AN: Just letting everyone know that the next update might take a while since I'm switching my focus to update my other stories. I'll still be working on this on the side and have already mapped out the next chapter. We're just getting started.

CHAPTER 05: Rogue

Desperado, a term that Maya had heard many times. It is said that they are people who exist on the boundary of being a human and a devil, some have even said that they were more like the latter. As Maya had stated earlier, A Blazer's fate and abilities have been set in stone long before they were even born but there are those special few who have broken the chains of fate and exist outside its boundaries. They are capable of elevating their magic power far beyond a high ranking Blazer and influence the world around them.

While there have been some studies of them, the truth was that the knowledge available was limited and the reason for that was simple: If Blazers were rare among humans, Desperados were rare among Blazers. Very few of them have been documented by the League of Mage-Knight Nations, two of which are here in Japan.

But this? Their current observation of the costumed vigilante and what had transpired? There was only one way she could sum up her thoughts on the matter.

"T-that's that's impossible!"

Maya addressed the professor with frantic confusion.

"He was barely a Blazer just a few moments ago! No one can go from having no magic to literally be overflowing with it. It doesn't make any sense!"

The professor shook his head, his face sporting serene closed eyes and a calm smile.

"On the contrary. It actually makes perfect sense." he stated.

"What?" Maya balked.

The professor turned his attention back to the screen with a self-assured posture.

"Have you forgotten who created and wielded Branwen? We always suspected the magic locked within that Device would be immensely powerful."

A smirk graced his lips with a small "hmph".

"It's actually quite amusing when you think about it."

Maya looked him with a curious gaze.

"To attain Brute Soul is to break free from the bounds of fate. But I wonder, Is he truly free? Or did he simply escape from one trap only to find himself in another?"

Even though his body was taut and poised for battle, he blinked and his eyes traveled towards the weapon that was firmly held in his hand.

"The stolen sword from the Museum?!" he thought with surprise. "Where did it..?"

Batman didn't get the chance to ponder as a battle cry erupted from the large man who charged at him with Terra Ferox at the ready. A barrage of huge fists were swung at him but by sheer instinct alone he was able to parry them blow for blow, sparks erupting as the blade struck.

His mind raced in the midst of battle but it wasn't totally focused on the fight itself; It didn't need to, for it felt like his body was on autopilot. Such a thing wasn't unusual for him. After all, he had trained himself to the point where he could execute a variety of martial arts techniques without much conscious effort. What concerned him was that, although he was well versed in sword play, he was using a fighting style and techniques he swore he had never learnt before! It was bizarre and the only way he could describe it was that it was as if his body had recovered long forgotten muscle memory.

Iwadare growled in frustration and activated his Ishinotsume Noble Art again and this time the flat three-pronged protrusions extended from both his gauntlets. He clawed, slashed and kicked but everything he threw at the Dark Knight was easily dodged and parried, only being successful in cutting through the dark wisps of smoke that never seemed to dissipate. Despite pushing himself to fight, there was a feeling dread inside him that grew more and more as he fought. His breath became more ragged and crashed behind his rocky face plate as sweat poured from his brow. It felt like he was fighting the specter of death itself.

That was another reason why Batman didn't need to be so focused on the fight, because Iwadare was making it too easy for him. His movements were precise and honed while Iwadare's was growing more sloppy with each swing of his arms and it wasn't hard to figure out why: the man was afraid of him and Batman's didn't think it was because of his usual fear tactics, something about his presence was literally making him afraid.

What Bruce didn't know was that this was a trait of a Desperado. Being that they are capable of influencing fate itself, their presence can radiate an aura that can effect the battlefield. While not much has been documented, there have been stories about them immobilizing large groups of Blazers and even killing them with their will alone. There aren't many Blazers can could stand up to a Desperado.

Batman intercepts one the slashes from Iwadare's by thrusting his blade between two of the claws and pryed against it with a hard push, locking the weapons together. With leverage and surprise at his side, he was able to force the man's arm behind his back and roughly steer and push him forward towards the large central fountain. Using the momentum and the large Blazer's slouched position, Batman then plants his boot to his back and climbs to his shoulder while keeping his arm painfully locked behind him, he then fires a grapple line and anchors it to the foot of the fountain. Reeling the line forces Iwadare to stumble forward and smash his face and the base of the concrete.

Iwadare rose just as Batman flipped off from him. The face plate and helmet have cracked significantly and he was winded but he wasn't done yet.

"Stone Storm!"

With that Noble Art activated, multiple rocks formed from drawn sand particles and floated around him before being flung towards their target.

Bruce would later swear that what he did next was also purely from instinct and with no recollection of how he actually did it. With a swing his sword, many dark copies of his own batarangs appeared and intercepted some of the projectiles heading towards him. Indeed, the Batman had activated his own Noble Art!

