I then wait for night. As it does, I take a another cup of coffee, put it into a small thermos on the back of my belt as I use the trees to traverse my way back into the city. The grapple gun I had bought is sufficient enough to support my weight. Though I give myself a bit of forgiveness.
This is my first night. The beginning to my crusade. I should be excited, but really, I feel my heart pound. I feel nervous. But I have prepared myself for this. The years of training shall help me through this. I only trust that I won't go over the edge. Keep myself caged. I swore to my mother to never kill. Not even the worst of them. I can only hope I hold to such tenets.
I finally make it to the city after a good 5 minutes of swinging around with the grapple gun. No longer needing to do so, I use it to reach the roof tops of 1 story buildings, keeping myself in the shadows of the luminescent light of the moon in full view. I stay on top, keeping myself quiet, to listen to any trouble.
I then hear a crash of glass. I head to the sound. But to my disappointment. It was two men holding and what seems to have drop a panel of glass with a logo I can't discern anymore due to it being in pieces. I go to a couple more buildings to keep an eye out.
I suppose I should have expected that not everything is gonna be coming towards me. I should invest into getting a police scanner. Another thing to acquire next to another stronger grapple gun. Maybe a car too. That and also maybe have this cape be more than just being a part of the costume. I write this stuff down while I had the time. Now feeling like I have a grocery list.
It was then I heard a scream. Male, someone potentially my age. I head over to the sound and to my luck, I see an older gentlemen, Yakuza, grabbing a woman his age by the arm to pull her. The male I heard scream, has a leg wound. Knife stuck in his leg, few inches above the knee. From my view, doesn't seem like it hit an artery.
The boy is calling out to his mother. Holding his leg, while the woman tries to fight the man. He backhands her. Instinctively, I jump down quietly behind the yakuza. He's my height. His main focus is to the woman. Wanting the kid pay him for some debt he had.
He bumps into me, quickly turning around, his eyes widen to the sight of me. The fear is set in. Good, now is time to put my training to the test. I begin as I see he is still holding woman's arm, I grab his own and with my free hand, land a blow to his elbow. I hear a few cracks.
The yakuza cries out in pain, the woman moving away towards her son. Now that she's out of danger, I can go all in on this fight. I let him throw a strike towards me, having him close the gap between us. By that moment, I swerve my body to the side to grab the non-injured arm throwing the punch as I grab that one and use his body weight to throw him over my shoulder on to the ground. I then quickly use my leg, and while still holding the arm, dislocate the arm. Both arms are useless now, as is the threat.
I pick him up by grabbing him by his skin on his chest and lifted him up. His screams echoing out further into the night. "Listen to me you piece of slime... you will release the debt the boy owes you. Pay it out of your own pocket! I don't give a damn... do you understand?" The man is still screaming. I need this set in his mind. I grab tuft of hair on his head and slam it into an old, rusty mail box carrier.
"DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?!" I twist the skin on his chest further.
"YES! I UNDERSTAND! I'll do it!" The man turns his head to the two. "Your debts are paid! Just make the pain stop!!"
"I'll hold you to it." I then slam him into an empty trash can upside down, knocking him down. I take a moment to breathe. This adrenaline rush. The excitement of beating a criminal to a pulp. I then turn my head to the mother and son. Both flinch in wide eyed horror at me.
"I suggest leaving the city. To be safe." I then run into the alleyway. Into the dark, where it's safe. They were afraid of me, the innocents. Then again, they did just see me beat a yakuza to a mess. How quick I was to take him down. I wasn't doing myself any favors. This crusade will more than likely be thankless. Nevertheless. A victory. But the night is young.
I head to another part of town, keeping to the roof tops. I stand on top of a gargoyle. I listen in again to any sounds. Oddly, it's directly below me. I hear the sounds of what seems to be an argument. Loud enough to hear through the sounds of cars passing by and even through the bricks. I slowly make my way down to look through a the window.
I see a father and a son arguing. It seems like only an argument. Nothing warranting of a crime. It was then at that moment when the father starts beating his son. The son looks to be in high school, possibly older than me. It was then my emotions kick in. Making me remember... old wounds. Similar to this here. I will not allow myself to be powerless again. I must save this kid from this fate. I take a breath before I break through the window, standing in front of the two. The lights of the city shadowing me as I gaze at the father.
