Part 50: Meeting Draco's Mom.

Timothy "Tim" Drake (Robin)

Kori Anders (Starfire)

Jennifer Wilcox (Jinx)

Victor Stone (Cyborg)

Garfield Logan (Beastboy)

Tara Markov (Terra)

Rachel Roth (Raven)

Ichijyo Desmond Amakusa Akuma (Shadowcobra)

Ryuki Leonard Hasuma (Draco)

Yoshiyuki Takada (Pluto)

"She should be here by now," said Leo as he checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He was dressed in a short sleeved red Chinese Shirt and black slacks with sneakers. His hair had been pulled back in a ponytail leaving two bangs sticking out of his hairline. He was at the airport to pick up his mother. With him were the other Titans, incognito. (Disguised as civilians). He had earlier received a call from his mother saying that she'd be arriving at 6.pm. It was already 6.15 and Leo was getting worried. Of course he had good reason to be.

"Relax Leo," Jen said. She was wearing her hair down and wearing blue contacts. She was dressed in a black tube top and matching leather miniskirt. Around her neck was a blue choker. On her shapely legs she wore a pair of black cowboy boots. "She'll be here."

"Kamisama, I miss Okaasan," Leo said. It had been exactly two months since Leo first arrived in Jump City.

"We're even ready to welcome her, see?" Takada said as he motioned for Gar and Vic to lift up a banner that said "WELCOME TO JUMP CITY!" in large bold letters. Takada had no mask on and was wearing a blue short sleeved turtleneck with denim jeans and leather shoes. Vic and Gar were wearing their holo-watches so they would look normal. Vic was dressed in a grey muscle shirt and leather pants with matching boots. Gar was wearing a white t-shirt with letters that spelled "I am Vegan and Proud of it!" and a simple pair of denim shorts that went a little past his knees. On his feet were sneakers.

"This will be a Booyah of a welcome!" grinned Vic.

"Word," agreed Gar.

"Just don't mention that you guys are superheroes too. Trust me on this," Leo reminded.

"What could happen?" said Tim. He was not wearing his mask and wearing a simple red buttoned up shirt with green slacks.

"Let's just say that Leo's mother is a bit like that woman Edna Mode," Ichijyo said. He had used a glamour spell to change his outward appearance. His hair was now jet black and combed over to cover the red mark on his forehead. He wore sunglasses over his eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt and matching black jeans with a pair of black boots. The t-shirt had his insignia on it.

"You mean she likes to design clothes for superheroes?" Rachel asked. She also used a glamour spell to change her appearance, giving her a normal skin color and hiding her chakra gem. Her hair and eyes remained the same. She was wearing a black tank top and black jeans with stiletto heel boots under them.

"Exactly," Ichijyo answered, "She was the one who designed, Leo, Takada and my uniforms," he told Rachel.

"Maybe we should ask her to design new suits for us," Tara suggested. She was dressed the way she was the same day she met the Titans for the first time, minus the white undershirt. Leo glared at her, "Kidding!"

"Oh I am so happy to be meeting Leo's dearest mother for the first time!" Kori beamed. She was wearing a pink tank top and denim miniskirt.

"Hey, I think that's the jet," Takada said, pointing outside. Leo pressed his face against the glass to get a better look.

"Yep, I know that jet anywhere," Leo agreed.

"That's your mom's private jet?" Tim asked.

"It's huge!" Terra looked on with awe.

"You are rich!" Jen said, grinning.

"I think they're getting off," Ichijyo said.

"Captain obvious returns," Takada snickered.

"Want to end up in a jet engine?" Ichijyo hissed.

"Let's go to the arrival gate," Leo said, breaking up the argument.

The Titans waited in front of the arrival gate. A woman dressed in a black suit and miniskirt walked into the airport. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses. She had long brown hair and was attractive. She could easily be in her early thirties or mid twenties. This was one of the bodyguards. She walked up to Leo and bowed. Leo bowed as well.

"It is good to see you again, young master," said the bodyguard.

"It is good to see you too, Sanada-san. It has been a long time since I've seen you," Leo said. Sanada-san bowed to the other Titans who bowed in return.

