Alone

Blake wasn't in the right state of mind right now. Not after the multitude of terrible things that have happened to her recently.

At first everything was just fine. She was enjoying the festivities in the Amity Colosseum, as the Vytal festival was underway. She and her team were performing amazingly in the tournament, with Yang being proudly chosen to represent their group in the one on one finals.

But then she broke Mercury's leg after their match was over. And everything began to spiral out of control from there. After their team was disqualified, the next match was even worse, with their classmate Pyrrha accidentally killing her opponent, causing massive shock and fright, attracting the Grimm to Beacon Academy.

And to make matters even worse, the robots that Atlas had provided as security were hacked into, and being used to attack the civilians and Huntsmen. All the while, the airship fleet was taken over by Roman Torchwick, who had escaped custody thanks to his assistant, Neo.

If that wasn't bad enough, The White Fang, people who she used to conspire with in criminal acts, aided in the assault as well, not only transporting Grimm into the Amity arena, but also attacking the school grounds and striking down any huntsmen in training who were unprepared to defend themselves.

She was present on the school ground when the White Fang breached the building and began picking off the unprepared. She had a clear image in her head of the events that transpired when she saw 'him' in the burning cafeteria. Even down to the words spoken. "Adam?"

"Hello, my darling." The masked man said, with a smile on his face, happy to see her. She backed away from him. "Running away again? Is that what you've become, my love? A coward?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"You and I were going to change the world, remember? We were destined to light the fires of revolution!" She saw a student pinned down in front of Adam, as he drew his bright red blade. "Consider this, the spark."

She rushed towards Adam, drawing her blade and pushing him away from the student, clashing swords. "I'm not running." She said out loud. But he saw through her facade.

"You will." He kicked her down. One of the Grimm barged into the building and attempted to attack her, but it was shot dead by Adam, who was not going to let her off that easily. "But not before you've suffered for your betrayal, my love."

She remembered how he tossed her around in that burning building, reading her moves like she was an open book. He was her former partner, her mentor. He was untouchable, unbendable, immovable. But the physical was only part of the pain. "This could have been OUR day! Can't you see that?!"

"I never wanted this!" She cried out, transforming Gambol Shroud from blade to gun and aiming it at him. "I wanted equality! I wanted peace!"

She pulled the trigger, and watched as Adam blocked the bullets with his sword as he approached her, denying her response. "What you want is impossible!" She could still feel the sting from his backhanded slap across her face. "But I understand. Because all I want is you, Blake." He disarmed her with a simple kick to her wrist and had her flat on her back. "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."

"Blake!" The girl heard another voice, and then turned her head to see her new partner, Yang, just outside the building, searching for her. "Blake! Where are you!?"

Then Blake heard Adam say the worst thing possible. "Starting with her." He then used his blade and ran the tip through her stomach, causing the girl to scream in pain.

Yang then turned her head towards their direction and got angry. "Get AWAY from her!"

"No. Please." She begged, watching as Adam prepared for her approach.

Then came Yang's enraged scream and charge, only for a single swipe from Adam's blade to take her out of the fight. The attack wasn't fatal, but it was still severe, as her partner lost one of her arms because of Blake's weakness.

Mustering the last of her strength, she put herself in between Adam and Yang, when the dismembered girl hit the ground. "Why must you hurt me, Blake?" The boy said before he went to cut her down, only to strike a fake while she dragged Yang's body out of the building and over towards a safe zone.

The attack kept getting worse and worse, up to the point that a massive Grimm the size of a mountain had come and attacked the school. She was lucky enough to see Sun, a fellow faunus who was against the White Fang, take her and Yang aboard a ship and evacuate to a safe place.

Now she was on her own. After making sure that Yang was going to survive, and knowing that Ruby and Weiss had also made it out alive, she did what she had to do. She left. She didn't have time to say goodbye, or to explain why. The longer she stayed with them, the more she would risk them being targeted by Adam. She needed to keep them safe, to keep Yang safe. She ended up running all the way to the docks of Vale, able to catch a ride on one of the cruisers, before passing out from exhaustion.

Whilst in her dream, she ended up reliving these memories in her mind, while also dreaming of her mother and father. She saw them both looking disappointed and ashamed of her. She had ignored their advice to leave the White Fang with them, and now she was paying the price for her actions. Now, she was alone. Even if her parents weren't angry with her, they would still not approve of what she had done under the Fang's banner. The actions that she did with Adam, for Adam. It made her wish that she could just disappear.

Then she began to feel drops of water land on her head.