Iwadare's sight followed him as he jumped high in the air to avoid the larger chunks of rocks that survived the projectiles and he could see the moon behind the vigilante rendering him as an inky silhouette with piercing white eyes and his cape extended into a long wing-span. The sight frightened him to the point of jumping out of the way as he landed with sword downward, impaling the ground where he stood. It seemed to have been intentional because from where the sword struck, thick black smoke billowed out and obscured the area.

The large Blazer took a step back and swiveled around trying to find a way out of the dense dark fog when something streaked past him and slashed across his side. He yelled, feeling chunks of his armor being chipped off and spun towards the offender only to be slashed to his left, then his right, back and even front. Slash after slash, his previously bulky armor was being whittled to superficial padding until finally a powerful kick to his abdomen sent him bursting through the smoke screen and tumble some distance away.

With a grunt and a frustrated punch to the ground, Iwadare pushed himself up, panting and feeling winded. The face mask and parts of his helmet finally crumbles away. The smoke screen before him parted while dissipating to reveal the source of his torment, clad in shadows and armed with a sword that packed a powerful bite. He could feel himself shaking and his being screaming for him to escape, that this was a fight he could not win. But whether it was an act of stubbornness or misplaced pride or just simply a result of him being backed into a corner, he wasn't willing to back down yet. His fear and desperation fueled an irrational rage that bordered on madness.

"You fucking bastard! I'm not gonna let you kill me!" he yelled. "I don't care who you are, I'll make this whole place your grave!"

He crouched and the rocky portions of his two gauntlets seemed to grow with small bursts of sand particles until it fused to the ground below. It was a Noble Art he hadn't used in years, a key factor responsible for his renown as a powerful knight. He seldom used it because of the dangerous effects it had on his mana and himself but now it seemed that he was going for broke.

"ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE: EARTH BREAKER!"

The entire area shook with a tremor, fissures slowly cracked open around him before large chunks of rock were ripped to float around their master.

Batman stumbled sightly as the earth was displaced and vibrated, steadying himself with the sword to the ground.

"Is he out of his mind!?" he thought in alarm. "If he keeps this up, he'll turn the whole park into a giant sinkhole!"

Ayato too was stumbling from the quakes but was unable to keep himself steady and fell on his bottom. During the battle between the two Blazers, he had moved himself further to the back next to trees to watch their fight. His assumption that it was safer near the trees would be proven false since Iwadare's "Earth Breaker" had weakened the tree's foundation, sending it to crash down towards the unsuspecting boy.

"Clock Up!"

A voice rang out followed by what briefly sounded like a rapid tic toc from a clock. Something sped toward Ayato and grabbed him before the tree fell. It happened so fast that the young boy blinked in confusion when found himself far from where he was, behind a certain someone.

"Clock Draw!"

When the person invoked this, the surrounding movement slowed to a static crawl accompanied briefly by a slow echoing tic toc sound. In her hands appeared a pair of handguns, one silver and one black, which she quickly took aim and unleashed a barrage of glowing white bullets. With cold precision, she continued firing; ejected shell casings spilling at her feet while the flashes of gunfire reflected on the dark shades over her eyes. She switched targets with each gun when she felt she did enough damage. When she stopped so did the effect over the area and time resumed its usual pace.

The large rocks that floated around Iwadare exploded in tiny fragments and so did the rocky extension that connected his gauntlets to the ground. With the connection severed, he cried out pain and staggered back. With grit teeth, he growled noticing the smoking bullet impacts on his armor and turned towards the person who dared interfere but then his eyes widened and he stepped back nervously.

"Shi-Shinguuji!?" he balked.

"Mom!?" cried out an astonished Ayato.

Batman too was unaware of the time manipulation that was just performed, just that Iwadare's attack was abruptly interrupted by an outside force. He looked towards where Ayato was and could see that this "outside force" was a woman wearing a charcoal pantsuit along with dark sunglasses and had a lit cigarette in her lips and two guns in her hands. She had one of the guns, smoke trailing from the barrel, trained on Iwadare as her brows were angled in a fierce expression.

"Ask yourself this, Iwadare..." Kurono said menacingly. "Is facing me while I'm pissed off really what you want?"

The man known as Masaru Iwadare looked back and forth between Kurono and Batman, muttering a string of curses as his face morphed into one of anguish and horror; He knew he was done for. He wasted too much of his mana at this point, lost the only leverage he had against Shinguuji and now finds himself between her and an opponent who seemed to be more powerful than anyone he had ever faced. All his plans, his schemes, his strategies had dissolved into nothing and all he was left with was two simple options: Flight or Fight. He foolishly choose Fight.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he bellowed as he charged towards Batman.

The Dark Knight's eyes tapered, showing no signs of surprise and remained still in wait until Iwadare was just about reach him when he suddenly leaped back into a dark portal that materialized behind him. The large Blazer barreled through like an enraged bull but his rage immediately evaporated and was replaced by shock after going through the gateway. Because he found himself positioned high in the air: ten meters above the water fountain!