"The madam shall be arriving shortly, young master," said Sanada-san. She continued, "We must first pick up her luggage."

Leo leaned a bit to the left and smiled, "I don't think we need to wait that long."

"RYUKI!" a shrill female voice squealed as a woman came running out of the gate and hugged Leo. "My son, how I missed you!" she was wearing a stylish yellow suit and had long black hair and blue eyes. She was in her mid forties, but looks to be in her mid thirties, if that were possible.

"I've missed you too, Okaasan," Leo smiled, hugging his mother.

Following Mrs. Hasuma were 5 more bodyguards with different hairstyles but dressed exactly alike. They bowed respectfully to Leo and his friends.

"How much do we have to bow?" Gar complained.

"Dunno, but my joints are gonna be sore if I keep doing this," Vic whined.

"Oh, shut up!" Takada growled.

"I see you have some new friends with you," Mrs. Hasuma said as she finally noticed the rest of the Titans.

"Yes, I have, Okaasan"

"You remember Takada and Ichijyo-san, right?" Leo said. Leo's full name is Ryuki Leonard Hasuma. However, he sometimes goes by his nickname, Leo, which is a shortened version of his middle name.

"Yes, I do," she winked at them. She knew they were both Zodiac Knights.

"It has been a long time, Mrs. Hasuma," Ichijyo bowed.

Takada bowed before giving her the peace and love salute. "Now guys!"

Vic and Gar lifted up the banner and Mrs. Hasuma clapped and laughed happily. "Oh, thank you, children!"

"Okaasan, let me introduce each of them to you," Leo introduced each of the Titans, "Timothy Drake, Kori Anders, Tara Markov, Rachel Roth, the two with the banner are Victor Stone and Garfield Logan." Each of the Titans bowed as his/her name was mentioned. He took Jen by the hand and led her forward so that his mother could take a closer look at her, "And this is Jennifer Wilcox," he added, "My girlfriend."

"Oh, Ryuki!" she clasped her hands, "She is lovely!"

"Thank you, ma'am," Jen blushed, bowing.

"And so polite!"

"Thank you, Okaasan."

"It is good to finally meet you, Mrs. Hasuma," Jen said shyly.

"Thank you and it is a pleasure for me to finally meet you all!"

Jen whispered into Leo's ear, "So far so good."

Leo whispered back, "She loves you already." He gave her a peck on the cheek.

Mrs. Hasuma approached Kori. "Kori, is it?"

"Yes, mother to my friend Leo," Kori beamed. Mrs. Hasuma was puzzled by the way Kori talked but thought nothing of it.

"So you want to become a model?" she asked. Kori nodded. "Very well, but we have to take your measurements first."

"But, Okaasan," Leo began, "We are in the middle of the airport. Can't we do this later after we check you into the hotel?"

"Nonsense!" she clapped her hands and immediately one of the bodyguards came up to Kori and began taking her measurements with a measurement tape. "Now's a perfect time!" She pointed to Jen, Rachel and Tara. "You too. Chop chop!" she clapped.

"What?" all three girls said at the same time and were immediately being measured by the remaining bodyguards. Mrs. Hasuma was taking notes with a PDA.

"But we ain't models!" Tara said as she raised her arms while her waist was being measured.

"Nonsense, I need girls like you. Professional supermodels and too snobbish. I need girls who will bring my creations to life!"

"Oi…" Leo groaned, slapping his forehead.

"You weren't kidding when you said your mom was a little eccentric," Tim said.

"Eccentric is an understatement, Tim," said Leo.

Rachel glared at Ichijyo and gave him a threatening telepathic message. ((This better be worth it, snake boy!)) Ichijyo was starting to look a bit nervous.

"Now you boys," Mrs. Hasuma turned to the male Titans, "Make yourself useful and take the luggage, will you?"

"Sure, Mrs. H!" Vic said as he turned around. He and the other male Titans' jaws dropped as they stared at the mountain of briefcases.

"Oh boy," Gar said, eyes wide.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Gar," Takada agreed.

Sonoda-san said to them, "I apologize, the madam tends to over pack," she bowed apologetically.

"You think?" Ichijyo said sarcastically, looking at the mountain with wide eyes.

