The Gothic girl walked up the steps, sighing softly and enjoying the calm, quiet atmosphere.
Raven Roth, of the infamous Teen Titans, was finally free. She had shaken the hold her father had held over her. The problem with that was that, now that Trigon didn’t have a hold on her emotions, that left them … unchained. Sure, she could continue with her typical, emotionally controlled attitude, but she wanted more than that. She still had her boundaries, but now she could feel happy, smile, and maybe … even love …
So now, a year after gaining her freedom, and a month after defeating the Brotherhood of Evil, she decided to take those long ignored vacation hours and take a break. As being a Super Hero was a hard job, Robin had offered a plan where, if anyone ever needed to de-stress, they could take up to six months of downtime from the Team, barring major emergencies and the like. Nobody had ever taken him up on it until now, and until she announced her plans over dinner, nobody ever thought that anyone would.
Starfire and Beast Boy flipped out over it. Starfire had so few friends over her life, so to have one leave her, even for a short time, made her sorrowful. BB, on the other hand, felt betrayed. Over the last few months they had been getting close, forming a real friendship. But Raven was unsure of where she could let go, and where she still couldn’t let go. It took time, and the green teen was still hurt over it, but she managed to explain that she needed to relearn her control all over again.
Cyborg and Robin, however, were more than understanding. Having dealt with the seemingly obsessed Batman, he knew what happened when Burn Out hit. Cyborg, on the other hand, knew all about needing control, as having cyber-implants for muscles was not easy to adopt to.
And so, having asked the newly reformed Jinx to take over her spot as magic expert on the team, she made her plans and left. As Japan was the capital of emotional control, ancient arts, and meditation, she decided to move there, hoping that maybe she could find someone to help her learn to bring her new range of emotions under control again. Having found a nice, cheap listing at a Hot Springs capital, she took it, booked a flight ticket, and said her good byes.
She glanced to the side to see her companion, who she had met on the plane. While she was enjoying the atmosphere, her companion was less than happy with it.
Jade Chan was ill pleased with her forced tuition. Sure, she knew that she had to have a degree to join Section 13. She was planning on going into Archeology, just like her Uncle Jackie. What she DIDN’T want was to be forced to attend a college in Japan while her Uncles and Tohru continued to have adventures and protect the world. Heck, she had even picked up a few Chi Magic secrets, but no, she was still just a kid … DAMN IT!
Now here she was, in a nice, peaceful college town, staying at a Hot Springs Inn (the epitome of peace), for the next four years! It wasn’t FAIR!
Still, at least she got to meet Raven of the Teen Titans. Sure, she was in disguise, and had a glamour up to keep the normal people from realizing who she was, but after dealing with so many magical artifacts, she wasn’t exactly normal. The two girls had set up a rapport of sorts as they were on the plane over the Pacific. Sure, Jade was hyperactive and Raven was … well, not, but the amount of magic and demonology knowledge they had combined was humongous. If there was one good thing that would come out of this experience, Jade thought, it would be coming home with more mystical knowledge than even Uncle had.
Finally, the end of the stone stairs was in reach. They came to the peak ... and stared.
His shirt was off. Sweat glistened in the sun, showing off his hard muscles. In front and to the sides of him, three desks stood. To the side, several beds, bookshelves, and dressers were set aside, the finish drying. In his hands were several rough sheets of sand paper. And he moved …
It looked like some kind of dance, but to a black belt martial artist and a super heroine, it was a kata. A delicate kata that showed the skill, speed, and power of the user. The boy truly was one of the great masters … and a hunk to boot!
Finally, he stopped, his muscles heaving in slight exhaustion. The girls stared, still caught in the spell.
And suddenly, they heard clapping. From the inn, a tall, brunette woman walked out, her eyes wide, “When I heard that Martial Arts Carpentry existed, I thought it was some hokey art that some crazy old man taught you. Not … wow!”
“The boy snorted, “Old man Hiroki might have been crazy, but his art is hundreds of years old. The guy knows what he was doing. Guess he thought that, since Oyaji was trying to ruin my future, that I might as well have one art that I could turn into a useful skill. Here’s to hoping I don’t have to use it.”
The girl nodded, still in awe, “This the last of them?”
The boy nodded, and Raven gasped as she realized that each piece of furniture was made out of a solid piece of wood, save for the drawers. “Just need to apply the finish and let them finish drying, but in a couple of hours, we can bring them in. In the meantime, I’ll be off to pick up Kasumi.”
The girl smiled in relief, “Good. Things have been getting hectic over in Nerima, apparently. I want her out of there as soon as possible. But first,” the girl looked over at the two arrivals, and Jade and Raven felt as if they were being sized up, “we have company.”
The two travelers blushed, but Ranma just shrugged and pulled a shirt out of nowhere. “Welcome to the HInata Inn. I’m Ranma, the caretaker of the place.”
Raven looked puzzled, “I thought this was a girl’s dorm?”
“It is,” the brunette explained, “Ranma’s Grandmother owns the place, but she left, leaving Ranma in charge. The whole family is a bit weird , to be honest, but Ranma’s a good guy, and as long as you keep an eye out for the ‘IN USE’ sign, we shouldn’t have any problems with him. My name’s Tendo Nabiki, the bookkeeper. You must be Roth-san and Chan-san.”
Raven nodded, unsure, but Jade asked, “How were you moving so fast? I could barely see it!”
Ranma blinked, and then laughed, “Just a bit of ki manipulation. I’m kind of surprised you don’t know, what with ki reserves like yours!”
“Ki?’
Raven took the explanation, “Life force. Some people can consciously or unconsciously use their own life force to augment their physical abilities. It takes a lot of training, and even I’ve never seen it used to this degree. I almost thought he was using his magic, but it isn’t the right type.”
Ranma twitched, “Wait, what?”
The gothic girl blushed, not meaning to reveal herself like that, “Your aura has a lot of fae magic mixed with it. Usually only half-fae have that, but you don’t really look like one. Otherwise it can be found in powerful transformational and confusion curses.”
Nabiki just sighed, “Does the word, ‘Jusenkyo’ mean anything to you?”
“Site of an ancient war between the Seelie and the Unseelie. Not sure who won, but they left the area seeped in death and fairy magic. Anyone who goes there receives a water based curse based on their mental and emotional state.” Raven recited, “let me guess, you visited it?”
“Why yes he did, Raven-san.” The girl jumped, surprised, along with Jade and Nabiki. Ranma just rolled his eyes at Setsuna, who was looking out the window. “Some of the people here have magical sight, though all have some form of untrained potential in the mystical arts. Don’t be surprised if a few people here recognize you for who you are. Meioh Setsuna, resident seer and local expert in time magic, by the way.”
Raven nodded uncertainly, starting to wonder whether this was a good idea or not, but Ranma just shrugged, reached over, and took her bags. “Ignore Setsuna-chan, she’s a bit of a show off, and nosy at that. Let’s go get you settled in, shall we? And if you want,” he said, turning to Jade, “I can show you how to access your ki later.”
“You actually thinking of training a girl, Saotome?” Nabiki teased, half curious herself.
“Your sister has no control,” he replied point blank, “Teaching her how to use her ki would be a disaster. As for martial arts the best I can do is spar and offer pointers and I suck at phrasing things nicely. I’m not licensed to teach my art, after all.”
Taking both girls’ bags (a total of five large suitcases and backpacks) with ease, he led them into the house. Raven and Jade, worried but curious, followed after him.
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(Posted Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:52)
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