With himself positioned above the large Blazer, Batman slammed both his heels hard against Iwadare's back and brought them both crashing towards the ill-fated fountain. Kurono's eyes widened and she reacted quickly by grabbing Ayato and turning before the impact, shielding him from the dust and fragments.

When the dust cleared, all that remained from the fountain was the basin which continued to be filled with water and at the center of it, atop the submerged rubble was the body of a defeated Blazer. With a cough, he weakly rolled on his back. Covered with cuts and bruises, his armor was now completely shattered and the gauntlets had finally dissipated.

Feeling a boot placed on his chest, he looked up to see the Batman, fierce white eyes within a shadowy visage, slowly raising his sword high with blade pointed down; readying it for the final blow. Seeing what was about to happen, Kurono tried to shield Ayato from seeing a gruesome outcome but her son still managed to peak through, curiosity getting the better of him.

"No one..." Iwadare gasped. "No Blazer...is this powerful...What are you!?"

The blade was brought down and he flinched, expecting his end but the blade was instead driven into the water and surface besides his head. Batman then roughly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his eye level.

"I'm Batman." he growled and raised a fist. "And you're done."

With that, he delivered a hard punch to the side of the man's head which knocked him out cold.

Batman took a moment, letting out a few breaths as he stood over the vanquished foe. His shoulders sagged a little but unfortunately, his moment of calm was interrupted at the sound of a footstep and the quick subtle sound of a gun's hammer cocked.

Kurono advanced slowly towards him with her silver handgun, Ennoia, aimed towards him. Her expression was stony, her eyes narrowed coldly behind her sunglasses.

"Mom, what are you doing!?" her son cried out.

"Stay back, Ayato!"

Kurono held up her free arm up to keep Ayato behind her. Batman kept his eyes fixed on her as he subtly reached for his grapple gun, deciding to retreat now that the boy was safe. But before he could, he saw everything around him blur and dim. A wave of exhaustion suddenly overtook him. He felt completely drained of energy, weighed ten times heavier and his mind felt like it was drowning in thick soup. With a pained groan he found himself on his knees again, his wound on his abdomen suddenly reopened as if his body suddenly remembered that he was injured in the first place and blood flowed freely, mixing with the water below and turning it red.

It was a struggle to keep himself up or figure out what was going on but when looked up with a grunt he could see her standing before him with the gun aimed at his head while her child pulled at her sleeve in desperation.

"Don't do it, Mom." he pleaded. "He saved my life."

Kurono didn't respond nor did she break her glare on him. When she arrived at the park, Batman and Iwadare were already engaged in battle after the former's "awakening" and she had felt his aura. It was the kind of aura she was well familiar with but worse. Her instincts as a Blazer demanded that this man had to die or else she would regret it. But at the same time, she wasn't blind to his deeds. Batman only glared back her with those white eye lenses and by then she made her decision.

"Clock Lock."

A gunshot rang out and everything went black for him.

Ayato blinked, looking past his mother to see Batman's body being still. There was no movement or breathing but there was a blue glow surrounding him.

"Is he...?" he asked tentatively.

"Frozen in time." Kurono clarified as she dismissed her weapon. "Ayato, help me carry him."

The boy was surprised at first but then felt relieved and happy that his mother was going help his savior after all.

"R-right!" he nodded with a smile.

"That woman." the Professor observed. "That's the 'World Clock' Shinguuji Kurono, correct?"

Maya nodded. They too were well aware about her exploits in the King of Knights tournament.

"That's right Professor. She's also the current head of Hagun Academy."

The brown hair bespectacled man caressed his chin while smiling widely as if the wheels in his head turned faster.

"You don't say?"

"Shall I instruct our field agents to intercept?"

He shook his head.

"That won't be necessary. I doubt they'd be able to get by her. Besides, I'm quite familiar with Hagun. For now, let's simply observe the situation and react accordingly."

The Professor took a moment to let it all sink in before clapping to himself in glee.

"This is incredible." he said excitedly. "Perfect Synchronicity! What we thought was just a theory, odds of which happening near impossible and yet we saw it with our own eyes!"

Everyone in the room turned their attention to him and he addressed them with a grin.

"My friends, you know what this means!? We've made a breakthrough!"

He first felt softness beneath him followed by a dull ache at his temples which prompted him to scrunch and blink his eyes open. Stifling a groan, he push himself up and found himself lying atop of a bed spread next to a short table that had an ashtray on top. Looking around, he could see that he was in a Japanese style room complete with Shoji sliding doors and Tatami flooring. The doors to his left were slid open to reveal an engawa overlooking a small garden. It looked well maintained and was quite calming with the night air and the sounds of the shishi odoshi, a bamboo fountain.

