Chapter 9: Isolation The space between the shape-shifter and the Asian decreased as they leaned into each other.
And just before they made contact, Tezumi stopped abruptly, seeing someone observing them from the ground – a hooded figure.
And she knew that she saw the stranger before!
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the figure on the ground before she resumed where she stopped.
But she wasn't going for his face.
"O tomodachi ni wakare o tsugemasu!" Tezumi whispered inside the shape-shifter's ear and his eyes snapped open when he felt her lips brush against his ear.
"So…you like my ears?" the changeling murmured before he fist pumped the air in victory. "I knew it! Girls love elf ears."
"Arigatou," Tezumi smiled and Beast Boy felt a bit disappointed that his wish hasn't been fulfilled.
And in one quick motion, Tezumi pecked his cheek before they arrived back at the ground, seeing his sad expression.
A smile spread over Beast Boy. "I guess, that's a good start," he said and both got off the Ferris Wheel and Beast Boy let out a yawn and the Asian girl giggled at him.
She pointed to the direction of the entrance to the Theme Park, Japanese words escaping her mouth that Beast Boy couldn't understand.
"But that's the way we came from. So you…want to go somewhere else?" Beast Boy guessed before once again, the Asian pulled the shape-shifter on his hand towards her destination.
And the changeling tightened his grip on the hand, earning a smile from the girl.
Tezumi leaned against him somewhere during their walk, surprising the shape-shifter but not bothering him in the least before he realized that they were walking in familiar terrain.
"Hey, that's the way to Terra's school. You know it's in the middle of the night, right?"
Tezumi looked over her shoulder before she asked a question of her own. "Doko ni sunde imasu ka?"
"Uh, are you asking if you can go to school?" he asked, pointing to the yard of Murakami High School.
Tezumi arched an eyebrow before she formed a triangle with her hands and after a short while, Beast Boy realized that it was supposed to be a roof.
"Are you talking about homes?" he asked and made the same shape with his hands and she nodded reluctantly. "I would wish myself inside the HIVE academy if school was supposed to be my home."
And suddenly Robin's image flashed across his mind.
Raven said Robin might be doing something horrible if Beast Boy would be acting on his own.
Tezumi looked at him expectantly.
But he acted on his own when he decided to trust Terra when she became Slade's apprentice and she saved their lives!
So why would Tezumi be any different – after all she was just a normal girl?
"Let me show you where heroes live," he smirked before he morphed into a winged dinosaur. And Tezumi's eyes sparked with mischief and a smile spread on her face. "Anata wa…"
Beast Boy impatiently flapped his wings and Tezumi got onto the dinosaur after getting the hint.
He took off with particular ease and it didn't take long for them to be high up in the air and even less to find the familiar letter-shaped building.
"Nandesu ka?" the girl wondered aloud and the changeling lowered her to the parking lot that was overlooking the sea.
He morphed back with a smile on his face and pointed towards the sea. "That's where I live."
Tezumi narrowed her eyes before she pointed to the large, lone tower standing in the middle of a sea of blue. Was that where he lived?
In that…silver platter?
"Cool, isn't it?" Beast Boy bragged, grinning like he had just won the lottery.
"Beast Boy..."
The word's low voice caught him by surprise and he turned towards the girl…only for her to fall into his arms, causing him almost to trip over by the impact.
"W-what was that for?" he asked in surprise and the girl wrapped her arms around him.
He did the same after getting over his initial shock, fearing that if he wouldn't, then Tezumi would get the wrong message and leave him.
Just like Terra…
"Sayonara," she whispered in his ear, her eyes trained on the Tower in the distance.
Beast Boy's eyes widened and suddenly he had the feeling that they were being watched.
Was Slade back?
Was he after the shape-shifter?
"Slade…" he muttered in hatred.
Tezumi stepped away from him and gave him a small wave but the changeling didn't want to let her go yet and took her hand, surprising the girl.
"Be careful."
She stared in confusion at his serious expression before she smirked at him.
A sudden noise startled them and they looked up.
On a tree branch not far from them, sat a crow cawing into the night before it spread its winds and gliding into the sky - towards the island in the endless sea.
Tezumi moved out of his grasp, holding his almost longing gaze for a moment before she turned away, walking through the parking lot towards home.
Beast Boy watched her until he couldn't see her anymore and turned around and dashed towards the blue sea before morphing into a hawk and taking into the air, eager to get some sleep.
Eager for the next moment he would share with her.
