"Benzaiten?!" Kaori and Kaoru simultaneously exclaimed.

D, who was leaning against the wall, chuckled. "The person who is known for solving impossible global cases, finding terrorists through deductive analysis and is generally regarded as the ace in the hole for the governments of the world. No one even knows if it's a man or a woman. The princess thinks he would work for us?"

"No." Kaname replied. "But she thinks if we indirectly contact Benzaiten using a fake alias and a fake motive, we may be able to convince him to go after the Batman. He's been declared a public menace, after all."

"There's a high chance Benzaiten will just see right through it, isn't there?" D questioned.

"About 85%, yeah. But still… What's life without risks?"

Bruce and Rouga walked through the doors of the Aranami Construction company building, a decently sized structure among the city. They took the elevator, though Bruce secretly wanted to take the stairs. Good exercise, after all.

Rouga shook his head quickly back and forth, exhaling loudly. "Damn, I'm a bit nervous, I've got to admit. I've been to a hundred meetings but never to one that so crucially depended on my company's success."

"Relax, Rouga." Bruce calmly fixed his tie. "We go in, pitch the specs, then get out. Simple."

"Yeah… simple..."

The elevator doors opened and the two sharply dressed men stepped out. The man who they sought was standing in the hallway talking to his assistant. Hideo Aranami, a bald, obese man took notice of them.

"Gentlemen!" He greeted gruffly. "Good to see you have come."

"Aranami-san." They shook hands.

"And this is my assistant, Jin Masaki." The man bowed graciously. "Shall we talk, then?"

Rouga and Bruce glanced at each other before turning back to him, nodding.

Yuu jumped over the small block, grabbing onto a railing and pulling herself up. She jumped onto the railing parallel to it before launching herself to another one. She dove the floor, recovering with a smooth front roll. She took out a stopwatch and checked her time.

"Aww… Still 2 minutes, 50 seconds..." Yuu was currently practicing basic parkour moves she had learned from Bruce. She was at the park, training herself. She stowed away her watch, pausing upon hearing sniffles nearby. Rushing down the stairs, she saw her classmate sitting against the wall, crying. Upon noticing her, the girl wiped her eyes and looked away.

"Emi?"

*Emi Kazuma was a fellow schoolgirl at Mochizuki High. She had brown hair that parted on the right side and her left bang went a bit longer down her cheek. Her hair was long enough to reach mid-back and her eyes were brown. A part of her hair was also braided to wrap around the back of her head, and her bust was as large as Yuu's. She wore a casual hoodie and skirt with brown boots. She was sitting up against the wall, hugging her knees. Her nose and eyes were red, evidence of tears.

"What are you doing here?"

"..."

"Are you alright?"

Yuu sat down next to her. Emi maintained her sight on the ground, sniffling.

"Hey," Yuu beckoned softy. "You can talk to me. We're friends, right?"

Several tears trailed down her face. "My… my parents…" She stuttered out. "They're dead..."

Yuu's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Wha-what? How?"

"They were working that day… when the stations blew up… the doctors said they burned to death… There was nothing anyone could do… They were one of the good ones, you know… one of the ones who believed in true justice, who hated carrying guns but did so with pride… Then, the freakin' Batman blew them to hell… I hate that bastard… I hate him so much! I want to kill him so bad, I want him to pay! I want to make him suffer! He's no hero!"

Yuu uncomfortably wrapped her arm around her friend, pulling her in for a hug. Emi cried softly, her shoulders shaking with each sob. Yuu felt bad for her but knew she was misguided. She only hoped she could help her friend through this.

Yuko stood on Oriha's balcony, staring out at the forest below. Her mansion itself was several miles off from the city but was hidden well behind the trees. It had its own generator and several rooms, a secret armory and a garage chock full of vehicles.

The surgeon/swordsman watched the birds flutter, the squirrels scurry and the leaves fly. A kind wind blew, her hair flowing in its rhythm. It felt peaceful.

"Is something wrong, Hitsugi?"

The blue-haired nurse stood inside the room, a few feet from Yuko. Sayo glanced down, holding arm. Though she wasn't facing her, Yuko could read Sayo's body language like a book. She was nervous about something, hesitant to speak about it but still approached Yuko nonetheless. Yuko casually glanced over her shoulder.

