Alright, another first, Teen Titans and Sekirei. And yet another story starring Beast Boy! Let's get this show on the road!
Chapter 1: Stuck with Sekirei
"Bad news y'all, the T-Ship isn't gonna be able to take us home anytime soon." Cyborg announced as he walked into the dining room, meeting groans from the other Titans.
"Not cool dude…" Beast Boy's pointed ears drooped for a second before they perked back up again as he turned to the resident empath. "Rae, couldn't you just use your portal thingy to take us home?" The changeling figured it was a reasonable question, but he still received a smack across the back of his head.
"First off, it's Raven, not Rae. Second off, if I could transport us halfway around the world, we wouldn't have needed the T-Ship to get us here in the first place." He was about to continue asking questions, but a glare from the half-demoness shut him up rather quickly.
"Rave's got a point BB." Said Titan noticed that Raven didn't object to the nickname Cyborg had for her, but still paid attention to what the mechanic was saying. "I don't know if I'll be able to find the parts we need, so we may be staying here in Tokyo for a while." Starfire squealed in glee, causing most of the Titans to give her a strange look, though for the most part they were used to the Tamaranean's eccentric behaviors.
"Oh, what joy! Friends, our vacation shall continue!" This outburst caused Beast Boy and Cyborg to smile at Starfire's optimism, while Robin brooded in a way reminiscent of his mentor (despite the traffic-light colored attire) and Raven returned to an ancient tome she had found in some place or another.
"Star's got a point dudes, a vacation is always awesome! Besides, who says we need to stay in Tokyo? We could go see Mt. Fuji or visit other cities; this is a country full of history and culture we're talking about!" Raven blinked her amethyst eyes in surprise at Beast Boy's insight into Japan, but she shrugged it off as his eagerness to check out the comic books. When she actually stated this opinion, he had the nerve to look affronted. "Rae, it's actually manga, not comic books, but that's not my point." Sweatdrops rolled off the heads of both Raven and Robin, who decided to take charge now that his brooding was over.
"Alright team, since we'll be staying here for a while, we might as well make this place a temporary Titans Outpost. Cyborg, head into the markets and see if you can find any tech to not only help with the T-Ship, but also to create a makeshift crime radar. I'll raid the old station used by the Tokyo Troopers for the same reason. Raven, Star, Beast Boy, you three will gather other supplies necessary for our stay. Food, furniture, all of that stuff. We should have enough funds saved up to get all of this."
The entire team saluted before Cyborg and Robin went off, leaving Beast Boy with the girls.
"Okay dudettes, I'll get the food-" Raven gave him a stink eye at this point. "Cool it Rae, I'll make sure to get… meat." He shuddered a bit, but returned to normal soon enough. "Star, you and Rae find us something we can sleep on as well as other useful things." With that said, Beast Boy left no room for argument, shifting into a bird (a peregrine falcon if one wanted specifics) and flying off to complete his task immediately.
"Alright, let's see, I have my tofu and soy, Cyborg's assorted meats, Rae's chamomile tea and waffle mix, Star's mustard, and Robin's eggs, as well as a few other essentials, bread, milk, and the like. Hopefully this is enough…" Beast Boy mumbled to himself as he hefted the amount of groceries easily before his ears popped and the distinct smell of ozone appeared.
Scanning the area, the changeling couldn't tell where the sensation was coming from, but for some reason they were telling him to look… up. Actually checking the area, he saw something, or maybe it was someone, on a crash-course...with the impact area being him!
"Please get out of the way!" Quite the polite missile as well, he thought before he received a high-speed headbutt to his abdominal region, his groceries flung aside, thankfully undamaged.
Beast Boy's swirling vision cleared to see himself sprawled on the ground, with a strange girl in the same position on top of him. She sat up and stretched, attempting to work out the kinks from such a jump most likely.
"Oh, I knew that building was too high to jump off of." She pouted a bit in the direction of said building before looking down at the squashed changeling and blinking. "Oh, are you the one who caught me?" She asked, cocking her head to the side in an innocent manner.