Beast Boy sneaked through the dark hallways and reached his room.
"Beast Boy…"
The changeling froze and slowly turned around and was faced with the sleepy sight of his leader.
"Where were you?" he asked in a mixture of confusion and suspicion.
Did he know he had been out the whole night?
"I…uh…was thirsty and just drank some water."
"I came from the kitchen," the leader replied and crossed his arms, suspicion taking over.
"I…uh had to use the bathroom after that," he said, avoiding eye-contact.
"And you forgot to flush…or turn on the light?" Robin said, narrowing his eyes.
"Come on, Robin! I was in the Tower if that's what you're worried about!"
"You were?" he asked challengingly.
"Get off my case!" Beast Boy cried tiredly, his eyelids begging for some rest.
Robin frowned and took a step forward. "Not until you tell me where you were," Robin shouted and the changeling felt heat run through his head.
Why was Robin always…so demanding over him?
"I told you-"
"He was here."
Both boys turned around and Raven stepped over to them.
"Raven?" Beast Boy muttered in surprise.
"I saw him," Raven continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.
"Where?" Robin asked.
"Here."
"Could you give a more descriptive definition of 'here', Raven?" Robin asked, tilting his head and Raven realized that Robin also wanted to know why she wasn't in her room. She closed her eyes. "He was on the roof. I found him when I went there to meditate."
Robin glanced at Beast Boy who froze as soon as their eyes met. "And what were you doing there…"
"I was-"
"He's been-"
"…Beast Boy?" Robin stressed, signaling for Raven to be quiet.
"I was just…thinking about…someone," the changeling murmured.
"And about who?" Robin asked and his low tone suggested that this information was sensitive to him.
"About Te-"
"About Terra. He had a nightmare about her but I talked to him."
Beast Boy's gaze fell onto the half-demon while Robin glanced his way.
"And I told him what would happen if he thought about…that girl too much. But he learned not to let his feelings get the better of him, right?" Raven asked and held his attention with a deep stare.
"Y-yeah," he murmured and lowered his head before he heard Robin's voice speak in a more relaxed manner.
"Glad to know that Beast Boy's back to normal then. Now get some rest."
Robin turned away and walked to his room and Raven floated up to Beast Boy when Robin disappeared into his room.
"Don't let things turn into more than just 'talk'," Raven said seriously before she floated to her room, leaving Beast Boy with that recurring feeling of mistrust by his door. Raven didn't just stick up for him – she had outright warned him!
But there was nothing to be warned about, was there?
Beast Boy was about to fall into sleep when blaring alarms filled the tower and the changeling wished himself inside Terra's school, knowing he would get sleep there at this hour.
"Titans, trouble!" Robin yelled and they dashed out of the Tower.
"What crime is happening at this hour?" Starfire asked, floating her way through the silent streets.
"There has been an explosion in Jump City Prison! And I bet the guests are all more than eager to use the situation to escape," Robin explained.
"Couldn't they wait until tomorrow to break out?" Beast Boy asked and yawned loudly.
"Could you use some brain to answer your question?" Cyborg asked and Beast Boy shot him a glare.
"Titans, here they come," Robin said and the others saw several inmates already scattering on the street as a building in the distance stood aflame.
"Raven, take care of the fire! Cyborg and Starfire, capture the fleeing villains! I will see who started this ruckus." Robin turned to look at Beast Boy, who impatiently stepped from one foot to the other, trying to fight his sleepiness. "And Beast Boy…" Robin said and saw his tired expression look back at him, "…try to focus!" he said, turning to the escaping inmates and the changeling frowned.
"Titans, go!"
The group scattered, each occupied with their task. Beast Boy, however turned back when he had morphed into a wolf, hearing movement behind him. All he could see was a shadow turning the corner and the wolf gave chase on the sidewalk until he reached an alley and the shadow was nowhere in sight.
The dark and narrow alley ended in a dead end and Beast Boy morphed back.
"Where did he go?" he wondered aloud, looking at the wall that stretched high above him and knew no regular villain could climb it.
He sighed, literally having reached a dead-end before he turned around, deciding to join his team.
And a fist came flying towards his face and he ducked in the last minute, before morphing into a goat. With a high leap, the horns collided with the man's face, sending him flying onto his back and knocking him out cold.
"I've still got plenty of focus," Beast Boy smirked, silently challenging Robin before he went to capture the next villain.