"Hitsugi?" She asked again.

"S…Sensei? Do-do you know anyone named… Itaru Togo?"

The name made Yuko pause for a split second, something Sayo didn't fail to notice, and turned around fully.

"Hitsugi. Where did you hear that name?"

"From the Batman."

Yuko sighed. "Of course that man would know that much… Attempting to sow the seeds of distrust amongst us…"

"I heard that he was my father… if that's the case, then why can't I remember him? Was he ever around? Who was he?"

"This is a crucial time for Black Label's infrastructure. We can't have our operatives being at anything less than one hundred percent… But she's not ready for the truth. Her mental psyche is still fragile… I need to protect her from the memories… Even if it means lying to her."

"Itaru Togo was a monster who experimented on you and transformed you into what you are. We don't know who he was or why he did what he did. He escaped and still travels the world today. We haven't been able to find him since. He's not your father… Don't trust what the Batman says. His main goal is to take us down due to our differing ideologies. We need to help make Mochizuki's dream of a disease free city come true."

"Right..." Though she still sounded uncertain, Sayo thanked her and left. She walked down the halls of the house, contemplating the terrible nightmare she always had. A bloody and terrible dream. "Itaru Togo… Who are you?!"

"What brilliant minds!" Aranami, Bruce and Rouga walked out of the meeting room with Jin in tow. "I can safely say I would want you two for the job. Your software patches could really do wonders for us."

"That's great to hear!" Rouga exclaimed, excited despite himself.

Bruce maintained a business visage, smiling only when necessary and speaking only when needed. He let Rouga exhibit the charisma while Bruce examined Aranami's behavior.

"He shows all the signs of a gangster… gruff, assertive, vague mention of deals and morbid obesity… His breath even stinks of alcohol and you could see faint kiss marks on his neck. Probably from prostitutes… I actually almost pity them."

"I'll have my executive director supervise the project with you two. I look forward to the results."

"Thank you, Aranami-dono." Rouga respectfully shook his hand, Bruce doing the same.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have lunch with my son." Aranami and Jin walked off. Bruce's stare lingered on them for a few seconds before making his way to the elevator along with Rouga.

"Well, that was more successful than originally suspected."

"It was. Listen, I have an appointment I need to go keep but I'll make sure to be around when the director comes. Can you prepare the software yourself in the meantime?"

"Sure, no problem." Rouga nodded.

After training in the park, watching her brothers, comforting her friend and convincing her to go to school, Yuu finished her lunch hour by putting her school uniform back on. She walked the halls to class but slowed her pace upon seeing who was coming her way – Mikoto Kiba. At school, she passed herself off as a rich girl but from Konomi's files in the Batcomputer, she learned the truth. She's the daughter of a crime family and now, she kills criminals for a hobby. At one time, Yuu actually respected Mikoto but seeing her now just made her sick.

Mikoto, oblivious to Yuu's thoughts, waved to her with a polite smile. Yuu put on a fake smile and weakly waved back.

"Momokino-san, nice to see you. How have you been?"

"I've been doing well."

"I saw you at the ball yesterday. Did you have fun?"

"Uh, yes, actually, I was. I was with a date."

"Oh, okay. That sounded fun. I was just dragged there by my seniors but..." A light pink tinge hit her cheeks. "I ended up enjoying myself a little bit, too." Mikoto was taken aback when she saw Yuu give her a nasty, almost jealous glare. "Is-is something wrong?"

Yuu cleared her throat. "No, nothing. I'm glad you had fun. See you around, Kiba-senpai." She replied curtly before brushing past her and walking off. Mikoto glanced back at her in bewilderment.

"The fuck is her problem?" Deciding to cast Yuu's demeanor aside, Mikoto continued her way down the hall to class, her memories of last night now replaying in her head. "Speaking of last night, what the fuck was that shithead doing, anyway? Asking me and Hitsugi-nee-san to dance..." She reached up and lightly touched her cheek. "His lips were pretty soft, though..."

Konomi sat at the computer, Bruce at her side. He had just taken her out for lunch, helped her with going back into the world again. It was weird going to the restaurant Tatara and her used to go after cases again but it helped. Konomi smiled to herself. She felt lucky to have Bruce by her side. She wasn't afraid to admit that she wanted it to remain that way, that she hoped it would remain that way. Nao came in, licking a lollipop. Bruce took notice of this, glaring at the candy.

