Thirty years later…

"And then he said, 'At least mine's the real deal!'"

The obese but rich Bebop laughed along with his four crime lord friends in the backseat of his limousine. Instead of his usual tight high-tech pants and vest, he now wore an expensive purple suit with a gold tie and had a 14k white gold ring on each finger.

It had been 30 years since the ninja Turtle known as Leonardo had butchered Bebop's old boss, the Shredder, as well as the rest of his henchmen. The only survivor of the onslaught, Bebop started an illegal business of his own, smuggling and selling drugs, and at some point, he even took part in human trafficking.

By now Bebop had become one of the most respected and feared crime lords in all of New York, with Don Vizioso being his only rival.

And Vizioso, of course, would not tolerate any challenge to his rule.

A lanky man in a grey suit took a sip of his cocktail before slurring, "You-you know, there's a rumor that…that Don Vizioso has hired a hitman to ice you, Bebop."

The mutant pig merely pulled his head back and laughed haughtily. "That big donut hole? Hiring a hitman to ice me? Ha! That's a good one!" He leaned back into his calfskin seat and drank champagne out of a bottle. "No one's dumb enough to put a hit on the great Bebop," he snorted as he licked his lips.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a shuriken sliced through the front window and embedded itself deep in the driver's neck, causing him to let go of the wheel. The limo spun out of control and crashed into a light pole. The bodyguards that were driving in separate smaller cars hit the brakes and hopped out with AK-47s in their hands.

They cautiously surrounded the crashed vehicle and looked around for any suspects. A dark figure stood on a rooftop and observed them. Grinning devilishly, he pulled out twin katanas from behind his hump and leapt at the unsuspecting men below.

Meanwhile, inside the limo, Bebop tried to wipe off the champagne that had been spilt all over his 15 grand suit. "Remind me to fire that stupid driver afterwards," he growled to the other crime lords, who remained in their seats. "And to bust a cap in his big butt."

He slammed the door open, intending to give the driver a piece of his mind, when he saw the bodies of his bodyguards spread out across the street in front of him. Some of them had even been decapitated. His heart pounded so hard as fear and dread took over. He pulled a gun from underneath his suit and pointed it shakily. He frantically looked around him, but he couldn't see anything in the dark. Every sound he heard made him jump 10 feet off the ground and he would fire a bullet in the direction of the noise.

Then the limousine behind him suddenly exploded.

And Bebop wasn't sure if the other crime lords got out in time. Not that he cared.

A shadowy figure landed on top of the burning vehicle, the bright orange color of the flames reflecting off his swords. And even in the dark, Bebop could see that the stranger was smiling at him in a chilling way.

He wasted no time in shooting at the mysterious man, who sprinted away from the bullets with a speed comparable to that of a hummingbird's wings. And before he knew it, the gun was sliced in half, and his hand had been cut in the process. Bebop screamed in pain and gripped his wrist as blood dripped from his hand. He looked up to see the face of the man who dared to hurt him.

The mutant pig remained frozen as he looked into the familiar deep blue eyes that instantly sent shivers down his spine.

"Hello, Bebop. Did you miss me?"

Leonardo was now bigger and older, but instead of a blue mask, he wore black. Black sleeves covered his arms and black tape was wrapped around his legs. And on his plastron was a tattoo of a black serpent. His blades were dripping with blood that no doubt belonged to Bebop's bodyguards.

"You?" Bebop whispered. "Wha…what do you want with me?"

Leo smirked and pointed the tip of his katana at Bebop's chest. "Vizioso wants you dead, piggy. Said you're getting in the way of his business. So he hired me to cut your heart out."

"Wait a minute," Bebop gulped, "you're the hitman? But-but aren't you supposed to be, you know…a good guy?"

Leo's smirk quickly turned into a scowl. "Not anymore," he growled. "Now let's get this over with and get on your knees."

Bebop started to cry. "W-w-wait! I-I-I can pay you triple what-what Vizioso is paying! I swear it! Or-or if it's not money you want, I-I know plenty of girls who can…!"

