This chapter was HEAVILY influenced by the Miraculous Ladybug animatic of "Come Home With Me" by anna-scribbles. I HIGHLY recommend heading over to youtube and checking out her video! And you'll see why in a little bit
March 2, 2013
Karai had been in regular contact with Big Mama over the next two weeks, sharing all that she knew about Shredder, the Foot, and the Kraang. The mayor had even invited the girl to speak at the next rally. Karai declined, but assured Big Mama that she would bring her family to the event.
Thus the youth of the Hamato clan found themselves within the Hidden City once more. As they meandered through the markets towards City Hall, Karai waved down several creatures that were just ahead of them.
"Stockman!"
The humanoid fly with a poofy afro turned at the sound of her voice, along with the massive bipedal alligator and the stocky spider creature walking with him.
"Karai!" The fly buzzed. He raised more 'normal' hand for a high five. The girl obliged. She turned back to the Hamotos to introduce her friends.
"Guys, these are some of the mutants that have been able to escape from Shredder's clutches over the past couple of months." Karai gestured to each of the mutants now standing before the teens. "Stockman here used to be Shredder's head engineer before the Kraang took over. We crossed a couple times in the past, but now we can both share what we know to take down Shredder. That's Vic over there," She pointed to the scowling rotund spider mutant. "He was kidnapped from his home before he was experimented on. I heard that he put up quite the fight when they took him, though."
Everyone turned to the mutant as he shrugged. "They broke into my house. Am I supposed to take that lying down? I'm a New Yorker, born and BRED."
Karai politely nodded before gesturing towards the alligator. She could see Mikey bouncing on his toes for some reason, but continued anyway. "And this distinguished gator is-"
"LEATHERHEAD!" Mikey shouted. He lunged forward to embrace the alligator. The mutant appeared concerned for a moment before recognition came over his face.
"Michelangelo?"
"Yeah, buddy! It's good to finally meet you in person!" The boy beamed up at the now smiling alligator.
Donnie pointed between the two mutants, his other hand ever entwined with April's. "You two know each other?"
"Yeah, bro!" Mikey pivoted so his arm was still entwined around Leatherhead's arm while turning to face his brother. "We met on the Hidden City social media site, The Yokai Yelper. We've been talking for a couple months now. This dude's story with the Kraang is SUPS messed up. But he kicked their butts in the end!" He playfully poked his friend in the side. The massive mutant chuckled.
Everyone continued to chat, unawares of Raph slipping away to the outskirts of the group. The red-clad turtle groaned inwardly as Vic the spider mutant wandered over to join him.
"Whadda ya want, Vic?" The boy grumbled, pulled out his phone to look at nothing in particular.
"Nothin' in particular." Vic drawled. One of his crystal tipped appendages lightly tapped the side of the turtle's head. "What's your story, frog? How'd Shredder get to you lot?"
"I'm not a frog, old man." Raph ground out, swatting at the spider's leg. His tolerance for nonsense was already at an all time low between all of his siblings having something 'better' to do than hang out with him and Spike being sick over the past week. "I'm a turtle. My story is none of your business; and if you really are a friend of Karai's, you'd know that Shredder had nothing to do with our mutations."
"You kids and your phones. I'm tryin' to have a conversation with you, kid!" Vic attempted to swipe Raph's phone, but the boy easily dodged the stocky mutant.
"What is your problem, man?" Raph exploded. "Your first impression bites!" He grinned. "That's what people should call you: Spiderbytes."
Spiderbytes' eyes grew dark as the mutant bared his fangs. "Better name than 'boy who's family can't stand 'im'!"
Raph drew himself to his full height, which wasn't very much but still slightly taller than Spiderbytes. "You know NOTHING about me or my family." He spat. He could tell that his anger was starting to take control of him, but right now… he didn't care.
"I know that we've been shouting at each other for a hot minute and not one of your little froggy siblings is coming to your aid. I think that's pretty telling." Spiderbytes smirked, seeing that he struck a nerve.
The silence hung between them as Raph inwardly struggled about whether to punch this guy in his smug face or not. The little voice in his head telling him that would be a bad idea won out. Raph took a deep breath before silently storming away.
He knew he needed to cool off, but Raph didn't know where to go. He let his feet take him wherever they wanted to go while he argued with himself.
"You shouldn't have let him get you so heated!" Mind Raph chastised him.
