Here we are! The last chapter...BEFORE THE EPILOGUE! Yes, there will be an epilogue.

NOTE: There will probably be grammar mistakes that I will fix later.

The whole room was silent as everyone paid their respects to the fallen Ravager, whose body lay on a plank and was covered with strips of cloth. He was surrounded by flowers, lit candles, and his favorite toys, including the Troll doll.

The Guardians, the Hamato brothers, Kraglin, and Mantis stood at the table, while Nebula stood at a doorway and watched. Leo had his head wrapped in a bandage from the fall but was recovering quickly.

Quill began the eulogy in soft, somber voice. "The other day, I told Gamora how I used to pretend my Dad was David Hasselhoff."

Drax and Rocket looked at each other confused, unfamiliar with that name.

"David Hasselhoff's a famous actor from Earth," Leo explained softly.

"Really cool dude," Mikey added with a nod.

"And you know," Quill continued, "today it struck me. Yondu didn't have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow. He didn't have the beautiful voice of an angel, but he did have the whistle of one. Both Yondu and David Hasselhoff went on kickass adventures and hooked up with hot women and fought robots. I guess David Hasselhoff kinda did end up being my Dad after all..." A tear rolled down his cheek and his voice cracked a bit. "...only it was you, Yondu. I had a pretty cool Dad."

Rocket lowered his head in sadness with his ears flattened. Mikey dried his tears while Leo soothingly rubbed his brother's shell.

Quill took a deep shaky breath. "What I'm trying to say here is, sometimes that thing you're searching for your whole life, it's right there by your side all along. You don't even know it."

Gamora glanced over at Nebula, only to see her walk away and she quickly followed after her.

Groot looked up at Rocket. "I Am Groot."

Rocket nodded. "He did call you 'twig'."

Mikey sniffled. "I called him 'Mandrill Butt'."

...

Nebula walked down a small hallway when she heard her sister call out to her.

"Nebula!"

She stopped and slowly turned to face her but didn't look her in the eye.

Gamora walked up to her. "I was a child like you. I was concerned with staying alive until the next day, every day. And I never considered what Thanos was doing to you. I'm trying to make it right. There are little girls like you across the universe who are in danger. You can stay with us and help them."

Nebula finally lifted her face and looked directly at Gamora. "I will help them by killing Thanos."

Gamora shook her head. "I don't know if that's possible."

Nebula paused for a moment, but her mind was made up and she turned to leave. But then to her surprise, Gamora grabbed her arm and pulled her into a hug. She tensed up, not knowing how to react to this.

"You will always be my sister," Gamora said softly.

For the first time in years, Nebula's eyes filled with tears, and she placed a trembling hand on her sister's back. Then she pulled away from the embrace and continued down the hallway with Gamora watching sadly.

...

Mikey stood in front of a large window and stared blankly ahead, lost in his thoughts.

They had placed Yondu in the furnace and cremated him, and soon afterwards they were going to release his ashes into space. The funeral reminded him of Splinter's, except that they didn't have a eulogy on that day. All of them were too stunned and heartbroken to even speak that day. And Mikey had so many questions that he never to got ask his adoptive father, so many things left unsaid. He still wondered if...

He heard someone approaching and turned around.

Leo had walked into the room and gave Mikey a small, sad smile. "Hey, Mikey."

Mikey simply nodded and turned back to the window.

The older Turtle stood next to his brother and watched the stars with him. For a moment, there was utter silence between them before Mikey spoke softly, "Sorry about your sword."

Leo shrugged. "At least Nebula was able to save the other one."

"But it was special; it belonged to Splinter."

"I know, but it was just a sword. Splinter's memory continues to live in our hearts." Leo glanced at Mikey with a warm smile. "The important thing is you're safe, Little Brother. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

Mikey didn't look at him, but he swallowed as a lump formed in his throat.

The smile on Leo's face dropped as he turned back to the glass. "Which reminds me, are you still thinking about...you know...staying with the Guardians? Is that what you truly want?"

There was a momentary pause before Mikey responded with a shrug. "Honestly, I don't know what I want anymore."

Leo sighed softly. "Mikey, listen. Look at me."

