"Don't worry, Cori. I will clean that up," an old voice shouted. Cori was elbow's deep in a sink filled with soapy water, washing dishes. She raised her head and yelled back, "Don't worry, Murakami San. I got it!"

"Okay, but do not take so long. Your mother, Ren, will kill me if you come home late." "I know, I know… Besides, it's gonna be me who gets killed if I'm late." The old man chuckled but did not respond. Cori looked back down at the dishes and scrubbed harder at a spot on a plate. She had been working in the restaurant kitchen for hours now and was exhausted. Mr. Murakami was in the dining room, cleaning up some tables. She could hear his old radio play quietly. The buzzing static of the radio was louder than the songs. Cori could not even distinguish the songs playing.

Mr. Murakami had been good family friends with her adoptive mother's parents, and so with Ren. For the past year, Ren had been trying to get a job for her daughter. Cori had never been able to keep one for long. She did not think she needed one, but her mother did. She thought a hardworking job would keep her mind off of...other things. Past memories that would bob back to the surface. Memories that made Cori sick to her stomach. Cori pushed the thought of the Kraang and her past away and focused on the dishes.

However, her mind wandered back to April. She was not surprised that April did not want to talk to her today, but she was disappointed. Cori hoped that April could help her with the Kraang instead of relying on the turtles. April did not seem too eager, though. She needed a way to convince her somehow… Cori jumped when she felt a sharp jab in her upper thigh while leaning against the sink. She growled and plunged her wet hand into her pocket. She pulled out her apartment's keys and tossed them onto the counter in frustration. She returned to the pile of dishes, desperately wanting to go home.

Her fight with the Kraang was nearly four days ago, but she was still sore. Not to mention, the burn on her back was not getting any better. She did not know what else to do with it other than change the bandages every now and then. She did not want to ask Ren for help. She would never be able to calm her down if she saw the oozing wound. It took her about half an hour to finish the rest of the dishes. "He really needs to get a dishwasher," Cori muttered to herself while drying her hands. While Murakami did not have as much business as he used to, he still managed to make twice the amount of dishes. Somehow, Cori would come in as soon as the place opened and there would be dirty dishes waiting for her. Maybe Murakami liked to cook after closing up, perhaps making a meal to comfort himself after a long day. But did he have to make such a mess afterwards?

She reached into her back pockets and grabbed her gloves. She struggled to slide them onto her damp hands. Cori wiped off the wet areas around the sink with a towel before heading out of the kitchen to the front seating area. In a traditional fashion, there was no door to the kitchen. Instead, there was an ornate red curtain hanging from the archway. Cori pushed the curtain to the side to find Mr. Murakami locking the front door. Still fumbling with the keys, he asked her, "You all finished?"

"Yup. I'm gonna head out now if that's alright. Need anything before I leave?"

"Maybe a new restaurant," he joked.

He chuckled and started to close the blinds of the room's large windows. Cori smiled smally and said, "Have a good night."

"I will see you tomorrow, Cori," Murakami reminded her while she walked back to the kitchen. She grabbed her leather jacket off a coat rack near the back door. She poked her fingers through the hole in the back of the jacket. The edges of the hole were singed. She thought about fixing it but had no clue how to sew. The hole was small enough that the jacket was still wearable, but large enough to bother her everytime she saw it. She slipped the coat on and left through the heavy back door. Finally, she had time to think without worrying about dirty dishes.

Cori was trying to create a plan to find the turtles but had not succeeded. She tried to follow April earlier, suspecting maybe she knew the turtles. She had to, right? How else did she know about the Kraang? Or how did the turtles know where Cori lived? It did not matter because, as soon as she got close enough to her classmate, April would almost catch her. It was like she was psychic. Cori kicked a small rock on the sidewalk. She continued walking, kicking it whenever she got close enough.

All the times that Cori encountered the turtles were sheer luck. She never intended on ever seeing them again after she watched them fight that plant mutant. Yet, they kept crossing paths. Now when she actually wanted to see them, they were nowhere to be found. She did not want to continue her exploration of the Kraang without them. Her back still stung from her last encounter with the aliens. If the turtles were not there, she might have ended up dead. Then again, she probably would not have fought the Kraang at all if the turtles never showed up.

