#born in a mountain raised in a cave my mentor died and now fighting is all I crave

[mortalmaelstrom]

Gaien Enkidou aka Enkidu 

From Under Night In Birth, a Very Good, Very Fun Fighting game, with a visual novel attached to it

-A walking statue of a man, who says both some cryptic warrior shit and “Yeah, big time.” 

-One of like three adults in a fighting game filled with magic teenagers beating the shit out of each other

-His actual age is a fucking mystery

-Doesn’t know how to deal with his depression other than punching people and trying to find who could potentially kill him if they fight

-Is so good at this that men forget he exists out of sheer terror 

-Is called a bunch of scary shit and looks it, yet is pretty friendly and chill. 

[teentitansblackbird]

Chapter 3

Wayne Manor. July 15th, 2018. 1:25 PM.

The air was warm out in Gotham today. An uncommon experience, Damian thought, as even in the heat of summer there almost always seems to be an unnatural chill over the city. Perhaps it was just Damian's imagination, but he couldn't seem to recall a day when didn't feel cold in this town... or maybe it had something to do with the way he saw Gotham. Even compared to the mountains where he'd been brought up the first ten years of his life, Damian found Gotham City to be much more resistant, more inclined to fight against his presence. This didn't bother him, of course; when the city pushed him, all he really had to do was push back. But that's not how Damian saw things these days. These days it was much easier to look at the world and see the positives. Silver linings seemed to shine at the edge of every cloud. Damian wondered why that was as he knelt between the joined graves, reading the words carved into the stone.

Thomas Wayne. Beloved husband and father.

Martha Wayne. Beloved wife and mother.

Damian sighed as he placed a single rose at the door of each headstone. Despite his new outlook, Damian could never see any sort of good that came from death. Ironic, given his training in the innumerable ways to bring it about, but Damian had grown to detest any sort of violent death. Not to say he was averse to violence, of course; Damian still had no issue with bringing pain down into another for the sake of justice. But needless bloodshed? No. That was barbaric and disgraceful. If it hadn't been for the deaths of his grandparents, perhaps Damian would never have been born. But if they hadn't died, how much would have been different? How much could have been better?

"Damian?"

The youngest Wayne whipped around to see Raven and Alfred coming down the hill toward him. He smiled as he rose back to his feet, turning to greet them as he retreated from the graves. "Hello, Pennyworth. Raven."

"Your father has need of you in the Cave, Master Damian. I'm afraid Miss Kelley is in need of a proper sparring partner." Alfred cocked an eyebrow as he spoke, expecting some sort of snarky reaction from the boy.

"Excellent," Damian replied, cracking his neck as he smirked. "It's about time Kelley and I had our rematch." Alfred chuckled quietly; competitive as always.

"Just try not to get pinned too quickly this time, okay Damian?" Raven teased as she came closer.

"Hey, she got the drop on me last time!" Damian snipped back playfully as he bumped gently into her shoulder. "C'mon, you know that's not--"

"Oh."

Raven knelt down by the two graves before them, staring down at the foot of Thomas's headstone. "What... what kind of flower is this?"

"Oh, that's a..." Damian looked back down at the flower. "That's a Pennyworth Blue. Alfred breeds them."

"Indeed," the butler confirmed with pride. "One of my finest works."

"It's beautiful..." Raven whispered, reaching out and gently running her fingertips along the petals. "How do you do it?"

"Oh? Well, I suppose I could take you to see the garden if you'd like," Alfred responded, a sort of pep in his tired voice. "Not many of Master Bruce's children have shown interest in my gardening before, save for Master Jason."

"I'd love that," Raven said with a smile as she stood back up, turning and reaching out to take Alfred's hand. Damian couldn't help but notice the twinkle of light as her ring caught the sun at just the right angle... that was it. That's why it was so easy to see the positives these days. It all came down to her.

Wayne Manor. April 22nd, 2028. 7:43 PM.

It was a bittersweet feeling, Damian thought, looking down at the grave now placed beside that of his grandparents. It was a position he'd never really expected to find himself in that, while not at all that surprising considering the man's age, still came as a shock when he finally passed. Damian let out a sigh as he knelt down, putting a hand on the headstone as he reads the words carved in the granite slab.

Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth. Loving father, loyal friend.

The youngest Wayne paused for a moment, reflecting on the life Pennyworth had led. Despite not being a Wayne by blood, Alfred was more of a grandfather to Damian than Ra's al Ghul ever was. When his father couldn't be there, Alfred was. When he and Batman were heated over a case or some other dispute, Alfred stepped in as the voice of reason. Of course Alfred had saved Damian's life on the operating table on more occasions than either of them ever bothered to keep count, but more than that, Alfred played a major role in ensuring that that life was worth living. Alfred was... Alfred was the best of all of them.

