Chapter Text
It seemed like a night like any other in Gotham City. A certain armored vehicle raced down the streets and at the steering wheel was a man who was recognizable in the grey bodysuit and black cape with a cowl that had pointy ears. It was currently the Batman's fourth year of being Gotham's protector and a lot had happened since then: the fall of the Falcone and Maroni families, the League of Assassins and, of course, his haunting encounter with the Joker. He had seen and dealt with a lot of strange things since leaving Gotham at the tender age of nine and even stranger things when he returned ten years later but tonight, things were about to take a turn for the strangest.
One of the monitors inside the Batmobile, showcasing a map of the city, sounded off with incessant beeps and a red dot on the map began to blink at a certain location.
"Break in at the Gotham Museum of Antiquities." Batman murmured.
As the Batmobile accelerated towards its destination, Batman wondered if Selina Kyle was back in town, given that a museum heist would be something up her alley. He hadn't heard from her since they parted ways a year ago and unfortunately it wasn't on the best of terms. His thoughts about the possibility of meeting her again were dismissed when he heard the APB the Batmobile radio was tuned into.
"...Officer down! Requesting backup at 401 Kesel. Suspect involved in an aggravated robbery at the museum has assaulted seven security personnel and an officer with some kind of deadly weapon. I repeat, Officer dow-GAH!.."
His eyes narrowed as he slammed on the accelerator. It definitely wasn't Selina; her style was more 'sneak in and out as quietly as possible', not cause so much noise and attack so many people as this person did. Nearing his destination, he heard the police dispatcher sound off on the Batmobile's radio.
"...in pursuit of suspect riding a stolen red Ducati heading west at Hall Road. Suspect is female wearing a white motorcycle jacket and helmet and should be considered armed and dangerous..."
It was as the dispatcher said: Not far from the scene of the robbery, a girl on a red motorcycle was zooming down the road. She avoided and swerved from whatever obstacles were in her way while being tailed by two police cars, the lights and sounds from their sirens piercing the night. She knew once she got back to her superiors, she was going to get an earful. This was supposed to be a quiet job and if that security guard hadn't spotted her, it would've stayed that way. Still, she'd be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy the thrill of being chased.
The two squad cars behind her gained speed and tried to cut her off from both sides but she smirked and outstretched one of her palms, where a weapon materialized out of thin air. It was her "Device" which she called Kiriniji, it took the form of a kusarigama. With two simple swings of the chain to the left and right, the sickle end of the weapon accurately slashed the front tires of the police cars, forcing them to lose speed. The training she had gone through growing up was arduous but it allowed her to control the chain weapon so accurately, as if it were another limb.
She snorted to herself after seeing her pursuers swerve to a halt. It was almost hilarious how these Non-Blazers kept trying their luck against her. At that moment, an almost beastly roar of an engine caught her attention. She looked back and her eyes widened from behind her helmet at the sight of the black armored vehicle chasing her, a kind of vehicle she had never seen before.
"What kind of car is THAT!?" she thought as she twisted the throttle in an effort to outspeed her pursuer.
The Batmobile had no problem keeping up with her. A small compartment in front of the vehicle opened and a muzzle emerged and then fired a small projectile at her. The girl became a little nervous from being fired at from behind. The vehicle tried positioning behind her again and fired two more shots. The girl swerved to the sides to avoid them and saw an opportunity when she noticed a lamppost at the street corner ahead of her to her right.
She first swung the chain part of Kiriniji towards the lamppost, sending the weighted end of the chain to wrap and snag on the pole. She then used the momentum to make a sharp turn to the right. The Batmobile followed suit by firing a cable to that same lamppost and making a sharp turn but now both pursuer and pursued found themselves heading towards oncoming traffic.
In front of them, A startled truck driver braked and swerved from seeing the two oncoming vehicles, the semi-trailer attached to his tractor swung forward and blocked the path in the process. The girl smiled behind her helmet and then slid with the bike under the semi-trailer between the wheels.
The Batmobile screeched to a halt and inside, Batman exhaled with irritation. He begrudgingly acknowledged that his pursuit was halted. It didn't matter too much; he sort of predicted an outcome like this. That's why the projectiles he fired were actually an adhesive gel with a tracker inside and luckily one of the shots he made found its mark on the back of the bike. With the chase still afoot, he reversed the Batmobile and followed the tracker's signal.
