Disclaimer – Once again, I claim nothing in the way of ownership regarding mutant bi-pedal turtles, especially those wearing martial arts weapons and the like. That goes for mutant rats, as well.
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CHAPTER 16 – Food for Thought
Quite honestly, I had several reasons why I was afraid to go out to the table for lunch. The first one was what if they served me – again – with a granola bar? Well, it certainly wouldn't have been anything different. With the near miss of slamming into Splinter earlier, I was sure Father or someone was going to want me punished. It wasn't as if I had tried to barrel into him, but I guess if blame had to be placed, it would be on my abject fear of the one turtle in red. The fact that not a single member of the clan had the decency to tell me that Raph would be my sensei had me peeved. Not that it would have helped had I been told, but at least I wouldn't have tried to escape as desperately as I had.
Then again, maybe it wouldn't have mattered.
My other fear was because I was so hungry. Since I had not eaten very much since my arrival, I was afraid that once given a substantial meal, I would embarrass myself by gorging. I had seen television programming where starving people were given food. They would shove fistfuls of rice or bread or whatever they were given into their mouths until pieces of their meal would erupt in small explosions from between their lips. I always felt for them, but in some small corner of my mind, I thought it was quite comical. Not their situation, of course, but the human element of how we set aside our 'good manners' when push came to shove. It seemed to me that the basics always prevailed.
Anyway, I heard Father call me a second time. I ignored him. I just didn't want to come out to be humiliated once again. It just wasn't going to happen. After my time in the dojo with Raph, I felt safe and free from ridicule in my room. I was content and I wanted to languish in the feeling for a while.
However, when I failed to show up at the table, I soon heard Michelangelo.
"Hey, Kira – food's waiting for ya!" Mike exclaimed through my closed door.
"Yeah? Sure, Mike – so how many granola bars am I getting this time. One at breakfast just didn't fill me up for some reason." I said sarcastically.
There was a pause and then Mike, puzzled, "You want a granola bar for lunch?"
What is he, some kind of comedian? "No, Mike, I don't…but I figure that's what I'm going to get considering what happened today." I huffed, "I'm sort of figuring it out; you know what I mean?"
He knocked at my door, asking, "Mind if I come in, then?"
"Sure, why not." I pouted. I was laying on my bed staring up at the ceiling, listening to my stomach grumble. I had noted that it made at least three different sounds; from a groan with a high pitched squeal to a moderately low rumble. There was one tone in-between that I couldn't quite place but it did entertain me. I thought it all very sad, to be honest.
Mike then came in and grinned when he saw me. "Hey, waz up?" he asked.
"Just about everything, Mike – except us. The sky is up, the clouds are up. Heck, even the grass is up!" I lamented.
Funny, I hadn't even been thinking about topside very much. For someone like me who had previously lived all of their short life where the air was fresh and they could see the sky on a moments notice, one would think I'd be getting stir crazy. The thought of my being down here in the sewers of New York City for a whole day without yearning to see some blue seemed odd. Maybe I was starting to get used to things.
"Say, you want to go topside tonight?" he asked me.
"Topside? You mean, out side where humans are?" I asked, raising myself up a little on one elbow.
"Sure. Might do ya good, too!" He said cheerfully.
I thought about that and then asked him, "And….what else are we gonna do?"
"Nothin' much, maybe scout fer Foot, see what they're up to…whatever comes our way!" he replied with a smile.
I narrowed my eyes at him and wondered what 'whatever comes our way' really meant.
"Well, anyway, lunch is served. If you want to eat then you'll be there I guess!" He commented and then left the room.
I let myself fall back down onto the bed. Lunch and going topside…both big promises with potential for big disappointments. However, what'd I have to lose? If I get a granola bar or nothing, at least I'd be expecting it. If I breathed fresh air, it'd be more than I was getting currently. Therefore, I eased up off my bed to make for the door. That was when it opened all by itself – revealing a rather irritated Raphael!
"Hey, get yer butt in the kitchen. We ain't' ask'n you again…lunch is ready!" He growled.
"Oh, really? Can't wait to humil…." However, I held the rest of that thought when I saw the glare in Raph's eyes. Yeah, he'd love it for me to just mouth off at him. Personally, I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. "Fine, I'm coming!" I said.
Raph waited until I started for the door, then he turned and headed back up the hallway and out into the living area. I followed about eight paces behind, not wanting to look like he had marched me along. I didn't want to take my time, either!
