C. Cowboy: howdy, this my first of my many planned Digimon fics. I hope you guys like it. It's a cross over between Batman (animated version) and Tamers. A lot of questions should be brought up from this chapter, but rest assured all questions will be answered in time. This is also going to be a Rukato btw, so if you don't like that pairing you've been warned. This is also a teaser chapter, it may be a little while before it's next updated, it all depends on how many reviews I get for it. But anyway, on with the fic, and I hope you enjoy the story! R&R please!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Digimon Tamers characters, nor do I own Robin, Two-Face, or Batman. I would have a lot more money they I do now if I did, now wouldn't I?

MASKS

Chapter 1: Bird of Prey

12:32 A.M. Downtown Tokyo …

All wounds heal in time.

A lone figure walks carefully in the shadows, high above the lighted streets, his eyes watching over the people walking below him. He finally sees a situation he's looking for.

Whoever said that didn't have me in mind, I guess

A young girl is taking a shortcut through an old ally, with two larger men walking just a little ways behind her. 'Guilmon would know what they were up to,' the figure thought as he shrugged the long cape from his shoulders, revealing red and black tights beneath it.

I came here to escape all this, the masks, the costumes, the nightly torture

He pulled a gun-like object from his belt and fired it at an overhang. A grappling hook launched from the end, which latched on to the overhang. 'Those guys are just at the wrong place at the wrong time.'

I felt relief when I was fighting in the Digital World, but I was just hiding behind yet another mask, or goggles, whatever.

"W-What do you want?" the girl whimpered backing into a corner as the two men approached her.

"Everything you got, baby," one of the men smirked.

"Nothing personal," the other said, "you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

That's all over now, the Digital World's no longer in danger, and my job as a Tamer is done. But his damn training remains, and I feel the call every night. I truly hate him, especially when I'm mentally forced to do this …

"Hey," a voice called behind the men. The two turned to see a young boy swing down. No older then 15 years old, he was clothed in red and black armored tights, a long flowing black cape with yellow trim, a domino mask, and a black circle with a gold 'R' the left side of his chest. "Nothing personal," he said in a low voice, "you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

And yet … I never feel more alive then when I do this …

One of the two men rushed the boy, 'fool,' the boy thought as he jump kicked him in the face, causing him to fall backwards. The other attempted to slash at him with a knife, the boy parried the attack with an extendable staff from his belt. The boy swung the staff around his body with great skill before hitting the man in the chest then in the sweeping his legs with it.

Four years ago I was Tim Drake,

He replaced the staff, and pulled out a black bat-shaped boomerang, hitting the thug's retreating friend in the back of the head sending him to dream land.

Earlier today I was Takato Matsuda,

The boy slowly walked toward the cowering girl, "It's ok, they won't hurt you now." He said in a cold emotionless voice.

"Who are you?" she asked as he tied up the two men.

He stood up and drew the grappling gun from his belt, "I'm no one," he said simply firing and swinging away.

Tonight … I'm just Robin.

--

"Takato!" Takato's mother called from down stairs, "Get up, you're going to be late for school!"

Takato ran down the stairs into pulling his shirt over his head with his trademark goggles in his hand. "Hi, Mom, bye, mom," he said running out the door, grabbing a piece of toast and Guilmon's bread on the way.

He dashed out of the bakery and made a beeline toward the park and Guilmon's shed. Because of him oversleeping, he had to literally throw the bread at his Digimon partner and dash out of the park. 

Takato dashed into the school, ten minutes late, no big surprise.

"Another late night, Takato?" Henry, Takato's best friend and fellow Digimon Tamer, asked with a wink, handing him the notes he missed.

Henry was the only human in Tokyo who knew of Takato's past, His 'parents' knew he was placed in danger because of his adopted father, Bruce Wayne, but they never knew it was more from his own birth father placing him in danger. Years ago, Takato's, then known as Tim Drake, father stole a great deal of money from the crime lord Harvey Dent, better known as Two-Face. He didn't know how, but he finally found out that Tim was infact Robin, and tracked him down. And on a dark night four years ago, something happened that only Two-Face, Tim, and Bruce Wayne, The Batman, knows about.

Not long after that Tim left his hometown of Gotham City, in the United States, to Tokyo Japan, to live with some old friends of his adopted father, The Matsudas. Tim took on the name Takato, to blend in better, and has lived that way for the last four years of his life. After his adventures with the other Digimon Tamers, his thirst for adventure and excitement continued, until he finally one year ago, removed the red and black armored costume his mentor and adopted Father had given him, and Robin haunted the night once more.  

