The lair had grown unbearably quiet. Leo stood in the doorway of the lab, his expression a mixture of concern and determination.

Raph couldn't stand it anymore—not Leo's calculating stare or the questions that would inevitably follow.

"I need some air," he growled, pushing past Leo and heading for the exit.

"Raph, wait—" Leo called after him, but Raph was already moving, his footsteps heavy against the concrete.

The sewers echoed around him as he made his way through the tunnels, his mind racing with the revelations from Donnie's notebook. Futures where they were broken, separated, lost. And now, here they were, already fracturing. The irony wasn't lost on him.

He emerged onto a quiet street, the cool night air a welcome relief after the stifling atmosphere of the lair. Without conscious thought, his feet carried him toward a familiar route—one that led to Casey's apartment building. He needed to talk to someone who wasn't wrapped up in this mess, someone who could give him perspective without the weight of prophecy attached to every word.

The rooftops had always been his sanctuary, but tonight, even they felt confining. Raph leapt across an alley, landing with less grace than usual. He cursed under his breath. Another reminder of what he'd lost.

"Yo, Raph!"

He turned to find Casey stepping out from behind a water tower, hockey stick slung over his shoulder.

"Thought I might find you up here," Casey said, his grin fading as he took in Raph's expression. "Whoa, who died?"

Raph winced. "Bad choice of words."

Casey's frown deepened. "Talk to me, man. What's going on?"

For a moment, Raph considered brushing him off, but the concern in Casey's eyes broke through his defenses. "It's Donnie," he admitted. "We found his notebook."

"And?"

"It's not just a notebook. It's—" Raph clenched his fists. "It's a record. Of the future."

Casey blinked. "Like predictions?"

"Not predictions. He lived it." Raph took a steadying breath. "Remember that time with Ultimate Drako and the time scepter? When Donnie disappeared for a while? Turns out he got thrown into the future. A really bad one."

"How bad we talking?"

"Splinter's dead. Leo's blind. Mikey..." Raph swallowed hard. "Mikey loses an arm."

Casey stared, his fingers tightening on his hockey stick. "And you?"

Raph gestured to his bandaged eye. "Already happened."

Casey's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "Wait... Donnie knew? He knew you were gonna lose your eye, and he didn't say anything?"

"That's the part that kills me," Raph said, resuming his pacing. "He knew for weeks, maybe months, and didn't say a word. He just watched it happen!"

Casey was silent for a moment. "Am I in this future?"

The question hit Raph like a punch to the gut. The truth burned in his throat: Casey dies. He couldn't say it. Not to Casey's face.

"No," he lied. "You're not mentioned."

Casey studied him for a long moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That's cool. Probably moved to Florida or something." He paused. "Unless you're lying to protect me."

Raph looked away, unable to hold his friend's gaze.

Casey sighed. "That's what I thought."

They sat in silence, the distant sounds of the city washing over them. Raph's anger still simmered beneath the surface, but now it was tinged with guilt for his own lie.

"You know," Casey finally said, "if you're hiding something from me because it's bad... that's okay. Part of me is curious, but the other part? Not so much." He twirled his hockey stick, more slowly this time. "Maybe Donnie felt the same way about telling you guys."

Raph frowned. "That's different."

"Is it?" Casey challenged. "You've known me for what, five minutes, and you're already lying to protect me. Donnie's known you his whole life. Maybe he was just trying to protect you too."

The parallel was uncomfortable, but undeniable. Raph fell silent, letting Casey's words sink in.

"So what now?" Casey asked.

Raph sighed. "I don't know. Everything feels broken. Donnie thinks it's all inevitable. That this future is coming no matter what we do."

"And you?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore," Raph admitted. "But I'm not going down without a fight."

Casey nodded. "That's the Raph I know." He checked his watch. "I gotta bounce—promised my dad I'd help with some stuff tonight. You gonna be okay?"

Raph nodded. "Yeah. I need to think."

After Casey left, Raph continued his circuit of the rooftops, letting the cool night air clear his head. His conversation with Casey had given him a new perspective—one that made him see Donnie's silence in a different light. Maybe it wasn't betrayal. Maybe it was protection. The realization didn't erase his frustration, but it did dull its edge.

As he rounded a familiar corner near the harbor, he spotted a solitary figure seated on the edge of a building, silhouetted against the moonlight.

Donnie.

His brother sat perfectly still, bo staff resting across his knees, staring out at the city skyline. Something about his posture—the slump of his shoulders, the stillness—sent a chill down Raph's spine.

He approached quietly. "Hey."