"Not exactly the phrasing I'd use, but I guess so. Are you alright?" He asked, looking her over for injuries. She wore what looked like a shrine maiden kimono, but with combat boots and bright red gloves with raised knuckles, and both her hair and eyes were brown. Before anything more could be said, the smell of ozone appeared yet again, and the girl seemed to sense it as well, looking up for a moment before tackling the changeling to the side just in time to avoid a purple lightning bolt destroying the concrete where they had been moments before.
"Stop running and fight us!" There was a shout from on top of the building where the girl had jumped from, revealing two more girls, these two wearing strange outfits and they would've looked perfectly identical, if one's outfit wasn't darker than the other's.
"No, I refuse to fight until I find my Ashikabi-sama!" The odd word made Beast Boy even more confused. The girl who landed on him seemed relatively unharmed, even though she had jumped from a height even he might not consider unless he was in an animal form. And those twins up on the building had shot lightning at them. Odd…
"You don't have a choice!" They said in synch before more lightning jumped from their fingers. The girl grabbed his hand and jumped up, sprinting away with the changeling flailing in the wind behind the rushing girl. All Beast Boy could think as she ran was that she matched Kid Flash in speed seemingly without effort.
The girl starting slowing down after a good amount of running, leaving them at the outskirts of Tokyo. She blinked for a moment before releasing his hand and bowing repeatedly.
"I'm so sorry! I could've run by myself, I grabbed you on instinct!" Mainly because of the nature of his powers, Beast Boy understood the need to follow instincts more than most people.
"It's alright miss…?" With the unspoken question the girl's eyes widened and she bowed yet again.
"I completely forgot to introduce myself! I am Musubi." Glad that he had a name to match the face, Beast Boy decided to introduce himself as well.
"Nice to meet you Musubi, I'm Beast Boy." Musubi cocked her head to the side in confusion, obviously wondering why he had such an odd name. "Here's the answer to your question." Always eager to show off his power, the changeling leaped as high into the air as he could before shifting into a hawk and performing several aerial maneuvers. He then shifted into a flying squirrel and spread is arms, lazily gliding back to the ground where Musubi looked in awe. To finish, he made a jazz hands pose as he shifted back to his elfin form.
"That was amazing! How do you turn into animals?" Beast Boy's ears drooped for a second at the reminder, but he hid it with a smile.
"Long story Musubi, maybe I'll tell you sometime." Musubi nodded in response before she closed her eyes and her body began to fall to the side. Easily catching her, Beast Boy decided to take her back to the Titan's Outpost (As he decided calling the place they had been given by the residents of Tokyo).
So Beast Boy picked Musubi up bridal style and began making his way back to the Outpost, eager to return and see if the girl was okay.
Getting inside was actually rather easy, since Robin and Cyborg were still out scavenging, and Raven and Starfire were likely meditating together. Thus, he was able to lay her on the futon in his room and let her rest. Shifting into a cat, Beast Boy curled up on the other side of the room, deciding he'll get answers once Musubi woke up.
A loud scream awoke everyone in the Titan's Outpost the next morning. Everyone ran to find Cyborg standing outside Beast Boy's room, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped.
"What is it Cyborg?" Robin asked, trying and failing to peer around the tall metal man to see what was up.
"Rob, you gotta see this." Cyborg then moved out of the way allowing Robin to see something that made his mask widen in shock. There was a girl in Beast Boy's futon, rubbing her eyes sleepily. A green cat on the other side of the room woke up and stretched before shifting back into Beast Boy.
"Morning guys, I see you've met Musubi." He nonchalantly shrugged before sighing a bit. "Guys, this is Musubi, a friend I met last night. Musubi, these are Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg, my friends and teammates." The brown haired girl blinked for a second before turning to her green friend.
"Oh? Are you the leader Beast Boy?" This innocent question caused several things to happen simultaneously. Beast Boy puffed up with pride, while Starfire cocked her head in confusion. Raven bit back a laugh, while Cyborg didn't have such decency, breaking down laughing at the look on Robin's face. There was a huge tic mark over his mask, and steam was exiting his nose.
"I'm the leader." The traffic light wannabe grit his teeth in frustration at not being recognized as the leader.
"Oh? I thought Beast Boy was…" Musubi seemed to be in thought for a few seconds before a loud roar, akin to the changeling's bear form echoed around the area. "Beast Boy…" She looked at the changeling with huge puppy eyes, which oddly enough made Raven send a glare at him.
