A/N: This is my first time writing these characters, so they're most probably a little OOC. For that, I apologize. Any suggestions to help make them more IC would be appreciated. Enjoy.
Sticks and leaves crackled under her feet, the cold autumn wind stinging her face. Branches and bramble snagged at her red coat, leaving jagged rips in the thin fabric. Her breath was coming out in forced gasps, her heart speeding from the endless run, beating even faster when she heard the terrifying howls of the advancing hyenas. She raised her arm over her shoulder and, without looking, fired the small gun that she clutched in a sweaty fist. The sound of scattering birds reached her ears; no noise indicating that she had hit her target. She growled silently in annoyance, leaping over a dead log that blocked her path.
'Where is he?' she wondered, pushing a few branches aside and looking towards the sky. Dark outlines loomed before her, strange shapes that obviously weren't trees. She slowed down slightly, wondering what kind of buildings would be in the middle of the forest. Lost in jumbled thoughts, she nearly slowed to a complete stop, but the laughing growls of the creatures behind her made her speed up again, their footsteps sounding far too close for comfort.
She forced her way through some thorns that grabbed at her clothing, stumbling into a dusty clearing. Strange tents and large buildings surrounded her in a maze of cloth and bricks, giving the impression of a haunted carnival. She circled her way around one of the tents and threw herself into the opening, hoping to throw the hyenas from her path for a short time. She sank to the ground gasping for air, her back pressed against thick fabric.
Before she could fully catch her breath, something crashed through the opening of the tent, a tangle of matted fur and limbs, navy cloth stained with dark blood. 'Took him long enough,' she thought, leaping to her feet just as Batman threw one of the hyenas off himself. The creature rolled back to its feet and saw her standing there, its wild yellow eyes staring into hers, that laughing howl rising from its throat. It started running towards her, faster than she realized it could run. She jumped to the side right before it reached her, kicking it in the ribs with her heel as it ran past her.
She twisted around and saw the hyena crash into the tent, ripping a large hole in the material. It leaped back up quickly, lunging towards her once more. She tried to dodge it again, but it bit down on her leg, its large teeth piercing her skin. A burning sensation filled her blood, a hiss of pain escaping her lips and a wave of numbness washing over her foot as the creature pulled her to the ground. It started dragging her towards the exit, its teeth ripping her skin. She bit her lip to keep from screaming at the searing pain in her leg, yanking her gun out of its holster. She smashed the butt of it against the creatures head and it went limp; unconscious.
Clamping her hands around the hyenas jaws, she started prying it carefully off her leg, feeling its teeth pull slowly out of her skin. With a gasp of pain she yanked the animals jaws open the rest of the way and threw its limp body to the side. She sat there panting for a few moments, clutching her bleeding leg when a shadow was cast over her, causing her to look up. Batman stood in front of her, blood running down his arm from a wound in his shoulder. He knelt down beside her and silently removed her hands from the gashes in her flesh.
"What took you so long?" she asked casually as he gently tended to her wounds. He tied a piece of ragged cloth around her leg in a makeshift bandage, raising his head to look at her.
"I had a small problem on my way here. Joker tried to throw me off his trail." He stood up quickly and helped her to her feet. "We need to hurry, we've already lost a lot of time." She nodded slightly, grimacing when she put weight on her wounded leg. He watched her carefully for a moment. "You can stay here if you want, Detective. I can handle the Joker on my own."
"No," she insisted quickly, limping towards the exit. "I'm coming with you." She didn't want the same thing that happened to Ethan to happen to him. She looked back at him as he followed her through the tent door. She knew he could probably handle the Joker on his own, but if he did need her help, she didn't want to leave him at the hands of a maniac. She had already lost one friend because of him, she didn't need to lose another.
"So, which building is he in?" Yin asked as they walked cautiously around the tents. The sharp pain in her leg had bothered her quite a bit at first, but soon it had subsided into a dull numbness. Before Batman could open his mouth to speak, the loud, crazy laughter of a maniac answered her. They both whirled around, searching the area for the green-haired clown. A figure leaped out at them suddenly, causing them to jump back in surprise, their weapons raised in defense. Joker laughed loudly, hopping up and down on a pogo-stick.
"If you want me, you have to catch me!" he sang delightedly, bouncing quickly away. Batman growled and started chasing him, Yin following at his heels, but soon falling behind due to her limp. She wove around the tents and buildings, just barely seeing Batman's cape as he ran ahead of her, and nearly loosing them in the process.
She saw them disappear into a building, stumbling as she tried to catch up. It seemed so far away, like it would take her days to reach it. She gasped, panting for air, pushing herself forward to the opening. When she finally reached the building, she forced the door open, falling inside. She looked up quickly, her eyes widening and her heart speeding in her chest, staring into her own reflection. The House of Mirrors.
