Raphael had been particularly hard on April the next morning. Mostly drills, katas, cardio and minimal sparring in which he kicked her ass with pin-point precision. When he decided they were done, he simply vanished.

The guys all knew when April got home from her morning routine. They made an effort to never be in the washroom around that time for fear of her wrath if she couldn't take her shower immediately. Today was no exception and she collapsed into the tub, sitting with her head against the tiles and let the hot water flow over her. Somewhere along the line she had fucked up. It was as if Raphael hated her now, cringing from her touch and not speaking to her unless he had to.

Maybe she repulsed him as much as he assumed humans were repulsed by him. She wondered why he couldn't see the person under it all like she did with him. You would think given his situation he would be more understanding. It was that moment she realized she had feelings for him. Real feelings. Not gratitude, not friendship, not even an innocent crush. She wanted him, and it killed her that she may not even have his friendship anymore.

She felt dizzy and laid back in the tub as the shower continued it's warm ministrations over her tired body. In what seemed like a moment later, she groggily wondered why she was so cold and why it was so loud. Then she became aware with a start that she was in her bed wrapped in a damp sheet and there was quite a commotion going on.

All five men were in her room, and all five stopped and looked at her. Her eyes widened and she pulled the sheet higher and clutched it. She was naked under it and felt even more so under their scrutiny.

"See? She's fine," gestured Raphael crossly.

"Dude, she's covered in bruises and was out in the shower," Mikey growled.

April had never seen the most lighthearted of the brothers so angry.

"So let's get outta here and let her rest, it's time for us to go do our real training. You know so we can go back and get Splinter. Or have you all forgotten?" Raphael raged.

"None of us have forgotten," Leonardo said in a low, serious voice. "That's why we are here. You needed to heal and we need to train. There's only four of us and Casey to take on an entire army of ninjas. We need to get better and work better as a team."

Donatello and Casey backed out of the fray and one of them handed her an ice pack. "Sorry," Donatello whispered. "This will help your headache," he spoke up, looking pointedly at his brothers. "Unlike all this yelling we are doing in your bedroom."

She must have looked pretty pathetic because they all zipped their lips and left her room. She heard them stomp through the downstairs and outside into the warm and too-bright afternoon, presumably to kick the shit out of each other until they were too tired to be mad anymore.

"Casey can you close the drapes please? My head is spinning and it's so bright in here."

"Yeah, of course, anything you need," he answered. Usually he was all sarcasm and banter, but she could tell he was concerned and sincere at the moment. They could have a verbal sparring match when her head stopped spinning.

"I need to get dressed, just keep your back turned unless you hear a thud okay?" She let the damp sheet fall onto the ground and found herself some jammies. She crawled back into bed without incident and returned the ice pack to her forehead.

"So, this is embarrassing. Who found me in the tub passed out?"

"Mikey. Don't worry he was a perfect gentleman. He turned the water off and ran for a sheet before hollering for help. He said he saw a lot of bruises but nothing else, he swears," he laughed.

"I bet," she answered, blushing. She closed her eyes to stop the spinning in her head and sighed. "I don't know what I did to piss Raph off so badly, but it was like I barely knew him today." She groaned. His callous comment about 'real' training had added insult to injury. "They are so good it must be boring and frustrating to teach a beginner."

Casey shook his head. "Did you have an argument or something?"

"No. Possibly a misunderstanding, but he won't talk to me."

"I don't get it. 'Cause when it's just us hanging out or sparring he brags about how well you are doing. He is enjoying it. The guys tease the living shit out of him over you, and he just takes it."

She frowned a little. "Then what the hell is his problem?"

"I think he likes you. He's the only brother that won't admit he has a crush on you. You spend the most time together and are obviously closer friends but he says nothing. It gives him away. He knows there's no chance and it must be eating away at him. I was hung up on you myself for a couple weeks there," he joked.

"Gee, I never noticed Captain Jones Smooth."

He laughed out loud at that.

"Can I sleep? Am I supposed to stay awake? I'm really tired."