Damian jumped a bit when he felt his wife's hand light on his shoulder. He looked up to see her smiling somberly down at him as he knelt beside him, placing a single blue rose on the grave. The old caretaker had taught Raven how to tend to a proper garden a few years before he had passed, and while it may not have come as naturally to her as it did to him, she still did well at breeding Pennyworth Blues the way he had before. They'd quickly become her favorite flower after Damian showed them to her, and she had one from her wedding bouquet pressed in a diary at home.

"Bruce said to come on inside," Raven said quietly, her gaze cast over her Damian. "It's about time to eat."

"Yeah..." Damian replied softly. "Just thought I should say thanks."

...

"So Damian." Bruce leaned over his coffee in his chair by the fireplace. "How did Tommy handle his first patrol?"

"He's a natural," Damian leaned back in his seat, smiling back at his father. "Takes orders like a soldier, and fights every bit as smart as the best of them. You would have been so proud of him."

The older Wayne chuckled, throwing an eyebrow up in response. "Sounds like it went far better than yours."

"Hey!" Damian called, a wry smile on his face. "It's not my fault mother was insane!"

"Ha! Maybe not," Bruce shot back, "but it's definitely your fault I am!"

"You say that. But last I checked, you were dressed like a giant bat and attacking gangbangers long before you ever knew about Damian." The two turned as Raven came into the room, a cup of Earl Grey in her hand. Damian stood, putting his arm around her waist as she walked in.

"Dad," the half-demon continued, "are you sure you don't need us to move back into the house with you? Y'know, help look after you and everything."

"I'm fine, Raven. I promise." The old man let out a low grunt as he rose to his feet. "If it'll make you two feel better, maybe I'll get a dog or something to keep me company. But you two have enough to worry about as it is. What, with the company every day, and the criminals every night..." Bruce glanced at Raven with a smirk. "And pretty soon you'll have one of your own to take care of."

Both of the younger Leaguers froze, shocked by their mentor's words. Raven dropped her tea, the hot drink spilling over the rug.

Damian looked down as a splash of liquid hit his loafers. "... Honey, come on. That rug is expensive."

Raven shot Damian a glare in response. "I thought we were gonna tell him together!"

"What? I didn't say anything!" The youngest Wayne threw his hands up, gesturing frantically at his father. "He just, I dunno, he just--"

"Come on, Raven, I deserve some credit!" Bruce laughed as he crossed his arms. "You think I'm not old enough to tell when someone knows they're pregnant? You've been glowing since you walked in the door."

"Well you totally missed it when Barbara was pregnant!" Damian shot back, his mouth pulling into a grin.

"I've learned a thing or two since then," Bruce replied as he walked forward, putting his arms around the both of them. "Either way, I couldn't be more proud of you both. You're going to be wonderful parents."

Raven smiled, closing her eyes as she pulled the two Batmen in close. "Thanks, Dad."

...

As the fire began to die down, Bruce let out a low hum from his chair. It had been a good day; every day one of his children came home was. With Dick always working at the GCPD, Jason on the road with Harper and Kori, Cass studying abroad, Tim always in orbit on the Watchtower, and Damian running the company... well, it was hard to find time to check in on the old man. Bruce understood that. It just made the occasional visit that much more special. And today's visit was no different. Another grandchild... this made two. Bruce smirked; to be honest, he was surprised this hadn't happened sooner. But it was happening at last... they'd talked about names, and it made the old Wayne smile to hear what they'd decided on. Thaddeus or Angela. One for Alfred, one for Arella.

"Wouldn't it have been sweeter if they named it Bruce, though?"

Bruce lurched forward as swiftly as his tired old body let him out of his seat and swung his head around to see an old woman standing in the hallway, a familiar deadpan stare on her face.

"Waller..." Bruce let out a sigh. "Who let you in here?"

"I did," Amanda Waller replied. "I need to have a word with you about your old job."

"I ought to have you arrested for breaking and entering..." Bruce stood up straight, crossing his arms as he stared down his uninvited guest. "But I suppose charges against you don't exactly stick, do they?"

"I work for the government, Mr. Wayne," Waller replied, an eyebrow cocked. "People haven't been able to make things stick to us since the Luthor administration."

"Was is it you want, Amanda?" Bruce's eyes continued to bore into the woman, who remained unfazed.

"Let me be clear here. Your son is doing a fine job filling in for you." Waller took a step forward, the smoldering embers in the fireplace casting a faint light over her grim visage. "But we need to put together another contingency plan nonetheless."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bruce raised an eyebrow of his own.

"Let's be frank, Mr. Wayne. You're running out of time." Amanda continued forward, squinting up at the old man as she advanced. "And once you're gone, we need to be ready with something to fill that gap. My people have a plan for that."

Bruce was silent for a moment before responding. "... what did you have in mind?"

Amanda smiled. "You may need to come to DC with us, Mr. Wayne. Something like what we have planned is a bit... beyond simple words."