Breakfast starts rather late in the Hamato/Grant household today. Not much cooked food, no one felt like getting up to make any. Bowls, spoons, toast, jam, butter, oranges and a bunch of cereal boxes scatter over Amber's dining room table. Everyone sits, quietly munching on bran, flakes and chocolate. Arimi is in the midst, holding her bowl of 'Apple Jills' in her hand. She steals looks at them every few bites. They did not disappear during the night like she hoped. She assumes everyone is waiting for her to break the silence. She looks at Splinter butter his toast. "Excuse me, Father-san…"

The elder rat's ears perk up and faces her "You may call me Splinter."

"Yes, ok, Splinter-san… I am sorry for stepping on your tail. I hope you will forgive me. I did not mean to cause you harm."

"All is forgiven, my child. Did you sleep well?"

"No, not at all." Arimi says and some chuckle. "I have many questions, if you do not mind. I understand if you do not want to tell me."

"We never mind. Ask us anything." The purple one says.

"Alright." Arimi finishes her bowl and sets it on the table. "What are your names?" It wasn't the first question she thought to ask but she wants to be polite.

"I am Donatello, you can call me Donnie."

"I am Leonardo, Leo is fine."

"Raph."

"Uh, Michelangelo, but you knew that already."

"And friends call you Mikey… do you have other friends?" Arimi asks suspiciously.

"A few. There's April and Casey. They're human. We've known them forever. Maybe you'll get to meet them someday." He says.

"And you are all turtles. Are you from another world?"

"What, like aliens?" Mikey asks.

"Oh hell naw. We ain't no stinkin' aliens." Raph snorts.

"No, we were regular turtles but were mutated into sentient beings." Donnie says.

"Mutated… sentient? I am not familiar with these words." Arimi says.

"Scientists dropped us in some glowing goo that turned us into the amazing turtles we are today." Mikey says.

"Oh. And the same thing happened to you Splinter-san?"

"Yes, almost twenty-five years ago…" Splinter recalls their creation story. Every time he gets to tell it, it sounds more and more epic, his sons never lose pride in his storytelling.

"Amazing! You are all heroes! And you, Splinter-san are like their sensei."

"Indeed." Splinter chuckles.

"I understand now, why you must stay hidden. You do not know who would tolerate you. And these scientists… they do not know of your existence either?" Everyone shakes their head. "And you all live here now with Amber?" They nod. She turns to Amber. "How did you meet them Amber-chan?"

"Well…" Amber looks at Raphael and then at Arimi. "Raphael was the one who found me."

"Did he save you?"

"Yes he did." Amber smiles at Raph.

"I see now… This is way you will not go out with Charlie." Arimi says matter-of-factly.

Amber almost spits an orange seed across the table. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to keep your family safe so you have to be very careful as to who you allow to get close."

"Yes! Yes, that's very true." Whew! Amber is still not ready to tell Arimi about her and Raphael's relationship.

"Go out with Charlie? I didn't think ya even hung out with him anymore. Ya certainly don't talk about him." Raph says as nonchalantly as possible while pouring himself another bowl of Sir Choco-Puffs.

"That's because there is NOTHING to talk about. He's a part of my group of friends, so I ONLY see him when I'm with them." She says pointedly while pealing another orange.

"Ya talk about Tanya and Darrel all the time, I figure Charlie dropped off the face of the earth." Raphael says flippantly. His brothers feel the rising tension but continue to eat quietly, pretending not to notice.

"Yeah well, that shows you how unimportant he his." Amber defends.

"Ah, then I suppose after last night you would not mind if Charlie did fall from the earth." Arimi says. He may be very handsome and charming but a little too forceful. Next time he kisses you, push him out of the cab!" Arimi giggles and reaches for some toast.

"Kiss…" Raphael says.

"No! He kissed me! He had no right too." Amber yells a bit too loud.

"It's cool Amber Grant. I hear it's what 'humans' do, after all."

"Yes, it was so romantic! Even if you do not want him, you could have had a little more fun with him Amber-chan."

