punkish furball – What up, dudes? ^.^

Words to Ponder:

Thank you HalfBlackWolfDemon, Tenshi Kagome1312, emeraldmoon14, ButterflyEffect0.4, naruke3176, ShadowStar09, Silversun XD, redangel2463, Sin of the Fallen, ChikaneUchiha666, RozenMaiden7, Purplediamon, Natsumi Tsuchi-Ookami, Spastic Freak, Jessica, inuluvskags1, Lady of the Mays, ReaderWorm101, Speedykitten1643, GirloftheArts, AnimeFANforeverMORE, TheNotSoNiceLibrarian, Marik's girl, ZzSheliahzZ, reviewriter, Aryenne, Foxluna, YunaNeko, Flame Shadow, GiggleboxGirlie, and fallingyuki for reviewing! XD

I hope you all enjoy this update! Next on my tentative updating schedule is Serendipity, my InuYasha/Black Butler crossover; A Girl in Uniform, my InuYasha/Princess Princess crossover; and Demonic Teachings, my InuYasha/Harry Potter crossover. (It may or may not be in that order. :P)

(Psst! Here's a secret! I'm also throwing together ideas for another TMNT/InuYasha crossover. Maybe Kagome/Leonardo this time? X3)

Chapter 8

"Five more minutes," Kagome mumbled when the incessant beeping of her alarm clock broke through her dreamless slumber. She wasn't sure what happened after Raphael arrived, but he had to leave at 12 AM.

Without opening her eyes, Kagome absently wiped the drool from her chin before reaching out and groping for her nightstand to mash the snooze button. She squeaked when she slid off her bed and crashed to the floor landing on her back.

"That hurt!" she cried.

Kagome sluggishly stood to her feet and turned back to her bed, her eyes widening to immeasurable proportions. Her subsequent scream woke the sleeping turtle resting on top of it.

"Why the hell are you screaming?" Raphael shouted after he shot up with his legs bent at his knees.

"Why the hell are you still in my bed?" Kagome countered, her voice just as loud as his.

Raphael slowly looked around, blinking owlishly when he realized he was still in Kagome's bedroom.

"How should I know?" he asked, his tone rough and confrontational. Pausing, he reached behind his back and wiped his shell with his palm. He pulled it back wearing a look of disgust in Kagome's direction.

"You spit all over me!"

Kagome blushed but indignantly planted her hands on her hips. "Well, I didn't do it on purpose! I fell asleep. Excuse me for getting comfortable in my own bedroom!"

She turned from Raphael in a huff but froze when she saw her desk, gaping at the opened textbooks on its surface.

"I never finished my homework!" she exclaimed, frantic, "What am I gonna do? April's going to be here in thirty minute to walk to school!"

Momentarily forcing Raphael's presence out of her mind, Kagome dove for her dresser drawers then her closet. When she retrieved a fresh change of undergarments and clothes, she headed for the door.

"By the time I'm ready to leave, you better be out of here!" she yelled over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her.

"Fine!" Raphael shouted, seething at the closed door.

He leapt from the bed and stormed out of her room to follow her, slamming the door behind him harder than Kagome did before him. As soon as he tried to continue their shouting match, he heard Murakami's voice, calm and cheerful as it always was.

"Good morning, Turtle-san!" he greeted him warmly.

Raphael's anger instantly dissipated and was replaced by a foreign sense of panic. It never occurred to him that he would encounter Murakami during one of his visits to see Kagome. After all, he always arrived at night and, if he and Kagome didn't venture outside, remained in her room. Being caught coming out of his teenaged niece's bedroom after spending the entire night with her was the confrontation Raphael least expected—and wanted—to occur.

"Morning, Murakami…san," he replied, quickly adding the honorific for good measure.

"It's good to see you! Will you be joining Kagome-chan and I for breakfast?" Murakami asked, "I won't be opening the restaurant for another hour."

Raphael shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer his offer. "Okay?"

"Very well. I'm heading to the kitchen." Before he left, Murakami clapped Raphael on the shoulder.

