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Bang!
The gunshot went off and the sound rang in the boy’s ears as he watched his parents fall to the ground, blood quickly pooling around them like a leaking roof.
“Mother! Father!” he ran over to them and gripped their hands tightly, “wake up! Please, wake up for me!”
The father was already long gone, but the woman looked down at her son with the only strength she could gather in the moment. Her eyes shone in the moonlight as they filled with tears.
“Wakatoshi, come here.”
He crawled closer to his mother, so he was leaning over her to make it easier for her to see.
“I love you, my son. Always remember that. I love you. Go on in life and do good for the world. For me.”
Tears began to fill Wakatoshi’s eyes as he watched his mother’s chest rise and fall for the last time as she took her last breath.
The cries and screams that came from the alleyway began to direct passerby’s attention, and eventually the police came to the scene.
With a comforting hand on the boy’s back and shoulder, they led him towards an ambulance, where they sat him down in blankets and offered him hot chocolate.
They began to question what had happened, trying to get an answer to this mysterious death, but the boy sat in silence. Eyes laser-focused on the white painted lines on the road, face stone-cold as he ignored all of the officers’ questions.
Eventually, the paramedics and doctors on the scene ushered the policemen and women away to give the boy room, as they had to figure out what to do with the young boy in terms of upbringing.
The family butler, who had been counted as part of the family for some time, stepped up to raise the boy. Tanji Washijo was his name, and Wakatoshi had began to think of him as a father as time went on. When asked, the young boy would say that Washijo was harder on him then his normal father, but the push that he gave him in the right direction was a good one.
At the funeral, Wakatoshi remained silent. He did not cry, or yell, or even frown. He mainly scowled at everyone that asked him if he was alright, or offered him water, or even just looked at him a moment too long.
People he didn’t know attended, which was expected as the Ushijimas were a very well-known and renowned family, but to Wakatoshi it was merely… stupid.
Most of them probably didn’t give a flying shit about them, some maybe even wishing death on them out of jealousy. So why the hell did any of them deserve to be here?
“Wakatoshi Ushijima?”
Wakatoshi turned slowly to meet the eyes of a greying man.
“Mr Washijo?”
“How many times must I tell you to call me Tanji, Master Wakatoshi?”
Wakatoshi was left without an answer, as Tanji held out his hand.
“I’ve spoken to the officials, I will be your legal guardian as of now, Master Wakatoshi.”
Silence.
Wakatoshi had never been one to talk much, but this was a new level of silence for him.
“Thank you,” Wakatoshi hesitated, “Tanji. Thank you, Tanji.”
Tanji smiled graciously. “Don’t worry about it, Master Wakatoshi.”
Silence, again.
“Tanji?”
“Yes, Master Wakatoshi?”
“I want to kill them.”
Tanji choked for a moment. “I…I’m sorry, Master Wakatoshi?”
Wakatoshi’s eyes were as dull and bored as they had always been, without a fleck of emotion.
“The bad people that killed my parents. The bad people that kill everyone’s parents. I want to kill them all.”
Tanji was taken aback. Not at the fact that Wakatoshi wanted revenge, of course. It was normal for a person to feel vengeance against those who had wronged them so greatly. But murder? That wasn’t something a child would often think about.
“Master Wakatoshi,” Tanji thought carefully, making sure to word this correctly. “I don’t believe murder is the solution.”
Wakatoshi’s head tilted a little as he looked up at the older man. “But if I don’t kill them, they could come back.”
“If you do kill them, you will be no better than your parents’ murderer. You will have gotten rid of evil, but while doing so, you will inherit said evil. Do you understand?”
Wakatoshi’s eyes wandered into the distance. He looked somewhere in front of them with a nostalgic expression. “Mother told me to do good in the world. The last thing I’d like to do is disobey her.”
“An eye for an eye is not always the solution. You’ll realise that as well over time, too.”
Wakatoshi maintained his thoughtful expression.
“Do you like bats, Tanji?”
“I do, Master Wakatoshi.”
“Do you like superheroes?”