Her eyes began to open as she stirred from her slumber. The raindrops from the storm clouds above steadily showered her head, shoulders, stomach and legs. As she woke from her slumber, she looked at her surroundings and immediately jolted up to her feet. She wasn't on the cruise ship anymore. Instead, she was on an empty trawler boat, docked in a city that was unfamiliar to her at the moment. Was she dumped off the ship after they docked here? No. That wouldn't make sense. The crew would have at least woken her up first, rather than just drag her body off the ship. She may be a faunus, but not every human was that bigoted towards the faunus. That also wouldn't explain why she was in another boat all together.

Did someone abduct her while she was asleep and float away with her to this place? If so, then where was the person who did it? And if that was the case, then why wouldn't they put her in a place more secure, and not just laying on the deck of the boat? She then heard multiple police sirens in the distance and she turned to see multiple cars with red and blue lights drive by, heading deeper into the city. Doubting that she would be safe where she was at, she quickly made sure that she still had her weapon and dust rounds on her, before climbing out of the boat and running up the dock, into the city.

The first thing that caught her eyes was some of the billboards and signs. One advertised a place called, 'Bank of Gotham', showing a wealthy looking family living a good life. "Gotham?" Blake read out loud, unfamiliar with a location holding that name. The second billboard showed a tower in the middle, with the words 'Wayne Enterprises' on it, as well as 'Future of Gotham' "Where in Remnant am I?" She asked herself out loud, before a loud thunderous boom and a brief flash of lightning caused her to cover her ears and shut her eyes. Being a cat faunus with cat ears made her hearing more sensitive than most people, and once she recovered from that sudden loud noise, she looked up to the sky and her eyes widened in shock.

"The moon is... Where am I?" She saw the full moon in the sky, completely intact. No pieces of it fractured off whatsoever. That was impossible. There was no place in the world where you could get an angle of the moon that would make it look intact, and even if there was, there was most certainly no city built on that place. She holstered her weapon on her back and ran into the nearest alleyway of the city. A few people saw her run in, but none of them were crazy enough to follow her in the alleyways. She was on her own.

She ran and ran, her shoes splashing the occasional puddle as she navigated her way through this maze of walls and locked doors and windows. She stopped when the sounds of police sirens were heard and she briefly took cover behind a dumpster, watching as two men exited the vehicle and began talking to each other. One of them was a middle aged man who looked like he was the kind of cop that would be eating donuts on his downtime. The other man was clearly older, as his hair was white and his slightly aged face had a moustache that covered his upper lip. The middle aged cop then spoke up. "You sure that this is the place?"

"The caller on the phone said it was in this general area." The older cop replied. "A suspicious looking girl carrying what appeared to be a sword on her back."

"You thinking it might be that assassin chick from five years ago?" The middle aged cop wondered. "Maybe she's back for revenge."

"The caller said that the girl was a teenager, or at least not a fully grown adult." The older cop explained. "I'm sure it's not the assassin, er...Shiva I think her name was?"

"Okay, then you got any idea who this mystery girl is, Gordon?" The middle aged cop questioned.

"Not yet, Bullock." The older cop called Gordon replied. "But I'm hoping that it turned out to be nothing. We've already got enough to worry about with everyone in city hall being taken hostage, and the swat teams holding back the media from making things more crazy."

"Vale and Ryder just can't keep themselves out of the way." The middle aged cop that was called Bullock commented. "They're lucky that 'he' always saves their asses when they get in too deep in their stories."

Blake realized that they were here to look for her, but before she could do anything about that, a white rag with a chemical of some sort was stuffed in front of her face and she felt someone wrap themself around her and hold her while she struggled. "Well well, what's a nice little lady like you doing, hiding in an alleyway?" The sound of a middle aged man's voice was heard as two men were able to approach her while she was distracted and catch her off guard. The chemical was starting to make her lose consciousness, but in the very brief time she had, she headbutted the person behind her, causing him to recoil in pain. "Ow! Bitch!"

"Get off of me!" Blake screamed out, before drawing her blade swiping at the man's chest, cutting his jacket and making him tumble and trip back.

"The crazy whore's got a knife!" The man on the ground realized.

"Yeah? So do I." The other man said as he pulled out his knife and rushed the dazed girl. "I'm gonna cut your fingers off and feed them to Tiny back at the iceberg lounge!" The man slashed towards Blake, but she was able to barely dodge the blade being swung at her, before she slashed at the knife with her own sword and broke it, causing the man to drop the handle in surprise and fear. "Aw crap!"

Blake then held her blade in front of her and did her best to fight off the effects of the chemical that was shoved into her face, while keeping her focus on these two muggers. "Back off!" She exclaimed, her back pressed against the wall.