"Don't mind, Kagome-chan," he told him, "She is not angry; she just isn't morning person."

With that, Murakami left Raphael standing in the hallway, stunned. As odd as the impromptu meeting was, it seemed to fit in well with his hectic morning.

'I got slept on, drooled all over, and yelled at in the span of five minutes!' he thought, raising a hand to rest on his face, 'Not to mention Splinter's going to kill me.'

Without warning, Kagome dashed down the hallway and past him to go back to her room. After he heard a loud scuffle inside, she emerged with her backpack slung over her shoulders, breezing by the dumbstruck turtle once more.

"See you, Raph!" she called out, sounding much calmer than she was before.

"Wait a minute!" Raphael shouted, running after her. Kagome may be in a lighter mood now, but he wasn't about to leave their argument unfinished. He caught up to her at the bottom of the stairs when she stopped to slip on her sneakers in the doorway.

"Where do you think you're going?" he angrily asked her.

"School," Kagome answered without looking back.

"You still have like twenty minutes before you need to leave!"

"Not if I want to cut off April before she gets here and beg to copy her homework before second period!"

Once her shoes were on, Kagome turned to Raphael, threw her arms around his neck, and pulled him close, catching him completely off guard.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she whispered, sincere, "Ji-chan is right. I really am an awful morning person."

As he slowly put his arms around her waist, Raphael replied, "I get it. I'm sorry too. I wasn't any better."

Kagome beamed and pressed a kiss on Raphael's cheek before she pulled away completely and left the apartment. Looking over her shoulder, she giggled at Raphael still standing in the doorway, a finger pressed to his cheek. Coincidently, morning foot traffic was light, and there were no passersby to notice him.

"See you later!" she told him, giving him a little wave.

Raphael slowly returned it and closed the door. This morning, he decided, wasn't that bad after all.

-O0o0O-

This afternoon, Raphael quickly learned, was much, much worse. By that time, he decided to quit hanging around Murakami's place and finally face the music. He put off his trip back home by poking around Kagome's room, but he couldn't find anything that keep his interest for long. Other than the essentials, the bedroom contained photographs and books. Anything Raph found that wasn't school related was written entirely in Japanese from Kagome's comic books to what he suspected was her diary.

When Raphael carefully stepped inside the lair, he noted his brothers and Master Splinter were nowhere in sight. He slowly continued to the kitchen and placed a small package he obtained from Murakami on the counter. He still didn't run into any member of his family.

'Maybe they're not here,' he thought, relieved until an unmistakable voice reached his ears.

"Raphael, come see me please," Splinter called from his private rooms, his voice echoing throughout the sewers. Raphael cringed. Or maybe he didn't run into his brothers because they were hiding from Splinter like he was. He shook his head and quickly headed for his father's room. Further delay would just make the meeting worse.

"Sensei," he said as he cautiously entered the room and approached Splinter, his head bowed. As always, his teacher stood tall and poised with an air of imposing authority. Raphael discretely gulped.

"Donatello told me you went out last night," Splinter stated, his tone betraying no emotion.

"I did!" he exclaimed, responding quicker than he should have, "I just went out for a walk…a really, really, really long walk…and…I…fell asleep…I guess…"

'With a girl,' Raphael mentally added, 'in her bed…with her sleeping on top of me…after she finished massaging my shell…' He stopped that train of thought before he actually blurted it all out.

"I guess I lost track of time," he continued, rambling, "I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"That's not what I wanted to speak to your about, Raphael," Splinter interjected, "You are allowed to do things on your own when you are not occupied with your training or your battles. However, keep in mind that danger is ever present even when the enemy is not."

He paused and placed a hand on Raphael's shoulder, making the Turtle look up at him.

"Be cautious, my son."

"Hai, sensei," Raphael answered with a nod and a relieved smile, "So does this mean you're not mad at me?"

Splinter briefly raised an eyebrow before Raphael suddenly found himself thrown over his shoulder and laying on his back, cringing at the impact.

"Now I'm not," his sensei quipped, the corners of his mouth quirking upward.

