A.N.: IMPORTANT: Sorry for the long wait! This has been a long time coming but sorry it wasn't here sooner. Now, the reason is because I've been doing other things, more specifically with writing for money so its been hard to balance that and this and the other things I need to do. Due to that job and life in general, my Fanfiction updates will be slower and I may only be updating one story a week or in general. Probably this one, but I don't know yet. It doesn't mean I'll stop (NEVER!) but it does mean it'll be slower. Nevertheless, please keep reviewing, faving, following, adding to communities and having your friends read it and all that good stuff! It's good to see the reviews and to know that people are enjoying it. So, without further ado, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

The deafening sound of the explosion still ringing in her ears, Akemi struggled to sit up. Blood slid down her forehead, her hair messily over her face. Her kitchen wall was in pieces all over the floor and small bits of rubble atop of her body.

"Fujino-sama! Fujino-sama! Are you okay? Fujino-sama!"

Like a door had opened, Akemi snapped back from her breath, mental numbness and quickly realized Memma was helping her up, no worse for wear herself. The two were forced to duck when two armed men ran into the room. They only wore bullet proof vests and visors.

"Fujino-sama, please get to the garage safely." Memma requested, pulling out a handgun. She stood up and shot the two men in the head.

"I can't just-"

"Please, my lady!" Memma pleaded.

Akemi bit her lip, staring up at Memma for several seconds. "Alright." She said finally but quickly added, "But I'm not leaving the driveway until I see you in the passenger seat. Understand?"

Memma smiled. "Yes, my lady."

Fujino sprinted for the garage while Memma covered her, shooting at the armed killers who tried to come in through the hole in the wall. One of them had snuck in from another entrance and attempted to grab Memma from behind but the purple-haired maid proved to be too agile and flexible, kicking the man in the nose before elbowing him in the gut. After he released her, she fired back at him without even looking, killing him with blow to the head. Another man quickly sprang out from behind cover and shot at Memma. The bullet whizzed toward her speedily, zipping at an angle and taking out her eye. The bullet made a cut under her temple before lodging itself in the wall. Though in severe pain, Memma ducked down quickly and grabbed her eye, blood flowing freely. She gritted her teeth but refused to let the pain get to her and began reloading her weapon.

"I don't care who you are… I won't allow you to hurt Fujino-sama!"

Akemi burst through the garage door, closing it behind her. She pulled out the keys from her kimono and unlocked the car via the button. Before she could approach it however, a man sprang from behind a tower of cardboard boxes and aimed his rifle in her direction.

"Hands in the air!"

Akemi complied, holding up her hands with the keychain looped around her thumb. The man walked up to her and reached out to grab the key. In a flash, Akemi flicked her wrist and brought out a small knife from her sleeve before slashing at the man's hand, forcing him to drop his weapon. Cringing and grabbing his hand, the man grunted before tackling Akemi to the floor. Struggling against him, she used the keys to cut him across the cheek, causing him to recoil back. She then followed up by kicking him in the groin. Squealing in pain, the man fell backward and held his little soldiers. Fujino scrambled up and held her knife. The brief thought of killing him entered her mind but she quickly banished it. Instead, she grabbed his gun and knocked him out with the butt of it. Gasping and panting, she glanced down at the weapon in her hand and threw it to the ground in disgust. She then ran over to the car, opening the door and starting the engine.

Right on cue, Memma crashed through the door and jumped into the car, shutting the door quickly whilst holding her bloody eye.

"Memma, what happened to your eye?!" Akemi exclaimed.

"Please, not now, my lady! You must drive! Drive!"

Deciding to heed that advice, Akemi stepped on the gas pedal and drove out of the garage, the door having just finished opening. On the yard, a few armed men remained and released rapid gunfire at the escaping women. Ducking down, Akemi drove forward, crashed through the gate and escaped the estate.

One of the armed men activated their comm-link. "Sir, they've escaped. Should we pursue?"

'No.' Came the snaky voice on the other line. 'Little red riding hood is running somewhere else now but I think I drew his attention.'

"Who?"

'Heheheh…'

The other line hung up, leaving the man confused.

Arashi's eyes fluttered open to see a room ceiling. Slightly disorientated, the boy sat up slowly, his messy hair flopping over his face.

"A different room… where am I?"