Some time later and a mile away, the girl rode her stolen Ducati skillfully down the steps of a subway station. The station had actually been abandoned since the bombings from the Joker last year and was now a deserted area with an eerie vibe. This was her "rendezvous point" and she still had some time to kill. Stepping off the bike, she removed and tossed away her helmet and then unzipped her jacket which she felt was too tight, she wore just a black tank top underneath.
"Phew!" she exhaled as she stretched herself.
Looking over the bike, her eyes rested on the object she was assigned to steal, now wrapped in a brown cloth.
Taking the wrapped object in her hands, she removed the cloth to peer at the source of all this craziness. It looked like a simple medieval long sword with a long black hilt and a gold cross-guard and pommel but aside from that, there were no identifiable visual characteristics about its design.
She checked its aura again to confirm that this indeed was the object she was looking for. It was difficult to find the thing, let alone come here. Despite her addiction to danger and how interesting she found this city, she had no intention of returning.
"All this trouble just for you. I sure hope it was worth it." she murmured.
Her ears picked up a sound behind her and she quickly spun around, holding the blade behind her while her other hand was raised to attack. But all she saw was the staircase she came down on and the empty train tracks as a small gust of wind blew pieces of shredded paper. There didn't seem to be any presence in the area aside from herself.
"Hm, probably my imagination." she mused.
"Probably not." A deep, modulated voice sounded behind her.
She spun around in surprise and froze as her eyes took in the tall costumed figure. Her mind raced, wondering how someone could sneak up on her without her noticing, especially dressed in a suit like that.
Now that Batman was close enough, he was able to get a good look at the mystery thief and he had to admit that she wasn't the least bit what he expected. She was pretty young, couldn't be older than seventeen or maybe eighteen. Her short, neck-length hair was purple with a definable white streak running over one of her bangs, her eyes were surprisingly vine colored and her skin was tanner than the average Japanese. He did also note that her bust was way too big for a teenager...not that it was important or anything.
The girl kept her sight fixed on the Dark Knight until she finally snickered and looked at him incredulously.
"And who are you supposed to be?" she asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. You not only stole something that doesn't belong to you but you critically injured over a dozen police officers and security guards. I'd suggest you hand it over before you make things worse for yourself."
The girl seemed to be ignoring him and instead made a connection in her mind.
"Wait, it was you who was driving that black thing chasing me, wasn't it?"
Batman didn't say anything which prompted a giggle from the girl.
"Hehe! And here I was thinking this city was going to be boring! So is that armor your Device or something?"
She was silent for a while as she peered at him.
"No, I forgot that there are no Blazers here. It's some kind of uniform." she concluded.
"Blazers? Device? What is she talking about?" thought Batman.
In almost a blink of an eye, she closed the distance between them and leaned against him. This caught Batman off guard as she placed a finger on the emblem on his armor.
"So what's your story anyway, Mister Bat? That's what this thing on your chest is supposed to be, right?"
Batman swatted her hand away and narrowed his eyes.
"I'll repeat. The sword, hand it over."
She moved the sword behind her back before he could grab it and stood on the tips of her toes, her body pressed against his, her free palm on his arm, her face within an inch from his and her eyes full of intent.
"How about you take the mask off first?" she whispered in a sultry voice.
"How about 'No'?" he growled.
"Aww, too bad." she purred and gave an exaggerated sad pout. "I wanted to know what the rest of your face looked like, you have such kissable lips."
Batman pushed her away in disgust, wondering if this girl even knew how old she was.
"Enough of this! If you're not going to co-operate then I'm taking you in!"
The girl laughed and jumped backwards, putting some distance between them. She then secured the sword within the loose belt that she wore.
"Yeah, I don't think so. You Non-Blazers should learn to pick your fights. See, I'm on a tight schedule and the job description did say to eliminate anything in my way. Unfortunately for you right now, that's where you are."