"I know…" Raph grumbled to himself. "He just turned up the heat on a kettle with not much water; I boiled way too fast. But…" He yanked on the strings dangling off of his R.A.P.H. sweatshirt. "He was a grown man picking a fight with a teenager! Did NO ONE teach him how to read a room?"
"You know that your family cares for you. They all LOVE you." Mind Raph reminded. "You're all getting to that age where your interests and friend circles start diverging."
"I guess… but why does it have to hurt so much?" Raph pulled himself further into his shell as he kicked a pebble in his path.
"That's part of growing up." Even though it was just his inner voice, Raph felt a gentle caress within his head. But it felt… familiar… Like… "Bet you that's April trying to figure out where you ran off to. She's probably worried."
"Serves her right for not coming and sticking up for me with Spiderbytes." Raph groaned. "Or any of them, for that matter."
"Can you at least text someone that you're alive?" Mind Raph flicked Raph. The boy winced, knowing the phantom pain was all in his mind.
"FINE!" He griped. He pulled out his phone and opened a new message to April.
R: You can stop trying to poke a hole in my brain. I'm alive.
R: Just…
R: Just needed a minute
A: Did we say or do something to drive you off? I thought we (u & me) were doing better?
R: It wasn't you, Red. It was one of K's new misfits, that spider guy (I call him Spiderbytes now) He said somethings - untrue things - that I let get under my shell.
R: My anger got the better of me… again… so I removed myself so I can calm down.
R: I'll be back for the rally this afternoon.
A: …okay. We'll miss u (heart emoji)
A: Raph?
R: what?
A: Always here for u, Bro.
Raph grinned, despite the funk he was in. That was part of the phrase he would always say to April if he was with her during an episode or he felt overwhelmed during training. The familiarity of the phrase despite them not having used it in months did wonders to ease his spirit. He typed out the other half of the phrase.
R: Always here for you, Sis.
R: Seriously, we're good. I'm just feeling funky right now.
R: Love ya, Red
A: Love u too, u big doofus (silly emoji) be careful and have fun! text me when ur on ur way back.
Putting his phone away, Raph realized that his feet had led him to Witch Town. He'd never really ventured into this part of the city before. The boy located a map stand that listed the various places to see within Witch Town.
"Treat of Thalos 3?" Raph muttered, finding the shop on the map. "I guess ice cream is as good a thing as any for cooling off."
He was able to find the ice cream parlor with minimal trouble. The bell over the door tinkled as he entered. There was no one else in the shop so Raph had his pick of tables. He parked himself at a booth in the back corner, all but throwing himself into the seat; he intended to do a bit more sulking before returning to his family. It wasn't long before he felt a presence next to the table. He refused to look up from his slouched position.
"Hello, sir. What fine assortment of treats may I procure for you today?" The female voice spoke English well enough, but the accent was stilted as if English weren't their first language.
"Procure?" Mind Raph wrinkled his beak. It wasn't the voice that pushed Raph's buttons, but her overly formal language. All the guy wanted was some ice cream, not a recitation of Pride and Prejudice!
Raph sighed, pushing away from the table a bit. "Look, sister -" As soon as he looked up to who was serving him, time seemed to slow.
Before Raph stood a six foot tall lady salamander wearing what he could guess was the ice cream shop's uniform. Her golden eyes captivated him, almost inviting him to dive right in.
"Uh…" He sputtered.
"Hey Raph…" Mind Raph smirked. "You wanna talk to her?"
"YES!" He inwardly hissed. "She's… wow!"
"Well go on, then. Talk to her!" Mind Raph urged. "But Raph?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't come on too strong." Mind Raph shooed him back to reality.
Raph blinked and time resumed. The salamander looked at him expectantly, ready for his order.
"Uh…" Raph cleared his throat. "Would you wanna go out sometime?" He couldn't stop staring at the vision in front of him.
Mind Raph face palmed.
The salamander girl tilted her head, curious. "Who are you, stranger, that you would make such a request of me?"
There were practically stars in Raph's eyes at this point. "The man who's gonna marry you." He held out his hand, as if in a trance. "I'm Raphael."
The salamander flushed, but took a step back. "Are you always this bold?"
"NO!" Mind Raph screamed.
"Yeah…" Raph breathed, lowering his hand when he realized she wouldn't shake it. "What's your name?"
"I am called," The salamander began screeching in what Raph could only guess was her native tongue. "But the easiest way I've found for yokai to pronounce it is Y'Gythgba."
