Author's Notes: Jesus, how long has it been, three years? Fucking christ I'm getting slow. Anyway yeah, decided to finally upload this after some inkling of motivation decided to crawl out from the depths of my mind and violate me into making this story.

After one restraining order later against said motivation, it did manage to get to making this thing once more. While this story isn't exactly the most on my mind, it is however a fic that's been in high demand lately, even managing to spawn many other fics based off of Sai's and my own in my absence. The fact that my challenge to make more did this is nice, I appreciate it, and thank you very much.

So without further ado, the latest chapter in the BatB series.

I own neither Batman or RWBY

"Why aren't you laughing...?"

-First Folio-

Many years back, the words "Tragedy" and "Comedy" held different meanings. One is a story invoking the feeling of human suffering and bringing about an ending that played in a negative light, the tragedy has stayed the most consistent throughout history, you would find these tales prevalent in the works of Shakespeare or many Greek stories like that of Oedipus. The other was the comedy, that which now provokes the joy and laughter of others and was originally meant to mean a story that ended happily, this definition seemingly playing about as being the more warped of the two.

And why is that? Well, I will simply tell you.

The average human constantly looks for entertainment, we often try to fill the gaps in our lives with this simple and fleeting happiness that often occurs within the world, whether that be a party, a trip to the theatre, or even a simple meeting between peers. But there's a reason as to why the tragedy stays consistent.

What makes a tragedy is always a loss in something: innocence, a prized possession, a beloved family member or anything else. Whatever the case it be, we strive for something to relate to, and a collective suffering is something that all of Man has shared. The ability to make us laugh often varies in form, but loss is something that makes a tragedy, and that's what makes it unchanging.

Such as the loss of Bruce Wayne's parents, the loss of Blake Belladonna's sense of belonging, the loss of Gotham's sense of Justice.

But all of this? This was the Joker's Divine Comedy, with only the Inferno taking the lead.

In the meantime, we'll have to watch as Batman and Miss Belladonna play their roles of Vergil and Dante as they traverse the City of Dis known as Arkham Asylum.

A single inmate peered through the scope of the rifle in his hands as he stood over the watchtower railing, the high-pitched whine putting his ears through the loop while as he scoured the area. Upon the discovery that there was nothing there, the man lowered his rifle and made his way to the radio inside, twisting the small knobs to and fro before settling on a frequency that didn't sound like complete static, "Mansour, you there?"

Silence for only a moment before another voice appeared, "Jesus Christ, Larry, that you?"

"Who else, dipshit? It's been a while, bitta' a coincidence that Joker put us in charge of lookout," the inmate chuckled to himself as he tapped the microphone next to the radio, "Anything you see on your end?"

"Nope, nothing there, you taking a break too?"

"You know me too well," Larry leaned against the table, Mansour could hear the rustling of a paper bag opening, the former guard looked over the railing and off to the small group on lower ground probably chatting about something, "How the hell do Arkham guards carry these rifles all day? That things are heavy as shit."

"You're telling me, man," Mansour whistled through the radio, "Arkham's SecFo probably has ridiculous fitness standards... you think it's more intense than the Corps?"

Larry stifled a laugh at the question, "Nah man, nothing tops us. We may got these stupid jumpsuits, but we're still us even behind bars, ya dig?"

"Ooh-rah, my dude," Mansour chanted.

"Ooh-rah," Larry repeated, shaking his head with a grin, "Kinda lucky that the Clown put the both of us on sniper duty. Feels like home."

"Only less sand up your ass," the latter inmate replied, listening to the static filled chuckle on the other end, "And more burgers too! Goddamn, I missed an actual good fucking meal that isn't that shit served in Blackgate, ya feel?"

Larry barked out a laugh, "Yer tellin' me. Joker may be nuts as fuck, but he knows when to pull the stops on the food-" Mansour shook his head at the sound of his old spotter from Kuwait tearing apart his cheeseburger like a wild animal, "-Now what's the skinny on this whole situation with us running around the loony bin?"

Mansour scratched at his patchy beard, "Your guess is as good as mine, all I know is that we see something shaped like a flying rodent, we pop it with a fifty-cal-"

"And the cat?"

"What? Catwoman's here too? Shit man, if a piece of ass like that wandered into this place with Batman, I'd be quotin' the Old Testament to get me some of that milk and honey, ey hombre?"

"No no... there's some other girl, a kid running around the place with the Bat like it's some fucking playground," Larry finished his burger and tossed the empty bag out of the sentry tower and watched as it hit the grass. A bit of static played on the radio until he tapped the speaker once more, "Female, late-teens most likely, black hair and weird-ass yellow eyes, carries a sword too, so keep a look out for her. Considering she's with Batman, we can tell she's no pushover. The little black bow on her head is also a dead giveaway as well."

