The Dark Knight of Heroes

Chapter 11: Ghosts of the Past

Disclaimers: I don't own Batman or Boku no Hero.


A day has passed ever since the arrest of Riddler. Bruce Wayne enjoyed one of his rare free days off, deciding to take a walk in the city early in the morning. The sun was shining and there weren't a lot of people, perfect for strolling. "What should I do right now? Perhaps I should find a cafe or something to get a bite. I am a little peckish after all..." he thought to himself. Just then, he spotted a food stall selling some crepes. "Eh, why not."

After buying a strawberry crepe, the billionaire went on his way, munching on his snack. But as Bruce passed an alleyway, he smelled something strange. "Hm, that's strange. I smell something coppery in that alleyway. It smells almost like...blood," he thought with dread. Quickly peering into the alley, Bruce was horrified to see two people, their still bodies covered in wounds. Quickly, he whipped out his phone and dialed 119. "Hello?! This is Bruce Wayne. Come quickly! There are two seemingly dead heroes in an alleyway by Shogun Drive!"

15 minutes later:

Bruce found himself in the police department for further questioning. Detective Tsukauchi was the one interrogating. "Now then, Mr. Wayne. We don't think you're guilty, but we have to take precautions. My quirk, Human Lie Detector, will determine the authenticity of your word," the detective said. Bruce nodded in affirmation. The detective gripped the billionaire's wrist firmly and asked a few questions, such as what was he doing and when did he saw the bodies. After Bruce answered the last question, the detective let him go. "Alright, Mr. Wayne. You have been checked and I have determined that you are not a suspect. Actually, the culprit is most likely the Hero Killer anyway, judging from the crime scene."

Bruce nodded grimly. He was aware of the villain Hero Killer Stain and his crimes of murdering heroes. As Bruce stood up to leave, he saw a young boy with a stone-cold face. For some reason, it unnerved him. "Who is that boy?" the billionaire asked. "Oh, that's Hayate Hachiro. The son of Winged Hero: Flying Falcon and Magic Hero: Disappearing Act. They were the heroes that were killed. Poor guy, he's definitely traumatized."

"...Does he have any family left?" Bruce asked. "No one would take him. It would seem that his grandparents are too old to care for him and his aunts and uncles didn't want to get involved with him. I am planning on getting him to a safe house for a while until we can find an orphanage that would take him in."

Bruce was silent as he continued to gaze at the boy. He now realized why he was so unsettled. The boy had the exact same face as he did when he saw his parents get murdered. The only difference was that he had Alfred; the boy had no one. Weighing his options, Bruce made a choice. "I'll take him in," he declared. Tsukauchi blinked in surprise at his statement. "What?"

"I'll take him in as my ward. If no one will care for him, then I will," he declared. The detective looked at with slight astonishment. "You will? For a boy you've never even met? I hope you aren't just acting out of whim, Mr. Wayne."

"I am not," Bruce assured. Tsukauchi was silent for a few minutes before nodding in agreement. "Hachiro? Can you please come here? There is someone who wants to see you."

The boy stood up mechanically and marched towards the detective. "This is Bruce Wayne. I'm sure you've heard of him," Tsukauchi said. "He's going to be your guardian for the time being."

The boy stared at Bruce, who stared right back. Icy blue eyes met cold black ones. Then Hachiro nodded. "Okay," he said simply. The detective nodded. "Alright then. Let me get the proper paperwork done. In the meantime, please take him to your place of residence."

The detective walked away, leaving the two alone. A few seconds later, Bruce called his AI. "Alfred, prepare a room. We're going to have a guest," he informed. "Master Bruce finally socializing properly. I am so proud. Very well, it shall be done so immediately."

When the AI hung up, Bruce shook his head slightly before gesturing to the boy to follow him. "Come. I'll get moving trucks for your belongings later," he said. As Hachiro silently trudged after him, Bruce began to wonder if what he was doing was the right thing to do.

One hour later:

Batman arrived at Wayne Manor, feeling slightly relieved. The drive to the mansion was quiet. Both Hachiro and Bruce didn't feel like talking much besides a few pleasantries, creating a rather awkward mood in the car. The billionaire and the boy both opened their car doors and walked towards the mansion. "Nice house," Hachiro commented. Bruce was a little surprised that the boy talked to him but smiled slightly. "Thank you, Hachiro."

When they reached the doors, Alfred was there waiting for them. "Welcome, Master Bruce. It's good to see that you're doing well," he said before he noticed Hachiro. "I believe that you are the guest that Master Bruce was talking about. What might be your name?"

"Hayate Hachiro," the boy said monotonously. Alfred nodded in understanding, having already gotten news about what happened. "Nice to meet you, Master Hachiro. If you would follow me, I will show you your place of residence."

The boy followed the butler upstairs with Bruce following him. "This will be your room, from now on, Master Hachiro," the AI said before opening the door to a room. The two humans walked inside a large spacious bedroom. Bruce widened his eyes slightly in surprise and recognition when he saw it. Meanwhile, Hachiro gazed around with an expression of mild interest. "Nice room."

"This was Master Bruce's room when he was but a young boy. I'm glad that you like it," said the butler. Seeing that Hachiro still had the look, Bruce addressed the boy. "Hachiro. I know that you think that your world is collapsing before your eyes. That you are alone in the dark. But you don't have to be."