"What is it Musubi?" He asked, wondering whether whatever had made her pass out the night before was causing her trouble again.
"I'm hungry…" Sweatdrops and face-vaults galore were inflicted onto every Titan in the room at the innocent girl looking up at them oddly.
A few minutes later all of the Titan's had their jaws hanging open in shock. Beast Boy had made Musubi a soy omelet, and despite everyone warning her against it, she immediately began to chow down. Now, what was shocking about this?
"It was delicious! Can you make me more Beast Boy-san?" The changeling was confused about the added honorific, but immediately leaped into action making another 'fake' omelet, whistling a merry tune while the other Titans huddled together.
"I don't trust her." Raven deadpanned. She looked back over to Musubi, who was eating even more soy-base foods, the table nearly full of the stuff by now.
"Why not friend-Raven?" Starfire asked, looking confused as to why her empathic friend didn't trust the girl.
"First off, the last girl that liked Beast Boy betrayed us to our enemy. Second, she's pretending to like his tofu. Nobody likes his tofu. She's laying it on thick and he's lapping it up."
"Kinda harsh, don'tcha think Rave?" Cyborg asked. Although Raven had brought up a good point, it was still cruel of her to bring up Terra in such a fashion.
"I don't care if I seem a little harsh. Beast Boy should be able to tell she's faking. Anyone who acts like they like him are trying to take out the weak link in the Titans. Plus, no one's that innocent." As Raven said that, Musubi sneezed cutely, shaking her head and making the antennae-like strand of hair bob around.
Unknown to the other Titans, the changeling had indeed heard their conversation, which made his ears droop slightly. He always felt like this when Terra was brought up, but he swallowed his guilt and sadness in turn for something he hasn't felt for a while. Anger.
He began to think. He knew that Musubi wasn't welcome here, but she didn't seem to have anywhere else to go… Then he thought of a plan. It was risky, and possibly incredibly foolish, but it was the only way he could think of that he could both help Musubi and clear his head so that he wouldn't go nuts on his teammates.
He gestured for the girl to head back to his room. Luckily, she understood and, quick as a blink, she was gone. The changeling made himself scarce as well, finding the girl sitting on his futon innocently.
"What is it Beast Boy-san?" She asked, cocking her head to the side in wonderment. Raven was right, she was almost childlike in her innocence… Beast Boy shook himself from these thoughts. He trusted Musubi.
"We're leaving and finding another place to stay. My friends don't trust you." Musubi seemed to slouch at that, but she decided her confusion was more important.
"But… Why are you coming with me? Don't you want to stay with your friends?" Her tone was almost heartbreaking, and her eyes looked like those of a kicked puppy.
"They don't trust you, but I do. Someone's got to help you after all." She perked up happily at this, just as Beast Boy's ears drooped. "Besides… They don't trust me much either. They think I'm weak. Maybe some time away from them will do me good." The mindset the changeling found himself in was similar to the time he was switched out for a green talking dog by a stone alien, when all he wanted was time to himself. Hopefully this time he wouldn't run into any aliens. Once again, Musubi sneezed.
"I appreciate your help Beast Boy-san!" She bounced up and down for a while in happiness.
"You can just call me Garfield if you want Musubi. I know Beast Boy is quite the mouthful." He chuckled a bit before his emerald eyes hardened and he began packing his stuff. Luckily, all he had was his suitcase and a small over the shoulder bag he had bought for carrying things that wouldn't fit in his pockets.
"Alright Garfield-san. I'm ready whenever you are." She replied, before an odd look fell over her face. Before Garfield could ask, the look vanished as if it were never there in the first place.
"Let's get going Musubi, it shouldn't be too hard to find another place, right?"
"Come on Garfield-sama, let's keep going! We're bound to find a place soon!" While the changeling had no idea when or why Musubi had changed the honorific on the end of his name, but at the moment he was busy sulking at being proven wrong.
They had tried six places so far, and all six rejected them. One of them, a short and ugly man, said that he would only rent to single guys. Another two didn't want them because he was green, one was full, and the final two distrusted Garfield's ability to pay the rent.
