Little Birds of Brockton Bay
I don't drink, so when I woke up in an alleyway with a pounding head and no idea where I was, I was understandably very confused. Then, a teenage superhero landed on my head while trying to escape from an oversized rage dragon and I figured out I'd been ROBed. I wasn't expecting to start a flock of little birds though...
Here we go for another entry in this idea. I know, I really shouldn't be starting something new, but writing Devils Advocate is almost physically painful for me right now! I need a break, so I decided to do some more with this idea since I had so much fun writing it. Anyway, with that out of the way, lets get started. Enjoy!
Chapter 3
I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat under Danny's glare, trying desperately to figure out if I should meet his eyes or not. It certainly didn't help that I was facing him alone, Taylor having been dragged off by Miya and Matsu to receive a quick and dirty lesson in the basics of being a Sekirei. It was rather smart considering that all Sekirei were stronger than Humans, even the physically weak Brain Types, so making sure that Taylor was aware of said strength was rather important so she didn't accidentally break someone in half. Doubly so for when she'd have to head back to school, although I strongly suspected that getting Sophia slapped with a great big helping of comeuppance would be a lot easier with both Dragon and Armsmaster present, if only because I got the distinct impression that all Single Digits were extremely protective of the other Sekirei.
However, that was for later. For now, I had to deal with Danny and his judging glare.
After a few minutes of silent glaring, Danny finally broke the silence and sat back with a sigh.
"I knew this would happen eventually," he said, "It was inevitable that Taylor would React to someone eventually."
"You knew she was a Sekirei?" I asked.
Danny smiled a little sadly.
"Yes, I did," he said, "Kinda hard not to when my Wife's a Sekirei herself."
I blinked.
"Wait, really?" I asked.
How the actual fuck did a Sekirei get killed in something as minor as a car crash? Then again, it wasn't impossible that something else happened to her. Danny nodded with a sigh.
"Yeah, I kinda wish she was here now," he said, "She should be the one to tell Taylor everything she needs to know."
He sighed.
"Still, she'll have some time off soon, especially now Taylors found her Ashikabi."
Wait, what?
"She works for the Guild, so shes not around as much as I'd like," said Danny, apparently catching my expression and completely misinterpreting it, "Still, shes doing what she loves, so I could never ask her to give it up."
"I...see," I said, "So your an Ashikabi too?"
"Yeah, but my Sekireis strong enough that she doesn't need me around," said Danny, "I used to go with her, but I'm not as young as I used to be."
His gaze sharpened and I stiffened as he fixed me with another glare.
"Thats why I'm not going to give you the whole 'hurt her and your dead' shtick other fathers give their daughters Boyfriends," he said, "It wouldn't do any good anyway considering that you wouldn't have been able to Wing her if you weren't her Ashikabi. Still, you'd better do everything in your power to make sure that shes happy and safe. I'm not dumb enough to think that she won't go out and use her powers, shes too much like her Mother not to, but if she gets hurt…"
"She won't," I said, "I'm not sure how much I can do, but I will still do everything in my power to keep her from harm."
I snorted.
"Besides, if anything does happen, it'll be Miya who takes my head off and, no offence, I'm a lot more scared of her than you."
Danny burst out laughing at that.
"I honestly don't blame you for that kid," he said, "Shes mellowed out some since she adopted Riley, but shes still scary enough to keep Lung out of the area. Mainly because the last time he tried to intimidate her into his gang, she kicked his ass with a rolling pin and a soup ladle."
I burst out laughing at the image of a man like Lung getting his ass kicked in such a way. The laughter served to break the ice and, with the threats out of the way, we settled into an easy conversation. I quickly found that Danny was a remarkably observant man with a quick with and a sense of humour that reminded me greatly of my own Father. I could easily see myself getting on with him in the future.
Unfortunately, the thought also soured my mood as it brought to light the fact that I'd likely never see my family again. I'd often thought that the whole idea of those who were plucked from their own world by ROB's for whatever reason returning home was a terrible idea. Why? Well, unless the world was completely peaceful or their time in the other world incredibly short (which would make the insert pointless), the result would be a person apparently changing overnight, or returning from a protracted and unexplained absence with crazy stories. That was just cruel, not to mention the fact that the insert would inevitably have made friends or even had a family while in the other world.
Combine that with the fact I had no idea how I got here or why and I'd have to make peace with the fact that I was stuck.
"Are you alright?" asked Danny, catching the shift in my expression.