The younger Turtle reluctantly turned his head and looked into his brother's strong midnght blue eyes.

"Don't worry about my feelings. Do what you think is best for you. I'll understand, and so will Raph and Donnie. I thought about what you said the other day, about the four of us going our separate ways. As much as I want us all to stay together forever, I also realize that growing up is inevitable. And even if we're galaxies apart..." He gently touched Mikey's shoulder. "...our hearts will still be connected."

Mikey opened his mouth to speak, but the words couldn't come out.

Leo continued as his eyes shined with unshed tears. "Saying goodbye will be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. But I just want you to be happy again, Mikey." He smiled as he squeezed Mikey's shoulder. "And if you're happy, I'm happy."

Mikey bit his lower lip, which was trembling with emotion, and he looked away once again.

Leo felt hurt when his brother pulled away from his touch. But then he noticed a tear roll down his freckled cheek and he instantly became worried. "Mikey?"

"Leo," Mikey croaked, "tell me the truth, okay?" He paused before he took a deep breath. "W-Was Splinter...ashamed of me?"

"...W-What?" Leo's eyes widened in shock.

Mikey hugged himself as he lowered his head, his tears dropping to the floor. "I-I know I wasn't the best student, and I acted like the class clown all the time, but...but what else could I be? I mean, I'm not as brave and disciplined as you are. I'm nowhere near as smart as Donnie. And-And I'm a wimp compared to Raph. All I'm good for is cooking and comedy, and sometimes I-I even suck at doing both."

As Leo listened to Mikey's confession, he felt his heart sink. Had Mikey always felt this way?

"And-And it didn't help whenever Sensei looked at me with..." Mikey sniffled. "...with so much disappointment. I know he loved me, Leo. I know he did. But...I could never live up to his expectations. That's why I feel so comfortable around the Guardians. They accept me for who I am, 'cause they're all outcasts like me. When I'm with them, I can be...well...me."

Leo finally spoke up. "Mikey, you're not an outcast. I'm sorry if we've made you feel that way." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll admit, none of us give you enough credit and we should've had more faith in you. And you may not had been Splinter's favorite student, but you were never a disappointment to him. In fact," he chuckled softly, "I probably should've told you this story a long time ago..."

...

"You've summoned me, Sensei?" Leo knelt before his master in the dojo.

The elder rat sat down on a mat and nodded with a grunt. "Yes, Leonardo. I've been noticing your lack of patience with Michelangelo. Earlier you lashed out at him for making jokes as he usually does during training."

Leo sighed. "I'm trying to help him improve, Sensei, but Mikey's...well, he's just Mikey."

Splinter grinned. "Yes, and he will always be Mikey. No amount of training will ever change that."

"But if he doesn't get serious and focus enough-"

"Leonardo, you are a good student. You have always been so disciplined and dedicated toward your training. And no one understands your frustration more than I. But you do need to...'lighten up a bit', as Michelangelo would put it."

Leo looked at his father slightly confused. "Sensei...?"

"Even ninjas need a good laugh now and then. After all, humor is good for the soul. A wise man once said, 'Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritations and resentments slip away and a sunny spirit takes their place.' Yes, Michelangelo does tend to lose focus, and it is your duty as leader to keep him in the right direction. But he needs your guidance as much as you need his sunny spirit. Michelangelo teaches us to enjoy each other's company and to appreciate what we have with his optimistic spirit. So we shouldn't punish him for being himself."

The eldest Turtle looked down at the floor in shame. He remembered the hurt look that flashed across Mikey's face after being yelled at during practice. I guess I have been too hard on him lately, he thought.

Splinter chuckled softly. "Michelangelo actually reminds me of myself when I was his age."

"W-What?" Leo looked up at his father in surprise.

The rat nodded. "As a teenager, I would often tease and prank Saki, even during our training sessions. Of course, Father didn't tolerate my behavior and would punish me severely, stating that I needed to be a man. So over the years, I've forgotten how to have fun because I spent so much of my time bettering myself. But Michelangelo has helped me to reconnect with my inner child."

