Work Text:
Something that cannot be understated is how much experience the Hamato family had with weird, spooky shit.
Leonardo himself had dealt with too many possessed dolls, creepy spider ladies, gross goopy aliens and horrifying animatronics to be caught off guard when shenanigans were afoot.
“So like… We’re all in agreement, right? April's house is totally haunted,” he said, casually flipping his s’moreo with double layered chocolate and peanut butter. It was a delicate process, making sure that his snack would be perfectly toasted and not burned while having that perfect melty texture on the inside.
On the opposite side of the fire, sitting next to the assorted pile of luggage they had to quickly drag out of the spirit filled house, April glared at him.
“It's not haunted!” She complained, crossing her arms over her chest. “I bet you guys brought some evil ninja ghost in here. We’ve never had any problems before.”
He didn't even have to respond. Behind them, on top of the hill where April's family farmhouse stood, a bloodcurdling inhuman howl cut through the eerily silent night, the sound of the forest returning after a long minute.
Leo raised an eyebrow at her.
April threw a bag at his face.
The projectile collided with the energy of a bunch of stairs being hurled directly at Barry’s face during the good old days and Leo fell backwards, landing on his shell with his legs dangling over the old log he had been sitting on. To make matters worse, his grip had loosened on the stick holding his warm midnight treat. Which fell into the fire in a plum of dark –and foul smelling– smoke.
His brothers, and weird adopted nephew/mentee/friend-figure-that-made-him-slightly-or-not-so-slightly-uncomfortable-when-he-accidentally-called-Leo-dad-or-looked-at-him-for-guidance-because-damnit-it-Leo-was-barely-starting-to-become-a-decent-leader-and-he-definitely-was-not-ready-to-mentor-someone-and-he-was-still-sixteen-holyshit-is-this-how-Raph-felt? all ignored this, the absolute traitors.
His gaze moved to April, aghast, but he was again ignored. She even seemed proud of herself! Damn it. He’d have to start all over again.
He grumbled, definitely did not pout and assembled a second attempt at the perfect s'moreo as Raph sighed, rubbing at his head.
“We gotta do something,” he mumbled. “This is supposed to be a celebration for April's grades not… whatever's been happening. Raph doesn't like it.”
Leo smirked a little at that.
“I mean, you have to admit that it's good Halloween ambience, right? Perfectly spooky.” Seeing that the comment wasn't very well received by his audience, he shrugged. “You're right, though. We should take care of this quickly and enjoy the rest of the trip. Mikey, you're the expert at mystic stuff, right?”
His little brother frowned thoughtfully at that, playing with the fire by using his mystic mojo to twist it into different shapes and colors.
“Barry taught me a little bit about this but there's too much to cover, y’know? Every spirit is different or whatever so I don't really know where to start.”
Hm. Not ideal. There were still other options though…
Catching his eye, Don snorted in amusement, typing on his glowing purple wristpad as he spoke.
“Well, there's no internet connection out here. If I had been able to set something up beforehand –like I asked to– then I would be able to do some research.”
Raph tsked. “No, you aren't sending out a wifi satellite.”
Donnie rolled his eyes in response.
“Then I could go through the exorcism rituals I know.”
Instead of asking why the shell Donnie knew a bunch of exorcism rituals, Leo nodded sagely.
“Seems like a good place to start, I guess,” he said. “Unless anyone has any better ideas.”
April was still offended by the fact that her place was infested with evil ghosts, so she didn't object, mumbling about how she was going to kick the ass of whatever spirit was lurking in her family farm; while Casey just seemed content with whatever his “sensei” proposed.
“So what?” Asked Mikey, tilting his head to the side. “Do we just do some chants or… Oh! Maybe we could use salt! I’ve seen that before and salt is used as a conduit in some mystic stuff! We could beat the ghosts up with that!”
“It depends on what type of haunting we’re dealing with,” Don mused. “We need to analyze their behavior to figure out what this is and choose the best method to counter it.”
