Disclaimer: I absolutely do NOT own, nor do I gain any monetary subsidies, for this fan fiction story. The characters, setting, names belong to the author that created them (Leroux, Kay), BUT the plot is all mine! I also do not own any rights or gain monetary subsidies to Batman. That belongs to Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and DC Comics.

Author's Note: I am glad so many are enjoying this story. I do not anticipate the Joker coming into the story until later. I have it planned for him to enter the story in Chapter Five. Although I think it is important to build up a story before diving into the action, I know how anxious some must be. Other than that, enjoy this chapter!

School, work, and personal life are getting in the way of me updating as much as I would like, but I do not abandon stories….So, I hope you just have the patience to bear with me!

Also, I want to give a BIG hug and greeting to ShadowArcher!

"People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?"

Bruce Wayne

"Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice." Alfred Pennyworth

Chapter Two-The Guardian's Story Begins

His lungs burned and his whole body felt as if it were on fire while he tried to ward off the attacks from Pendekar Khan. Yet, his resolve had only strengthened since he first came to Nadir eight months ago seeking the skill in order to combat the evil that plagued Gorham City. The training had been more strenuous on his mind and soul than physically, which was still saying much considering his body was still sore from the lessons that occurred six months prior.

Nadir Khan came at him with the Tongkat but Erik was quicker in his movements and sidestepped the man while snatching the walking stick out of his opponent's hands. With the weapon in his own hands, Desslar slammed it into the back of his Master who obviously fell to the ground. Standing over him, the masked man looked down at the fallen man as a large grin spread across Nadir's features.

Once Pendekar Khan acknowledged the lesson was over, Erik helped the older man up on his feet and the two traveled to the sitting area in the back of the Temple in order to have simple discussions, as was their custom after each combating session.

The two men casually passed the other monks who kneeled in prayer in the more sacred areas before they reached Nadir's office at the end of one of the grand hallways. Upon entering the room, Erik took a seat on one of the ornate pillows lying on the floor. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his robe before graciously accepting the cup of tea handed to him by his master.

After the older man took a seat, Erik was apprehensive. He had no idea of what to expect from his master, Nadir. Sitting in silent contemplation while sipping hot tea, neither man spoke of what was specifically on his mind.

A pang of homesickness washed over the deformed man, something the Pendekar noticed immediately. Setting his tea down, the monk rose to his feet and motioned for his protégé to do the same.

"What is plaguing you so, anak saya (my son)?"

"I am homesick…"

Nodding his balding head, the elder man spoke in a softer, more compassionate tone, "You are almost ready to return to your city. Before you go, I need to converse with you on some more topics that are pertinent."

The two men then began to amble down the path towards the more sacred areas of the temple, areas restricted only for the higher priests or monks. The billionaire paused, unsure whether he should violate the codes. Yet, the pendekar nudged him forward as he began to speak.

"You blame yourself for your parents' death, do you not?"

Before Desslar could respond, Nadir interrupted, "Of course you do. That was a defining moment in your life. Then, I cannot help but wonder why you wish to save the same city that took your parents away, especially in a violent fashion. Why, Desslar, do you want to defend this Gorham city?"

The familiar fire that thirsted for revenge and had been quelled for eight months began to come out, the flames licking at the corners of his very soul. Erik closed his eyes in an effort to calm his spirit down, but his master quickly stopped him. Throwing the rich man to the rugged floor, he incapacitated Erik by placing him in a chokehold.

Whispering harshly in his ear, Nadir reprimanded his young ward, "No, you must not do that! If you quell the beast, it only grows stronger. You must learn to control it, and use it to your advantage. Letting that beast have control is the fastest way for you to die."

Loosening his grip only slightly, Nadir continued to speak in a softer tone in an effort to reach his young ward.

"Anak saya, you must stop blaming yourself for your parents' death. It was not your fault. Let it out…Speak the words you have kept hidden for over a decade. Tell me how you felt the moment you saw your safety net destroyed; the moment you no longer had control; the moment you felt hopelessness and helplessness…"

The younger man's body violently shook as the powerful waves of emotions, deeply buried in the past memories and deepest parts of his soul finally were resurrected in one brief moment in time. With an incredible amount of energy, Erik threw his master off him and stood up. The monks who had been praying stopped as the burned man powerfully bellowed in the temple.

"It was I! I killed my parents! In my ignorance, I let those men kill the best part of me…my life! Yet, I lived in fear. I let that fear consume me; I turned away from making amends for their death. For years, they laid in their caskets without justice. I never gave them the peace they rightfully were due; they died in vain."

