"I know why you are angry, my son."

Raphael looked up at Splinter. "What you mean?" Though he was pissed off beyond comprehension at Donatello and April's actions, he was no snitch. He wasn't going to just assume that they would bug Splinter with their sordid affair and end up blowing their cover. No, let their own stupidity sink their relationship.

"I saw what you saw," Splinter responded, "and had a discussion with April similar to that which you have had with your brother. However, based on your body language and your personality, I can assume my conversation was slightly more civil." Raphael turned away, disgusted. "I hear that word one more time and I'm gonna puke. That and 'selfish.'" Twirling his sais in his hand, he muttered, "Jeez, how can people claim to be one when they know they're bein' the other, too? If that's civil, then I don't mind bein' an outcast 'a society."

He focused on the trees in front of him, knowing that Splinter's careful eyes were on him the whole time. "And don't try to analyze my behavior, either," he told his teacher. "You already know how I feel about this, so the fact that the 'smart one' can't get that through his head pisses me off." His sensei said nothing, making Raphael slightly uneasy. Finally, Splinter softly asked, "How long have you suspected it?"

Raphael stopped his handiwork on the sais, surprised. "What makes ya think I suspected it?" In a somewhat wry tone, Splinter replied, "I analyzed your behavior." With a heavy sigh, Raphael muttered, "I thought I told ya not to do that." Without waiting for Splinter to respond, he said, "Where're the guys? By the lake? I'm 'a go join 'em."

As he began heading to the lake, he was stopped once more by Splinter's voice. "Raphael. I judge that you are sensible enough to not burden the others with your knowledge?" Seeming to think it over, Raphael shot Splinter a look over his shoulder. "For once, it's not me that ya gotta talk to about being sensible." Continuing along his path, Raphael threw in, "I like that bonehead too much to let 'im know the truth."

Splinter anxiously watched his aggressive pupil make his way to the lake.

Donatello slowed to a stop when he got to the clearing.

Breathing hard, he listened. Raphael had not bothered to follow him. He had doubted that he would, but nevertheless, Donatello dreaded what his brother would do or say upon his return to the camp. If Splinter found out about this… Donatello's shame would be unbearable.

Thinking over his actions, Donatello realized what had just transpired between himself and Raphael. Threats. Violence. Screaming. Donatello had never been one for any of those things; had, in fact, always labeled himself as a pacifist. …and now, he allowed himself to get into a heated argument with the most volatile of his brothers. Disgusted with himself, he threw his bo to the ground with a harsh cry and jumped towards a tree limb, blindly making his way to the top.

Once he was as high as he could go, he settled down on the bough and dropped his head in his hands. The past day was shaping up to be an emotional roller coaster ride unlike anything he had experienced before. Why was it that something so seemingly trivial when compared to the fate of the world can still cause such tremendous heartache?

He looked down into the clearing. Meditation. Meditation was what he needed. It helped Leonardo; surely it could help him. If he could only clear his mind, everything would be all right. The answers would come and he could be happy. April could be happy. And Casey would not get hurt. Because that's what it came down to, wasn't it? Finding a formula by which everyone could head back to the city with some degree of satisfaction? If such a formula existed, Donatello was certainly the one who would be able to figure it out.

He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as he stared down at a single blade of grass from his perch. He watched it tremble in the gentle breeze and closed his eyes. He was not in the optimal position for meditation, but he was going to give it his best shot. And if he couldn't find the answers through Leonardo's way, then he would exercise his frustrations out, as Raphael would. And if that didn't work, he could always borrow one of Michelangelo's comic books.

After an unknown amount of time, Donatello felt another presence nearby. Opening his eyes, he looked down and saw April gazing up at him, his bo in her hands. "April!" He murmured her name as he jumped from his place in the tree, landing in a crouch a few feet in front of her. He straightened up, and they merely stared at one another, not moving a single inch.

She hadn't wanted to bother him. It was clear from looking at him that he had been upset and trying to contemplate something of vast importance, and April felt it was obvious what this thing was. If Donatello had been flustered enough to leave his bo on the ground, then she could only guess at his confused emotions. Even now, his face hadn't softened at the sight of her, and he still appeared to be preoccupied and angry.

Unsure of what to say, April slowly handed him his bo. She was shocked when he bitterly smacked it away, letting it clatter to the ground. "I don't want that," he exclaimed. Removing his bandanna and balling it in his fist, he uttered, "I don't want this anymore. None of this."

"Donny," April started, but was quickly silenced. "Would you?" His brown eyes met hers as he asked her the question in a heartbroken voice. "Think about it. Would you want the life I've led? Would you want the apprehension? Would you want the pressures, the loneliness, the complete and utter dependency on the only other people like you in the entire world?" Looking away, Donatello quietly breathed, "It's not easy, April."

