AN: Finally the long awaited sequel is out. I know it'd been a few years but I finally got enough ideas put together to make a faithful followup to the first installment. If there's a new reader I strongly recommend reading the first one because there won't be much recap of previous events so you might get lost.

Once more the Batman universe is based in the original 90's animated/Arkham series with Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill as the voice talent. And I was able to get Morgan Freeman to reprise his role as Lucius Fox :p

Wolf Children created by Mamoru Hosada

Batman created by Bob Kane (Apparently this is debatable)

All other outside references are the properties of DC comics.

Prologue

Steeling the Show

A crimson sky filled with glittering stars and charcoaled clouds lay above the skyscrapers of Gotham City. Spotlights panned their rays beside a great line of finely dressed people standing behind a velvet rope parallel to the Natural History Museum of Gotham. Some appeared to be Gotham's upper class while others were Japanese tourists projecting multiple sporadic flashes from their cameras. Alas the grand doors swung open admitting a single usher who, as he descended down the stairs, stemmed the tongues of chatter.

"Ladies and Gentlemen,' he addressed, 'we thank you for joining us this evening. Some have travelled a few blocks and others have come all the way from the beautiful island of Japan."

His salutations were met with brief applause before he continued, "As you know we have uncovered many artifacts thought long lost to the Japanese culture, but thanks to modern archeologists, many relics of these forgotten times have been recovered. And now the stories and histories of these forgotten clans will be made manifest for the first time in centuries just behind these doors!"

Again, as before, there was a recession of approval that, when finished, the usher endeavored to encourage another round of ovation, "Before we begin let us give a big hand to the two men responsible for this event. First, please pay your respects to the founder of Japan's most prestigious institutions of archeology, Yoshida Takame."

Soon a man in a black suit with a red kanji lapel pin made his appearance who was accompanied by two other men of his same nationality who held their coat tails tight as if to conceal what was underneath. Yoshida's presence caused an influx of camera flashes that he relished in.

The usher continued his introductions, "You see it was Mr. Takame who employed the team of archeologists who unearthed the artifacts we are about to see tonight. But who could have afforded to have them expedited, preserved and properly displayed here in Gotham? Well he is one of Gotham's wealthiest investors who comes from a proud family and always seems to have an edge over his competitors. Please welcome Gotham's finest citizen and entrepreneur, Salvatore Maroni!"

Soon an elegant Italian man dressed in a pristine tuxedo complimented with a rose on the lapel came into view who extended his hands out to bathe in the crowd's approval then bowed to Yoshida who returned the gesture. Salvatore then extended his hand towards him so he could kiss the ring decorating his finger.

He, like his Japanese equal, was also escorted by two men of his own ethnicity who also kept their hands held at their belts to cover any unnatural bulges along their waistlines. The crowd awaited a speech who only smiled a devious smile and addressed, "I hope you enjoy your time here folks, both you and your families have… awe what am I saying? We're all family here! Let's get started!"

The crowd of spectators cheered and soon the usher came to unhook the line while instructing, "Please present your invitations to the security staff then proceed inside and wait in front of the tour guide."

The line began filing up the steps with every individual presenting an envelope containing a letter of invitation written in gold ink.

As the procession continued to funnel along Yoshida leaned over to Maroni and whispered, "It is an honor to be invited into your territory Mr. Maroni-san."

The Italian waived his hand up, "You can call me Sal, everyone else does."

"Thank you Sal."

"My pleasure Mr. Takame and my condolences to your brother Giro, I heard he ran Tokyo like clockwork. Truly a tragedy that happened to him."

Yoshida nodded with melancholy, "Yes, tragedy like this befalls all esteemed men in our line of profession. But what will truly bring me peace is seeing the man responsible for his demise destroyed by my hand."

Maroni nodded and waived to those paying tribute then whispered, "I got my best men working on bringing you the clown, don't worry about it."

Yoshida bowed and shook hands with guests who got cleared by security then said back, "And as promised you will have my support.' he then looked up towards the rooftops serving as the foreground of the red night sky and asked with unease, 'Are you sure Gotham's most persistent vigilante will leave us undeterred this evening?"

Salvatore seemed to muse at his notion, "Who, the bat? We're just having an honest tour, we ain't breaking no laws, he got no reason to come here."

"What of GCPD?"

"I know which palms to grease to keep them off our tails. Like I said, don't worry about it."

At that moment both men spotted a trio of individuals handing their envelopes to security who took them and acknowledged their authenticity with a slight look of shock before letting them pass.

Salvatore commented to himself, "Who are these joe's?"

It was a woman with short brown hair past her ears holding a large box accompanied by two teenage children, a boy and a girl.

Maroni leaned to Yoshida and whispered, "I still haven't met all the Yakuza you brought over here, but a single mom and her two kids don't fit the bill."

"I think they're among the bystanders we flew out to maintain our cover." murmured Yoshida.

Maroni ordered his henchmen to retrieve their invitation. Once in hand Maroni recited the names scribed upon it, "Hana, Yuki and Ame?"

Yoshida examined it and appeared perplexed.

