Chapter 3: There's a storm coming
In the morning after what transpired last night, Mokuba Kaiba paid a personal visit to his original home, the Kaiba Mansion. Hobson eagerly received his other surrogate son at the front door. "Welcome back home, Mokuba-sama."
The young officer hugged his old friend and then said, "I need to speak with my brother right away. It's urgent."
Hobson understood and brought in the visitor to the parlor room. Seto Kaiba had seen his brother's patrol car parked outside and headed downstairs for their family reunion. The elder Kaiba found the young cop seated comfortably in the parlor room and hobbled towards his brother, inquired, "So what can I do for you, Mokuba?"
"Commissioner Mutou's been shot last night."
"I know. I saw the news this morning."
"He chased a gunman into the sewers, and when he barely escaped as I found him, he was babbling about some underground army and a masked man named 'Bane'."
"Well, why didn't you tell your other superiors about this?"
"They asked me if he saw any giant alligators." replied Mokuba, who then pleaded. "He needs you. He needs the Batman."
"The Batman is no more."
Mokuba said, "That may be, but the city is going to need you again. Not just as Batman, but as Seto Kaiba. You've run the family company to the ground, which led the Kaiba Foundation's lack thereof funding to various charities, one of which is the Youths At Risk orphanage branch. You've been cooped up in this mansion for too many years, Seto. Sooner or later, someone's going to put two and two together and find out that you were the Batman. Hell, I deduced it was you even before I came back home for your birthday all those years ago when you were poisoned by that fear toxin." (A/N: See Batman Begins: Enter Seto Kaiba, Chapter 10)
"Then why should I bother returning?"
"Because, Seto," retorted the younger Kaiba, "I believe in you. I still don't know why you took the fall for Marik Ishtar's murder. But I'm a believer in the Batman, even if he's not a believer in himself."
Mokuba promptly left the mansion and off to work as a police officer. As he left, the recluse and the family butler walked their guest out. Seto asked Hobson, who is a retired mercenary himself. "Hobson, did you check out that name Mokuba mentioned: 'Bane'?"
"I did. He's a mercenary. His real name is unknown. He and his group of armed soldiers were responsible for a coup in West Africa; they secured mining operations for your business rival, Rex Godwin."
"Godwin's been trying to take over my company for a few years now." said Kaiba, who pensively furrowed his brow. "And it appears he brought Bane to Neo Domino. But to what end?"
"I do not know, but I'll keep digging for more information, Seto-sama." Hobson said, retreating back into the mansion.
"Oh, and Hobson? Why did the Kaiba Foundation stop funding orphan children's homes?"
"Because the Kaiba Foundation is funded by the profits of KaibaCorp. With the company doing poorly during the past 2 years, there's not much funding to go about, sir."
"I'll need to talk to Mr. Nesbitt about that matter then."
"Shall I get him on the phone?"
"No, Hobson. I think I'll pay him a visit instead. I'm going to take one of the cars so I can make an appointment at the hospital for my leg problem as well."
"Which hospital?"
"Whichever one's Mutou is in." remarked Seto, heading upstairs to prepare himself for the outside world. "But first, I believe a shave is in order."
A couple of hours later, Kaiba is currently in the midst of his doctor's appointment at the rebuilt Neo Domino General. He is finally clean shaven and sporting a white business suit (ala Grand Prix) After getting his X-rays done, the doctor put the scans on a display for the patient.
"I've seen worse cartilage in knees, Mr. Kaiba." said the doctor.
Seto replied, "That's good news then?"
"No, because there is no cartilage in your knees, and very little in your elbows and shoulders. Among other sustained injuries that were picked up include: scar tissue on your right kidney, residual concussive damage to your brain tissue, and the general scar tissue all over your body, I seriously cannot recommend that you go heli-skiing, Mr. Kaiba."
"Right, right..." uttered Seto, remembering that heli-skiing was his "cover story" for the hospital visit.
The doctor left the room to attend the other patients, leaving Kaiba to see himself out. As soon as the doctor was gone, Seto immediately wore a black balaclava over his head, took out a grappling line cylinder, and opened the window. The billionaire fastened the end of the grappling line to his belt and plummeted out the window to Mutou's room below.
It pained the former vigilante to see the police commissioner's condition: lying on a hospital bed, with an oxygen mask. "It's me." whispered Kaiba, reassuring Mutou that he is not a hostile intruder. Yugi understood the stranger's intent and despite being initially startled, allowed the man to stay. The commissioner had trouble speaking, and kept having breathing problems as he spoke.
"We... were in this... together... and then you disappeared... eight years... ago..."
"The Batman wasn't needed anymore. We won the war on crime."
