"This is April Jones signing off."

A figure dressed in a trench coat and wearing a fedora hat approached the reporter as she wrapped things up with Vernon. He also wore sunglasses and his lower face was covered with a scarf. "I can't believe you're now a reporter, April," the stranger said. "Did you go to school for that?"

"As of matter of fact, I did," she turned and smiled at him. "Earned a bachelor's degree in journalism."

"Hey, April," Vernon playfully nudged her, "you gonna introduce me to your mysterious friend or what?"

"Vernon, this is my good friend, Raphael. Raph, this our cameraman, Vernon Fenwick."

"Nice to meet you," Raph reached a gloved hand out to Vernon, who was slightly taken back by the three fingers. The Turtle noticed his reaction and quickly thought of an explanation. "Heh, yeah, I know. Three fingers. I, uh, lost my two other ones in the war. On both hands." He held his hands up for Vernon to see.

"Oh, man," Vernon winced and politely shook Raph's hand. "Sorry to hear that. Appreciate your service in the army."

"April, I'm gonna explore the rest of the city," Raph turned to the reporter. "See how much has changed since I was gone."

April nodded. "All right, Raph. Please be careful." She tugged at his arm and pulled him closer, whispering in his ear. "And don't let anyone see you without your disguise."

"I know that," Raph whispered back with a smirk before walking away.

"And try to stay out of trouble!" she called after him. She heard him grumble, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever," and shook her head.

"Is your friend an albino or something?" Vernon asked April once Raph was gone. "I mean, it's summer and yet he's dressed like it's the coldest day of the year."

"Well, he's got some ugly scars that he doesn't want anybody else to see," April said with a bit of sadness in her voice, because that part was true.

"Oh, you mean from the war?"

"...Yeah, from the war."

The disguised Turtle accidentally bumped into a pedestrian, who was obviously already having issues of his own.

"Hey, watch it, bud!" the man growled. "You lookin' for trouble?"

"Sorry," Raph mumured as he walked away.

Well, the humans are still as rude and crabby as ever. I miss the swampy already. Hey, I wonder if...?

Raph decided to go to Murakami's for old time's sake. Even though it had been thirty years, he held onto the hope that the kind elderly man was still alive and running the noodle shop. He did miss those delicious pizza gyoza.

Unfortunately, when he got there, he found that in its place was a Mexican restaurant. He felt his heart sink as he saw a Hispanic cook step outside with a garbage bag in his hand. "Um, excuse me?" he called out to the man and approached him. "Hi. You know what happened to the previous owner of this building, Mr. Murakami?"

"Murakami?" the cook raised an eyebrow. "You mean, the blind Japanese chef?"

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine."

"Oh," the cook looked at him sympathetically. "You don't know?"

"Know what? I've been gone for thirty years. Where is he?"

"Murakami died about nine years ago. From a stroke."

Raph closed his eye behind his sunglasses and let out a heavy sigh. Another old friend gone. "I see," he said quietly then started to walk away. "Well, thanks for your time, man."

"Wait," the cook gestured at the front entrance of the restaurant. "Wanna come inside to eat? It's on me."

"Oh, no, no. That's okay, you don't have to..."

"Nah, it's fine. I insist. I can tell you're having a rough day."

Huh. Glad to see that there are still some good and decent people in New York. "Wow, thanks, man."

"Think nothing of it," the cook grinned. "The name's Ronny, by the way."

The Turtle shook hands with him. "Raphael, but you can call me 'Raph."

"Raphael, huh? You Italian?"

"Heh, no, but I sure do like pizza. A lot."

"Well, if it's pizza you want, then pizza you will get."

"Man! This Mexican Pizza's the bomb!" Raph exclaimed as he munched on another slice. The pizza was composed of corn tortillas topped with beans, beef, roma tomatoes, green onions, and cheese. He looked up at the cook who sat across from him at the table. "Ronny, my man, you rock."

Ronny chuckled. "Think so, huh? Well, thanks. So, you're one of those mutants?"

Raph stopped eating for a moment and quickly pulled the scarf over his mouth. "Uh, no, what's make you think I am?"

"Come on, Raph. It's kinda obvious. The green scaly skin, the three fingers on each hand."

"Oh! The fingers! Lost them in the war. And my skin? Well, it's actually a symptom of...a rare disease that I caught...in Africa?"

Ronny snorted. "Nice try. Look, it's okay if you're a mutant. Your secret's safe with me."

Raph removed his scarf and sunglasses and smiled gratefully at the human.

"So you said you've been gone for thirty years?" Ronny asked Raph, who nodded in response as he continued to eat. "That's an awful long time to be gone. Why did you decide to come back, if you don't mind me asking?"