"Arimi, you're being too dramatic. It didn't mean anything to me. We got out of the cab and left that Nerd in the rain. And I didn't want to say anything because there is no need to make a fuss over it."

"I still think it was sweet." Arimi muses.

"You can have him if you want." Amber scoffs.

"No!" Mikey shouts. They all turn to him. He clears his throat. "I mean, no Raph, don't eat all the cereal. It's my favorite." He takes the box and pours an overflowing bowl. He sets the box on the table and hides his reddening face behind it.

"Boy, I'm stuffed." Raphael gets up from the table. He may be stale-faced but everyone, except Arimi, knows how hot Raph's head is right now.

"Red…" Amber says. He doesn't respond. He goes upstairs.

"Where is Raph going?" Arimi asks.

"He's probably going off to find a wall to punch through." Leo says.

"He'd better not." Amber mumbles.

"I hope he stays outta my room." Mikey says from behind the box.

Amber wants to go after him but doesn't want Arimi to wonder anything. "Arimi, I'm going to get ready to open the store. Will you be alright if I left you with these fine gentlemen?"

"I think so… but I will be down to help you soon."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to it?" Amber asks.

"Yes. I am glad to help." She says.

"Alright." Amber leaves the table and goes to change out of her bedclothes.

"I think I will go check on my koi pond." Splinter smiles as he gets up from the table.

"I will join you Master. The patio may use some cleaning after last night's storm." Leo takes his and Splinter's plates to the sink and they go upstairs. There is a smile on his face as well.

Donnie's laptop beeps. He checks the incoming message. "Ah, my physics students are right on-time. Excuse me." He goes upstairs to his room, wearing a small grin.

Arimi and Mikey are left alone.

…

Amber runs upstairs to find Raphael before going to the shop. She finds him in Splinter's den, sitting on a meditation mat. Amber goes in and sits in front of him. His eyes are still closed.

"Raphael, I know you're not meditating."

"Sorry. Can't hear ya, Grant. Deep in thought."

"Don't call me Grant. You know I hate that... Are you really mad at me?"

"Ohm… Ohm…"

"Damn it Raphael! We both can't be angry!"

"What gives ya the right ta be angry. I ain't kiss anyone?"

"I'm angry at myself! I saw it happening and I couldn't stop it. I'm sorry. I wish it never happened. And you know Charlie means nothing to me."

"That's a lie. He means somethin' to ya or else you wouldn't be hangin' around him."

"His crush on me never stopped me from being his friend. He never crossed that line before last night. But since he has, I don't want to ever see him again."

"Is that why ya didn't kiss me last night?"

She sighs. "Yes, I felt wrong. I felt used. I never thought I would kiss anyone else but you." She scoots closer and places her hands over his. "I'm devoted to you. Once he kissed me I felt like I betrayed you. I didn't feel worthy of your love. I still don't. I've washed my face and brushed my teeth like ten times this morning. I feel tainted."

"Now who's being dramatic?" Raphael teases.

"So, you're not angry?"

"Nah, just s little embarrassed in front of my bros."

"Wow, that's rather straight forward of you." Amber says, surprised.

"There's no point in hidin' my feelins from you, Ambi. Actually, I don't blame the guy for kissin' ya. If I was him and I didn't see no other guy in your life, I woulda kissed ya too." He says.

"Really? That makes me feel much better. Thank you Raphie."

"No worries… but if he does it again I'm breaking his arms."

"Yikes. I don't doubt it." Amber says. She stands up and so does he.

He hugs her hips and kisses her lips. "These lips are mine." He says.

"Yes they are." She says.

"And what about these hips?" He smirks.

"Oh, they're yours too.. And everything in between."

"Yikes! I think you should go to work now… before we desecrate Splinter's mini-dojo." Raph chuckles.

She kisses the ridge of his nose and quickly departs.

…

Arimi looks over at Mikey whose face is still blocked by the cereal box. "What does a mutant turtle do when he is not fighting crime?"

"Is that a joke?" Mikey asks.