April took a tentative step towards him, placing a hand on his arm. "Donny," she offered softly, worried. "Your life has meaning." Donatello pulled away from her, scoffing, "Meaning? Where's the meaning in almost being killed by your brother for admitting feelings you've hidden away until recently?" April could do little else but stare at him dumbly, registering what he just said. "Donny," she finally spoke, "don't let anything Raphael says or does change your mind about what you feel." His eyes and voice softened as he questioned, "Even if he makes sense?"

They remained silent for a moment. April then looked downwards, averting his eyes. "So… does this mean…?" Donatello stepped towards her and embraced her, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "I don't know what this means. And that's part of what's bothering me. April… we both know what's right. We both know what needs to be done. We both know that this can't go on."

April raised her head, looking down at the turtle holding onto her. "Maybe," she said quietly, her arms draping over his shoulders. "But… just for today… can we pretend that we don't?" Donatello slowly looked up at her. A single tear crept down her cheek, even as her emerald eyes gleamed with the small vestige of hope. Against his better judgment, he raised a hand and gently wiped the tear away.

"Just for today," he whispered.

"Well, look who decided to show."

Leonardo looked up from the lake when he heard Michelangelo's voice. Looking back, he saw Raphael walking towards them steadily, his body contracted with tension. "Where you been?" Michelangelo asked. Avoiding his interrogator, Raphael sat on the embankment and snapped, "What's it matter to you, huh?"

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side 'a the woods this mornin'," Casey remarked as he waded out of the shallow water at the mouth of the lake. He tossed Raphael his fishing pole, saying, "Here. Maybe ya have better luck at this stupid hobby than I do." Raphael caught it on instinct, but put it on the ground besides him. "No thanks. Not feelin' it."

"What's the matter, Raph?" Leonardo ventured to ask. "I thought you had been looking forward to this trip as much as the rest of us." Raphael glared up at his brother, who was slowly making his way towards him. "I said I'm not feeling it." Coming out of the water and shaking the excess moisture off his legs, Casey commented, "Ooh, someone's cranky. Gettin' enough vitamin C? I heard somewhere that people think it helps when ya got a bad temper." Reeling in his line, Michelangelo said, "Haw, when you said vitamin C, I thought ya meant he was sick, too. It'd be a huge downer if he caught whatever April and Donny's got."

At the mention of the two names, Raphael noticeably flinched. His eyes went up to look at Casey before turning away. "Sick, huh? I thought I'd be the only one to call 'em that." Dropping himself onto the ground besides Raphael, Casey punched him lightly on the shoulder, saying, "Hey, watch what you say about her, will ya? She might just be the future Mrs. Casey Jones."

Raphael kept his eyes focused away from Casey, feeling his anger melt down to something akin to pity. Casey had told him early on about his plans to propose to April, and he knew what the purpose of this trip had been. However, the thought of Casey finding out that the girl he loved was sneaking around with his brother—and for how long?—was enough to make Raphael feel as dirty as he thought Donatello should feel.

"Dude, so ya finally popped the question, huh?" Michelangelo asked with a grin. "Congrats, man." Leonardo nodded down at Casey. "Yes," he said quietly, though his attention was still focused on Raphael. "I wish the two of you the best of luck." Revolted with the situation, Raphael exclaimed, "Hey, she didn't say yes yet, so it ain't official. Don't get the bum's hopes up, okay?"

Another punch landed on Raphael's shoulder, though a little harder. "C'mon, gimme some credit, Raph," Casey told him in a surprised voice. "This is me we're talkin' about. We all knew from the beginning that April could only say no to me for a certain amount 'a time before she saw the light." Despite his words, Raphael could hear a small tinge of uncertainty in his friend's voice. Apparently, Casey was a bit more unsure of April's reaction than he let on.

"Right," Raphael muttered, standing up to get away from what he felt to be a closing circle of people he currently felt mixed emotions towards. "Just cut the optimism and catch a fish for dinner, or I'm gonna beat you if I need to eat Leo's soup again." He walked away as Michelangelo asked if he could cook dinner that night. Thinking of how he couldn't wait for this "vacation" to be over, Raphael tried to escape again before he heard Leonardo call his name. Stopping, Raphael asked, "What?"

Leonardo said nothing for a few moments before stepping cautiously towards Raphael. "Where's Donny?" Raphael shrugged sharply and continued walking. "I dunno. He ran off." Concerned, Leonardo asked, "So he's not back at camp?"