"Yeah, its just…"
I sighed as I lent my forehead on my clasped hands and tried to keep from crying.
"My family are...gone," I said softly, "Hell, if I hadn't met Taylor, I'd probably still be out on the street. I...don't have anything but the clothes on my back."
Despite myself, I felt my eyes begin to become wet as my throat teared up. I wasn't the type to really show that much emotion normally and I didn't particularly want to start bawling in front of a basic stranger.
A moment later, the chair I was sat on dipped slightly and a pair of arms wrapped around me. I looked up in surprise to see Taylor holding me.
"You don't have to hold it back," she said softly.
That did it. I'm honestly not afraid to admit that I cried like a baby as Taylor held me close, saying nothing but offering me simple comfort as I cried out my loss.
"I can't imagine what its like for you to lose everything like you have," she said once I managed to stop crying, "But even if you can never go home, I'll help you make a home here, if you'll let me."
I smiled weakly as I wiped my eyes. I wasn't completely over it, but I could deal. I'd have to deal. Sekirei crossover or not, this was still Worm and shit would hit the fan sooner or later and I couldn't afford to be anything but my best.
"Thanks Taylor," I said softly as I hugged my Sekirei.
After a few moments, I took a deep breath and stood, rubbing my face on more time to get rid of the remaining tears.
"Right, I'm done crying for now," I said, "Time to get started."
"Started on what?" asked Taylor.
"I don't have any powers, but that doesnt mean I have to be useless," I said, "I'm going to ask Miya to teach me how to fight."
"I'd be happy to," said the Landlady from the door, making both of us jump.
"Um, thank you?" I said, a little taken aback.
"Well, I can't let anything happen to you, can I?" asked Miya as she pulled a training sword out of...somewhere and tossed it to me, "Now come along."
I followed Miya outside...and was immediately wacked over the head with a training sword.
"Oh dear, do you have any experience with fighting at all?" she asked as I rubbed my head and glared at her.
"Not in the slightest," I said, "I was a normal guy before I came here. Everything I know about fighting comes from Anime and fiction. Hell, I don't even think I know how to punch properly."
I clenched my fist and gave a half hearted swing. Miya didn't look impressed.
"I was hoping to have some foundation to start from, but with nothing...this might take a while," she said.
"Look, I'm not asking you to teach me how to be a master or anything," I said, "All I want is to be good enough that I won't get shanked by a random goon."
I scowled and looked down at the wooden sword in my hand.
"Unfortunately, even that might take to long," I muttered, "Damn, I wish I had a way to speed it up...URK!?"
I barely heard the shouts of surprise from Miya and Taylor as I felt a rush of energy surge through my body and focus in the sword in my grip. For a brief moment, the world fell away and a vast web of incomprehensible information extended out before my gaze, before it all seemed to be sucked into the sword, which began to glow brightly. A moment later, the glow faded and I knew.
"Are you OK Lucas?" asked Taylor, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I said as I lifted the wooden sword to take a closer look.
On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed, but to my vision, a faint aura surrounded it and I knew exactly what it would do. Anyone holding the sword would find themselves able to use and learn how to use it at an accelerated rate. Whats more, I knew that the effect would become stronger the more time passed and the more it was used.
"I-I think I have powers," I said.
"I beg your pardon?" asked Miya, looking surprised.
I ignored her in favour of grabbing one of the padded gloves she'd also brought out for me to use and focused. Once again, it began to glow and a web appeared, although it was different from the preveous one in a way I couldn't fathom. A moment later, I was done, although this time I was out of breath and sweating slightly. Still, I ignored my discomfort as I pulled the glove on and turned to the tree that grew in one corner of the yard.
"Lucas, what are you doing?" asked Taylor.
I ignored her and punched the tree as hard as I could.
CRACK!
With a sound like a gunshot, a small crater was blasted into the bark.
"Oh my!" said Miya, "How did you do that?"
"Gloves that increase my strength," I said with a grin, "I can create enchanted items!"
The reveal that I apparently had a rather powerful Trump ability meant that training had to be tabled for now as I tried to figure out what I could do. And because I managed to knock myself out after trying to Enchant the other glove of the pair. Apparently I only had a limited supply of energy to use for Enchanting and going over it HURT!