"You're right Musubi; the right place has to be around here somewhere…" Beast Boy trailed off, a familiar scent tickling his nose as they passed by a restaurant. Looking around, he stiffened when he saw two identical girls, wearing identical uniforms. A smell of ozone was coming off them, meaning they were the same twins that were attacking Musubi yesterday. The dirty looks they were sending him meant they recognized him as well. This was proven especially true when they leaped high into the air and began running at the pair.
"Surrender the girl Greeny, and you might not be fried." One of them threatened him, the slightly older twin if he had to guess.
"No way in hell Sparks. Musubi, you get outta here, I've got these two." Instead of leaving like the changeling expected, the shrine maiden had a dazed look on her face. "Uh, Musubi? You alright?" He asked, unsure as to what exactly was going on.
"My Ashikabi-sama…" She trailed off before doing something that sent the teenage shapeshifter into shock. She kissed him.
Pink wings of light appeared behind Musubi, and Beast Boy heard 'Sparks' cursing at the situation.
"By the strength of my fists, I will always protect you, my Ashikabi-sama." Musubi smiled in joy before determination replaced it. Clenching her gloved fists, Musubi turned to her opponents. "I am Sekirei number 88, Musubi, a Fist-type Sekirei!" She announced, clenching her fists as if daring the others to try something.
"Okay, cool it. We're unwinged. We just thought we could get rid of the competition early, you know? Find our Ashikabi easier?" The younger of the twins said, raising her hands over her head in surrender. Her sister sighed, but soon joined her, raising her arms as well.
"Garfield-sama, shall I get rid of them?" Musubi asked, leaving the choice up to Beast Boy.
"Let them go Musubi. We don't need any trouble. We're busy enough as is, trying to find a place to stay. We don't need a fight with these two. What do you say Sparks? Temporary truce?" He asked, offering his hand to the two in front of him.
"Deal, but Greeny, my name's not Sparks, its Hikari, Sekirei number 11." The older twin said, taking his hand and shaking it.
"And I'm Hibiki, Sekirei number 12." The younger twin continued, taking his hand immediately after her sister.
"See? Isn't this so much easier than killing each other?" He asked, smiling at the peaceful outcome to the standoff. "Well, it's been fun meeting you two, good luck out there Sparks, you too Hibiki." He waved merrily at the lightning users before turning back to Musubi, hearing them jump away for now.
"Yes Garfield-sama? What is it?" She asked, jumping to attention, not noticing the confused look on the changeling's face.
"What exactly is happening? What are Ashikabi and Sekirei? Why did lights appear when you kissed me? Why did you kiss me in the first place?" Beast Boy's communicator rang, but when he answered, it turned out to be not a Titan, but a weird white haired man wearing a cape.
"You're asking the wrong person Beast Boy. Musubi-chan is innocent and rather oblivious, the answers you seek cannot be found from her." He said in a dramatic voice, cementing Beast Boy's archetype of him as 'over the top' or 'insane'… likely both.
"Then you can give me answers? Wait… How did you get on this frequency?" He asked, realizing that you needed a Titan communicator to contact another one.
"Hiya Professor!" Musubi chirped, waving merrily at the overly dramatic looking man on the small screen.
"Hello to you too Musubi. Now, allow me to explain. Musubi is a Sekirei, a race that bonds themselves to an Ashikabi, who could be anyone with the proper genes. Since Musubi chose you as her Ashikabi, and you winged her, that means you're a part of the Sekirei Plan. There are 108 of my little wagtails out there, and soon they will be turning Tokyo into a battle royale. When one Ashikabi and however many Sekirei they have are the last ones standing, they win! You can't tell anyone not involved about our plan, or we'll… discourage you, despite your handy powers. Got all that? Good! Bye!" The screen blinked off before Beast Boy could react, the fast talking oddball giving him a headache.
"Okay Musubi, do you mind if I take this from the top?" At her gesture to continue he did just that. "You are a Sekirei, number 88 if I heard you correctly while you were talking to Sparks. There are 108 of you, you all need an Ashikabi, but I still don't know what exactly that is. You all are going to have a battle royale, and the last one standing wins? Did I get that right?" He asked, earning a nod from Musubi.
"Yep, that's it Garfield-sama! And an Ashikabi is the one person a Sekirei bonds to forever." Her brown eyes sparkled in joy, but Beast Boy was thinking. This Ashikabi business rubbed him the wrong way. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Before he could wonder about the situation even more, Musubi grabbed his arm and began traipsing away. "Come on my Ashikabi-sama, we need to find a place to live."