Mutou lightly shook his head in disapproval. "But the... victory... came at... a huge price... It was... all... based on... a lie... Now there's this evil... rising... the Batman... must return."
"What if he doesn't exist anymore?"
"He must... you... must..." said Mutou, tired from speaking. Kaiba lightly patted his hands and left the hospital not long after.
In the evening, Kaiba is seen in his 2016 model Lamborghini Ankonian, waiting outside a fairly modest looking apartment building in the Satellite region of Neo Domino. He's looking at his tracking device, and the coordinates match up with his current location. A minute later, he sees Kisara, sporting a black satin dress as well as his late mother's pearls, walking outside her home and getting inside a taxi cab. He follows the cab discreetly.
Seto, like a silent predator, noticed his target enter a masquerade charity ball event in one the city's Upper East Side buildings. He drove by the front of the building for a valet to park his car. Several paparazzi are crowding both sides of the red carpet. "Who's that?" asked one Carly Nagisa. Others see a leg and cane exiting the sleek black vehicle. Carly's rival, Angela Raines, remarked, "Hehe, just some stiff who can barely walk..."
However, when the car's owner revealed himself, Angela exclaimed, "Oh, my god! That's Seto Kaiba!" Kaiba realized that his public return would not go unnoticed and ignored the paparazzi (and their incessant camera flashes AND their obnoxious cries) as he hobbled to the entrance. As he handed his keys to a valet, he pointed an miniature focused EMP gadget to disable the photographer's cameras. The paparazzi were naturally befuddled upon their malfunctioned cameras.
A woman came out of the building and greeted Seto Kaiba, and eagerly added his name to the list upon his request.
Kaiba stood before a ledge, overlooking the city's wealthy and powerful, all of whom, wearing masks, danced away as classical music is being played in the background. He himself is not wearing a mask, and yet, in a way, he is...
Kaiba looks on with a hint of sadness in his eyes, imagining that he's down there, with Anzu, and they are the dancing couple. His imagine spot is suddenly interrupted by the voice of a familiar young woman. "Seto Kaiba... at a masquerade charity ball. Where's your mask?" inquired the mysterious lady in question. Seto turned to his left and saw a tall, blonde woman, wearing a purple madame butterfly mask, and whose busty figure and cleavage were barely suppressed by her tight purple dress. The billionaire realized who the mystery woman was and greeted, "Good evening, Miss. Kujaku. I'm afraid that I didn't feel like wearing one tonight."
Mai took off her mask. She said, "So I see, Mr. Kaiba. Even before you became a recluse, you rarely came to these sort of events."
"I believe that the proceeds of this event go to pay off the big fat spread, not so much as to charity. I'm sure that the 'charity' is just to help the ego of the rich old hag that founded this event." remarked Seto.
"Actually, I'm 'the rich old hag', Mr. Kaiba," retorted the blonde, "The proceeds go where they should, since I am the one who paid for the big fat spread myself."
Kaiba regretted his assumption. "My apologies, Miss. Kujaku. I didn't mean to offend."
"You have my forgiveness, Mr. Kaiba," replied Mai, in a flirty manner. "At any rate, one must invest if one is to restore balance to the world. Take the Momentum Energy Project, for example."
"Unfortunately, some investments do not pay off. I'm sorry." said Kaiba, a matter-of-factly.
"You haven't practiced your apathetic playboy facade for quite some time, have you?" coldly asked Mai. "I mean, why would a man who doesn't care about the world around him spend half his fortune on a plan to solve the energy crisis? And when the man in question, his pride deeply hurt when the plan fails, shuts himself off from the world? I hope you have a good evening, Mr. Kaiba."
The blonde goddess-like beauty left Seto alone and off to attend to the other guests. Kaiba sighed and turned his attention to the crowd of dancing couples below him. He immediately noticed a familiar blue-haired "socialite" and headed in her direction.
"Mind if I cut in?" inquired the brunette billionaire, interrupting the dance between Kisara and her dance partner. Kisara, wearing a cat-like mask (complete with cat-ears atop her head), reluctantly agreed as they began the waltz.
"Well, you don't seem happy to see me." remarked Seto, smirking at his dancing partner's dismay.
The classy thief retorted, "You were supposed to be a hermit."
"I felt like getting some fresh air."
"Why didn't you call the cops on me?"
"I have a special friend of mine who specializes in these kind of things. Anyway, that's a very... brazen costume... for a... cat burglar."
"You think so, eh? Well, what are you pretending to be?"
"Seto Kaiba, eccentric billionaire." quipped the brunette, "Anyway, who's your date?"
"Just some old rich guy, whose wife is afraid of having her jewelry stolen so she keeps them in a safe..."