"Shoot to kill?" Mansour's usually chipper demeanor descended into a cold tone, "Gonna be like old times again; you, me, and our trusty ol' reliables popping heads offa towelheads, ya dig? ...Larry, you there?"

Silence.

"Goddamn, fucking radio," that was probably it, the radio probably went out at the worst possible time. Interrupting his nostalgia while he was talking with a friend he hadn't seen in years? He'd break thing's nose if it had one! A couple taps against the box and flicking the switch on it brought the thing back to life, "Larry, you there? Copy?"

More silence.

"H-hey Larry, you uh... you alright there?" he tapped the radio a couple more times, "Damn it, probably a loose wire or something."

The inmate picked up the rifle and peered through the scope, intending to get a look to see if his partner was doing alright.

What he didn't expect to see, however, was to see the young face of a girl standing in front of him as soon as his eye peered through the scope.

"Jesus FUCK!" the man squeezed the trigger on reflex, only to realize that he had left the safety on by habit for fear of a misfire. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't exactly fix that after receiving a concussion.

"Ding ding dong! Joker here once again for another important announcement for all you loons! Don't worry about dear ol' Batman, I have a few surprises coming his way!-"

Mansour would've rolled his eyes if he were even conscious.

Blake flexed her fingers as her fully restored Aura surged through her veins. The effort taking out the guard was laughably minimal, but she couldn't afford to abuse the use of her Aura no matter how tempting it was. What the inmates and crazies here lacked in aura, fighting prowess, or even smarts, they made up for in sheer numbers.

Perpetually minor wounds over the course of a single night would eventually bleed her aura dry, and it did. If it wasn't for Batman and his... questionable methods of restoring Aura, she'd be having a lot more trouble taking these guys out.

Speaking of which, Blake heard the almost silent swishing of the man's cape. Her night vision picking up the dark shape of the caped crusader landing on the small building just next to the tower she was in. And below that was more inmates huddled in a circle.

Knowing they weren't just going to let the two mosey on their way, Blake watched as the Dark Knight leaped down and tackle the first one, knocking him out with a straight blow to the head before moving onto the next unlucky contender before they even had the chance to react.

Blake had fought alongside Batman for only the span of a few hours since they had arrived in Arkham, but rarely did she get the chance to actually see him fight on his own. Several of the thugs continued relentlessly assaulting him from every angle, but each movement from their singular opponent was perfect and calculated with a style of grace she would only see from a veteran Huntsman. Her eyes were glued on his movements like it was the climax of a high-budget cinema special, each punch was only as brutal as it needed to be, each block, parry, and guard was concise and perfectly timed.

Even dressed up in that bat-themed spandex costume, funnily enough as it was, the man's fighting style was honed to a razor sharp point.

The battle was over just as quickly as it had began. Blake caught up to the man, surrounded by a myriad of unconscious inmates. The two paid no mind to the scene and events that occurred and simply moved on, a silent agreement between them that they had a job to fulfill.

More doors opened and, in turn, more inmates. Dashing with quick boost of her Aura, Blake caught the first inmate in the face before he could even have time to react, the sickening crunch of bone smashing against her knuckles sent a chill down her spine as he down down in the span of less than a second. She heard the second man rush her, but also caught the sound of steel sliding out of a sheathe. Barely enough time to react, Blake caught the blades on her new wrist guards before pulling herself closer to the armed inmate, kicking him in the chest to get a better distance from him.

*ptew!*

The inmate staggered back slightly, stunned by the acrobatics of his opponent as she landed a solid ten feet away from him. Shaking himself off, his grip on the knives tightened further as he charged to meet her once more.

Only to fall flat on his face, his limbs feeling like lead as he dropped to the ground, face quickly meeting the ground before everything went dark.

As Batman was finishing up the last pair of inmates, Blake stood over her unconscious enemy before kneeling over. A slight tug and the dart that she had shot at the inmate's neck was in the palm of her hand. The dart itself had used up its drug and was now currently useless for its original purpose. Nevertheless, she palmed the object away into one of her pockets after shaving down the needle to a dull point. With the group of thugs now incapacitated, they continued their travels through the island.

However... Blake unsheathed her sword, tossing it through the lines holding up the pair of hanging corpses. The two caught them before they could hit the ground.

The girl hung her head low in mourning. She didn't often have time to when there was a madman running loose... but it seemed fitting to at least pay some respect to these bodies that were displayed so shamefully, the lives that had been cut so short.

"Blake..." she felt a hand on her shoulder, the faunus girl didn't have to turn to know that the Dark Knight's stony expression was as unwavering as ever, but the tone in his voice told her that he felt the same way, "Let's go."

She wiped an arm over her face, now dampened as she lowered back down, "I'm... I'm fine."