Donnie startled, turning to face him. In the dim light, Raph could see the exhaustion etched into his brother's features—the dark circles under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders.

"Raph," Donnie said, his voice cautious. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Raph sat beside him, leaving a careful distance between them. "Needed some air."

Donnie nodded. "Me too."

The silence stretched between them, heavy but not hostile.

"I ran into Casey earlier," Raph said finally. "He asked if he was in the future you saw."

Donnie stiffened slightly. "What did you tell him?"

"I lied," Raph admitted. "Told him he wasn't mentioned."

"Because the truth would hurt him."

"Yeah." Raph glanced at his brother. "Guess we both know something about keeping secrets to protect people, huh?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Donnie's face. The last thing he'd expected was understanding from Raph, who had been so furious just hours ago.

"I get why you didn't say anything," Raph continued. "It doesn't make it right. But I get it."

Donnie's shoulders slumped slightly. "I thought I could change it. I really did. I tried to be vigilant, to look for signs. But when it happened anyway..." His voice cracked. "I failed."

"You didn't fail," Raph said firmly.

The brothers were silent for a while, the city humming below them. Then Donnie spoke up.

"What you said earlier, about not feeling like you can be part of the team anymore... you don't really believe that, do you?"

Raph sighed. "My depth perception's shot. I keep making mistakes in training. I'm supposed to be the protector, look out for you guys. What use am I if I can't do that?" His voice dropped. "If I can't fight, then what am I even doing here?"

Donnie's eyes widened slightly. "Raph... there are moments when I feel like I don't belong in this family."

Raph turned to him, shocked. "What?"

Donnie gave a small, bitter laugh. "You think it's easy being 'the smart one'?" His fingers tightened around his bo staff. "Every day I watch you three—your raw strength, Leo's instinctive leadership, Mikey's natural talent—and I just..."

He trailed off, staring at his calloused hands. "I've spent thousands of hours buried in tech and books trying to be useful. But in those moments when everything falls apart, when we're surrounded and it comes down to pure fighting skill?" His voice cracked slightly. "I see the way you all move without thinking, and I'm still... calculating. Sometimes I wonder if I really belong in this family at all."

Raph stared at his brother, suddenly seeing past the genius to the uncertainty beneath. The vulnerability in Donnie's voice hit him like a physical blow. This was the brother who never showed weakness, who always had an answer—now revealing doubts Raph had never imagined.

"Are you kidding me?" Raph's voice was rough with emotion. "You're the one who figured out how to turn sewer junk into vehicles, security systems—hell, you gave us electricity and hot water. But it's not just about what you build, Don."

He leaned forward, forcing Donnie to meet his gaze. "I've seen you take down ten Foot soldiers with nothing but that stick and your brain. You don't just fight—you outsmart them. The rest of us? We're just force. You're strategy and force together."

Raph's voice softened. "And when everything goes sideways—when I'm bleeding out, or Leo's plans fail, or Mikey's luck runs dry—you're the one who keeps us alive. Not just with bandages and tech, but because you never quit thinking." He swallowed hard. "Without you, this family wouldn't just be weaker, Don. We wouldn't exist at all."

Donnie flinched, his expression darkening in a way that caught Raph's attention immediately. As if those words had struck a nerve deeper than intended.

"Don..." Raph said slowly, narrowing his eye. "About the future. You were lying when Leo asked about your future self. I could tell."

Donnie stiffened. His fingers curled slightly around his bo staff. "I didn't meet my future self. I wasn't there."

Raph felt a chill run down his spine. The words rattled around in his skull, heavy with implications. Not there?

"What do you mean, you weren't there?" he asked, his voice quieter now, edged with something rawer than anger—fear.

Donnie exhaled shakily. "Mikey—future Mikey—told me that I'd been missing for thirty years. No one knew what happened to me. I was just... gone."

Raph's breath hitched. "Thirty years?"

Donnie nodded. "I didn't want to worry you guys. But I'm scared, Raph. I don't know what happened to me. I don't know exactly when it happens—sometime in the next two or three years, I think. But in that future... I was already gone." His voice cracked. "Every morning I wake up and wonder if this is the day. Every time I go on patrol, every time I work in the lab, every time I close my eyes. I don't know if I get captured, killed, or if I just... leave. At some point, I just disappear."

Raph clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles ached, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "And you weren't even gonna tell us?! This is way bigger than me losing my eye, Don—this is about losing you!" His voice rose, raw and unsteady. "Do you have any idea what that means? What that would've done to us? What it's doing to me right now?!"

