Santa Cuerva Luchadora Mágica: I - El Forastero del Destino

Marumina Muracán stepped into the alley behind the Leche Liebre cafe. It was early morning and she was still a little tired from her other job. She fumbled with the key under the flashing bulb. She would have to remember to tell Sr. Lanzo about it when she saw him next.

She yawned as the key clicked into place and the ancient lock turned under the pressure. She opened the steel door and was about to step inside into the darkness of the kitchen when something moved behind her. “Tochi?” she said, but instead, she heard a groan.

She used the flashlight on her phone to get a better look at what had made the sound, ready to burst through the door and lock it behind her if it turned out to be someone with untoward intentions. The beam played across the scattered garbage bags in the alley, probably Lupe's carelessness in closing the previous night. However, nestled among the garbage bags and knocked over cans was a man. A handsome man. She crouched over him and poked him with a stick.

“Ey, hombre,” she said. “You okay?”

The man groaned again. He didn't look like he was some drunk that had just passed out in the alley and was now suffering the effects of a killer hangover. She shined the light over him, looking for injuries, just in case he had run afoul of some gang, or worse, Los Rudos, and had been left for dead in a garbage pile. He seemed okay, even though he looked like he'd been through the nine hells of Mictlan.

His eyes popped open. He blinked in the beam of light that was currently blinding him, shielded his eyes with his arm, and muttered. “Where are we?”

She thought about this for a moment. “Say, if you can behave yourself, you can come inside with me. I'll make you some café de olla, and you can come to your senses. But keep in mind, if you try any funny business, I know Xilam, and I also know where all the knives are.”

The man sat up and rubbed his back. “Sure,” he said. She helped pull him from the pile. She stepped inside the door and flicked on the lights. They flickered before turning on, except for one in the corner. Something else she'd need to tell Sr. Lanzo about. She pointed to the door that led to the front. “Go out through there and sit down somewhere. I'll be out shortly, after I get some things started.” She grabbed him by the arm and gave it a strong enough squeeze so he knew she meant business. “Nothing funny, understand?”

He nodded. His eyes were still squinting in the harsh kitchen light. He went through the door. She let out a breath. How would she explain this to Lupe?

She busied herself with getting things ready and checking to make sure that Lupe had done everything she was supposed to have done before closing the previous night. Then she busied herself, adding cinnamon, piloncillo, and her secret blend of spices to the coffee grounds sitting in a clay pot. She brewed it until it had the sweet aroma of molasses and caramel. Then, even though it was still morning, she made a bowl of fideo, thinking that her recent rescue might be hungry.

She poured the coffee into a ceramic mug with an illustration of a rabbit on the moon on the side, drawn to resemble Aztec art. She stuck a cinnamon stick in the mug and then poured the sopa de fideo into a bowl, the aroma of tomatoes and cilantro blending with oregano and cumin. She put them on a tray and carried them to the front.

The stranger was sitting in the dark. He obviously didn't know where the lights were. She heard the quiet plucking of a guitarron. She hadn't remembered him having one of those when he came in. Perhaps someone had left one there from last night.

She flicked the lights on in the dining room, and they flickered to life. Startled, he stopped playing. He looked at her. Then he blinked a few times. Confusion marked his face.

“Marumi?” he said, looking at the woman before him.

She stopped. “Have you been stalking me?” she said. “I've never seen you around here.”

The man's face turned from confusion to surprise. “Oh, no,” he said. “I'm sorry.” He set the guitarron down. It had a sticker on its face that looked like a sleepy eye. “It's been one of those days.”

Marumina set the food and drink down on the table. “It's Marumina,” she said. “Nobody calls me Marumi.” Anymore, she thought. “But since we're introducing ourselves, what should I call you?”

The man sipped the coffee. After savoring the first sip, he took another. “Kenichi,” he said. “You can call me Ken, though, if you like.”

She nodded. “I made you some fideo too. Eat and drink and get your bearings. I'll be getting things ready in the back. Eventually, you'll have to buy something, though, otherwise Sr. Lanzo will toss you into the street, where you might get hit by a taco truck.”

Kenichi looked through the cafe window, at the street that was glowing under xenon bulbs and the waning starlight making way for the emerging dawn. He laughed. “At least it wouldn't be a bookmobile,” he said.