"Oh, good, he's up." Mikoto walked into the room and slapped him in the back of his head.

"Ow!" He exclaimed.

"Wise move, idiot, leaving the hotel like that."

Miki walked into the room along with Mochizuki and Oriha.

"Ara-chin!" She exclaimed, running up to the bed. "Are you alright?"

"What were you thinking, leaving the room, Arashi?" Miki asked, her hands on her hips.

He smiled, scratching head sheepishly. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to worry you."

Mochizuki rolled up to his bedside, looking him over. "It's good to see you alive and well."

"You too, Sensei."

Mochizuki turned to the members of Black Label and said, "Could you please give Arashi and me the room?"

"Yes, doctor." Miki replied, leading the girls out.

Alone in the bedroom, Mochizuki turned back to Arashi, a small smile on his face. "It is good to see you well, young man."

Arashi nodded respectfully. "You as well, Mochizuki-sensei."

"I heard you were the one who orchestrated the plan to destroy the Batman's base and rescue me. You have my gratitude for this. Your plan also impressed me. Truth be told, I never knew you were so… tactical."

"I didn't either..." Arashi admitted. "It's strange… Only recently, I've begun to notice a flux in my body. So soon after taking the drug you ordered me to take, I was able to move again and now, I feel less sore than I did before. My mind feels as if it is working a hundred times faster than it ever did. I can see possibilities I've never thought I'd see, think steps ahead I didn't think I was able to think through. Even my ability to move feels enhanced… as if I'm lighter somehow."

Throughout his description of his body, Mochizuki observed Arashi carefully. "That drug..." Mochizuki began slowly, drawing Arashi's attention. "It's very possible that its side effects are… different with you. I figured that if you drew those side effects, I would be able to treat you but… your body and the chemicals running through it seem to be doing something else to you. I don't know what it is and I'll have to research your cells and blood further but you may be changing… for the better..."

Arashi glanced down at his hand in puzzlement. "For the better…?"

Though he didn't say anything, Ryuu sat by him, staring at Arashi's hand as well. He glanced at Arashi's face before glancing back down at the hand again.

"Well, we'll have to deal with that later. Can you walk?"

"Yes, sir." Arashi replied, stepping out of his bed and standing on his own two feet. He wobbled slightly but remained firm, nodding when he was ready to walk. The two entered into the other room, where the rest of Black Label sat except Ran.

"I want to congratulate you, members of Black Label, and offer you my thanks. Even with our base destroyed and me in the hands of the enemy, you still functioned as one, strong and united. I am proud… of all of you. However, even though our enemy has lost his base of operations, we cannot assume that he will cease all activity. He will still remain vigilant and so should we. We will have to remain discreet and operate under several roofs to keep our enemy guessing as to our whereabouts.

"It is best we still maintain our public identity at this moment, even with the risks involved. We can't let any other groups know of our identities. Far too many know already." Mochizuki turned to Mikoto and Arashi. "You two will resume your school curriculum. Maintaining appearances in school and keeping up your studies is important. We can also keep an eye on the Red Vixen, who, according to Arashi, is a student of hers."

Mochizuki wheeled back and turned to Oriha. "Oriha, you will continue your music career. It is especially important that you continue to maintain appearances, as a public figure disappearing would create suspicion."

His face then turned to Yuko, Miki and Sayo. "After the repairs on the hospital finish, we will go back there for medical work only. Our base will remain as it is. We will continue to meet in different hotels, varying them as much as possible until the secret base I've been constructing on the side is finished. We will rebuild and come back ready to face all threats."

"Doctor," Yuko began, standing up. "Miki has acquired something of particular interest during the raid on the Batman's base."

"Oh?"

Emi slowly opened her eyes, her blurry vision unable to make out what was before her properly. When she did, she saw that she was in a room of some sort, trapped behind a cage. Beyond the bars, she saw a very small, square window in what looks to be a large door but she was too weak to move or talk. Her mind was unable to stay conscious for long and she eventually passed out again but not before catching a brief glimpse of someone peeking through the window.

Outside of the door, Mochizuki wheeled away from the private storage room Emi was being kept in and rolled over to the railing that overlooked the river.

"Who is she?"

"She is the one who orchestrated the police kidnapping some time ago. We believed the Batman captured her in an attempt to rehabilitate her." Yuko tucked a stray strand of her flowing brown hair behind her ear and continued. "Miki's reasoning was, if we were correct, that you would feel better having this girl away from the Batman's influences."