Mikey nodded effusively in agreement. Which meant that the two people that knew more about this seemed on the same page.
Good enough for Leo, then.
“Okay,” he said, putting as much authority in his voice as he could. He fished his snack out of the fire and quickly ate it –perfectly melted if he said so himself– and stood. “Quick rundown. What have we seen so far?”
Everyone started talking at the same time, recounting the many weird things that had been happening since they arrived here a few hours ago, and there was a lot to talk about. From the moment their dad bid them farewell, urging them to have a nice time during their Halloween two week trip, things had become… difficult to deal with. Doors shutting behind them and locking up on their own, lights and candles going out suddenly, spooky shadows against the wall, howls and whispers when they wanted to sleep…
To summarize: it was a very annoying state of affairs.
“So, in conclusion,” Donnie said. He materialized a flat holographic display of letters, numbers and graphs as he spoke. “We’ve seen interactions with the physical world, sounds, shadows, bad feelings and cold spots. But not any strange smells, attempts at communication or direct attacks.”
“Yeah the only smell I’ve noticed is Raph’s fear stink,” said Leo, smiling at said brother to lift the mood a little.
Raph, who had been tense during this whole discussion, relaxed slightly at that, elbowing him with a joking glare.
“Raph just doesn't want this to become another “Cuddles” situation,” he grumbled, fidgeting with his hands.
“If this was the work of an emotion eating yokai both me and Mike would have detected their presence by now,” Donnie dismissed.
“Yup!” Agreed Mikey. “I don't feel any weird mystic energy.”
“Is that normal with ghosts?” Asked CJ, turning towards Leo.
He felt his stomach do a flip inside his shell at that. Thankfully, Mikey answered before he had to say anything.
“Don't know,” he explained. “Like I said. We haven't gotten that much into ghost lessons yet so…”
“I’m surprised you don't know more about this, CJ,” Donnie cut in with a raised fake eyebrow. “Considering how the whole… krangpocalypse thing went, there should have been a lot of restless spirits around, right?”
CJ laughed nervously at that.
“Ah, not really. The Krang messed with mystic energy and that included ghosts too. Some yokai like master Michelangelo thought that they were still around, using people or mystical artifacts as anchors but… they didn’t have enough power to manifest? If that makes sense? Or really show any signs of existing. So I’ve never seen one.”
“Cool. So we don't know if this is normal or horrible news. Awesome,” Leo concluded.
Because if something couldn't be noticed it meant that it was either too weak… or strong enough to fool them.
Sadly, in Leo's experience it was usually the latter.
Raph felt a shudder climb up his back the moment he crossed the threshold. He wasn't the only one that reacted to the creepy atmosphere permeating the place. His brothers were trying to hide it but they were walking close to each other, almost huddling together. April was pointing her bat at the shadows like some kind of shonen protagonist and Casey's attention darted from one corner of the foyer to the next in quick, anxious movements.
As if on cue, the moment all of them were inside, a cool wind swept across the room, making the door slowly shut close behind them with a creak.
For a moment, everything was dark.
Raph held his breath. He hated this place so much. He hated how the ghost had some strange bad mojo powers. Just being here in the dark… it was as if he were alone in this old wooden home. With only the sound of the wind and his own breathing to give him company inside the thick darkness.
A familiar pit opened deep in his gut at that thought.
Alone. It felt exactly like that, didn't it? Raph didn't want to be alone. Raph hated being alone.
But he was. And he would be. Alone.
A hand settling on his forearm startled him out of his reverie.
He gasped, suddenly catching sight of April, who was frowning at him worriedly. Her face was illuminated by a faint, green light. She was here, with him. And she wasn't the only source of clarity. Bright orange, purple and blue joined the green and bathed the walls of the room like an incomplete rainbow.
He blinked in surprise. It had been dark, hadn't it?
“You okay, big guy?”
Huh? Why was April asking him that? He couldn't quite… what had he been thinking about, again?
