This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own Teen Titans or any DC comics alluded to in this story. Kenkaku and his swords are mine however.
---
Waves of Fate
---
"text": spoken English
"text": spoken Japanese (translated or flavor text)
"text": war cry, English
"text": war cry, Japanese.
text: thoughts
-text-: stressed word
text: printed or typed English
text: printed or typed Japanese
'text': sound effect
Japanese flavor text will be in a glossary at the end of the chapter.
---
Kenkaku sighed as he wheeled his bike into the gas station. The bike had run out of gas five miles previously. The currents of fate had not been particularly kind to him lately. On the other hand, he was getting close to the West Coast. Perhaps he could jump a ship to Japan from there, and perhaps settle there as a hero. The Land of the Rising Sun had a large dearth of heroes. Besides, I'll actually be able to talk to the average guy there, thought the metahuman.
Little did the wave man realize he would never get on that ship, instead getting caught in the tidal pool the world called Jump City.
Kenkaku left his bike against the gas station building after refueling. He hiked his duffle up on his shoulder and walked in, confident that no one would steal his scuffed-up bike. People only liked Japanese models if they were immaculate. The sliding doors let out a rush of cool air. 'Ding, ding.'
"Ah! Hello sir! Can I help you?"
"Do you speak Japanese?"
"Excuse me?"
"Ii ka." The ronin walked over to the map rack and pulled out the one he was looking for. California Road Map. Good to see that they sell something I can read, he mused with a smile. He moved on to the snacks section, buying a stack of cheap protein and energy bars along with a few candy bars. Wave men do not live by protein bars alone, he thought, smirking. Drinks next. He was sorely tempted to buy the 12-pack of Dr. Pepper, but he needed hydration, and the bottled water was cheaper, not to mention actually able to quench his thirst.
Yep that'll do. He gathered up the provisions and walked to the counter to pay.
The salesperson pointed at the things, "Kyou," he pointed at the pumps outside, "San, kitsu ka?" he asked in broken Japanese.
"Hai." The teen pulled out his wallet. The salesperson turned the price display to Kenkaku. 'Sigh.' The boy pulled out the bills and paid the man. Just one more money-draining stop on the road to somewhere or another. He put the things in his duffle and made to leave.
'Ding, ding.' "Gimme all the money you have, or I blow your head off!" yelled a disgruntled-looking man with a pistol as he burst through the door.
"NANDA?" asked a surprised Kenkaku.
"Careful, longhair, or I blow your brains out! Don't move." He aimed the pistol at the long-haired teen for a bit before turning to the salesperson. "Money in a bag now!"
"Fujo," gasped the man behind the counter piteously.
That was all the ronin needed to hear. "Omae!" he yelled at the robber. As the criminal turned to him, he sped his body and perceptions up.
"What do you want Chinaman? Can't wait to…" he cut off as a extremely fast moving fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him out. Kenkaku switched back to normal speed.
"Dame da," he said fake sweetly, "Zuiban busuina yakaru da na." The last part was growled out. He smiled at the salesman. "Ja na." He started to walk out.
"Wait!"
"Nani?" asked the teen, turning around.
"Domo arigato." The man tossed a clip of bills at him.
The teen smiled. "Douitashimashite. Arigato." He gave a sketchy salute to the man with the hand that held the money, and walked out into the muggy Southern California heat.
---
Kenkaku smiled under his helmet as he rode along the coastal road, his duffle slung over his back as always. When he looked at the beach, he saw a few pieces of driftwood moving back and forth with the waves. Just like me, he mused with his soft smile. Eh, what could it hurt? He pulled over and walked his bike onto the beach, and leaned it up against a convenient tree, before doffing his helmet and placing it on the handlebars. His slightly more than shoulder-length hair blew lightly in the slight wind.
This is real nice. The swordsman placed his duffle next to his aging sportbike and walked down the beach, taking a much-needed break from the road. The day was cloudy and some of the morning fog still clung to the water, but he actually preferred it to an insanely sunny day. With what he was wearing, it was actually a pleasant temperature. A riding costume of dark blue long pants, a dark gray t-shirt and a black jacket, currently open, with a flip-up collar fit rather well into the somber mood of the scene. His belt was black leather with a pair of attachment on each hip for putting his swords through, Kanesada on the left, Muramasa on the right. The left fitting could be manipulated so that one could easily iaijutsu while keeping the sheath still attached to the belt. The right hip was merely a leather loop to hold the bokken. Both were currently vacant.