"You can sleep. Donnie checked you and said it looked like a very mild concussion. Over-exertion and the heat today didn't help either. Maybe I'll go into town and grab a few things at the store. I don't want to train with angry turtles, hospital is too far away."

"I haven't been in many fights but they definitely seem ridiculously strong. Even today, Raphael wasn't being that hard on me, just careless."

"I've been in plenty and they are scary strong. I wish I had that kind of strength. Hey, if you want a change of pace, just let me know. I can still show you a few things," Casey said with a wink.

"Thanks, Casey. Get me something for my headache while you're out, please?"

"No problem, babe," he replied, flashing her a winning smile before leaving her.

oooooo

There was an awkward silence the next morning as Michelangelo and April cooked breakfast together like they usually did. April was feeling much better after the rest but limped obviously and winced whenever she had to reach over her head into a cupboard. It didn't help that the motion also lifted the bottom of her shirt just enough to see the black and blue on her side. The bruising went all the way up her ribs, a fact Mikey was fully aware of.

April wasn't the only one moving gingerly today. All the turtles were sporting a new bruise here and there. There was still tension between them and seeing her like this was adding to it. Chatter over breakfast was sparse. April glanced up at Raphael at one point and caught him watching her. She saw something in his yellow eyes she had never seen before as he looked quickly away. Shame.

April retreated to her room as soon as she had finished eating. She spent most of the day at her desk drawing. She had sketched a lot since she had been back. While she also drew still-life objects, wildlife and scenery, the turtles dominated her collection. Their anthropomorphic physiques were a challenge at first but she was a good artist and could capture them realistically now. Of course Raphael was on her mind that day and she sketched him repeatedly. Even though he is being an ass. And I might hate him a little bit right now, she thought crossly.

Casey said Raphael liked her but knew he didn't have a chance. Casey took that as a given too, and April hadn't corrected him. The truth was she had no idea, but she at least wanted her friend back. She felt a headache coming on again and downed some pills. Her bed beckoned to her invitingly and she decided a nap would be wonderful.

oooooo

In all of his eighteen years, Raphael had never pissed off a woman before. Casey said angry women were terrifying creatures that demanded a gentle hand and soothing words. That was exactly the opposite of how to deal with an angry brother. The worst part was that it was his own damn fault, as usual.

He knocked on April's bedroom door. Nothing. Frowning, he opened it and looked in. She appeared to be asleep but was really pale against the sheets. He suddenly had a vision of Mikey holding her in his arms wrapped up in one of those sheets, panic on his face. The water had run cold on her and she was shivering despite being unconscious. Raphael remembered the pain that twisted in his chest that very moment, even has he angrily defended himself against the others as they tended to her.

He closed the door behind him and rushed over to the bed to make sure she was okay. He felt her forehead and listened to her breathing. Just asleep. He sighed in relief. The side of his mouth quirked up as he checked the bump on the back of her head. "Just checking on your shell," he whispered.

He would let her rest. They could talk later. As Raphael turned away a drawing of him on her desk caught his eye. She had been busy. There was a whole series of sketches of him. The first one was him in mid-kick. She caught his form and his energy perfectly. The second was the willow tree and the pond from afar. The scenery was very detailed for it being from memory. There were two silhouettes on the giant log, the two of them from behind and her head resting on his shoulder. His heart beat faster. He should go.

There were two more sketches in his hand and he couldn't resist looking. The third was just his head and shoulders, looking back at him and laughing. She caught the mirth and affection in his eyes that he thought he was so good at hiding from her.

The last picture made him frown. It was him in ready position, poised to leap off the page and bust some heads. He recognized the look in his eyes. Frustrated and angry yet focused on his enemy. Except yesterday that had been April. This is how he had looked to her before their sparring session. Somehow she had stood opposite to him every time, trying to learn, not afraid. Trusting him not to actually hurt her. He had been too rough with his throws and strikes and then just took off, leaving her to hike back alone and collapse in the shower.

"Fuck sakes, Raph," he said to himself quietly, gritting his teeth.