Still, I wasn't out for long and it only took a couple of hours for my energy to recharge enough that we could do some experimentation and Miya convincing a rather grumpy Tess to help certainly helped. With her help, we learnt that my energy reserves took about five hours to fully restore from empty, but I could Enchant items so long as I had some left, especially if I was frugal with my reserves. I could Enchant anything I could touch with a variety of affects, ranging from making an extension cable that produced its own electricity from...somewhere, to turning some pebbles into small explosives (before Miya put a stop to that experiment). However, while I could use a miniscule amount of energy to enchant something, it would be basically useless for a while. Like I mentioned previously, the effects of my Enchantment increased with time and use, but it wasn't exactly fast. I could upgrade already Enchanted objects by dumping more energy into them, but that defeated the point of creating something with tiny amounts of power.
In short, while my power was like Dauntless' on steroids, it was still limited in its own ways. Most notably by the fact that each item I Enchanted could only carry one effect each. However, there was a way around that.
If I Enchanted components of an item and then assembled it, the Enchantments stayed put. I discovered that when I accidentally Enchanted some parts and Tess assembled them to see what happened. The end result was a computer that generated its own power and floated about six inches of the ground...for about ten seconds before it exploded as the explosive Enchantment left over in one of the screws Tess used went off.
Still, it was useful to know and would allow me to make much more useful equipment, starting with a full set of workout gear designed to enhance my ability to learn how to fight and improve my bodies ability to handle the training and get stronger thought it. Training wouldn't do me much good if I permanently injured myself after all.
Needless to say, by the end of the day, I was absolutely knackered. Between all the experiments draining my stamina and the intense training session Miya put me through to test my first proper (and actually useful) creations, my stamina was tapped and my entire body felt like one massive bruise, even with the enhanced healing provided by said gear. Even so, I went to sleep with a massive smile on my face, despite the slight sense of loss that came with the fact that Danny had taken Taylor home with him. Something about wanting to have a good long talk and probably being overly protective, although exactly what he thought we'd get up to with Miya on watch was anyone's guess.
The feeling of a soft wind tugging at my hair made me open my eyes. It took a moment, but I quickly realized that, instead of the ceiling of my room at Izumo Inn, I was looking up at a crystal blue sky with a few wispy clouds drifting across it. I sat up and looked around. I was in what appeared to be a garden, full of beautifully flowering plants and expertly tended beds that seemed to be set up with little logic or planning, but still managed to be truly breathtaking.
"Am I dreaming?" I muttered, "Huh...well at least its nice here I guess."
I was about to go take a look around when a soft sound made me pause.
"What was…?"
I was cut off by the sound of fluttering wings as a flock of black and white birds took off from the other side of a hedge. I frowned and walked over to see what had spooked them. As I did, the sound I was hearing became clearer. It was a girl crying.
I rounded the hedge and found the source of said crying, a girl with frizzy, light brown hair, dressed in the tattered remains of a white robe and clutching an equally tattered white cape that was splattered by some rather suspicious red stains.
"Hey, why are you crying?" I asked, kneeling down in front of the girl.
She flinched at the sound of my voice and looked up, revealing leaf green eyes that were red from crying.
"W-who are you?" she croaked.
I smiled.
"Lucas," I said, "My name is Lucas. And you are?"
The girl flinched and looked away. I sighed and dropped down to sit beside her, doing my best to ignore the way she shifted away slightly.
"This is a beautiful place," I said, "Is it yours?"
The girl shot a look at me and nodded.
"Yeah, but it won't last," she muttered, "It never does…"
"Hmm? Why not?" I asked.
"Because of her."
I opened my mouth to ask who 'her' was, but before I could, a shadow fell over us. I looked up in shock and stumbled back in horror at the sight of the misshapen mass of flesh that seemed to be made up of a conglomerate of random body parts that looked only vaguely like they came from a Human.
"YoooOOuuu!" hissed the monster in a chorus of voices, "YoooOoUU dId ThIsssSS TooO Me!"
The girl screamed in horror as the monster reached for her, scrabbling to get away. Without thinking, I moved, leaping forwards and dragging the girl out of the way as the monster lashed out with a massive, clawed hand. It shrieked in fury and surged forwards, lashing out again with its many hands. I pulled the girl into my arms and twisted, putting myself between me and the monster, all the while with the thought of 'WHATTHEFUCKAMIDOING?!' running through my mind. I knew it was a dream, but despite that, I couldn't stop the protectiveness I felt towards the girl whos name I didn't even know.
Of course, that seemed like par for the course for me lately and I had to wonder if it was due to something the ROB that dumped me here did, if it had something to do with being an Ashikabi or if it was a character trait I always had that never showed up till now. Something to consider later I guess as the monsters hand slammed into my back with a loud gong, sending the two of us flying. To my suprise, I wasn't hurt, although this was a dream, so that might have something to do with it.
