Once again, real life stuff crept up on me. Sorry everyone! This is also the last chapter I currently have written & ready to post. I'm currently working on the next chapter, but I might only be able to work on it in snippets over the next couple of weeks. Hope this can tide you over until I can finish.

Enjoy!

October 13, 2012

"We'll be fine, April. You and the nerd go off on your date, okay?" Raph refused to meet April's eyes. The girl deflated at his cold demeanor.

"Alright… We'll meet back here in three hours. I guess… we'll see you guys later."

"Have fun at the markets, guys!" Mikey waved as the boys headed towards Run of the Mill Pizza. April sighed, turning back towards the markets as Donnie tugged on her hand.

"Hey, you okay?" He inquired.

April shook her head. "I'm fine. Raph's been projecting his loneliness more as of late. With us getting together and everything with Leo and Karai, he's either been by himself or with Mikey for the most part. I can't even remember the last time we sparred and did our cooldown together - just the two of us." She ran her spare hand through her hair. "I don't know what to do…"

Donnie tugged her closer until he could sling his arm around her shoulders. "For now, we're all going to enjoy our adventures in the Hidden City. You at least know there's an issue to be addressed and can talk to Raph about it later." He spied a currency exchange booth just outside of the market entrance. "Let's see what passes for money around here."

"Welcome to the Hidden City Currency Exchange!" A short purple rabbit yokai enthusiastically exclaimed from inside her booth as the pair approached. "How much of your currency will you be exchanging today?"

The tall turtle pulled his wallet from one of the pockets on his utility belt. "How far does $200 American dollars stretch down here?"

"Oh, you're visiting from the human realm! Interesting…" She clacked a few keys on the computer in front of her. "Looks like your $200 in human money translates to 160 unicorns, with an exchange rate of $1.25 for every one unicorn."

"I'm sorry… did you say unicorns?" April tilted her head in confusion.

"Mhm!" The rabbit kept clacking away on her keyboard. "It's been our currency for nearly 1,000 years. Now, will you be taking your unicorns loose or as a debit card?"

The teens exchanged a look. They didn't exactly have enough space to store anything. "How big is a unicorn?" Donnie asked, splaying his arms on the counter.

The yokai scurried off her stool to retrieve a unicorn from its storage container. She placed the small, squishy, pink creature on the counter. It blinked its large, expressive eyes before plodding over into Donnie's hand.

"Awwww!" April squealed, carefully taking the small creature from her boyfriend. "I am SO keeping this one!' She pulled $1.25 from her purse. "Here's enough to cover this one. We should probably get the rest on a debit card."

"Very well, miss." The rabbit pulled a tube over from the large storage container and plugged it into her computer. After a few more clacks, dozens of unicorns flowed through the tube. Pink sparkles filled the air as she swiped a blank card through her system. "Here you are! Enjoy your time in the Hidden City Market!"

"Thanks." Donnie waved the card as the pair headed into the market.

"Oooh!" April cuddled her new little friend as it blepped it's tongue. "I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy!"

"With that face, he looks more like a Derpy to me," Donnie quipped.

April smirked, tucking the unicorn into her purse so he could still see out. "Then that'll be his name - Sir Squishy Derp."

Donnie beamed, reclaiming April's hand within his own. "I love you, my April Derp." He pressed a kiss to her hairline.

"I love you, my Donnie Derp." April almost couldn't believe how comfortable they had become in just six months. After everything they had been through together, they just fit together… like magic. And speaking of magic… "I never knew magic could be so cool! I've only seen it on TV or read about it in books."

The purple-clad turtle peered around at the witches performing spells and selling their wares. "I don't know… Magic's normally all smoke and mirrors." He commented. "The science part of me is say that this is impossible!"

The red-head pulled the boy off to the side, reaching up to gently pull at his mask tails. "And what does the other part of you say?"

"That it's glad to be here with you." He smiled as he bumped her forehead with his.

"Aren't you two adorable?"

The teens swiveled to see a witch cooing at them from one of the tables they had wedged between.

"I'm sorry?" April asked.

The witch waved her off. "Don't mind an old witch like me. It's refreshing to see two youngsters enjoying our city." She scrutinized them as they blushed under her gaze. "Forgive my impertinence, but you're not from around here, are you?"

"No mam," Donnie dipped his head. "We're here visiting with family and set out to explore the city for a bit before dinner."

"Sounds like fun!" The witch leaned forward. "Where do you two go to school? Any of those fancy human colleges?"

Donnie and April chuckled. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're still technically in high school." April jerks her thumb at Donnie. "My boyfriend's explored the possibility of online courses, but he really wants the full college experience."

"And why can't he?" THe witch pressed.

"Uh..." Donnie stared at her dumbstruck. "Because of this whole situation?" He gestured to his whole body. "People uptop aren't exactly friendly to things that look different from them."

"Well, what if I told you there was a top-notch university that would snap you up in an instant no matter what you look like?" She raised an eyebrow.

Donnie chuckled, crossing his arms. "I'd say I would be thrilled to attend if such a place existed. But to my knowledge, there is no such school." The witch merely smirked as she handed the teenage turtle a pamphlet. He glanced over the front page. "Wait… Hidden City University? There's a university down here?"

"Indeed there is, my friend. HCU has the brightest minds from all of the magical communities around the world. They've studied everything and everywhere, so the school offers a variety of subjects."

"Any sciences?" April peered at the pamphlet in Donnie's hands.

"A few." The witch confirmed. "I can't remember which ones, but I know they're some of the fancier ones."

"How did magical creatures study some of the most advanced sciences on earth without being noticed?" Donnie incredulously thumbed through the guide.