“Uhhh… Yeah? Why?” he said with a raised eyebrow.
She wasn't the only one watching him. Everyone else seemed worried too. He must have spaced out.
Raph shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He had to reassure them. He shouldn't have gotten distracted like that. They were ghost hunting! That was important.
“You just kind of froze there and you were ignoring us,” said Leo, narrowing his eyes at him.
The entire team was mimicking him so Raph found himself in a very awkward situation where everyone stared at him suspiciously in silence like they were trying to see through his skull while he just stood there.
Sweat had started to gather on his brow when Donnie suddenly gave a loud, theatric cough.
“Alright. I believe we all are thinking the same thing, aren't we?”
“Oh, oh!” Said Mikey, raising his hand like he was in a classroom. “I can have a nice, friendly chat with the ghost trying to take over Raph.” Judging by the cutting edge in his smile, there wouldn't be anything “friendly” about said chat.
It took a second for Raph to process all that. The moment he did, his expression turned to one of outrage.
“What? No!” he shouted. Because what the hell. He wasn't possessed!
“Brother, I have seen enough horror movies to know that when someone starts acting like you did, they're possessed and about to take out the dumb protagonists one by one,” his brother said snootily.
Come on. Really?
“This is not a movie, Donnie!” He exclaimed. He turned to April for backup, but she just watched him for a second before shattering his hopes.
“I told you guys it was you who brought the ghosts here.” She said, pointing at each of them in vindication.
Leo snorted and rolled his eyes.
“Come on, Abril. He wasn't possessed before coming here so the ghost situation is on the house, not us.”
“Oh, really? Then why would–”
As he watched the brewing argument, two conflicting feelings arose in Raph.
The first was easy to recognize. Annoyance. Very common when he had to deal with these kinds of shenanigans in the middle of a dangerous situation.
At least no one was actively eating poison for fun.
The second was… stranger. It felt distant and he hadn't realized what exactly was keeping him from interrupting the sibling row was a detached, distant kind of longing.
It made his chest hurt.
A loud slam made the group stop on those tracks, all of them jumping to ready positions as they tried to locate the threat.
“Okay, let's table that discussion,” Leo said, adopting a more serious expression and getting his sword ready.
Good. Raph was proud of him. That was exactly how a leader should act in this situation and–
“I am totally right though,” Leo muttered under his breath, being chronically unable to let an unfinished discussion go.
Raph did not facepalm.
Donnie’s bo extended, transforming into a replica of the ghost buster's vacuum things while a pair of mystic energy goggles formed over his eyes.
“I can't find any external energies here, and Raph looks clean,” he said. “Maybe we could–”
Donnie caught himself off with a small eep, jumping to the side as a light fixture came down from the ceiling, falling where he had been standing before.
A few things happened at the same time.
Leo summoned a portal under the falling object, making it disappear harmlessly. Mikey’s eyes started glowing, probably looking for their attacker while the rest of the group geared up for a counter attack. Deep, dangerous looking claw marks suddenly cut through the floors and ceiling, quickly approaching their position as an otherworldly roar echoed inside the house loud enough to make their ears ring and… most importantly… Raph summoned his mystic energy, covering himself with a projection.
That's when everything went wrong.
The energy slipped from his control. It was stronger than he had prepared himself for, like wild rapids when he was aiming for a small faucet. But the worst part was what it carried with it.
He was in pain. His arm was missing, a bleeding stump. And his nose, his right leg… they were broken and it hurt. It was agony. He couldn't see from one of his eyes and his breathing was shallow, every gasp of breath making a small wheezing noise coming in and out. He knew that feeling well. It wasn't the first time he broke his ribs on the battlefield. But he still had to keep going. The Krang were not going to stop and he wouldn't leave his brothers alone. He had to protect them. They needed him. Little Casey needed him too, he couldn't protect himself. He was so small, just a child. Raph couldn't let go. He just had to keep going, take one step after the other like always. He would keep going. Would get back to help and… another burst of piercing pain bloomed over his chest, at first it felt like a strong punch, one that left you breathless and made you stagger but then, his hand landed on the injury, coming back red. Incredibly beautiful, bright, crimson red. That was too much, too fast and… he could see under it. A gaping hole just above his heart.