Henry discovered Takato's secret about two months ago, when he had came over to study for a test with Takato. Takato had forgot about him coming, and was preparing to go on patrol. Just as he was about to place on the domino mask, Henry walked into his bedroom, and the two locked eyes as deer in headlights.

Henry slowly turned and shut the door, then turned back around and looked at his friend, "you've got to be kidding me," Henry said with a smile, "I know you anywhere, I've seen your pictures. I can't my best friend is a real life urban legend!"

Takato, or Tim, trusted Henry with his secret, and his friend honored it ten times over. Though he did tease him about it every now and then.

--

Back to the present, the school day drug on as it usually did, patrolling the skyline of the night then getting up for school early of the morning was a trial even for one trained by the legendary Batman himself.

"Thank god that's over with …" Takato moaned walking out of the school with Henry at his side.

"So how late were you last night?" Henry asked.

Takato looked around, still using his 'Takato' face, "Around three in the morning … I think," he whispered, a small blush.

"How in the world do you do it?" Henry asked as they continued walking down the street, "Three or four hours of sleep a night, then you let Rika call you weak. If I were you, I'd have already told her just to get her off my back."

"She'd just either laugh at me, thinking I'm joking," Takato sighed, "Or she'd hit me, and she can hit really hard, or worse yet, go out and try to do what I do too. I'm not sure what I'd do if she got hurt because of me."

"Yeah, no one ever wants to see the one they love hurt," Henry said in a casual voice.

"Yeah," Takato nodded before freezing, "I mean no … I mean … Waa!" Takato stuttered growing the color of a tomato.

Henry let out a laugh, "You fell right into that one," He joked, shoving Takato lightly.

"Hardy har-har," Takato groaned, trying to hide the blush over his nose and cheeks, but grew serious when he saw Henry looking over his shoulder worriedly. "What is it?"

Takato turned to see a Television display in an electronics store window. On every monitor was a special report symbol in the corner and the picture of a school building. "That's Rika's school," Henry said, not understanding what was going on.

"Shush," Takato said, listening closely to the reporter.

"… The hostage situation has grown more serious by the second. So far, ten armed men are inside the school and holding the students hostage, we have one known young girl and a Digimon, who attempted to overtake the men, were injured by gunshots. The police and the men are at a stand off …" the reporter informed. 

"We need to get the Digimon," Henry said, "but Terriermon is at my house on the other side of town and Guilmon is at the park, it'll take a long while to get them and get to Rika's school. What should we do, Takato? Takato?" Henry asked looking around, finding himself along in the crowd, "Takato?"

--

Rika Makino would never admit this after this was over with, but she was very much afraid, and rightfully so. Her Digimon partner, Renamon, had tried to save her and her classmates, only ended up being stopped when the gunmen grabbed a young girl. While Renamon was stopped, another man shot her five times in the back. Now Rika stood watching her Digimon gasp for air, with a gun to her own head. 

"Reno, is the roof secure?" the apparent leader of the men said into a radio.

"Yeah, boss," a voice responded, "There's no way anyone can get up here, we've got every corner …AHHHH!!!"

 "Reno? RENO??" the man yelled, "Reno?? What's happening up there??"

Suddenly the lights in the school all went out, and the gunmen and students both looked very edgy. "Mitch," the boss said over the radio.

"Yeah, boss," Mitch said, sliding the door to the classroom the men and students were held up in.

 "Are the hallways secured?" The Boss asked, "Someone's on the-" but his sentence was cut off as Mitch was jerked back into the darkened hallway screaming.

The man holding Rika started trembling slightly, while pushing the barrel of the gun into Rika's hair. "Renamon …" Rika whimpered, not taking her mind off her Digimon partner.

"Shut up, girl," The Boss growled, "Ken, lets check out what's going on outside," he said making his way toward the door.

"Ok … this is creepy …" Ken stuttered with the same shocked expression as Rika and the Boss. All up and down the hallway were the men from the roof and hallway. They were unconscious, tied up in black cables, and hanging upside down swinging slightly. They were so surprised by the hallway they didn't notice the small sounds coming from the room they just exited. 

"Back in the room," The boss ordered, "Back in the room!"

The two then almost literally jumped into the room, with Rika dragging behind. "What in the name of …" Ken gasped looking around the room. Renamon remained in the corner, though with a strange sinister smile. But the hostages were missing and the two remaining guards were tied up in the middle of the room, unconscious.