"With these." The witch pulled out a small decorative broach. "It's a cloaking broach. Some of the more… noticeable yokai who like to venture into the human realm can use it to disguise themselves. Here, try this." She offered it to Donnie.

The turtle hesitantly passed his pamphlet to April so he could accept the broach from the witch. He carefully attached it to the cross strap across his plastron. He waited a moment.

"So.. what happens ne-" He froze as a wave of magic washed over him. As he blinked, he could no longer feel his hidden third eye-lid. A glance at his hands yielded five fingers instead of his normal three. Donnie turned to April, whose eyes watered as her hands flew to her mouth.

"Donnie!" She whispered. "You're…"

"Would you like to see?" The witch presented Donnie with a mirror. He took it, his new finger mechanics taking a moment to get used to.

The gap in his teeth remained along with his chocolate colored eyes, but the skin surrounding them had shifted to a more Mediterranean, olive complexion. A mop of shaggy brown hair also adorned the top of his head. The mask which had been a part of his identity for as long as he could remember was gone; in its place was a boxy pair of purple glasses.

"I…I look… normal…" He breathed. Donnie turned to April. "Do you know what this means? I can take you to the movies! We can sit in a fancy restaurant without the National Guard being called! We could actually go out and do stuff!"

April approached him gingerly, ghosting her fingers across his cheek. They drifted down towards the broach and carefully unpinned it from Donnie's new shirt. The magic washed over him once more, returning him to his normal state.

"I would love to go and do all of that with you. But don't forget - we now also have an ENTIRE city where neither of us needs to hide who we truly are. I fell in love with your mind and soul, but… this whole situation," She gestured to his turtle face. "Is my favorite of the two packagings."

Donnie chuckled wetly, once more pressing his forehead to hers. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

April sighed. "Nothing but being your kind, sweet self." She turned back to the witch to return her broach.

She raised her hand. "Keep it. As a gift for a hopeful future student of Hidden City University."

The turtle nodded his gratitude. He blinked as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, do you know where we can get more of these? They'de make great gifts for the rest of our family."

"Absolutely!" The witch pointed further down the market. "There's an ancient artifact booth just past where that giant crystal sits." She clasped her hands together. "It has been SUCH a pleasure to talk to you two youngins. I hope to see you both again soon!"

With one more wave to the kind witch, the pair continued their stroll through the market.

They made it to the crystal without much delay. The ancient artifacts booth was filled with various styles of cloaking broaches and other such treasures. Donnie began perusing the broaches, picking out the ones that would best suit each member of his family. April drifted over to the other nearby booths while Donnie shopped. She soon found herself before a Mystic Crystal stand. The stand included cubicle shelves full of different kinds of crystals.

"Wow!" April leaned forward to study the objects. "Donnie, come and look at these! I kinda want one of everything."

Donnie completed his purchases and hastened to see what had his girlfriend so excited. "These are pretty cool!" He gingerly picked up a capsule-like crystal, nearly dropping it as a second Donatello appeared beside it. The boy chuckled, surmising that the crystal's function was to duplicate its holder. He slung his arm around the duplicate's shoulders and it slung its arm around his. "Check it out, April. Two for the price of one!"

April rolled her eyes, smiling as she picked up a purple rhombus crystal. It floated in her hands for a moment before rapidly changing its color and shape. "What's happening?"

"That, my dear, is a Tallik gem." The vendor picked something out of his teeth. "It was mined from the heart of the Crying Titan, deep within the Hidden City. It changes shape and color based on your mood."

"Pretty, but I'd rather keep my emotions to myself." April placed the Tallik gem back within its cubby hole.

"Like you did last game night?" Donnie muttered.

April whirled on her boyfriend. "Okay! I was gesturing and the plate slipped out of my hand! I didn't throw it because I was losing." She giggled as Donnie teasingly tickled her side.

The vendor glanced at the pair. "You two must've been together for a while."

Donnie wrapped his arms around the girl's waist with a lovestruck smile. "Practically our whole lives -"

The boy continued his conversation with the vendor, but the world around April began to fade as a melodic voice filled her mind.

April…

Find me, April…

April drew herself out of Donnie's arms, pulled along by the voice. A warm pulsing glow came from a crystal resembling a large sewing needle. She reached out to touch it. April's world went black.

xXx

April….

"...your emotions tell your body what to do,

See how much a single gesture can reveal…"

April blinked, the low light of the markets impeded by a large shadow

"And ev'ry little step

Ev'ry single step,

Is one step closer…

To saying what you feel…" Donnie sang. "April?"

April…

The girl looked around, striving to find the source of the voice again. The crystal remained on its shelf where it was when she touched it. April took a moment to reorient herself, finding herself laying in Donnie's lap.

"Hey!" Donnie drew her in for an embrace. "Did you have another episode? You were out for a while."

She shook her head. "No… I-I don't remember anything. Maybe it was my blood sugar or something…" She pointed to where the crystal rested. "What's that one up there?"

The vendor blinked away his astonishment as he turned to see where April was pointing. "Huh, never really noticed it before. Whatever it is, it's yours." The vendor stood to wrap the small crystal for the girl. "I've never had someone faint at my booth before. Hope you feel better." He handed the wrapped package to April as Donnie helped her into a standing position.

April quickly accepted the gift, stuffing it into her pocket rather than into her purse with Squishy Derp. She could already tell that she was feeling better. They thanked the vendor once more before continuing though the market.

"After we find some food to raise your blood sugar, maybe we can stop by a jewelry stand and find a chain or a strap for your new crystal." Donnie entwined their fingers, offering her as much of his strength as he could. "It would look stunning as a necklace."

"Yeah…" April murmured, clutching the crystal within her pocket. "Maybe something more…"

We've only just begun, April…