Rurouni's Journey
Chapter 1 — Arrival at Jump City
It was a rather ordinary day for Rurouni, as he arrived in Jump City. He scaled the wall at a nearby gas station to get a better look of the city. He caught a glimpse of a large T-shaped building before the attendant came out and shouted, "Hey, you! Get down from there!" Rurouni jumped down without saying a word. The attendant saw his twin blades and leered. He ran back into the building yelling, "Don't hurt me! I don't want to die!"
Rurouni followed him in. "I want none of your money. Nobody is going to die here, kind sir." Rurouni pulls his wallet out of his knapsack. "Here, have a dollar for any trouble I may have caused. But in the meantime, do you know of any good sushi bars?"
"Sure, I'll show you. Follow this street for five blocks into town. That's the Japanese Quarter. They got some of the best there," replied the attendant, confidently.
Rurouni performed a slight bow. "Arigatou, kind sir," he said, and moved on.
He had not even passed two blocks when he was ambushed by a group of street punks. "Whatcha got in the bag?" demanded one of them.
"Nothing but a few meager possessions."
"You're lying! Give me all ya got!"
"Okay, but I must warn you." Rurouni pulled out his katana and swung it in a high arc.
The gang members started chuckling. "Hah! He's got a cute little sword!"
"It's not just a 'cute little sword.' It can be the bane of your existence." He turned the sword around in his hand, so that the blade pointed down. "So I suggest you run."
"Ooh, I'm scared," snorted one.
"Sword-boy wants us to run!" sneered another.
"I've had enough. If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you will get!" Rurouni brought the hilt of the sword upwards and slammed it square into the jaw of a third perpetrator and kicked him away. One of the remaining gang members pulled out a handgun. Rurouni switched his grip back and knocked the pistol away, sending it clattering across the concrete. He then frightened him with a stroke across the abdomen, shearing the shirt off and leaving a good cut there.
"Let's get out of here," they wailed, thoroughly frightened.
Ten minutes later, Rurouni arrived at the Japanese Quarter. He entered a nearby restaurant, the Sushi Hana. "Bartender, could you get me a pot of herbal tea?" Suddenly, a gray hand set itself on his. He glanced at it. It had a dark blue wrist guard, accented with a red gemstone. He followed the hand to its owner. "You may have some of mine," replied the gray figure in a feminine voice. She was dressed in a dark blue hooded cloak and a black leotard. Her forehead was adorned with a smaller red gemstone. She spoke again.
"I haven't seen you before. Are you new to Jump City?"
"Yes, I have just arrived today. And what is your name, sweet young lady?"
"Huh? Oh," She blushed slightly, "my name is Raven."
"I am Yohimura Mitsutora, but you can call me Rurouni. I must thank you for offering me your tea."
"It's not a problem, we can afford it."
"We?"
"Yeah, we. I'm one of the Teen Titans. If you want, I can take you there."
"The Teen Titans. Yes, I've heard of you. Aqualad told me about you guys."
"You've met Titans East?"
"Sure, they're a great—" Suddenly something went off outside, and Raven's communicator beeped. She flipped it open, showing a masked face.
"Titans, we've got trouble," it said.
"Yes, I know, I'm there already." Raven replied.
The voice answered, "We'll see you there then."
Rurouni asked, "Who was that?"
"One of the other Titans. You'll meet them soon." She rushed out the door. "Put it on the Titans' tab," she told the bartender.
