Okay, yes, yes should totally not be posting anything else. But, well, here I am.

Okay, to be perfectly clear, I think that Karai is Leo's true love and always will be, but I read this fanfic, More Than Just Friends by HotNunchuckFury, that wasn't even close to finished and it really got me thinking about the pairing of Leo and April. For my L/K sanity, this takes place before New Girl In Town, but after Monkey Brains.

So sorry Donnie/April fans. I love them too, a lot, but I kind of had to try this out. So read and see what you think. Keep an open mind, young one. He he. I'm such a dork,

1

The day started out as a normal day for Leo. He woke up at 5:30, trained until 7:30 when he ate breakfast with his family, trained again with his brothers until 11:00, and so on and so forth. Typical stuff. Nothing particularly interesting happened until the afternoon when Miss April O'Neil came a callin' to the Lair. Then his life changed forever.

Okay, in truth, this in itself wasn't unusual, as April more often than not dropped by the Lair after school to see the guys. It's what happened that day that was different. But the story's getting ahead of itself. Let's go back to the beginning.

April pushed through the turnstiles and stepped into the oh-so-familiar room. Mikey was lying on the floor drawing, his thoughts a thousand miles away, and Raph was at the punching dummy. Apperantly the dummy had done something to offend him because Raph was punching the stuffing out of it. Literally.

April watched some of the fluffy cotton roll by like tumbleweeds before greeting them. "Hey guys! Where are the others?"

Mikey kept coloring obliviously, lost in his own little world, but Raph answered, speaking in between punches.

"Donnie's in - SMACK, SMACK - his lab, Fearless - SMACK, SMACK - is in the dojo - SMACK, SMACK - and Splinter's out for - SMACK, SMACK - a walk. Said somethin' - SMACK, SMACK - about gettin' away."

'Perfect.' Thought April. "Thanks Raph."

Raph grunted and nodded in a way April took to mean as, "You're welcome", then continued beating up the poor practice dummy. April walked to the ornate sliding doors and slipped inside. Sure enough, Leo was executing an immensely complex kata, filled with somersaults, flips, and graceful swings. Yet Leo made it look effortless and easy, performing each action with confidence and agility.

April waited patiently for him to acknowledge her presence, but he made no indication he saw her. When he turned towards her though, she saw why. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed in concentration.

With a final, dancelike twist of his arms and body, he came to rest in a crouch. He took a few panting breaths and wiped sweat from his face. His eyes popped open and revealed stormy azure blue iris's. He cast his gaze around and jumped when he saw he was not alone.

"April! Hi! Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"It's okay. I like watching you guys train. You're really good, Leo."

Leo shook his head, smiling slightly. "Nah, this is nothing. You should see some of the katas Master Splinter can do. But thanks anyway. So what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could help me, actually."

Leo frowned. "I can try, but Donnie's the one you should ask about schoolwork."

"It's not about schoolwork. You know how Splinter is training me to be a kunoichi?" At Leo's nod, she continued. "Well, I was wondering if maybe you could give me a few pointers?"

Leo was surprised, but pleasantly so. "Sure April. I can give the teacher thing a shot. So show me what you know."

April started running through the Ukes she had been taught with him. Leo made a good teacher. He was patient and quiet. He gently made small corrections to her form and stature, and April found the changes felt right and made it easier to fight. He was kind when critiquing her style, and offered plenty of encouragement, staying calm and warm the entire time.

After about an hour of working on counters, April asked, "Leo, do you think you could show me how to flip your opponent? We started on it in our last training session, and I had a little trouble."

"Of course." Leo grabbed a soft blue mat from a corner and sat it on the floor behind him. "See, the trick is to use the other fighters momentum against him. Get him to run at you, then grab his wrists. May I?" He asked. She nodded and Leo gently but firmly grasped her small wrist in his big hands. April felt a shiver roll down her spine at his touch.

"You grasp his wrists, then roll down on to your back and pull him down with you. Then you lift your feet up and kick his stomach, pushing him over. Roll up with it and you should end up on top of him. The momentum of his running works against him and makes it easier to lift him over you. May I show you?"

"What?"

"May I demonstrate? It won't hurt, I promise. You'll land on the mat, and I'll do my best not to squish you."

"That's real encouraging." April rolled her eyes.

"Practice is the best way to learn. You'll be fine. Trust me."

"All right. Just be careful. I don't want Donnie to have to come scrap me off the walls."

Leo laughed, then tugged her down. Down April went, then up as she felt a push on her stomach. She landed on her back and saw Leo on top of her, one knee gently half-resting on her stomach. He was still holding her wrists, pinning them to the ground beside her head, his face inches from hers.

"Gotcha." He joked, smiling at her, his eyes twinkling. April felt a strange pang in her heart as they locked eyes. Her mouth went dry and she felt breathless. They were very, very close. If April lifted her head, their lips would meet. April blushed a little at the thought, but strangest of all was the urge to close that gap.

Leo realized just how close they were just then and quickly let go, scrambling off of her and onto his own feet. He held out his hand and pulled her up. "Y-you okay?" He stuttered.

"Y-yeah. Fine. Thanks."

"Well, um, that's how you do it. Simple really."

"Thanks Leo, for helping me. I, um, I, I have to go. My aunt's waiting for me." April turned and walked out of the dojo, then out of the Lair and onto the open streets in the chilled autumn air. One thought was circling through her mind, no matter how many times she tried to push it away.

What just happened?

So? Don't be shy, tell me what you think. Even though I've written a second chapter, this will probably stay a oneshot if no one says anything.

EVEN IF YOU HATE IT, TELL ME THAT! How else will I know? Of course, I hope you won't say that, but you totally can.

-Katana