There was only a simple thought before he fell.
Oh... He wasn't going to make it this time, was he?
Everything faded to black.
The lightshow had been a surprise for sure.
The ghost shenanigans were par for the course. Like couple goals moments when dealing with Hypno and… the worm guy whose name he couldn't remember at this moment. You go look for an angry ghost, you get creepy ghost stuff, duh. But… as the resident magic expert, Mikey hadn't expected the sudden tsunami of… freaked out Raph energy that came with them.
He had noticed the way Raph seemed slightly more sensitive than the rest of them regarding the spooks and weird haunted house vibes but that didn't mean anything, did it? Everyone had their weaknesses and strong points so if Raph didn't like stuffed animals and found footage movie scenarios, that was fine by Mikey. He was great at hugs and building-sized Kaiju fights, so it balanced out.
But when he had readied himself for a classic Hamato style beat down, the possibility of a ghost possession started rearing its ugly, ghostly head and now, they had an unconscious Raph inside a very unfriendly mystic construct that looked like a monochromatic disco ball.
Honestly, Mikey was getting preeeeety tired of enemies forcing them to fight each other. It was very unoriginal at this point.
“Mikey, chains!” Shouted Leo from his right.
He had already been moving before his brother spoke so he was able to swiftly slide under golem Raph's legs as he summoned a burning chain and wrapped it around them.
It didn't fall to the ground but it stopped in its place, frantically trying to free itself.
Donnie jumped above their heads quickly followed by April, both of them hitting the ethereal head of the projection in quick succession from both sides.
The very familiar howl they had been hearing all over the haunted house reverberated across the space, making the walls tremble while the red light that made up its form became even brighter and more unstable, with web-like cracks of burning lava crisscrossing across the surface.
Mikey wasn't entirely sure what that meant like… spiritually but it probably wasn't good.
Just as he was thinking that, a pool of blue energy appeared behind the energy golem carrying Raph, who still seemed completely out of it. Casey took a swing at the back of its knees, making it fall inside.
There was a feeling of vertigo and momentary disorientation as all of them jumped through the portal to follow.
Suddenly, Mikey found himself falling through the air, April's house far away in the horizon and a forest clearing under him.
The team was mostly scattered, only Leo who was the one controlling the whole… displacement thing and loved to teleport all over the place managed to stay on top of their enemy while dodging its chaotic strikes.
Leo gave himself a second of rest, teleporting above it and out of its reach by swapping places with one of his katana. He used that break to send Mikey a silent look, pointing at the ground and then at Mikey's chucks.
Hm what was…
Oh! Good idea.
Mikey lit up in flames and, using one of the nearby trees as a springboard, arrived on the ground before anyone else.
He took a deep breath, and slapped his face twice, trying to get the adrenaline back under control. Then, he planted his hands on the grass. Once he felt the connection with the earth below, he took one of his chucks and dug it in it, mystic energy spreading through the earth.
There was a loud slam as the construct landed. The impact managed to scare all the poor forest animals who scattered away as fast as they could. He’d add something about not terrifying poor little chipmunks to the calm, sensitive and friendly chat he was going to have with the ghost after this was over.
Their enemy didn't seem faced, immediately moving to stand up again but Mike was ready for that.
That brother possessing ghost was not going anywhere.
Chains spurt from the ground below, turning the landing site into a perfect trap. They followed Mikey's commands and snaked around the projection’s limbs, pinning it in place, its back against the ground.
Futuristic looking purple manacles suddenly manifested around the projection's hands, reinforcing the restraints.
“Bet you weren't expecting that,” huffed Leo at it, appearing behind Mikey and leaning on him, resting his elbow on Mikey's shoulder.