"Where did you get that?" He asked coarsely.

She took it out of her mouth, the candy making a resounding 'pop' as she did. "I got it from the girl. I asked her to get me one." She put it back in her mouth and crunched it.

Bruce walked around Konomi's chair, up to Nao. "Listen and listen good, because I won't feel like repeating myself, I don't want you asking my operatives to do anything for you. I don't want you to manipulate them and I don't even want you interacting them. I don't trust you around anyone but me."

She tossed the wet side of the lollipop stick to his forehead, the object attaching itself to his forehead, angering him even further. "Communication is an important part of survival. If I need to eat, who do I go to get it for me? I can't leave and I doubt you'd be okay with Paulo coming here. If I want something, I need to talk to them, dumbass."

Bruce ripped the stick off, throwing it to the floor. "Watch your mouth, Vixen. It wouldn't be that hard to throw you out."

"Don't kid yourself." She spoke confidently now, shifting her weight to her left leg. "You may act like a badass but in truth, you're a boyscout through and through. You can't turn somebody to the dogs even if they were a vile serial killer."

Bruce's frown transformed into a hard, deathly glare just as Nao's smirk became a cheeky grin. As the atmosphere became more and more tense, Konomi stepped in the middle and split the two apart.

"Alright, enough!" Konomi placed her hands on her hips, sighing as she glanced between Bruce and Nao. Just before she could scold them like a parent would a child, Nao's phone began to ring. Nao reached into her cleavage and pulled out her phone, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Taking immediate notice of this, Bruce said, "Put the phone on speaker."

Nao sighed in exasperation but complied after answering it. "It's been a long time... Benzaiten."

'Red Vixen,' Came the disguised voice on the other side of the line. 'I have need of your services.'

Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Benzaiten?"

"Oh? What do you need this time?"

'I've been tasked with finding the identity of the man accused of the police stations explosions – the Batman.'

Nao paused and, along with Konomi, glanced up at Bruce, who maintained his calm.

"This person is trying to find my identity... I need to know who they are and why they were sent after me."

He silently beckoned Konomi to the computer, indicating he wanted her to trace the call. While she did this, he turned his attention back to the caller.

"That's a pretty big assignment..."

'Vixen...'

"Hm?"

'Am I on speaker?'

"Why would you think that?"

A chuckle was heard on the other line. Bruce suspiciously glanced at the phone. "Why is he laughing?"

'You've never put me on speaker before... However, as soon as I mention the name of the Batman, this time, my voice is for everyone's ears. Should I assume that the Batman is in the room and that you're compromised somehow?'

Konomi sat at the computer, typing in the various commands to trace the call. "Damn, this guy is good..."

After a moment, Benzaiten spoke again. 'You are there, aren't you? The vengeful Batman... Nice to meet you. I am Benzaiten and I have been assigned for your capture. I can assume since you know my motives, you are also trying to find out my location. Don't bother. I don't use the Vixen's special phones but am logged to her network through a different method. Even with your technology, it would take weeks to find me.'

Konomi glanced at Bruce, who was fixated on the phone. He was staring at it intently, listening to every word with careful measure. It was almost as if he was trying to deduce who the person is right now.

'Because of the Vixen's phone, I can't simply trace the call back to you either, but I guess it makes it more interesting this way. I look forward to meeting you soon, Batman.'

The phone was hung up and Konomi sighed, the tension of it all being released in her breath.

"Who was that?" Bruce questioned the Vixen.

"Benzaiten – an infrequent but high-paying customer. This person has been hired by various police organizations, world governments and such. I've never met him or her and have never been able to track them down. The only things I know is that the rumors have Benzaiten pinned as the 'World's Greatest Detective'."

"Not for long." His eyes narrowed as his thoughts focused. "From that call, I can deduce several things... This person is a private, highly value, P.I. They're wealthy enough to afford technology we can't hack or trace but not wealthy enough to trace Vixen's private cell. This means they're not billionaires or anything extravagant. There are only two groups with any remote interest of hiring a P.I. to find me... The Yakuza or Syringe. The Yakuza could've done it but with the police stations gone, I imagine one of their primary amounts of interest is to figure out a way to restore influence and structure. Tradition is important, even to the Yakuza. Syringe has the most to gain from finding me... This doesn't seem like something Hunt would do and, judging by Syringe's recent string of actions, Benzaiten is not a part of their group. Only Syringe makes sense but I doubt Hunt ordered this... It's not something he would do..."