As soon as I came into the kitchen area, I saw that Mike had fixed sandwiches with a large bowl of potato salad and a plate of reasonably fresh vegetables. A couple bags of chips were on the table as well. I was glad that he hadn't cooked; at this stage with how hungry I was, I didn't know how well I would have coped being tortured with the aroma of prepared food.
I sat down at my usual spot between Raph and Don, mindful now that both were my senseis. Why Don decided to hand part of that responsibility over to Raph and then maybe to Mike puzzled me. Possibly this evening I would get a chance to ask him. Frankly, I was hurt and a bit confused. I rather looked forward to Don's instructions; he seemed so patient with me the evening before.
As usual, Splinter did his 'look' with each one of us beginning with Father and making his way around until he came to me. However, unlike the brief glance as he had done this morning, his gaze lingered a while. I felt very uncomfortable. My face flushed hot for a moment. I knew that he was upset right after I'd almost slammed into him in the hallway; his ability to project his feelings allowed me that. However, I had hoped that he would have forgiven me. The look he was now sharing told me that this evening's meditation exercise would entail some verbal rebuke from him. I lowered my gaze and my head just a bit, at the very least to let him know that I understood his silent reprimand.
Then, they passed around the plate of sandwiches.
I took note that my plate did not have the granola bar that I was half expecting. This gave me pause, of course. It meant one of two things, the worse one being I was going to go without lunch as well. I wanted so much to fight that issue but I also realized how futile it would have been to do so.
However as Raph finished up with taking his share he handed me the plate. Not understanding his offer, I passed it over to Donatello.
"Kira," Father began, "aren't you going to take a sandwich?"
I looked up startled and somewhat surprised, "Huh? You mean … I can have one?" I asked. I swallowed back my emotions. Maybe I had heard wrong, maybe Father was just teasing me.
"Yes, you may take one." He smiled.
Okay, this was just plain weird. Considering the day's events so far, if there was any excuse for them to reprimand me they had a bushel full with what happened this morning. For the life of me, I didn't think I'd ever figure this family out. However, I wasn't going to argue with Father. Doing my best not to take all of the sandwiches I took only one and placed it on my plate, passing the rest on to Donatello. Raph then offered me the bowl of potato salad. It looked and smelled heavenly. However, I refrained from taking too much and just placed a small scoop onto my plate.
I found to my delight that once all the food had been served, I had been offered everything that everyone else had. I was quite happy.
I wasn't so sure I could eat without jamming the entire sandwich into my mouth. I was so hungry. However, I was determined not to embarrass myself. I was mindful that Father and Splinter were watching me with veiled gazes, so it was a possibility that the others were, as well. Yet, I ate slowly and with moderately small bites. It felt so good to eat real food.
I have to say, though, that I was so hungry that had they only given me two granola bars, I wouldn't have minded one bit!
When I finally took the last bite of my lunch, I noticed I had finished right along with everyone else. I was elated! I had done it and felt it a small victory of sorts. No way would I give them the satisfaction of watching me scramble for every bite of food. It just wasn't going to happen – and it didn't! I wanted to shout but I kept it tucked away as far as I could from the prying 'sensors' that surrounded me.
Donatello had clean up duty, now that my punishment was over. However, I really didn't mind doing that chore. I asked if I could help and he accepted. This would be a great opportunity for me to inquire why he passed the sensei baton over to Raphael. The rest of the family went their separate way in the lair so I took advantage of the fact I wouldn't be overheard.
"Don, er, Sensei…may I ask you a question?" I ventured as I brought in the last of the leftovers and the dirty plates.
"Yes, you may." He answered as he filled the sink with hot water. He added some soap to clean up the dishes and then reached under the cabinet sink to fetch the dish drainer.
"Hmm…why did you have Raph work with me this morning?" I asked nervously. I scooped what was left of the potato salad into a smaller bowl. After covering it, I then placed it into the refrigerator.
He looked at me and smiled, "Because you needed to work with him." Then Don took the first pile of soiled plates and placed them in the now filled sink.
"Why, though?" I asked.
Don began to wash the first dish, rinsing it in the opposite sink that had been filled with clear hot water. "Raph has a way of not putting up with much, okay? Plus he told me about your snotty remark when he asked about you going into the kitchen for that glass of water."
"It wasn't snotty." I defended, "I was just kidding around." I took the now clean plate and wiped it dry, placing it up into its cupboard.