With that declaration, she outstretched her palm and the weapon she carried before, which she referred to as Kiriniji, materialized in front of it. After she grabbed it, she grasped the chain with her other hand and spun it. Batman was stunned seeing this, he thought that she somehow had that weapon hidden on her person somewhere, not expecting it to materialize out of thin air like that.
"That's new." he thought.
He didn't have the time to process this phenomenon as she took the initiative by whipping the chain portion of the weapon towards him. Batman jumped out of the way and retaliated by flinging a Batarang. She avoided the projectile and it embedded itself in the floor next to her. She couldn't help but pause and curiously stare at it and notice its shape.
"Heh, taking this Bat fetish thing a little too far doncha think?" she snickered.
Batman tried taking advantage of her pause by rushing her. She threw out her chain again but he ducked under it and tried striking her with an open palm, she swerved out of the way and sliced at him with the sickle part of the weapon. He deflected it with the bladed fins on his gauntlet and tried to make a grab for the sword but she didn't allow it and instead followed up with a series of spinning kicks which Batman blocked.
He had to admit that he found her martial arts skills to be impressive but he had no intention of dragging the fight on any longer. His objective was to just retrieve the sword and she was aware of it, considering how she was constantly trying to put distance between them.
He decided to try a different method at closing their distance by using his grapple gun to pull himself above her and then coming down with a kick but apparently she was prepared for such a maneuver.
"Not a good idea trying to attack me from above!"
She quickly spun the chain end of the kusarigama above her and she spun it fast enough to resemble the rotor blades of a helicopter, even to the point of blowing wind in all directions. Batman's eyes widened seeing the rotary disk he was dropping towards and with a quick thought, he spread his cape into its glider mode and caught some of that gale to push him away from her. She ceased her spinning just as he landed some distance from her.
"How many more tricks do you have up that sleeve of yours?" she asked.
"More than you think."
The response made her smirk and there was a noticeable red tinge on her tanned cheeks. She then surprisingly took the sword from her belt and struck the blade to the floor, making it stand.
"Now you've got me curious. But as much as I'd love doing this all night, I'm on the clock. So what do you say we finish this?"
With the sickle part of Kiriniji in one and chain in the other, she rushed at her opponent and he responded in kind but it was just as they were about to clash when a strange sight occurred: it looked like the girl jumped back but in her place was a mirror image of herself which she separated herself from. When Batman collided with the mirror image, it exploded in a plume of purple smoke. This phenomenon already confused him and in that confusion, he accidentally inhaled the smoke and the subsequent effects were immediate.
He began to hack and cough but soon felt such actions difficult as a tingling numbness came over him. His arms fell to his sides like wet noodles, his breathing began to slow down and his body felt so heavy that it took a lot of effort to not collapse on the spot.
The girl casually walked towards him and gave his chest a gentle shove and that was all that was needed to send him on his back.
He was helplessly still after impacting the floor, feeling like his entire body was glued there and all he could do was breathe slowly through his open mouth. He then felt her crawl on top of him and before he knew it, she mashed her lips against his and he couldn't do a thing to fight back!
She then immediately sat up with a look of mock outrage.
"Eek! P-pervert! Help! Police!"
She acted out with exaggeration and laughed. He couldn't even speak, whatever it was he inhaled made his vocal functions flaccid. She came into his view again, her vine colored eyes glinted and her cleavage hung over him.
"Confused, huh? What you saw was one of my Noble Arts, I call that one Doku Bunshin."
He had no idea what a 'Noble Art' was but what he saw her do looked impossible and couldn't help but wonder if she was even human. He then noticed her hand hovering over the edges of his mask.
"Maybe I still have some time left to take a peek."
But just then, there was a beeping sound that emitted from a device that was strapped to her belt. It seemed to have some kind of significance to her as her expression changed and her hand as well as her head dropped sightly.
"Or not." she said with chuckle and a defeated sigh.
She pushed off him and retrieved the sword she stuck to the floor. Batman could only surmise from the way she kept going on about having a tight schedule that the beeping indicated that her time here was up and she was about to leave. She turned to face him before making that departure.
"Well, it's been fun. Don't worry, the effects of the poison should wear off in about thirty minutes, enough time for me to be long gone. Don't bother tracking me down because you'll NEVER find me."