Kenkaku luxuriated in the solitude and quiet sound of sea lapping against shore. Presently, a tidal pool caught his attention. That's strange. A black piece of driftwood floated in it. But what caught his attention was the fact the shard of wood had a strip of bright metal stuck in it. Almost looks a bit like Kanesada. He knelt and looked closer at the pool, intrigued. Five shells rested in the pool. One red, one yellow, one green, one white, and one blue. Strange. He stood up again, brushing off his knees. I know sensei would call that an omen, but dammed if I can figure it out. Besides, none of those -omens- of his came true, right? He continued his walk down the beach.
Had the brown-haired teen viewed the pool from an angle 90 degrees over, he would have realized that the shells were arranged in the shape of a T.
---
Kenkaku stretched his arms about five minutes later, ambling back to his bike along the very edge of the water. He had better get moving again. As pleasant as the beach was, he did kinda enjoy his aimless wandering. It let him see many things. He fastened up his jacket, humming as he approached his bike. Water lapped at his boots as he made his slow way across the damp sand.
He had just fastened the collar when he tripped over a body.
'WHUMP'
"What the…" He picked himself up and turned around. A soaked blue cloak met his eyes. "Chikushou." He rolled the body over. It was a petite girl, wearing a navy leotard with no legs. Blue boots adorned her feet. A chain of gold discs linked by what looked like gold wires with dark red gemstones set in them was worn around her waist like a belt for whatever reason. Another of the golden discs with the gemstone held her cloak around her neck. A smaller disc with an appropriately smaller stone adorned each wrist. She had a head of purple hair and ashen skin. A teardrop-shaped gemstone of what looked like the same type was set on her forehead. With such a strange costume, she was probably a metahuman too. Whether she was good or evil was yet to be determined.
He checked for a pulse, finding a strong, steady beat before checking to see if she was breathing. Yep, she was. Almost definitely a metahuman then. He opened her eyes to see if she had suffered a concussion. Oh yeah, most definitely. Purple eyes? he asked mentally as he moved on to looking for cuts. There was only one, a long but fairly shallow gash on her leg. The long-haired boy ran to get his duffle for the first aid kit inside.
Once he had it, it was a fairly simple job to bind it up. He sat back in seiza. Now what? I can't just leave her here, but I don't have a cell phone to call for help, and I can't take her on the bike if she's unconscious. He frowned. What if she's evil? He took Kanesada from the duffle and put it in place on his hip. That should be enough to fight her if it comes to that.
He checked her vital signs again in the Red Cross-prescribed way. He had just started to check for breathing when…
"What are you doing?" asked a flat, unfriendly voice from beneath his ear. He jumped up.
"Gomen!"He stood with hands at shoulder-height, palms out. "I was performing first aid."
"Do you speak English?" She stood up, her sodden cloak weighting her down.
"Iie. Datte…"
She cut him off. "So ka. My Japanese is somewhat rusty, but passable I hope."
He stared. "You are remarkably fluent. I was about to say, I can understand English, but cannot speak it."
Her cloak hood was still off her face so Kenkaku caught her raised eyebrow. "Strange. Why?" He was more than a little surprised that she continued in Japanese.
He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know. I can't seem to speak anything but Japanese. Oh! By the way, I'm Kenkaku."
Her eyebrow climbed her face again. She switched over to English. "You're swordsman?" She flipped her hood up.
He gave a sheepish smile. "Hero name." He fished out his Metahuman Vigilante Registration Card, ready to draw Kanesada quickly if she reacted badly.
She looked the card over. "My name is Raven." She handed him her card. "I'm part of the Teen Titans from JumpCity."
"Pleased to meet you Raven-san. You do not have to continue in Japanese."
"One must practice a skill to stay sharp." She gestured at Kanesada. "Am I wrong?" She handed him back his card, and he gave her hers back.
"No, not at all."He removed Kanesada from his belt and placed it back in his duffle. "Is there any way I can help you?"
