Disclaimer: See Chapter 1, reviews are welcomed. Flames aren't.
Chapter 10: Pop, goes the Fox
The voice chuckled. "Ah Batman. Can't I have a little fun? I don't get out that often."
"Yoko? Who or what is a yoko?" Peter asked, eyeing the foliage with a bit of trepidation.
Out of the foliage stepped a tall, lean white male with long white hair wearing white clothing. The most unusual thing about his was the fact he had fox ears and a long bushy fox tail. "I am Yoko."
Plucking the instrument out of the vines, Yoko looked it over. "So tell me, troll. How did you survive the Dark Tournament? I seem to remember Yusuke and Hiei took great pleasure in killing you."
The troll cackled. "My dim-witted fox, have you ever heard of cloning? I never was at the Dark Tournament. My clone was. In fact, I may even be a clone as well. I could be the original and no one would ever know." Dr. Ichigaki looked knowingly up at the tall kitsune. "Now then, let's make a deal."
"What kind of deal, troll?" Yoko asked, feeding the instrument to his vines.
"So let me get this straight?" Peter asked. "You two know each other? What's a Dark Tournament?" He looked nervously at the vines, especially the ones with the gaping mouths. "Are you sure this is safe?"
Yoko chuckled. "Nothing is safe."
"Don't anyone move!" Dr. Ichigaki said, pulling out a strange pencil like gadget. "Call off your plants, kitsune. You are all going to be volunteers for my next great experiment. Soon I'll have enough data to finish my work and I'll rule the Makai."
Caine was standing not far from the little troll. With an expertly placed kick the gadget went flying. A mouth snatched it out of the air and it was gone. Batman had disappeared into the vines. Peter and Kermit knocked out a couple of the guards. Yoko used his rose whip against the doctor, who jumped back. Screams of those that were trapped in the vines could be heard as well as bones breaking.
"You think this'll stop me? There is more of me then you'll ever know. We will raise an army and take over the Makai. This is just the tip of the iceberg!" shouted the evil doctor, watching as the plants started to destroy the warehouse. DeLinn was hoisted screaming up by the vines.
Gagging sounds erupted from the doctor, bringing attention back to him. Plants started coming out of the troll's clothing, taking over his very existence.
"Do not mourn for him," Yoko said. "He was a clone. Koenma will end up thanking me for saving him paperwork."
Flowers began to bloom out of the corpse as it fell to the ground. "It is better this way," Yoko shrugged as he began to recalling his plants.
"But . . . " Peter started to say.
Plants began to wilt as Yoko called them back to him. "This is so boring. Since I'm out. I think I'll have a little more fun." He faded into the shadows as the last of the vines disappeared back into seeds.
o0o0o0o0o
Peter called the precinct for back-up and for an APB for a six foot male albino dressed as a fox, approach with caution.
Batman chuckled softly as he reappeared, holding the briefcase. "You won't catch him if he doesn't want to be caught." He knew from experience. Kurama and Yoko were a law unto themselves.
"But he killed. . .," Caine said, taking the briefcase back.
Batman looked at what was left of the troll. There was nothing left but a couple of seeds. So like the boy, always cleaning up after himself. Taking the seeds, he looked melted corpse. "Demons often challenge others in a test of strength. Plus this demon broke a major Makai law. His life was forfeited. Yoko knew this."
"You don't know that," Peter argued. "It's for a court of law to decide."
Batman shrugged ""As a matter of fact, I do. This would never have gotten to court. Koenma would not have allowed it."
Sirens echoed in the distance. Pulling out his small grappling gun, the dark knight fired into the ceiling, he disappeared through the sky light.
"Wait! Who is Koenma?"
o0o0o0o0o
Yoko would missed those seeds but he was sure he could get more from the old herbalist. He stood peering over the roof of the warehouse. The night was young and he wanted fun. What should he do first?
"Yoko!" came Batgirl's voice.
Pausing for a moment, he smirked. "Little Bat."
She landed by him. "What are you doing out?"
"Come run with me," he asked. "The night is young. The demon has been stopped and I'm bored."
She smiled. "We can't have a bored silver kitsune, now can we?"
Batman watched from the shadows as the girl and the fox ran, dodging cars and the police. She would keep the wily fox out of mischief for now.
o0o0o0o0o
Inside the warehouse, it was a sea of chaos. Peter and Kermit found everything they needed to convict Franko DeLinn for drug trafficing, after the man got out of the hospital. They found the lab and seized several tons of drugs and ingredients to make drugs. The dead troll was nothing but a spot on the concrete floor.
Peter turned to his father. "Pop? How am I going to write this? Who would believe we were helped by a six foot tall walking and talking fox?"
Caine shrugged. "It is his nature to be elusive. Batman gave you what you needed. Use that?"
The Ancient strolled over. He didn't seem fazed by everything. "He isn't within Chinatown anymore. I would have sensed him if he was. He is as he said, enjoying his freedom for the night."
"It is strange though. I sensed Kurama in him," Caine mused, looking over at the Ancient, who also bowed slightly. The middle-aged priest had sense the evil in the troll demon but in the kitsune he felt mischief and boredom, and it was as if he was at peace within himself. He pondered what the ninja/samurai known as Batman had said about the fox. Caine mused that the fox-demon seemed to have had two souls, one human and one fox. How could this be?
"Pop? Pop?" Peter's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Yes, My Son?"
"Time to go."
o0o0o0o0o
Batman listened in for awhile to the police broadband as they combed and searched the warehouse. He knew this was only a beginning. One hole in the drug pipeline had been plugged but there was still the matter of the troll doctor.
The evidence that he found suggested Japan would be his next stop. He wondered if Kurama would be up to revisiting his old stomping grounds. Looking at the seeds in the palm of his hands, Batman allowed a small smile to cross his face. Kurama will be over-joyed to have these back.
o0o0o0o0o
I'm glad those of you that reviewed liked the villain. The evil doctor was into science and made for a great mad scientist type. I actually could see him cloning himself so he could further his evil experiments.
Now onto a sad note: I'm coming to the end of this arc. I really hope you enjoyed it. There is a third sequel to this arc but for the life of me, it doesn't want to plot itself. I have some issues I have to deal with about it before I can write it.
Until next time. --GF