"You do realize what will happen if all these people find out that you're a thief and con-artist, not a social climber?"
"You really think I give a damn about anyone in this room and what they think of me?"
"I really doubt that you do care about what anyone thinks of you."
"Don't condescend, Mr. Kaiba. You don't know a thing about me."
"Well, Miss Kisara Shiroi, I know you came here tonight from the Satellite area, in a modest apartment building for a world-class master jewel thief. So that means either you're saving up for retirement, or... you're in deep with the wrong people."
Kisara smirked. "So we're on a first name basis now, are we? Besides, your wealth and privilege doesn't give you the right to judge me, Mr. Kaiba."
"I'm not judging, I was merely assuming your intentions behind your crimes."
"I'm only doing what's necessary to survive in this world. Once you start doing the things I do, you can't stop until you get what you want."
"Start fresh, then."
"Really? A fresh start in this day and age? Any kid with a cell phone can find out what you did. Everything you do is quantified and collated. Everything sticks."
"Is that how you justify stealing?"
"I only take what I need from those who have more than enough; I don't take from those who have less."
"So you style yourself as a modern day Robin Hood?"
"Hell, I think I do a lot more good than most of the people in this room. Even more than you."
"Don't you think that you're assuming a bit too much?"
"Perhaps you are just being unrealistic about what's in your pants than what's in your wallet."
Kaiba sarcastically remarked, "Ouch."
"Do you think all of this can last, Mr. Kaiba? There's a storm coming. So you and your people better batten down the hatches, because when it hits," warned Kisara, who whispered into his ear, "you're all going to wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."
"It sounds like you're looking forward to it." Seto retorted, as they widened the gap between them.
"I'm adaptable."
"My mother's pearls look better on you than they did inside that safe, but I still want them back." said Kaiba, removing the necklace off his dancing partner. Kisara promptly extended her arm to the billionaire's chest, and closed in for a long smooch on the lips. "You're too kind." Kisara, like Mai, left Seto Kaiba alone.
"You scared her off!" cried the thief's former dancing partner, who pursued after the blue-haired woman.
"Not likely," muttered Seto.
By the time Kaiba exited the charity ball, he fumbled in his suit jacket to search for some item. He saw his Lamborghini Ankonian already in ignition across from him. "I um... seemed to have lost my ticket." said Kaiba to a valet.
"Your wife said that you were under the influence and will opt to take a cab home."
"My wife?" incredulously cried Seto, looking at the person in the driving seat of his car. It was Kisara, who turned around and playfully blew a kiss in his direction. The car immediately roared as it left the party.
About half an hour later, Kaiba entered Hobson's Rolls-Royce. Once seated, the driver, Hobson the butler, decided to joke at his master's expense.
"Just you, sir?"
"Hobson. Drive. Now." ordered Seto, embarrassed at having been hoodwinked yet again by the same person.
"Don't worry, Seto-sama... It takes a little time to get back in the swinging playboy lifestyle again."
Next chapter – He's back
kilnorc: Thanks for the review. I believe I stopped the Rise of Sin Tzu and actually got rid of it, because I didn't like the direction it was going, and unlike the ending of Revelation, it was going to be a downer ending (which I decided against and just deleted the story). Obviously, the old stories are non-canon (only considered as alternate versions) and this story will roughly follow the same one as the movie. However, I do plan on making some changes as I see fit, so as to make things interesting, since well Seto has a brother (and Bruce does not), among others. You're welcome to watch the movie after all.
As for the choice of Selina Kyle/Catwoman, I was actually conflicted between Kisara and Mai. In the first story, I originally had Mai as one of Kaiba's dates at that restaurant, then changed it (I'll probably change it again to make it some random Japanese model). Mai, like in the anime/manga, had that flirtatious and strong character, albeit being a bit selfish and conceited in the beginning. Kisara, however, was this timid young woman in the final season, who possessed the spirit and power of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which manifested during danger; she and Priest Seto's relationship was the foundation for modern day Kaiba's obsession with the dragon. I eventually decided on Kisara, and had her timid side as a facade for her actual strong persona (just like in the film). Coincidentally, when I was looking for a surname for Kisara, I decided on the Japanese translation for 'White Dragon'. It happened to be Shiroi Ryuu; the initials S and K coincided between the two characters and the rest is history.
I actually played and beaten Arkham City, but never played Asylum (except for the demo). Regretfully,
I probably do not plan on writing stories of these in the Arkham series since well, the non-canon stories are pretty much closer in setting than these types. And I still have yet to finish my other story.
Sorry for the long reply expressing my gratitude. Still, I hope you and the other reading this story will enjoy the conclusion of the saga.