Leo smiled. "I understand, Sensei. I'll go apologize to him right now." He bowed to his teacher before he stood up and headed toward the exit. But then he stopped and turned to Splinter again. "By the way, Sensei, who was this 'wise man' that you quoted earlier? Was he a ninja master or a Buddhist priest?"

Splinter smiled. "No. I believe his name was Mark Twain."

...

Mikey stared at his brother wide-eyed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "S-Sensei was...like me?"

Leo nodded. "You've always believed that he was ashamed of you, when in truth, Mikey, he was very proud of you."

"Wow," Mikey whispered as he looked back to the stars. He never knew that Splinter thought so highly of him, and to learn that they had more in common than he thought made him feel so good inside; in fact, he felt that his heart could soar. His lips lifted into a smile and he started to laugh. "Man! I can believe Splinter was a prankster like me! That's crazy!"

Leo laughed with his brother. "I know."

Mikey calmed down after a few minutes and looked at Leo with a grin. "I'm going back home, bro."

Although Leo was extremely relieved to hear Mikey say that, he wanted to make sure that it was what his little brother really wanted. "Are you sure, Mikey?"

The younger Turtle nodded. "I do have a lot of fun with the Guardians, but I'd rather live a quiet life on Earth with my bros than fight every day to survive in space, 'cause you know Rocket: he can't stay out of trouble for five minutes."

Leo chuckled and raised an eye ridge. "A 'quiet' life, huh?"

Mikey shrugged. "Well, it's not quiet all the time." Then he grabbed Leo in a big hug. "Thanks, Leo."

The older Turtle returned the hug with a big smile. He glanced out the window and was surprised by what he saw. There were a few ships outside but none of them looked like they belonged to the Sovereign. So were they friends or foes?

Mikey saw them too and pulled away from Leo in alarm. "Who are they?"

...

On the flight deck, Rocket, Drax and Mantis silently watched as Yondu's glowing red ashes were released into space. Then suddenly, dozens of ships came out of nowhere and surrounded the Quadrant.

Rocket sat up in his seat and a smile formed on his lips. "They came."

Leo and Mikey both rushed into the room, preparing for the worst. But then, to their confusion, the ships began to set off fireworks. They didn't appear to be hostile.

Mikey scratched his head. "Uh, I'm assuming we're not under attack?"

Drax moved closer to the window mesmerized. "What is it?" he asked softly.

Rocket hopped out of his chair. "I sent word to Yondu's old Ravager buddies and told them what he did."

Mikey was touched. Even though Yondu broke the code as well as their hearts, the other Ravager captains forgave him and came to say goodbye in the most beautiful way.

"It's a Ravager funeral," Quill announced as he walked in with Gamora, who held Groot in her hand.

The whole crew gathered around on the deck to watch the colorful show. It reminded Mikey of the Fourth of July, and it was for the roughneck, blue-skinned Ravager who gave his life to save his son.

"He didn't chase them away," he heard Rocket say in a quiet voice.

Quill walked up behind Rocket and shook his head. "No."

"Even though he yelled at them," Rocket glanced down at his feet. "And was always mean. And he stole batteries he didn't need."

The human immediately understood that Rocket was apologizing for his past mistakes in his own way. "Well, of course not."

Mikey sat down on the floor next to Rocket and wrapped an arm around the raccoon. "You're not getting rid of us that easily, dude, even though you're a grouchy, greedy trash panda."

Instead of yelling at the Turtle for calling him that name, Rocket simply smiled and continued to watch the ceremony.

As Yondu's sparkling ashes continued to float, they slowly formed the shape of an arrow, and neither Mikey nor Rocket could hold back their tears.

Goodbye, Yondu, Mikey silently prayed to the Ravager's departing spirit, and thanks.

Nova Headquarters

Mikey and Leo stood before the Guardians in the main hall. The time had come for the Hamato brothers to say goodbye to their friends and the whole atmosphere was somber. It was especially hard for Mikey, who had tears in his eyes.

"Thanks for giving me another awesome adventure, guys," he said softly with a small, sad smile.

Quill nodded, blinking away his own tears. "Thanks for coming with us. And this really isn't goodbye. We'll definitely come to pick you up for another adventure someday."

"I hope so, 'cause I always have so much fun with you guys."