Erik paused, taking a deep breath before beginning to speak softly at first, "Yet now…I can give them justice by making sure justice is done every night in Gorham City. I am sacrificing my life to ensure the innocent have theirs. No more fathers should have to die going home. Mothers should not have to live in fear for the safety of their children…I have to be the guardian of the innocent…for the people I have lost!"

With his confession out, the energy suddenly left Erik and he dropped to his knees next to his trainer. The Indonesian took the burned man's face in his hands and vehemently responded to his confession.

"Those confessions you just uttered are what you need to remember every time you encounter your enemies. Your enemies will try to get you to commit actions in order for you to fail…to become like one of them. Yet, you must remember whom you are fighting for and why. Think of the people you love…think of your loss. However, do not let your grief and rage consume you. Let it be the fuel, the fire, which drives you in the darkest of times. When you have lost your will to fight, let your sense of justice and that fire become the means for you to keep moving on."

The deformed man let those words sink in, unaware that the entire temple's occupants now stared at the two in the middle of the sacred hall. Helping his apprentice to his feet, the two men ambled towards the courtyard that was located in the rear of the temple, ignoring the curious stares of the monks. Desslar wondered what then awaited him there in the courtyard.

As the two stepped outside, lightning flashed across the sky and some raindrops fell to the ground. The smell of rain and the electricity felt in the air signified the oncoming storm that threatened the already night sky.

With question the burned man stepped forward and faced his master, he then asked, "What are we doing—?"

From behind him, the burned man suddenly felt the air pressure change and immediately ducked the attack from the stranger behind him. While ducking, Erik swung his leg to knock his opponent's feet out from under him. As the man fell, the burned man then heard footsteps to his left approaching his fallen form at a rapid rate. From his right, he saw a flash of red, signifying another attacker.

Rolling over, he grabbed a rock and threw it at the head of the running man, which deterred him for a moment. As that man fell from the rock thrown at him, Desslar stood and took notice that Nadir had vanished, leaving him alone to ward off these assailants. In that time span, the attacker in red charged forward and knocked Erik back down on his back.

The red-dressed man then raised his sword in the air and swung down, but the sword did not slice Erik's flesh. Nadir had intercepted the enemy's sword, and with his own sword, and made one maneuver that caused the man to drop it. Picking up the enemy's discarded weapon, Nadir held the two swords and protectively stepped in front of his young ward who managed to regain his composure.

The sword's owner got to his feet as the other two assailants regrouped with him. They were dressed in elegant robes, known for the higher officials in the martial arts. With the distinctive scarves worn over their faces, their identities were concealed. Yet, Nadir seemed to know these men without taking off the scarves, leaving Erik thoroughly confused.

There was a tense standoff, and adding to it was the downpour of pounding rain that had fallen from the sky. The rain pounded down on the ground, the roar muffling out any other sound as flashes of lightning became the only illumination in the courtyard. In what seemed like slow motion, Nadir attacked.

He immediately used the sword and killed the man in the red robe before swinging the sword in his right hand to face the second attacker who had taken out his daggers. As the two combated, Erik lunged for the third man.

The man swung feebly at the burned man, but Erik only grabbed his arm at the olecranon process, at the place where the ulna and humerus of the forearm and arm meet. With the man's arm in his hand, the rich man slammed his opponent's limb on the stone bench, immediately dislocating the man's elbow.

Despite the man's obvious pain, he spoke in Indonesian, "Anda akan mati. (You will die)" Forgetting his training shortly, Erik succumbed to his rage, withdrew his kris, and pressed it to the man's clavicle. Yet he paused, unable to commit the action. Before he could succeed in killing the man by stabbing his kris into his opponent's clavicle region, severing the subclavian artery that would have killed the man, Nadir yanked his protégé off the assailant.

In one fluid motion, Erik watched as his master slice the attacker's throat. Within seconds, the man had bled out. Pools of blood now washed away as the rainwater swept it down the mountain's many paths. Laying the bodies down on the stone, the two men took off the scarves and looked at their now revealed faces. All three were young, no more than sixteen, and had carried simple weapons. They were well trained, but were still too novice and ill equipped to handle full on battle.

Sweat and tears stung the burned man's eyes as he realized what he could have done. Nadir pulled him inside the temple. The monks were asleep and none had heard the commotion, for the attack was a silent one made even more muffled by the horrendous rainstorm that still surged on. Once they were inside the temple, Nadir rushed his ward into his room where they spoke urgently.

"Why did you stop me, Pendekar?"