"Over pack is a really big understatement," Tim muttered, looking at the mountain.

"This is nothing," Leo said, "You should see how much she brought on her trip to Europe."

"That's 40 bags," Gar groaned as he planted himself on a nearby chair. "My back is so damn sore."

"Tell me about it," Takada moaned dropping down on another chair. "I can't feel my hands."

"Aw, c'mon dawgs!" said Vic as he placed the bag down. "It wasn't so bad."

"Easy for you to say," Gar remarked, messaging his shoulders.

"Yeah," Takada said, "Most of your muscles are mechanical."

"Tell that to those three," Vic pointed behind him. Tim, Ichijyo and Leo were carrying the last of the bags.

"Why couldn't your mom's bodyguards do this for us?" Tim whined, rubbing his sore shoulders.

"It's good exercise!" Leo said. "Sides, the girls (bodyguards) are probably tired from jet lag. Give them a break. Taking care and protecting my mom is a full time job itself."

"That's where most of them are, anyway," Ichijyo said as he sat down on one of the brief cases.

They were in the lobby of The Jump City Plaza Hotel.

"By the way, where are the girls?" Gar asked.

"Where else, with my mom in the comfy room she rented, getting fitted for the dresses," Leo answered.

"I still don't get why she doesn't hire professional supermodels," Takada said.

"The only reason you want professional supermodels is because you want to flirt with them," Ichijyo hissed.

"Bite me," Takada growled.

"I am so tempted."

"Easy you two. Not here in the lobby," Tim stood between the two Knights.

"Yeah, if you're gonna duke it out, we have to sell tickets," Gar quipped.

Vic decided to repeat Takada's question, "Why doesn't your mom use professional models anyway?"

"Okaasan likes to use real people for her clothes. She does have some models under her, but she prefers real girls to model," Leo answered. "Her motto is 'Bring out the real you!'. Her clothes put more emphasis on hidden inner beauty and not just the outside."

"I see."

"Yeah. It's possible that almost half the briefcases here are filled with clothes just for me," Leo said worriedly.

"Really?"

Leo nodded.

"So, why the long face?" asked Tim.

"My mom knows I'm a Zodiac Knight and tries to get me in a different costume each time. My uniform now is the fourth one she designed," Leo told him. "I don't know how many other designs she made."

"Knowing your mother, it's more than a hundred," Ichijyo said. "She even created variations for my uniform."

"And mine," Takada added.

"Oh, almost forgot," Leo said, remembering something. "She invited us all to dinner tonight at the Ritz Restaurant downtown."

"Free eats!" Gar licked his lips.

"Booyah!" Vic gave Takada a high five.

"It's a formal thing, so wear a tuxedo," Leo added, off hand.

Gar and Takada froze.

"You both don't have tuxedos, do you?" Ichijyo asked.

"Um…" they both stuttered.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Let's go to the mall. She's expecting us to be ready by 8.30," Leo said. "And I need to pick something up."

"What?" Tim asked.

"It's a secret!" Leo said quickly.

((A gift for Jen?)) Yaminekoryu said within Leo's mind.

((Oh yeah.)) Leo sighed.

((Anniversary?))

((I just want to show her how much I really love her.))

((May I suggest something?))

((If it's sex, my answer is NO!))

((Suit yourself, Aibou.))

Meanwhile.

"Nice dress," Tara smiled.

"Shut up," snapped Rachel. She was in an indigo evening dress that reached her knees with one strap over her left shoulder. On her wrists were silver bracelets and she also wore silver earrings with red studs. There was some make up on her face, mostly some eye shadow and lipstick. "I can't believe she got me in a dress! Not even Kori can do that!"

"Leo's mom must have that effect on people," Tara said. Both she and Rachel were in a hotel room. It had been rented out for the bodyguards. Also, the girls were going to wait for the right time to surprise the boys.

"Where's Kori?" Rachel asked.

"With the makeup guy, she is the main star," Tara winked. Rachel understood the double meaning.

"And Jen?"

"Where else?"

In another room, Jen was with Leo's mom trying out some dresses. Hard to believe that Mrs. Hasuma made them herself.