Salvatore snapped his fingers and soon the roster was placed in his hand with which he said after examining it, "They ain't on the list."

"How did they get invitations?"

Handing the clipboard back to his crony the Italian said, "Who knows, but I ain't worried, a couple more bystanders mixed with the rest ain't going to ruin anything, it's not like they know what's going on. We'll make sure all of them are out of the museum before we talk business."

Soon everyone was filed into the foyer with the tour guide ready to conduct the way, "Welcome ladies and gentlemen, this tour will give you a firsthand look of forgotten Japanese artifacts and lore. To start we actually had a late addition to our nature exhibit which you will be seeing at the end. And we actually have the donor here tonight with her family.' he then extended his hand towards the individual of whom he referred, 'Ma'am can you introduce yourself?"

The crowd opened the view to the lady who put a hand to her chest and said graciously, "My name is Hana."

"And Mrs. Hana can you please show us what you have in the box?"

Hana withdrew two potted flowers encased in glass boxes and presented them to the crowd, "Well I have a Rhododendron and a Japanese lily. Through our conservation efforts and with the help from an expert botanist from Gotham we've been able to grow more of them. If things keep going well we should be able to remove these two flowers from the endangered species list within the next few years."

There were subtle claps along with some general confusion among the masses with Yoshida muttering to Maroni, "Since when were rare flowers added to the exhibit?"

Salvatore stroked his chin then spoke aloud with pretentious enthusiasm, "So how is it you and your family came to present these…beautiful…additions to tonight's exhibition Mrs. Hana?"

Hana upheld her cheer, "I'm sorry if this all seemed last notice. The botanist who helped me said she had connections in Gotham and was able to offer me this chance to come out here and personally present them to you. I'm sorry for any inconvenience and we thank you for having us."

"Enjoy the tour." said Maroni closed ended like.

Hana bowed then handed each flower to one of her children.

As the group huddled back together Maroni instructed one of his ushers, "Keep an eye on those three."

The henchmen saluted and did as requested. Yoshida was slightly confused and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Don't worry about it." replied Maroni with a greater hint of distress in his voice.

As they moved along, the tour guide annotated the history of each object which after a long dialect of exhibition the guide pointed out, "Now you all may have noticed something these artifacts have in common. Who can point them out?"

A young boy raised his hand first and was called upon, "They're all weapons."

"Yes young man, what is your name?"
"Ame."

"Yes and what Ame pointed out was indeed true, these are all weapons used by the ancient Samurai and Bushi since even before the Asuka period."

There was a hushed awe among the crowd with a lone voice saying with marvel, "That goes as far back as the fifth century."

"Anything else someone noticed?"

Another hand went up belonging to a young girl.

"And you are?"

"I'm Yuki."

"Well Yuki can you tell us something else?"

"Yes I noticed they all had the same kanji inscribed on them."

The tour guide clapped his hands, "Very good! This insignia was the mark of an ancient Japanese tribe known as the Razaro clan. What makes them interesting was that their mythology and code of bushido was very different from the rest of what was culturally accepted during any time. You may have noticed the pristine condition of each weapon and may be surprised to know that this had very little to do with the efforts of modern archeologists. A huge sum of it was how these weapons were forged and preserved by their originators."

There was a brief moment of marvel among the group which was climaxed nicely by the finishing remark of the guide, "That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Razaro clan had the means to forge and fortify weapons with methods that guaranteed them to last for thousands of years. These weapons were found almost exactly as they were and our experts estimate they're over fifteen hundred years old."

"But they look almost brand new!" stammered an observer.

"Marvelous isn't it?"

"But how did they do this with ancient furnaces?"

"That is what has many weapons experts baffled by this discovery but many sources can agree that it was their mythology that greatly influenced their techniques and commitment for such guaranteed reliability."

The tour guide had them come to a display case showing a chalice with a hideous demon face on the mold.

"According to Razaro tradition, when a warrior was ready to be inducted among their ranks they drank from this chalice believing it would give long life to those worthy to have it. Of course they would need a weapon with a lifespan as long as their's, therefore their smithing techniques were dedicated to that concept."

Many people were amazed at the ideas being presented to them. Yet as the pictures were being taken and notes being jotted a few shady figures swiftly moved about the shadows near the skylight without anyone noticing.

Alas the unsuspecting group moved along to the next part of the exhibit with the tour guide enthusiastically stating, "And in addition to the Razaro clan we discovered another tribe of Samurai said to also have unique beliefs and abilities unlike their Japanese neighbors."

Soon all could see an open scroll propped next to a rock slap depicting a man turning into a four legged beast.

"The ancient tribe who wrote these were a clan said to be so in touch with nature that the spirits gave them the ability to shift into animals. Upon these texts are writings describing the process and how one must honor this gift. Many experts have agreed these people called themselves the Henkai-Suru."

There was some mild interest with the artifacts among the masses save the two young teenagers who were entranced with their contents. Their mother stood behind them placing a hand on each shoulder, "What do you guys think?"