And as if answering Beast Boy's challenge, the changeling's communicator began to give off a signal, blinking brightly.
And just before they made contact, Tezumi stopped abruptly, seeing someone observing them from the ground – a hooded figure.
And she knew that she saw the stranger before!
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the figure on the ground before she resumed where she stopped.
But she wasn't going for his face.
"O tomodachi ni wakare o tsugemasu!" Tezumi whispered inside the shape-shifter's ear and his eyes snapped open when he felt her lips brush against his ear.
"So…you like my ears?" the changeling murmured before he fist pumped the air in victory. "I knew it! Girls love elf ears."
"Arigatou," Tezumi smiled and Beast Boy felt a bit disappointed that his wish hasn't been fulfilled.
And in one quick motion, Tezumi pecked his cheek before they arrived back at the ground, seeing his sad expression.
A smile spread over Beast Boy. "I guess, that's a good start," he said and both got off the Ferris Wheel and Beast Boy let out a yawn and the Asian girl giggled at him.
She pointed to the direction of the entrance to the Theme Park, Japanese words escaping her mouth that Beast Boy couldn't understand.
"But that's the way we came from. So you…want to go somewhere else?" Beast Boy guessed before once again, the Asian pulled the shape-shifter on his hand towards her destination.
And the changeling tightened his grip on the hand, earning a smile from the girl.
Tezumi leaned against him somewhere during their walk, surprising the shape-shifter but not bothering him in the least before he realized that they were walking in familiar terrain.
"Hey, that's the way to Terra's school. You know it's in the middle of the night, right?"
Tezumi looked over her shoulder before she asked a question of her own. "Doko ni sunde imasu ka?"
"Uh, are you asking if you can go to school?" he asked, pointing to the yard of Murakami High School.
Tezumi arched an eyebrow before she formed a triangle with her hands and after a short while, Beast Boy realized that it was supposed to be a roof.
"Are you talking about homes?" he asked and made the same shape with his hands and she nodded reluctantly. "I would wish myself inside the HIVE academy if school was supposed to be my home."
And suddenly Robin's image flashed across his mind.
Raven said Robin might be doing something horrible if Beast Boy would be acting on his own.
Tezumi looked at him expectantly.
But he acted on his own when he decided to trust Terra when she became Slade's apprentice and she saved their lives!
So why would Tezumi be any different – after all she was just a normal girl?
"Let me show you where heroes live," he smirked before he morphed into a winged dinosaur. And Tezumi's eyes sparked with mischief and a smile spread on her face. "Anata wa…"
Beast Boy impatiently flapped his wings and Tezumi got onto the dinosaur after getting the hint.
He took off with particular ease and it didn't take long for them to be high up in the air and even less to find the familiar letter-shaped building.
"Nandesu ka?" the girl wondered aloud and the changeling lowered her to the parking lot that was overlooking the sea.
He morphed back with a smile on his face and pointed towards the sea. "That's where I live."
Tezumi narrowed her eyes before she pointed to the large, lone tower standing in the middle of a sea of blue. Was that where he lived?
In that…silver platter?
"Cool, isn't it?" Beast Boy bragged, grinning like he had just won the lottery.
"Beast Boy..."
The word's low voice caught him by surprise and he turned towards the girl…only for her to fall into his arms, causing him almost to trip over by the impact.
"W-what was that for?" he asked in surprise and the girl wrapped her arms around him.
He did the same after getting over his initial shock, fearing that if he wouldn't, then Tezumi would get the wrong message and leave him.
Just like Terra…
"Sayonara," she whispered in his ear, her eyes trained on the Tower in the distance.
Beast Boy's eyes widened and suddenly he had the feeling that they were being watched.
Was Slade back?
Was he after the shape-shifter?
"Slade…" he muttered in hatred.
Tezumi stepped away from him and gave him a small wave but the changeling didn't want to let her go yet and took her hand, surprising the girl.
"Be careful."
She stared in confusion at his serious expression before she smirked at him.
A sudden noise startled them and they looked up.
On a tree branch not far from them, sat a crow cawing into the night before it spread its winds and gliding into the sky - towards the island in the endless sea.
Tezumi moved out of his grasp, holding his almost longing gaze for a moment before she turned away, walking through the parking lot towards home.
Beast Boy watched her until he couldn't see her anymore and turned around and dashed towards the blue sea before morphing into a hawk and taking into the air, eager to get some sleep.
Eager for the next moment he would share with her.
Beast Boy sneaked through the dark hallways and reached his room.
