Chapter 4
"I'm hungry," Mikey announced. "What's for dinner."
"Refrigerator's that way," Don said, pointing toward the kitchen.
Mikey looked around at his brothers. "Don't all jump up at once," he said sarcastically. When nobody answered, he stood up and said, "Fine. Hope you like burnt toast."
"No!" Donnie said. "I'll make dinner. How's chicken sound?"
"Chicken…?" Ryu said thought fully. "Oh hell! The chicken!" He leaped up and threw open the door to the kitchen. Smoke poured out of the open space, hugging the ceiling. The fire alarm blared loudly and the gray smoke activated the sprinklers.
Leo ran in after him. He coughed, waving smoke away from his face, wafting it out the door. As it started to clear, he saw Ryu at the door of the oven, moaning over a burnt chicken.
"There goes dinner…" he mumbled quietly.
Leo looked down at the charred poultry and sighed. "Forget it. Mikey'll go topside and get us some takeout."
"I don't remember volunteering!" he objected.
"I'll go," Ryu muttered, throwing the chicken in the garbage. "I'll stop by the grocery and by some noodles and stuff. The only thing I seem to be able to make is Japanese."
He grabbed a beat-up, slightly burnt shoulder bag that he had managed to save from the rubble that had once been his home and walked out into the sewer.
"Where's he going?" Donnie asked as he finally got the fire alarm to quiet down.
"Topside," Leo answered. "We're having Japanese for dinner."
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Ryu walked down the dark streets towards the grocery store, staring down at his feet.
He kicked a stone absentmindedly into the gutter and mumbled, "They've done so much for me, and I can't even cook them a measly chicken. I can't seem to do anything right these days."
He pushed open the door and grabbed a shopping basket. "Okay…" he muttered to himself. "I'm gonna make this dinner, and I'm not gonna screw up!"
He walked determinedly over to the vegetable isle and thought. "Let's see…I'm making…Gomoku Soba. I need dried shiitake mushrooms…here. Next…sake…oh, they won't let me buy that," he mumbled to himself. "Ah well, just sneak it out. Chinese cabage…"
As he listed the ingredients one by one, he counted them on his fingers.
"You're out late."
He turned around. A woman in her twenties with long, red hair stood behind him. "Shopping for your mother?"
"Ah…not exactly. I kinda burned dinner," he muttered. "So I gotta start all over again."
"Apparently," she laughed. "My names April."
"Ryu."
"What are you planning to make?"
"Well, generally something edible. Preferably, what I'm aiming at. Gomoku Soba."
"Ah. And this is for…"
"Friends," he told her, examining a packet of Soba noodles. "You definitely wouldn't know them."
"Try me."
"Okay. Four brothers. Mikey, Donnie, Raph and Leo."
"You left out Master Splinter," she added.
"Oh, yeah. Him too…wait a second…"
Well, it's not exactly the most exciting chapter in the world, but…ah well. Hope it didn't bore you to much. The next chapter should be more exciting. We met Casey. Wink Wink, Hint Hint. (By the way, is it "Casey" or "K.C."?)
--Spring