"No. All of your other brothers seem to be suddenly busy with other things. Are you going to leave me here alone as well?"

"What? No! Don't take it personally. They were just trying to give us some space."

"Why?"

He looks at her wide-eyed. "Uh… because the last one sitting at the table has to clean the dishes… Would you like to help me?"

"Sure." They collect the plates and start loading them into the dishwasher. She doesn't see what the hassle is. The machine does all the work. She watches his big hands load the compartment with soap, close the hatch and turn the dial. He has three thick fingers on each hand. He maneuvers them swiftly. She wants to touch them. She imagines they feel pebbly and cold. The dishwasher begins to hum.

Mikey walks into the living room, sits on the couch and lays Ambers computer across his lap. He opens it up and clicks the Facespace icon. He sees the last note he sent to Arimi. She still hasn't responded. He feels the young Japanese woman sit on the far end of the couch. She is staring at him. He lowers the screen and turns to her. "Hey."

"Hello."

"Arimi, what would you be doing right now if you were in Japan?"

"I would probably be at home, getting ready for bed." She looks at the laptop he is holding. "I would most definitely be talking to you on live-chat."

"Yeah… I'm sorry I wasn't what you expected. I hope we can still be friends." He blinks and smiles softly.

She loves his eyes. "It is true you are not what I expected. It was not very wise for me to come here, especially when you never put up any pictures of yourself. Why did you not post a random photograph to trick me?"

"I didn't want to lie to you. If you did ask about what I looked like, I would have told you the truth."

"Oh, really? What would you have said?"

"That I'm tall, blue eyes, bright smile, 'olive' completion. All true." He smiles.

She giggles. "You are very funny, just like in the chat! You seem no unreal, but you truly are Mikey… and yes, I still want to be friends. Now you can make me laugh in person!"

"You think I'm that funny?"

"Yes, does everyone else not think so?"

"Let's just say 'cornball' is what they usually think of me."

"I do now think you are a cornball." She purses her lips. She wrings her fingers. She reaches for his hand. She gasps. "Warm. You are vey warm."

Mikey's mouth flinches at her curiously cute gesture. She's touching his hand. His whole arm tingles. Is this how Raph felt when he first held Amber's hand?

Arimi moves closer and takes his hand in both of hers. Your palms are soft, nothing like a regular ann… am…"

"Amphibian?"

"Yes. Amphibian. You are smart too."

"Wish you said that in front of Donnie."

She sets his hand down and looks into his eyes. "What are you doing today?"

"Well it's Sunday so I think I'll go to the mall, buy a new suit, maybe go for a jog, catch a movie. You wanna come with?"

Arimi almost says yes but then busts out laughing. "Oh Mikey! Hyoukin kame!"

"What did you call me?"

"Ah, hyoukin kame! It means 'funny turtle'!" She continues to laugh. "You hurt my stomach!"

"Awe jeez…" Mikey blushes. "I'm just gonna read some comics, do some drawing of my own, maybe take a nap. Later I'll cook dinner for everyone. We can play some video games too, if you want."

"Yes. I would like that." She smiles again. There was a slight pause, neither knowing what to say. "But I should go now. I am going to help Amber in her shop." She rises from the couch and heads toward the stairs. "Mikey?"

"Yeah Arimi?"

"…Nothing, never mind." She disappears down the steps.

…

A natural rhythm starts to form over the next month. Arimi and Amber run the bookshop together. Arimi is picking up everything so quickly. She does the bookkeeping, sweeping and cataloging. She even starts to enjoy a mystery trilogy that she reads every night. She reads one chapter to Mikey and he gets scared out of his wits. He leaves her to enjoy the creepy cases alone. The tension is finally gone and everyone starts to become acquainted with their Japanese guest in different ways.

Splinter enjoys speaking with Arimi. It stimulates his mind to have in-depth conversations in Japanese. She tells him everything she knows about Japanese history. He enjoys her excitement on the subject. He allows her to help him with his bonsai trees and keeping his rock garden in order.

