Alternative Ending: Ties That Bind

Leo slowly opened his eyes to nothing but white. Leo touched his neck for the fatal wound he received from the Shredder, and felt nothing. All the wounds and blood that covered his body and clothes were gone, Leo that all he was doing was floating in a white space.

Suddenly a binding white light appeared in front of him, Leo was forced to shield his eyes with his forearms. When the light died down, Leo looked with wide eyes and an opened mouth whispering to himself,

"Brothers"

Leo gravitated to his brother, everything the Shredder stole from them from the missing limbs to the gapping holes that took them away from him disappeared. They appeared without their ninja gear on but their different color bandanas still covering their eyes.

Leo walked over to hug his brothers when an invisible barrier appeared in front of him; just inches away from his family. Leo took a few steps back with a worried face.

"What's going on?" Leo asked. Another blinding light appeared and Leo was once forced to shield his eyes from the light.

"You will not." The light shouted

Leo uncovered his eyes to see who was yelling out him only for him to sigh deeply and glare at the figure.

"Father" Leo said.

Splinter was standing in front of Leo, leaning heavily on his walking stick, Splinter pointed the tip of the walking stick at Leo and said,

"You will not go near my sons."

Leo shook his head and shouted,

"I am you're son, just as the ones you are trying to keep away from me are my brothers. Why are you trying to keep us apart?"

Splinter shook his head, "Your brother died because of you, your brother are now going to enter into the afterlife because of you. Just as our human friends who were taken away in their prime because of you. All of this is because of you, don't you see you are the one who caused all of this. You are the one that should be in hell and I will not allow you to drag my sons down with you."

Leo looked at his brothers then back at his father,

"Why father? Why am I so different that you think so poorly of me? I am Leonardo Hamato the son of Splinter and grandchild of Hamato Yoshi. I am no different than you or my brothers are. Just because I am human does-"

"That's why." Splinter interjected.

Leo shook his head to the side and said,

"So we are still on this about my transformation. Can you see that I am no different now than I was before? The only difference is my appearance, can't you see past that?"

Splinter shook his head and said,

"Go back to where you belong, my sons and I are going to pass through the gates of heaven to live together with each other and all of our comrades, you can go where ever you what but not with us." Splinter stated, walking back and disappearing in the barrier and reappearing beside his brothers.

Leo could only watch as his father and brothers started walking towards the gates of heaven. Leo turned his back and started walking aimlessly into nothing when he heard the sound of glass cracking.

Leo turned around astonished as Raph was pounding on the barrier that kept him away from him and his other brothers. Raph pounded on the barrier until it finally came crashing down, running over to Leo, Raph pulled him into a big hug. Leo clung onto Raph's neck as if life itself depended on it.

"Raphael come back here." Splinter shouted. Raph turned around with Leo in his arms.

Splinter was humming mad with Donnie and Mikey looking annoyed and pissed.

"Why can't Leo come with us?" Raph shouted.

"Because he isn't worthy of being in our presence he isn't apart of our-" Splinter tried to reason with Raph but all he did was shake his head from side to side. Raph took Leo into his arms and started walking away from their father and brothers.

Splinter shouted at Raph to stop and turn around but all Raph would do is continue walking with Leo in his arms.

When Raph and Leo were out of hearing range of Splinter's shouting did Raph place Leo back on the ground. Leo looked up at Raph with a confused face.

"Why did you do that Raph? Don't you want to join the others past the gates of paradise?" Leo asked

Raph shook his head and answered, "It may be paradise to them but if you are my gates of heaven, you are my paradise and nothing is going to change that. Now come on and lets go somewhere where both of us are welcomed."

Raph extended his hand to Leo who gladly grasped it with both of hands. Raph and Leo started walking down a path to where both of them could live together. Where no one judged them for their appearances or their differences.

Four brothers entered the afterlife together. Two of them followed their father pasted the gates of heaven and into what they called paradise. While the other two walked a different path. Not a path of light nor the path of darkness but the in between; the path to dawn.