punkish furball – What up, dudes? ^.^
Words to Ponder:
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All previous chapters have been edited.
And, pardon the shameless plug, but I also updated my Young Justice/InuYasha crossover, Forgotten Hero. Please check it out if you have the time. Next on the update list is my Yu-Gi-Oh!/InuYasha crossover, Fragmented Fate.
Chapter 3
Kagome hummed as she cleared another set of soiled dishes to cart to the back. Subarashii Tabemono was busy with many patrons enjoying her uncle's food. With his Tokyo-style token system and unmatched efficiency, Murakami hardly needed her help, but Kagome managed to make herself useful bussing tables and greeting customers.
"Kagome-chan," Murakami said over his shoulder, "Bring me more soba noodles and dashi stock from the store room, please?"
"Hai, Oji-chan!" she replied over her shoulder. She placed her load in the sink and rushed to retrieve the items her uncle requested.
When Kagome returned and placed them beside her uncle, she saw April walk away from the bar and take a seat at an empty booth with a plate of fresh dumplings and a soda. The redhead spotted her as well and gave her a friendly smile.
Kagome turned to Murakami and asked, "Oji-chan, mind if I take a quick break?"
"Go ahead!" he told her with a smile, "I've got everything under control."
Kagome stepped from behind the counter and walked across the restaurant to approach April's table.
"Hello again," Kagome greeted. April looked up from her plate and grinned.
"Hey, Kagome," she replied, "Wanna have a seat?"
Kagome nodded and did so happily, straightening out her apron when she sat down.
"So how do you like living in New York so far?" April asked, "It looks like Murakami-san put you to work."
"I like it even though I haven't gone out much. Oji-chan keeps me busy, but he doesn't really need my help around here," Kagome answered with a shrug, "It's just something to do until I start school next week."
"Really? Which school?"
"Roosevelt High."
"Nice! I go there too," April exclaimed, "I'm a sophomore."
"Me too!" Kagome added, "We might have some classes together then."
"Sounds good," April stated then pushed the plate of gyoza toward her, "Wanna try one? They're pretty good."
Kagome gave her a wary look. "They're not the pizza flavored ones, are they? If so, no thank you."
"They're not that bad," April urged her, "Just give them a chance."
"Fine," she relented with a sigh.
Kagome reached out, picked up a dumpling, and took the smallest bite she could from its corner. After that first taste, she took a larger bite and stuffed the rest of it in her mouth.
"So what do you think?" April probed.
"They're okay. Think I could have another?" Kagome sheepishly asked.
"See? I told you," April cheekily replied as she handed Kagome another dumpling with her chopsticks.
"Okay, don't rub it in." Kagome paused to pop the second dumpling in her mouth. "How on earth did Oji-chan come up with these? Pizza and gyoza is one of the oddest combinations I can think of."
"Do you remember that order I picked up for the Turtles a few days ago?" April asked and waited for Kagome to nod before she continued speaking. "It was sorta their idea. Murakami-san created pizza gyoza to thank them for taking care of some thugs who were harassing him."
"Let me guess. Those thugs were the Purple Dragons, right?"
"Yeah. You've heard of them?"
Kagome grimaced. "Unfortunately. Oji-chan warned me about them when I moved in, and I happened to run into them during my first night here."
"Seriously?" April asked, concerned, "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"Not exactly," Kagome replied, shaking her head, "I told them off for trashing an old building, and they didn't take it very well. I was able to run before they got too close to me."
"You should be careful around those guys. They don't seem like much but are very dangerous. Still, kudos for calling them out."
"Thanks, and I'll try to be more careful," Kagome replied, "So who are the Turtles? Do they go to school with us?"
April tensed and quickly answered, "No! They're actually a family of four brothers I know who are homeschooled by their father. We're old family friends."
"Oh," Kagome remarked, "Maybe I can meet them someday."
"Perhaps. They're a very private family who keeps to themselves, but I'm sure you'll meet them eventually."
April and Kagome continued talking until the former finished her meal. Before April stood to leave, she scribbled her cell number on the back of her receipt with a pen from Kagome's apron pocket. She gave it to the raven with a bright smile.
"Once you get completely settled, shoot me a text. We can hang out sometime, and I can introduce you to some of my school friends."
"Sounds good. See you later!"
Kagome waved as April left the noodle shop before she began to clear the soiled dishes and wiped down the table. As she worked, Kagome couldn't help but think about something April said.
'A family called the "Turtles" who keeps to themselves and fight local street gangs. It can't be a coincidence. Kame-chan may have more human acquaintances than I thought,' Kagome mused, 'April definitely turned skittish after I asked about them. I don't think she was telling the truth about them either, or, at least, not the complete truth.'
Kagome decided not to worry about the possible connection any further. Whether April and Kame-chan knew each other was irrelevant. If the two had anything to do with each other, she'd find out when she got to know April and, hopefully, Kame-chan better.
'At least April's not as obstinate as a certain turtle I know,' Kagome thought as she took the dirty dishes from April's table to the sink.
