Batman: The Animated Series 'Fan Fiction Love Story'
By Tayla Drago
Episode # 38 – Day of the Samurai
In Japan, at the dojo of Yoru Sensei, his star pupil, a young woman named Kairi, is practicing late at night. She is suddenly interrupted by a ninja, who knocks her unconscious and carries her away, leaving behind a ransom demand for Yoru. Back in Gotham, Alfred comes down the Batcave to give the phone to Bruce to tell him of a call was for him.
"Master Bruce?"
"What is it, Alfred?" he asks his butler.
"Yoru Sensei's on line three."
Megan hears all of this while working on her own gadget making on a few things with Gidget helping her out.
"Hey!" she overhears the boys. "Isn't Yoru dude Bruce's teacher who taught him how to fight from Japan? (I better hear this one out, might be serious.)"
Using a pin of a shape of a hair pin to hear from her watch and small headphones in her ear of the phone call. For Yoru telephones Bruce Wayne in Gotham City, saying he needs his help. A nice way to travel from the U.S.A. and into the country of Japan for Megan, Gidget, Alfred, and Bruce taking a nice private plane for that…Also, this was Megan's first time going on a trip out of the country.
"You look happy about this trip, Megan. This is your first?"
Well, Bruce didn't have to ask Megan twice about that part.
"You bet!" she said while Gidget took photos. "I've always wanted to travel to other countries to see even for Japan, and now I am! But I also know that this is business too. So, I'll be ready for anything to help out your teacher."
Megan sees the drawing belonging to someone that she and Bruce know of to being there.
"We'll try to two things as we can here, little at a time. I promise." He said.
"While trying to stop Kyodai Ken again too?"
"You bet we are…!"
After Bruce, Megan, Gidget, and Alfred arrive in Japan, Bruce goes to meet Yoru, wondering innocently how he can be of service. Yoru says that hopes he can pass along his request to Batman, whom Bruce 'must know'. Does he know of Bruce Wayne is Batman to keep only to himself about it?
"Perhaps, I thought, you might somehow enlist the aid of this 'Batman'. You know him, do you not?" Yoru asks his student.
Bruce answers his teacher with a smile.
"We've met."
Anyways, Megan tries to train a little for Yoru comes in to see of her to be stress from using her powers again, still unknown to her own abilities.
"E.S.P. and karate skills, I see." said the Sensei. "You are Bruce-San's personal bodyguard, are you not?"
Megan and Gidget bow to Yoru.
"Please to meet you, sir." She said. "I'm Megan Tsuki. Bruce has told me so many great things about you. We are good friends as I protect the man who rescue me with nowhere else to go."
"Yes, yes. And since you and Batman are here too, are you two very close than just partners?"
Megan's face turns red when Yoru asked her that.
"Huh?! Hey, now what makes you say that?! (Well, Bruce as himself or Batman to me is kind of cute…)"
"No use hiding, love is a powerful thing to use." He said. "And you seem stress to not understanding more about yourself. Am I correct?"
"Sort of…why you ask?" Megan asks him.
Yoru then gets up to show Megan a few tricks 'for Gidget to watch and learn as well of a true karate master'.
"Now, watch and learn, Megan-San."
From remaining calm, breathing, and such to get into a stand…he does from so many movements little at a time and very fast. From the striking pose of the deadly snake movements, the striking hands of a lion's claws, the dodging of a rabbit, and legs of an eagle was strong to create such powerful winds for Megan to feel out after that.
"(Amazing!) How did you do that?!"
Even Gidget's long eye was stretch out after that.
"Skills. That's all it takes." said Yoru. "As you and Batman will learn of team work is the key and love, so is clearing your mind on other things while using the movements of those fighting skills that you've just seen. Only then will it clear your mind very carefully. Do you see?"
Megan knows of this alright thanks to Yoru's show and tell and his words.
"You don't have to tell me twice. I'll remember it well…" she felt a little nervous still. "But what if I don't do too well?"
"Never say don't unless you try, Megan-San. You'll know when you do from the heart. Believe me, I know."
And from there that Yoru just said, I think Megan gets the point to continue to train from her powers and fighting skills to remember this.
"(For someone who's very skillful, I like how Yoru can be so good on his line of work.)"