Raph tried his best to pronounce it, letters stumbling over his tongue before he got the hang of it. "Wow. That's a really pretty name. It's… like a melody." It was now his turn to blush as Y'Gythgba looked him up and down.
"You speak so eloquently, Raphael. Are you a singer?"
"I-" He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I dabble in poetry. Not a lot of people know about that. I also play the drums."
Y'Gythgba tsked, making as if to walk away. "I have seen many musicians come through these doors - liars and players, the lot of them.
That finally snapped Raph out of his brain fog. "Hold on, now. I'm not like that at all! That's just for fun or to get stuff outta my head."
Y'Gythgba tapped her notepad with her pencil before apparently coming to a decision. "Very well, Raphael. Wait here one moment."
She left him, heading into the back of the shop. Raph was left in his booth dumbstruck. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next.
"WHAT WAS THAT, DOOFUS?" Mind Raph screamed inwardly.
Raph winced at how loud his inner voice was. "Hey, buzz off! I'm doing fine!"
"Telling her that 'you're the man who's going to MARRY her' is doing fine?"
"Wait," He paused, his hands turning clammy. "Did I really say that?"
"You wanna know what else you said, Casanova?"
Raph groaned, face planting into the table. He had never seen such a beautiful creature in his almost 16 years of mutation… and he blew it. He didn't even remember half of what he said!
The boy sat up when he heard the door open again. Y'Gythgba had returned… with a bowl of ice cream and… two spoons? It took a moment to get her tail situated, but she eased herself into the booth across from Raph.
"It is clear that you intend to court me, Raphael. No sense in getting to know each other on empty stomachs." She took a bite of the concoction in front of her. The salamander gestured with her spoon, indicating that Raph should do the same. "Tell me what brought you here today."
He shrugged, grabbing his spoon. "Needed a place to cool off. Exchanged some heated words with one of my sister's new friends and my temper got the better of me. I'm usually able to keep a lid on it, but my fuse's just been real short lately."
"Alright, then." Y'Gythgba licked away a dab of ice cream from the corner of her mouth. "We'll stray away from that subject for the time being so the ice cream has time to 'cool you off'" Raph chuckled at the pun. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself? I already know that you occasionally write poetry and play the drums.
Raph thought about it for a moment, then took a scoop of ice cream. "Well, I'm the second oldest out of…" He paused at his sudden headache. It was too quick for a brain freeze…
"Must be that psychic defense mechanism of April's that Leo told you about," Mind Raph whispered then disappeared.
"Uh… 4 brothers." There. Not a lie, just not sharing the whole truth. We really gotta talk with April about how to turn that thing off. "We recently discovered that we have a sister that we never knew."
Y'Gythgba swallowed quickly, coughing slightly. "Goodness! How did that happen?"
Raph grinned at her cheekily. "Oh, you know… evil mastermind kidnaps your sister as an infant and trains her to become a deadly ninja assassin in order to kill your father who was once evil mastermind's best friend slash brother. Oh - also, evil mastermind is the guy mutating everyone in New York." His heart quickened as Y'Gythgba slapped his hand in astonishment.
"Wait, that's YOUR family?" She gestured to the door. "I have seen Karai around; we talk often."
The red-clad turtle leaned his arms against the edge of the table. His nerves were still jumpy, but he'd relaxed into a comfortable rhetoric. "Did she mention anything about me?"
Y'Gythgba rolled her eyes. "Hardly," She scoffed. "There is something a bit more pressing to talk about in the Hidden City at the moment than whether or not someone has a cute broth-" The salamander froze, her blush from before returning in full force.
"You think I'm cute?" Raph teased. A blush of his own crept up his neck.
Y'Gythgba shook her head and decided to change the topic. "Have you any animal companions?"Her voice shook slightly.
"Oh, girl!" Raph whipped out his phone to pull up the album of Spike pictures he had. He placed the phone on the table and turned it towards her so he could scroll and she could see. He scrolled through pictures of the box turtle chilling on Raph's skateboard, eating a strawberry, and fighting with Ice Cream Kitty. "This is my lil' buddy Spike. We think humans flushed him into the sewers when they didn't want 'im anymore. Poor guy's not been feeling too good lately. That's partially why that guy I was telling you about earlier was able to push my buttons so easily." He scrolled a bit more, showing her other images of his beloved pet.