"Let … her … go …" a voice called from the shadows; Ken and the boss looked and only saw two, white, reflective eyes.

The boss pulled his handgun and fired several shots into the shadow. "There … that took care of that," He said holstering his gun and turning toward their one remaining hostage.

"I said … let her go … now," the voice commanded again, this time even more forcefully.

"Who … what are you?" he asked, pulling the gun again, only to have it knocked out of his hand by a bat-shaped boomerang. A red and black blur then shot from the shadows, a large pole launching up hitting Ken's gun just as he was about to fire on Rika. The gun's bullet passed through her ponytail, making her scream in fright.

The boy scooped Rika up in his arms, and jumped into the air, kicking the two men at the same time. He leaped back beside Renamon and set Rika beside her. "Stay here," he ordered the awestruck Digimon Tamer before returning to the dazed criminals.

The masked teen dashed toward Ken and slammed one end of his staff right between the thug's eyes sending him on the ground, before sending a field-goal kick up between his legs, sending him down the rest of the way.

"And then there was one," the boy said standing up, facing the fearful boss, "So what will it be, the easy way … or the fun way?"

"I … I know you … you're Robin … but … but you're … you're supposed to be dead …" the Boss whimpered.

"The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated," Robin said with a smirk.

The Boss then dove for the gun, at the same time Robin dove at him. He grabbed the gun and pointed it at the Boy Wonder, and fired a single shot, which clipped his arm. The masked teen grunted, before reared back, and punched the boss in the face, making his nose make several cracking noises. The man slumped back and the young hero stood back gripping his arm.

"I'm getting sloppy," Robin said before turning his attention to an item on the floor, "You ok?" he asked Rika reaching down and picking up Rika's D-Arc that Ken dropped.

"Ahuh …" Rika said a bright blush on her face, "T-thank you …"

"Here, you're that Digimon's Tamer right?" Robin asked tossing her the D-Arc, "I trust you have a recover digicard."

"Yeah," Rika said reaching for her cards, "But how did you know I was …" She started but slowed to a stopped when she looked up to find her and Renamon alone. 

"Who … was that guy?" Rika asked blinking with confusion.

Renamon just sighed, as Rika used her recover modify card on her. 'Takato …' she thought, 'what are you hiding from us …'

--

A short while later, Rika sat on the bumper of an ambulance with a blanket draped over her shoulder. 'Who was that guy?' she mentally asked herself, 'Why did he seem so familiar …'

"Rika!" she heard her name called. She looked up to see Henry with Terriermon running up to her, "You ok? We heard one of the hostages and a Digimon was shot, and me and Takato both thought it was you," he explained catching his breath.

Rika couldn't help but give a faint smile at the concern looks from Henry and Terriermon, who were unusually quiet for once, and then she noticed something missing. "It was someone else who was shot, and where's Taka …er … Gogglehead? Isn't he with you?"

"Uhh …" Henry breathed, the color fading from his features, "Um he … he had something important to do, he said he hoped you were alright and he'd meet up with you later."

"Oh … okay …" Rika said, sounding disappointed. The important thing he's doing is probably Jeri, isn't it?" Rika asked bitterly.

"Rika …" Henry sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"I know, I know," Rika breathed, "Just when ever I don't need him he's my shadow, then the one time I do want to talk, he's off doing whatever …" 

"Don't worry," Henry said with a nod, "He might surprise you sooner or later."

"Gogglehead?" Rika chuckled, "Goggles couldn't surprise Guilmon asleep."

Henry could only chuckle as he thought, 'If you only knew …'

--

A few hours later, several thousand miles away, a man set alone at a desk, in a barely lit warehouse. He was in a three-piece suit, thought two patterns split down the middle, and half of his face was hideously scared. He sat there patiently flipping a two-headed coin, one head shinny and nearly untouched, the other side dirty and scared, into the air over and over again.

"Two-Face sir!" A man said running up to the desk, "You may want to see this!" he said handing the man a tabloid newspaper. On the front page was Robin swinging out of the private school earlier that day.

"So … the kid's shown back up finally," Two-Face said an evil grin crossing his face. "Good head: we leave him to his peaceful life in his new home," he then flipped the coin again, "Bad head: we go and finish what we started."

Two-Face flipped the coin again. It went high into the air before landing in his palm, and then slapped down against his forearm. Two-Face smiled, "Call the boys, and book a flight," he said standing up, "We're going to go say hello to our little bird."

To Be Continued …