The older man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I stopped you because that is the one code you must never break. Killing a man is a sin…an atrocity you never would want to live with; trust me, for I have killed hundreds…Each man I killed, I have remembered his face right before he died. It haunts you as it will haunt me until my dying day."

Nadir could see his words were not registering with his young pupil and decided to take a different approach. Standing shakily on his aging knees, the pendekar placed a withered hand upon the burned man's shoulder and urgently spoke.

"Desslar, you must heed my words. If you purposely kill a man out of your hatred and rage, whether the man deserved it or not, you become just like the man you hate most. Taking a criminal's life will make you no better than that man; in fact, you become what you take away. If you take away a life, you will become a murderer, a criminal…Remember God is life, Desslar, and He gives justice and peace. If you take away life, you take away the very justice you are trying to preserve."

Erik's eyes lit up, as he finally understood what Nadir had been trying to tell him. "I understand now."

Pausing for a second, the younger man asked, "Do you know who those boys were?"

His master's eyes darkened as he nodded curtly. Turning his back to the billionaire, he replied, "Those were the sons of three men I had killed in Malaysia. Those men happened to be ones in power and the Malaysian government wanted them gone for they knew too much…Those boys were like you, Erik, young and thirsting for revenge for a wrongdoing inflicted upon them. They believed by taking a life; it rights the wrong. Yet I tell you it does not. Therefore, you see, they chose the wrong path…and by me taking their lives; I have also done wrong. I must now leave the country, for my many enemies have found out my location. I also must denounce my priesthood and myself, for I have committed the most egregious sin against the high God. Yet, this all is of good timing for you, my boy, for you are more than prepared to return to Gorham and guard its citizens."

Erik paused and his burned features contorted, unsure of Nadir's claims. "Are you so sure I am ready?"

"You paused right before you could kill your enemy. That pause alone means you are ready. When you first came, your rage was in control of all that you did and said. Had you still been like this, you would have killed without pause. Now, you have mastered control over your rage. Instead, you are able to use your rage as the motivation for justice. With your anger under control, you are then able to make the right choice: not taking a life but saving lives."

The older monk paused and sighed heavily, taking a seat next to Erik and softly spoke, "I am sincerely sorry I am unable to train you more…"

The billionaire interrupted firmly stating, "No. You have helped me beyond any measure. How can I ever repay you for your work?"

"I need your help evacuating Indonesia…"

"I will arrange everything for you, but where do you plan to go? What will you do with your life?"

"I have lost my right to dedicate my life to God as I had wished, but I will go further into the wilderness in India. I wish to live in the Arunachal Pradesh, the forests where my lineage first began. Perhaps when I have made amends for my sins will I return to my first religion and live in the Draksharama Temple as my father did."

The billionaire nodded, "If that is your wish, I will ensure it is done."

----Gorham City----

Aldred had seen the worst times of Gorham City, but none compared to the dire state it was now experiencing. The mob had literally taken control of the streets; the mafia had murdered several hundreds of innocent people to send the message to police of who was actually in charge. Drugs and drug sales penetrated the once clean areas, subjecting neighborhoods to shut down from the violence that broke out in spurts.

The city itself was plagued by the crime, which engulfed every aspect of normal life whether from political figures jailed on corruption charges to the homeless men as deliverers for cartels of drugs. Philippe, the DA, struggled with the crime and was quickly discouraged by his inability to help the city he so loved. In the end, he ended up leaving Gorham City behind and moved to Europe where his beloved younger brother had settled, so that the he could clear his mind before he decided whether to return to Gorham City.

Christine still traveled to school, teaching a criminal justice class for the fall semester course. Even though her class kept her extremely busy, she missed her best friend dearly. Erik had yet to respond to her letters. He still had not made any contact with any of his friends, which were few. One particular boring day, she was granted the shock of her life.

Walking to school, she passed by a newspaper stand and saw the headline for the Gorham Globe: Billionaire Desslar Returns After Extended Vacation. Christine then paid for the newspaper and went to Gorham University to give out her finals to her students. Once she had finished grading her class's final exams, she quickly skimmed over the article over her latte at the local bistro across town.

Alexander James Wayne, the known investigative reporter for the Gorham Globe, the main newspaper of the city, had written the article. She skimmed over the fluff of the article and read the main aspects.

Erik Desslar, billionaire of Gorham City, has recently returned from an extended eight-month vacation to the Amazon Rainforest and backpacking throughout Europe's wilderness. When asked what he intends to do now that he has returned, the normally reclusive rich man answered, "I want to expand my company to a global scale."