For a moment he wondered where he was as he moved his hand to rub his head but when he felt his own hair, his eyes widened and his mind went on full alert at the realization that his cowl had been removed!

It wasn't just that; he looked down to see that the upper half was his suit was removed as well, including his gauntlets and belt. And there was something else that didn't escape his notice. He tentatively touched the spot on his abdomen, where he remembered being stabbed. Nothing, no stitches, not even a scar, it was like his wound was never there!

"As if I don't have enough unanswered questions." Bruce grumbled internally.

It felt to him that the more he spent time in this world, the more frustratingly perplexed he got. What happened to him earlier? And who unmasked him? He made a mental note for himself to install some kind of deterrent in the cowl to prevent this from happening again, perhaps something to induce an electric shock or disperse knock-out gas or maybe...

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his right suddenly slid open, the one who opened it was the kidnapped boy from the park.

"Ah, Mister! Your awake!" Ayato cried excitedly.

Bruce was a taken aback a recoiled a bit when Ayato immediately scooted and knelt down in front of him.

"Thank you so much for helping me earlier! You were awesome! So you're a Blazer right? Does that mean you're a Mage-Knight? What's your rank? What do you call your device? Have you been in any Tournament?"

Bruce looked like a deer in headlights as the kid continued to bombard him with questions and ramblings. It was way too much spastic energy for him to keep up with. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, another voice came from the doorway.

"Knew I heard something."

He turned towards it to see a slender woman wearing a white shirt and dark pants with her medium length hair held up with a clip. He recognized her: She was that woman from earlier, she was wearing sunglasses, wielded two guns and she was the one who...shot him.

Kurono walked inside with her arms crossed and looked over him with a small smirk.

"Good to see that you're up and about."

She then fixed a stern glare towards her son.

"Though I can't say the same for you, young man! I know that you're concerned for our guest but you do realize it's way past your bedtime, don't you?"

Ayato rolled his eyes at his mother's chiding.

"Aw Mom, I just wanna..."

But what the boy was about to say died in his throat because Kurono's eyes and her overall aura turned scary to the point where it even made Bruce a little nervous. In a way she reminded him of Alfred when he was in one of his lecturing moods.

"Bed. NOW!" she commanded.

Ayato gulped. Both he and his father knew how intimidating Kurono could be and that once she puts her foot down, they already lost. With a defeated sigh, he rose and bade a polite goodnight to Bruce before making his way out. Kurono eyes followed Ayato with a warm smile till he left and then turned her attention back to Bruce before joining him at the table.

"Ayato's a sweet boy but a little too spirited for his own good. Though I think he gets that from me." she chuckled.

She fished out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from her pant pockets but then paused mid-way as she pulled a stick from the pack.

"You don't mind if I...?" she asked while looking at him.

Bruce said nothing and instead stared at her with a stoic yet scrutinizing expression. Kurono shrugged and continued to light her smoke. After a relaxing puff, she addressed him.

"If you're wondering about your wound, I used my time reversal abilities to heal you. Granted an iPS capsule would've also done the trick but with you being all over the news, I figure you wouldn't take kindly to being brought anywhere public."

He still didn't say anything but Kurono could see that she had his attention and continued to speak in a casual manner.

"But all things considered, I think I did a pretty good job. Taking off your armor was a bit challenging though. Interesting tech, did you design it yourself?"

Bruce kept quiet but she didn't let that deter her.

"But I gotta ask, why the whole bat theme? Is it part of some organization you're from or you just have a thing for flying animals?" she asked amusingly.

Again, he didn't respond.

With a small sigh, Kurono realized that idle chit chat wasn't going to loosen his lips and figured that she should just get to the point of the matter.

"While you were still unconscious, I took a mugshot of you as well as some prints."

She could see that his expression turned a little tense but he remained silent and so she continued.

"Then, I ran them with the LMN database. Not a single match, criminal or otherwise. As far as League territory goes, there's no record of you. Which leaves me to ask you one thing."

She then locked stern eyes directly to his.

"Are you affiliated with the Union?"

"I'm not affiliated with anyone." he stated.

"Oh, so you DO talk." she remarked with an amused smile. She took a drag, feeling pleased that she managed to somewhat get him to open up.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I have a hard time believing you. Unless you can explain what a foreign Blazer like you is doing in this country."

"Correction on that..." Bruce said firmly. "I may be a foreigner but I'm NOT a Blazer."

Kurono blinked at this. Of all the things she expected him to deny, it wasn't that.

"You used a device and you clearly have magical powers. Sounds like a Blazer to me." she said.

Memories of the previous fight flashed in his mind. "Oh yeah, THAT happened." was what he first thought. It wasn't something one would usually think of nonchalantly but honestly, he still didn't know what to make of it and everything happened so fast that he wondered if he imagined the whole thing. He supposed that he would later need a long quiet moment for himself to digest everything that's happened to him.

