AN: Okay, I was originally going to write a whole thing about how Bruce learned how to not feel pain and then kicked out because he got in a fight with some random assholes, but anyone who reads my stuff knows I despise doing episode or movie based chapters, so I'll just suggest you check out the movie Batman: Gotham Knight, it's really good anyways.

SOMEWHERE BY THE GANGES RIVE FEB 14TH 2004

"I said get out!" Cassandra shouted at me, throwing the small bag I'd taken with me from the hospital. "You don't wish to get through pain, only avenge it!"

"What if that's the only way I can?" I asked angrily as she began pushing me out of the small hut.

"Vengeance is never a path that brings peace!" She shouted, slamming the shabby wooden door in my face.

'I was just trying to help,' I thought to myself, looking at the unconscious men around the building. 'Though I guess she could have taken care of herself if she wanted to. Why didn't she though?'

4:00 TOKYO APR 4TH 2004

I drifted around the corner of the street, my current mentor close behind me as I shot down the empty alleyway.

"Nice turn Matches!" he called as the sirens blared behind us. "Also a good choice of cars, these babies are gonna catch a good profit on the black market."

"They would, wouldn't they," I said as I braked the car and spun it so it got jammed in-between the narrow walls as I was launched out of the vehicle, barely managing to land on my feet. "Too bad they're not gonna make it there.

"What the fuck are you doing Mahoney?!" Hitachi shouted at me as I walked down the street, stopping out of my hoodie and grabbing the old trench coat I'd started in, a few new wholes in it. "I taught you everything!"

"Yes, and for that I thank you, but you're still a criminal," I answered, taking out the blue tooth in my ear and smashing it on the ground. "Good luck in prison, old friend."

?

"Looks like you were right about one thing," I said, the blonde man lying on the roof in front of me taking his attention away from his binoculars.

"What was that kid?" he asked, leaning on his armored elbow. "I didn't quite catch what you said."

"Then you're never gonna hear it," I said, crouching down so that I was next to him. "That man is a pretty skilled fighter, and it looks like his moral compass is closely aligned with ours, but I'm not sure about your last observation."

"Well, we'll just have to check it out, our usual way," Cain said, getting back into his observing position. "He's heading east down the main road, I'd suggest waiting for him to be alone."

"I know what I'm doing old man," I said, standing up and pulling my black mask up onto my face, only my one good eye still visible through the navy blue fabric.

5:00 TOKYO APR 4TH 2004

Matches

I turned off of the main road and into an alley where I planned to make a call to Alfred to get a plain home, considering I'd finished all of the training I'd planned on doing. As I pulled the satellite phone from my coat pocket I felt a strange tingling in the back of my neck that urged me to mover to the right, just in time for me to dodge a ninja with a long bow staff in his hands that was now lodged into the concrete.

"Nice dodge Wayne," he said in a gruff Australian accent before using his staff to lift himself up and kick both legs at my chest which I narrowly blocked, but I was sent hard back into the wall of the alleyway, pain coursing through my forearms. "I wouldn't suggest blocking."

"Thanks for the the advice," I grunted, charging into the man and ramming him into the wall. "But my name is Matches, not Wayne."

"Sure it is," he said, punching my side, a few ribs cracking slightly around the impact point before he threw me back onto the ground. "Now why don't we get serious?"

The man ripped his staff out of the ground, the concrete ripping up around the metal weapon. I saw my chance and seized it, picking the man up off the ground and bending over backwards, his head slamming into the ground. I stood up, looking down at the unconscious man before he stood up, rubbing the top of his head.

"God that hurt," he said, squinting the one eye that wasn't covered by fabric. "I thought my depth perception was bad before."

"You talk too much," I said, punching him straight in the face before he retaliated with a strong kick to the chest that sent me back against the wall I'd slammed him against a few seconds ago.

"Maybe, but only because I want you to tell me your damn name," he said, picking his staff up off the ground and walking over to me. "So what'll it be Wayne?"

"My name, is Matches Mahoney," I said, glaring up at the man whose brown eye was glaring angrily down at me.

He raised him arm to throw the staff into my like a spear before he stopped to the sound of slow clapping. "Very good Mr. Wayne, keeping cover till the very end," A man said from the entrance to the alley. He had short cropped blonde hair and a strong jaw that complimented his pale blue eyes. He was wearing a a navy blue long sleeved shirt with armor on his torso, and his forearms. He also had on a utility belt before his navy blue army style pants, metal plating on the front of his thighs, knees, and shins that touched his black boots.

"I told you, my name is Mahoney," I said, glaring up at ht man who was now standing next to the ninja.

"You're the interrogator Wilson, what do you think?" The blonde man said, looking at the ninja who was apparently named Wilson.

"I think he's lying, but he's not gonna tell the truth, so you should either torture him, or recruit him as is," he answered, looking down at me, his one eye still filled with anger. "If you still want to recruit someone this week."

"Like it or not, he held his own with a super soldier," the man said, clapping his gloved hand on Wilsons padded shoulder. "With a little more training, he might be able to take the exam alongside you."

"I highly doubt it Cain," Wilson said, still glaring down at me. "But he's not an average man, so I guess you can start trying to train him now."

"So, what do you say, Matches, do you want to join the greatest crime prevention organization in the world?" the man asked, leaning in and looking me in the eyes.

"Tell me more."

AN: Thank you very much for reading, please review.