Bruce explains to Alfred the nature of Kyodai's ransom demand: Yoru is the last living descendant of an ancient master who developed the fighting art, Kiba no Hoko ('The Way of the Fang'). It proved so dangerous that the master never taught it to anyone, and hid the only copy of the art's manual in a secret place known only to his family, who have kept it secret for five hundred years. Since Yoru has no sons, when he dies, he takes the secret with him. Kyodai wants the scroll, believing the knowledge will enable him to defeat Batman, whom he now knows is Bruce Wayne, having fought both. Good thing Megan already study the rest, and Kyodai knowing of Bruce was Batman as well.
"Perhaps our cowled friend can persuade him otherwise?"
For Alfred to ask that, Bruce didn't think so.
"It's not that easy, Alfred." he said. "He's after Batman as well."
"But why?" ask the butler.
Remember that Kyodai fought against both Bruce Wayne and Batman...? From the last episode?
"He fought Bruce Wayne and Batman. Fighting styles are like fingerprints. Kyodai knows that we're the same man."
Not good! The next morning, Yoru receives instructions from Kyodai. He is to receive a map to the scroll's location in exchange for Kairi. Bruce suggests giving Kyodai a false map, but Yoru says doing so would violate the code of Bushido. Bruce respectfully volunteers to deliver the map. Megan pinpoints Kyodai's location, after leaving one on his suit when he escaped the last time…
"You got him?" ask Batman.
"On top of the buildings with Kairi, she's okay. Let's go up there."
At the ransom drop, Batman and Megan both bring the map.
"Let her go…now!"
They show themselves to the two.
"You two!" surprised Kyodai.
Megan gets out her gun to stop Kyodai to save the hostage.
"Don't you dare think about moving, pal! Remember me? Now release Kairi!"
Kyodai uses his sword near Kairi's neck to be serious about all of this.
"Throw me the map!"
"First she goes free." said Batman.
They both try to rescue Kairi without giving it up 'she can sure fight really well', but Kyodai kicks her off the building's roof, forcing Batman to save her while Kyodai grabs the map.
"Komori no kami." She said 'Spirit of the Bat' in Japanese.
Though Megan tries to 'even though she trusts Batman to save Kairi at least to land safely', only for the even ninja-like samurai pins her on the ground with kunai knives.
"Hey!" she couldn't break free.
"Sorry, Megan, it was nice seeing the two of you again, but business is business for me. I got what I needed so…thanks for nothing."
As Batman returns to see Megan using her watch of a magnet to break free from the kunai's and tells her partner to keep on going.
"Go, Batman! Stop Kyodai! He's got the map! I'll catch up to you when I cut myself loose!"
Batman then tries to stop Kyodai as they fought in a hand to hand combat; but uses some dust to weaken Batman to go down easily, and after that he escapes with the map. Not good…! The map guides Kyodai to a cave in the side of a volcano called Mount Kajiiki, where he finds the scroll hidden in an ancient box. The moment he touches it, however, the aged scroll crumbles to fragments in his hands. Initially distraught, he looks closer and pulls out one intact fragment, which he figures is all he needs.
"Ah, who would guess it was there..." he said something from it in Japanese.
Later, Batman and Megan investigate the cave together.
"Are you sure this is the place, Megan?" Batman asks her.
Again, the bug she was following Kyodai's every movements.
"That's what it shows me from the watch of mine, Bruce." She then sees some papers in a box. "Hey, look! Lots of the paper pieces all over the box. My computer book's saying that this thing's a scroll. Its so old to fall apart for it but one piece is missing. See?"
Megan sees that it was to show that to Batman. Soon they both return 'as Bruce was himself' with the fragments to Yoru, who examines them, and finds that the missing piece gives instructions for the o-nemuri attack – a death touch. Unfortunately, Yoru never read the scroll, so he cannot tell Bruce where the fatal point is, meaning it could be anywhere. Megan figures that part out.
"This is not good." said Bruce.
"So, it would seem, Bruce." She said. "But I thought that move worked in movies. Is it for real?"
Seems to be on Bruce's end that it could be for Kyodai to use it in his deadly ways.
"That could be the case, then yes…"
For the next phase of his plan, Kyodai kidnaps Alfred and calls Bruce, ordering him to appear for their final match. Megan tells him of the phone call coming from Kyodai as she hacks into the phone lines to find the location on where they were.
"Bruce…!" she tells him quietly. "A call from Kyodai. This could be trouble."
He answers the call.
"Alfred?"
"No, but I have him." He said. "I'll have him near the area where we'll be at, so you know what to do, right? We'll finish this you and me for good."
Megan traces the call to Kyodai's hideout.
