with his finger, he spat it out of his mouth and curled back up in his mother's chest. "You did a wonderful job, Atsuko. You are a true warrior."
Atsuko gave her husband a smile at that and the two newly parents sat in content, watching as their son continued to observe the new world around him. "You know," Yuuta spoke up after a while, "After all this time, we still have not thought of a name."
Atsuko smiled. "I already know the perfect name."
"Oh?"
She nodded and looked down while stroking her son's head. "Yoshi."
Yuuta blinked and tilted his head. "Yoshi?"
"Yes, I think it suits him. He is Yoshi." She then leaned down to gently rest her head against her son's. "Our little Yoshi."
Yuuta hummed as he considered the name. "Hamato Yoshi," He tested while looking down at his son who was smiling happily at his mama, causing him to smile as well. "I like that name. Our son...Hamato Yoshi."
The couple smiled at each other, happily but little did the Hamatos know, someone had been watching them. Outside the still roaring storm, a black falcon was sitting on a tree branch, watching the Hamato family closely and once she saw their newborn son, she quickly flew off.