The two thugs looked at eachother and thought about their options, until a gunshot was heard and a bullet struck the floor between them and the girl. "GCPD! Hands up!" Bullock ordered, as he pointed his gun at the two muggers.

"Aw crap!" The two men quickly turned around and ran away.

"Hey! God damn it." Bullock cursed out, before he turned to Blake and noticed what she was carrying. "Hey, Gordon. I think we found that girl you were talking about."

Blake, looking terrible at the moment, sheathed her blade and put her hands up. She didn't want to get into any fights with the law enforcement here. "I wasn't doing anything until those guys tried to grab me. Please, I don't want to cause any trouble."

Bullock saw Blake's condition, then spotted the rag on the ground. He picked up the rag and inspected it, taking a quick sniff before pulling back. "Chloroform. Yeesh. I can believe that story for now." he lowered his gun. "Still, I can't exactly let a stranger with a sword on her back walk around Gotham."

"Gotham..." Blake repeated, getting confirmation that this was indeed the name of this strange place. "Where in Remnant is Gotham?" She weakly asked, nearly falling forward.

Bullock caught her and helped walk her out of the alleyway. "Remnant? Never heard of that place. But Gotham is...let's just say that it's not a really friendly place." The pair reached Gordon and Bullock spoke to his partner. "Hey, Jim. You ever heard of a place called 'Remnant'?"

"No. Why?" Gordon asked.

"Well, 'teen sword girl' here asked where in 'Remnant' is Gotham, so I'm gonna say that she's from that place." Bullock explained.

"I'll see if I can find it on the globe." Gordon said. "Get her in the car, and give her something to warm her up. She looks like she'll freeze if she passes out."

"On it." Bullock opened the back door of the police car and set her in there, but not before confiscating her weapon. She was unsure at first, but ultimately cooperated, as she did not want to get into any trouble right now, given her current state. After putting the weapon in the trunk, he pulled out a heavy blanket and gave it to the girl to wrap herself around with. Blake appreciated the kindness being shown to her, but also remembered that these two were sent here to look for her, so they would most likely take her for questioning. At least she wasn't put in handcuffs. "So, what's your name?"

"Blake." She gave her name to Bullock. "Blake Belladonna."

"Belladonna?" Bullock repeated. "Sounds italian. That where you from?"

"Italian?" Blake repeated, before answering the question. "I'm from Me...Mistral."

"What continent is that in?" Bullock questioned, sounding confused.

"Anima?" Blake answered looking at the cop like he should already know that.

"You mean, Asia?" Bullock asked, starting to wonder if this girl was seeing things straight.

"No. It's called Anima." Blake doubled down on her answer. "That's where the Kingdom of Mistral is."

"Kingdom..." Bullock repeated. "...Right." He turned to Gordon. "Jim, we might have another uh..." He swirled his finger next to his head to silently say that she might be a bit crazy.

"I'm not crazy." Blake said to the pair. "I'm telling the truth."

As Gordon looked through the database, Bullock spoke up again. "You got anything?"

"No." Gordon answered. "Nobody named Blake Belladonna that fits her description, and no cities or 'kingdoms' named Remnant, Mistral or Anima."

"Remnant's not a city." Blake told them. "It's the name of the world."

The two cops looked at eachother. "Okay then." Gordon realized what they were dealing with. "Let's take her to Arkham."

"Do you think she's lost it?" Bullock asked, making Blake start to worry.

"I didn't say that." Gordon responded. "I don't know if she's crazy and thinks she's telling the truth, or if she's actually telling the truth and she's actually from this Remnant wherever, but you and I aren't going to be able to figure this out. So we'll take her to the man most qualified to figure out this mystery."

"Wouldn't he be at city hall though?" Bullock said as he shut the back door and entered the passenger seat of the car.

"He'll head to Arkham to turn 'him' in." Gordon pointed out as he got in the driver seat and started the car. "Better to meet him there when he's done cleaning up the mess at city hall."

"Wait. Where are you taking me?" Blake questioned.

"Arkham Asylum." Gordon answered as he began to drive down the streets of Gotham.

"Asylum?" The girl repeated, knowing the definition of that word. "I told you. I'm not crazy. I'm telling the truth!"

"I never said you were crazy." Gordon told her. "There's a person who will be there later that's a bit more qualified than we are, who can help you with your problem...hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Blake repeated him again.

"Lady, we've seen a lot of weird stuff in Gotham, from a scientist who lives in a refrigerator suit to stay alive, to a girl who talks to and controls plants." Bullock told her. "We're not exactly new to the unusual. But saying you're not from Earth, or even heard of the place is kind of up there in the strange department. It's like saying that the moon doesn't exist."