"Got it! (Great, now Kyodai's playing dirty to hurt Alfred next!)"
Before leaving as Bruce finishes with his training as Megan did all day yesterday too, to get into her karate outfit again to aid Bruce as Batman on this one. For her to see Kairi asks him about his other half self, she had the power of her ESP to come in handy to remember the words well. For Kairi sees Megan to give her a word of advice…
"Be true to yourself, Megan-San." She said. "As Yoru Sensei said to you before…from fighting with your powers, for love, and clearing your mind can help you get through anything. To one day understanding yourself a bit more. You know, I was like you once."
"Really?" ask Megan. "(She was like me?)"
"I was…Born on the streets with no mother, brother, brother, or sister. Until Yoru Sensei found me, saved my life, raise me, and trained me to become one of his strong students to fight for what's right. For you see, I fight for my master because he's more like a father to me and I want to prove that I can do so much more; by fighting for what I believe in to do some good for that answer. I have a power of strong will, I love my master, and I clear my mind to find out that I was born to do this. So hopefully, Megan-San, as Bruce-San found out about himself too, I'm sure you will for the love of Batman, your Batman. Clearing your mind and powers to understanding it, will still take some time."
She was right, for Megan will remember those words from Kairi as well like Yoru's too.
"(I never knew that...) You're right, Kairi, I'll do my best. Thanks!"
Once Batman and Megan arrived, they find the place to be empty, and that Kyodai has destroyed the scroll fragment.
"It's gone." He said.
Megan then spotted something from the punching dummy.
"Bruce, look!" she shows Batman. "I think I know what the scroll shows him where the pinpoint touch of death is. The heart. I see the fingernail markings left on here because Kyodai used it so many times so it would make sense, I also might know where he has taken Alfred."
Megan does so by telling Batman the location once they found out about something about the piece of scroll. They meet on the slope of Mount Kakiiki, Kyodai apparently not knowing that the local authorities have noticed it becoming active and evacuated the surrounding area.
"Once again, you approach unseen, dark one." said Kyodai. "And you, Megan…Not bad on your end. Not bad at all. You two would have made good ninjas."
"I would prefer to be a Samurai." Batman said.
"And I go with karate skills for me like from Karate Kid. Good movie!"
Kyodai didn't think so, for he was insane.
"But you are like me, a warrior of the night." he said to Batman. "Both you and I are the Dark Knights!"
Batman goes all out on his own to settle a score with Kyodai and a plan to do, while quietly tells Megan on what she should do besides backing him up.
"Megan, go free Alfred. I'll handle Kyodai with the plan to be used and you back me up from behind." said the Dark Knight. "He knows that I'm Bruce Wayne already, so don't worry about me."
"Are you sure?" she asks him.
Batman just smiles to give Megan a flower to keep.
"More than you know, Utsukushī."
Ah…Bruce called Megan lovely in Japanese to make her blush and happy so she does so, while Batman jumps next to Kyodai to fight.
"(Save Alfred first, let Bruce stop Kyodai for a bit, and then finish the job. You can do this, Megan!)" she said to herself. "(Remember Your and Kairi's words, calm and such with love can help you understand yourself more later, little at a time while using your powers too while fighting.)"
But before they duel, Kyodai compliments Batman on his mastery of stealth, saying he would have made a fine ninja. Kyodai then removes his mask and Batman returns the favor.
"Let us face each other in the open, man to man." Kyodai takes off his mask and tosses in to the ground. "Samurai do not hide behind masks."
Batman takes off his.
"All right. Take your best shot!"
They spar, Bruce trying to avoid contact, even as the volcano begins to erupt and lava flows down the side of the mountain. Megan uses her laser pointer from her watch to free Alfred.
"Ms. Megan…!" he was surprised to see her. "Thank you, but Master Bruce-!"
"We know, we got it covered." She said to say one thing out loud. "Ah, Bruce…Kyodai…not that I want to be nosey, but I thought to let you two know while you're still fighting amongst each other…a volcano's erupting to kill us all if we don't get out of here alive soon!"
She was right, it'll burn them all to death if they stay any longer! Like Kyodai cared to still fight against Bruce. This was a very tough battle going on!
"This was a poor choice for a battleground, Kyodai." Bruce tells him that. "The volcano may claim us all."
"It does not matter." Like Kyodai cares. "Ninja do not fear death!" Then Kyodai lunges and jabs his fingers into a spot-on Bruce's chest. Bruce groans and falls, apparently dead. "Sayonara, Batman." Kyodai said to be bowing to his dead body. "And now to finish you two off next."
