Moonlight Mutation (A TMNT Fanfic)

Chapter 3: Archer

Destiny hasn't stopped running despite how every part of her body is begging for rest. The wolf girl refuses to slow down. The idea of the Kraang coming for her is enough to spur her onwards past the burning lungs and aching muscles. She's managed to go nearly fourteen years without being detected and she isn't about to lose that record now.

She casts her gaze down to the road as she nears the one place where she knows she'll be safe and free of judgement. Thankfully, the streets are empty of activity, hostile or otherwise. For New York, this neighbourhood can get awfully quiet. They call it the "city that never sleeps", yet there are who knows how many mutants living on the streets that no one has noticed yet, mutants that have managed to evade the public eye.

Either we're all awesome at stealth, or New Yorkers are as observant as a pile of bricks, Destiny thinks to herself.

She hurries down the nearest fire escape and races towards the warm glow of the noodle restaurant almost directly beside her. She hardly takes a second to check for customers as she throws the door open and shuts it behind her. The delicious smell of fresh food hits her in a wave as soon as she's inside.

"Murakami-san?" she calls, panic obvious in her voice.

A grey-haired man with dark sunglasses and a white apron shuffles out of the kitchen, a gentle smile on his face. He tilts his head towards the girl, listening.

"Destiny-chan, I thought I recognized your voice!" he says as his smile grows.

Destiny moves towards the counter at a speedy walk, eyes darting at every direction as she practically throws herself into a chair and loops her fingers through her windswept curls.

"I...I think the Kraang found me," she croaks out.

Murakami's brow furrows slightly. "You are panicked. I will make you some passionflower herbal tea while you tell me about what happened."

He turns away to begin boiling some water. She shakes her head, trying to calm her breathing and debating whether or not she should turn down tea. She doesn't need tea! She needs a way to erase herself momentarily or possibly a solid hiding spot.

"They...they were these green-skinned men with turtle shells, but they spoke English!" she starts, her hands trembling as she clenches and unclenches her fingers. "One of them nearly tore my home apart, and..." Her face flushes as her ears droop. "Oh no, my bag...I left everything behind! I...oh no..." She buries her face in her arms, her tremors starting to worsen.

"Child, I think you must first settle your thoughts," Murakami murmurs, a knowing smile back on his face. "The tea will be ready soon. Until then, try to let yourself rest."

The mutant hesitantly agrees, turning her head out of her elbow-cave so that there's light and fresh air hitting her face instead of darkness and the smell of her own breath. She watches Murakami whistle softly as he checks the kettle, then busies himself with cleaning his centre kitchen. He moves so easily that Destiny forgets that he's blind sometimes, but then again, their relationship would be a lot different if he could see.

He's the only human being that she can talk to and probably the one thing that has kept her from going insane with loneliness, ever since the day they met when she was nine years old. She had gotten incredibly sick after a bad rainfall, but Murakami brought her in and nursed her back to health. Ever since then, she's repaid his kindness by running errands for him whenever she can, getting ingredients for the restaurant and such. His disability makes it hard for him to do it himself, and while Destiny is a mutant, she has her ways.

It mostly involves her leaving cash near businesses and taking what she needs from their produce trucks when they're unloading, but that's just another reason why she tries to make herself useful with other things. He decided long ago that she didn't need to repay him, but he's also realized that she isn't one to try and argue with.