Cori zipped her jacket as a chill wind blew through the air. She shivered and kept planning. Maybe she should try to find their lair? She had a rough idea where it could be thanks to Donnie's memories, but it was not enough. All she knew was that it was in the sewers, and she was not about to trudge in sewer waters for hours aimlessly. The wind blew harder, sending a chill down her spine. Cori shoved her hands into pants' pockets.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. She felt around in her pockets but could not find her keys. Cori tilted her head back and groaned loudly, realizing she had left them back on the counter in the kitchen. Cori stomped her foot in frustration before walking all the way back to the restaurant. Thankfully, the light was still lit at the back of the building. Mr. Murakami had not gone home yet. She pulled the door open but did not see the old man in the kitchen. She walked over to the counter where she left her keys. They were still there. She grabbed them tightly and shoved them into her pocket where they belonged. She was about to leave when she felt a familiar presence. It was not Mr. Murakami.

"Mikey! You spilled the sauce everywhere."

"Sorry, bro."

The voices came from the other room. Cori's heart started to pound. She creeped over to the curtain and lifted it slightly. Around the wooden counter sat the turtles. They munched down on food while Murakami prepared some more. "Some days, it feels like you boys are the only business I have," he complained. He stirred a vat of soup with a long spoon.

"I don't get it," Raphael said with his mouth stuffed with food. "This is the best food I ever had. It should be packed in here!"

"To be fair," Donnie interjected, "we've only ever eaten worms and algae before coming to the surface."

"Still!"

The thought of eating worms was nauseating to Cori. Donnie's memories intruded in her mind, making her feel even more disgusted. She gulped hard and continued to spy on them. Michelangelo finished chewing on some gyoza before saying, "I don't know. I think pizza is the best. No debate."

"Oh c'mon, Mikey. You don't even think pizza gyoza is better than regular pizza?" Leo asked him. While Mikey horked down food, Leo picked his dumplings up with chopsticks. He still ate quickly though, devouring whatever Murakami placed down in a matter of seconds.

"Hmmm… Maybe plain pizza but nothing tops pizza with jelly beans, anchovies, and jalapenos." Mikey licked his lips just thinking about the food. Murakami cringed a bit when he heard the food combination. Cori could not stand watching them anymore.

She dramatically flung the curtain behind and stepped into the dining area. She pointed at the turtles accusingly and said, "What are you guys doing here?"

Donnie was in mid-bite when he saw her walk in. The others looked at her with gaping mouths and wide eyes. Mr. Murakami jolted, dropping his spoon. It clattered to the ground.

"Cori," he said nervously, "I thought you went home." Raphael slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "You know this girl?" he asked in a loud voice.

"How do you know Murakami San?"

"Hey, I asked first!"

Cori pointed to herself repeatedly and replied, "Actually, I asked first when I asked what you guys were doing here… So, what are you guys doing here?"

"This is like our favorite restaurant, dude," Mikey said. "Do you eat here too?" He slowly stuffed a dumpling in his mouth and waited for Cori's response. Cori blinked before saying, "What? No, I work here!" Murakami shuffled over to Cori and started to lead her back into the kitchen.

"Cori, if you could just let me explain in the other room—"

"No, I'm not just gonna ignore this." She pushed herself away from the old man and marched up to the others. Donnie and Leo stood defensively as she approached. Raph, who was already standing, ran up to Cori and blocked her from continuing. "I don't know what your problem is," he snarled, "but I'm done with you following us around."

"Following you around? You're the one who showed up to my workplace!"

They glared at each other intensely. Raph realized he had never seen Cori's eyes before, or even the upper half of her face. He did not stay when Donnie tended to her wounds in his lab. He stormed off immediately after dropping her off. He never saw her without her mask on. Her amber eyes were much fiercer than he expected, but he did not back down.

Leonardo pulled Raph back slightly and said, "Okay. Let's just calm down and talk things out." Cori turned to look at the other turtles. Mikey was still in his seat, slowly chewing while he watched the argument go down.