"Let him go." My gaze doesn't leave the father. He lets go of his son as the young man is in the fetal position. It seems he's been through this in the past.
"You just broke my window. I'm gonna break your head in you freak!" The father starts barreling towards me.
"You can try." It was then I turn to the last second as I trip the man up and his mouth makes contact to the window frame. Not where the broken glass is, more the wooden frame itself. I see a tooth break off onto the floor. He's on the ground immediately writhing.
I grab his thin tank top as I begin to rain down my fists at him. Each punch harder than the last. My memories flood my brain as it distracts me. Makes me lose control and focus. I only stop when I hear the son cry out for me to.
"Please... don't kill him." I look to the son. His eyes pleading. Not so much for the father himself. But perhaps the fact that he's the reason that he has a roof over his head. I look back down at the father. His nose fractured, his lip broken, a deep bruise on his right eye. I drop him. I take a step back from him.
"You should go. The landlord busted in with a key moment ago. The police will more than likely be here soon." He was right, I hear the sound of a police car parking, the siren wailing as I see one male enter the building while the other waited by the car.
"Will you be alright?" He doesn't give me much of a reassuring look.
"I'll let them know about him. And unfortunately, about you too."
"That's fine. Let them know what kind of monster he is." I say as I go out the window onto the rusted platform.
"I will. What do I call you?" I stand there for a moment, pondering on a name. Before I find it.
"Batman." I then use the grapple gun to go to a elevated building. Hearing the door bashed through at the last moment. I was emotionally compromised. It was sloppy. I need to harness this anger. To not let it control me, but to have me control it. I leave that district to go to the next.
As I get there, it's gotten to the halfway point of my patrol. I take out 2 granola bars I stashed in my utility belt and pull out the thermos. I make sure to make quick of my lunch break. Don't need it to be 30 minutes. Not that I would even get 30 minutes as I hear another scream. I shove the rest of the first bar into my mouth and put in the coffee along with to help break the food down faster.
I go over to see a girl. Possibly my age, in a traditional Shrine kimono and a second woman. She wore a black and red dress with long crimson red hair. Her skin looked... pale. As if she's been dead for a few days. Yet she stands in front of the shrine maiden girl.
She's been imbedded to the wall. Her eyes are closed and something is in front of her. What looks to be a... crystal? How is it suspended in the air? Questions for later. I use the grapple gun to swing down behind her as my cape betrays me by flapping in the wind as she hears me and looks at me.
"Who are you?" The woman with the black and red dress then enveloping herself in what looks to be an... aura of sorts. Is she skilled in certain practices of aura? Aura is that of an electromagnetic field around every living body. In human beings, it is a storehouse of all negative and positive energies. An energy body of auras has seven layers, each layer being related to each of the seven energy chakras or wheels located along the spine.
Whether or not this is useful to know for this situation is still up for debate. Besides, I have a villain to take down. And I have a response to repay in kind.
"I am Batman. Put the girl down. Now!"
"Such a demand. Although I wasn't expecting you. You are someone with a darkness inside them. Even I can see that. Well no matter. In a few moments you too will-" I cut her off by throwing a tiny smoke bomb, enveloping her in it as I put myself between the girl and the black and red dressed woman.
"You dare do this to me, human?!" Human? Why would she say that? She makes it sound like she's the devil, or perhaps the devil that wears Prada.
"You would not do as I say. So now I'm making you."
"And how do you plan to do that, Batman?"
"By force if necessary. I'm giving you a chance. Let her go and I'll make sure the proper authorities go easy on you." The woman begins to laugh at my words.
"You must be joking. You think you could defeat me? Kaorinite? I'd love to see your attempts."
"If you insist." I start running towards her but another being steps between us. She has... purplish gray skin? Burgundy brown hair and eyes. Her eyes... look like she sees me as a feeble ant trying to fight against an elephant.
"Another one of your accomplices I assume."
"How very perceptive, Batman. This is Mizuki. My Daimon. She'll keep you company. Since you've spoiled my fun, I will make sure your death is painful through her. Won't you, Mizuki?" Kaorinite cups Mizuki's cheek. Her red eyes glowing in the night, wasn't too sure if I was seeing something I wasn't supposed to or more that of the trick of the light.
"As you command." Mizuki then charges towards me, as I get ready for a fight.