Realizing what Leonardo was considering doing, Raphael turned to look at him. "No," he said sternly. In what could have almost been a challenge, he added, "Maybe you should go look for 'im." Leonardo met his eyes levelly, almost as though slowly deciphering Raphael's mannerisms. For once, Raphael didn't mind this. With a nod, Leonardo turned to head towards the woods. "Right," he agreed. "I'll meet you guys back at the site in a couple of hours." Though Michelangelo and Casey tried to object, Leonardo was already off on his search for his brother.

Though he knew he should feel terrible, Raphael couldn't help but smile grimly.

Donatello slowly pulled away from April, looking down at her with a thin smile.

They were laying side-by-side on the grass as the warm sun shone around them, hidden by the shade of a small incline they had laid by. The dew didn't bother them as they did what they had promised they'd do; pretend that they didn't know that this would be the only day they could be together. Oddly enough, it left them both with a bittersweet sense of peace.

"What is it?" April asked as Donatello slowly sat up. Leaning back on his hands and shaking his head slowly at her, he responded, "Nothing. I just can't believe everything that's happened." Raising her head from the ground, April worriedly queried, "Do you regret it?" Remembering how they had agreed not to mention or think of anyone outside of themselves for just this one day, Donatello allowed his small smile to widen as he replied, "No. Not a bit."

Calming down, April slowly moved over to rest her head in Donatello's lap. "Good," she said quietly. "I don't want to be the only one without regrets." Her hair had fallen loose about her shoulders, as it rarely did, and Donatello gently began running his fingers through it as she embraced him from her laying position. "I can't regret this," he whispered, more to himself than to her. "I deserve to feel this. For just once in my life, I deserve to feel the way I do right now."

"…how do you feel right now?" Donatello remained silent for a moment, trying to think of an ample word to describe his emotions. He knew he couldn't call it love, for that would imply something much more long-term than they had the chance for. It certainly wasn't lust, since he knew that he had never aggressively made a sexual move towards April, and he wouldn't demean her by using a word as base as that. But there was a word for it. There had to be a word that was so full of meaning and yet so simple as to encompass what he had allowed himself to feel.

"I feel… complete." A small laugh followed after Donatello's words. "I feel absolutely complete." They stayed in silence for a moment before April quietly responded, "So do I."

Donatello found himself marveling over how simple life could be, if he only let it. There didn't need to be guilt, there didn't need to be awkwardness. There wasn't even a need for kissing or other physical advances. Though he discovered that morning that those things can certainly be very enjoyable, they weren't necessary to give him this current feeling of oneness with April. He didn't need forever. He didn't need her lifetime. He only needed one day, one single day, to be sure that she knew how he felt about her, and how he will continue to feel about her long after that fateful ring was placed upon her finger. Judging by her steady, serene breathing and her soothing grip about his waist, Donatello had certainly succeeded.

April couldn't resist wondering how she would look back at this moment twenty years from now. Being more intimate in those few hours with Donatello than she had been in all of this time with her future fiancé, April couldn't help but feel ashamed, despite her promise. She had instigated this, after all. But then, with Donatello sharing the same feelings for her, didn't she just do him a favor by allowing him to augment his feelings with action? If he had to live with seeing her wedding pictures haunt him without ever getting the chance to experience what had just happened, would it have eaten him up inside in much the same way it had been doing to a lesser degree this entire time?

She felt foolish to think that she had just done such a thing that would hurt Casey so terribly if he ever found out, purely for Donatello's sake. No, she had done it in large part for herself, as well. If she had gotten married without ever having done what had just been done, April wasn't sure if she could have both remained faithful to Casey and retain her friendship with Donatello. One of those things would have had to have been sacrificed, which is why April meant what she said; she had no regrets. Life was too short for regrets.

April felt Donatello suddenly tensed and looked up at him. He seemed to be listening for something, and gently nudged her away from him. She sat up and needed no explanation. Shrinking back against the incline to shield herself from view, April began straightening herself up as Donatello rose to his feet.

Looking about carefully, Donatello searched for the source of the rustling sounds he had heard. They were too stealthy to just be a wandering animal, but too deliberate to be someone trying to sneak up on them. Feeling that he knew what it was, Donatello continued looking until his eyes fell upon the source of the disturbance. "Leo! …what's up?"

His brother stepped out of the foliage that camouflaged perfectly against his skin and looked at him. "You didn't come back with Raph," Leonardo said matter-of-factly. "And you mentioned feeling sick. I wanted to be sure you're okay." With a nervous laugh, Donatello responded, "I'm beginning to think the others are right; you do worry too much." Stopping a few feet away from Donatello, Leonardo nodded. "I know." He allowed a pause to go by before inquiring, "Where's your bandanna?"