The Dark Knight said nothing as they continued to the next area until the pair stopped, he looked up before pointing to one of the towers nearby, "Snipers."

"I seem to be losing men like there's a plague in town! I guess the bat is back..." Joker's voice blared through the speakers as Blake tuned out his voice. It was starting to get annoying anyway.

Blake placed the goggles over her eyes and pushed the button on its side, vision flashing white for a split second before everything took on a hazy blue tint. She looked up to see a skeletal red figure, in its hands was a sniper rifle pointed out in the distance, "I'll take the left and you take the..."

He was gone. Damn it.

Blake sighed before pulling out the grappling hook from her belt. Holding it in her hands, it was heavier than it looked but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She pointed the gun at one of the rails and fired, the three-pronged claw shooting out and gripping the bar, another press of a button and it pulled her up to the top.

Grabbing the bar with the other hand, Blake used the momentum to carry herself up and over the rails, landing on her feet with absolute silence. Approaching the armed inmate, she quickly wrapped her arm around him and put him in a chokehold, listening to his choked gasps before she slammed his head into the rail opposite of her.

Injured but still alive, that was all that really mattered.

Her ears picked up that same sound, choking before blunt force injury to the head again just a little bit farther away. Looks like Batman had the same idea.

She pressed a finger to her ear, "There's snipers on the other side too, over by that bigger building over there. What's the plan?"

Nothing but silence for the next few seconds until, "How good are you with a rifle?"

Blake tilted her head before realization set in, "I thought you said we weren't going to kill-"

"Who said anything about killing?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Aim for the chassis. When I give the signal, fire."

The girl looked down at the man, rifle splayed out on the ground. Kneeling over, she picked up the gun and inspected it, seeing that it was in a surprisingly well-kept condition despite its handler. Perhaps Joker had a sense to vet his workers before he gave them assignments.

He was smart, but still evil.

Blake had weapon training before, Gambol Shroud's gun mode was simply the most she was proficient in. She pulled back the charging handle, catching the bullet before it slipped out. Placing the bullet back in, she pushed the handle and raised the rifle, turning off the laser sight so as to not attract attention.

It was strange to hear Batman having her use a gun, not for the reason, but because of the context. As far as she knew, the Caped Crusader had a hard stance against guns.

She chuckled silently to herself, remembering that he was dressed like an actual legitimate superhero, and being a superhero means he has some sort of secret identity. Unfortunately, none of what she saw pointed to anything specifically close, having thought he would've been a politician in disguise, but he seemed too nice despite the hardened persona.

And honest too.

Blake peered through the scope, taking aim at one of the rifles in the man's hands. A pair of inmates stood side by side, surveying the scenery. Her aim was still, breathing in slow breaths to keep her hands steady.

There was method to their surveillance: the one on the left moved Twelve o' clock to three, back to twelve; the other followed him from the opposing nine. That way they wouldn't miss anything from the front. Smart.

Unfortunately for them, they were dealing with her and a conveniently dressed vigilante for the occasion.

Blake let out a breath, steadying her hand and calming her nerves as her finger daintily touched against the trigger. As a faunus, she was able to catch the Dark Knight stalking towards the raised platform nearby. Even knowing those snipers didn't have the same sight as her, it was fascinating to see the man move so swiftly and not get caught.

"Now?" Blake spoke through the comm link.

"Not yet," his voice was hushed, but she was still able to make it out. Blake only watched as the guards continued swiveling their rifles once more until both had been angled just barely out from the front, "Take the shot!"

She squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

With almost perfect precision, she watched as the bullet smashed into the left man's rifle, leaving a deep gouge in the metal body before her shot suddenly ricocheted off the first and smashed into the rifle of the second, stumbling both men as the Dark Knight flew into action almost literally.

The faint sound of his grapple gun scraping against the concrete ledge echoed in the distance as Blake watched the man move almost formlessly, the cape billowing out in several directions as his fists smashed several times over into the first man, knocking him out against the building wall before quickly moving on the next. The former gunman stumbled back, nearly falling off the ledge before Batman caught him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him back on the ledge before shortly smashing his head against the floor, rending both men unconscious in approximately seven seconds flat.

And Blake counted.

"Good job, let's keep moving," the man certainly didn't mince words, neither did Blake as she wordlessly leaped off the tower in a typical catlike grace, tucking and rolling as her feet hit the grass.

A minute later, Blake joined him atop the ledge, cutting down the previously hanging bodies on the way there. Climbing through a nearby hole previously covered by a grate, the pair found themselves in a room filled with stacks of paper and other junk, their only way through being a door on the other side.

"What is this place?"

"I can answer that one. If we're talking formerly, this was a mansion belonging to Amadeus Arkham," Oracle answered, though that felt as if explaining required an hour-long history lesson, "Now? It's been renovated to hold records, archives dating back several decades, as well as several rooms serving as offices for the doctors employed here."

