Hey, guys! Queen here.

This story belongs to retro mania. He asked me to continue writing it where MelinaEugenia left off. So here it is. This takes place in an alternate universe (obviously).

Okay, I'm done talking now.

BLANKET DISCLAIMER: I don't own the turtles or their allies. Shard is the property of retro mania, and Tang Shen, Splinter, the turtles, etc. are properties of Nickelodeon and Viacom.

Chapter One: The Beginning and the End

Tang Shen stood behind Hamato Yoshi, her husband, and stared at the man she used to love. Oroku Saki was not the same man he was years ago. He had turned cruel, bloodthirsty, and become focused solely on revenge.

"I do not wish to fight you, brother," Yoshi said, his voice quiet but dangerous.

"But I do," Saki snarled, approaching the ninja master with his blades drawn and glittering.

Yoshi's expression darkened and he turned to his wife. "Go inside and watch over Miwa."

"But-"

"Go," he repeated.

Every fiber of her being screamed at Shen to stay with her husband, but she did as he commanded, leaving the two adopted brothers alone. On the way into the house, Shen prayed that nothing would happen to her husband. Their daughter, Miwa, was turning six in a few weeks. They had been planning the birthday celebration for a while; they were doing just that when Oroku Saki appeared outside, his eyes blazing with hate.

A feeling of dread settled in Shen's stomach and she sat next to Miwa's bed, continuing to pray. But deep inside, she knew something horrible was about to happen. Please, keep Yoshi safe, she begged silently. No sooner were the words whispered than the clang of metal on metal sounded. The air filled with enraged shouts and curses.

Miwa jerked awake, whimpering. The battle raging outside woke her up, causing tears to fill her amber eyes. Shen put her arms around her daughter and pulled her close, trying to keep her still and calm, but it was no use. The five-year-old struggled in her mother's arms, not able to understand why she wasn't allowed to leave the room.

Then they heard it. A man's scream – Yoshi's scream – and a loud thud.

Shen couldn't wait any longer. She let go of Miwa and bolted towards the area that the horrifying noises had come from. The sight of her husband lying on the dojo floor made ice shoot through Shen's veins, but it was the sight of the man responsible for it that made her heart stop.

"Saki, don't!" she screamed as he stalked towards her husband, his gauntlet raised.

Saki heard her but he didn't listen. All he had on his mind was to get rid of the man that took Tang Shen from him. Shen grabbed his arm, trying to stop him.

Just for a moment, the hatred in Saki's eyes flickered and disappeared. He stared at her, at the tears on her cheeks. Wearily, painfully, Yoshi stood from the floor and raised his fists in a block.

"Please," Shen whispered.

Saki's eye twitched. Without warning, he flung her into the wall. She hit it hard and slid down, then lay gasping on the floor, realizing that her attempt to stop the fight has failed.

The leader of the Foot Clan snarled and lunged at Yoshi, but he never hit the target. The sight of Shen, the knowledge of her presence was making him weak and Yoshi strong. Inexplicably, Shen had turned the battle against him.

The anger grew deep and dark inside Saki's heart and he backflipped away from Yoshi, switching his focus to the woman he hated and loved so much. If he could not have her, no one would. With a roar, he charged towards her, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. But his wild swing missed and hit the nearby candles instead, knocking them to the floor and starting a blaze inside the room.

Then the dojo door slid open and a small face poked through. The battle was too loud for Miwa not to hear, and when she saw the carnage inside the dojo, she screamed. She screamed for her mother, her father, but no one could hear her over the roar of the flames and the creaking of the old wooden dojo.

With a vibration that shook the entire building, the ceiling gave way and pinned Shen to the floor. Yoshi rushed over, trying to free his wife. Saki let out a cry of pain as he, too, was knocked to the ground and hit in the face with burning debris. A stray beam fell towards Miwa, knocking her hard in the back of the head. She collapsed, not quite unconscious, when the silhouette of a man approached her and picked her up. Believing herself to be in her father's arms, Miwa closed her eyes, giving up the fight to stay awake as they left the burning building and disappeared into the night.

Yoshi finally managed to free Shen, and he carried her outside, far away from the danger zone. The woman lay in his arms, firelight reflecting in her tears as she stared at the burning building. She knew it. Miwa was gone, killed in the flames by the hand of Oroku Saki.

Yoshi glanced at his wife's face and then he, too, realized. Anguish filled his heart and his chest heaved. With a loud scream, he broke down and sobbed.

Everything they had...it was all gone. Their home, their daughter, everything. He knew by the empty look in her eyes that Shen was thinking it as well. Miwa was gone, and therefore so was her reason for living. Even if she had another child, another daughter, it wouldn't be the same. It would never be the same.

Miles away from the broken couple, Oroku Saki limped along, the unconscious five-year-old still cradled in his arms. She was still unconscious, and he was getting worried. But he couldn't take her to a doctor. What about all the questions that would arise? What if they would call the police and take her away?

No. He couldn't risk it. He couldn't lose her again. Not that way. He knew it wasn't her...but it was her. Tang Shen...

"I will protect you," Saki whispered, tracing a hand across the child's brow. "...My daughter."

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