"I don't know anything about that." he said shaking his head. "I never had any of those abilities until today."

She looked at him with wide incredulous eyes which then slowly narrowed with suspicion. Taking one last puff, she then crushed her cigarette against the ashtray and then crossed her arms while frowning with doubt.

"What you're saying is impossible." she stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody can just become a Blazer. You're either born one or your not. The only other explanation I can think of is that your abilities manifested late, but for it be THIS late and have THAT much power is ludicrous!"

She slammed her palm down with an agitated emphasis of her words.

"The amount of magic I sensed from you rivals three other people I know, far greater than the majority of Blazers in the world! You claim that you're not with the Union yet you're obviously an American with no background here. And to top it off, you wear a bat costume and stalk criminals like some kind of ninja!"

Bruce's expression remained unchanged but he was beginning to suspect that her bringing him here rather than anywhere public had less to do with his benefit and more to do with her sizing him up, to see if he was a threat. Kurono settled down a little at this point but maintained her hard glare.

"Surely you must understand how ridiculous all of this sounds. So, are you going to give me the full story or not?"

A tense silence fell over them, only momentarily broken by the slow measured taps of the shishi odoshi. It was almost a minute before Kurono finally gave a sigh and spoke again.

"Let's start fresh. What's your name?"

"Ben Keaton."

She snickered at that.

"Nice try. I meant your real name."

Bruce's brows shot up in surprise, eliciting a grin from her.

"I went through that belt of yours. Aside from some weird gadgets, I found a bunch of fake IDs; enough for a kid to go bar-hopping all over Shinjuku."

He gave an annoyed scowl and made a mental note to himself to install a deterrent for his belt as well.

For a short while, he contemplated his response but then wondered if there was any point in keeping his identity a secret, it's not like Wayne Enterprise or his history exists in this world.

"Bruce Wayne." he finally admitted.

Kurono smiled sensing the truth in his words.

"Nice to meet you, Mister Wayne. My name is Kurono Shinguuji, I'm the Director of Hagun Academy."

Bruce blinked in curiosity.

"Hagun Academy. That's a Chivalry school, right?" he asked.

He remembered reading about them. Chivalry schools, or sometimes known as Mage-Knight schools, are institutions designed to train young Blazers to become Mage-Knights. Some of them teach children as young as eleven but most of them functioned like high schools, providing teens the education and training that they need.

"I'm glad you know, that actually saves me the trouble of explaining. You see Mister Wayne, there's something I'd like to offer you. A proposition."

"A proposition?" he asked warily with a raised brow.

"Yes, I'd like you to enroll in our school and study there as a student."

Like a comedic rimshot, the shishi odoshi tapped at that point and it echoed through the stunned silence Bruce found himself in. He started at her with wide eyes and his lips were pressed into a thin line until he finally chuckled in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right?"

But Kurono only maintained a sly smile, making Bruce slowly drop his jaw in horror.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" he exclaimed.

"Nope. I'm quite serious."

Bruce could only balk at her, flabbergasted at what she was suggesting.

"How would that even work!? I'm almost twenty four years old. I'm too old to be in some school!"

"Nobody is too old to be in school." she scoffed.

"Besides the point. As you said, I'm a foreigner with no background here! People will obviously ask questions!"

"True but you let me worry about that. I can pull some strings and work something out."

"And if I refuse?" he asked icyly.

Kurono paused and then dropped her playful attitude before crossing her arms and fixing him with a stern gaze.

"Let me break it down for you, Wayne: The League of Mage-Knight Nations takes the matter of Rogue Blazers very seriously. Young Blazers are required to obtain a Mage-Knight license from academies like ours in order for them to be integrated in society. Without one, they would be considered Rogue which is what you are right now. Also, due to my strong ties with the LMN, it would be my duty to report you."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at this.

"Then you're blackmailing me!"

"I'm trying to help you!" she countered.

"Why!? You don't even know me!"

Kurono slightly recoiled but then her expression slowly softened.

"It's because you saved my son." she said softly. "I don't think you're all bad, right?"

He immediately clammed up, not knowing what to say.

"Wayne, this isn't just about you being licensed." Kurono continued. "I've seen that power you wield and the way you handled it. Burning through your magic like that would've killed you, that's why you were left so weak. You need to learn to better control your abilities, otherwise it will just hinder you. What if it just all of a sudden activates and hurts you...or someone else?"

He glanced downwards with a contemplative frown. Much as he didn't want to admit it, she had a point. The sword and these "changes" that it brought within him...it was completely unknown territory and he didn't know the ways of this world. Getting back to Gotham is of course his top priority but if these abilities got in the way, it would be problematic. Also, attaining a license might prove useful and bring him a step closer to finding those responsible for bringing him here. On the other hand, he'd have to attend a school with a bunch of teenagers; Not something he was looking forward to. After letting out his held breath, he spoke.