"Doctor's offices... like that other doctor you were talking about earlier," Blake noted as they passed through the doors, greeted by a ledge overlooking a massive room covered in scattered records and other miscellaneous papers. Between the stairways was three inmate, one holding a rifle, standing in front of a bronze statue of Warden Sharp himself, cane in hand and looking quite proud of himself.

Typical.

Blake turned towards her bat-themed counterpart, "One armed, two unarmed. I'll take the guy with the gun."

"Leave the armed one to me, you take out the other two."

"What, you think I'm not ready?"

"No, I didn't bring spare Aura boosters with me. Conserve as much as you can, it's going to be a long night Blake."

The girl let out a sigh. He made a good point and she didn't like it. Then again, Yang had a bad habit of taking out the baddies before she did. Blake's face turned grim... and not the ugly evil creature kind. Shit, Yang could've even made a shitty pun out of that too.

'You'll see them again soon, Blake, just wait a little longer,' she chided herself as the two finally threw themselves into action.

With that, a plan already came to mind.

Batman took the slow and glide-y route, boots first directly into the armed one's face; Blake opted for an immediate jump, clearing the distance in a single bound as she unhooked Gambol Shroud from her back. Shifting the sword into its pistol form, Blake fired and threw the weapon, watching as it spun and dug itself into the concrete handrail. Using the momentum in that moment, Blake pulled out the grapple hook from her side and fired into the other stairwell. With a sharp intake of oxygen, Blake pulled with all her might.

Both inmates could do nothing but watched a young girl in a little black bow slingshot her way towards them with the speed of a cannonball, twisting herself into the air as her legs locked around one man's neck and her arms locked the other in a chokehold as well, using the remaining force in her body to flip them over and slam their skulls into the ground. A loud thud followed suit as their bodies went limp.

By the time Batman had finished with the first thug, Blake was already back on her feet, prying her weapon out of the railing and sheathing it, "...What?"

"Smart move," was all he responded as he brushed past her, "Though it does feel like you're showing off."

"That's not...!" Blake was about to say before the man gave her a look, "Not... entirely true..."

"Hmph, come on."

Pulling off another grate and blowing up another wall, the two made their way through another ventilation shaft yet again conveniently sized for the both of them.

Both of them dropping down, they found themselves on another ledge, this time overlooking... a great number of inmates. All of which were digging through records.

Blake sighed, "I'm guessing this is going to be another trend."

"The records or the thugs?"

"Yes," Blake snipped before looking back, rolling her shoulders and neck back as she felt the bones pop underneath, "Ugh, let's just get this over with."

"Welcome to my world, it never gets old," Batman responded in that monotone growl of his as he popped the bones in his knuckles in turn, "It could be worse though."

Blake quirked in eyebrow upwards, "Do tell me how it could get any worse than this."

*Ding ding!*

Blake's stomach sank like a stone.

"Joker here with a little update for you all! We have Dr. Young. Bad news is she's not talking. She's hidden a document somewhere in the mansion and I want it found!"

"Like that," Blake didn't look at him, but she could practically feel the painfully sympathetic smile on his face.

"I've got a plan or six to loosen her tongue, but in the meantime, search every kook and granny. There's a prize for whoever finds them."

This time Blake turned to the man, "Should we start keeping score now?"

"Every time Joker pulls another trick or the inmates on our way through?"

"I'd say the inmates... wait-" she did a double-take, "How often does that clown do this?"

"Too many times to keep score," Batman answered bluntly, glancing at the deadfish look on her face, "You get used to it."

"Gods, I hope I don't.

With that being said, the two made their way down, both landing smack in the middle of the mess of inmates now surrounding them.

"It's the freakin' Ba-"

Blake's fist careened into the man's jaw, this time with a little extra aura to make it quick.

This... was going to be a long night.

Disclaimer: Yep, it's been a while. Sue me.

First thing I want to address is the chapters. Since I'll try to put them out at a somewhat faster pace from now on, but I'll be writing them shorter but with a lot more meat in-between if you hadn't noticed already. I wish to prioritize quality over quantity for this story since I'm beginning to get a better grip of how I want Blake and Bats' interactions to go about for the following chapters/stories.

I understand many were waiting for this story to be updated even years after this story was on hiatus. I was rather inspired by the numerous amount of fics that Sai and I had inspired in turn, so let's just say I felt a bit proud and wanted to bring this story back from the dead.

With that being said, I hope you all enjoyed the bants and contents and anything else I have inserted in. I am completely open to constructive criticisms or advice one wishes to give.

I thank you all, and it's been a while since I said this too, so...

In the meantime, stay beautiful all you ladies, gents, and everyone else in between. I love you all.