"What does Benzaiten call you for?" He asked Nao.

"Usually? Just people to track his suspected targets."

"I thought so... This person is a work behind the scenes type person. However, the only way to get to me truly is by stepping out of the shadows and examining my actions closer. Nao won't be able to help with that so Benzaiten may go to someone else... No, if Nao is his most trusted information broker and manpower supplier than he might not trust anyone else... He may come out here himself. I need to find out who this person is and quickly. If they blow the whistle on my identity, this is all over."

"Sorry I'm late, Rouga." Bruce burst into the rented office that he and Rouga co-paid for. Rouga waved him off, his eyes glue to the computer.

"It's fine. The guy's not here yet."

"What are you looking at?"

"The software... I just finished refining it and looks good. Can't wait to put it the test, eh?"

Bruce walked around the desk. "Yeah, it looks great. It must've been pretty boring doing by yourself, though."

"Meh, it's fine. I was on the phone anyway."

That statement made Bruce pause. "Oh, yeah? Who were you talking to?"

"Huh?"

"Who were you talking to, Rouga?"

Rouga smiled uncomfortably, a bit put off by the hint of the demanding nature in Bruce's tone. "My mom." He said carefully. "Why?"

Bruce shook his head quickly. "Nothing. I'm sorry."

Rouga glanced at him with a slight puzzlement in his eye before shrugging it off. Bruce sat down in the chair as Rouga turned to pour himself a cup of coffee. Bruce stared at him for a second, contemplating.

"No... I checked him out. He's clean. There's no reason to believe Rouga is Benzaiten. I just don't get that feeling from him..."

A knock was heard at the door, interrupting Bruce's thoughts. Rouga walked over to open it while Bruce stood up and fixed his suit. An average height man with black hair and a business suit came in, bowing respectfully. Bruce and Rouga politely returned the gesture.

"Pleased to meet you gentlemen. I am Hayato Fujino, the executive director of Aranami Construction Company."

"A pleasure to meet you, Fujino-san. I am Ryu Komori and this is Rouga Shiro, of the newly formed Komori & Shiro Software Productions. Shall we get to business?"

"Yes, let's."

Sayo walked the streets of Tobioka City. She had just left her apartment and was now making her way to Oriha's mansion. She felt like walking there as she had a few things on her mind.

"If Itaru Togo really is reponsible for who I am, what I am... Then could there be others like me? What am I? Who am I? My past... why can't I remember my past... who can give me answers..." She stopped on the sidewalk as she saw Arashi walk up to her.

"Hitsugi-san." He greeted.

"Arashi, what are you doing out here?"

"I was studying with a friend."

"A friend?" Hitsugi smirked and, in impish curiosity, teased him about it. "What kind of friend, Arashi? A close one?"

Unfortunately for Hitsugi's entertainment, Arashi was not well-versed in social conduct at all so when teased about such things, he didn't recognize the implications. "Yeah. She's a student like me but we're close enough, I guess."

Sayo sighed exasperatedly, comically dropping her head. "You're no fun, Arashi..."

"What are you doing out here, Hitsugi-san?"

She raised her head, a solemn look twinkling in her eyes. "I'm trying to find myself... to figure out who I am and why I'm the way I am..."

"Did you find out anything?"

Sayo scratched the back of her head. "No... not yet. But I will."

Arashi smiled at her softly. "Yeah, I think you will, too."

Sayo chuckled at him, lightly punching him the shoulder which made Arashi cringe slightly. "Let's get to HQ."

"Are-are you serious?! Would you really consider doing that for me and my family?"

"Sure." Rouga shrugged. "If working at Aranami's company is so bad, come work for us."

"A man shouldn't be forced to compromise on his moral code." Bruce chimed. "The scandals seem to be putting pressure on Aranami's company and with the police reformed, he may be put down soon enough. You should come work with us while you still can."

