[b]Title: Fearful Symmetry

Characters: Batman (DCAU), Azumi Ian, and some unnamed NPCs.

Context (Situation): Following "Reflections in a Mirror", Azumi seeks help in regaining her mental state from her mentor.[/b]


"Thank you for the consideration. I'll be sure to send the paperwork for the joint venture in a few days, okay?" 'Simon Danners' exits from the Item Shop, a smile on his face. He'd just sealed another business escapade with ease. He walks past the Accessory Shop, adjusting the cuffs on his suit and the pair of eyeglasses on his face, all while holding onto a metallic suitcase. Sure, this was the first place that he looked at after he arrived, but it was the best one. General item dispensation... a good source of income. Walking up the stairs in the First District, he begins to plan whom next to talk to. Maybe the synthesis shop tomorrow? If it wasn't run by Moogles, then he'd have a shot. He opens the doors to the Second District, and walks on in.

He takes a few steps in before he notices something a bit awry. There were shadows moving, but there was no living thing to be found. It isn't long before those shadows rise up, showing themselves to be Shadow Heartless. The smile on his face curves down into a scowl as his hands rise up. "Now, now. Don't do anything stupid." Being the bestial creatures that they are, the Shadows care nothing for their prey's talk. They merely scuttle ahead. However, they soon retreat in pain, sharp objects embedded into their foreheads, electricity arcing from the objects. The monsters vanish, leaving the items behind.

Kneeling down, 'Simon' picks up the objects, small bladed throwing devices in the shape of a bat. Folding them down, he slides them up his sleeves, the very spots where they came from. Once more readjusting his cuffs, his glasses, and now his tie, he steps into the Hotel. Walking up to the Service Desk, he rings the bell twice. "Excuse me? Do you have a room open?"

The man who quickly came to the desk nodded, sliding over a key. "The Green Room is down the hall. Fifty munny a night."

A woman was nearby, surprised by what he was considering. "But what about that woman? She was given the Red--"

"Right, right..." the man sighed. "The Red Room that connects to the Green Room has a... mentally disturbed woman in it. She doesn't seem to be violent, but you might hear her talk to herself or pacing. I don't know if she even locked her door. If you do check on her, be careful."

"I'll remember that." 'Simon' reaches into his pockets and removes a large amount of Munny, more than enough to cover 3 months' worth of rent. "I know you said 50 a night, but here's a bit more. It seems like you don't seem to get much in the way of travelers, and I do want to help out good businesses." Taking the key, he gives a small salute to the two and walks towards the Green Room. Taking the key, he unlocks the door and steps inside. Immediately, he closes the door behind him, and locks it. He sits down, and opens up the suitcase. Pulling out a small Bluetooth headset, he puts it on. "A.L.F.R.E.D., can you hear me?"

[i]"Impeccibly, sir. Do you need to hear your schedule that you set up prior to your travels?"[/i]

"Only the basics."

[i]"Well, after your visitations and finalizations on contracts here, your next destination shall be Twilight Town. Perhaps you could find a comely lady as eye candy whilst there? All work and no play, Master Bruce."[/i]

As amusing as that comment was, it didn't seem like Bruce would be getting much in the way of that kind of "play" soon. Noises could be heard from the adjacent Red Room, a woman mumbling, the tone frantic. It would pick up for a few seconds, then cut itself off. Then it would begin again, then cut itself off again, as if scared of itself. Pacing could also be heard as well.

The manager apparently wasn't lying he said a mentally disturbed person was holding a room next door.

"Hold on, A.L.F.R.E.D." Bruce pauses and takes off his headset. He sees the door that leads to the Red Room, he stands up and walks over to it. Pausing, he presses his ear to the door, in an attempt to hear what this woman was saying.

Inside, the woman's voice could be heard in bursts. It was a voice that he might have found familiar. But the tone... the tone was off. As if the individual had gone through a sizable amount of psychological trauma to the point of it affecting her speech. [font=]"Instinct, training, discipline-- No, no, have to write it... can't..."[/font] And the voice fell silent once more.

Bruce pauses. The mantra was something a soldier would use... but the tone suggested such mental harm had been done to this woman. He knocks three times on the door. "Are you okay?" He reaches inside of his suit coat and extracts a small orb, palming it in his right hand.

The voice paused a moment, as did the furious writing. [font="...it's unlocked..."[/font] the woman said. She evidently recognized him, since the tone did calm slightly.

Bruce opens the door and steps over the threshold. On the bed, he sees a familiar face. "Azumi."