"Kagome-chan," Murakami called out, breaking the miko from her thoughts, "can you come behind the counter, please?"
"Coming!" she announced and readily went back to work.
-O0o0O-
"Okay, guys," Leonardo announced after his brothers assembled in front of him before their nightly duties, "Since our patrols have been pretty unsuccessful lately, we're taking the night off."
"Alright, Leo!" Michelangelo shouted with glee. He stretched his hand high in the air.
"High three, everybody!"
Raphael rolled his eyes and smacked Michelangelo on the back of the head, causing the younger turtle to fall forward with a yelp. As welcomed as a night off was, the absence of sightings from the Kraang and the Foot Clan was nothing to celebrate.
"So what do we do now?" Donatello asked.
Leo shrugged and answered, "April should be over later for training. We'll check up on any leads she may have then go on from there."
"Really?" Raphael asked, a knowing smirk on his face, "So this has nothing to do with that Space Heroes marathon tonight, right?"
Leonardo stiffened and nervously shuffled his feet. "Of course not."
"Sure," Raphael remarked and plopped down on the couch. He reached for a stack of his favorite comic books that he kept nearby. He picked up an issue and began to read, a universal sign that he wanted to be left alone for the rest of the night.
"If we're not going out tonight, I'm gonna head to my lab. Call me if you need me," Donatello announced before leaving. Michelangelo was right on his heels, gripping the rim of his shell as he leaned over Donnie's shoulders.
"We sure will," he sang, teasing, "Especially when your girlfriend shows up!"
"April's not my girlfriend!" Donnie shouted, a reddish purple hue tinting his cheeks. Unfortunately for him, his crush on the human girl was blatantly obvious.
Mikey grinned and continued following Donatello all the way to his lab, closing the door behind the two of them. Once his brothers were visibly occupied, Leonardo took a seat in front of the television and switched it on. It was already on the correct channel, so Leonardo leaned forward and began to watch, instantly engrossed in his favorite show. Raphael shook his head at his brother and focused on his comic even though he knew it wouldn't keep his attention for long. He'd have to find something else to occupy his time for the rest of the night.
As Raphael turned another page, the terrapin realized that he would be completely free when ten o' clock rolled around. With the other turtles doing their own thing, it would be too easy for him to sneak away unnoticed.
Raphael abruptly stiffened and tightened his grip on his comic, vehemently forcing those thoughts from his head. The last thing he wanted to do was go visit that girl.
-O0o0O-
Kagome sighed when she looked out her bedroom window only to see no one was waiting outside. She busied herself helping her uncle throughout the day until it got closer to 10 PM. She then started to pop up to her room to check for Kame-chan's arrival. After she did so five or six times, Murakami dismissed her for the evening about a quarter to eleven. Kagome sheepishly told him good night before going upstairs to her room. She had a feeling her uncle knew she was up to something but didn't say anything about it.
A quick glance at the clock on her night stand confirmed it was almost midnight, so a late night stroll to look for her absent acquaintance was out of the question.
'Who am I fooling anyway?' she thought, dropping her head on top of her desk, 'If he's not here by now, he's not going to show up at all.'
Before she went to bed the night before, Kagome returned to her room and noticed the note was gone. She opened the window and leaned outside to see if the note simply fell or was blown away. Satisfied with what she saw, Kagome closed the window, leaving it unlocked, and got into bed. When she woke up this morning and got ready for the day, her heart was light with anticipation. There was no reply to her message, but she hoped Kame-chan would humor her with a visit. As far as she could tell, he wasn't even close to the restaurant and its surroundings.
Kagome groaned and lifted her head before she picked up another pizza flavored dumpling from the plate beside her. Before he went to bed, Murakami brought her a large, fresh batch of gyoza as he told her goodnight. So far, these tasty snacks were the only highlight of her day.
'A bath will help me relax,' Kagome decided as she stood before stuffing the rest of the dumpling in her mouth, 'I'll wait up for him another hour then turn in.'
-O0o0O-
Raphael came to an abrupt halt just before he reached Subarashii Tabemono. He was well over two hours late for his arranged meeting with Kagome, so he wasn't sure how well his arrival would be received.
He completely put the petite raven out of his mind until April arrived to the lair. She didn't have anything to report about the Kraang, but she mentioned the Purple Dragons were causing more trouble for Murakami. She asked them to keep an extra eye on things, and, as the restaurant fell in his sector, Leonardo delegated the increased patrol to Raphael. Raphael scowled but agreed.
April didn't mention Murakami's niece, but it wasn't hard to imagine that Kagome and the headstrong redhead were acquainted. Whether they were or weren't didn't make a significant difference. Raphael trusted April to keep his family's existence a secret. The only reason she'd break her silence would be if Murakami and Kagome were in danger. All the more reason for Raphael to cut ties with the human girl before she got too attached.
