Hi all, this is my first time publishing fanfiction. I hope I don't let you all down. I've had this idea for a SAINW fic - there are already quite a few around this, but I hope I can offer a new take.

The lair was quiet except for the soft hum of Donatello's equipment. He sat at his workstation, staring blankly at the screen, his mind elsewhere. It had been months since the events with the time scepter, but the memories of that dystopian future still haunted him. He'd buried them deep, unwilling to burden his brothers with the horrors he'd seen. But now, those memories clawed their way to the surface with a vengeance.

Before Raphael's injury, Donnie had been plagued by unease. Every time they went topside to face the Foot Clan, he found himself hyperaware of his brothers' movements, almost as if expecting the worst to happen. He kept replaying the events of the future in his mind, dissecting every decision they had made there, wondering if he could have done something—anything—to prevent the tragedy he had witnessed. That weight grew heavier each day, and his silence became more pronounced.

Then it happened. They had been in the midst of a skirmish with the Foot Clan when Donnie's fears became reality. He remembered the exact moment with horrifying clarity: the sharp clang of steel against steel, the grunts of exertion, and then a split second of distraction. A Foot soldier feinted, causing Raph to turn his guard, and in that instant, the enemy drove a fist into Raph's face, followed by the glint of a blade flashing in the moonlight. Donnie shouted, his voice drowned out by the chaos around them, as the blade struck its mark.

Raph went down with a cry of pain, clutching his left eye. Donnie's heart stopped. He scrambled to Raph's side, his hands trembling as he pressed a cloth against the wound to stem the bleeding. The others formed a defensive perimeter around them, their movements almost a blur to Donnie as his focus narrowed to his injured brother. The blood, the panicked look in Raph's good eye, and the realization that he couldn't save Raph's left eye—it all hit Donnie like a freight train. This was it. This was the beginning of that future.

In the aftermath, the brothers returned to the lair in silence. Donnie's hands were still stained with Raph's blood as he worked tirelessly in the med bay. He did everything he could, but when he finally stepped back, the truth was undeniable: Raph's eye was gone.

Raph sat alone in the med bay, his left eye heavily bandaged. The dull ache in his head was a constant reminder of the fight—and the fact that his life had just changed forever. He stared at his reflection in a small handheld mirror, the empty space where his eye had been staring back at him. He tried to smirk, to joke to himself that at least he still had the other one, but the humor felt hollow.

He'd always prided himself on being the toughest, the one who could take any hit and keep going. But this…this was different. It wasn't just the pain or the loss of depth perception. It was the way everyone looked at him now—with pity, with sadness. And the way Donnie avoided looking at him altogether.

Donnie had barely said two words to him since the fight. He'd patched Raph up, sure, but there had been no jokes about how reckless Raph was, no comforting reassurance that he'd be fine. Just silence. And it wasn't just since the injury. Raph thought back to the weeks leading up to the fight. Donnie had been different then, too. Distracted, jumpy, like he was carrying some huge secret he couldn't share. Raph had noticed but hadn't pushed. Now he wished he had.

The following evening, Raph joined Leo and Mikey in the main room. Mikey was lounging on the couch, a slice of pizza in hand, while Leo sat cross-legged on the floor, meditating. Raph plopped onto the couch beside Mikey, grimacing slightly as his bandaged head throbbed.

"Yo, Raph," Mikey said, nudging him with his elbow. "Wanna join the next 'Battle Nexus' rematch? I'll even give you a head start."

Raph snorted. "Yeah, like I need your pity. Pretty sure I can still kick your shell with one eye tied behind my back."

Leo opened one eye, a small smile tugging at his lips. "That's more like it. I was starting to think you were going soft on us."

"Soft? Me?" Raph shot back. "Nah. Just wait. As soon as I'm cleared to spar, I'll show you who's soft."

"Cleared to spar?" Mikey teased. "Who are you, Leo? Since when do you wait for permission?"

The brothers chuckled, the tension in the room easing for a moment. Even Splinter, who had been observing quietly from the doorway, let out a soft chuckle.

"It is good to see you all together," Splinter said, stepping into the room. "Laughter is a powerful medicine."

"Yeah, well, we could use more of it," Raph muttered, his tone light but his thoughts elsewhere. He glanced around the room, noting Donnie's absence. Again.

"Speaking of which," Raph said, leaning back on the couch, "anyone seen Donnie? Or is he still holed up in his lab?"

Leo's expression darkened slightly. "He's been keeping to himself a lot lately."

"A lot?" Raph snorted. "Try all the time. He's actin' like I've got the plague or somethin'. Wouldn't even stick around after patchin' me up."

Mikey frowned, the humor fading from his face. "I thought it was just me. He's been kinda…off, y'know? Even for Donnie."

Splinter nodded solemnly. "I, too, have noticed a change in him."

Raph's grip tightened on the edge of the couch. "You think it's 'cause of me? Because of this?" He gestured to his bandaged eye.

Leo hesitated. "Maybe. But I think it started before that. He's been acting strange for weeks."

Splinter placed a reassuring hand on Raph's shoulder. "Whatever troubles Donatello, it is not your fault, my son. But perhaps your injury has brought his struggle to the surface. He needs time, but he also needs his family."

Raph nodded slowly, though his jaw remained tight. "Time, huh? I'll give him time. But not too much. He's not the only one dealin' with stuff right now."