"You are correct… it would be my greatest desire to help this young woman..."

Yuko's gaze rested on him for a moment as she quickly realized he had words still hanging in the air. "But?"

Mochizuki's entire body language was now stiff and tense, his eyes never leaving the sight of the river. "Yuko… we may have to do something we're not proud of with this girl."

Yuko furrowed her brow, her gaze becoming one of suspicion. "What do you mean, Doctor?" She cautiously asked.

"Yuko… there's something you need to know and I need you to promise me that you will tell no one."

Yuko inhaled sharply before nodding firmly. "I promise."

Mochizuki sighed before turning around to look at her, a guilty glint in his eye. "Listen..."

"What?! Are you fuckin' serious?! How?!"

"W-we don't know, sir! They escaped somehow and managed to give us the slip."

Kyoji Tobishiro was not happy. He was not happy at all. More than that, he was beyond righteously pissed that the people he hired to keep Rouga and Bruce inside his facility have failed to do their task properly.

"Damn you, you stupid bastards!" Kyoji angrily stomped on the ground, his teeth grinding against each other. His fists were clenched tightly enough that they seemed white, veins were popping out of his neck and his nostrils were flaring in an extremely exaggerated motion. "Ugh! Now, if those guys go to the cops, I'll go to jail! Where are they?! Where are Komori and Shiro?!"

"We don't know, sir. We've found the car they escaped in but it was parked in front of the large disaster downtown between the gangs. We think they ditched it."

"Agh!" Kyoji screamed and hissed.

"Kyoji-sama, if Komori and Shiro have yet to approach the police, perhaps it means that they are unable to because of medical reasons. They could be in a hospital." Goryu politely suggested.

"Shut up!" Kyoji back-slapped her angrily. "If I needed your half-washed ideas, I'd ask for them."

"Yes, Kyoji-sama. Please forgive my insolence..." She muttered obediently, looking away from him.

"Now, let me think…" Kyoji began pacing back and forth. "If those two haven't gotten to the police yet, it could mean that they're too injured to get to them so they went to a hospital instead… If I could find them, I could finish them before they say shit."

"Rest assured, sir," The commanding guard said, "We will absolutely put our best efforts in capturing these men and killing them."

"Mhm..." Kyoji dismissively replied. "Goryu, be a dear and kill them all."

Goryu, slightly taken aback by the sudden request, quickly remembered her father. His face popped vividly in her mind and soon, only his life and his safety became her priority. She stifled her apprehension and nodded steadily, her eyes taking on a emotionless look. She took out her two signature weapons and stalked forward, the guards shrieking and stumbling back in terror.

"Understood, my master."

Arashi stood in the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He eyed himself closely, staring all over his shirtless body. He couldn't understand it – he was no longer pale, the pain was gone and he felt better than ever.

"I don't get it… What's going on inside my body?"

"Maybe your body chemistry was altered in some way." Ryuu suggested.

"Even if that's true… It doesn't explain how I feel so… altered. And in a good way… I don't understand it. What is Mochizuki-sensei not telling me?!"

"Arashi, my father saved your life and gave me the ability to live on through you. If he does know something, he's keeping it hidden for a good reason. Trust in him."

Arashi sighed, lowering his head. His hair shadowed his eyes and Ryuu just stared at him in confusion. "Arashi?"

Arashi began breathing heavily before he reached into a drawer and pulled out a knife. In one fast motion, he gave a deep cut to the back of his hand and held it over the sink, letting it bleed. He watched the wound carefully, his hand tingling but his self-discipline keeping it from shaking at all. The blood continued to drip for several seconds before the flow suddenly coming to a halt. Arashi's breath hitched when he saw this but his eyes widened when he saw the wound on his hand spontaneously heal.

The boy continued staring at his hand for several minutes, Ryuu staying quiet and simply observed him. "What the hell… is happening to me?"

"Ugh..." Bruce was softly laid on the bed with the help of his inamoratas, Konomi and Yuu. They laid him down softly, his topless body covered in bandages. He winced softly, draping his arms over his eyes as he lay in pain. Yuu kneeled by him and rubbed his shoulder in comfort while Konomi gave him a look of loving sympathy.