"I get the picture," Raphael groaned as he stood up. He paused when he noticed Splinter staring at his arm. Raphael glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the red sash Kagome used to bandage his cut standing out against his green skin like a bright red beacon. He forgot about it and hurriedly covered it with his hand.

"New fashion statement!" he blurted.

Splinter nodded, accepting the weak excuse without any more explanations. Raphael wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

"You are free to go," he stated.

Raphael bowed his head and left as quickly as he could. As soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw his brothers had finally emerged from hiding and were waiting for him there. Before he could advance further, Michelangelo rushed forward and hugged him tightly around the middle.

"Dude!" he happily exclaimed, "You're still in one piece!"

"How did you manage that?" Donatello asked.

Raphael groaned as he pushed Mikey away from him and continued walking to the kitchen bypassing Leonardo and Donatello. The duo stood and followed right on his heels along with Mikey.

"I just told Splinter where I went," he answered vaguely.

Leonardo crossed his arms over his shell, staring pointedly at Raph's back. "And where was that exactly?"

"None of your business," Raphael countered, knowing Leonardo wouldn't let him go so easily.

Leo was only looking out for him, but he didn't need him and his suspicions constantly shadowing his every move. As Splinter said, he was entitled to have some time to his self. He loved his brothers dearly, but the time he spent with Kagome was theirs and theirs alone. He wasn't ready to share it yet if he would at all.

Leonardo frowned. "Turtles first, remember?"

"Yeah," Raphael he said as he retrieved the paper bag he placed on the counter and held it out, smirking, "Turtles first."

Mikey was the first to grab it and look inside.

"Alright! Pizza gyoza!" he cried and began to scarf them down as fast as he could.

"You went by Murakami-san's last night?" Donnie asked as he took the bag away from the younger turtle, slapping Mikey's hand when he made a grab for it.

"Yeah," Raphael said with a shrug, "Just as a quick pit stop on my way back."

"What about Murakami's niece?" Leo asked, "Did you run into her?"

Raphael kept his face still and tried to hide his reaction to the unexpected question. He didn't think anyone would remember April mentioning Kagome living with Murakami. After that, they didn't speak about her again, and Raphael assumed his brothers forgot about her. Clearly, Leonardo thought Kagome was significant enough to remember.

'But not enough to remember her name,' he thought, slightly irritated.

"No," Raph curtly answered, "I wasn't there long enough to see her."

Before Leo could continue his questioning, Michelangelo went to his side and put an arm over his shoulders. He then said, "Don't worry, bro. Next time, Raph can bring her home instead. She'll be our new blind friend!"

"That's not what I meant!" Leonardo protested as he jerked away.

"And I already told you she is not blind just because she is related to a blind person!" Donatello added, exasperated.

"But it doesn't mean she's not not blind either!" Mikey countered, grinning.

Raphael sighed and snuck away as his brothers continued to discuss Kagome's possible blindness—all without referring to her by her name, he noted. There was absolutely no chance he was going to let Kagome meet them.

-O0o0O-

Kagome sighed as she sat down with her lunch tray at her usual table. By noon, she was finally able to relax. April graciously allowed her to copy the answers from her algebra assignment in exchange for copies of her biology and history notes. She took care of her math homework during her homeroom and first hour class then finished everything else she neglected during study hall.

As overworked and stressed out by this morning's predicament as she was, Kagome wouldn't change what happened between her and Raphael. She blushed; it was never her intention for it to go as far as it did, but there was no point in dwelling on it.

"Rough night, huh?" April remarked as she sat next to Kagome wearing a crooked grin.

"You don't know the half of it," Kagome replied before sliding April's math notebook across the table to the redhead. "Thanks for letting me copy."

"No problem." As soon as she received the notes, she did the same with Kagome's biology binder.

"I should be telling you the same thing," April said, "Are you all caught up?"

"Almost." After receiving the biology note, Kagome flipped through its pages until she found a single printout. She then retrieved a pen from her backpack, absently twirling it around her fingers as she skimmed the document.