Leo hit Bebop in the face with the blunt end of a sword, causing him to spit out blood. "I won't say it again," he sneered. "On…your…knees."

Bebop continued to weep but obeyed nevertheless. Once he knelt on the ground, the Turtle walked behind him and sheathed one of his katanas.

Bebop knew what Leo was doing. He was getting ready to execute him by beheading.

"P-p-please, man!" the pig whimpered. "I know what this is really about. This-this is about your brother, right? Shredder was the one who tore him up, not me! I-I didn't even touch him!"

"That may be true," he heard Leo say, "but you're still just as guilty as he was. Not only did you watch…"

He felt the Turtle lean in close to his face and whisper in his ear.

"…but you also laughed."

Leo's hand appeared in front of him and was holding a photograph. "Hold this out in front of you and look at it."

Bebop couldn't even move and was shaking tremendously. This aggravated Leo even more and he screamed in his ear, "HOLD IT!"

Bebop yelped and snatched the photo out of Leo's hand. He held it out and realized that it was a picture of the Turtle's late brother, Michelangelo. He was smiling and waving, and in his arms was some kind of ice cream-cat mutant.

"Take a good look at his face, Bebop, because it will be the last thing you ever see."

SWISH!

"It's done."

Leo held up Bebop's bloodied suit for Don Vizioso to see. The Italian mobster, now in his eighties, smiled and clapped his hands, applauding the Turtle. He slowly got out of his tiny chair, which surprisingly hadn't yet been crushed by his weight.

"Well done!" he exclaimed. "You truly are the best contract killer in New York."

"What can I say?" Leo shrugged and threw the suit aside. "I was trained by the best."

Vizioso handed him a large black suitcase. "Your payment, 100 grand, as promised. But before you go, care to join me for dinner?"

Leo nodded. "Sure. Why not?"

The Turtle and the mobster sat across from each other at the table, enjoying spaghetti and red wine. Vizioso wiped his mouth with napkin before looking up to speak with Leo. "So I hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you give up being the hero? You were once the leader of the ninja Turtles, were you not?"

Leo stared at his reflection in the glass. "It all started after the Shredder killed Mikey right in front of me. I became so determined to avenge my brother's death that I put aside all my morals and disregarded everything Sensei taught us about 'mercy' and 'honor'. I gave that monster the slow, agonizing death that he deserved. And let me tell you something: it felt great."

He took a sip of his wine and smiled bitterly. "I then realized that heroes never get the job done, because they let things such as ethical principles and codes get in the way. The Shredder kept tormenting us because we hesitated and let him live. If we had done things the right way, Mikey would still be alive." He frowned and took out his photo of Mikey, looking at it with sad eyes. "But he isn't."

"Well," Vizioso plopped a grape into his mouth, "I give you my deepest condolences. But you're right: heroes are too weak. It takes strong and powerful men like us to rule this city. In fact, why don't you join us? We'll be, like, you know, your new family."

Leo looked up and shook his head. "Thank you, but…I'd rather work alone than become part of another family. I'm kind of like a solitary predator: I live and hunt on my own."

"I understand," Vizioso nodded slowly. "And I respect your decision. Ah, here comes the main course."

The cook walked in with a large platter and set it on the table. Vizioso licked his lips and removed the lid, revealing a pig's head.

Vizioso looked surprised. "Huh, that's funny. I thought we were having roasted duck tonight, not roasted pig's head."

"Oh, well," Leo cut a piece with a knife and put it on his plate. "Looks delicious anyway. Besides, it fits the occasion, don't you agree?" He put a piece in his mouth and chewed it slowly, and he closed his eyes as he savored its taste. "So good."

Vizioso shrugged and took a bite himself. It really was good. But as he continued to chew, he suddenly felt something stringy on his tongue, like a hair. He reached for it with his fingers and pulled it out of his mouth. It was indeed a hair, but it wasn't black, white, brown, or blonde.