Raph set his plate aside as he finished the last piece. "I left New York after my youngest brother, Mikey, died. For a long time, I blamed myself for his death, and I just couldn't stay here any longer because of the memories. I mean, we grew up and did everything together in this city. I wanted to get away from it all, so I moved to North Hampton and never looked back."

"I see," Ronny rubbed his chin. "So what changed your mind?"

"Well, an old friend came by to see me, and he informed me that my father was dying. At first, I refused to come back, but then I realized that I was being selfish and cowardly. My family needs me, after all. Things fell apart after Mikey's funeral, and instead of being there for my dad and brothers, I completely abandoned them. I need to make things right again." He sighed discouragingly. "It won't be easy, though. My brothers just won't let go of their pain and anger, especially my eldest. He instead takes it out on other people."

Ronny nodded and a somber expression was on his face. "It is hard to let it go. I know what it is like to lose a loved one. The pain will lessen over the years, but the scars will always remain. I lost my daughter not even a year after she was born, and I still miss her every day."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. How old would she be today?"

"Twenty-five."

"Wow. Well, did you ever have any more kids?"

"No. My wife left me shortly after my daughter's death, and I never re-married. I could've stopped her from leaving, you know. But I didn't. It's far too late for my family..." He looked up at Raph and smiled warmly at him. "...but not for yours. Don't give up now."

Raph smiled back and was about to say something when they heard a gunshot and people screaming in horror. They turned to find two armed robbers, a man and a woman, wearing ski masks standing at the entrance.

"Nobody move!" the man yelled. "This is a robbery!"

"Get down on the floor!" the woman screamed.

Everyone in the restaurant but Raph and Ronny obeyed. The Turtle quickly put his sunglasses and scarf back on before the man marched right over to them, pointing his gun and gritting his teeth. "Didn't you hear us?" he growled. "On the floor!"

"I heard you the first time," Ronny calmly said. "But I prefer to sit at my table, thank you very much."

"Yeah, same here," Raph gruffly said.

"Now don't get cute, you two," the robber got even more aggravated. "Would you rather drop to the floor with a bullet in your head?" He aimed the gun at Ronny's head...

In a flash, a sai pierced right through the gun, causing the man to let go of his weapon in shock. Raph smirked behind his scarf. Thanks, April. With a flick of his sai, the gun flung across the room and landed on the floor.

The woman gaped at the Turtle before shooting at him. Raph dodged the bullets, being careful not to jump in the way of the customers and endanger their lives. Once he got close enough, he knocked the gun out of her hand and did a low roundhouse kick to sweep her off her feet. She landed on her back and let out a groan.

"You're lucky that I don't hit girls," Raph sneered down at her, but then noticed that his hat, sunglasses, and scarf were missing and his face had been revealed to everyone in the restaurant. "Oops."

"Raph, look out!"

Upon hearing Ronny call out to him, Raph turned in time to see the male robber charge at him with a knife. He barely dodged the blade as it ripped through his trench coat, revealing his plastron. Seeing that the disguise was now useless, Raph tore it off and pulled out his twin sai. "All right," he growled. "Now I'm mad."

The robber's eye grew wide with fear. "Aw, shoot. I know you!"

Raph looked at the man confused. "You do?"

"You're the Serpent!"

"Who?"

"Holy crap, it is him!" the woman scooted away fearfully. "Mitch, let's get outta here!"

Mitch ran past Raph and out the front door, his female friend following close behind. The stunned customers whispered to each other as they all stared at the mutant Turtle, some pulling out their phones and making calls. "Call the police," Raph heard a lady say quietly.

Well, I think that's my cue to bail.

"Psst." Raph turned to find Ronny pointed to the kitchen. "This way," the cook whispered to him.

"You mean, you live in the sewers?" Ronny asked as they were now standing over a manhole about three blocks away from the restaurant. "Now I've seen everything."

Raph chuckled. "Ronny, listen, thanks for everything. I mean it. Thanks."

"You know," Ronny placed on hand on Raph's shoulder, "since you're such a big fan of my cooking, you can come by the restaurant at any time after closing. Just shoot me a text and I'll be there to let you in." He pulled a notepad and pen from out of the pocket of his apron and wrote down his number. He tore out the page and handed it to Raph. "Remember, you're always welcome."

Raph took the paper and smiled at the kind Hispanic cook. "Looks like I've made a new friend."

Ronny smiled back and patted Raph's shell. "Looks like it, don't it?"

The Turtle removed the lid to the manhole and climbed inside. Ronny waved down at him before moving the lid back over the hole.