Marumina did not get the joke. “Are you hurt at all?” she said. “Like, do you need to go to the hospital or anything? You looked pretty miserable in the pile of trash outside.”

Kenichi took a moment to contemplate himself. His back hurt, and he still felt the pain from where Buch had ripped through his skin, and where his body had broken through shelves full of books, but beyond that, he didn't have any cuts and didn't feel any broken bones. “No,” he said. “I think I just had a rough night.”

She gave him one last look before she went back into the kitchen.

Kenichi sat there, enjoying his coffee and the soup. It almost reminded him of the soup Marumi had made back on the space station, albeit without any meatballs. Still, it had its own unique flavor, and it was delicious in its own way.

He looked back at the kitchen, seeing Marumina through the pass-through, watching her continue to prepare the cafe for operation. Though she looked slightly different, she still had a certain Marumi quality to her. She had the same brown hair, the same green eyes, the same blue gem earrings, the same face, but, well, she was still different. She even had a different name. He looked out the window, at the street that was equal parts familiar and unfamiliar. In many ways it reminded him of home, but in many other ways, it was different enough such that it was uncanny.

He let his gaze drift across the cafe. It too was like Gyokuto, but instead of a mochi case, there were churros. There were enough differences to let him know that even if he was back to reality, he was definitely not back home.

A white rabbit with red eyes peered at him from across the table. On the rabbit's forehead was a yellow circle of fur. “Hey there,” Kenichi said in his best friendly-to-animals voice.

“Hmph,” said the rabbit.

“Did you just say hmph?” He said, not yet to the point where he was questioning the fact that he was talking to a rabbit. “I didn't think rabbits typically made noise.”

The white rabbit put its front paws on the table. “I have my eye on you,” it said. It looked directly at Kenichi. It was an unsettling experience looking at a rabbit head-on, as their eyes, being on the sides of their heads, look like they're vertical when seen from the front.

Kenichi took a deep breath. “Another adventure,” he mumbled. He leaned forward. “Is there some dark lord or evil queen here that needs to be stopped?”

“Hmph,” said the rabbit.

Marumina came back out from the kitchen. She saw the rabbit glaring at Kenichi, so she hurried over and scooped up the creature. “Tochi,” she said, “you're not supposed to bother the guests.”

Tochi rotated its head to look at Kenichi again. “I don't trust him, Mina,” it said.

“You're also not supposed to talk in front of anybody,” she said through gritted teeth. She looked over at Kenichi. “I have a unique rabbit,” she said.

“Hmph,” said Tochi.

She set the rabbit down and nudged him into the back with her foot. Once it was gone, she sat across from Kenichi. “I'm sorry,” she said. “That was weird.”

“The talking rabbit?” Kenichi said.

“Yes,” she said. “I try to keep him in check, but he acts like he's my guardian or something.” She rolled her eyes. “I can take care of myself, you know?” She looked back at the kitchen. Tochi had his front paws on the counter and was glaring at Kenichi. “Can you keep the talking rabbit a secret?”

“Sure,” said Kenichi. “It's not the first talking rabbit I've come across.”

Marumina laughed.

“Ding dong!” said a voice from the back. A girl with glasses stepped out from the kitchen. Her hair was a frizzy mess. She picked up Tochi and spun him around. “How is my favorite little snack doing?” she said.

“Hmph,” Tochi said. The new girl set him down on one of the stools by the counter. “Mina,” she said. “Can you make me something to drink while I get started on some empanadas? Sr. Lanzo expects it to be a busy weekend--” She trailed off as she saw Kenichi sitting across from Marumina.

“Good morning, Lupe,” Marumina said. “This is Kenichi. I found him in the alley.”

Lupe hurried over. She looked Kenichi up and down, almost like a wolf seeing if a domestic dog posed a threat. Satisfied that Kenichi wasn't going to be more than she could handle, she turned to Marumina. “You know you're not supposed to bring boyfriends here,” she hissed playfully.

“He's not my boyfriend,” Marumina said, blushing. “Seriously, he was passed out in the alley. I think he got beat up by Los Rudos.”

Lupe crossed her arms and looked at Kenichi. “Is that true?”

Kenichi shrugged. “I don't think you'd believe me if I told you even half the truth.”