He didn't know how he got here. He just knew it was dark and he was alone. He shouldn't be alone, though, right? There should be someone else beside him. He could feel their absence more strongly than he could feel his fear about this unknown place. Why couldn't he remember who he was missing? And perhaps more importantly, where were they?

Then there was a small light in the distance. He tried to take a step backwards as he realized the light was moving towards him, but suddenly realized he was unable to move. He was formless. No legs. No arms. No body. It was just his mind here, floating in this black space, similar to the light that was floating closer and closer to him.

Unable to move anyway, he waited until the light was in front him. The light was warm, meant to be comforting, and chased away the cold, dark dread he'd been feeling moments before. And before he could ask any questions, the lighted creature spoke.

"I am here to help you choose your next step."

"What next step?"

"It is time to choose a path for your next life."

"Choose?"

"Yes. This choice is a privilege earned after your sacrifices in your previous life."

"I died," he said softly.

"And now it is time to live again. Would you like to hear your choices? There are two."

"Yes," he said, weakly. Because there it was again, that pain of missing someone. Of not being able to see or touch or talk to the one he was supposed to be with right now. But why couldn't he picture them? Why couldn't he pull up their face? And if he was dead, were they okay? He couldn't even remember how he died. Had he been alone then? Or had they been with him?

He tried to push the painful thoughts away as the creature began to speak again. If this little meeting was a special reward, he should probably pay attention.

"The first choice is one of ease and contentment as a turtle. This life will feature happy swims and basking in the sun on rocks in a private lake near a farmhouse. There will be plenty to eat. You will not be alone and will, in fact, help produce offspring with random, nearby turtles. And you will live a long and healthy life."

His mind did the equivalent of a frown as he thought about this option. It sounded – nice enough? So why did he feel like there was a catch?

"What's the second option?"

"The second option is to also begin as a turtle. But your form will change due to an outside source and leave you to live as a blend of both turtle and human. However, you will be unable to live in the world of either a human or a wild turtle, as you will belong to neither entirely. Instead, you will remain underground and in the shadows."

The lighted creature paused and considered the being to which they had been tasked to present these choices. Although the two choices so far seemed drastically different with one outweighing the other in positivity, making it an easy choice for most, this mid-life future turtle was still thoughtfully considering both options. The lighted creature had been doing this for many centuries, and they could recognize that this ability to calculate and weigh choices would serve this particular being well in his future life.

"However," the creature continued, "although you will be an outsider to both humans and turtles, you will not be alone. You will be given your soulmate right from the start."

His contemplation regarding the two words suddenly came to a halt as his consciousness was suddenly jolted with the image of sharp, bright green eyes.

There he was. That's who Leo was missing. The pain of missing him grew more defined now that he had those eyes to focus on. There was a warm smirk now aimed at him. And the sensation of warm, familiar fingers sliding over his skin. His mind shuddered with want.

The lighted creature nodded and began to speak again. "Yes. Him. He will always be there to love and guard over you, as you will love and guard over him. A necessity because there will be much adversity in this life choice. You will have the potential to be a hero. But you will not be guaranteed a long life in that setting. There will be many battles, wars, injuries, and heartache."

Leonardo heard what the creature was saying. The words rolled over him in prickly waves. But those green eyes didn't leave his mind for a second.

"Battles and wars," Leo said slowly, "but I'd still have him?"

"Yes."

"That's the one I choose. Please send me there."

"I believe that is a wise choice," the creature said as the light in front of Leo began to dim, "since that is the one he chose as well."

Leonardo startled awake with a loud gasp and a jolt upright. He struggled with the sheets wrapped around his waist in the darkness, suddenly feeling constrained in the space.

"Leo?"

Leo twisted when he heard that sleep-filled voice and stared down at the large turtle who had been right by his side over the past thirty-six years. He reached out – and was thankful to find he actually had a form and a hand for which could accomplish this goal – and shook Raphael's shoulder until Raph was forced to blearily open his eyes.

Leo stopped shaking him at that. All he needed was to see those bright green eyes shining up at him through the darkness and suddenly his lungs remembered how to work. He drew in a few deep breaths.

Raphael frowned at his sudden, erratic breathing and pulled on Leo's arm until the other turtle slid back down into their bed and curled against him.

"Yer okay," Raphael rumbled as he pulled Leo even closer and began to trace over the patterns of Leo's shell in a soothing manner. "Yer okay," he repeated as he felt Leo's muscles relent and relax against him. "I'm here," he said as Leo's breaths began to finally slow.

"Yes," Leo said, the distant event he'd seen in his dream already wisping away from his mind. "Because I'll always choose you."

Half of Raph's mouth quirked up in a soft smile as he cupped Leo's face and lifted it so he could kiss him slowly and with purpose before replying.

"Me too."

A/N: This chapter was an idea I had a long time ago - as a serious prelude for this series - although I just never worked it out enough to write it. However, when I saw the Leo/Raph Week prompt, "I'm here" – I finally decided to give this idea a try.

Side note – I marked these side stories (and the "After the Catch" one-shot storyline) as "complete" – however – I may come back from time to time and add additional one-shots as they come to me.

Also, if you're interested, I have a Tumblr just for turtle posting – reader115-tmnt – and there are two other short Leo/Raph drabbles listed there that I haven't posted anywhere else for the prompts, "Secret" and "Return".