“I do as well.”
“I have an idea.”
ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
“You'll never get me, you’ll never get me, you’ll never get me! ”
The wild redhead ran and weaved through the vats and up the stairs, ignoring the hellfire of bullets whistling past his ears.
“God fucking damn it, you bastard ! Stop running!”
The redhead never broke his stride. How did it get like this? He’d never figure it out. One minute he was helping two random men who offered big sums of money break into this shithole of a workplace, and the next he was escaping from the police department, probably about to die.
He kept running, turning random corners that he could hardly keep track of anymore, despite the several tiresome hours he had spent labouring away in these walls.
Eventually, he was cornered.
It was like a movie. He was cowering against the wall, looking down over the railing of the balcony, staring at the bright green ooze that was bubbling away. Two men were several feet in front of him, holding guns up with the fingers on the triggers, ready to shoot.
“Please, don’t shoot. I won’t run if you don’t shoot.” He attempted to keep a calm voice, but God was he terrified. His wild nature and exterior was misleading.
He was, as they say, shaking in his boots.
“ Now you’re fucking begging for mercy. Scumbag.” The man on the left spat saliva, and the other one grunted in agreement.
“What a fucking whore. What happened to us not being able to catch you?”
The redhead’s eyes widened. Sure, he had sounded cocky and crazy, but that was just how he is. He said things he immediately regretted a few seconds later. It was just in his nature.
“I’m sorry about that. I really am, just please , I need to get back to Jeannie.”
“Who the fuck is Jeannie and why do I give a shit about her?”
“What if he’s talking about that pregnant woman that died in that car crash? The one that was poor?”
The redhead’s pace quickened and his breathing shortened.
“A pregnant woman died in a car crash? Named Jeannie?”
“The fuck does that matter to you?”
“What was her last name? Please, please just give me that.”
The men hesitated for a moment, unsure if this crazy man was being genuine.
Eventually, one of them slipped. “Tendou. Her name was Jeannie Tendou.”
There was a calm before the tsunami. The tsunami of tears that escaped the redhead man as he crumpled to the floor, weeping.
“What the fuck is wrong with him?”
“Fuck me if I know!”
They watched the man continue weeping, until there was the noise of shattering glass and a thud just behind the men holding guns.
They all knew who it was. Who else would make such a dramatic appearance, not say a word and come off so moody and emo , even as a superhero?
“Batman.”
It sounded almost hilarious. Batman . What a fucking lame name. Everybody was at least laughing internally.
Some of which, accidentally began laughing externally as well.
The redhead’s sad weeping had been replaced with laughter weeping, as he let out hysterical laughs at the now-disgruntled hero’s name.
“ Batman ! What… what kind of name is that? How much do you- do you like bats?!” the redhead could hardly form sentences from his hysterical laughter.
Batman didn’t say anything. He simply watched as the redhead died of laughter and the men with guns watched with pure fear in their eyes.
“Done?”
“Almost, I promise!”
The laughter died down eventually, and that was when everything took action.
In one swift moment, both armed men were disarmed and tied together with a rope. Batman was standing over a terrified redhead, who was on his knees in an almost begging position.
“What happened to your laughter?” Batman’s voice was deep and gravelly.
Had the redhead’s pants always been this tight? That wasn’t an issue for the moment.
“I’m sorry, I really am. I promise I meant nothing by it. Please, please spare me.”
“I can’t think of a reason why I should.”
The redhead knew he was screwed. Fucked. Dead fucking meat. He looked around the tiny balcony, evaluating his options. There weren’t many, but there was one that would work.
He stared down at the green ooze. No, he wasn’t that crazy.
Was he?
One step, one hand and one leap. That was all it took for the redhead to be consumed by the bright green ooze that had been bubbling for who-knew-how-long. He was consumed by darkness, and God, did he welcome it.
ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
“Tell me, Mr Joker, how did you become… this, again?”
“Well, I’ve told you this several times, dear SemiSemi. I jumped into green ooze, awoke in sludge and bada-bing, bada-boom, here I am!”