Raphael eventually abandoned his comics to train. When he got bored with that, he ventured out of the sewers to patrol on his own. Without realizing it, he found himself en route to Subarashii Tabemono. Despite his earlier judgment, he was already there and had nothing better to do. Raphael decided there was no harm in momentarily stopping by for a moment.
'She's probably asleep by now,' he reasoned, feeling a bit guilty, 'I'll peek in the window, see she's in bed, then leave. No harm, no foul.'
With that plan in mind, Raphael jumped onto the fire escape as quietly as he could. The light in the bedroom was turned on, but Kagome was not in sight. After a few minutes of internal debate, he tested the window and found it unlocked.
'That idiot! Why the hell would she leave this open?'
Raphael pushed the window open and stepped inside the room, curiously looking around. He wasn't sure what he expected a human girl's bedroom to look like, but Kagome's seemed pretty standard. There was a full-sized bed with a light pink comforter and matching pillows placed against the wall to his left and a large armoire and bookcase on the wall across from it. The only other furniture in the room was a small trash can near the doorway, a nightstand beside the bed, and a cluttered desk at the window. Raphael paused when he spotted a plate of gyoza sitting on the desk and shrugged.
"I came all this way. Might as well help myself," he said to himself.
Raphael reached over and cleared the plate, finishing off the dumplings in record time. Before he could swallow, he heard the door open. He quickly turned around to see Kagome standing in the doorway, wide-eyed, mouth agape, and covered by a towel reaching the middle of her thigh. Raphael froze in shock and could only continue to stare at her, his limbs stiff and mouth full.
Kagome regained her composure first and took a tentative step back while reaching down to grab the first thing she touched.
"Hentai!" she shouted and threw her trash can directly at Raphael's head, spilling crumbled wrappers and tissues onto the floor. The terrapin easily dodged and turned away from her to face the window.
"Sowwy!" he uttered, his mouth still full.
"Excuse me?" Kagome remarked, tightening her grip on her towel. She took a deep breath and calmed considerably when she realized the turtle was no longer looking directly at her.
Raphael gulped, swallowing the food in his mouth. Tightly gritting his teeth, he repeated his statement. "I'm sorry."
With a lopsided grin, Kagome asked, "For what exactly? Showing up late, breaking into my room, eating my gyoza, or all three?"
"Hey! None of that is my fault!" Raphael shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Kagome's reflection in the window, "You're the one who left the window unlocked, and you're the one who left the dumplings out!"
"I guess you got me there!" Kagome answered with a giggle, "I'm gonna grab some clothes and get dressed in the bathroom. Will you still be here when I get back?"
"Ah—u-u-mm…I—well?" Raphael stammered, cursing himself for being so flustered. He wasn't sure he could face Kagome just even after she put clothes on.
'This shouldn't be this damn embarrassing! She's just a girl! A normal, everyday, average girl!'
Sensing Raphael's indecision, Kagome said, "If you do decide to leave, I'll understand. You're welcome to come back tomorrow night if you want. There might be some more gyoza in it for you if you do."
Kagome paused to grab some pajamas from the wardrobe then walked back to the doorway. Before she entered the hall, she looked over her shoulder, flashing Raphael a grateful smile.
"And I'm glad you decided to come by for a little while. Goodnight, Kame-chan!"
Kagome returned the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving Raphael alone. When he was absolutely sure she was gone, Raphael shuddered and relaxed, letting out a shaky breath. He didn't plan on staying long enough for Kagome to return.
'Still…'
He felt guilty about leaving, even worse than he did for showing up so late. It was plain to see Kagome was genuinely happy to see him even if it was only for a few minutes. Any suspicions he had concerning her apparent interest in him were long gone. Even Michelangelo would be able to tell the human girl had no ulterior motives. It wouldn't hurt if he acted civil with her.
Before he left, Raphael grabbed a stray piece of paper and a pen from Kagome's desk. He jotted down a quick note to leave on her bed then opened the window and departed for home.
-O0o0O-
Kagome sighed when she reentered her room and saw it was empty.
'Then again, I should have expected this. He might not be human, but Kame-chan was definitely embarrassed by what happened,' she thought, stifling giggles. The look on his face when she walked in and caught him red-handed was priceless despite the fact she was just as embarrassed by the encounter as he was.
'I'm sure he'll come around eventually. All I have to do is be patient.'
With that in mind, Kagome stepped toward her bookcase. She wasn't tired and decided to do some light reading before falling asleep. She retrieved a manga volume she hadn't finished and plopped down on her bed. Kagome stood back up when she heard the sound of crumbling paper beneath her bottom. She turned around and saw a sloppily folded note on her bedspread. She carefully picked it up and opened it, reading the brief message inside.
'See ya 'round. Raphael.'
Kagome smiled and placed the note aside before repeating Kame-chan's name to herself.
"Raphael," she whispered fondly, "I like it."
-O0o0O-
punkish furball – Ha-ha! As embarrassing as that was, at least Kagome finally got what she wanted. Until next time, TCB! ^.^
(revised 3.12.2020)