Musubi's eagerness and hope soon spread to the changeling, who began walking alongside Musubi. They'd find a place soon.
Nothing. Zippo. It was now nighttime, and the duo of Sekirei and Ashikabi were now in a park, their luck at finding a place to stay was nonexistent. The changeling looked around the park, maybe he could find a bench or something… wait, what?
There, on a park bench, was a girl with sandy blonde hair, wearing a lab coat. She had a dead look in her eyes, and there was a strange symbol on her forehead. A bird and a yin-yang symbol. She had an aura around her as well, similar to Musubi, Sparks, and Hibiki.
"Musubi, I think that girl over there is a Sekirei." The aura of power was indeed unlike any but that of the Sekirei he has met, but when he turned to get Musubi's response, he saw a morose expression.
"That's the broken number; the scientists said she would never bond with an Ashikabi." Wow. No wonder she looked so dead inside.
"I'm going to go see if I can help her out." Beast Boy had the sense to realize that she may react violently to his offer of assistance, but he also knew that as a hero, he couldn't leave someone in distress. "Excuse me miss, are you alright?" He asked, as he approached the girl. She looked up at him, and he could swear the temperature dropped a couple degrees.
"…" She simply shook her head in response, pulling the lab coat tighter against her, before she finally spoke. "I am… without an Ashikabi."
"Don't say that. You'll find the lucky guy. Just be patient, your time will come." For some reason, a blush came across her face, and the temperature in the area returned to normal.
"Thank you for your words, but I am a broken tool." Now she lowered her head, her hair covering her face.
"If that were true, which it isn't, I'm certain, people can heal. You're not a tool, miss Sekirei." The simple fact that Beast Boy was acknowledging her and trying to help seemed to work. Wait… the dazed look in her eyes…
"…You must be my Ashikabi-sama…" Before the changeling could react (and most likely ask what the hell was going on), the Sekirei kissed him just as Musubi had hours ago. Wings of ice flashed behind her, as the mark faded from her forehead. She looked up at him with wide eyes before smiling. "I am Akitsu, Sekirei number 7. By my Ashikabi, I shall freeze his enemies in their tracks." A second Sekirei? Beast Boy reacted the only way he knew how. He passed out.
When he awoke again, he was on a futon, with both Musubi and Akitsu nearby, though Akitsu had found a kimono of some kind, and she no longer wore the soaked lab coat.
"What happened?" He asked, rubbing his head and wondering where exactly they were.
"Your friends brought you here. Apparently you fell unconscious outside. I am Miya, and I welcome you to Maison Izumo." A purplette in another kimono explained.
"Thank you ma'am. Wait… you don't care that I'm green?" That was odd. The only reason that neither Musubi nor Akitsu mentioned it was because they were focused on something else at the time, be it getting away from Sparks and her sister or being locked in misery.
"Of course not. My late husband used to run this inn, and he never refused anyone lodging." Hope shined in Beast Boy's eyes then.
"Then… If you have rooms available, could we stay here?" He asked, hoping that he had finally found the place.
"Of course, we can discuss the price at another time, but for now there are some rules that you will have to follow. There is no violence at Maison Izumo, sparring is fine if you're careful, but if you in anyway damage the area, you won't eat until it's repaired. Also, there are no illicit activities here, if you do, you won't get breakfast the next day. Do I make myself clear?" She asked, and suddenly an aura appeared around her. An aura of fear. And for some odd reason, a demonic mask (Shinigami he thought it was called) peeked out from behind her.
A mental smirk appeared. The changeling had been wanting to try this…
"Naturally Land-lady Miya, however, I would appreciate it if you didn't attempt to intimidate me." Beast Boy shook with the effort, but soon a killing intent equal to Miya's appeared. She was shocked, but smirked at the challenge. It was a battle of wills for what seemed like hours, before the changeling finally unleashed the Beast's aura. This caused a silhouette of the werebeast to tower over Miya, making the mask disintegrate and Miya shiver in fright.
Maison Izumo was about to get very, very interesting…
There it is! Enjoy and review if you want. Keelah se'lai and all that jazz.