October 1, 2012
"I've put up with you guys long enough, but this is 'bout to get REAL!" Mikey raised his fists as Raph and Donnie squared up on the other side of the room.
Leo rolled his eyes, adjusting his stance as he leaned against the counter in the private room Murakami reserved for them when they needed time up top. April took the time to practice her frying skills with the boys as her guinea pigs.
Raph stalked back and forth. "You don't want this kinda pain, little brother." He grunted as Donnie used his head as an armrest.
"Big talk for someone so small, Raph." The lanky turtle teased. He chuckled as Raph shoved his face away.
"Are you sure you're ready?" Leo confirmed.
"I was BORN ready!" Raph settled into a battle stance.
Leo shrugged. "Alright, April. Let 'em have it!"
April wiped her hands on her apron. "Okay. Heads up, guys!" She levitated a fresh pizza gyoza dumpling from the skillet into the open air amongst the throng of hungry, hungry turtles.
Donnie immediately leapt into the air. His height provided him an advantage in a straight, vertical jump. Mikey elbowed him in the shell, pushing the purple turtle out of the way so he could go for the prize. The boy yelped as he was shoved downwards. Raph smirked, stepping over his brother to lunge for the gyoza. He winced, jerked to the floor by his ankle. Mikey returned the red turtle's smirk, having wrestled both of his older brothers to the floor and laying atop them triumphantly. Somehow, the dumpling was still falling. Mikey opened his mouth wide, ready to receive the spoils of war. A sudden flash of steel appeared in front of his face, the pizza gyoza landing on the flat of Leo's katana blade.
"Awww!" Mikey whined.
"Thought I'd play after all." Leo flipped the dumpling into his mouth.
Raph shoved the other turtles off of him as he stood. "What happened to Mr. 'I'm Too Broody for This Game'?"
Leo's eyes grew dark. He gestured to his full mouth. "Mhmm. These things are really good!" He wandered over to a booth in the back of the room. The others made their way towards the barstools at the counter.
"Seriously, Apes." Donnie swallowed his gyoza. "You've come a long way since bussing tables here. These are delicious!"
"Aw! Thanks, Dee." April leaned over the counter to press a small kiss on her boyfriend's nose. "Mr. Murakami mentioned that the shop wasn't that popular until he started offering the pizza gyoza. Tourists love it! Do you remember whose idea it was?" She placed another plate of gyoza in front of each turtle sitting at the counter.
Mikey raised his hand, continuing to stuff his face with the other. "Mine and Mai's. I think she was home for break one weekend during cooking school and we just messed around in the Lair kitchen. She took our little experiment," He drew the word out while turning to face Donnie. "To Muramaki-san. The rest, I guess, is history."
The purple turtle rolled his eyes as he grabbed another gyoza with his chopsticks. He swallowed his bite, swiveling his barstool to see Leo at his back booth slouched down and scrolling through his phone. The plate of food in front of him was untouched.
Donnie nudged Raph, nodding towards their older brother. "He's still brooding." He muttered.
"He's thinking about her," Raph grumbled, stabbing a gyoza with his chopstick. "About Karai."
"I can't blame him for that," Donnie smacked Mikey's encroaching hand away as it reached for one of Donnie's dumplings. "It's been, what? Four months since we last heard anything from her? Dad's torn up about it too…"
"Splinter's her father! She knows that!" Leo banged his head on the table. "Why stay away? Why zero contact? Why for so long?"
Mikey took an opportunity to swipe one of Donnie's gyoza, promptly stuffing it into his mouth. His brother glared at him as the youngest climbed atop the counter, his mouth still full.
"You have to have faith, Leo! Her entire life was shown to be a lie. This is a challenge to everything she knows. The truth will set her free! Just give her the time she needs to accept her new normal and settle into her new self!"
Everyone blinked at Mikey in disbelief.
"...Right…" Donnie turned back to face his eldest brother. "Look, Leo - she'll come around. April did once things settled. RIght, Apes?" He flopped his hand onto the counter, feeling around for hers. The girl shook her head. She grabbed his hand to squeeze it reassuringly.
Raph snorted. "Yeah. Well, personally, I hope she doesn't come around. I don't trust her; not for one sec- OW!" He whirled on April who had just smacked him. "Wha was that for, Red?"
April frowned. "You know she could have dragged me back to Shredder and the Kraang, but she didn't. I think she's going through a lot right now, but we should at least give her the choice to come home when the time comes."
Leo sighed. He looked down as his Tphone buzzed. "Looks like we'll be able to give her that choice. Splinter just texted about Karai. She called him!"
Hello friends! So... I have the next couple of chapters outlined, but I have not had time to type them up. Real world stuff has piled up and I will be taking a hiatus for a while. I can see a light at the end of my tunnel, so hopefully I will be seeing you all again soon!
Until then... STAY CREATIVE!