Repent Vulpurgus: Messiah Complex
Summary: Starfire was gone; Tamaran had need of their princess and an arranged marriage she couldn't refuse. Robin needed time to rest, to breathe. Transferring to Shinyo Academy and investigating the disappearances was just the distraction he needed. Then, he fell under her spell, the spell of the notorious delinquent "Fire Witch" Nagi Kirima.
Chapter 1: Part 1: Boy Wonder and Fire Witch
Alchemy alchemy
tell me what you've done to me
I waited till the moon had risen high
escaped your tide
and pull on me
I piloted the labyrinths of lies
haunted by
the hooks in me
And now I'm falling right back into the trap that you set for me
back inside your spell I'm
back in your sorcery
"Alchemy"Starset
Dick Grayson looked up that the vast gates of Shinyo Academy. This was going to be his new home for the next semester, and since Japanese school years are longer than those in America, he'd have to get used to how the school week went, with Sunday being their only day off, and the school year starting in April and ending in July and then starting up again in September.
To the outside observer, Richard Grayson was the son of wealthy billionaire Bruce Wayne, merely spending time in a foreign country for his own amusement. Japanese didn't mind foreign tourism, but they weren't exactly excited for foreigners living in their country, but Wayne Enterprises had a branch in the country so Dick would show up at board meetings on Bruce's behalf.
Dick was fluent in Japanese, he'd learned it after he'd visited the country with the Teen Titans. He would be fine, still, he'd probably be the target for bullies, trying to put the foreign transfer student in his place, still, as long as he didn't get into fights he should be fine, he didn't want anyone to learn his true skills when it came to martial arts.
Dick was at Shinyo Academy for a different reason, he was investigating the disappearances of some of the female students. He didn't like that the police and the school brushed it off as just teens running away from their problems. Then there was that bright light that had been seen in the city. It was definitely inhuman.
He'd consulted Starfire before she left Earth for Tamaran, called back to another arranged marriage, one she couldn't refuse, she'd left him, consoling him that she'd always love him.
Starfire pointed up at the sky, "The light that was seen in this country was not that of anything humanity could create. There are beings from many planets that come here out of sheer curiosity. The light that appeared is one such phenomenon. After all, I told you how one can move faster than light."
"What do you think happened, Starfire?"
"That being transformed himself into information, and sent himself back to where he came from."
"You're leaving for Tamaran," Dick looked at her. "Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"
"No, I must go for my people, our planet is under threat. The Vega system is about to go to war."
"I wish I could go with you, but…"
"I do not wish you to be burdened with my problems, but seeing me married to someone else would trouble you."
"Starfire…"
"Do not lie to me, Rich'ard you have been both my lover and my best friend. Being on Tamaran would only make you unhappy despite the fact that we often have multiple partners on my home planet."
"That's true," Dick sighed.
"You shall move on and find someone that will bring you as much joy as I have."
He held her and let his tears fall quietly. He was going to miss her a lot, but this break he was going to take, he needed it. He needed to put aside the capes and the crime-fighting and give himself a chance to breathe.
Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy all crowded around Starfire, hugging her, giving her well wishes and heartfelt goodbyes.
The friends parted and Starfire boarded her ship, theH.M.S. Starfireand she rocketed into the sky.
Dick watched her spaceship blast off into the sky, leaving the very spot they had first arrived in Tokyo chasing Saiko-tec. He bid Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven farewell. He took the train and headed into Tokyo, where he would begin his tenure at Shinyo Academy.
"My name is Richard Grayson, it's very nice to meet you," Dick told them in Japanese. He bowed formally. He wrote his name on the board in Japanese and the teacher told him where he should sit.
Beast Boy would be amused if he saw that Dick got the "anime protagonist" seat by the window.
The teacher began to call the roll, Dick said, "here!" when his name was called.
The teacher called the name, "Nagi Kirima" and there was no answer.
"It appears Kirima-san chose not to show up to school today. No telling what trouble she gets into when we can't watch her. I don't want anyone here socializing with her."