Mikey took a couple steps closer to the projection, followed by Leo, who was still hovering behind him. Now that the construct was trapped, it was easier to take in the details.
It looked… different from Raph’s normal one. Not just because of all the crazy lightning and color gradients –which were very pretty, he had to admit– but the face and the body itself were a bit strange too.
To start, the features looked off. It was Raph but changed, a bit to the left. And there were also scars and marks that Mikey couldn't recognize.
The most striking detail, however, was the fact that there were tear streaks running down its cheeks. Not real ones, obviously, because again. Mystic copy thing! But the more dull red under the panicked eyes was clearly tears.
Also… it looked afraid. That was so weird. He checked the real Raph again. His brother had a neutral expression, but the big one looked lost and lashing out. He didn't look evil or aggressive or anything. More like Raph when he got weird for being alone.
Something clicked in Mikey's mind.
“Wait!” He shouted.
“I wasn't doing anything,” said Donnie.
It didn't really mean much because Mikey could see the half formed chainsaw Donnie was hiding being his battle shell to carve Raph out of the rogue projection. He was also avoiding Mikey's eyes and shuffling in place.
Come on, Donnie. Get better at lying, man.
That wasn't what he should be focusing on right now though.
“I don't think it's what we thought guys,” at the questioning looks he got from the rest of the group, Mikey started pacing around the projection. Still no sign of anything else. Just Raph. “A ghost can't just… do that. Something doesn't make sense about… this,” he concluded, waving his arms at the still struggling energy golem.
The sounds he was making was like… a weird echoey version of Raph in distress. It made him want to stop this and give the big guy a hug.
“I thought you didn't know enough about that to have an informed opinion,” argued Donnie.
“But I know about our powers,” he retorted. “And the only one that could change and… use Raph’s projection like this is Raph!”
At that, Leo frowned slightly, crossing his arms and leaning forward towards the construct.
“You still haven't felt anything else?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at it.
Mikey focused deeply. He focused on the world around him, on every presence in this clearing.
His family shone brightly in his senses, their souls wrapping tightly around his own. Blue, purple, green and yes, red energies bringing warmth and comfort. Casey was there too, a shining grey/silver mist. Not as powerful as the others, but still vibrant and familiar.
Mikey already knew that though. He doubled his focus on Raph. There was something wrong there. His usually warm bonfire felt scorching, out of control and doused in sorrow and panic. He just had to figure out why.
After what felt like an eternity he noticed the echo.
This was Raph, yes. But there was some sort of resonance to him. Like seeing double.
Once he was able to notice the split, it became easier to differentiate between the two. One was clearly their Raph. A bit distressed but apparently just asleep. The other one was… still him but older, scarred and most importantly, lost and terrified.
He came back to himself with a gasp and faced the rest of the group.
“I know what we have to do.”
Let it be said, Donnie did not agree with the plan.
“So you want to, what, give the weirdo possessing our brother metaphysical hugs? What's next, frolicking around the astral plane giving out flower crowns?” He asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. “You know, there's a lot of versions of ourselves out there, some of them are idiot edgelords and I would bet that there's evil ones somewhere too.”
Instead of listening to his very valid points, Mikey was using those damn puppy dog eyes of his to gather support for his dumb plan.
“We just need to reach out to him and talk,” he said. “If it's a different Raph then we gotta help him!”
“You know group meditation is not my strongest skill,” Leo retorted.
He still hadn't agreed but… the argument he was using was notably weak and he looked halfway convinced already so, unfortunately, it seemed that Donnie was outvoted.
“We can do this, guys. Raph needs us,” Mikey insisted.
Leo sighed at that, face contorted into a pinched uncomfortable expression.
Yeah. He was going to cave in. Well. If that was how it was going to play out…
“Groan,” Donnie said aloud to express how exasperated he felt. “Okay, but if this doesn't work I am still voting for plan C.”