"I'm afraid we're still just starting out so we can't pay a high-salary right off the bat..."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Fujino bowed down on his knees, his head touching the floor. "To finally leave Aranami's company, to be assured that and my family will be protected and to never have to take orders from that morally bankrupt man... It's too much, sirs! Thank you!"

"Uh..." Feeling awkward, Rouga scratched his cheek, a drop of sweat on his temple. "You don't have to do all that..."

"I must repay you two somehow… My daughter!"

"You don't have to-" Bruce began.

"Wait, let him finish." Rouga quickly shushed Bruce.

"My daughter has just come back from her trip. She was currently traveling but now, she's back and I would like her to get reaccustomed to the city. She's really quite sweet and is a joy to be around. Would either of you two do the honors of escorting her tomorrow evening?"

"This seems more like a favor for you than for us..." Rouga comically thought. "I can't do it tomorrow. I have other plans. How about you, Ryu-san?"

Bruce glanced at the somewhat pleading look of Fujino. "I... think I'm free. I'd be happy to take her out. However, we don't want you to quit right away. It can be done after this project. The city needs it more than ever."

Fujino nodded. "Of course, of course."

After the meeting and the tests, Fujino was bubbly inside. No more would he have to serve that shady man and his manipulative assistant. He could finally be on the lawful side, never having to worry about being arrested and accused of lumping in with men outside of the law. He smiled. He could keep his daughter safe, from realizing he associated with monsters. His car stopped at the gate of his house. He punched in a code and it opened up. It wasn't a mansion but it was quite big and expensive, evidence of the wealth he made. He parked his car, took out the keys and nearly skipped to his house, spinning the keys around his finger. Entering his home, he removed his shoes and at the top of his lungs, exclaimed, "AKEMI-CHAN!"

Akemi Fujino, his 19 year old daughter, came rushing downstairs, greeting her father with a cute, pleasant smile. Akemi was a busty, dark haired girl with black eyes. Her raven hair reached to her tailbone and her height was little above average. She wore a purple kimono with a dark blue blue theme. Overall, she seemed like your average, traditional Japanese girl.

"Welcome home, Otou-sama."

Her father rushed over and hugged her daughter, rubbing his cheek against hers in a risible fashion. "Akemi-chan, it's so good to be home!"

"Ah! Otou-sama, your beard! Your beard hurts!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I should really shave." He released her, smiling down widely at his pride and joy. "It's so good to have you back home. Your old man has really missed you. Oh, and good news! I know the city has changed quite a bit since you've been here so I got you a date!"

"Oh?"

"Don't worry. He's a good man. He's helped your papa greatly today. If you're interested, he's willing to be your escort around town."

Akemi smiled, nodding twice. "That sounds great, Otou-sama. I look forward to meeting him. If you'll excuse me, Otou-sama, I have to get back to my studies but I've already cooked dinner and kept it warm for you." She gave him a peck on the cheek before running off upstairs, the maid following her. Hayato looked on at his daughter, smiling in joy. She made him so proud, studying hard to become a teacher.

Akemi walked into her room and the maid closed the door behind her.

"It's good news, don't you think, Memma?" Fujino asked her maid.

"Yes, my lady." She replied.

"Otou-sama no longer has to work for those nasty Aranami people. I feel overjoyed for him." Akemi pulled out a chair and brought it near her east wall. She stood on it and pressed her hand on the wall. "Please make sure to keep my father away from my room, Memma."

"Yes, my lady."

Fujino moved a panel aside and revealed a switch. She pressed it and small door slid open, revealing a dark room with a desk in the middle. On the desk was a computer and headset. The floors of the room were wooden and the walls that could barely be seen were white. Fujino walked into the room, the door closing behind her. Akemi sat at her desk and put on her headset, smiling sweetly.

"It's time for Benzaiten to get to work."

D walked up to Wild Hunt, who stood on a rooftop and stared at the moon.

"You talk to the princess?" D asked.

"I did. She told me her reasoning. She said that she knew that Benzaiten would figure us out and had even hoped upon such a thing. She simply wanted to use him to tangle with the Batman, expose his identity and have us take him down when we see it."

"So, she wants us to spectate the confrontation and then take them out?"

"Exactly. It won't work, though."

"Why do you say that?"