"No," she whispered quietly, her breath catching in her throat as she stumbled through the maze of glass. It was all too similar, too close to Ethan. A loud crash and shower of glass made her jump back, falling into the mirror behind her. Joker leaped through the hole in the maze, jumping onto Batman who lay on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him pull out a small plastic gun. Was it Joker gas? Without thinking, she started running towards Joker, preparing to pull out her own gun. But he had seen her, and she was sent flying into the mirrors with a forceful kick in the stomach.
Yin winced at the sharp shards of glass piercing into her back, her head pounding and sore. She groaned and tried to sit up, the world swimming out of focus. She heard laughter and the breaking of glass, growls of annoyance and jumbled words. But all she could see was a swirl of colors reflecting off smooth mirrors. Her vision focused slightly and she could see Joker and Batman fighting, but she couldn't tell who was winning. After a moment everything cleared, and the whole world seemed to speed up. She saw a flash of glimmering silver, a flicker of dull black, and the two men falling backwards.
Standing slowly, she took in the scene, her heart thumping loudly and her back aching. Broken glass scattered to floor, and reflected in every standing mirror, was a sight she didn't want to see. Joker lay on his back laughing, thick cord wrapped tightly around his body. Batman lay just a few feet away from him, a long dagger thrust in his chest. Yin stared, a deep fear edging its way into her heart.
"No," she whispered, limping towards the bloodied figure. This couldn't happen. He couldn't die. He just couldn't. He had to survive, had to stay alive. "No!" she screamed, running the rest of the distance as fast as she could. She fell down beside him, feeling his pulse and pulling his head into her lap. "Batman," she said breathlessly. "Come on, get up." She had never felt so much fear, so much hopelessness. She looked quickly at the dagger in his chest; it was going in at an angle, so she couldn't tell if it was directly in his heart or not. But she knew it was at least dangerously close.
"Yin," she heard him gasp, feeling his hand grip hers tightly. She looked down at him, seeing the dark blood that soaked his cowl. She wished this wasn't real; just a bad dream.
"Batman," she whispered urgently. "Hang on, everything's going to be fine." She knew it probably wasn't, but it gave her some comfort to hear the words even if they weren't true. "You're going to be okay." It was an effort to get the words out, she felt like she was choking on her own voice.
"No," Batman whispered quietly. "No I'm not." His voice cracked and he broke into a coughing fit, warm blood splattering on her arm. "Yin," he gasped. "Yin.. Ellen, I... I'm... so... so sorry." His breath came out in ragged coughs, forcing its way out of his lungs.
"Hold on," Yin said quickly. "Just hold on. Don't die, don't die!" She was panicking, clutching his still fingers tightly, refusing to believe that he could die. "No," she choked. "D-don't die..." He lay completely still, almost as if he were sleeping, about to wake at any moment. But she knew he wasn't.
"How touching!" Joker exclaimed behind her. She had heard him, but she couldn't fully process what he was saying. "Well, aren't you going to see who he is?" he continued eagerly. "That's what you've been trying to do, isn't it? Unmask the Bat?" He broke off into a laughing fit, but she ignored it, staring blankly at the dead form in front of her. Who's funeral would she be attending? She didn't want to know. Not now. But she knew the Gotham Police would unmask him when they came. Rojas would finally get to see who 'The Batman' was.
'He's dead,' a voice whispered in her mind. 'He's never coming back.' She knew it was true, but she wouldn't accept it. She couldn't. She wasn't ready. Suddenly she wondered what would happen to Gotham, what all the villain's would do now that 'The Batman' was dead. 'Probably celebrate,' she thought bitterly. 'And turn the whole city into a living nightmare.' Now that the Dark Knight was gone for good, who would protect everyone?
"Come on! Take his mask off." Joker's voice yanked her out of her thoughts, bringing reality back with full force. "He's dead now, Detective. It's not like it matters anymore." His words finally made everything fully sink in, but they also made her angry. All her fear and grief was gone, and all she wanted, was to see the Joker drown in his own blood. She whirled around and yanked her gun out of its holster, pressing the barrel against his skull. His eyes widened slightly, and he gave her an innocent look. "I was only joking, Yin. No need to get so defensive."
"If that was a joke, you seriously need to get a better sense of humor," she replied flatly, the metal of the gun cold and smooth in her hand. She felt calm now, a strange sense of peace washing over her. She would finally get revenge for Ethan, revenge for Batman. And Gotham would be rid of one of its most horrid creatures; forever.
Joker grinned, his dark red lips shining against his jagged teeth. "You wouldn't kill me, Yin," he said lightly. "You wouldn't dare pull that trigger." His grin faded when she cocked the gun, a look of panic crossing his features.
"Wanna bet?" she hissed darkly, her finger curling around the trigger.