"I don't think so, Kenkaku-san." She pulled out her communicator, flipping it open. There wasn't a sound but she did not notice this. "Titans, this is Raven. Home in…" She realized she was speaking Japanese. Her hood's shadow hid her blush of embarrassment. "Titans, this is Raven. Home in on my signal and come pick me up. I'm on a beach that shouldn't be -too- far from the city." She looked down at the device. "What?"
"Looks broken to me," observed Kenkaku, pointing at a rent in the device's shell.
"Yes. This fact fills me with joy." Kenkaku almost wanted to check himself for bleeding, so biting was the sarcasm.
"Are you sure I cannot help?"
"Yes. I will just levitate ba…" 'COUGH, COUGH, UHHH, HACK, COUGH!' Her coughing fit drove her to her knees. "Well, perhaps…"
---
Ten minutes later Raven stood in some of Kenkaku's spare clothes munching on a disgusting energy bar as the wave man rooted through his duffle for a spare helmet. Suddenly the male slapped his forehead. "Kuso! I forgot I sold the spare a month back."
"You are pathetic." She spat out a bit of the bar.
"Hey, ronin never had much to live on throughout history!" He defended himself as he stood up
"And you're carrying on that trend?"
"Sadly enough…yes. Wandering superhero isn't a particularly high-paying job. Even less so when you don't speak the vernacular."
"Fine. So what are we going to do?"
The ronin stood up and placed the one helmet on the stunned sorceress's head. "You wear the helmet."
"Fine."They walked to the road, Kenkaku wheeling the sportsbike.
"Hold the bike." She did. Kenkaku let out some slack on his duffel's strap. He then balanced the bike. "Get on the back seat." She did and he slung the duffle around her, with plenty of slack in the strap.
"Nanda?"
"Quiet and let me work." He got on the bike. Raven put her arms around his waist. "Good." He put the duffel's strap around him and pulled it tight, pulling her snugly against him. "Don't get any ideas."
I was under the distinct impression that that was my line, thought Raven as they sped off. 'Cough!'
---
Japanese Glossary:
Kenkaku: Literally "Swordsman." Also a character's hero name.
Ronin: Literally "Wave man", meaning a masterless samurai or warrior
Kanji: Chinese-style characters.
Ii ka: "Fine, then."
Kyou: "And."
San: "Three." (not to be confused with -san)
Kitsu: "Correct."
Ka: Modifier. Turns a statement into a question.
Hai: "Yes."
Nanda: "What the hell?"
Fujo: "Help."
Omae: "Hey you!" (Like calling someone a peon, but not quite.)
Dame da: "Bad." (Like saying 'bad dog' to someone, complete with implied newspaper swat.)
Zuiban busuina yakaru da na: "Classless bastard."
Ja na: "See ya." (Male speak)
Nani: "What?"
Domo Arigato: "Thank you."
Douitashimashite: "You are welcome."
Arigato: "Thanks."
Chikushou: Literally "Beast(s)", figuratively "Damn." The strongest curse of -traditional- Japanese.
Seiza: A position to sit in. Much like sitting on one's feet with legs parallel in front of one's self. Diminishes space taken up while sitting. Used in Zen meditation and in martial arts.
Gomen: "Pardon me." Like 'I'm sorry'.
Iie: "No."
Datte: "But."
So ka: "I see."
-san: Honorific, basic, for use between equals, rough translation being "Mr., Ms., Mrs." Can even be applied to enemies. General use honorific.
Sword terms:
Katana: Curved, single edged sword of over two shaku (a unit of measure of a little less than a foot) in length. Traditionally, they are forged of folded steel that has been differentially tempered. These are the long swords of the samurai, often considered to be the best style of sword in the world.
Tsuka: Hilt or handle.
Menuki: Blade pin covers, placed inside the ito wrap.
Fuchi kashira: Metal covering for the butt of the tsuka.
Saya: Sheath.
Same: Ray skin. The inner wrapping of the tsuka.
Ito: The outer wrapping of the tsuka, with the highest quality being silk. This is the wrap that creates the famous diamond pattern by revealing diamonds of same.
Habaki: Blade collar.
Hamon: The border between the soft and hard steel of the body and edge, respectively.
Bokken: Wooden practice sword, most often made to simulate the katana.
A/N: Revised and renamed, here's the first chapter.
Please excuse the extensive use of Japanese. I realize that it can be hard to understand. That is intentional, but will not be so prevalent in later chapters.
I hope this version is more pleasing than the first.