"The Batman works in the shadows. It's not in his nature to be too confrontational with someone like this and with the threat of us looming over his head, it's more than likely he won't be revealing himself so easily. Still, the Princess's orders are absolute and whatever happens, we'll deal with."

'The police have narrowed the suspect of the multi-police station bombing incident to the vigilante known as the Batman. The Batman has been rumored to be working with the Yakuza in trying to destroy the city's morale. In a statement from Captain Hijiri himself, he says "We have found numerous amounts of evidence at the explosion sites of bombs that only the Batman has been seen to use. He has no sides and no morals. He targets whomever he wills, police, criminals, and civilians alike. He is a terrorist and will be apprehended and unmasked." In a previous poll, citizens have shown a favorable siding with the Batman, with 83% of population agreeing with his methods and cheering him on. After the police bombing, which costs the lives of 152 police and civilians, the favoring for his capture is now 68%.'

Fujino sat in her chair, staring at the screen in contemplation. "The Batman is behind these bombings? Unlikely. His methods in Tobioka were very systematic and structural, not chaotic and random. If we were to use that for evidence on his behavior, then he's more than likely being framed. There are several people that could gain something by framing him... The underworld, the other vigilante group 'The Iron Mask Gang' and the group that hired me. The ones who hired me aren't the ones who did it otherwise there would be no need for my services. They could just wait out, using the police whenever necessary. The underworld had influence with the police but after they were revealed to have influence, they have retreated from the light so they're crossed out which leaves the Iron Mask Gang. It would make sense that they would be at odds with the Batman between their pattern of killing and his pattern of not killing. If they did frame him, that would mean they would needs some influence with the police to keep the pressure on the Batman, meaning one of their operatives would need to be one of high positioning..."

Fujino leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "Either Captain Hijiri or Lieutenant Ogawa... The highest amount of influence would be from Hijiri and judging by how many remarks he makes about the Batman, it would make sense that he has some allegiance with them. Even assuming he doesn't have anything to do with them, he is still a puppet being used for other gains. If the Iron Mask Gang and the Batman are enemies then by finding out their identity, I can gain some clues on who he is."

Fujino typed in something in the search engine of her computer. "The Vixen had blown up a hospital building, evacuating the subjects before doing so. Why? Why would Vixen, who is not known for being so direct, go after a hospital? The only logical answer is a personal vendetta of some sort. If that's the case, what could Masamune Mochizuki be doing behind the scenes to have angered her..."

She scrolled through the various pages of his name, seeing a site for his school and hospital. She clicked on the hospital link first, checking the staff information. "Yuko Sagiri, Sayo Hitsugi, Miki Tsurugi... Three physical fit individuals... The Iron Mask gang has been listed to have at least five members..."

She typed in Sayo Hitsugi's name and a twitter page popped up. She clicked on it and scrolled through the page, stopping upon seeing a picture of her next to a boy known as Arashi. She smiled before searching his name up, the only link with that name coming up in the school page.

Fujino reached into her desk and pulled out her encrypted cell phone, dialing someone's number. "It's me."

'Yo! Long time, no hear. Never thought you'd up callin' me, Benzaiten, my man. Guess that means your go to guy for info is out, huh?'

"Is there anything in common with medical professionals Yuko Sagiri, Sayo Hitsugi, and Miki Tsurugi besides their shared work venue?"

'Hmm... I don't have much on them. They're very obscure information about them... They only thing that connects all of them is that Sayo Hitsugi is the guardian of high school student Arashi Mikami and Miki Tsurugi is the guardian of Mikoto Kiba. Both of those two have nearly died and have been brought to those hospitals and go to the same schools.'

"I see. Thank you very much for the information." She shut off the phone, thinking on this. "Mikoto and Arashi died, were brought back to life at the hospital, enrolled in a school built by the same man and now live with two of his doctors... There's too many connections to ignore the possibility... A surgeon who heals people painlessly, an anesthesiologist who puts people to sleep, a nurse who makes rounds and two students learning to make runs... The medical euphemisms are so corny I don't want to believe it but there's a high chance that the Iron Mask gang is operating under the guise of doctors and Mochizuki is the leader. Their identity is not so hard to figure out that the Batman wouldn't know it… I wonder if it would be safe to assume that he does… In which he case, the only way he wouldn't reveal it is because they hold something over him… A friend, a lover… His identity? That makes sense… They hold something connected to his true identity, if not his identity itself. If they know that much, then they must have interacted with each other at some point…" She glanced to the right corner of the computer screen, where an online picture of the police captain rested. She clicked her teeth in frustration, drawing no conclusions. "I still need more evidence..."