Arimi finds one of her father's weapons books in the store and presents it to Leo and Raph. She tells them that the weapons they carry now are exact replicas made in the mid 1800s by an unnamed metal worker. Leo's katana are named phoenix light. Raphael's sais are called Red dragon. The names fit them all too well. On Late Afternoons the brother move aside the rooftop patio furniture and do some intense training. Arimi is amazed by their speed and ferocity. She finds herself rooting for Mikey more and more.

Arimi and Donnie find their niche; Card Battle games. Donnie has a box full of different game decks but no one ever had the patience or passion to play with him. Little does he know Arimi was the junior state champ in 'Poke-Pets' and loves the game 'Caverns and Creatures'. They once play all night until Donnie meets his card-flipping demise. Mikey tires to stay up with them but passes out on the couch sometime during hour four.

Mikey really likes it when Arimi is in the kitchen with him. She sits on a stool and watches him chop stir and measure. She asks questions and he loves that he can answer all of them. He helps her make her first pizza. It rattled his brain seeing her push into the dough with her little fingers. They would later play video games. She would lose terribly. She's much better at strategy then 'click and shoot' games. She plays him her favorite songs and he tries to learn all of the Japanese words. He has no idea what he is saying, but him trying to mouth the vowels correctly makes her laugh. He keeps singing a phrase over and over again. All he is saying is 'I pick up the cup' but sends Arimi in crying laughter. He loves making her laugh.

Amber is happy. The more time Arimi spends with the others, the less time she is following her around like a shadow. Raphael is happy too. He was never one to make his love for Amber publically obvious so it never felt like he had to hide anything. But with Arimi being right across the hall he still needed to be quiet and careful. Amber is sure Arimi doesn't suspect anything yet. She is waiting for the right time to tell her. What was she waiting for? Amber wants to know how Arimi feels about Mikey first. If there is something more than friendship in her heart Amber will feel more comfortable sharing the details of her intimate relationship. Her trip to Dubai would be the perfect time. Once Amber secures a date and gets her schedule in order she tells Raphael a week before her departure. His happiness wavers. Amber assures him that she will only be gone a week. She will be traveling with Arimi who is now bouncing-off-the-walls excited. April and Casey would be by until she returns. April agrees to run the bookshop while she is away.

Mikey is a bit put off as but doesn't voice it. He'll miss them both. Then it hit him. Does this mean that Arimi would be going home after the trip? Dubai is much closer to Japan than America is. What if that's her plan?

Mikey finds Arimi in the bookstore at the end of the day. She folds the receipts in the merchandise catalog and locks the drawer in the back of the store. "Hey Arimi."

"Hello Mikey. How are you?"

"I'm good… Are you excited about your trip tomorrow?"

"O very much! I have never been to Dubai before. Our layover is in London so we will be able to walk around for a few hours there as well."

"That's great. So, what will you do after the trip?"

"What do you mean?" Arimi asks but Mikey is having a hard time saying it. She understands. "I do not know. I have not decided if I am returning with Amber or going back to Yokohama. It has been a long while since I have been home. Good thing I do not own any pets." She says. He tries to laugh but only offers a smile. "Mikey, if I do go home it does not mean my feelings have changed. I like you very much. I like you all. . I may not have to work but I love my job. And I am sure my parents worry for me. No one can stay on holiday forever."

He nods. There really isn't a reason for her to come back here. He just realizes how less he has thought about Mitsu when being around her. The face is still the same but Arimi outshines everything Mitsu ever was. He feels at peace with that. It's ok if she goes home. They'll always have Facespace.

"Alright Mimi. The food is ready. Let's make this a 'farewell and happy travels' dinner. "

"Wonderful! I am so very hungry. May I ask what is on the menu?"

"I'll give you a hint. It's your favorite…"

"Curry Shrimp?"

"Yup, with Udon noodles."

"Oh Mikey! Thank you. Let us go now." She looks at him pleasantly, takes his hand and leads him upstairs. Her smile gives him hope and her touch gives him heartache.