"Well, seeing an intact full moon would be considered strange for me, since all my life I've only seen the moon in fractured pieces." Blake retorted.

"Excuse me?" Bullock did a double take on that. "Fractured? Like the moon you're used to seeing is broken?"

"Yes." The girl answered with an annoyed expression on her face.

"This just keeps getting weirder and..." he noticed the bow on her head twitch and come undone, revealing a pair of cat ears under the ribbon. He saw Blake quickly grab the ribbon and make it a bow, putting it back over her ears. "...and I'm talking to an actual cat woman."

"Don't. Tell. Anyone." Blake said to him, clearly defensive when it came to the topic of her cat ears.

Both he and Gordon looked at eachother, then the older cop spoke up. "We'll be quiet about it. Although Selena Kyle would probably have a field day discovering that."

"She'd probably make her a sidekick, like how Batman had that Robin guy." Bullock commented. "Shame what happened to the kid though."

That name was unfamiliar to Blake. Batman? Was that the name given to some Bat Faunus Huntsman in this city? Robin was a name she could see, but Batman was not a name that would make any logical sense unless it was a title. Gordon then replied to his partner. "Like we need a second cat themed thief in Gotham. Let Metropolis or Keystone have one of their own."

"Metropolis? Keystone?" Blake repeated in the back.

"Oh jeez. We really have a grade A mystery back there." Bullock commented on that, as the car drove across a bridge that took them to an island sectioned off from the city, with a set of buildings that Blake looked at, noticing their...well their Gothic architecture. This place looked like it should be named Gotham more than the city she had found herself in.

The car passed a gate entrance with the words Arkham Asylum on the top of the gate, letting the girl know that she had arrived at the destination that she was being taken to. The vehicle then stopped in front of a building in the center of the island, the entrance labeled as Intensive treatment. Gordon exited the car, along with Bullock, who unlocked the back door and opened it up for Blake to exit, still wrapped in the blanket given to her. The older cop then went to the trunk and took out Gambol Shroud, holding it in his hands before talking to Bullock. "Harvey. Take the car back to GCPD. I'll take the girl and wait for Batman."

"Do you need any cuffs?" Bullock asked. "In case she tries anything?"

Gordon looked at the girl and saw her condition and mood. He then made his decision. "No. I don't think she'll cause any problems."

"Alright, Jim. Just make sure that Batman doesn't have to save you from her if she does do something." Bullock said as he entered the driver's seat and drove off.

As Gordon was about to walk in, he noticed the girl looking down. Even with the blanket covering most of her body, her posture indicated a hint of depression. "You okay, Miss?"

"I'm fine." Blake turned her head away when she replied to his question.

Gordon was smart. He knew that something they said had affected her just now. Most likely Harvey's comment about her potentially trying anything. "Don't let Harvey get under your skin. He's like that with everybody. Good cop, but doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know."

"I'm used to it." The girl said as she kept her body in the blanket, like she was physically trying to keep her feelings and emotions inside.

Gordon put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to while you're here. I'll keep my ears open. I may not be a therapist, but I can at least listen to you." Blake saw the genuine look in his eyes and her mood slightly brightened up from that. She at the very least appreciated his kindness. "Come on. Let's get out of the rain. It'll mess up your bow."

The pair then entered the building, and Gordon was greeted by a few guards who were all in pretty heavy duty gear for an asylum. One such guard with a scar over his left eye approached and addressed the older cop, by his official rank. "Commissioner Gordon."

"Officer Boles." The Commissioner returned the gesture.

The man known as Boles then noticed Blake. "Who's this?" He asked.

"This girl was blindly walking around Gotham. She was lost and almost abducted." Gordon explained, before showing Gambol Shroud to the officer. "She fended them off with this weapon, before we intervened."

Boles then looked at the girl in question and briefly inspected her, looking back at Gordon with an unsure look in his eyes. "Okay...sure. But why bring her here?"

"Her story of how she got here is rather...strange, to say the least." Gordon answered.

"You think she's delusional from trauma and needs to see one of the doctors?" Boles guessed.

"Actually, I think she needs the help of one more experienced in handling the strange things of Gotham." Gordon stated. "Since he should be delivering the Joker here when he handles city hall, I decided to bring her here to wait for him."

Boles looked back at Blake, who just looked back at him with her amber eyes, before shrugging and moving on. "Well, you're needed in Patient Handover. And if you're just dropping her off for Batman, then she'll have to wait here."