“Wouldn't it be plan B?” Asked Casey, eyes furrowed in confusion.
No, because it was C for chainsaw.
They sat cross-legged, close to each other and to the still struggling projection with his sleeping brother housed inside of it.
If Raph wasn't snoring as loud as their dad, Donnie would be a lot more worried about that.
He forced himself to relax, focus on his family and surroundings instead of the annoyance he was feeling. Thankfully, he had enough patience to manage this.
So, when things didn't go as planned, he knew it wasn't because he made a mistake.
One second he was sitting on the ground and the next he found himself in the middle of a battlefield.
Blasts filled the horizon and he could hear distant screaming. The sound of explosions and plums of fire erupted at both sides of him.
Disoriented, Donnie picked up his weapon, gathering his mystic energy before realizing that his body was not there. Just a translucent, purple representation of it.
It was still alarming. Meditation wasn't supposed to work this way but, once he got his bearings, he located the rest of the group
They looked the same as him, like a semi transparent hologram.
Raph was there too, lost and nervous. Close to him, Donnie saw another turtle. Big, currently going berserk but… still unmistakably Raph.
It was strange, Donnie had seen evidence of some of their parallel universe counterparts. Shell, he had even managed to acquire a visual representation of a couple of versions. That hadn't prepared him for this.
This was just… his Raph, but older, and in pain.
It… it hurt to see. Donnie didn't want to look at him.
When Mikey started to approach followed by April and Casey, he shifted in place uncomfortably.
He– he wasn't the best… equipped to deal with this. Donnie knew himself and was perfectly aware that he tended to come off as cold and overly harsh.
Maybe it would be better if he helped their Raph instead. He’d probably be able to do more there.
He met Leo’s eyes as he moved to direct Raph towards a safer place and received an approving nod.
See? Better if someone else took care of that part. From the corner of his eye, he saw the rest of the group approach older Raph. He tried to ignore how the roars turned into sobs as he casually rested his chin on his bo, leaning towards his brother.
“So! There is a particular phrase I very much like to use in these moments, starts with I and rhymes with old yew saw,” he said to Raph, who huffed in mock offense before pushing him away playfully.
“Raph wasn't possessed. It was just… messed up mystic stuff. S’not the same,” he grumbled before standing up and shaking himself off.
Once he was done, his attention split away from Donnie, who didn't need to follow Raph’s line of sight to determine what he was looking at or… who, in this case. Really, it was all over his face. His brother was frowning. A specific frown of worry, but not the brotherly kind. More like the one he showed for innocent bystanders getting hurt but a lot deeper into the intensity axis of his chart. A lot deeper. And yes, Donnie has a chart about that. It includes all his brothers, close family and probabilistic models when it comes to strangers. How else was he supposed to categorize everyone's feelings depending on their expressions?
He strangled the urge to ask Raph if it was weird how affected Donnie was by this, if the reason he looked so worried was because he felt the same way.
“That guy, I think that's Casey's Raph,” his brother said. “I saw some of his memories and… it wasn't good.”
Donnie did not talk about the absurdity of time travelling ghosts and how it wasn't necessarily Casey's Raph because scattered memories weren't exactly proof and the multiverse was infinite. Instead, his mind ran through the possible commiserating phrases that would be appropriate in this moment.
“I’m sure Mikey can help him. He’s good at this sort of thing,” was what he landed on.
And whatever him and the rest of the group were doing was clearly working. The landscape had started to shift, first unperceptively but now, it was impossible to ignore.
The bombs had stopped and the battlefield had started to bloom into a spring field. It was… calm, now.
Surprisingly, Raph didn't smile at Donnie's comment to comment on how Mikey was only gentle when he wanted to be. Instead, he turned again to focus on Donnie.
“We should… we should go there too.”
Donnie raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow.
“You want to talk to him?”
“Not really?” Raph asked more than answered. “I just think… I think he’d want to see you,” he paused, lost in thought. “If it was me… I would like to talk to all of you.”