"We should stay here and help you..." Yuu whispered softly, kissing him on the forehead.

"No." Bruce replied, his voice coming off as a croak. "Go home. Your brothers need your attendance."

"No, I can stay a little bit..."

"Go home, Hunter." Bruce said, a little more firmly this time. Yuu bit her lip, reluctant to leave him but nodded. She rose up and left the area.

Nao entered the room, taking off her red coat and throwing it into the corner. "It's not much but for now, it's safe. Luckily for you, I still have several safe-houses across the city, including this one."

"We can't stay here forever, though..." Konomi stated.

"Agreed." Bruce replied. "I had setup a third and final location for bases and operations should my main one be compromised. I've finalized it but it's too dangerous to go there now. We'll wait for several days then visit it..."

"That sounds good. I hate to leave you, Ryu but I have to make an appearance at work. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Bruce nodded. Smiling at him, Konomi leaned down and kissed him softly. She then turned and left, walking out the door as well.

Nao sat down against the wall, leaning her head back. She glanced around the room, scoffing mentally. It was barren as it didn't need any furniture, save for a couch and a bathroom.

"So..." Nao began. "I guess it's just you and me now."

Bruce didn't reply. He simply laid there with his eyes closed, his breath so low you would think he was dead. Then, as if from nowhere, he suddenly said, "Thank you."

The words came so quick that Nao nearly missed them and even then, still had to ask him to repeat them.

"I… appreciate… the fact that you helped us even with our base and resources gone. It shows me that you may be doing this for more reasons than just self-preservation. I apologize for treating you coldly… whether as an acquaintance or otherwise, we'll always consider you an ally."

Nao averted her gaze to the floor, a guilty twinge pressing her chest. "Heh, are you drugged up?"

Bruce let out a weak chuckle. "A little."

Nao lowered her head, burying her face in her legs. "I'm not what you think I am… In the end, I might just betray you to save myself… It's how I am. It's what I grew up to do and it's all I know..."

Bruce studied Nao for a moment before rising up slowly, getting up from the couch. With firm control and willpower, Bruce made it over to where Nao sat and knelt down in front of her. She raised her head upon his beckon but was pleasantly surprised to see an understanding glimmer in the man's blue eyes.

"I don't believe that… You're better than that. Your heart is good and so are your intentions. You don't have to be that way ever again."

The two maintained eye contact for a moment before Nao began leaning in to him, softly kissing him. Bruce responded in kind, holding his hand on the back of her head, softly grasping her light brown hair. Their bodies were close enough for Nao's ample bust to brush against Bruce's chiseled one. Just as the kiss became more passionate, Nao's phone began to ring. She parted from his lips before glancing down and picking up the phone.

"Fujino?"

'Sakurada, listen, my home has been compromised. I don't know by whom but I need to ensure the safety of me and my assistant.'

Nao glanced up at Bruce, who nodded to her assuredly. "Fujino, listen carefully. I'm going to give you a set of coordinates. Rendezvous with me there."

'Understood.'

Yuu returned home, closing her apartment door behind her. She dropped her keys in the bowl before walking down the hall to her brothers' room. She peeked in through the door to see Hinako sitting by their bed side, as they all shared the same bed, and reading them a story.

"...the end." Hinako finished, smiling down at them sweetly.

One of her brothers wiped their eyes sleepily and stared up at Hinako sadly. "Hinako-san… where is Onee-chan?"

"Oh, well, she's just doing a few errands, that's all. Don't worry, she'll be home real soon."

"Is she going to leave us like our parents did?" Another one asked. That question made Yuu's heart compress in pain.

"No, of course not!" Hinako quickly said, tucking them in. "Your sister loves you very, VERY much and wouldn't leave you guys ever."

The boys didn't respond and instead, just turned over to go to sleep. From the angle Yuu was peeking, she could see one of her brothers wipe his eye and sniffle. She closed the door silently before sighing softly, closing her eyes in deep shame.

Hijiri sat in the office, his phone in his hand. It had vibrated previously with a text message saying:

'We need to talk.

YS'

Hijiri sighed, knowing he wouldn't like that conversation. He heard a knock at his door and saw Konomi come through it. Hijiri leaned back in his chair and regarded her indifferently.

"Suzue."

"Listen, I need a missing person's report filed – her name is Emi Kazuma."