"Beast Boy…"
The changeling froze and slowly turned around and was faced with the sleepy sight of his leader.
"Where were you?" he asked in a mixture of confusion and suspicion.
Did he know he had been out the whole night?
"I…uh…was thirsty and just drank some water."
"I came from the kitchen," the leader replied and crossed his arms, suspicion taking over.
"I…uh had to use the bathroom after that," he said, avoiding eye-contact.
"And you forgot to flush…or turn on the light?" Robin said, narrowing his eyes.
"Come on, Robin! I was in the Tower if that's what you're worried about!"
"You were?" he asked challengingly.
"Get off my case!" Beast Boy cried tiredly, his eyelids begging for some rest.
Robin frowned and took a step forward. "Not until you tell me where you were," Robin shouted and the changeling felt heat run through his head.
Why was Robin always…so demanding over him?
"I told you-"
"He was here."
Both boys turned around and Raven stepped over to them.
"Raven?" Beast Boy muttered in surprise.
"I saw him," Raven continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.
"Where?" Robin asked.
"Here."
"Could you give a more descriptive definition of 'here', Raven?" Robin asked, tilting his head and Raven realized that Robin also wanted to know why she wasn't in her room. She closed her eyes. "He was on the roof. I found him when I went there to meditate."
Robin glanced at Beast Boy who froze as soon as their eyes met. "And what were you doing there…"
"I was-"
"He's been-"
"…Beast Boy?" Robin stressed, signaling for Raven to be quiet.
"I was just…thinking about…someone," the changeling murmured.
"And about who?" Robin asked and his low tone suggested that this information was sensitive to him.
"About Te-"
"About Terra. He had a nightmare about her but I talked to him."
Beast Boy's gaze fell onto the half-demon while Robin glanced his way.
"And I told him what would happen if he thought about…that girl too much. But he learned not to let his feelings get the better of him, right?" Raven asked and held his attention with a deep stare.
"Y-yeah," he murmured and lowered his head before he heard Robin's voice speak in a more relaxed manner.
"Glad to know that Beast Boy's back to normal then. Now get some rest."
Robin turned away and walked to his room and Raven floated up to Beast Boy when Robin disappeared into his room.
"Don't let things turn into more than just 'talk'," Raven said seriously before she floated to her room, leaving Beast Boy with that recurring feeling of mistrust by his door. Raven didn't just stick up for him – she had outright warned him!
But there was nothing to be warned about, was there?
Beast Boy was about to fall into sleep when blaring alarms filled the tower and the changeling wished himself inside Terra's school, knowing he would get sleep there at this hour.
"Titans, trouble!" Robin yelled and they dashed out of the Tower.
"What crime is happening at this hour?" Starfire asked, floating her way through the silent streets.
"There has been an explosion in Jump City Prison! And I bet the guests are all more than eager to use the situation to escape," Robin explained.
"Couldn't they wait until tomorrow to break out?" Beast Boy asked and yawned loudly.
"Could you use some brain to answer your question?" Cyborg asked and Beast Boy shot him a glare.
"Titans, here they come," Robin said and the others saw several inmates already scattering on the street as a building in the distance stood aflame.
"Raven, take care of the fire! Cyborg and Starfire, capture the fleeing villains! I will see who started this ruckus." Robin turned to look at Beast Boy, who impatiently stepped from one foot to the other, trying to fight his sleepiness. "And Beast Boy…" Robin said and saw his tired expression look back at him, "…try to focus!" he said, turning to the escaping inmates and the changeling frowned.
"Titans, go!"
The group scattered, each occupied with their task. Beast Boy, however turned back when he had morphed into a wolf, hearing movement behind him. All he could see was a shadow turning the corner and the wolf gave chase on the sidewalk until he reached an alley and the shadow was nowhere in sight.
The dark and narrow alley ended in a dead end and Beast Boy morphed back.
"Where did he go?" he wondered aloud, looking at the wall that stretched high above him and knew no regular villain could climb it.
He sighed, literally having reached a dead-end before he turned around, deciding to join his team.
And a fist came flying towards his face and he ducked in the last minute, before morphing into a goat. With a high leap, the horns collided with the man's face, sending him flying onto his back and knocking him out cold.
"I've still got plenty of focus," Beast Boy smirked, silently challenging Robin before he went to capture the next villain.
And as if answering Beast Boy's challenge, the changeling's communicator began to give off a signal, blinking brightly.