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It happened so fast, he hadn't time to breathe let alone think.
Jake's laughter broke the silence of the abandoned warehouse, his thick heavy boot crushing painfully against his skull. But Kotetsu made no sound, his breathing even gone quiet in the face of the criminal. His eyes, blank and devoid of light, flickered every so often, mostly when Kriem--that was her name, right?--walked past but occasionally when he heard the voices of his comrades echoing out from the small radio sitting on a nearby crate.
Jake snorted at their feeble attempts to reason with him.
"What do you want?!" Barnaby's voice snarled, his anger still present long after his confrontation with Kotetsu and trust issues.
Jake proceeded to announce his boredom with a swift but hard kick to the older man's ribs, and Kotetsu tried to hold it in, but a loud squeal of pain almost shattered the windows. His body was weak, his head numb and dizzy, and his spirit diminished into a pile of ash at his feet. There was no strength left in him to fight--he'd given up after four long hours of torture, strapped crudely to the wall like a medieval prisoner. Hell, he was half certain the things he'd been subjected to were from the Dark Ages.
Jake, as he had quickly found out, was both a sadist and a psycho. Blood made him sing, and screams created a purr of arousal deep within his throat. Kotetsu, from the moment he had been snagged roughly from the fire escape where Barnaby had left him after a harsh venting to his current position of lying on the floor like a used rag doll, had been beaten black and blue. With no will left for himself, he desperately pleaded with his fellow Heroes to get him out of this Hell.
Someone, Sky High he thought, stammered out a hesitant reply of some compliance. But Jake, who had since grown too irritated and uninterested, cut him off, finally stepping away from his victim's battered head. Kotetsu breathed a sigh of relief, the pressure lessening inside his pounding head. But as with everything in his godforsaken life; his comfort was short lived. Jake was in the mood again for entertainment. And Kotetsu had long since become his favourite toy--Kotetsu silently wished for the hour when Jake would finally get bored and give him some peace. He wouldn't wish for Death, not yet.
There was a tap, a click, and then a projection of a large screen. Jake flashed a crooked smile, to the faces of the Heroes watching nervously. Kotetsu dared to tilt his head and look up, eyes scanning the rows of expressions for any signs of sympathy towards his plight. But all he got was fear and anger, all towards Jake. It was like he never existed. And it was only a second later, when Jake pulled him up by the hair, his swollen bloodied face on display and there were cries of alarm that Kotetsu realized they hadn't even known he was there. They hadn't even noticed that he was gone.
Jake's face was cruel, eyes glinting with a sadistic light, like a forest burning down in giant flames. Not so gingerly, he picked Kotetsu up in a way similar to how Barnaby used to. The mere memory made Kotetsu choke a little, recalling their last meeting and how the man now wished he had put a little faith into the blond Hero. Perhaps he wouldn't be here now, being laid down upon a set of crates mimicking a table, like those used in science labs by the maddest of doctors. He stared up at the ceiling, a hole right above his head, the pale grey skies murky like clouded water threatening to cry their tears down upon him.
A soft gritty noise, like a dog that'd been sick for a long time then finally kicked up to make a whimper, grated against his ear drums. A needle in Jake's hand glowed a faint orange, Kriem eagerly bouncing on her heels at his side, supplying a spool of black thread.
"Wearing only his black under suit, it would blend in nicely." Jake had purred.
Sympathy is nonexistent to the ones who need it most.
The needle met his flesh with a painful poke, pushing slowly into his skin, breaking between thick layers of fat and muscle. The metal was hot, burning him like a bullet, the needle itself so red it was a wonder it hadn't melted yet. Kotetsu let out a scream, his voice cracking hoarsely as he faintly heard Barnaby do the same over the radio. Pain was all Kotetsu could feel in that moment. His skin peeling away from the hot needle like crisp, flimsy pieces of paper as Jake pulled it in and out of his arm over and over again. Kotetsu screamed and cried until he could not make another sound, left coughing and sobbing dryly on the crates like a child. At some point Jake had switched sides, and now, pulling the last knot and cutting the needle free. He looked over Kotetsu's body to grin at the obviously horrified public of Sternbild.
"Look," he crooned, delicately stroking Kotetsu's face in mockery of a lover. "Isn't he just gorgeous? My new toy..."
Kotetsu made a whining noise, Jake tugging slightly on the strings. Jake hummed a small tune, fiddling briefly with something off to the side, but the trapped Hero was no longer paying attention. The Ouroborus leader finally stood and returned his focus onto his prisoner, but stopped short and frowned, placing a hand upon his chin. He growled softly to himself, lips curling up to reveal yellowed teeth, an eyebrow rising in thought.