Joker threw a signature wild smile at Eita, as he only watched in a concerned manner.
“...Right.”
Silence stood between them, broken when Joker leaned forward, getting close to Eita’s face.
Eita jolted back immediately.
“Say, SemiSemi, you look like a fun person. Why don’t you join me? We’ll have lots of fun together!”
“Criminal activity is not up my lane, Mr Joker, but thank you.”
Joker smiled mischievously. “Oh, I never said it was that kind of fun!”
Eita stared blankly for a moment, before realising. “I have a boyfriend, Mr Joker. But, again, thank you.”
“Well, what’s his name?”
“Kenjirou, Mr Joker.”
“Then,” Joker sat back lazily, before continuing, “Kenjirou should join us as well!”
“We are not exactly in an open relationship, Mr Joker.”
“Oh, I never said it was that kind of fun!”
The mock was thick in that sentence, Eita knew it.
“Look, Mr Joker, if you are only going to mess around, I don’t see why we’re-”
“Spend a night with me, SemiSemi.”
Eita stared blankly.
“Not like that. Have some fun with me, bring Kenjirou too. I promise it will all be legal unless you wish otherwise.”
Eita looked as if he was considering his options.
“Please, SemiSemi. I’m so lonely by myself. Give a man some fun?”
Eita stared at Joker. Joker stared back. Eita gave in.
“Fine.” he stated, reluctantly. “I’ll call Kenjirou. But, I can assure you that everything will stay legal.”
The next morning they were featured on the news for breaking several laws and becoming the top most-wanted villains in Gotham.
ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
“Batman.”
“Joker.”
They stood, several feet apart, on a small roof of an apartment. They stared each other down, and Joker was seriously starting to consider that Batman had a secret pants-tightening superpower because he was almost certain he had been able to move comfortably a few minutes ago.
They said nothing for minutes that felt like hours. They had nothing to say.
“I see you got yourself a sidekick as well.”
Batman stiffened. “Robin is my partner.”
Joker smiled devilishly.
“Didn’t you have red hair the first time I saw you?”
Tension? Cut. Hotel? Trivago.
“I… did. Why does that matter?”
“It was only an observation. I did not realise I was correct, but now I have clarification.”
Joker was speechless. Well, not speechless enough to not mutter, “What the fuck?”, but still pretty speechless.
“You’re an interesting fellow, Batman. Has anyone ever told you that?”
Batman looked just as speechless, which was saying something for the monotone hero.
“They often say quite the opposite.”
“I can imagine.”
Batman blinked. “That was… honest.”
Joker nodded. “It was. I, by no means, am trying to be rude. I am simply stating my observation.”
Silence, for the third time now.
Joker slowly walked towards Batman. Eventually they were face-to-face.
“Say, Batman, what was your real name again?”
“That is information you should not know.”
Joker looked down as he chuckled. “Dang, I thought I could get it out of you. Guess you’re just as tough as you come off as, am I right?”
Batman wasn’t sure what to say. Other than the fact that Joker was very, undeniably hot .
He cursed himself for those thoughts.
“Wakatoshi.”
Joker looked up, a questioning expression sitting on his face.
“My name is Wakatoshi. That is all I will tell you.”
Joker smiled widely. “Wakatoshi, please tell me you’re not that easy.”
Regret filled a perfectly-composed Wakatoshi as he watched Joker double over in laughter in a maniac-like way.
“Satori Tendou. My name is Satori Tendou. You can tell whoever you like. Tell Tom, Dick or Harry, I don’t care. Let the world know my name, Satori Tendou.”
Wakatoshi watched as Satori danced around, repeating his name over and over again.
For no reason at all, he didn’t want to tell anyone. He wanted Satori’s name to be kept to himself.
Privacy and confidentiality reasons, of course. Nothing more.
Satori walked back over to be face-to-face with Wakatoshi, smiling widely.
“Say, Wakatoshi, will I see you again?”
“As long as you live, Satori.”
Satori’s smile somehow widened even further.
“Good.”