He added that he would meet with China in order to develop a trade agreement wherein Desslar stands to gain a million in commission and begin his global expansion. As far as his personal life, the elusive billionaire smiled and coyly responded, "When there is something to reveal, you will be the first to know, Mr. Wayne."

"I take it you read the article about me, Christine. Yet, I haven't seen your pretty face in a while."

Startled, Christine dropped her latte that spilled on the table and floor. Clumsily she looked up and saw Erik, shortly forgetting her coffee accident. He was immaculately dressed in a satin black evening suit and long black coat. His burned face slightly improved as he smiled down at her with his shining white teeth.

Christine stared into his captivating gold eyes, forgetting about her spilt latte and the newspaper that she had strewn carelessly on the store's tiled floor. Smiling even more broadly, her friend stooped down and collected the newspaper while she shook herself out of her reverie and cleaned up the liquid mess.

When he stood up, the young assistant DA grabbed him in a loving embrace and kissed his marred cheek. Whispering in his ear how much she had missed him, her cheeks reddened as she realized what she had let slip from her lips.

Ever the gentle man, Erik pulled her chair out for her and took a seat across from her. Once seated, his deep but genteel voice asked, "How have you been, Christine?"

Slightly hurt, she answered, "I have been doing fine I suppose. I wrote you every week. Did you not get my letters?"

Smiling subtly, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out several enveloped letters held together by a rubber band. When Christine began to smile brightly, he laughed at her shocked facial expression.

"Yes, I received every single letter from you, my dear. I tried to write back, but there was no post office nearby to mail my responses. I apologize; I know I must have seemed insincere and callous. I thought about you every day. You are after all, my only friend. You mean very much to me, Christine. I do not want you to think that you mean nothing to me."

"Thank you, Erik. You mean so much to me, too. I do not think I would have survived that trial of my father's murderer if you had not been there. Are you planning on staying here in Gorham for a while, or should I anticipate you leaving for the Siberian expedition in Russia?"

The two shared a chuckle before the billionaire responded softly, "No, my dear, I will be staying in Gorham indefinitely. I find that I greatly missed the city that I grew up. Plus, I missed my friends…"

"I am sure Aldred has deeply missed you."

"As I have greatly missed his sardonic nature…It is astounding to me that he has survived eight months without his usual sarcastic banter of me and my…bad habits. Oh, look at the time. I have a meeting with the Chinese head of Xiao Enterprises of Beijing in less than ten minutes. I must be going. However, I would love it if you would come to my house for dinner."

Smiling a bright and beautiful smile, Christine nodded her curly blonde head at his request. She watched him leave the bistro towards his awaiting limo. How she wished to tell him how she really felt about him. She wanted so much to tell him that she was in love with him, and had been in love with him for years. Yet, she was afraid to confess her secret to him. She feared she would be rejected by him as well as lose his friendship forever if he did not reciprocate her feelings.

--Desslar's Mansion--

"Sir, I want you to know how wonderful it is to have you back in this mansion of yours. It was quite unnerving not to have you and your usual gloomy disposition to help lower the spirits of the staff here."

Laughing, Erik embraced Aldred as he entered his home for the first time in eight months. Strolling around the lobby, library, office, and kitchen, he observed his surroundings with approval.

"You have done well to keep the place up, Aldred. I must give your salary a raise."

"Ah, thank you, Master Erik. I just tried to keep it as gloomy as you left it. How was your trip? You seem to have more confidence, which may or may not be a good thing in your case."

Turning to face his butler and godfather, Erik smiled at the tuxedo-clad employee before he responded, "I do have more confidence in my ability to protect the innocent of this city, Aldred. I expect you to come with me to meet Madame Giry tomorrow evening. She has completed my suit and I will be interviewing prospective people to have the CEO position at Desslar Enterprise filled."

"Why ever would you need me to come with you, Master Erik?"

Walking past him and heading towards his room, Erik called over his shoulder a response to Aldred's question, "Why! What ever would I do without your sarcastic and down-to-earth comments?"

Aldred chuckled softly and shook his head before heading back to work. He could only speculate what Erik would do tomorrow when he saw his suit for the first time. The older man also set down the files of each prospective CEO candidate on his adopted son's desk in his office before Aldred headed to his room in order to get some sleep. His old bones could only take so much physical labor these days.

When Erik reached his room, he leaned his back against the door and sighed heavily. He was tired and ready to go to sleep. Yet, eight months of mail stared at him on his bed. Changing into his pajamas, he washed his grotesque face before settling himself on the bed to go through the mail.