Donnie looked away.

Raph's anger faded, replaced by something colder. "Don, if you're so scared about something happening to you, why are you sitting out here in the open? Anyone could see you."

Tears welled in Donnie's eyes. "Maybe if it's inevitable, it's better that it happens sooner rather than later."

The words hit Raph like a physical blow. He grabbed Donnie's shoulders, forcing his brother to look at him.

"You listen to me," he said, his voice low and fierce. "You're not alone in this. You don't get to sit here thinking that disappearing is 'better'—that ain't better for anyone! That future should be enough to prove that. You matter, Don! To all of us. To me." His voice cracked. "Please, don't give up like this. We need you. I need you."

Donnie's voice was barely a whisper. "Please... don't tell the others."

Raph swallowed hard. "They need to know."

"Do you feel better knowing?"

"No," Raph admitted. "But eye or no eye, protecting you is what I do. I needed to know."

Before Donnie could respond, the soft thud of footsteps on the rooftop behind them made both turtles freeze. Raph released Donnie's shoulders and turned, his hand going to his sai.

Black-clad figures emerged from the shadows. Foot soldiers—at least fifteen of them—surrounding the rooftop in a semi-circle.

"Well, well," a familiar voice called out. "Two turtles for the price of one."

Karai stepped forward, her katana gleaming in the moonlight.

Raph moved to position himself between Donnie and the Foot soldiers. "What do you want, Karai?"

"I have special orders tonight," she replied, her eyes cold. "The Shredder has taken an interest in your brother's technical expertise." She nodded toward Donnie. "He sends his regards... and an invitation Donatello cannot refuse."

Donnie tensed, his grip tightening on his bo staff. "I'm flattered, but I'll have to pass."

"That wasn't a request," Karai said, raising her blade. "Foot ninjas... take the purple one. Alive."

The soldiers moved forward as one.

Raph and Donnie stood back to back, weapons at the ready. "Don," Raph whispered urgently, "this is it. This is how it starts."

"I know," Donnie replied grimly.

"I'm not letting them take you," Raph growled.

The first wave of Foot soldiers attacked. Despite his compromised vision, Raph fought with renewed fury, his sais a blur as he took down three ninjas in quick succession. Beside him, Donnie swept his bo in wide arcs, keeping the attackers at bay.

But they were outnumbered, and Raph could see that the Foot were focusing their efforts on Donnie, trying to separate him. A pair of soldiers managed to flank Donnie, driving him toward the edge of the roof.

As Raph fought his way toward his brother, a cold realization washed over him. This was happening exactly as Donnie had feared. This could be the night his brother disappeared—the beginning of that nightmare future.

Not on my watch.

Raph knocked down the ninja before him and sprinted to Donnie's side, pulling him back from the edge.

"Switch masks with me," he hissed.

Donnie blinked. "What? Why would—"

"Just do it!" Raph insisted, already untying his red bandana. "They want the purple one, right? Let them take the wrong turtle."

Understanding dawned in Donnie's eyes. "Raph, no—"

"Trust me," Raph said, pressing his mask into Donnie's hands. "I can handle whatever they throw at me. But if you disappear like in that future—" He swallowed hard. "We both know what happens then."

A Foot soldier charged toward them. Raph knocked him back with a powerful kick.

"Raph, this is crazy—"

"It's the only way," Raph insisted. "We're changing the future, right here, right now."

Donnie hesitated, then nodded. They quickly exchanged masks, Raph tying the purple fabric over his face while Donnie secured the red.

"Now get out of here," Raph ordered. "Find Leo and Mikey."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"You have to! Or none of this matters!"

Karai's voice cut through their argument. "Enough games. Take them both!"

The Foot closed in. Raph shoved Donnie toward the fire escape. "Go!"

Donnie hesitated, clearly torn.

"I'll be right behind you," Raph promised, though they both knew it was a lie. "GO!"

Reluctantly, Donnie turned and vaulted over the side of the building. Several Foot ninjas moved to follow, but Raph intercepted them, his sais flashing in the moonlight.

"You want Donatello?" he taunted, knowing the purple mask would confuse them in the darkness. "Come and get him!"

He fought with everything he had, downing ninja after ninja, but there were too many. A blow to his blind side sent him staggering. A moment later, something sharp pierced his shoulder—a dart. Numbness spread through his body almost immediately.

As his knees buckled, he heard Karai's voice, distant now.

"Take him to the Shredder."

Darkness closed in around him, but Raph smiled grimly as consciousness slipped away. The future had changed. Donnie was safe. For now, that was enough.