With that, she turned and began to walk away. He absolutely refused to let her get away that easily and his mind raced trying to figure out a way out of his current state.
He had no idea about the nature of the poison that affected him and could only assume from how limp his muscles felt that it was some kind of anticholinergic or neuromuscular blocking agent similar to curare. He needed a fast-acting antidote and fortunately there was something he happened to have in one of his belt pockets. This wasn't the first time he was paralyzed like this. Not too long ago, he tangled with the crazed eco-terrorist Pamela Isley who used a similar kind of toxin on him. As a precaution, he developed a counter-agent which he never ended up using.
But now seemed as good a time as any. The functions of the antidote would basically jump-start his nerve signals and muscle contractions, combating any anticholinergic effect, a sort of "benign version" of strychnine.
Quick and effective. But it didn't mean it wasn't going to hurt like a bitch.
With great struggle and all the willpower he could muster, he was able to bring his right hand towards the correct belt pocket and retrieve a cool steel cylinder. A button press made one end of the cylinder pop off, revealing a needle and the other shorter end extend with a telescopic stem. It took a second for him to firmly grasp it and ready his thumb on the plunger. With his teeth grit, he jammed the steel syringe into the side of his leg.
As she walked, the girl heard his pained grunts, gasps and pants. She couldn't help but giggle and turn around.
"You do realize that you right now sound like you're..."
She stopped and reeled back with widened eyes, seeing him now standing, slightly slouched and looking winded but seemingly cured from her poison.
"What!? How did you..!?" she exclaimed with astonishment.
"Like I said, I have more tricks than you think."
After saying that, Batman immediately launched a grapple line towards her. The grapple latched on to the sword in her hand and because it was too late for her to recover from her surprise, he was able to yank it away from her and grabbed the handle as it flew towards him.
It was the moment the Dark Knight would remember when everything had changed for him.
Batman was brought to his knees as he screamed in overwhelming agony. Like the effect of electrocution, his hand was unable to release the handle as he felt his muscles and joints tighten with the wave of pain that engulfed him. He was normally used to pain; he had trained for years to endure all kinds of suffering and his body had withstood physical trauma that would make even the most hardened man flinch. But this was different; it wasn't like physical torture, it felt like his very soul was being torn apart!
The blade glowed and vibrated with an ear-piercing hum and black tendrils of smoke spilled from the gaps in his costume before expanding in billowing thickness. It wasn't only that. The area around him just seemed to be getting darker, as if his presence was sucking the light away.
The girl with the purple hair and white streak stepped back with wide eyes and a slack jaw. She had no idea what was happening before her, she knew that the sword was important but never did she expect something like this to happen.
"W-what's going on!? What is this!?" she gasped.
This was the last thing the Dark Knight heard before it all went black for him.
He stirred, feeling the harshness of the sun beating down on the black portions of his suit. His eyelids felt like Velcro, as peeling them open was such a strain that he wondered how long he had them closed. Light assaulted his vision and he squinted as he groggily forced himself up. He steadied himself on wobbly legs and swallowed a couple of times to prevent losing the food in his stomach. Everything in his body felt sore and his head was being plagued by a pounding headache.
In a word: he felt like hell.
He stumbled towards a railing and held on to it to stop his body from collapsing, opening his eyes fully when they adjusted to the light so he could take in his surroundings.
He was on a rooftop of some apartment building and judging from the environment, he was definitely not in Gotham. But from the various signs that were written in kanji and the landmarks, he recognized where he was.
"I'm in...Japan?" he grunted.
More accurately, it was Tokyo. Bruce had visited the city a few times before, a long time ago when he was abroad training and more recently during a visit to one of Wayntech's subsidiaries located here. But right now he wondered how he ended up here, on the other side of the globe. He tapped on the comm-link on the side of his cowl and attempted to contact Alfred.
"Alfred, I need you to arrange a private j..."
There was complete static on the other end of the call.
"Alfred?"
He switched to different comm channels but there was no response. He even tried remotely dialing Wayne Manor or his office in Wayne Industries but it was the same result.
"Perhaps the signal's being jammed?"
He began to feel on edge as he recalled the events from before, the purple haired girl who stole that sword from the Gotham Museum.
