Dude, This is No Vacation (A Sonic-TMNT Crossover)

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Humans. Other humans. Kay had almost forgotten that she was living on a human-dominant planet, being in the sewers with the Turtles so much the past few days. The couple standing before her were nearly identical to their television selves, with some slight differences. Casey's jet black hair also had dim streaks of blue in it when the light hit it right, and April's hair was actually red, not orange or brown as depicted on TV. He was taller than her, but not by much, and they were both taller than everyone else in the room right now.

Mikey jumped right in with the introductions, breaking the silence that had settled over everyone. "Kay, meet our best friends, Casey and April Jones. They got married just a couple weeks ago."

It was then she noticed the wedding bands. She was still trying wrap her mind around the presence of other humans down here in the lair with her when she realized that it was her turn to say something. She blinked to refocus her mind and muttered, "Uh...congratulations."

"Thank you," April said in a sweet, motherly voice as she stepped forward to shake Kay's hand. "It's nice to meet you. The guys were telling us that you got jumped by the Purple Dragons and the Foot."

"Well...yeah," Kay replied, for lack of anything better to say.

"I can't imagine how scary that must have been for you. And you're not even from New York, right? Where are you from?"

Kay pressed her lips together firmly and shrugged one shoulder. "Doesn't matter."

That's when Casey spoke up. "Well, hey, Leo was also telling us that you put up a fight with 'em, too. Good for you, kid."

"Thanks."

April smiled down at her and asked gently, "Why are they still after you?"

"April," Donnie said from behind the crowd, catching their attention. He came forward and put his hand on her arm. "Why don't I explain to you and Casey in the other room? I'm pretty sure Kay doesn't really want to talk about it."

"Oh, of course," April replied, beginning to follow him and her husband out of the room. Donnie looked back and gave Kay a wink before disappearing into his lab with the newlyweds.

Once they were out of her sight, she felt relieved. Leo took the opportunity to come forward and ask, "How do you feel about your training tonight?"

How in the world? Kay wondered, eyeing him oddly. How did he know she'd been training? Splinter only mentioned it after they'd all gone.

Deciding not to dwell on it, she shrugged. "Well, you guys weren't gone all that long."

"I know, but anything can happen in an hour," he told her.

An hour? Kay looked to her teacher, who nodded his confirmation. With no clocks and no working cell phone, she really had no sense of time anymore, but her session with Splinter hadn't felt like it lasted an hour. A half hour, maybe, but not a full one.

But if it really had been an hour, that only made her feel worse. She'd spent sixty minutes in the dojo with Master Splinter trying to complete the first task he'd assigned her and come up with nothing no matter how hard she tried. What a waste. Discouragement settled in like a dark fog, and Kay turned away from them both with her eyes downcast.

"I think I'd like to be alone for a bit," she muttered, already turning to leave.

She hadn't gotten very far when April's voice spoke up from behind her. "Wait, Kay." The younger girl stopped and looked back at the redhead. "Donnie filled us in."

"We won't ask questions now," Casey promised, "but we want you to know we've got your back. Been a while since we really got to bust some heads around here."

April elbowed him in the side, then turned her attention back to Kay. "And our home is always open to you."

Kay took a moment to observe the couple once again. It was amazing how much they looked like their TV counterparts. They stood watching her with gentle and understanding eyes. They'd been through similar situations when they first met the Turtles. They understood where she was coming from. Or at least, they thought they did. Kay turned her attention to their wedding rings, smiling a little to herself.

At last she decided she'd better say something. "Thank you," she muttered quietly before shifting her eyes to Leonardo. He nodded almost imperceptibly to her, telling her with his gaze that it was all right for her to leave. She felt inexplicable relief wash over her as she turned her back to the group and began walking away. Silence stabbed her in the back as she climbed up the ladder to the upper level, but she never looked back. Only when she was out of their sight did the nagging feeling stop.

It was then the silence was broken. Kay stopped walking and listened to the conversation going on without her.

"It's really good to see you guys again," Donnie was saying.

"Looks like we got back just in time," April replied. Kay could hear the worry in her voice. "Is she all right? She seems like she's..." There was a pause - too long of a pause - and Kay waited to see what words her fellow human would use to describe her. "...not totally here. Y'know?"

Not totally here?

"Aw, give her a break, April." Mikey's voice.

Casey spoke up as well. "The kid's been attacked more than once. If she's not a city girl, she's probably pretty shaken up."

"I know. I'm just worried about her."

"There is more to her situation than being sought out by the Purple Dragons," Splinter began, "but now is not the time to discuss such matters. Let us instead focus on happier things, like your honeymoon."

Thank you, Master Splinter.

Kay sighed and hurried quietly the rest of the way to her room. Once inside, she leaned against the damp wall, barely noticing the slimy feel. There was no door for her to close, but she didn't mind so long as she could block out the voices coming from just down the hall.

Not totally here? Kay closed her eyes, willing herself to meditate briefly on the meaning of April's words. It was not long before she could clearly see herself standing inside a hut on Angel Island, looking out at the deep green grasses and clear blue skies of Mobius. For a moment she forgot all about her troubles here in New York and could only think how great it was to see her planet again.

But the smell of the sewers jerked her back into reality, and she opened her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling. Not totally here. Right. That's because I would much rather be on Mobius, where I belong. But I can't go back. Kay shook her head, scolding herself. No. Don't think about that now. Just do what Master Splinter suggested and meditate. It's always helped before.

She slid to the ground and closed her eyes again, ignoring the slime that was getting stuck in her hair.

~

*Author's Note* Hey, readers! THANK YOU so much for bearing with me through these irregular updates the past few weeks. Things just got way too crazy for me with school and personal issues and all that. But now that my summer break is here, I'll be posting chapters regularly again on Wednesdays. See you back here next week for Chapter Fifteen! And as always, thank you for reading! :D