"I can't believe Murakami knows about you guys." She stared down Donnie and asked, "Does April know?" Donatello did not need to respond. His thoughts rang loudly in Cori's head. "She does, doesn't she?" Cori answered her question and said, "I knew it." Leo glanced at Donnie curiously. He looked back at his brother with wide and confused eyes. "Who else knows?" Cori asked again. Donnie still said nothing, but his thoughts betrayed him. Names of people she did not know echoed within her head. There was one name she did recognize.

Her mouth opened in shock as she yelled out, "Casey knows!" Donnie waved his hands frantically in the air while saying, "No, nope! Nobody knows anyone. This is completely a one time deal and nobody else except for you and Mr. Murakami knows we exist."

Cori squinted her eyes and mumbled, "Don't lie to me, Donatello." He stopped flailing his arms, surprised by Cori's harsh tone. Leonardo stepped forward and said in a calm voice, "Okay, okay… A lot of people know we exist, and you're one of them. Congratulations! But, I thought we agreed that we'd leave you alone, if you left us alone."

"I never agreed to anything. You just put a stupid note in my room."

"That's fair..."

Murakami rubbed his forehead and started muttering something in Japanese. He sat down in the corner of the room while Cori continued to argue with the others. "I'm sick of this," Raphael snarled. "What do we have to do to get rid of you already?"

"I need to know about the Kraang," Cori answered.

Raph clapped his hands together and said, "Is that it? They're aliens. Alright guys, let's go." He turned to leave when Cori gripped his shoulder tightly. "That's not gonna cut it."

Raph tilted his head just enough so he could see her out of the corner of his eye. He scowled at her. "Get your slimy hand off of me."

"If anyone's slimy, it's gonna be—"

Cori did not get to finish her insult as Raphael grabbed her. He pulled her arm and flipped her onto the ground. She slammed hard into the wooden floor and gasped in pain. Her blistered wound reawakened with a burning sensation. Before she could get up, Raph placed his foot on her chest. "Don't ever touch me again," he threatened her. Leo ripped Raph off of Cori and pushed him to the side. "Settle down, Raph!"

Raphael shirked his brother away. Despite Cori being the one thrown onto the floor, Raph was wincing. He rubbed his bandaged forearm, a wound he had gotten not too long ago. He faced away from Cori, seething silently. Donatello rushed over to Cori and held out his hand. She clenched her teeth, trying not to cry out in pain as he pulled her up. Her back hurt worse than ever, almost as bad as it was when she was first shot. She swallowed harshly while trying to control her heavy breathing. "I just want...information," she said between breaths.

Donnie stared at Cori suspiciously. She knew that he did not trust her. None of them did. She pulled off a glove and grasped Donnie's arm. Staring into his brown eyes, she said, "You can trust me. I won't tell anyone about you guys. I just need to know about the Kraang." The two stared at each other for a moment. Slowly, Donnie's suspicion eased and he looked at her with kinder eyes. He faced Leonardo and said, "I mean, it wouldn't hurt. She already knows about them, right?"

"She did help us fight the Kraang," Mikey added. Donnie and Mikey seemed to be on her side, but Leo was still on the edge. "I just need answers," she explained. "Once I get them, you won't have to worry about seeing me ever again."

The turtles looked at each other, waiting to see the final decision. Raph furrowed his brow and looked at Leo. He already knew what his brother's answer would be. He crossed his arms and stared down Cori. "Alright," Leonardo finally said, "We'll tell you what we know, but only if you answer some of our questions." Cori twitched her nose before responding.

"Fine."

"Great. How about we do this outside? I'm sure Mr. Murakami has had enough excitement for tonight."

Mr. Murakami leaned his head against his hand, rubbing his forehead. "Yes, perhaps that would be for the best," he admitted in a defeated tone. Cori nodded silently to Leo's suggestion.

The turtles stood there, waiting until someone made the first move. This time, Cori was the first to move. She slowly walked back to the kitchen. She stepped carefully, trying not to make it obvious how much her back hurt. The others followed her quietly. Mikey finally stood up from his seat carrying a small plate of gyoza. He stopped in front of Mr. Murakami and bowed slightly, despite the older man not being able to see the gesture. "Murakami San ja ne!" The man jumped a bit, surprised by Mikey's goodbye. He nodded but did not say anything, too overwhelmed by what had just happened in his restaurant. Mikey smiled and jogged to catch up with the others as they left.