"What do you know?" Hachiro retorted in a cold manner. Bruce lowered his eyes slightly before kneeling down. "Everything. My own parents died in front of me after all. Out of everyone on this Earth, I am one of the few who understands what you are going through. We can't replace your parents and I'm not exactly the most sociable person in the world. But if you need anything, just know that we're here with you."

Bruce took Hachiro's silence as acceptance of his words. "I'm going to give you some time to think about today's events. Call us if you need anything, okay?" he said. The boy turned away from him and nodded, prompting the two men to leave. As soon as Hachiro heard the door close shut and the footsteps fade away, tears dripped from his eyes. "Father...Mother..."

Four days later:

Hachiro's eyes twitched rapidly as he ate his dinner. It was the fourth day since his arrival at the manor, and every single night, Bruce was missing. "I know that he's a billionaire and all, and I don't really need attention to myself. But what I would like to know is where is he all the time?" he asked as he poked at his dinner. The boy was seated at a long dining table, enough to seat 20 members. It was rather awkward. Alfred, who's robotic form was with him, sighed in understanding. "I'm afraid Master Bruce is meeting with some important clients. I will have a word with him when he gets back if you wish, Master Hachiro."

Hachiro was silent as he chewed on a chopstickful of noodles. "...Thank you, Alfred," the boy replied softly. The AI smiled, feeling happy that the boy had opened up to him. "Always at your service, Master Hachiro."

In the Batcave, Alfred's face appeared on a monitor screen, splitting his attention. The AI had his attention fixed on his creator, who was searching on his computer furiously. "Master Bruce? Can I have a moment please?" the butler asked. The Caped Crusader nodded in acknowledgment, though he didn't halt. "What is it?"

"First, stop that infernal typing," Alfred ordered, causing Batman to sigh as he obeyed the request. "Now then, what is it that you wish to speak to me? I'm busy."

"I know that you are looking into the murder of Master Hachiro's parents, Master Bruce. But I think that you shouldn't have it as your first priority," the butler said. Batman adopted a questioning look at his butler's words. "I'm doing this for Hachiro, Alfred. My parent's murderer was never brought to justice. It was frustrating and agonizing for me. But things are different for him. I can catch the murderer and bring him to justice. From now on, Hero Killer: Stain gets my full undivided attention."

"How fortunate for the Hero Killer, because there is a young man upstairs who wants just a tiny bit of that attention. You agreed to house the boy to help him and be there for him, Master Bruce. Please do get your priorities straight, and quickly," the AI said before disappearing from the monitor. Batman let out a deep sigh as he gazed at his computer screen before shutting it down. He needed time to think and brood.

The next night:

Hachiro sighed as he laid on his bed, unable to sleep. He was still curious about why his current guardian was always absent. The boy was famous in his school for having a sharp knack for detective work and had a sixth sense for mysteries. Deciding to find out what was bugging his mind, Hachiro decided to sneak out of his room and explore the rest of the manor. As he crept down the corridors, he heard loud squeaking noises around the corner. Silently heading towards the noise, Hachiro saw an old grandfather clock. Trapped in the glass was a strange-looking bat, causing loud tapping noises as it flew around to free itself. "How did you get in here?" Hachiro asked with curiosity as he opened up the glass screen. When he freed the bat, however, the clock hand suddenly winded counterclockwise to 10:48. The grandfather clock swung forward, revealing an elevator with its doors opened. Hachiro stepped into the elevator, his eyes sparking with interest. The grandfather clock swung shut behind him and the elevator doors closed. The elevator descended down for a long time, enough to make Hachiro a little claustrophobic. Finally, the elevator stopped and its doors opened. Hachiro stepped out cautiously before gasping at the scene. He was on top of a balcony overlooking a long hallway filled with gadgets, machinery, and vehicles. Glancing further down the hall, Hachiro saw a large computer with the Bat Symbol on its screen. "What the hell? This is...This looks like Batman's secret base! But why is it here? This is Bruce...Wayne's...house...!"

Just as he connected the dots, he felt a presence behind him and turned around. He stared at the tall visage of the Batman, it's demonic red eyes staring down at him ominously. It grasped its head and took off the cowl, revealing the face underneath. "What are you doing here?" Bruce Wayne hissed. Hachiro gulped with nervousness. "What did I do to earn this fate?"


Shigaraki Tomura snarled as he glared down at the floor of his bar. He had a new mask on, but it didn't feel right to him, not ever since Batman had blown up the original. Kurogiri was behind the bar as always, cleaning a glass cup. In front of Shigaraki, a television screen was active, featuring a scarred man whose face was shadowed. "Calm yourself, Tomura. You must think this through rationally," the man said. But Tomura was still livid. "He harmed Father! The Batman dared to desecrate Father! He needs to die!"

"I know that destroying your father's remains is a good reason to kill the Batman," the man said. "I recently sent some Nomu to lead an expedition to Lake Nojiri. They discovered something in the mud, a man that stretches back to the age of the first quirks. It appears that he drowned, yet he was still showing signs of life. I added in a few quirks to him and made him a Nomu. I will send him to you so that you can use him to fight the Batman later on. In fact, why don't you meet him?"

A hulking grey man moved toward the screen when the scarred man gestured to it to move forward. He was wearing tattered clothes and his body had a rotting quality to it. Seeing Shigaraki's reaction, the All For One grinned. "Yes, I think he'll do just nicely for a test run on Batman's capabilities."


Chapter 11 End.

Hayate Hachiro looks like Hachiman Hikigaya from My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Season 1