"Really?" Don stopped what he was doing and looked hard at me.
I shrunk back a little and nodded, "Yes, really." I insisted softly.
He stared at me and then commented, "You've been under punishment for the past day and you know the reasons why. You then make that comment to Raph when he asked about why you were going into the kitchen. You think that either Raph or I are that stupid to believe you were just 'kidding'?"
"But…I was." I said simply.
"Kira, we know you too well. You were not kidding! You might believe you were but we know better. At the very least you only fooled yourself."
I thought about that and even though I would still maintain my innocence, maybe in some subliminal way I had been cheeky with Raph. Still, he could have just laughed it off. Don's comment did give me something to think about, though.
"Are you going to work with me this evening?" I inquire, trying to change the subject a little.
Don went back to washing up the dishes while I dried them. "Maybe; depends. I have some repairs to do on some of the tunnel sensors. I'm not sure how long it will take to fix. It doesn't matter anyway. We're all responsible for training you, in case you haven't figured that out by now."
"Why do I have to be trained anyway?" I grumbled under my breath.
Don stopped what he was doing and turned towards me. "I can't believe you just said that?" he seemed rather peeved in that moment. "After what we had to do and what we had to sacrifice in order to keep you safe, you have the audacity to say what you just said?"
I was mortified. Okay, I spoke something aloud that maybe I should have just kept hidden, but good grief right now Don seemed to be going off the deep-end. "Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I'm glad you said that, Kira!" he declared almost happily.
"You are?" I asked, not really believing that and somewhat confused by his mood.
"Yes, I am. It only proves one thing and that is you are ignorant and stupid!"
I just stood there in shock. He just insulted me. What was that all about?
"Ah, why do you say that?" I had to admit it, I was somewhat hurt by his rude statement. Don seemed not the type to say such things to me. Raph, on the other hand, oh, that comment would have been right up his alley!
"Because if you were smart, my dear...," Don explained, "...you would know that having just one untrained unskilled member of this clan endangers the whole clan. Maybe….yes, I think so… maybe you need to go out on patrol and maybe meet up with the very reason why we've had to move so many times since you've been born. Maybe it's time you find out the hard way!"
Personally, the look Donatello gave me suggested that whatever it was he had in mind I would not be merely 'patrolling' as he had suggested. It filled me with dread. In that moment, I think I understood why Raph worked me so hard.
If there was a way to back-peddle my comment I would have. As it was, Don's statement and posturing said it was a done deal.
All things considered, maybe this evening having Raph work me might be a wise thing to do.
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MetaJedi
Yeah, Kira's hard not to feel sorry for; since we're 'kind of' in the know about her. I've received comments from other readers, though, that wonder why, with their ninja sense, her mentors haven't picked up on her dilemma. As the story unfolds more, that will gradually be explained. Thanks for thinking that this is a great story! I almost didn't' post it! Only had one chapter written up and it was just a quirky idea at the time. Funny how things turned out, eh? Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
Kuroi Neko-kun
LOL yes, I definitely wanted to get that kind of response to how Raph is portrayed. Although a certain Raph-fiend friend of mine believed I made him too mellow! Buslady of SoCal, in fact.. I may go back to see if I can put more 'bite' into him. As for him treating her better, well, I think after this chapter how he did treat her in chapter 14 was a walk in the park for Kira! And, yes, I will continue this story! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.
Pretender Fanatic
Glad you are enjoying the story. Chapter 15 was a tough one, for some reason. As was Ch. 16. As for her meal, if you are reading this then you know that she's back in with having meals again. At least, for now. Bwahaha! I try to lure readers back to the next chapter so thanks for letting me know I'm succeeding! Thanks, too, for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.
Ramica
Longest review you've done yet on my stories! It was a pleasure to read, too. Well, gee – where to begin. Hmm…. Don did explain to Kira in this chapter about why Raph was her sensei. Yes and he did tell her that they are all responsible for her training. Considering Leo allowing that training to stop after the death of Mei Pei two years prior, they have an uphill battle. Add to that Kira's inability to remember any previous experiences and you have problems in the dojo! Splinter will definitely have a field day with her during their next meditation session, too. Overall, Kira did cooperate despite her initial reaction to having Raph as her sensei. They didn't reward her with the food, but instead ended her punishment because, as you pointed out, she couldn't be expected to work out while being so hungry. They had made their point, basically. As for 'whatever perils' await our hapless heroine? I need to make a list! @_@ Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.