Dick felt his eyes narrow. Ostracizing troubled people is one of the many factors that turn troubled teens into criminals. But Japan was a country where authority was respected by most, and crime itself was very low, but it wasn't unheard of. After all, he'd taken down the corrupt Commander Uehara Daizo.
He knew the name Kirima very well. He had read and memorized all of Seiichi Kirima's non-fiction work, especially his books about psychology.
But of course, he'd probably be pegged for a Weaboo or Otaku in Japan, and they were frowned upon because they spent all their money on anime figurines, blu-ray discs and other merchandise and couldn't manage money well due to obsession with anime culture.
He didn't have any time for that sort of thing, he'd been too busy fighting crime, but now he'd have time to catch up. Beast Boy had told him what the new, hot anime were in the country, but while it was a normal thing there, he felt he'd be too busy to watch anything.
Although he thought of this excursion as semi-retirement, he was still a vigilante.
He settled into his seat and listened attentively to the class, although he'd received an American education from Alfred Pennyworth, he was learning a modern Japanese education in Shinyo Academy.
Dick made his way towards the cafeteria, carrying his very unique American-style lunch, he'd remember he could get food at the cafeteria tomorrow.
Keiji Takeda, a member of the disciplinary committee took it upon himself to at least give the foreigner a decent welcome. While people that stood out were sometimes disliked at school, the foreigner was the adopted son of the world-famous Bruce Wayne, and there were already rumors spreading around school about him due to being 18 years old and living alone.
Even Touka Miyashita had heard the rumors.
"Grayson-san lives alone, I bet he brings a new girl home every night. A guy that handsome most certainly has a girlfriend."
"Probably pays for them too, foreigners come here for that."
"That is illegal."
"Americans are rich, they don't care, they can get away with everything with their money."
"Let me guess, I bring a girl home every night or I pay for doing it, huh?" Dick laughed.
"Sorry, Grayson-san, the girls at the school like to gossip," Touka apologized.
"You're Touka Miyashita, well, Miyashita-san, don't worry about me, I suppose I'm the most exciting thing that's happened around here for a while."
"Unless your name was Boogiepop, I suppose that's true," Touka said.
"Boogiepop?" Dick frowned.
"It's just a rumor among the girls, that a Shinigami kills any pretty girl at the height of her beauty before she can grow old."
"An urban legend, how interesting," Dick ate his sandwich. He saw Touka turn away.
"So you're the one that's got all the girls falling all over themselves," the voice said to him.
Dick looked at the figure with interest, the body and face were Touka Miyashita's but the voice sounded more masculine and it was deeper, but not in a "female trying to imitate a male voice", it sounded very natural.
"You are not Touka Miyashita," Dick said quietly.
"Currently, I am Boogiepop, I rise to the surface just like a bubble," Boogiepop said quietly. "I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about."
With that, Boogiepop turned away and just like that, Touka Miyashita returned to her "normal" state.
"You already know about this, don't you, Takeda-san," Dick told him.
"He's my friend."
"Interesting," Dick nodded. He finished his lunch.
"It seems you're a delinquent to the other students, Grayson-san," Touka gave him a smile.
"Why's that so interesting to them?" he asked.
"Because they're already pairing you with Kirima-san."
"What? But I've never even met her!" Dick laughed.
"People love the idea because she's the unattainable delinquent, she's still a genius though, it's why they can't expel her."
"So you're saying that if I asked her out, I have a shot," it was an icebreaker, a way to fit in with the ordinary Japanese students, he only half meant it as he wasn't really looking for another date right now. He needed to properly grieve for Starfire's absence before he even thought about going on a date.
"You're normal, Grayson-san, get lost," a stern, deep voice said to him.
"Ah, you must be, Kirima-san," Dick said, glancing towards the sound of the voice.
He was impressed. She was beautiful, no wonder every guy at Shinyo Academy was chasing her skirt.
Nagi Kirima had dark brown hair and brown eyes to match. She was lovely, and despite her rude words to him, he could tell she was doing what some heroes did in their civilian lives, push others away so they don't get involved in their hero work.
"I'm normal to you, Kirima-san?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Most likely, you're just like every other guy, trying to get me to go with you on a date."