"How long?"

"How long what?" she asked.

Bruce looked up and locked his eyes with hers.

"How long would it take me to get a license?"

She smiled in approval, glad to see that they were on the same page.

"Once you graduate. As for how long that could take, it depends. It can be one year or even five."

"I'm a fast learner. I'll do it in three months." he said bluntly.

Kurono flashed him a doubtful look before bursting out laughing.

"You're either delusional or clueless beyond belief! But you know what? I like the confidence."

Little did Bruce know, His time in Hagun would be unexpectedly a lot longer than three months.

Bruce almost cringed seeing his reflection in the mirror.

It was after he woke up in the morning when Korono greeted him and revealed that she had somehow managed to acquire a uniform for him to wear. After much insistence that he change into it immediately, he did so and looked himself over.

The central part of the uniform was a white jacket designed with black trimmings/lines, particularly two black bands around the sleeves, along with a pair of cuffs and lapels that were light grey with a plaid like pattern. The remaining parts were a thin white tie, a black high collar t-shirt and black pants.

He figured that it must've been one of their biggest size since it was a little loose yet it fit his form just fine. Though it didn't succeed in making him feel any less awkward.

"What the hell did I get myself into?" he grimaced.

He wondered how did this all happen? Not long ago, he thought his life would just amount to beating up criminals and solving crimes. Then he confronted a thief who stole a sword from the museum and now here was, finding himself not only in an alternate reality of where people use magical weapons but the very sword that he was looking for has now made him one of them!

If he told himself this a month ago, his other self would've had him committed to Arkham without so much as a blink.

And on top of it all, he had to now attend a Chivalry school.

When he left Gotham at age nine, his cover story was that he was studying abroad incognito. But in all honesty, he'd never been in a school environment since then and had no idea how to behave in such surroundings. Acting like an aloof billionaire playboy and rubbing shoulders with Gotham's wealthy elite was easy but...this?

"Get a hold of yourself, Wayne!" he internally chided. "You were the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world, the youngest there had even been! Surely you can handle something like going to school."

At least, that's what he told himself.

With that out of the way, he made his way through the Shinguuji residence to the dinning room. Kurono and Ayato were already at the table eating and greeted him as he entered while the TV at the corner was displaying the news and droned in the background. There was a plate with his breakfast placed readily for him, it seemed that Kurono went out of her way to make bacon and eggs.

"It's a little singed." Kurono admitted with a slight blush. "I hope you don't mind, Takumi...my husband is the one who does most of the cooking around here."

"That's alright. Appreciate it." he murmured as he took his seat.

Ayato engaged in a friendly conversation with Bruce as he ate, it was mostly general questions and he answered them however much he could.

"No offense Bruce, but my mom could probably take you in a fight." Ayato said proudly.

"Really now?" Bruce asked amusingly.

"Yup there's a reason she was ranked third in the KoK A-League. She even got this one move that can rip apart time and space!"

Bruce nearly dropped his fork and turned his incredulous eyes towards Kurono. He knew Blazers were capable of extraordinary feats but the extent of their abilities was something he wasn't accustomed to yet. "These Blazers sure are something else." he thought.

Seeing his reaction, Kurono chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah but that Noble Art was banned, hence why I don't do that anymore."

She then turned to her son with her strict motherly persona.

"Don't leave your vegetables, Ayato!"

"Mooom..." Ayato whined.

"Don't 'Mooom' me! A balanced diet is important. Besides, I worked hard to prepare that!"

"Dad cooks it better." he muttered.

"What was that!?"

"Nothing!"

While mother and son bantered, the former billionaire allowed himself a small smile. Though he wouldn't say it out loud, the homey environment brought a sense of comfort to him that he hadn't felt since waking up on that building six days ago. Bruce snapped out of his reverie when noticed Kurono looking at him with a playful smirk, particularly at his uniform.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. You look good in a suit, some might say you were born to wear one."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little hearing that, he remembered when some folks back in Gotham said the same thing. Sure, the academy uniform wasn't exactly a business suit but it fitted him like one.

"Hey Bruce, check it out!" called Ayato as he pointed towards the TV. "They're talking about you."

This immediately got Bruce and Kurono's attention. Kurono had told him that after his battle with Iwadare, she had contacted the police and had him arrested while feigning ignorance about his involvement. It would seem that Iwadare was very talkative during his interrogation and the police were more interested in his encounter with "Nobusuma" than his actual crimes.

The news was broadcasting a press conference where Superintendent-General Shimogamo was giving a statement from behind a podium.

"Last night, we have gained new information regarding the vigilante, known by social media as 'Nobusuma', who was involved in yesterday's mall incident. This information comes via an eyewitness account from a suspect involved in kidnapping and endangerment. We now know that Nobusuma refers to himself as the 'Batman'. But he is no man...he's a Blazer!"