Witnesses claim that the Serpent was seen at the Paraiso restaurant at around 5:40 pm. Two masked criminals attempted to rob the restaurant at gunpoint when a mutant Turtle with daggers attacked and drove them off.

"Sai," Raph grumbled as he watched the news on the couch with Chompy lying at his feet. "They're not daggers."

"Well, he fitted the description of the Serpent," an African American woman spoke to the reporter, "but he didn't kill those two guys like he normally would. He just let 'em go. So maybe it wasn't the Serpent. Could be his twin brother or something?"

"I really hope you're wrong, lady," he said quietly. He heard his T-phone ring and pushed the answer button before putting it to his ear. "Hello?"

Raph, are you okay?

"Yeah, I'm fine, April. I take it that you just saw the news?"

I told you to stay out of trouble and to not let anyone see you without your disguise!

"All right, calm down, April."

How can I calm down?! Raph, they're already associating you with the Serpent! You could go to jail!

"Yeah, well, they'll have to catch me first. And who is this Serpent guy, by the way?"

Silence.

"April, who is he?"

Still no response.

"Leo's the Serpent, isn't he?"

...Yes, Raph. He is.

Raph rubbed his temples and let out a heavy sigh. "I was afraid of that."

Raph, listen, we'll figure this out, okay? But for now, stay in the lair.

"April, I can't..."

Please, Raph. I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again.

"...Fine."

Thanks. We'll discuss this tomorrow. Goodnight, Raph.

"Yeah, goodnight. Oh, and April? Thanks for holding onto my sai all these years."

No problem.

He hung up and leaned back in the couch. He picked up the remote and changed the channel, hoping that there was something better to watch on T.V.

...ten year old girl had been brutally raped and murdered by the man before he cut her up and placed her body parts in separate bags...

Click.

...I-I saw him place the gun at his head and then pull the trigger. He was...he was actually laughing as pieces of Dad's brain...

Click.

What do you think of the Serpent, Chris?

Well, Chuck, I've got two words for you: psychopathic nutcase.

Click.

I'm afraid to let my kid walk to school on his own because of that Serpent guy.

But doesn't he protect people like us from criminals? Shouldn't you instead feel safer around him?

Well, I mean, sure, he protects us from criminals. But who's going to protect us from him?

Click.

When I was a kid, I was rescued from a burning building by this group of Ninja Turtles.

Raph's eye widened.

Ever since then, I was a big fan of theirs. I even made myself a ninja mask and wore it to school every day. Sure, yeah, the other kids teased me for it, but that never bothered me, 'cause I admired the Turtles so much. We need heroes like them today. Not like that maniac the Serpent. Ninja Turtles, if you're watching this, please hear me out: we need you now more than ever. I still believe in you. Be the heroes that I know you are.

Thank you, Zach. Coming up, the Governor of California caught kissing a-

Raph turned the T.V. off and looked up at the ceiling in deep thought.

So there are people out there who know that we exist and still believe in us. Amazing. And that Zach guy is right: the city, no, the world needs us back. But Leo's gone cuckoo and Donnie doesn't really give a crap.

"So, you think I should do it?" Raph was now in his little brother's bedroom and sitting on the bed next to Mikey. The freckled turtle looked up from his comic book at Raph.

"Yeah, dude," Mikey said. "The people in this city need a hero, and we're heroes, aren't we?"

"Nah," Raph said with a sad smile. "You were the hero, Mikey. I'm just an old coward."

"You're not a coward, Raph," Mikey rolled his eyes. "But you are old. Sorry, but it's true."

"Gee, thanks," Raph mumbled but was smiling to himself.

"Think about it, bro. If you go out there and show Leo how it's really done, then he'll remember what it means to be a real hero. He's been in the dark for too long, Raph. It's time to show him the light."

Raph opened his eye and was back in the dojo, kneeling in front of Mikey's altar. On the floor next to him was the tattered red robe that he wore in the woods of North Hampton. He reached down to brush his fingers over the cloth. In this robe, he was the Green Man, the feared king of the forest. But that person was long gone.

He was now Raphael the Ninja Turtle.

With a pair of scissors, he cut a new ninja mask with only one eye hole out of his old robe. He removed his eyepatch and put the mask over his face, tying a knot behind his head and then tightening it.

Placing the sai back into his belt, Raph gave Chompy a quick pat on the head before heading into the tunnels.

Sorry, April, but I can't continue to hide in the sewers any longer. The city needs a Ninja Turtle.

Evil beware! One of the Ninja Turtles is back in town! What will be in store for Raph...?

So Ronny is going to be the new Murakami. :)

Also, there's another character from the 1987 TV series in this chapter. Can you guess who it is?