Dick let out a laugh, "Well, it was worth a shot, if only I were normal, Kirima-san. If only what you said were true."
"And for you Grayson-san, what does it mean to be normal?" Nagi asked him.
"To travel the world with my late parents, performing as one of the Flying Graysons, that was my normal life. But I suppose the one I have right now is as normal as I'm going to get."
He gave her an easy-going smile, "It was nice to meet you Kirima-san."
Nagi Kirima began walking away from him, Dick got up and prepared to leave for his next class.
She turned around and glanced at him.
Dick didn't notice the curious expression on her face.
Classes were over, Dick headed over to the front gate. He swiped his student ID, noting that Kei Niitoki was standing by the gate, "Niitoki-san, see you tomorrow."
Instead of walking out the gate, the students watched in awe as he vaulted up over the gate as it opened, somersaulting in the air as he landed, rolling to his feet.
"Don't try this at home, I am a trained professional," Dick bowed flamboyantly to the slack-jawed students.
Dick headed home, he had several disappearances to look into. The disappearance of Disciplinary Committee member Masami Saotome, caught his interest, especially since other students noted that he'd often dated girls that had mysteriously vanished shortly after he'd been seen with them.
One day he just went to school and never returned home. He'd been to the Karaoke places where Saotome was known to frequent but Robin couldn't find any sign that the student had gone back to those places.
He retrieved his Robin uniform from his house, this was supposed to be a retirement but he felt compelled to wear it for some reason.
So Robin made his way back to Shinyo Academy. He used his grappling hook to get over the gate and made his way to the school rooftop.
He held up a blacklight he brought; it had been some time, the weather had washed away much of the evidence of what had taken place, and someone had done cleanup, but even the weather couldn't get rid of every trace of the "white light" incident.
There were still traces of Nagi Kirima's blood on the pavement, invisible to the naked eye but he'd managed to get a sample of her blood from the hospital where she had once stayed. He ran the D.N.A. it was a match to her.
"Starfire said that whoever he was, he went back to where he came from, so who was he and why was he here?" Robin asked himself.
"What's Robin the Hero of Tokyo doing here?" Nagi Kirima asked, her voice gruff and hostile.
"And you are?" he asked, smoothly, after all, this was the first time they'd met when he was "working".
"Nagi Kirima," she introduced herself in the western fashion, putting her given name first and her surname last.
"Kirima-san, I request you stay out of my investigation," Robin told her, his voice stern and hard.
"I don't have to listen to you, I've always done what I've needed to do, it's not like you can rely on teachers to help."
"I know you mean well, but you're in over your head," Robin said.
"I've been through a lot, you have no idea what I'm capable of, they call me the "Fire Witch" for a reason," Nagi brandished her electrified baton. It was an expensive kind, like the ones used by the police. Being a billionaire she could afford all sorts of fancy technology and equipment. But unlike most, she didn't bother with a superhero identity or a costume, other than the black leather skintight combat outfit she was wearing.
He did note that she did have some body armor but it wasn't as fancy as his equipment, but it was certainly made for someone who could afford it.
"Really, can you conjure spells or something?" Dick laughed.
"No, but I can deal with you," Nagi smirked.
"People say you're a killer," Robin glanced at her.
"Students love to spread rumors."
"There's a killer on the road His brain is squirming like a toad…"
"Please don't sing anything by The Doors in front of me again!" Nagi snapped.
"What's wrong with The Doors?" Robin asked.
"Masami Saotome loved that band, he slit my throat so you understand why I dislike reminders of him."
"Had to ruin a perfectly good band," Robin muttered. "So they call you the "Fire Witch" like that old song."
"Don't know what you're talking about," Nagi grunted.
"The keeper of the city keys. Put shutters on the dreams. I wait outside the pilgrim's door. With insufficient schemes. The black queen chants the funeral march, The cracked brass bells will ring; To summon back the fire witch. To the court of the crimson king."
"Huh?" Nagi quirked her head.
"King Crimson is a European progressive rock band. It's an old song, "In the Court of the Crimson King."
She swung her baton at him, Robin avoided it, careful not to hit it with his bo staff since it would just electrocute him.
