Story [Batman Begins (Nolan)]?Cold?Bruce; Henri

Fandom: BM (Nolan)
Title: Cold
Author(s): Aludra_Jinnobi
Timeframe: BB
Characters: Bruce Wayne, Henri Ducard
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama, Angst, Humour
Summary: Sometimes an exercise in survival training challenges more than the student. Vignette.
Warnings: some language, rather slight angst
Beta: none
Disclaimer: I don?t have any claim on the world of Batman. It belongs to DC Comics and Nolan. I only borrow it. No money is being made from this, nor is it sought after.


When weak or injured always continue training
as you should always be able to adapt in any condition.
?Soke Hatsumi Masaaki


Cold. Damn, it was cold. Bruce shivered, even though he?d followed Henri?s advice half an hour ago and rubbed his chest as if he could start a blaze inside himself from the friction. It didn?t help that the crazy bastard had purposefully let their campfire go out.

By straining his eyes, Bruce could see Henri?s dark form lying motionless. He was probably fast asleep. Bruce tried in vain to still his chattering teeth and forget his aches and bruises. Frustrated, he rolled over, only to find a new rock under his side.

Yet Bruce kept quiet. Complaining was ?pointless? as Henri was fond of telling him. It would only earn him either a rebuke for weakness, or another midnight run about the snow-covered mountainside. Neither prospect was appealing.

An indistinct, barely-there sound shattered his miserable thoughts like a sword striking ice. Instantly, he was on his feet, all senses alert. He cast his gaze about himself, but saw nothing out of place until... Where was Henri?

Not another game of Find-the-Ninja-Ghost-of-a-Damned-Ducard. Bruce sighed?then flinched as cold leather touched the back of his neck.

?Henri,? he said. It wasn?t a question.

?You should be asleep.? Henri emerged from the shadows at Bruce?s side.

?In this weather??

?You?ll never harden your body without pushing it beyond what is comfortable.? Henri frowned.

?Easy for you to say. You?re the one who gets to enjoy me freezing my arse off!?

?I?m wearing no more than you are.?

?Sorry,? Bruce said in a low voice.

?Apology accepted,? Henri said, then added, ?if you can keep your teeth from chattering until I fall asleep.?

Suddenly, Bruce laughed. He couldn?t help it. ?I was keeping you awake!?

Henri evaded his eyes for a moment, then gave a short sigh. ?You were,? he admitted. ?Even ninja masters are not invincible.?

?But legends...? Bruce said, almost to himself.

?Are immortal, Mister Wayne.?

Bruce lay down again, and watched as Henri returned to his place on the other side of the burnt-out campfire. Somehow, he felt warmer than before. It was not long until he fell asleep.

 

The great Master kept up by poor Bruce! Awesome, I love it.

I also liked this line:

Find-the-Ninja-Ghost-of-a-Damned-Ducard


Great story, I really enjoyed it!

 

Loved it Aludra. It's short and to the point but you capture so much: what Bruce has been through and what he's trying to become. I especially like the 'complaining is useless', comment which is very true.

Great job!

~Piper

 

LOL! Bruce kept him awake, how cute!

Really liked the ending too, so sweet. I could see the scene in the movie, as if it were a deleted scene.

Really nice job!

 

Very nice indeed.

I like Nolan's re-interpretation of the Batman mythos. So much better than the cheesy movies that came out before.

And this scene seemed to truly capture the overall tone of the new movies. More than a deleted scene, IMO...this was a true moment, if that makes any sense.

 

Thanks!

Thank you. I try, with all my fics, even the short ones, to get a bit of the larger sense of the characters and story into it, so I'm glad you think I succeeded this time. The complaining line came from Ducard's comment to Bruce after he dismisses the party-goers at the end of BMB. It just seemed to fit.

That was my aim, to expand the glimpse of Bruce's training we get to see in the movie. Thank you.

I've never seen the other versions?was never even tempted to. I'm not a big fan of men-in-shiny tights movies. *laughs* But BMB and TDK feel more grounded, and they've broken my non-superhero movie rule.

It makes sense. Thank you.