"It ain' good enough... something's missing, don't you think, Kriem?" he finally voiced, the girl at his side glancing up adoringly at her man.
"Why Mr. Jake, it's not pretty enough! Just look at that face, and that disgusting beard." the woman wrinkled her nose daintily, as if Kotetsu were a dead animal reeking of decay. Jake took her words into consideration, nodding to himself.
"Yes, I believe you are quite right..." he smirked, hovering over Kotetsu with an air of ill intent, scanning his body over, "But what to do? We could remove his eyes, but..."
Jake sighed, growling as he clenching a handful of his own hair. "Damn, they are such pretty eyes. Would be a real shame to ruin them by gouging them out. Lovely little amber things, don't you think Kriem?"
Kriem was more than eager to add her own two cents; "We could scoop them out and put them in a jar of preserves for safe keeping~!"
But Jake paused as an epiphany came to mind. Kotetsu heard him chuckle, and he felt his blood run cold, fearing that he may actually have his eyes gouged out with a spoon. The screaming and protests of his fellow Heroes had long since faded into the background, Kotetsu's attention focused solely on his captor as Jake cocked his head to Kriem.
"Darling... be a dear and get me some make up and paint. A razor will be needed, too."
Kotetsu lolled his head to the side, watching Kriem as she disappeared off into the depths of the warehouse. Beside him, Jake knelt and tapped his temple, eyes flickering dangerously with bloodlust. Kotetsu refused to acknowledge him, pretending instead to be dumb of senses and kept his eyes towards the direction where Kriem had left. Jake scoffed and slapped the side of his head. "You are starting to piss me off, Tiger-boy" he cooed, brushing off his pants as he rose and began circling the makeshift table. "What is it with you that just makes me want to scream and gut you until your innards spill out like water?"
With no answer, Jake kicked the crate. "I know you can hear me, dumbass. Fucking wake up before I ram my fist into your face."
Kriem reappeared and, sensing danger, made quick to pass the box of cosmetics off to her lover, calming him instantly. Kotetsu let out a breath he hadn't been aware of holding, wincing as the box slammed down before his head. A razor was lifted into view, and Kotetsu heard Barnaby snarl--the sound getting his hopes up-- before the feel of cold metal hit his skin. As with the needle, Jake was neither gentle nor kind in his work, and Kotetsu flinched tiredly multiple times when skin was shaved off instead of hair. His eyes watered, feeling the cold air hit his flesh where groomed stubble had once been. The lack of beard made him look ten years younger. Jake seemed to think so, too, and he let out a low whistle of approval.
"Not bad. He cleans up well, Kriem."
But the job was not over yet, Jake back to fiddling in the box and Kotetsu left with his heart pounding in anticipation for what was about to come next. Paint, white as snow, was splashed messily upon his skin, Jake cruelly intent on getting it into ever single orifice available. Kotetsu sputtered as the sickly smelling substance got up his nose, into his ears and mouth. It made him gag, his head spinning as the smell washed over his nerves and made him dumb. Next came red blush, spread into two perfect circles upon his cheeks like a clown.
"Close your damn eyes" Jake growled, Kriem forcing his lids shut as her lover roughly smudged black eye shadow over them until it looked as if his eyes actually had been gouged out and all that was left were two black pits of nothing. Kotetsu whined, trying to struggle, but even the smallest moment sent Jake into a rage, smacking the side of Kotetsu's head with a powder covered palm. Kotetsu was too dazed to fight back, even when they made a thick line of purple underneath each eye.
"Shit..." Jake huffed, wiping his hand on Kotetsu's leg. "Still missing something..."
Kriem was silent for a moment, eyeing Kotetsu with a frown on her face. Then she gasped, clapping her hands together in excitement. "I have it, Mr. Jake! He needs a smile--his frown is too hideous!"
Jake's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning, if said child was a deviant and had received a rocket launcher in his stocking. Taking the eye shadow again, thick and dark as charcoal, he attacked Kotetsu's mouth, smearing his fingers in a crude, skin pulling fashion, creating a half circle stretching between both red cheeks, completely covering his mouth with a fake, black smile. As if to add insult injury, Jake then took a tube of red lipstick, and with a Geisha in mind, made a pair of "puckered lips" above and below the smiling mouth.
"Ahhh... done!" he grinned.
Kotetsu, who had since given in to exhaustion, jerked away, his face sore and heavy with an unhealthy mixture of paint and make up. He tried to open his eyes, but they were too sore, Jake's touch too much to handle.
