As with all good stories, the end must come... yet better for it to end well, than to continue to the inevitable.

Stardust Shimmer

Epilogue: Solemn Wishes

"One half-destroyed stadium, one completely destroyed building, and associated minor property damage," Superman counted off, three days after the end of the whole fiasco and cleaning up. "Overall, not too bad for a League mission."

"Bats is going to kill us..." Flash moaned. "He's going to kill us for letting a giant fairy-thing anywhere near Gotham, he's gonna kill us horribly..."

"It's not so bad, I think it could be worse..." Lantern whistled at the astronomical costs as Superman held up the bill. "Okay, it's that bad."

"I have insurance," a voice spoke up behind him.

Lantern started. "How do you keep doing that?"

Batman materialised from the shadows, unusually grim. "Report. What happened?"

"Er, Dr Jordan Lionel was taken under federal custody, pending sentence to serve twenty years in Blackgate Penitentiary," Superman quickly answered. "Are you sure you're not supposed to be in the infirmary? With J'onn?"

The Bat changed the subject. "Back to business. Regina Mackenzie."

"She has been in a persistent vegetative state," Phasing through the steel walls, J'onn J'onzz appeared. "Not waking. And what witnesses we could gather would reveal nothing of use. The other boys who held the stadium hostage, her son Reginald and another boy, Glen Powers, has been apprehended, but released to federal custody. Without DuelDisks."

"And their cards," Flash quickly added, with a gratifying smile. "After Reg threw a storm at Supes, we locked up the cards real good. I think Doc Fate put them somewhere... in his lab..."

"I thought I returned it to them," Superman frowned. "They were released into the care of another organisation, right? They were in good hands."

"Which organisation?" Batman growled, his voice low.

"The Arcadia Movement."

"Setsu-chan!" Seika turned large puppy-eyes on the brunette girl. "Please!"

"Seika-han, I have business to handle in America," Setsuka answered, frowning lightly. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"O Nii-chan!" Seika whined to the amused teenage boy.

"We can't force Setsuka, Seika," Yusei sighed, Aki cuddling the adorable pouting girl. "Come, Seika, it's time to return home."

"You'll come back, right? Setsu-chan!" Seika waved a tearful goodbye to the brunette girl. "Leave Reggie San and Glen San to us!"

The other teenage boys were now awkwardly eyeing their temporary new guardians and the bubbly girl, to the chilly glare directed at them from the cold girl, and quickly decided that neither of them wanted to die via hypothermia.

"Is this... a wise move, Missy?" Nakamura, standing at attention beside her, murmured. "This is a public place..."

"I believe that Ryuusei alone would be able to handle them," Setsuka answered coolly. "Furthermore, we had business to handle in Gotham, before we move on. The legacy must continue."

"Missy," the older manservant shook his head. "Your noon appointment with the tailor's with Madame LeBlanc is approaching."

Setsuka watched the group pass safely through the barrier first before she turned to go. "Carry on, then."

It was a Wayne party, there was a free flow of drinks and food, as expected from a man who probably had more money than God, and Bruce Wayne was not drunk.

There was something very wrong with this picture.

"Setsuka!" the dark-haired billionaire called to the small girl, standing by a taller blonde woman he recognised as Sherry LeBlanc. "Sherry, why, thanks for bringing my niece over!"

The French woman bit her lip in barely concealed distaste as Setsuka shot him a glare and the room became colder for a brief moment. "Bruce," she greeted, her smile twitching. "You see, Setsuka is-"

"Everyone!" Plastering a fake jovial smile on his face and making sure that the ginger ale he usually opted for made for the smell of alcohol. "Let me introduce a distant niece of mine, Setsuka Shimotsuki. Rather sad, really, how she was left all alone in the world by the death of poor Diana..."

The glare was intensifying as the nearby punch bowl froze over and a server blinked as all of the flutes shattered, their contents turned into icy shards scattered on the grounds. "Excuse me," a voice barely concealed in hostility was heard as the girl sidled off into the shadows.

Utilising his not-inconsiderable tracking skills and a voice in his head, the billionaire quickly located the girl hidden by the balcony.

"I can see him, you know," her cold voice broke into the babble of his mind. "I guess it really needs looking underneath the underneath to see you, Bruce San."

"We can really stop the honorific," Bruce answered, now more gravelly. "What happened? What... started all this?"

Setsuka closed her eyes. "I don't know. Not here, though. I cannot, will not tell everything here."

Bruce nodded solemnly. "I'll call Alfred. You tell Sherry that you're leaving early."

After the -very loud- farewells from host to guests, the ride to Wayne Manor was fast in comparison, especially as the Rolls-Royce swept into the estate and Bruce stepped out with the girl and the manservant in tow. As usual, Alfred was already by the door before Bruce even got out the keys. "Master Bruce. I see you brought Miss Shimotsuki to the ancestral home once more."

"Good evening, Pennyworth San," the Japanese girl bowed.

"Good evening, miss. Master Richard and Master Tim are understandably... occupied. Shall I summon them?"

"No need, Alfred," Bruce answered. "We'll be in the sitting room."

"As you say, Master Bruce," the old butler answered. "May I...?"

"Ah, no," Nakamura refused as the two advanced to the sitting room and Alfred unfolded his own comestibles for both of them.