Now that he thought about it, the sword was no longer in his possession and he assumed that she took it from him after...he wasn't able to process it. Everything was a blur after he touched that stolen weapon.
But now he considered that maybe she was the one responsible for bringing him here. If so, how? And why? He remembered that she indicated that she was working for someone. Did they have something to do with it?
Paranoia began to set in as he began to wonder if he was captured, but why leave him here? Did that mean someone was watching him?
He sighed and rubbed his head, deciding that standing around in broad daylight in the suit pondering about unknown events wasn't going to do him any good. And so, after making sure the coast was clear, he scaled down the side of the building and grabbed some hanging clothes on the way; an act that he felt a little guilty about.
After taking off his cowl, cape and the rest of his armor, he quickly dressed in the articles of clothing he "borrowed": the salmon-colored shirt was crumpled but it hugged his frame just fine, same with the pants. He bundled his armor the best he could and stashed it in a safe place where he would retrieve it later.
He opened one of the compartments of his utility belt to retrieve a few hundred dollar bills and a bunch of fake IDs and passports, tools that he had normally used for undercover work. He would later go to a local forex to exchange those dollars for yen.
He was still barefoot and hoped no one would notice but on the other hand, the locals would probably dismiss him as some idiot gaijin. Fine by him.
Later he was able to buy some cheap sandals and shades, completing his "Idiot Gaijin look". He then hailed a taxi and requested to be driven to the airport.
"Sorry. The number you have dialed does not exist" was what he had heard over and over after dialing. Wayne Manor, his office, Alfred, Lucius, every mobile number he knew responded the same. And every office number responded with the automated message saying that the area code "is not valid".
Bruce hung up the payphone in bewilderment. He wondered what was going on in Gotham and was beginning to worry.
Later, he approached a ticket booking counter and was greeted by the woman behind it. He stuck to his persona of a dumb tourist while talking to her but also used some of that ol' flirtatious playboy billionaire charm, hoping the smooth talk might give him an easier time and it seemed to be working; she was already being more helpful than she should.
"Your Japanese is actually very good, Mr. Bale. And...you certainly have a way with words." she giggled with a blush.
Bruce responded with a sheepish grin while scratching the back of his head.
"Thanks but I'm still learning. I still have trouble distinguishing words. I always get my Onii-sans and Onee-sans mixed up." he chuckled and she giggled in kind.
"So which country will you be visiting this time?" she asked.
"United States, ma'am. I honestly love traveling and I especially love your country but I think it's about time I headed home."
"Oh, so you're American."
Bruce noticed that her tone and expression shifted slightly and wondered if she had a problem with people from his country but she reverted back to her cheerful nature and began typing on her keyboard.
"Okay then, destination?"
"Gotham City."
She paused with a blink and looked at him curiously.
"I'm sorry?" she asked.
"Gotham City. I know, the place is kinda a hell hole but it's home." he confirmed while sheepishly scratching his hair.
The woman chuckled while giving a nervous smile.
"Um, sir...I can't help you without a proper destination."
It was now Bruce's turn to blink and return the curious gaze.
"Aren't there any direct flights to Gotham City?" he asked.
"W-Where exactly is this 'Gotham City'?"
Bruce reeled a bit. Was this some kind of joke? Archie Goodwin International was one of the major airline hubs in the world! For them to not hear about Gotham was preposterous! His patience was running thin and he was about to tell her off when a commotion nearby caught his attention.
There was a media frenzy near one of the staircases as reporters and cameramen bombarded a person coming down the stairs with questions and camera flashes. Flanked by two bodyguards, this person appeared to be a young girl with red-pinkish hair tied into twin tales. She smiled and waved as her bodyguards managed to put a respectable distance between her and the paparazzi.
Bruce turned back to the woman at the counter and could see that her starstruck gaze was fixed towards the red-haired girl.
"Is she some kind of local celebrity?" Bruce asked her.
The woman snapped out of her reverie and looked at him incredulously.
"You're kidding, right? You don't know Princess Stella from the Vermillion Empire!?"
"Vermillion Empire?"
Bruce shook his head as his confusion mounted. He felt he was clearly missing something and decided to excuse himself.
