A/N: Thanks to everyone who has seen this story arc through to the very end. Your support has been amazing and so inspirational. I hope you've all enjoyed the Stone Cold and the Breathe Into Me arcs.

Disclaimer: see chapter one

The lair was spinning; my stomach churning. My head felt like it was about to explode as my vision fought to focus. Lights danced before my eyes. I forgot how hard Mikey could hit with those nunchucks. My brothers were standing around me in a circle, cutting me off from Death who was standing a little ways away. They were protecting him, I realized. The coward. Hiding behind the dead like a shield. No matter, I could still make this work. I looked up at Death, murder and malice burning in my eyes.

"I will end you," I snarled through clenched teeth.

"It's time you were sent back to the world of the living," Death said, annoyed.

He motioned to Leo who raised one of his swords above his head. As it came down, it was like everything was in slow motion. I saw the sword coming at me and I didn't have my sais. So, I used the only thing I had for defense; the chains. I held the chains up as the sword came down. There was an ear-shattering clash of metal on metal and everything burst into a brilliant white light for a brief second. I blinked the spots out of my eyes and glanced up. A look of horror was present on Leo's face. I frowned in confusion until I lifted my arms up and I saw what had Leo so terrified.

Large chunks of chain fell from my arms in broken pieces. I looked at my body and the chains that had been wrapped around my torso were in two pieces. When Death saw what had happened he was far less than happy. I glanced up at him and smirked as I got to my feet. The rest of the broken chains fell to the floor.

"You never said my life couldn't be ended by my family," I stated, pushing past a still stunned Leo.

"This was your plan all along," Death realized.

My smirk grew into a grin. Death growled.

"I have underestimated you," he said. "However, that will be one mistake I will not repeat."

He lifted up his scythe and swung it down. I dodged quickly and managed to get in close. I grabbed Death's wrists and threw him over my shoulder, slamming him into the ground. I was left holding the scythe. This was my chance. This was my chance to make Death pay for what he did to my brothers. Before anyone could stop me, I swung the scythe as hard as I could. It cracked off the floor. Death let out a scream of pain.

"This is for Mikey," I said.

I slammed the blade of the scythe against the floor again. Death continued to scream and writhe in pain.

"This is for Donnie," I went on.

Again, I slammed the blade against the floor, not caring about the screaming Reaper behind me, and not thinking about the consequences of what I was doing. All I could see was the red haze of revenge.

"This is for Leo."

Death roared in pain but I wasn't listening. One more hit and it would all be over.

"And this is for you," I told Death. "For everything that you put me and my family through. Sayonara."

I put everything I had into that one final swing. The blade hit the floor. The crack sounded like a bomb explosion that vibrated throughout the lair. A second later, the lair began to tremble. I looked around as the place started to fall apart. My eyes went to the broken weapon in my hands. A black mist seeped from the shattered blade.

"What's going on?" I asked, coming back to my senses.

"My essence...is stored...in the blade," Death rasped.

I went to kneel beside him. Death put a skeletal hand over mine which still clenched the handle of the scythe.

"And...it is that...very essence...that keeps this realm...alive," Death continued.

"The realm is dying?" I asked in confusion. I frowned. "Are you dying?"

"In...a manner...of speaking...yes," Death gasped. "However...I will be reborn...for there must...always be...Death."

I looked from the Reaper to my brothers. They were huddled together in terror. This was my fault. As always I hadn't been thinking. All that was on my mind was revenge. I didn't know that by seeking that out I would be destroying another world. I turned back to the Reaper. There was only one way to save this place.

"I'll take your place," I told Death. "I'll become the new Reaper."

Death began to chuckle. "Was this...your plan, too?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No. I didn't know this was going to happen." I smirked. "But, it's like you said back home: I'd make a pretty good Grim Reaper."

Death sighed. "Yes, you would," he agreed. "Very well. If this...is the path...you wish to choose...when I fade, don the cloak...retrieve your weapon...this world will become yours."

Death let out a wet, gurgling breath before he disappeared into a pile of dust. The scythe in my hands also disappeared. I looked down at the empty cloak.

"Raphie?" came the trembling voice of my baby brother.

I stood up and faced my brothers. They were looking at me like I was about to do something stupid...which I probably was. But I couldn't let my stupid need for vengeance destroy the realm of the dead and take them with it. Besides, if I went back to the living world I was a dead man anyway. After ten years of abuse, my body wasn't going to hold up anymore. I looked back down at the cloak, vaguely hearing the crumbling stone around me.

"You don't have to do this, Raph," Donnie said.

"You heard what the Reaper said," I told him. "There must always be Death."

I reached down and picked up the Reaper's cloak. I swung it over my shoulders, slipping my arms into the sleeves and doing the clasp at my neck.

"Raph," Leo spoke as I reached back for the hood.

I looked over at him. The solid white of his eyes faded to return to their original dark brown.

"We never blamed you for what happened to us," Leo said.

I gave Leo a small, sad smile. "You didn't have to," I replied. "I've been blaming myself for the last ten years enough for all four of us."

I pulled the hood over my head. A strange sensation washed over me. I could feel every scar and injury I had sustained over the last ten years heal themselves. It was weird feeling my insides knit themselves back together. I turned to see my brothers kneeling before me, as a knight kneels before his king, with their heads bowed.

"Welcome back, lord Death," Leo said.

"Welcome to your new rebirth," Don added.

I couldn't help but smirk. I looked down at my hands. "There's just one thing missing," I said.

I reached out in front of me. My hand disappeared into a space only I could see. I pulled out a gleaming black rod with a skeletal hand reaching up from the bottom and silver bands coiled around the handle. The air seemed to vibrate with the voices of the dead, including my brother's.

"Cast off your earthly tethers," they said as one. "Enter the void. Darkness awaits."

I spun the rod over my head and swung it out at my side. A massive blade that was as long as I was tall shot out of the rod. The top half was glistening black while the bottom half was crimson red.

"Death...is only the beginning," I finished with a wicked grin.

So, the Grim Reaper wins, after all.

That's all she wrote. I'll leave the rest to your imagination ;)

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