As Kyodai turns away Megan wasn't afraid of him to protecting Alfred, however, Bruce rises, saying the ancient technique doesn't work.
"Leaving so soon, Kyodai?" Bruce was alive and well.
Megan comes up to use her punches on Kyodai's face up close.
"You were saying…?" she winks at Alfred. "(I told you not to worry about Bruce, see, Alfred?)"
The fight continues, but is interrupted when a lava flow splits the ground between them. For Megan had the chance to stop him herself now before the ground was separated from one another.
"Do it, Megan!" said Bruce.
She had a fan as her glider to fly over and beat up Kyodai next after Bruce did it first. From the dodging of a rabbit, the striking pose of a snake to hitting back and defending too, using her kicks of an eagle, and finishing him with a fist attacks on a lion to hurting him good; for Megan glides, back in time as Gidget got a ladder for the on the other side for the others to cross on for Alfred does that first. Only for Kyodai wasn't so lucky to get trapped in the lava area.
"Yes! I did it! It works for me to create the winds of my EPS while fighting back for Bruce and staying calm…!" Megan was happy to then starts to freak out now. "Kyodai! Bruce, this looks bad!"
Kyodai is left trapped on a little islet of rock. Bruce throws a line on a Batarang to Kyodai, telling him to use it to spring over the gap.
"Grab it!" Bruce tells him. "If you grab and pull it, then you can still make it!"
"Come on, Kyodai! Get the rope!" Megan does it too.
Silent, Kyodai kicks the Batarang into the lava, then bows to Bruce with utmost respect.
"Sorry, but this is my way to go like this. Farewell, to you both!"
Another surge of lava hits the rock, throwing up a cloud of smoke between them. When it clears, Kyodai is gone. Was he dead? Megan sees the tracker was melted from the fire after that. Oh, boy…
"You think he's dead, Megan?" Bruce asks her.
"Hard to say really. I don't think I'll have the answer for this one."
Bruce, Megan, Gidget, and Alfred make their way to safety.
"I couldn't see through the smoke, sir and miss. But was Kyodai…?"
"We don't know, Alfred." Bruce said to him. "I wish I did."
"I wish any of us did." Said Megan.
Then Alfred asks Bruce this next question…
"I saw Kyodai use the fatal move on you, Master Bruce. Did he somehow miss?"
When Alfred asks how he survived the death touch, Bruce pulls a small armor plate from under his costume and explains that he examined the practice dummy in Kyodai's hideout and found a soft spot that Kyodai had jabbed with his fingers many times.
"No. I use this here where Kyodai was practice stabbing to use it on a soft spot to protect myself with it. If anything, Megan saved me. From her fighting skills that she learned, and where it was from the dummy. She was good."
Megan got shy a little.
"Hey now, just doing my job." She said. "Lucky for me to spot it before you did, Bruce. A close call."
"Most clever, sir." Alfred said to Bruce.
Bruce bids goodbye to Yoru, who asks him to be sure to pass his respects along to Batman. In a moment of self-doubt, Bruce says that Batman is as much a ninja as Kyodai, but Yoru tells him that because Batman showed mercy to his enemy, and resisted the temptation to use the knowledge of the death touch, he is a true samurai.
"If you see Batman, tell him I have great respect for him." said Yoru.
"Why?" he asks his teacher. "He's as much a ninja as Kyodai was."
True, but not to Yoru to know who's a good ninja from a bad one…
"Not so. Batman offered to help his adversary and a lesser man would have used the knowledge of the o-nemuri touch against his opponent. Batman is the essence of samurai, Wayne san. You would do well to remember that."
Bruce thanks his old teacher and departs, along with Alfred, Gidget, and Megan 'for she had enjoy her stay and work in Japan to remember it forever'. Also, she was getting good at her ESP powers to control.
"Come on, Megan." Bruce calls out to her.
For Alfred and Gidget were all set to leave along with Bruce as well, Megan bows to her farewells to both Yoru and Kairi to thank them and leaves.
"Bye! Thanks for everything! (I guess when it goes to show you that you should always be careful in battle to use protection from that deadly move, or it'll really kill you…! Well, to my guess that is.)"
Life of samurai or ninja doesn't matter, the lesson is of the heart that counts the most on who's good and who's bad from your own heart on who you're fighting for. Yeah…