The young woman was a wreck. She hadn't changed back into her armor, but rather her casual clothing, the jacket and shirt, the pants and boots. Her hair was disheveled, hands shaking as she wrote something over and over again. Finally she grabbed her hand, forcing herself to stop and look at him. Those eyes were scared, were on the verge of a complete mental breakdown, but they did recognize his face. "... Bruce." She didn't invite him to sit, though she didn't deny him the opportunity. Fear came to her eyes again, as if she was about to speak... and she turned to the paper, writing once more.

Bruce closes the door behind him as he still holds onto the mini smoke bomb that he palmed. He walks over to bedside. "What happened?" He pauses to take a look at her writings.

[font=]Instinct Training Discipline Control[/font]

Those words, written again and again. That's all it said, on many pages on the night table. She couldn't even look in his direction. "... I... I'm so weak..." she said, unable to say much more. "I... I don't know what to say, to do, I..." And she finally fell silent, grabbing her hand again to keep her from writing once more.

Bruce deposits the mini-smoke bomb once again, assured that nothing confrontational would take place. He grips the pen in her hands and pulls it away from her, albeit with some effort. "Talk to me. Tell me what happened."

Silence reigned for several seconds as she took deep breaths. In, out. In, out. Calm, need to be calm, he isn't her, he won't hurt her, she won't turn back into that, not now. Finally she spoke, her voice naught more than a whisper.

[font=]"I... I crashed in a world called Fairport. Psychic horrors for four months... I almost forgot who I was, I had to... I..."[/font] She froze. She had killed people there. Insane, irredeemable people, but people. [font=]"I had to kill... I'm so sorry, I... I..."[/font] A wince, as she took one arm in anothers' grasp, feeling the pain of a bite back then.

She was silent for a few moments. It was evident that that was not why she was in this state, but she didn't know how he would take it.

Bruce's face is stone-set, but his mind was in turmoil. The trauma of what she had went through left a mark, but that couldn't be all. She was a soldier, and that meant she knows how to kill, so that wasn't it. "What else?"

She hesitated for a moment. It was hard for her to say. Finally, she hugged her knees to her chest, speaking again softly. [font=]"... My friend found me. He tried to help me, to get me back on my feet, but... but I'm such a wreck. That woman.... she calls herself Jessica... Jessica Mireu, with dark water for magic. She held him as a hostage, and took... and I couldn't resist her, I mean... I don't know how to deal with some things, and my mind... I just... I just wanted someone to be close and show me it was okay... I know she wasn't good for me, but... but I didn't know what else to do. So... so I m-made a deal. I swore I'd do what she said, that I'd wear..."[/font] she paused, not wanting to show him, but pulling up her etherspace bag if he so wanted to check. [font=]"It's in there... I kept it as a reminder... If she didn't touch Kynthia, his girlfriend. I mean... I never.... you know?[/font]"

She paused, on the verge of another nervous collapse, and began to ramble those words again. "Instinct, training, discipline, control, ins--" She caught herself this time again, forcing herself to continue. [font=]"She.... she kept her side of the deal. I mean... she was good looking, so I thought... maybe it was okay? I had to think something, anything, or... or I'd break... Had to attack Radiant Garden, but... but I didn't kill anyone, I just knocked someone out. I couldn't say no..."[/font]

Another pause. [font=]"Kynthia escaped. I... I think I told her to? I don't know... But... but she took me to the World That Never Was, she... she tortured me, magical water boarding until... until I snapped, until I promised I'd do anything... I couldn't even move... I was her 'Zumi'. I had to escape the pain, anything to escape it..."[/font] She shuddered as she kept from crying only barely. [font=]"Kynthia brought help... and another Jessica, a good one with light and fire magic... they killed her, took her sword... I mean... I was free, right? But... but I was weak, I couldn't defend myself, could barely stand... I don't know what to do... I just... I just want to get better again, to be able to defend myself..."[/font]

Bruce's jaw clenches at this. How did he not known? He could have checked on her, to see if she was safe. No, his crusade of protecting the defenseless came first. But to see what happened to her... it hurt him. It was like Harvey Dent all over again. His voice softens lightly, allowing some concern to erk its way out. "I'm sorry, Azumi." Silence fills the room for a few moments, then he moves towards her, his arms moving around her, embracing her gently, trying to comfort her. "I'm so sorry I failed you."

The woman leaned against him, holding back her tears. "D-do you still want to call me an ally? I... I'm just so weak...am I? I just don't know what to do..." She sighed. "I want to be strong, but... they're a weakness. I know it, but... but I need it."