"That's girl's name wasn't made public, I-" He suddenly stopped when a sudden realization hit him. "Oh, right… you would know about it."

"Oh, yeah. He thinks I'm associated with Syringe. I gotta make sure to play the part or he'll think something is afoot." Konomi thought.

"Yes, now enough of the self-righteousness. I need her found. We believe she was abducted by the Iron Mask Gang during the Gang War on Batman crisis. I need her found."

"Yeah, fine." He looked up into her eye, sneering at her. "So how do you sleep at night, hm? Knowing that you and your buddies killed dozens of police officers that day. Even people like Kazuma were made orphans. Do you even care about how they feel?"

The image of Ayaka and her mother's dead body flashed before Konomi's mind, nearly breaking her composure. After a quick breath, she smirked at him devilishly.

"You wanna know how I sleep? On the right. Don't question things too much or you won't like what happens next! Remember that! Evil rules! Muhahahah… Erhm." Awkwardly, Konomi exited the room, leaving Hijiri bewildered.

His phone began vibrating once more. He looked at the Facetime caller and smiled upon seeing it. When he answered the question, a green haired, brown eyed, short woman was on the screen. She lay in covers while wearing red, spiky earphones.

"Hey, honey."

'Hijiri-kun! When are you coming home? I've been here all day waiting for you…"

"Sorry, sweetie, it's going to be a long shift tonight but I'll be home in a few more hours, I swear."

'You better not be lying…'

"Come on, Kaname-chan! Would I ever lie to you?"

"She's on her way. I'm going to have one of my men pick her up."

Bruce laid back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. "How did they find you?"

Nao sighed, staring at her phone. "I think they tracked me… I think my associate, Paulo, was murdered when you attacked Black Label's house…"

"I'm sorry." Bruce consoled empathetically.

"I didn't believe it… Or rather, I didn't want to. He was nothing more than a pawn for me but he behaved like a friend. I kept the channel to his line open, hoping to find it. If they found us using that, then it means he's dead..." Nao sighed harder, closing her eyes.

Bruce reached his arm out to her, as if he was going to comfort her but hesitated before retreating his arm back. He returning his gaze to the ceiling.

"He planned it, didn't he?"

"Who?"

"Arashi..."

"I'm not sure. Honestly, it doesn't seem like something he could do."

"It doesn't, does it? But he can…"

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Nao didn't question it further, just watching him stare up at the ceiling emotionlessly. She wondered where his mind was at this current moment.

Bruce opened his eyes to see he was here again. That place in his psyche where he met the boy and the monster. He never knew if he was dreaming, if that was his soul, his subconscious or an illusion but now he stood here. The odd thing about the place was that there were two halves of it – one was completely cloaked in shadow and the other was a bright white. Bruce stood in the middle, half of his body cloaked in darkness and the other in light. The part in shadow had fitted in half of his batsuit but the other half, cloaked in the white light, had him in half of his business suit which, ultimately, formed a paradox in his singular body when comparing him whole. Batman/Bruce looked to his right to see, in the darkness, a terrifying being. This being stayed in the dark, was protected by it and thrived in it. This being could not be seen outside of the darkness as it blended with and was its master. No, rather it was the darkness itself. Its only visible feature was its deadly, red eyes. On the other side, exactly parallel to the monster was a small boy. This boy was eight years old, had black hair, blue eyes and wore a funeral suit. The boy looked sad, solemn but serious, potent and determined at the same time.

"You suspect it don't you?" The boy spoke, his voice being clear but still coming off as whisper.

"Suspect what/Suspect what?"

"About the boy." Came the dark, demonic, other worldly response on the dark side.

"You know what he is, don't you?"

"I didn't want to believe it/I didn't want to believe it."

"Of course not. You deny what shows itself in front of you. You know that I have touched him, that my sign has reached beyond worlds and touched him."

"You suspected it, of course. But denied it, still. You didn't what to think that any incarnation of you could be so abhorrent with life, with Mother's and Father's code, but he was. His tactical mind is growing and the evidence is becoming undeniable."

"You know." The demon's voice reverberated throughout the space, his tone in complete contrast to the soft-spoken boy.

"Yes/Yes..." Came Bruce's/Batman's low reply. "That boy, Arashi Mikami, is the Batman of this world/That boy, Arashi Mikami, is the Batman of this world."