"How urgently am I needed in Patient Handover?" Gordon asked.

"Told to direct you there as soon as possible, so I'd say it's pretty urgent." Boles answered.

"Alright then." The commissioner understood. "Watch her while I'm there. Don't leave her alone."

"Is she dangerous?" Boles questioned.

"She's lost, alone, and afraid." Gordon pointed out. "Right now, she needs to feel safe. I trust that you can at least do that for her while I'm gone?"

Boles looked disinterested with the idea of babysitting a teenage girl, but he wasn't going to say that in front of the police commissioner. "I'll watch her till Batman shows up."

The commissioner then nodded, before taking one last look at Blake, who looked back at him, having mixed feelings. On one hand, Gordon was an honest man trying to help her out in the best way he could, but on the other hand, he was still holding onto her weapon and taking it with him into this asylum, most likely to examine it, or give it to this 'Batman' that she keeps hearing about. Gordon gave her one last reassuring smile before turning around and walking away.

If there was one good thing that had happened to Blake ever since she showed up here, it's that Jim Gordon was actually trying his best to help her. Now whether or not his decision to leave her to whoever this 'Batman' person is is the correct option, will remain to be seen. For now though, she simply stayed put, with Boles at her side. The officer then muttered something to himself. "I'm not a babysitter, old man." Blake caught a whiff of alcohol from his breath, before she noticed him take out a flask from his back pocket and open it. The officer saw the girl look at him. "It's water."

"You're breath tells me something else." She replied.

"Don't be a smartass, kid. That gets you into trouble here." Boles said to her, before taking a drink from his flask, then putting it back in his pocket before any other staff members could notice. Blake was already wishing that Gordon wasn't forced to leave her here.

Soon enough, another man came into the room. He was older in age, and had a receding hairline, that was gray in color. He wore a black suit with a red tie, glasses on his face, and he had a red rose pinned on his suit like an accessory. He held a cane with the name Arkham as well as the same symbol that the guards sported, on the round head of the cane he walked with. He stopped just outside the door that led further inside the asylum, turning to greet Boles. "Officer Boles."

"Warden, Sharp." Boles returned the gesture.

The man known as Sharp then saw Blake next to him. "And who is this?"

"Some girl that the commissioner left here for Batman." Boles answered.

The warden saw her uncomfortable position and decided to act friendly. "Greetings, little one. May I have your name?"

Although a little hesitant, she decided to fulfill his request. "Blake Belladonna."

"Well then, miss Belladonna, I am Quincy Sharp, warden of Arkham Asylum." Quincy gave her his full name and occupation. "I hope that today finds you well." She didn't answer that, so he continued speaking. "I do hope that you aren't here to cause any potential trouble."

"I won't." Blake replied to that, although she didn't look happy when she said that. These people were giving off a very oppressive feeling. With Boles' roundabout threat to her comment about seeing through his lie, to Sharp playing friendly, only to recommend that she doesn't do anything that would be considered troublesome while she was here. This is supposed to be an asylum. A shelter that was meant to support those who were mentally unwell. A warm place, where people help others. So why does this place feel so dark and cold instead?

The sound of a loud engine was then heard from outside, which surprised Blake, as the doors for this place were very thick and securely shut. Whatever just parked outside must have been either really big, or it had a really powerful engine. A guard then spoke up. "Everyone, weapons ready. Batman's here, which means he got Joker." The guards had their rifles loaded and ready, which made Blake further question the validity of this place being an asylum. The way these people acted made her think that this place was actually a prison.

Then the door to the entrance opened.

I must admit. I wasn't expecting to do something like this. A story inspired by another story. The writing that I've done so far has been either the same concept but different execution (May Your Heart Go Beyond), or something wholly original/or at least so damn rare that I haven't found anyone else who has done this concept (Obi's Other Apprentice). But this story is somewhat my contribution to a group of many other stories that share this concept. The concept of "What if a RWBY character was somehow brought into the Arkhamverse and allied with Batman?" The very first of these stories being of course 'Belladonna and the Bat' the third story that I read on this site, and one of the stories that inspired me to become a writer as a hobby. It also inspired others as well, since other writers have done similar stories, albeit with different RWBY cast members, such as Yang, Ruby, Weiss, Pyrrha, Penny, Jaune, Nora, even Ozpin. I figured I'd try my hand at this concept, but go back to the original. Of course this will not be one to one with Roach99's original story, as not only will added context from future volumes be take into account, but also I'm choosing to have Blake arrive in Gotham, after the events of Volume 3, rather than just after Volume 1. I hope you guys enjoy this new story and until I decide to upload again. :)