One particular letter caught his eye, and he opened the unaddressed yellow envelope and pulled out the letter with messy black handwriting. There was a Vedas scripture on top that in English read, "When anger rises, think of the consequences…" In addition, an Indian proverb that was under the Hindu one read, "Blaming your faults on your nature does not change the nature of your faults."

Erik:

I must thank you profusely for your help. With your help, I was able to arrive at my destination we both agreed upon in a matter of hours. Before you set out to do what you must do, remember our training and my words of advice. You will lose much, but you have gained more these past few months. Always keep my words in your heart, and I will find you if you need me.

Remember my son: Keep your word always. Obey God. Know your limits.

Pendekar N.

Once he finished reading the letter, Erik held the end of the letter to the candle's flame where it soon burned up, but the words were very much in his head and heart.

--Meanwhile in a basement on the other side of Gorham City…--

Scientist Melvin Wyatt poured over his blueprints for the new nerve gas he hoped would impress his idol, and boss, Erik Desslar. How he dreamed of approval from his idol! With this new innovative and useful gas, that law enforcement could use to deter criminals and subdue rioters.

Although, Melvin had found that there was negative side effects to using this chemically based gas. That was why he was working so late into the night in order to find a way to negate the bad side effects before Erik Desslar, whom he worshipped, came in the next day to inspect the laboratory division of Desslar Enterprise.

How he wished for Desslar's approval! Tomorrow morning, he anticipated he finally would get his wish and the recognition for his work he so craved!

---Gorham Globe Building---

Alexander James Wayne worked feverishly on his mediocre article in a vain effort to make it more interesting. Alex was nearly six feet and had dark black hair with gorgeous brown eyes that could melt a woman's heart. His skin was tan and his body was not small or big. He was muscular but not to the point that he would be considered too athletic. Women considered the reporter 'sexy.' He had dated on and off a myriad of women, but none had captured his heart…yet…

Lately, his article submissions had been bland and without the passion, he shared for investigative journalism. He could not place his finger on why his writing was suffering so much, but he felt he needed something…a big story…to help get his enthusiasm back up.

Gorham City certainly had its share of gold mine stories that the journalists of the paper could use in the newspaper, but lately, Alex had found his writing becoming increasingly bland. He was losing his zeal for investigative reporting, something he did not want to happen. He needed something new to write about, something that would capture the public's eye as well as ignite the flame to his excitement for his calling.

Little did he know, he was about to embark on a story that would soon become his obsession. He would soon find himself entangled in the story of the unknown identity of the Guardian as well as the many criminals that would soon cross his path.

--Gorham Police Station--

The police officers of the city were swamped with unsolved cases and a frightened public who took out its fears on the police force. The truth was that the many criminals that now patrolled and owned the streets no longer feared the police. The police chief was at high risk of losing his job because all the bad press and his rapidly approaching election for a second term annoyed Mayor Whittle.

The mayor had pushed more of the pressure on the inept police force, which had been unable to handle the increase in crime. He did not want this to hurt his chance of being re-elected in the next few months.

Lieutenant Sherman was a good man and police officer with keen senses and an inborn sense of duty and justice for his fellow man. He had been able to solve most of his cases, but he was growing more concerned for the increasing number of unsolved cases and criminals walking free. He was also busy trying to take care of his wonderful wife and ten-year-old daughter while trying to help with the new recruits.

One recruit had shown particular promise for becoming a good police detective. Her name was Elizabeth Ruth Hart. She had the framework for honest and superior police instincts as well as first-rate investigative skills.

She had stayed late after class in order to help Lt. Sherman reorganize his filing cabinet and look at his growing pile of unsolved cases. She was an attractive woman of twenty-two with auburn hair with subtle blond highlights. She had gorgeous emerald green eyes and a round face. Not overly skinny, she was not fat either.

Once ten o'clock in the evening rolled around, she assured Peter Sherman she would take care of the rest of the filing so that he could go home and get some sleep. Once he left, Liz finished filing the cases before she too headed to her apartment.

Undressing out of her uniform, she put on some lounge clothes and poured over her notes from class earlier that day. She wanted to be prepared for the test tomorrow. It had always been her dream to work in law enforcement, and she was proud to be considered a Gorham City police officer.

Although, she did not know, she would soon face one of her greatest challenges yet. The young police officer would soon find herself face to face with the Guardian of Gorham City, and her life would never be the same again.

A/N: I am again very sorry it took so long to get this update out. I hope to be more diligent with updates in the future. However, that may not be the case. I do hope you all continue to stick with me and enjoy this story. I am enjoying writing this story myself. Thanks for reading, and please review! Next chapter should have much more action as Erik becomes the Guardian!