"You know what, forget the booking. Do you know where I can get today's newspaper?" he asked.
The woman at the counter gave him the information he needed and after acquiring the reading material, he found a place to sit and read. Bruce found himself checking the date of the newspaper more than once to confirm that it was today's date but after tensely scanning the pages, particularly the international news, he was more perplexed than ever.
There was no mention of Gotham or Wayne Industries and the current events did not match the events from yesterday. For instance, he knows for a fact that the presidential elections are in full swing back in the states but the paper makes no mention of it and is instead referring to a US president he has never heard of. He knows for a fact that his company's stock was trending at an all-time high just yesterday but there's nothing saying such in the paper's stock section. And he certainly knows for a fact that there's no such thing as a "League of Mage-Knight Nations" just like he knows that the current Japanese Prime Minister was NOT Bakuga Tsukikage.
"What the hell is going on?" he wondered.
The local headlines were all about something called the 'Seven Star Sword Art Festival' as well as the arrival of Princess Stella and on the international side of things, there was an ongoing investigation involving a terrorist group called 'Rebellion' who had been involved in some bombings a few months ago. Bruce blinked at this, surely he would've heard about such an event if it happened. He flipped through the pages some more and noticed that the word "Blazer" was constantly mentioned in these articles.
"Blazers..." he whispered to himself.
He remembered that girl he fought against. She referred to him as a 'Non-Blazer'. That seems to indicate that she's one of them, but what IS a Blazer exactly?
Bruce discarded the newspaper and made his out the airport, he felt frustrated not knowing what was happening in the world and his mind was buzzing with questions. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed in fixed determination. He decided to put off leaving Japan for the time being, right now he wanted answers and he swore nothing was going to stop him from getting them.
Finally safe from the paparazzi, Stella leaned back on her seat in the limo and exhaled. The flight from her kingdom was quite tiring as well as the attention she had gotten, coming to a new country, but this was a decision she had made long ago and was willing to see it through.
"Well Miss Vermillion, Welcome to Tokyo."
Stella turned towards the voice to see the woman she had been in correspondence with. She was a slender woman in formal attire who had her short black hair tied and held up. Her dark brown eyes had the capability of being stern yet gentle and a cigarette dangled from her mouth which always seemed to smirk. She was Kurono Shinguuji, the current director of Hagun Academy; one of the most prestigious Chivalry Schools in the country.
"Thank you, Director. I'm glad to be here." responded Stella with a smile.
"I know that things here in Japan are a little different to what you're accustomed to in the Vermillion Kingdom but we'll assist you in any way we can to help you adapt."
"I appreciate it, Director."
The princess felt she wouldn't need any help. She was confident and had acquainted herself with Japanese language and culture before her trip. Kurono took a drag from her cigarette before asking something that was on her mind.
"If you don't mind me asking, Your Highness: why did you decide to study abroad? I'm sure you would've received the right kind of training in your own kingdom."
Stella frowned before turning her gaze towards the car window. Her ruby eyes locked with her own translucent reflection from the glass.
"Because in my home country, they trapped me in a box called "genius"." she finally said.
Kurono raised a brow in curiosity and the red-haired princess continued to talk.
"I was more of a prisoner than a student. With all their expectations and admirations, I couldn't test myself. I didn't have the freedom to try something and fail."
Kurono nodded in understanding.
"Well I think you'll find Hagun Academy most suitable. The Seven Star Sword Art Festival is coming up where young Blazers from all over the country will compete. It's an excellent opportunity for you to find what you're looking for. And who knows? You might face someone who could...surprise you."
In the aforementioned academy was a young man practicing his sword swings alone, each swing was precise and honed. He was of average height with straight dark hair and eyes and had a slender but toned physique. He was an F-rank Blazer, known among his peers as "The Worst One", labels that were incorrect about his skills and true potential. His name was Ikki Kurogane and he was currently unaware that a certain princess would soon enter his life and heart. He was also unaware that soon another person would enter his life and the world of Blazers would be shaken to its core.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he noticed the light around had dimmed which made him glance at the summer sky and notice an overcast, the dark clouds adamantly trying to snuff out the sun. The young boy remarked to himself.
"Hm, The skies seem darker today."
TBC