Well, way to pressure him. Oof.
Donnie bit his lip. He still didn't want to face the conflicted feelings that the alternative Raph caused in him but… he couldn't ignore the sincerity in those words.
He’d also like that. If it was him.
Being dwarfed by Raph was a familiar feeling but… it seemed that his brother still had a lot of growing to get through, if the development of an alternate version of himself that had probably suffered from malnutrition due to scarce resources was any proof.
“I am sorry,” the man that was a fun house reflection of his brother was saying as Donnie and Raph approached his towering form. “I just. My memories are messed up, I think. I remember dying and then being alone and now…” he trailed off, watching each of them with an expression Donnie couldn't quite crack. “I don't know how this is possible.”
“We fixed it,” Casey said, his expression bright with triumph. “Master Michelangelo had a plan and we won. And now you're here and…” he trailed off, clearly overwhelmed by being face to face with one of his deceased relatives.
At that, older Raph smiled slightly.
“I knew you'd keep going,” he whispered, his expression breaking into joy and so much pride directed at all of them. It was so earnest, so intense that Donnie had to look away for a moment. “I knew you'd manage to fix things. I always knew it.”
They didn't deserve that… they almost hadn't made it. So many avoidable mistakes.
For a second, he caught Leo’s eye. He seemed frozen in place under the weight of older Raph's praise.
Donnie… Donnie would talk to him about it later. Or at least make sure Mikey did.
Thankfully, Casey interjected again.
“It’s so great that you're here. I was… I was a kid when you died but. But I remember some things and sensei would tell so many stories about you.”
Older Raph huffed a quiet laugh.
“I'm glad. I remember some things too. You were a little terror to have around the base, crawling all over the place. Once you got out and I had to track you down in a warzone,” he said, setting a hand over Casey's hair. “And I'd love to talk about everything but… I don't think I'm gonna stay here for much longer.”
“Why not?” Said April, crossing her arms. “Now that we know it's you… my parents won't mind if you stay, even if you keep doing spooky things around the place. I can vouch for you.”
Older Raph opened his mouth but, before he could respond, Mikey spoke.
“He's… he’s fading. Aren't you?” Mikey said, biting his lip, tearful eyes looking up at the older man. “I can feel that… your feelings are more stable and you're– you're happy but you're getting weaker. You’re going to move on.”
Older Raph nodded and Donnie felt his chest tighten.
“I should. Usually the Hamato spirits stayed to help the family but with what the Krang did, there wasn't really a way to keep the ancestors around,” he explained gently. “I wanted to watch over Casey. I think… that's why I am here but… he doesn't need me anymore,” he said. His large, reptilian hand closed around Casey's own and gently squeezed it. “I should go with my brothers, wherever they are.” He paused before huffing in amusement. “I mean, who else is gonna get them to stay out of trouble?”
There was a moment of heavy silence as they took this in. Only to be broken when Leo tentatively spoke up. He was aiming for casual, trying to seem light but the tremble in his voice betrayed his real feelings.
“How come we haven't seen you before, then?”
Donnie was the one to answer this time.
“There’s more mystic energy here than in their world. He must have been recovering all this time,” he explained. His vision blurred as he spoke, and he had to wipe away the tears in his eyes.
This made no sense. This wasn't really his Raph, so why did he…
“I’m glad I met you,” said the older Raph, crouching, voice filled with sincerity. A familiar sincerity that made Donnie's breath catch. “I don't… I don't think giving any advice would help you. You did so much better than I ever could so I'll just say… Thank you for everything. For taking care of Casey and… for surviving.”
He reached out, managing to close his arms around the entire group. The warmth around Donnie felt different than usual, the proportions weren't right and Ralph was by his side but… the one inside his chest was the same. The same love. The same comfort…
They embraced until the older Raph became a wisp scattered by the wind and stayed in place long after that, no words needed, just being there for each other.
If Donnie clung to Raph tighter than usual… Nobody said anything about it.