Inaba's Dark Knight

Chapter 2

"… we also have some of the most famous baths in all of the region if you need a place to unwind" Bruce nodded as he barely paid attention to his new guide, Yukiko she had called herself. She seemed young to be working ehre, but then again. Internships and the like might be common around here. "And this is your room! If you need anything please let me or the staff know" Bruce smiled at her, trying to play the part of the turist. The girl smiled, a tight smile somewhat pained.

"Thank you, Yukiko you said. I would be sure to tell my friends about this place" A white lie, this strained the smile of the girl even more "Oh, from America"

Bruce chuckled "My accent is that bad huh?" a small giggle escaped the schoolgirl "No, but you do not look like you're from around here. I never caught your name" Bruce extended his hand "Matches Malone, from Metropolis. Nice to meet you, do you work here?" the city of lights, he remembered how his father took them once. So long ago but he remembered. Yukiko tilted her head "What a peculiar name and… in a way, I am the daughter of the owners. I will inherit this Inn as is tradition, so I like to always learn"

Legacy was something he was familiar with, expectation too but he had ran away from those, seems like the world was reminding him on the new purpose of his mission "You're going to do great, I can tell. Thank you for the tour" Bruce said Yukiko nodded and gave a small bow, a goodbye. She was nice, he mused as eh finally rested his tired body everything that had happened in the past week caught up to him and he succumbed to his bodies desires and fell into a deep sleep. His mind however refused to rest as it was filled with nightmares of bats, the familiar dark alley and the shadowy figure of a man with a gun.

The same nightmare since he was eight years old, when he was a kid he had cried himself back to sleep. Hating the fact that he had to see the murder of his beloved parents over and over again, but now Bruce knew what it was. It was a reminder for him that he still needed to do something in this world, that he would never let another kid cry because of some punk with a gun.

Bruce bolted awake as the gun was fired, nothing changed in the world of dreams. But in the real world he had things to do, looking at himself in the mirror bathroom he realized that he really needed a shower. He would stand out even more if he looked homeless, he was in a hotel too best if he took advantage of it while he had the chance.

"Im telling you Yukiko, all you need to do is check them out! Who knows you might like them!" Chie said as she walked around the town with Yukiko, the taller simply gave her a sideways look "I have a lot of things to do Chie… I don't think I have the time to look at that dragon fighting thing" Chie let out a sigh and shook her head "You are not even old enough to run the Inn yet, you'll grow older faster you know" Yukiko chuckled. "There's a lot I need to learn you know, for example just today a new person came to the Inn, he looked just like one of those actors of movies overseas"

Chie grinned at her "Ah so that's you type huh?"

"Hush you, after a long day listening to King Moron I need something to eat" the friends giggled as they headed to Junes, close to them Bruce had finished acquiring enough money to last him for quite a while, the town was nice he thought, the complete opposite of Gotham, plain and quiet. The people smiling, walking without a care not fearful of the shadows or the alleys.

"Peaceful" he muttered as he reached a small shrine that overlooked some of the town, a father walking with his daughter made him wonder if there was hope that he could recreate this feeling in Gotham. A day where bloodied fist would turn into open arms, Bruce chuckled as he shook his head and sat down, a humorless smile on his face "No" he knew it, Gotham would always be Gotham but that doesn't mean he could change some of it. Alfred said that he needed to know how to run a business in order to help Gotham and what better way than to start one himself, a small subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises.

Bruce closed his fist and opened it again, he was delaying the inevitable. Gotham called to him, these streets with happy people where not his home, he remembered home and his home was loud, violent and wet with either rain or blood. Funnily enough he felt alien, this was not his world anymore and the people all laughing and happy where not part of the world he needed to be in order to change what he wanted. That made him… feel something that he could not describe just yet and it bothered him a bit.

Bruce stood up once again and began to wonder around the town consumed by that though not even noticing that the sun had started to set, the light on the shops illuminated the streets he walked not quite sure where to go but not completely lost. The Inn would do for now but he needed a more permanenet place to stay, scouting stores tht he could rent was something he also needed to do. Things where already starting to complicate it would seem Bruce mussed to himself as the fog covered the town.

A/N: A little update, early Bruce has always being fascinating to me, not yet able to mask Batman behind the Brucie persona. A vulnerable, quiet and angry young man as Alfred would call him.

That why I chose Persona 4 because I think that themes of it would make a nice story thank you for reading!