Gamora smiled gently at the young Turtle. "We'll miss you, Mikey." She then looked at his older brother. "Take care of him, Leo."

Leo smiled at the green warrior who had become his friend and nodded. "You know I will."

Drax, of course, couldn't hold back his tears and they came pouring down. Mantis stood next to him and was about to ease his pain with her powers, but he gently grabbed her hand before she could touch him and shook his head. The tattooed man took a deep breath and turned to Mikey. "I look forward to our next reunion, Michelangelo."

Mikey nodded. "Ditto. I'll really miss you, Drax. You, too, Mantis."

Mantis smiled, and this time it was a nice, genuine smile that lit up her whole face. She really was improving her social skills.

Rocket came forward with Groot in his hands and Mikey picked up the little tree creature, whose dark eyes brimmed with tears.

"Aw, don't cry, Groot," Mikey cooed soothingly as he rubbed Groot's cheek with his finger. "We'll see each other again. I promise."

Groot grabbed Mikey's finger with his tiny hand and said, "I Am Groot."

The Turtle chuckled and held Groot close to his cheek in a hug. He didn't need Rocket's translation to understand what the little guy just said to him. "Yeah, I love you, too." He put Groot down on the floor and looked up at Rocket.

For a moment, the two animals just sadly stared at each other, before Mikey extended his hand for a farewell handshake. He knew that Rocket wasn't the mushy type and would prefer to-

Rocket suddenly wrapped his arms around Mikey and rested his cheek on the Turtle's plastron, much to the shock of everyone in the room. After a few seconds, Mikey retuned the hug and held the raccoon close.

"I'll, uh..." Rocket said in a quiet voice, "I'll miss you."

Mikey merely nodded, though a lone tear ran down his cheek. He then stood up with Rocket still latched onto him and motioned for the other Guardians to come join him in a group hug, which they gladly did. Groot climbed onto Mikey's foot and hugged his ankle. Even Mantis joined them (after Drax pulled her in because she was hesitant).

Leo watched the touching scene before him from a short distance. He was happy for his little brother, because he had the greatest friends in the galaxy. No, scratch that. In the universe.

Earth

"Ahh," Mikey sighed as he and Leo walked down the tunnels of the sewers. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again."

Leo chuckled. "Yeah, me, too. I just hope that Chompy hasn't chew up my pillows again."

They had decided not to inform Raph and Donnie that they were on the way back home and wanted to surprise them instead. However, the minute they stepped into the lair, their eyes pratically bugged out and their jaws dropped to the floor.

The whole living room was a complete mess. Discarded pieces of trash and pizza boxes lay on the floor, the pinball machine had been tilted over, there were stains all over the walls, and sewer rats were eating out of garbage bags.

Raph was asleep on the couch, snoring loudly with a magazine covering his face, while Donnie was sleeping on the floor in front of the TV and rested his head on a smile pile of books.

Leo's face became red and Mikey thought he saw steam coming out of the leader's ears. The younger Turtle immediately knew he had to get out of the line of fire.

"Well," Mikey chuckled nervously. "I'm gonna go check on Ice Cream Kitty." He then sprinted into the kitchen, all the while praying for God to have mercy on his brothers' souls.

Leo stomped over to the entertainment center, stood before his brothers, and loudly cleared his throat.

Raph awoke with a startle and removed the magazine from his face. He was shocked to see Leo standing there with his arms crossed and a furious expression on his face. "Leo!" he cried as he sat up. "You're, uh, back already?"

"Yes," Leo growled, his eyes burning with rage.

Donnie fluttered his eyes open and yawned. "Whazzat, Raph?" he mumbled tiredly. But he became fully awake when he saw Leo standing over him and quickly got up. "Leo! Oh! Oh, crud! Uh..."

Leo raised his hand to silence his genius brother. "Before either of you say anything else, I just want to know one thing: have you been keeping up with your training while I was gone?"

Both Raph and Donnie looked at each other, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads. "Uhhhh..."

Leo grinned wickedly and cracked his knuckles. "Well, then, let's find out, shall we?"

Poor Raph and Donnie. Well...no, they deserved it actually.

Next chapter, EPILOGUE!