He somersaulted away from the baton. Nagi Kirima rushed forward and grabbed his arm, twisting it so she could position herself to put him in the arm bar.
The hero was genuinely impressed by her.
"Gen Sakakibara's techniques, well done!" Robin congratulated her. "You're very good, but I've been trained by the best."
"You're so full of shit!" Nagi hissed at him. "Don't stick your nose into my business!"
"Here I thought the Japanese were polite," Dick laughed. "Honestly, I'm having too much fun."
"I thought you'd take this seriously," Nagi said.
"I used to be very serious. I've learned to lighten up and relax."
Dick hadn't felt his heart race like this since…that day in Jump City long ago, when Starfire had crash landed on Earth. Not since they fought in the street, that might as well have been a lifetime ago.
Starfire had barely been gone a day and his mind was already wandering away to someone else. It didn't feel right, but he found Nagi Kirima to be…
Focused. Serious. Determined. Every one of his traits stared him in the face, and with a crude, aggressive demeanor, challenged his right to be there.
He used his incredible acrobatic skill to get out of the armbar, startling her.
The fierceness of their battle was the language of combat. Her hard high kick sent him sprawling back. He tried to clothesline her but he ended up watching his grappling hook collide with her baton, the electric shock sending him flying back across the roof.
Robin caught his breath, she was very good. It took a lot to catch him off guard.
"You're strong, I'm impressed," Robin complimented her.
Nagi Kirima stood over him, putting away her baton.
"Strength is not about having power. Nor is it about being exceptional. Nor is it being large or possessing brute force. Nor does it mean being rigid or not losing. Ultimately, strength has no bearing on any other thing. It is an independent concept in and of itself, and should you truly attempt to grasp it, you must be prepared to sacrifice all other things. Victory… glory… All of it."
"Isolation and Faithby your father Seiichi Kirima, I've read it," Robin hadn't told her he'd met Seiichi Kirima before his death, as part of his early training as Robin, Bruce had brought him to see the famous author, using the excuse of wanting to translate and publish his work in the United States under a Wayne Entertainment branch, wanting to get into publishing fiction and non-fiction books. The books of the renowned author Seiichi Kirima would be Wayne Entertainment's big splash in the publishing world, and it was. His academic books ended up on the New York Times's bestseller list for months. His novels didn't sell so well but even American academia knew his work.
They'd actually met as children, but she hadn't been interested in talking to him, English was her second language and since she didn't feel like speaking to him, they hadn't interacted during his visit with her father.
"Of course, a superhero would read my father's work," Nagi shrugged.
"So why are you doing this?"
"What can I say? I have a father complex. I've also got a real messiah complex," Nagi looked at him.
Dick pushed himself to his feet, "Fascinating."
"It seems this is a stalemate." Nagi glanced at him, she was tall for her age. People always assumed she was older than she was. She'd passed herself off as a 21-year-old once due to her maturity at 14.
"I hope that we could work together at least," Robin offered.
"I work alone, it's better that way."
"I can handle myself well enough," Robin said.
"Obviously, what are you looking for at our school?"
"The disappearance of the students here, and the white light that was seen here several months ago."
"I can tell you about that, I'll take you to my house and we'll talk."
"Fine, but I'm not going in your room, your parents will think we're sleeping together."
"Foreigners are exotic, they might actually like you," Nagi said sarcastically.
Robin coughed, sputtering in surprise.
"Don't look at me like that, we're 18, if we were younger we could sleep together with their approval."
"Is that how it works here?" Robin quirked his head.
"Depending on the prefecture, that's how it works around here. And I'm not offering, I don't have time for that."
"I see. This is important to you, isn't it?"
"Yes," Nagi gestured for him to follow her, pointing to her motorcycle. He climbed onto the back and let her take him to her house.
There was a fire in her eyes, passion, intensity, it was mesmerizing. Perhaps that was why they called her the Fire Witch, along with her fearsome reputation.
If she was a witch then he was falling under her spell. She wasn't like Raven, who knew spells and could use magic.
But he was enchanted, and he wanted to know more about her. The fire might burn him, but he'd seek the warmth, no matter the consequences