Bruce sat in his computer, staring at the various window screens on his computer. He had gotten the Vixen to give him the phone list of every messaging conversation and call she's had with Benzaiten. Bruce had combed over the call records and messages, using anything he could to determine any clues he could use to find who Benzaiten was.

"This person has used Red Vixen to spy on various people to gain evidence and confirm suspicions… Terrorists, war criminals, convicts of all sorts… Not the type of person who would ally for Syringe. Depending on the length of his employment, I would think Benzaiten has already deduced the type of people he's working for… Yet, this person still seeks to find me… Why?" No answers came to mind. "Nevertheless, it seems Benzaiten has some experience, having been solving cases for at least five years. It's a possibility they could be around my age or younger. Despite the disguised voice, I could still pick out the tone and subtly phonetic dialect of the person speaking… Either it's a woman or it's a man who wants me to believe he's a woman. If that were the case, speaking without the disguised voice may have been more effective. A young woman with at least five years of Grade A detective work under their belt with a moderate-to-high amount of wealth… That's too vague. I need more to go off on."

He glanced at the screen and looked over the call records for the past year. "This is interesting… For the past year, Benzaiten has been searching for a target known as the Hammer but he's eluded her for several months. His crimes weren't on the same scale as her other assignments… His crimes was as a serial killer in Tokyo. He murdered several cops and civilians but no one notable enough for the police to hire her… This was personal. Someone she was close to was killed in Japan…"

Bruce searched up the names of the people he killed but his interest rested on the name Aimi Fujino, the wife of Hayato Fujino and father of Akemi Fujino. He narrowed his eyes.

"A young woman with moderate wealth… Her father said she came back after a year of traveling elsewhere… Akemi Fujino… Graduated university at 16 years old, lost mother at 14 and has been raised by bumbling father ever since… The motive to drive her, the time needed, the potential… It's all there."

Bruce smirked at the screen. "Found you."

Akemi sat in her chair, staring at her computer screen. "A man, athletic, moderately wealthy…" She leaned back in her chair, sighing softly. "There's only one reason a man would don a bat-suit to fight crime… Tragedy. A tragedy inflicted at a young age… like me… Parents? Siblings? Despite that, it seems that he intends some good for this city. That in some way he would want to… spread… good..." Her eyes widened as a thought entered her head. "The men who hired Father! Who were they?!" She typed quickly, hacking into her father's computer. She found what she was looking for – the names of the men who hired her father. "This might be a far-fetched chance… but let's see… Rouga Shiro and Ryu Komori… Both seem athletic and from business history have acquired a substantial amount of wealth, enough to fund gadgetry and build secret bases… Could Rouga Shiro be…?" She glanced to the corner of her screen, looking at the video of the ball from last night. She had brought it up to listen to the speech of the police captain but the cameramen themselves depicted the dance floor, showing people all of types. One particular sight caught her interest – a devilishly handsome man grabbing a blue-haired woman's butt. Fujino's eyes widened. "Contact! Hitsugi and Ryu Komori have made contact! The connection is there, the pieces fit! Parents lost, a city in crime, wealth available… Ryu Komori… You are the Batman."

Mochizuki rolled into Ran's room, the blonde woman peacefully laying in her bed, awake and reading a book.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"The same way I felt since the last time you asked. Which was 10 minutes ago." She chuckled. "I'm fine."

"I've made you a salad."

Ran slowly sat up in her bed, leaning against her pillow. "I suppose I'll have to be careful of what I eat for awhile..."

"Just take it easy and rest as long as you need to. I'll take care of everything from here on. You'll be safe here, I promise."

She smiled, eating her food slowly. "They'll need your guidance… You have a will of steel, one that could clear the disease plaguing this city… I know that."

"Yes. The construction on the city is going well… Komori has started his own business venture on the side and now operates with a man known as Rouga Shiro. A fellow business partner at Tobishiro's firm… Nothing suspicious about him. It seems the Batman is trying to secure Aranami's private funds before we do."