I opened my eyes to see the girl laying underneath me, staring up at me with wide eyes.
"Are you OK?" I asked.
"Y-you...why did you do that?" she asked, "You could have been killed!"
"Unlikely considering this is a dream, but even so, I'm not really the type to let someone get hurt if I can avoid it."
"B-but you don't even know me," said the girl.
I grinned.
"Since when do you need to know someone to help them?" I asked, "Besides, what kind of man would I be if I let a pretty girl get hurt on my watch?"
Good god, that was corny! I'm glad this is just a dream or I'd never live that line down. Despite the corniness, the girls cheeks went red and she looked away, squirming slightly.
"So uncool," she muttered.
Then, her eyes widened.
"LOOK OUT!" she yelled.
I spun around, just in time to see another clawed hand coming at us and…
She jolted awake, her heart hammering as she shot upright, panting and sweaty from the nightmare. It was an unfortunately familiar reaction to her after suffering the recurring nightmare that had plagued her for the better part of a year now. She both hated and was thankful for it in equal measure because, as horrific as it was, it served as a reminder as to why she kept her powers on such a short leash. One small mistake and she could well create something as horrific as the monster that hunted her in her nightmares, either physically or just mentally. A tiny moment of weakness and…
She shuddered. No, she knew all too well what she could do if she wasn't careful.
She shook herself off and reached over to open the curtains. The cold, early spring light extended tentative fingers into the room, washing away the lingering darkness of the nightmare and allowing the girl to focus on the less...unpleasant parts, namely the strange boy who had appeared.
It was an extremely odd change considering that she knew that she'd never met him before in her life. It was a shame really, he seemed like the type she could get along with, corny one-liners and all.
"Heh, so uncool," she muttered with a soft smile as her cheeks pinked slightly, "Still, it'd be nice to meet him in person…"
She trailed off, her eyes widening slightly as she felt an oddly familiar feeling rise up in her chest. It was similar to what she felt around her sister (much to her shame), but it was different in some subtle way. Maybe it was because of the lack of forbidden feelings, or maybe it was something else entirely, but the memory of the feeling of his hot breath on her face after he'd saved her made her lips tingle and her body feel hot.
"W-whoa, this feeling…" she muttered, pressing a hand to her chest, "W-why would I…? I don't even know if hes real!"
"Hey Amy, you awake in there?"
The sudden voice and knocking on the door made the girl jump.
"A-ah, yes, I'll be right down!" she called back.
"Well hurry up or we'll be late!"
There was the sound of footsteps retreating, leaving Amy alone again. She let out a breath and did her best to calm down, before grabbing her robe and slippers to head down to breakfast, absently rubbing the area between her shoulder blades as she went. Had she remained a little longer, Amy Dallon might have noticed the slightly limp looking potted plant on her dresser blooming to life.
Welp, its a bit short, but thats as good a time as any to end it. Hope you enjoyed!
Hooo boy, this has undergone some changes. When I started the initial Vault entries, I had a very differnt vision to what I have now, mainly in the form of Lucas' powers and Taylors mother. I started with Lucas having a variant of Dragons power and Taylors Mom being a super dead Yume, but then someone pointed me at Dauntless' powers and I had this, much better idea. As for Taylors Mother, well, shes now alive and someone very different. I'll keep who to myself for now.
So, Lucas' power. I think I managed to explain it pretty well, although I did leave out two details. The first is that the size of the item Enchanted determines how much energy is needed before it becomes useful, the second is that his power does NOT play well with Tinkertech. Originally, it was going to be all electronics, but I want him to make a bike, so I changed it.
The situation with Taylor having both Parents and yet still being bullied is one that I'm sure will get some attention, but think about it. How many kids get bullied but don't tell their Parents, despite having a decent relationship with them? In this case, its because Taylor still subconsciously has some loyalty to Emma and shes basically been beaten down so much she never even thought of trying to talk to her Parents. Plus, her Mother isn't really the type of person who'd hold back much…
I...really don't think I fooled anyone with regards to Amy's identity, did I? Either in terms of her introduction, or which Sekirei she actually is.
Actually, that brings up an interesting point about the Sekirei in this world. Without MBI to fuck with their powers, all Sekirei are actually stronger in this version of reality than in Canon. Even the weakest of them has at least an 8 in one of the PRT's rankings, with the more powerful ones getting even higher than that. I suspect that Miya's is stupidly high.
And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review!