An awkward silence descended before Bruce decided to make the first move, feeling almost out-of-sorts at taking up the Bat out of costume.

"Regina Mackenzie," he began expectantly.

"She did that to herself," Setsuka answered. "A Dark Game, is a contest of illusions. Whoever loses the Dark Game... is forever trapped within the world of illusions."

"You saved Glen and Reginald before the government could move in," Bruce noted. "They're with the Arcadia Movement now."

"My mother died to uphold its ideals," Setsuka answered, perhaps a tad sharply. "It is... what I do. I help people, Psychic Duellists especially, work around their difficulties for a normal life."

Bruce's upper lip twitched. "You remind me... of myself. Although I don't think I would have had the strength you did, to chase after your parents' killer like that."

Something like that... it must be genetic, he decided. That drive, the determination... tempered by something else he did not have then. Some innate wisdom... who knows.

"Revenge was... a minor thought," the girl slowly answered. "It was more on keeping Mother's last wish true, and finding a home for Father's cards."

"The Guardians," Bruce answered. The cards, locked in a glass case, attached to a DuelDisk connected to the Bat-computer itself right now... "So... since you've achieved both aims, and with Regina Mackenzie likely to remain a persistent vegetable for the rest of her natural life after this, what will you do?"

"I hear that Dakota has had improvements in its social programmes aimed at meta-humans," Setsuka answered. "I plan to visit there to see if any of the techniques they employ may be applied to the Arcadia Movement's policies. After that... I will continue. So that we can play without fear of hurting our opponents, so that children aren't hunted for power beyond understanding... so that no one is outcast. Father and Mother rebuilt the Arcadia Movement for this... that's what I do, I suppose."

"Well, if you've already got your mind set," the billionaire reached for a biscuit laid out. "Alfred's cookies are to die for."

The pastry crumbled before it even reached his hands.

"From my experience, Psychic Duellists coming into their power usually have minor issues with control and mental discipline," Setsuka slyly added as she took a cookie and nibbled at it none too gently. "If they were to lose control, the repercussions could be horrible."

She looked at the cookie. "You're right. These are to die for."

Bruce stared at her. "And, your proposal...?" he dryly muttered.

"Nakamura San," Setsuka gave a small smirk, almost identical to the Bat's own facsimile of a smug expression as the manservant held up a familiar steel briefcase. "I can take you through the basics within the few days I have within the city. After that I will be a call away. We can also involve your wards to participate in their capacity as human targets; it's not like you could hurt them much yet."

"Perhaps a course on how to quiet the voices might be a better idea?" he hissed, Alfred having left the room.

"That would also be covered," the girl acknowledged. "It's not often that one is chosen by the Duel Monster spirits and hear and see and touch them, but we do cover for them. At least, we try."

"Hey Bruce, I just- oh," Dick froze, having walked into the room without a shirt on and only in sweats. "Er, I didn't realise..."

"Who's there?" Tim poked his head in, almost paling at the sight of the girl. "Little Miss Bats! Er, I mean... I'm screwed, aren't I?"

"Setsuka, this is my eldest ward, Richard Grayson, and behind him is Timothy Drake, also another ward," Bruce stood. "Call them Dick and Tim. Dick, this is my distant niece I didn't realise existed until a few days ago, Setsuka Shimotsuki."

"Richard San, Timothy San," Setsuka stood and bowed lightly. "Please take care of me. Do not worry, I already know."

"Er, there's no need for the politeness..." Time awkwardly shrugged. "So... you know?"

"If I did not know, I would have deduced," she answered, in a voice dry as the tundra and probably more chilly. "Nakamura San will keep this secret. Nakamura San?"

"I didn't hear anything," the manservant gruffly answered. "I will also be on call if required. It is getting late, Missy."

The brunette girl yawned lightly. "Is it? I have kept later hours."

"I would have to concur, Master Bruce," Silently, Alfred had appeared, shooting the billionaire a Look. "Master Bruce?"

"Of course," Bruce nodded, almost eager. "Gotham's not safe at night, you can stay here. Alfred?"

"I anticipated that Miss Shimotsuki would be staying over, and hence I have taken the liberty of laying out a spare room and a toothbrush," the butler answered plainly. "If I may, miss. Mr Nakamura is also provided a room. Should I take the added liberty of calling for your necessities, Miss?"

The girl shot her distant uncle a cold look. "No thank you, Pennyworth San," the girl finally answered. "It appears that we have reached an agreement. Many thanks for the room."

"You are most welcome, Miss. It has been a while since I had catered to the feminine presence, so I fear my anticipation of your needs might not be so accurate..."

"Little Miss Bats is staying over?" Tim hissed as the butler, the girl and the manservant left them with a highly amused billionaire.

"Weirder still is how the rooms got colder," Dick observed, picking up the frozen-over cup. "You sure she's not related to Freeze?"

"Quite," Bruce nodded. "An agreement... yes. An unspoken agreement."

Above the dark shadows where the lights glimmered like grounded sparkles, calm, at peace, a dark shade stood, black against the shadows, ever vigilant. Orange streaked the skies again as the finger of Eos touched the skies.

As the night passed into day, so the Dark Knight faded back into the shadows of the shrouded city, to await the black night once more.

Conclusione della storia.

Thank you, everyone, for your wonderful support!

LLS