The girl shook her head in disbelief. "Those creatures have no honor, dumping your poor Spike in such a manner. As for his illness, there is a specialty pet booth just inside of the Witch Town borders. If you describe Spike's symptoms to them, they may be able to prescribe a remedy."
The boy put his phone back into its holder on his utility belt. "I'll have to check that out. What about you? You got any pets?"
It was now Y'Gythgba turn to pull out her phone and scroll through pictures. "This is Chompy Picasso. He is my emotional support Vorkathian Fire Tortoise. He's one of the only friends that I have had since…" The salamander's easy-going demeanor fell away as tears played at the edges of her eyes.
"Since what?" Raph asked softly. He enveloped her free hand in his, trying to offer her some semblance of comfort.
She made a soft guttural sound while swiping at her tears. "It is not something I ordinarily share with someone upon a first meeting… but Chompy helps with my depression. See, I am not from this world you call Earth."
Realization dawned on the turtle. "You're not yokai, you're…"
"Lieutenant Y'Gythgba of the Salamandrian Air Force." She straightened slightly at her title. "I am - rather, I was from the planet Salamandria."
"Was?"
Y'Gythgba nodded, taking a deep breath. "There was a warlord who called himself Lord Dregg. He and the Triceratons had a 'violent disagreement' and our planet was caught in the middle of their war. The air force was deployed, my squadron included. " As she continued, her voice began to shake. "We did not stand a chance. My squad was blown apart and scattered. One of the last images I have of my home world was of it being completely annihilated."
Raph squeezed her hand tighter. "Y'Gythgba…"
She pushed on. "I must have hit the button for my warp drive before hitting my head on the dash and blacking out. When I awoke, my starfighter had crash landed in the human's Central Park. I was lucky that Big Mama's yokai were able to locate me and escort me to safety before the humans could find me. She let me stay in her hotel until I could support myself as I had claimed asylum." Her tail twitched from where it dangled. "I'm alone now, aside from Chompy. Big Mama and Karai stop by on occasion, but it is basically just me." Her fingers wiggled as Raph pulled away for a moment.
"If you're comfortable," He pulled his phone back out. "I'd like to help make it not 'just you'."
"Truly?" YGth gba's voice wavered.
"Yeah! I know we just met, but I'd like to get to know you better. Or… be there to listen. Or… if you'd be down for a pet play date."
That got a wet chuckle from the Salamandrian. "I would like that as well, Raphael." She accepted his phone to input her number. She called her phone so she could save his number at a later time. She returned his phone to notice him pulling out his wallet. "Oh, do not fret about the ice cream, Raphael. It is on the house today."
The boy shook his head. "Nah, I got it." He sank down into his shell slightly as Y'Gythgba drew herself up to her full height, slamming her hand onto the table.
"I insist." She growled playfully.
Once Raph recovered, he propped his elbow on the table. "Proposal: We arm wrestle. Winner gets to pay."
Y'Gythgba smiled, her eyes gleaming with challenge. She settled back into the booth, grabbing Raph's hand. "I accept these terms. May you find grace in your defeat."
"Don't count me out yet, sweetheart!" Raph gave her one of his trademark smirks.
The trial was underway.
Raph had never struggled under so much pressure before. The only person who ever gave him a hard time in an arm wrestle was Leo and Raph would still beat him every time! Y'Gythgba was in a league all of her own. Raph wasn't trying to win anymore - he was simply struggling to not lose. He let out a yelp of surprise as his arm slammed into the table. The entire match lasted less than a minute.
"That's impressive, Y'Gythgba!" Raph massaged his arm as the girl withdrew herself from the booth once more. "I don't think I've ever lost an arm wrestle before. But I guess there's a first time for everything." He extricated himself from the booth as well. The boy bowed theatrically before the Salamandrian. "As promised, my lady. The ice cream is yours to pay more."
He raised his green eyes to meet her gold ones. "I hope we can see each other again soon."
Y'Gythgba giggled. "I hope for that as well, Raphael."
The two said their goodbyes and Raph reluctantly left the Treats of Thalos 3. He took a deep breath, interlocking his fingers behind his head.
"What a woman!" He muttered. He then remembered his promise to text April when he was headed back to the rally.
R: Hey. Stopping by a place to maybe pick up some medicine for Spike before heading back to the rally
R: Also…
R: I think I just met my future wife…
Guys... I have been SO EXCITED to write this chapter and NOW IT'S HERE! Also... how did this turn out to be the BIGGEST chapter I've EVER written?
Let me know what y'all think!