He shakes his head. "You're not weak. What you went through, most people couldn't do or say anything. By talking to me, you're proving just how strong you are. And if you need me to stay, all you need to do is ask." Bruce continues to hold onto her. "Let it out, it's okay."

The tears came in a flood. She sobbed openly, shaking, holding him, unable to hold herself together. She couldn't keep going like this, but she had to, she knew she had to, she couldn't leave them, all of her responsibilities. After the longest time, she finally spoke again. "I... I'm just... I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be. You've done nothing wrong." Bruce continues to hold onto her, allowing her to release all of her pent-up emotions.

Time passes, and he notices that she is beginning to loosen up, albeit slightly. The range of topics are wide, including his undercover work as 'Simon Danners', the new outfit, and his growing concerns about his home along his side of talking.

On her side, she spoke about her former life, before the Marines, about the glassing of her home. Things that she didn't think she could say otherwise, though she hadn't told him. She tried to explain the process as best as she could, trying to detach herself. It was a slow process, but she was getting better. She did have one other thing to ask him about.

"...Bruce... I had something I need to talk to you about. It's this organization I'm leading... They're called the Assassin Order, or a sect of them. We don't kill, or at least I don't, and let them decide if it helps, but only if necessary... is that alright? I keep them stable as best as I can, but I think the worlds do need someone to help keep villains from taking control sometimes. Not to mention keeping the heroic ones from dealing in petty crimes."

Bruce stiffens up. "You know I cannot condone anyone committing murders or assassinations, Corporal. You have to remember that every life is important, and no person has the right to take the life of another, no matter how evil or vile the enemy is." But he pauses to think it through. "But I do admire that you're trying to act as the conscious of this Order. I'll be keeping an eye on this Order. If it strays too far, I will step in and stop you."

"Sergeant," she said softly, correcting him for the sake of it. "I'm a sergeant. I'll do my best. I just want to have someone to help, a reason to keep going. It's all I have, you know? I could say the same for Greg, but... well, he has Kyn, and that's not changing."

She seemed calm at last. The talks were helping. It seemed that, on the surface at least, she had returned to her old self. But her broken mentality could eventually resurface.

Bruce stands up. "Need to vent anything else?"

She shook her head. "Maybe some self-loathing. Anything in mind?" She stood at last, gathering her equipment. Her combat knife and handgun were all she had on this attire, though she did put her etherspace pouch away.

"Perhaps you're interested in a little Heartless hunting." Batman turns around and re-enters the Green Room, leaving the door open as he moves towards his suitcase. Feeling for the latches inside the case, he presses them, opening a secret compartment. Inside was his work clothes, all shiny and new, a co-operative work between himself and Cid.

Azumi nodded. "Gonna have to go without my armor, though. I didn't bring it. We'll see how I do without. Not many see me like this anyway."

Bruce pauses a moment before he puts the cowl on, completing his ensemble. "You'll need to protect who you are. At the very least, wear this." He reaches into his belt and removes a small object, a familiar shape: A domino mask. He tosses it to his partner. "It has variable spectrum lenses, going from infrared to ultraviolet via toggle switches on the left-hand side, and a micro radio antenna which can be accessed from the right-hand side. There's also no worry about losing it. Once you put it in place, it releases a small binding agent which temporarily attaches it. The agent will dissolve within 24 hours, or earlier if you press the biometric tab centered above your eyes."

Azumi sighed, nodding. "Fine, fine. But just this once. I'll get a better thing than a domino mask like this. It doesn't even make any sense." She applied it to herself, trying to ignore what she believed to be stupidity about how she looked. "Now, let's go. And no, I'm not taking any kind of nickname."

"Suit yourself." Bruce Wayne's persona vanishes as smoke does in the wind. He opens the door out to the Alleyway and steps out. Looking down and spotting some Heartless, Batman leaps down, tossing a pair of Batarangs.

Azumi nodded, walking out, and came to the Alleyway. Seeing the falling Shadows, she turned, grabbing one with a hand before throwing it to the ground and stomping on its neck, hard, making it disappear. She turned, grabbing up her knife and stabbing straight into the face of an incoming Soldier as he lunged. A kick took another Shadow by surprise, knocking it back before another Soldier was thrown at it, destroying the Pureblood before the Emblem took the knife to the face again.

It was nice, though she wasn't an actual fan of combat. She was just glad. Glad that with his help, she could finally work to rebuild. She just hoped she would never have to face her fear as "Zumi" again.

A small smirk creases the Dark Knight's face. He could easily guess that she was far from being who she was prior, and that a potential breakdown was still likely. However, this was a strong step forward. Given enough time to heal, she'll be diving feet first into hell again.