A huge explosion sounded behind him as he walked away. Soot fell on his burlap shirt, and he brushed it off nonchalantly. He thought that he had finally gotten rid of his foe for good, until, out of nowhere, a heavy projectile hit him in the back and he tumbled to the ground. He looked up just as a pair of black shoes landed in front of his face.
"You missed," came a singsong voice from above the shoes. Scarecrow's eyes looked up, following the purple pants and jacket to the painted white face with its bright red grin. Scarecrow reached up and sprayed Joker in the face with his infamous fear gas. He sprang up and ran, leaving that clown laughing hysterically behind him.
Why doesn't my fear gas work on him? Scarecrow thought angrily to himself. It wasn't the first time he had wondered this, and somehow he knew that it wouldn't be the last. He took off his mask and tossed it on to his bed, trying to figure out the answer. He had already modified his concoction twice, and his supplies were becoming limited.
He plopped himself down in his rickety wooden chair and held his head in his hands. He sighed, then stood and pulled off his shirt. Stepping in to his bathroom, he turned on his shower. He waited for the dirty water to sputter out and turn in to clear water. Even though he had the knob set to hot, the water was cold. It was a common occurrence, not worthy of any extra thought. He stepped in and began his regular shower routine.
A brief depression settled over him. He recalled his days before being the Scarecrow, back when he was just Dr. Jonathan Crane. All of that was different now. There was no way he could become a professor again. Not after Arkham.
The Joker jumped up from his crouch by the boarded up window of Jonathan's rundown apartment. Now that he knew where the Scarecrow's hideout was, he could continue to play his little jokes on him. Little Scarecrow thought his fear gas to be unbeatable, and Joker thought it highly amusing that the straw man's own invention had no effect on him. He clapped his hands in glee as he thought of all the possibilities that his newfound knowledge opened up to him. He peeked again through the gap between the wooden boards just as the tall, lanky Jonathan disappeared into his tiny bathroom. Then he skipped off, dropping his exploding marbles as he went.
_
A/N: I'm not sure how long it will be, and I'm sort of making it up as I go along. Reviews, criticisms, and comments are welcome and encouraged.