Instead he strained his ears to listen, the Heroes watching the ordeal having long since grown silent in anticipation. Kotetsu felt a small twinge of fear, the lack of supportive voices calling out to him was too unnerving. Why weren't they saying anything?
His body jerked arms on fire as they were forcefully lifted up by an invisible force. Kotetsu screamed as the thread embedded into his skin, creaking dangerously, threatening to break free from his muscle tissue. All the while, he heard Jake laughing and step up onto the crate behind him.
"Look, Heroes!" he hissed, shaking Kotetsu like a loose feather. "A genuine puppet!"
That got the Heroes going again, roars of fury and horror blasting from the tiny radio like a shockwave.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!?!" Antonio bellowed, and Kotetsu could imagine his face, full of anger and desire to rip – tear Jake apart.
Let him rip... tear...
The thought hissed in his brain like a snake, and for a moment Kotetsu was terrified, not of Jake, but himself. What if he was becoming a monster from being in here with these psychopaths? All the torture, pain and loneliness was getting to his head, turning him inside out. His heart fluttered, desperate to remind him that it was all in his head, that he had hope of getting out of here, and it was not too late. Jake ignored the yelling in his direction, agonizingly lifting Kotetsu up higher until his arms were spread out and suspended by two separate wooden bars Jake had ripped from another crate.
"Cute little marionette" he cooed, shaking the bars to make Kotetsu's arms move. "Can you dance for me?"
I don't dance with the Devil...
Kotetsu's stomach churned, his body being flopped and jerked about like a rag doll, as Jake himself started to sing in a rusty voice.
"Ninety years without slumbering~"
Kotetsu's head jerked back, the sting of whiplash making him gasp out loud.
"His life's seconds slumbering~"
Acid bubbled up in his throat, Kotetsu choking on vomit as he was flung forward towards the camera.
"It stopped short-"
Jake tossed him to the right, the strings squealing pig like.
"-Never to go again-"
He threw Kotetsu to the right, a steady stream of orange spewing from his mouth like a fountain.
"-when the old man DIED!"
Jake laughed the last line, no longer blessing Kotetsu with gentle jerks but full blown yanks, tugs, and shakes. Kotetsu tried to scream, tried to fight back, but his body wouldn't move. His voice was caught between his mouth and a barrier of acid, muffled and garbled. His eyes, burning from the fumes of the paint and the makeup leaking into their depths, leaked tears, causing the purple streaks underneath each lid to run like clown tears down his face, leaving long streaks that stopped right at the edge of his shadow smile.
Kriem made a soft noise, but Jake brushed her off this time, pleased at the sight.
His head was swimming, his conscious slipping further way with every pull and push of Jake's puppet act. His comrades were screeching like banshees, banging on the screen, almost as if they could reach through to Kotetsu. The Tiger was spent, spit flying and his eyes glazed over, held down by an almost supernatural force.
Then it happened--right as Jake gave a huge lurch of his marionette, the strings snapped. Ripping straight from Kotetsu's arms as if he were nothing but tissue paper, they sprayed blood into Jake's face and flew up like a freed soul flying up to the afterlife. Kotetsu crumpled, collapsing to the ground in a heap. He laid still, eyes staring into nothing and his mouth slightly parted in a final, silent scream for help. His purple tears, however, continued to flow, dribbling down onto the floor and staining the concrete.
Jake made a face, disappointed. "Well that's unfortunate..."
He shrugged, tossing the broken pieces onto Kotetsu's back. Stepping off the crate and onto the Tiger, he took Kriem by the arm and led her from the room as the radio's connection cut off. "Come, my dear... Toys are only good until they break... I am bored now."
They left him lying on the floor; a broken doll abandoned by the world. Kotetsu no longer bothered to move or speak; his throat torn and his limbs pulled from their sockets. His head had hit the ground hard, and now he was seeing stars. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. But he knew that it was not over, that Jake would be back for another round, and he would be played with. He was a "toy" – an object to be used then tossed aside. Never loved and never cared for. The Heroes, they never bothered to come for him. They never knew he was gone. There was no hope there--he wasn't worth saving to the city of Sternbild, or to the world in general.
He was just a Puppet; a hollow shell on strings.
Kotetsu let out a long, sighing breath, his eyes slipping closed. His head now rested on the ground, almost comfortably. His body, broken but limp, relaxed, a shiver rippling over his flesh. Tears still flowed but Kotetsu welcomed them. They were proof that he had feeling, emotion, and pain. He was still human because of them. For the first time, Kotetsu wanted nothing more than to preserve this shred of humanity left inside of him. For the first time, he wanted to forget his life, his friends, and the dire situation he would not be escaping from any time soon.
For the first time, he wished for Death.