The press he was addressing erupted into a frenzy of questions and camera flashes until he raised his hands to quiet them down.

"No questions, please! I will now hand it over to Itsuki Kurogane to further explain the situation."

Bruce then saw the Superintendent-General exchange his place with someone else. This person was wearing a black business suit and had medium spiky black hair that was combed back. His face, though slender, has signs of maturity and age as evidenced by the tear troughs below his stern eyes. When he took his place behind the podium, he spoke with a voice that affirmed that he was a man of authority and no-nonsense.

"Good morning, My name is Itsuki Kurogane. I am the current chief of the League of Mage-Knight Nation's Japan Branch. It has come to our attention that not only has a powerful Rogue Blazer revealed himself but he is also a masked vigilante who thinks he's above the law."

Itsuki's eyes narrowed a bit with a hard edge.

"He actions may appear noble but that does not make him any less dangerous than the likes of Rebellion or even the fugitive Edelweiss. The League has zero tolerance for Rogue Blazers. That's why the Mage-Knight System was put into place, because we have LAWS and RULES. Thus, we shall aid the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and organize a task force to hunt down this 'Batman' and bring him into custody."

The press attempted to bombard him with questions but Itsuki didn't even need urge to them to be quiet; when he spoke, they went silent and listened. It seemed that was the kind of man he was.

"I also have a personal message for him if he so happens to be watching this footage: Don't bother escaping, surrender is your only option. That is all."

"Looks like your popularity has gone up." Kurono remarked.

Bruce frowned as he pondered this new development.

"On the run from the cops again. Just like old times."

It was a similar situation when he first debuted as the Batman, when he had all of the GCPD on his back. His relationship with police had improved after Jim Gordon had taken over as commissioner but it seemed that over here, he was back to square one.

"That reminds me..." said Kurono as she got up from her seat.

From the corner of the room, she picked up what looked like a large briefcase and brought it towards Bruce who got up from his own seat as she approached him.

"Your armor and equipment. I used my time reversal abilities on it as well to repair the damages."

Bruce reached to take it from her but she immediately pulled it away.

"Don't get the wrong idea." she said sternly. "I'm only giving this back to you as a courtesy. You heard what they said on TV. So I highly suggest you lay low and put aside the cape and tights business."

Bruce had no intention of making any guarantees that he wouldn't need the suit but he decided to humor her anyway.

"Whatever you say...Director."

Kurono looked at him skeptically, not sure if he was being genuine or not but then she shrugged and relinquished the case to him.

"Oh and one more thing: from now on, you'll be staying at the Academy. No offense but you're lucky that my husband is out of town, I don't think he'd be fond of the idea that I'm keeping a handsome stranger in the house." she jokingly said.

"You're leaving?" asked Ayato as he approached the two.

Bruce smiled as he bent down so he was eye level with the boy.

"'Fraid so, I don't want to be a bother to your mom and dad. But hey Ayato, I need a big favor from you."

"A favor?"

"Yeah." he said with a nod. "I'd like it if you kept everything you know about me a secret."

"Why?"

There were many reasons according to Bruce but he decided to give him the basic answer.

"Well, I've made some enemies, Ayato. And if they found out who I was, they'll go after my friends to get to me. Friends like you and your mom."

"We're friends?" Ayato asked with wide eyes.

Bruce couldn't help but grin.

"We are now."

The young boy crossed his arms and knitted his brows in deep thought until he looked at Bruce with determined eyes.

"Okay. But you gotta promise to visit every now and then." he said while extending his pinky finger forward.

Bruce felt like a heel. He knew that once he got back to Gotham, there was no way he could keep that promise. But at the same time, he didn't have the heart to say no and so he linked his pinky with Ayato's.

"It's a promise."

"My, oh my, oh my! Who is THIS?"

The one who was lecherously leering towards Bruce was a petite woman with long black hair wearing a white kimono under an eye-catching red haori, both looking loose and threatened to fall from her shoulders if not for the sash around her mid-section. She also sported a large bow tied behind her hair, wooden clogs at her feet and carried an oriental fan that was currently folded.

Bruce had been brought to one of the training halls shortly after Kurono drove him to the academy and it was there where he found two ladies waiting for them, for what reason he didn't yet know.

After he noticed Kurono shooting a warning glare toward the kimono-clad girl that pretty much said "Don't molest my guest or I'll pop one in your head.", he turned his attention towards the other woman.

Unlike her shorter counterpart, she was quite buxom looking with long wavy dark hair and was decked in a long sleeve white blouse and a black skirt. But her complexion was anything but healthy and was in fact very pale with dark circles under her eyes. Even her posture was a little unsteady. It didn't take the world's greatest detective to know that she didn't look so good.

"Nene, Yuuri, this is Bruce Wayne." Kurono gestured to him. "I know this is short notice but he will be joining Hagun today as our new student."