"I was always good with needle and thread," Mrs. Hasuma grinned.

"Not just good, you're great!" Jen was wearing a black strapless dress that was cut short in the back to expose her back a little. It had a skirt that flowed down to her knees and had a slit on the left. Her hair had been braided and she also wore some jewelry.

"I think Ryuki will really like you in that dress. It brings out the color of your hair," Mrs. Hasuma complimented.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hasuma," Jen bowed.

"Stop bowing, girl. Once at the airport was enough," she chided.

"Sorry," Jen said sheepishly.

"So…" Mrs. Hasuma's tone changed. "How did you meet my son?" she asked.

"We sorta…bumped into each other and immediately hit it off," Jen said, offhanded. Not really a lie.

"He was probably attracted to your hair," Mrs. Hasuma pointed out, "Ryuki was always partial to bright colors."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Jen admired herself in the mirror.

"So have you two had sex?" Mrs. Hasuma asked.

"WHAT?" Jen turned, screeching.

Immediately a bodyguard crashed through the door and took out her gun. Jen instinctively raised her hands.

Mrs. Hasuma waved it off. "It's okay. I just startled the girl. Go back outside to guard the room," she said to the bodyguard. The bodyguard nodded and went back outside.

"I have to get used to all those bodyguards," Jen managed to catch her breath.

"They are a necessity." Mrs. Hasuma grinned, "So have you had sex with my son?"

Jen stuttered, "N…no," she shook her head.

"He didn't respond to anything you were doing, right?" Jen nodded. "God, he's just like his father." Mrs. Hasuma suddenly smiled sadly.

"What's wrong?" Jen had regained her composure and sat next to the older lady.

"I miss him, you know…Ryuki's father…my late husband…"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It happened a long time ago. Ryuki was only three, so he probably doesn't remember him. I still do, though."

"So…" Jen said, "Leo takes after his dad?"

"Perfectly and exactly. I was best friends with his father ever since we were in kindergarten. Our feelings grew for each other, but he never realized it. I only acknowledged my feelings for him by the time we reached hi-school." Mrs. Hasuma continued, "He was cute, and dense, and never understood the signals I was giving out."

"Leo's the exact same thing," Jen giggled. "I have to be more direct to get him to understand what I want."

"Like father like son. It took me almost dying for him to realize how he felt about me," Mrs. Hasuma told the girl.

"Almost dying?"

"Accident. Long story." Mrs. Hasuma sighed, "So you tried to bed my little boy, but you were unsuccessful?"

"Sorry, but he is my boyfriend and I was hoping…"

"No need to apologize, you both are teenagers and in love. It would've happened sooner or later," Mrs. Hasuma placed a hand on her shoulder and then grinned. "I might have just the thing to help you with your problem. A little trick I learnt that made my late husband really frisky."

Jen leaned closer, more interested. "What?"

Mrs. Hasuma whispered, "Catnip."

Leo was at the mall looking for jewelry. The guys, actually just Gar and Takada, were looking for tuxedos.

"May I help you?" said a woman working at the jewelry display

"Yes, I'm looking for a present," Leo answered. "For someone special."

"How special?" the woman leered and smirked, causing Leo to blush.

"Very special."

"Ah…young love," the woman sighed. She took out a collection of rings from the display. "How about a ring?"

"A ring?" Leo asked, confused.

"Sometimes boys give girls promise rings. Kinda like 'engaged to be engaged', or something romantic like that," she explained.

"Oh," Leo blushed.

"This girl must really be special."

"Well, yeah, she is," Leo answered sincerely.

"What's the first thing you think about when you see her?" the clerk asked.

"I dunno, cats, pink…" he listed.

"Perfect. I got just the thing," she took out a gold band with a pink gem in the middle.

"Woah…" Leo admired, "Shiny."

"And expensive too," the clerk added. "You sure you want it?"

"It's perfect!" Leo said in finality. The woman told him the price and his eyes widened before he said, "It's worth it." He gave her the money. She then gave him a small velvet box to keep the ring in.

"Do you want something inscribed in the ring?" the woman asked.

"You know," Leo said, while thinking, "Not a bad idea."

To Be Continued…