"I just gotta fill this out and turn it in sixth period," she explained.

"What is it?" April asked.

"It's the consent form for the World Wide Genome Project," Kagome answered.

April instantaneously stiffened. The World Wide Genome project was organized by TCRI, the corporate entity headed by the Kraang. The alien race already had a sample of her DNA, and there was no telling what they planned to do with it or any other samples they received. She had to dissuade Kagome from handing over hers without appearing too suspicious. Her goal was to keep Kagome from finding out about the Kraang and keeping her out of harm's way.

"Oh, the one where you send in a swab of your DNA and you get a copy of your genealogy?" April asked, trying to sound as nonchalant about the topic as possible.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. I got the form with my syllabus on my first day of class and never got around to looking at it. You probably turned yours in and sent your DNA already, right?"

"I did, but I don't think you should do it," she told her.

"You really think so?" Kagome asked, curious.

"Yeah," April replied, vigorously nodding, "I mean, it's only extra credit. Do you really want some big name corporation to have your DNA on file for a few extra points? It all sounds pretty shifty if you ask me."

"But didn't you just say you did it yourself?" she countered, grinning. April's back went rigid as she tried to think of an excuse.

"Yes," she admitted, "but I regret it. Every day of my life."

Kagome's smile lessened as she realized April wasn't joking and wondered why she seemed so adamant about submitting her DNA. She quickly decided she really didn't care about it as much as her friend did. A few bonus points in her biology class weren't worth it.

'But I would sale my soul for an A in trig!'

"I guess you have a point," Kagome stated with a shrug, "If I really want to get a copy of my family tree, I'm sure I could ask Jii-chan to find one at our shrine in Tokyo. Besides, the last time I saw my name on one wasn't the best experience."

"What happened?" April questioned, eager to change the topic.

"A friend of mine named Hojo who happened to have a little crush on me brought his family's genealogy to school one day," Kagome began to explain, "He wanted to show me one of his ancestors married a girl named Kagome about five hundred years ago."

"Just like you?" April commented with a faux shudder, "Freaky."

"You don't know the half of it," Kagome repeated. Shortly after they parted ways with that very ancestor, she and the other shard hunters heard through the grapevine that Hojo Akitoki persuaded his fiancée to change her name to hers. Then again, she wouldn't want to be constantly reminded of a demon who attempted to molest her either.

"Interesting story," April remarked, "Did the two of you ever date after that?"

Kagome snorted. "Not a chance. As nice as he was, Hojo-kun wasn't my type." She paused and her tone softened. "He eventually stopped chasing after me and began to date a mutual friend of ours, Ayumi-chan. I'm very happy for them."

"That's nice," April commented, "So do you have a boyfriend?" She grinned when Kagome turned away from her, her face completely flustered.

"I see. That must be the reason why you were up so late," she inferred, "You had a date!"

"That's not it!" Kagome blurted. As fond as she was of Raphael and the time the two of them shared, she didn't consider them to be in that type of relationship.

'Even if things got a little intimate,' she thought, unwittingly flustering herself further.

The redhead raised an eyebrow and continued her teasing, "Really? Why would you react like this if that was true?"

"It is!" Kagome insisted.

"Then what were you up to?" she quipped.

"Well…I actually...was...was—practicing cooking gyoza…all night long!" Kagome told her the first explanation that came to her mind.

"And you're embarrassed by it?" April asked, skeptical.

"If you saw them, you would understand," she replied, deadpanned, "Apparently, I don't have my Ji-chan's gift for blending pizza into every dish."

April giggled, and, soon after she finished, the bell ending their lunch period rang. She and Kagome both stood to empty their trays still containing their barely touched meals.

"If you say that's what happened, I'll believe you," April said before they parted ways.

Kagome let out a deep, relieved breath and grinned. "Thanks. See you in biology."

"Sure thing!"

-O0o0O-

punkish furball – Raph and Kagome were bound to have a fight sooner or later, but at least they made up! Until next time, TCB! = ^ . ^ =

(revised 04.12.2014)