"What are you going to do?"

"He won't do anything so long as the police stations are getting rebuilt. Even if they are his enemy, he has also grown attached to this city and wishes to see its morale rebooted. That stagnation of action on his part could be used for our advantage. I think the 'shadow' is subtly trying to make their move on the Batman and he's privately trying to deal with it. While he's dealing with that, we can secure the funds by interrogating some of the key executives of Aranami. I don't want to directly kill the man who is rebuilding needed stations so we'll keep Aranami alive until he's finished."

"Who will we go after first?"

"One of Aranami's most trusted subordinates – Hayato Fujino."

Konomi was on duty, holding her gun in her hand. Several of her fellow policemen were getting ready to raid a drug meeting between several top drug dealers on the West side. Konomi moved in first, going through an entrance and hiding behind some crates. The other three officers moved in and began holding up their guns, telling everyone to freeze. The participants slowly raised their hands until a gunsman from above popped out and began shooting at the cops, forcing them to take cover. Konomi rose out of cover and, in one shot, hit the man in the shoulder, knocking him to the floor. She ducked back down as the drug dealers pulled out their guns and began shooting at them rapidly.

"Shoot out the lights!" Konomi shouted to her comrades. One of them nodded and shot out two lights. Konomi pulled out her radio on her hip.

"Team B, take them out!"

Several police officers came out from behind the drug dealers and took them out with nightsticks, disarming them of their weapons.

"Damn it!" The drug dealers cursed as the cuffs were put around their wrists

Konomi smiled in triumph, her colleagues patting her on her back.

"Nice job, Suzue!"

"You're a natural."

"Nice shootin'!"

"Thanks you guys." She blushed upon hearing all the praise.

The moment of camaraderie was interrupted with the sudden sound of a canister dropping and the next thing they knew, a gas was being released.

"What the hell?!"

"Cover your mouths! Don't breathe it in!"

"Aw, shi-"

Everyone in the room passed out as a shadowy figure revealed itself.

The elevator came down in the Batcave and Yuu stepped off, walking over to Bruce who sat in the chair. She leaned over the chair, wrapping her arms around him and greeted him with a smooch to the cheek.

He didn't respond, his eyes were fixated on the screen. She glanced up and her eyes widened at what she saw. Several cops were being filmed and the video was being broadcasted live from a news channel. The cops stood in an office room, holding guns to their heads. One of those cops included Konomi. Their eyes were zoned out and they seemed almost stupefied.

A female wearing a black mask stepped into the camera view. "Hello, hello!" She waved. "I know how it looks but trust me, I really have no intention of killing anyone!"

Yuu's eyes widened. "That voice…!"

"I will, however, if anybody tries to rush in the building. There's only one person I want coming here… I want the Batman. I know you're watching, Batman. For all those people you killed for no good reason, I'm going to make you suffer for it nice and slowly. Hurry over here, demon."

The broadcast shut off and Bruce glared at the screen. "Suit up." He told his partner.

Elsewhere, three people watched the broadcasting with interest – Benzaiten, Mochizuki and Wild Hunt. Their thoughts aligned as one and in some strange cosmic unison, shared the common thought: "Now, Batman, what will you do?"

At the sight of the holding, the girl tossed the mask to an office chair, giggling to herself, almost insanely. The girl was Emi Kazuma.

"Now… Mommy, Daddy… I'll make the bad Bat pay..."

A.N.: In before the end of the year! Hope you guys enjoyed it and if you did, review, follow, fav and add to your communities, eh? Also, to anyone new, be sure to list your harem preferences and just generally let me know what you think of the story. And, as a quick sidenote, I've got a new oneshot of Batman up. If you want to see a short but extravagant date between a divorced Sue Storm and Bruce Wayne then check it out and give it a bit of love because why not?: [ s/11693809/1/Batman-Adventure-Chronicles-Sue-s-Great-Date] Thanks for reading and see you next year!

Green out.

*(Emi Kazuma is the name I'm giving to a minor character in Triage X. Unlike Rouga, she is not an OC and if you've seen the anime than she is the one who informs Yuu of the rumors of the Tobioka disappearances and if the manga is the one you follow, then it is the girl on volume 9 between the pages of 102-108 doing the same thing.)