Raising a hand to his face, Donatello realized that he had not put his bandanna back on. Dropping his eyes to the ground, he saw April reach up slightly to offer it to him. Stooping to pick it up, he answered, "Uh, it was bothering me."

"Bothering you?"

"Yeah. Too tight, I think. It gave me a headache."

As Donatello rose with the bandanna in his hand, Leonardo gently told him, "If it still bothers you, don't put it back on." As Donatello met his eyes, Leonardo seemed to speak his words with a very clear subtext. "I wouldn't want it to just make you hurt again." Donatello cocked his head at his brother, curious as to the metaphor that the bandanna seemed to represent.

They shared a moment of eye contact, and Donatello finally lightened the mood with a grin. "No worries," he explained, slipping the bandanna back over his eyes. "I'm fine now. I can continue wearing it without a problem." Whatever this metaphor was, Donatello knew it to be true. He felt much… calmer.

Leonardo seemed to consider this, then returned the grin with a smile of his own. "Good. I've been worried about you, Donny. So seeing a real smile from you is… nice." Donatello offered another small laugh. "Thanks, Leo. It is rather nice."

"Are you going to stay around here for a bit?" Donatello responded that he was, and Leonardo nodded once more. "Okay," he said. "Just be back before nightfall. And no more running off, okay? Raph scared me when he said it that way; I couldn't help but think the worst."

"Raph's got that effect on people."

Leonardo laughed and agreed with him, turning away. As he walked back towards the lake, he added, "And for goodness sakes, make sure that April comes back and eats something for dinner, okay?" Donatello's smile fell away at the remark. How did he-?

The reserved turtle stopped at a tree and looked back at Donatello, his expression still relatively good-natured. "If all she had was leftover soup late last night, she must be starving. And given everything she's been going through the past couple of days… well… she could do with something more substantial."

"…Leo," Donatello began, but couldn't think of anything else to say. Seeing Donatello stumble for words, Leonardo told him, "Donny, relax. I'm not saying that I'm accepting of whatever might have gone on, or whatever was talked about or thought about. I trust you to make your own decisions. I have that respect for you, and I have the same respect for April. You know that everything that happens has a consequence, whether for good or bad, and my feelings on the subject can't change anything. So I'll let the two of you do with that knowledge what you will, and you can consult me if you ever feel the express need for it." He paused for a brief moment before adding, "Seeing you so happy now, I think you've already come to your conclusion. I just hope it's the right one." Resuming his walk towards the camp, Leonardo calmly repeated, "Just be sure she gets something to eat, okay?"

"Right," Donatello said quietly as Leonardo began to disappear out of sight. "Okay." Looking after his brother, Donatello could do nothing but contemplate just what it was that Leonardo had seen or heard, and how much of it he had managed to figure out for himself. Feeling a small blush rise to his cheeks, Donatello slowly knelt down besides April once more.

Looking at her, he saw that she had pinned her hair back up and was nervously hugging her knees to her chest. "Did he… did he really say what I thought he said?" Donatello nodded at her. Her eyes widening, April was obviously distressed by this. "He knows," she quietly marveled. Gently taking hold of her arms, Donatello tried to ease her by saying, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's Leo. I'd be surprised if he didn't know."

"No," April murmured. "He knows. Raph knows. Splinter knows. How long is it going to take before-" She was sharply interrupted by Donatello. "Wait… Master Splinter knows?" The words were sputtered out, and April met his eyes as she nodded her head in affirmation. "How does he know?" With a heavy sigh, April responded, "The same way that Raph knows." This was apparently a hard blow for Donatello, so she put a hand on his arm and tried to get him to relax. "It's all right. He feels the same way Leo does. I guess I shouldn't take what Leo says so hard then, huh?"

"But… Master Splinter…." Donatello couldn't believe it. He wouldn't have even felt this bad if Casey himself had known. But for his sensei to learn about his disgraceful actions? Another blush rose up to his cheeks even as April said, "No regrets. Remember, Donny? We're not allowed to have regrets. Just because it seems that everyone apparently knows what happened last night doesn't mean that they know what went on this morning. Leo would not have acted so calm if he had known." Kneeling in front of him, her face only a few inches in front of his, April pleaded, "Please, Donny, don't start feeling bad about this again. We still have a chance to move on."

Donatello looked at her, his mind racing with everything that had occurred in the past twenty-four hours. He sighed deeply and placed his hand over the one April had rest against his arm. "Then let's move on."

"Now?"

"No," he whispered, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Not yet. We still have some time yet." He closed the distance between them and kissed her softly. April almost pulled back, but remembered that there was only one day. Only a few hours. By the time the sun sets, she was expected back with the others. And the sun still set so quickly this time of year in New York.

She may as well make the best of what little time they had.