Yuki answered quietly, "Ame this could be our history. Do you think we are the decedents of these people?"

"Didn't Father say he inherited his ability from a long lineage?" asked Ame of Hana.

Hana nodded, "He did, and he's actually the biggest reason why I had you guys come out here."

She then gently pushed them to follow the group into an antechamber with a giant display case veiled in a velvet drape. On both sides of the veiled case were two mantles with barren platforms.

Yuki saw it and said to her brother, "That's were he said the plants go."

"Who?" asked Ame contentiously.

"My pen pal from Gotham."

"Since when did you have a pen pal in America?"

"Since last year after spring break."

Ame seemed even more perplexed, "How did you meet?"

"He wrote me first, saying he felt sorry that we got caught up in that nasty business in Tokyo last year and wanted to help. Overtime he kept writing, helping me with my homework and stuff, he's really smart. He's actually acquaintances with Dr. Isley and was able to help in arranging us to come out here with these flowers mom helped her grow."

"You didn't make plans to meet him did you?"

"No, he said he's too busy, but that it was possible."

As they received consent to place the flowers on the mantles Ame asked, "So this pen pal, does he have a name?"

"Eddie."

Ame suddenly went a little pale, "Yuki, how did Eddie know we were the ones involved when the Gotham gangs came to Tokyo last year?"

"He said he used to work with the police and had some resources to fill him in."

"Does he know anything else? Like, about us?"

She giggled, "I think our secret is safe."

Hana quickly encouraged them to rejoin her as they were about to unveil the main display case.

"Behind here,' started the guide, 'is perhaps the rarest find ever in recent Japan. Over a hundred years ago a precious animal roamed the forests of Shogun known as the Honshu wolf. Records indicate they went extinct but just over years ago the body of one was discovered in an overflow drain in Tokyo and no one knows how it got there but through the tender care of our taxidermists it has been properly treated and stuffed so it can be seen by all for many years to come."

Yuki and Ame felt Hana squeeze their shoulders with delight, "This wolf is your father."

Yuki grabbed her hand and looked back up at her, "You mean we get to see Dad?"

She nodded with glee.

The tour guide presented the view of the case and said with great inspiration, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Natural History Museum of Gotham proudly presents the Honshu wolf!"

The veil dropped to sudden discourse of excitement which suddenly fell silent with a gasp. Hana put a hand to her mouth and shrieked with heartbreak. The display case was empty.

The tour guide was taken aback, "Oh I'm sorry maybe they didn't have it ready yet."

Yoshida turned to Maroni, "What is your game?"

Salvatore defended himself aggressively, "What makes you think I got something to do with this?"

Just then there was an explosion of glass shards from both sides of the display, the flowers Hana produced had suddenly grown monstrous while infesting the antechamber with slithering vines and vegetation. The crowd jumped and shrieked in panic with Salvatore giving a signal to his security to withdraw their firearms and start shooting the monstrosities while some of Yoshida's men pulled out kunai swords and proceeded to hack the growing vines.

Many branches and leafy arms worked their way around the antechamber and began nabbing the Razaro artifacts and taking them up through the roof.

The lily, which had developed into something beyond the realms of nature seemed to be the one directing the movement the chaos. The vines slithered along the marble floors like snakes tangling up the henchmen who posed a threat then the Rhododendron began shooting lethal barbs with poison tips.

Many people dove for cover to avoid getting hit but the ones needing to worry the most were Takame and Salvatore. The plant seemed to be gunning just for them! The only reason they survived the barrage was from the efforts of their security detail who took the barbs in their place before they evacuated the antechamber.

The massive lily then expanded her peddles and unleashed an unusual mist upon the crowd. Hana covered her mouth while in the commotion but soon found the fragrance to have little to no effect on her or anyone else…except for two.

Looking around for her two children she found them, calmly approaching the expanding vegetation as if their actions were not their own. Both brother and sister stood still and allowed the vines to wrap their bodies up. Hana rushed to free them, pulling back the greens that had them bound but was knocked away by another vine.

Their bodies began lifting up towards the skylight by the growing vines and extracted through the rooftop. Hana screamed and yelled for help to prevent their abduction but the plants had ultimately overpowered the might of man forcing everyone to evacuate.

Finally after a moment that seemed like an eternity the vegetation went idle after completing its task leaving the antechamber an exotic overgrown mess. The frightened people found refuge outside the museum with many calling for emergency services on their private phones.

A very flustered Salvatore Maroni saw this and turned to Yoshida, "The cops will be here any minute let's put this place behind us."

As they walked towards the car a henchmen had prepared Yoshida asked as they got into the backseats, "What are you going to do about this?"

Once the driver shut the door Maroni answered, "I'm going after the ones who pulled this heist."

The car then pulled away right as the sounds of police sirens were coming toward the museum. Soon after, squad cars pulled in and set up a perimeter while calling in back up and ensuring the safety of the people involved.

As the proceedings were ensuing Hana was left sitting on the bottom step illuminated by the red and blue flashing strobes with her head in her hands and sobbing. Once more her children had been taken from her.

Wolves and the Knight

II