This information piqued Nene's interested even more as she circled around Bruce like she was at a buffet, sampling every bit of him with her eyes while he regarded her with wary annoyance.

"No way. This guy? A student?" she laughed childishly.

She stopped in front of him and leaned upwards while coyly having her hands behind her back, smiling like an imp.

"Kinda mature looking to be one doncha think?"

"Kinda immature looking to be a faculty." Bruce thought with irritation.

Yuuri bowed politely and introduced herself with a strained yet friendly voice.

"Hello Wayne-san, my name is Yuuri Oreki but you can call me Yuri-chan. I'm pleased to make your acquainta-BLAGH!"

All of a sudden, Yuuri threw up a waterfall of blood on the floor. Nene recoiled back from disgust and pulled her robes out of the way to avoid getting them stained.

"EEW! You mind doing that somewhere else!?"

"Is she alright!?" cried out Bruce in alarm and concern.

Kurono only shook her in mild exasperation as if this was a daily occurrence.

"Don't worry about her. Oreki-sensei has a sort of medical condition, this is actually normal for her."

As Shinguuji said, Yuuri maintained her easy-going attitude as she fished out a handkerchief to dab the blood from her chin.

"Oh yes. Please don't mind me Wayne-san, I've been vomiting blood since I was a child. I'm used to this, Hehe." she said with a cheerful chuckle.

Bruce sweated seeing them act all nonchalant over something like that.

"I'll repeat: What the hell did I just get myself into?"

"I called the two of you here for more than just introductions." said Kurono to the two staff members. "I'd like an evaluation to be performed on Mister Wayne."

"An evaluation?" asked Yuuri.

This also got Bruce's attention, Kurono didn't mention anything about this on the way here and wondered what she had in mind. Nene seemed to have got an idea as she spoke up matter-of-factly.

"You mean you want us to check his Rank, right?"

Kurono nodded.

"Do you know the procedures?" she asked Nene.

Nene rested her fan on her chin for a short while before responding with a shrug.

"Um, yeah I guess so. But why?"

"Well, it's not uncommon for a Blazer's attribute to change." Yuuri spoke up. "What's your current Rank, Wayne-san?"

"I don't have a Rank."

"PWUAH!"

Out of surprise, a burst of blood suddenly erupted from Yuuri's nose which she quickly sealed off with her handkerchief while Nene broke down laughing.

"Wahaha! Gimme a break! He hasn't even been Ranked yet!?"

Bruce raised a brow, wondering why the two of them were making a big deal out of this. Nene finally calmed down from her laughing and gave a dramatic sigh while shaking her head in mock pity.

"Where do you find these hard-luck cases, Kuu-chan? It's like you're picking up homeless stray kittens from the streets."

But then she glanced towards Bruce and her eyes shone with intent as she dragged her tongue along her upper lip. In almost a blink of an eye she was right next to him; it caught him off-guard, especially because he felt that movement looked...familiar.

"Not that I'm complaining." she purred, dragging a fingernail down his chest. "He's a cute little kitty."

Bruce glared and was about to push her off when Kurono came to his rescue by yanking Nene firmly by the ear.

"Need I remind you that you were once a hard case who was Ranked pretty late yourself, hmm?" she berated irritably.

"Ow!ow!ow! Okay fine! Let go of me!"

Nene managed to free herself and nursed her sore ear while pouting in annoyance. Yuuri, who had been looking on nervously the whole time, tried to return focus to the matter at hand.

"So, if this is his first time being Ranked, does that mean...?" Yuuri trailed off.

Kurono nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. We'll be the ones issuing his Student-Knight ID. I'll forward his details to you shortly."

"How does this Evaluation thing work exactly?" asked Bruce.

"It's simple, Mister Wayne. You'll be given a series of tests and then graded on six attributes: Luck, Offensive power, Defensive power, Mana Capacity..."

"Mana control and Physical ability, right?" Bruce finished for her. "I remember reading about your Ranking system. Sounds pretty wacky if you ask me."

To his surprise Kurono didn't vehemently disagree with him, for Kurono felt that Ikki Kurogane was a testament to how flawed the Mage-Knight System was despite it still being law.

"Maybe but that's how things work around here. Anyway, I have some things to take care of in the office so I'll check back with you later. Nene, Yuuri, I'll leave the rest to you."

The two staff members nodded as Kurono took her leave. Yuuri turned to leave through a different exit while Nene looked back at Bruce with the bottom half of her face coyly hidden behind her unfurled fan as she gestured him to follow with her finger.

"Come along, Wayne-kun. You wouldn't want to keep us waiting, would you?" she said with a wink.

Bruce groaned in exasperation. The whole circumstance he was in was so strange and he felt as lost as ever but he figured that the best thing he could do right now was just go with the flow and see where it takes him.

"Let's just get this over with." he grumbled and followed after them.

TBC