It was purple.

Vizioso grew nervous and glanced up at Leo, who only stared at him as he continued to eat.

"What's wrong?" Leo smirked and drank his wine. "Found a hair in your food?"

The old man tried to hide his fear with a smile and a chuckle. "Yeah, I outta fire that cook. He needs to wear a hairnet or something." He then noticed something slowly crawl out of the pig's mouth.

To his horror, it was a black mamba.

Just as Vizioso was about to flee from the table, the snake lunged at him and bit his hand. He screamed in pain and fell backwards in his chair. Leo merely wiped his mouth with a napkin and walked over to the hyperventilating man.

"Vizioso," he said, "I'd like you to meet my pet snake, Precious. You'll have to forgive her; she has a tendency to bite people."

"W-w-w-w-why?" Vizioso stammered as he began to sweat. "I-I-I paid ya, did-didn't I?"

"You did," Leo knelt down over him and used his napkin to wipe away the sweat from the old man's face. "And I thank you for your business. But you have to understand, you're scum. And like all scum, you need to be erased from the earth."

He leaned in close to Vizioso's face. "And I won't stop until this city has been cleansed of all scum…including myself."

Leo got up and lured Precious into a box, then took the suitcase full of money. "Oh, and I wouldn't count on any of your guards to come save you," he looked over his shoulder at Vizioso and smiled devilishly. "I made sure of that before I came here. And I paid that cook to help set the trap, so he won't save you, either. It's amazing what money can buy, huh?"

As he went to the door, he told the dying man, "I'd say you have about 30 minutes to live."

He stared up at the ceiling. The morning light from the window lit up the dark bedroom in his apartment. A human hand reached up and caressed his face. He looked over at the woman lying next to him. She gave him a sweet smile and kissed his beak.

"Did you sleep well, hon?" she softly asked him as she laid her head on his plastron.

He stroked her long black hair with his fingers. "I slept fine, Raven." He looked back up at the ceiling.

Raven Shadowheart looked up at her boyfriend with concern. "Is something wrong?" When he didn't answer, she leaned in closer to his face. "Leo, tell me what's the matter."

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. She really believed that he was a nocturnal vigilante who rescued the weak and helpless from bad guys, like Batman. He never told her that he was also a hired assassin, and for five years now he had lived a double life and lied to her.

It was time to stop lying and let her go.

"Raven," he turned to look directly into her brown eyes and gently touched her cheek, "you're my soulmate, and I'll always love you."

Raven didn't like where this was going. "But…?" she whispered.

His gaze didn't leave hers. "But I don't deserve you. I haven't been completely honest to you the last five years."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not who you think I am. I'm no hero."

He closed his eyes and removed his hand from her cheek.

"I'm really a scumbag who kills for money. That's how I've been earning my living for the last thirty years."

Raven's face became pale. "What?" she said quietly and full of fear.

"You're afraid of me now, aren't you?" he asked with a sad smile. "Good. You shouldn't be hanging around someone who's as dangerous as me. You deserve much better."

"Leo, I…I don't understand," she sat up and reached a hand to his shoulder. "Why are you…?"

"Please go." He turned his shell to her and faced the wall.

It was silent for a moment before Raven spoke. "Leo, please. Let's talk about this. Honey, I love you more than life it…"

"GO!"

The tip of his blade pointed at her throat. She screamed and fell out of the bed. Not even taking the time to change out of her nightgown, she grabbed her coat and ran out of the apartment.

Leo was left all alone in the bed, looking down at the katana in his hands.

It needed to be done. Despite how painful it felt to let her go, it needed to be done.

He got out of his bed and walked to the window, staring at the sun that peeked over the skyscrapers. He leaned his forehead onto the glass and closed his eyes.

One of these days, he will have to end his own life in order to protect this city. And he couldn't afford to be emotionally attached to anyone, because then it'd be harder for him to go through with it.

Someday, Mikey…we'll see each other again.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!