Tears in the Rain
A Batman one shot dedicated to the victims and families of Aurora.
"Batman...please wake up,"
He heard soft cries in the darkness, rain pelting on the graphite of his cowl, he opened his eyelids slowly, drawing out a deep groan as his head pounded like a drum. He parted his lips enough to taste the rain drops, allowing them to seep down his raw throat.
He tried to lift himself off the pavement, every part of his battered form throbbed as the bruises on his muscles stung underneath the layers of his suit. Whatever was disturbing his mind clotted his thoughts with intense waves. He opened his hazel eyes fully, staring at the shadows of the narrow alley, bent trash cans, broken shards of glass and the intoxicating stench of musty cluster of buildings. He was indeed in East End quarter.
At first he focused on nothing, his invaded mind collected the recessing memories of the hours before, he could smell the sticky blood piercing out from his side and taste the metallic acid on his tongue. He closed his eyes once more, trying to block out the vivid images of the grotesque marred lips and the hollow black eyes of the pale faced demon he jolted slightly reacting to the replay of the sound of the knife digging into his protective armor, deep into flesh and bone.
To them you're just a freak...like me.
He grimaced, blinking his lashes behind the slits of his mask, feeling the dark makeup become runny on his cheeks, he lifted a shaky hard and pressed hard on his wounded side, clenching his teeth as the blood soaked with the material of his gloved fingers.
"Where am I?" he asked is a strained voice, trying to recollect his bearings. He stared upwards at the flashes of blue tinged lightening streaking through the storm clouds as thunder rolled in the air waves. He shuddered feeling a small hand touch his throbbing shoulder.
"It's okay Batman," he heard a sweet little voice echo into his pulsing ears. "You're safe."
He pushed all his strength into his arms, and reeled himself off the ground, clamping his eyes shut as the numbness raging inside of his bones took hold of every ounce of his body. He seethed, breathing against his gritted teeth in small pants of breath. "Who are you?" he managed with a gruff tone, blood was dripping down his exposed jaw in a line of watery crimson. He sideways his eyes to the frail dark curled girl kneeling down at his side, her locks were drenched and cheeks drained of color.
"Aurora."
"Aurora," he repeated with a softer tone of voice. "You shouldn't here alone."
She shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter. I'm alone anyways."
He cradled a arm over his swollen mid-section. "Where are parents?" he asked with a voice of concern.
Aurora lowered her head, locking her teary green eyes at the ripples forming in the murky puddles by her scuffed running shoes. "They're gone." she replied with a sorrowful voice. " One night a monster came to our apartment...all I remember was his laughter before the thunder echoed in my ears. I run away and never looked back because I was afraid, Batman that I did look back I wouldn't..."
Batman lowered his eyes, feeling the pieces of his own heart breaking. He lifted up his melting gaze of hazel and placed his hand gently on her frozen cheek and looked so tenderly into her eyes, as his thumbed wiped away her tears and then that's when he noticed the blood staining her pink laced top, a small hole on the right side of her chest. "No," he said in a breathless tone. "You've been shot."
She nodded faintly, "It was the monster."
"I'm sorry, Aurora." he said in a strained and broken voice through his tears as each of them faded into the rain. "I'm sorry."
Aurora placed her trembling hand on his cowl. "It's okay, Batman." she smiled sweetly, gently at him. "I just wanted to find you...you're my hero." She was shivering as her breath was starting to grow faint.
"I'm not a hero, Aurora." he replied with a stricken voice, looking down at the bullet hole in her chest, he removed his cape from his shoulders and wrapped it around her small body and cradled her in his arms gently, his face distorted with panic and eyes burning with tears as he pressed her close to his chest, allowing his body heat to enter her fragile body.
"You're going to alright," he assured her with a voice that sounded foreign to his own ears, he narrowed his eyes, looking deeply into her soft pools of green, almost the same eyes of his mother and stroked her back with his hand. "I'm not going to let you die."
"I'm not afraid." she said, though her body was shaking violently and Batman rested his chin on her head. "I'm brave like you, Batman." Hearing those words coming from this little girl, made the waterworks of tears streams down his cheeks but she was lifted her head and smiled up at him, and with one shaky hand reached up and she placed her fingers over his soft lips.
"Don't talk like that," he said, barely, grabbing pressing his ear com link for Alfred. "You're going to make it."
"Batman," she said softly, as her hand lingered on his jaw, "I really would've..."
"Shh," he said gently, "It's going to be okay, Aurora."
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, into a hug, and then sucked back a breath before saying, "I would be lost without you."
At the moment he knew that words meant, innocence of his city would be lost if he didn't perform the will to act every night and protect the lives of Gotham's future. His heart thudded in his chest, beats where at a standstill , and a fresh wave of tears glossed over his eyes before her hand slipped away from his face and starting heading towards the ground.
"No," he said, feeling his heart being torn to shred as her eyes from dimming. "Please ..." He sobbed with his words, feeling Aurora's chest rise and fall against his armor. It was agony to witness a child who appeared to be the same age as he was all those years ago in the alley. Now she was going to be a memory that would become emblazoned in his mind just like his parents.
"Batman," she asked with a faint voice.
"Yes," he replied with a tender voice with a soft as silk.
"Can...I...see...your...real face?"
Batman nodded, "Yes. You can." He lifted his hands, placing them on both sides of his cowl and gently eased it off to reveal the handsome face of Bruce Wayne. She lifted her cold hand once more and slid her fingers over his sharp curvatures and underneath his hooded hazel eyes and she gave him a weak little smile.
"I knew you weren't a monster underneath." she whispered, looking into his crisp, gentle eyes, as her fingers brushed the loose bangs off his forehead "You're my hero..."
"Bruce," he replied with a raspy tone, cupping her frozen cheek with his hand, and leaned over and pressed his lips softly on her forehead.
"Will you stay with me, Bruce?" she asked, with shaky voice.
He nodded and lifted her body in his arms, she rested her head on his shoulder, slowly closing her eyes as she become comforted with his warmth and he whispered against her ear. "Don't be afraid, Aurora. I've got you."
"I would've loved to be a hero like you..."
Bruce clenched his eyes, and hugged her tightly, listening to her give her last breath as he said with a heartfelt cry, closing her eyes. She died in his arms.
"You are a hero, Aurora." he lifted his gaze to the bat signal in the sky. "You're my hero."