Gotham City knew three things about Victor Zsasz
First. The man was as sadistic as he was ruthless.
Second. He was insanely meticulous.
Third. There was no point in trying to catch him.
Oki Akamura knew three other things about Victor Zsasz.
First. His favorite color was blue.
Second. He had one hell of a sweet tooth.
Third. He really, really, liked sharks.
While Zsasz enjoyed working alone, he often surrounded himself with a small group of women that the Gothamites had started calling "the Zsaszettes".
Oki hated that name.
It made her feel like an accessory, a trendy piece of fashion that could be carried around just like a purse. She had never been vocal about her displeasure though, mainly because her "being vocal" about it would have included shooting people between the eyes. Moreover, she was the quiet type and a woman of a few words. Her lack of apparent emotions had been the reason why her mother had sent her to see a psychiatrist, the reason why the said psychiatrist had probably spiraled into an abyssal depression and the reason why she had never managed to keep a lover more than two hours.
She could have cared about what people thought, but Oki was convinced that her almost-sociopathic attitude was a weapon in a world were people were too often betrayed by their lack of self-control. She sometimes felt like she was born without the part of her brain that was supposed to get angry or to simply care about stuff. She was never pissed off, merely irritated. Never exhausted, merely tired. Never nice, merely polite. "Hard like a rock, cold like a stone, white like a diamond, black like coal", as the song said. She was a "nasty one" and that made her Victor Zsasz's favorite partner in crime.
Of course this might have also been due to the fact they had grown up together. For the vast majority of people, Victor Dimitri Zsasz was not a human being and imagining he had once been a kid was simply inconceivable. But he had been a child, and a cute one at that. Okko remembered everything.
The day they met, she was sitting in the last row of the classroom, as far from the board as she possibly could.
Oki did not care much for school and despite her parents' best efforts, she remained an incredibly lazy student. School bored her. The little girl constantly wanted to be outside, to play and to feel what grown ups called adrenaline. This thing was like a magic potion : it made you invincible. And she craved it more than anything else in the world. Everyday, Oki would draw pictures of herself riding fast cars, jumping off moving trains or shooting bad guys while buildings exploded in the background.
Her teacher had been so concerned about the amount of violence in Oki's drawings that she had once sent her to see the school's nurse : a blonde middle aged woman who was a carbon copy of the soccer mums living in Oki's grossly-rich neighborhood. The lady was annoying as hell and Oki had stared at her the entire time she was sitting in her office while making it her mission not to blink. She knew not blinking made grown ups uncomfortable, scared even. This was what her book on snakes called a "reptilian attitude" and people were scared of reptiles. People were stupid.
Keeping them at bay was a vital need, which is why Oki cultivated the art of being a disdainful, creepy little doll. Actually, she pretty much looked like a real life doll. The haunted type. The "this- doll-was-not-there-when-we-left-Susan" type.
Her round face, porcelain skin and beautiful black hair made her mother so proud that every morning, she would spend a full hour choosing her daughter's clothes -pretty pastel dresses- and making sure her fringe was impeccable. Sometimes, on Sundays, she would even make Oki wear a traditional Yukata for lunch, when her grandmother came to visit. Her mother dedicated half her time making sure Oki looked like a princess but the frown on the child's face looked more like the revengeful expression of a Japanese Yokai, out for blood.
That's exactly what she looked like when Zsasz entered the classroom for the first time : a Yokai choosing its next prey.
When the door opened, Oki had long given up on trying to understand the lesson and looked up at the boy who was now standing next to the teacher. She narrowed her eyes, trying to determine if this newcomer was worthy of her attention. Chances were that he was not but she gave it a shot anyway.
She eyed him up and down and suddenly froze, lost in thought.
The boy had the most amazing hair she had ever seen.
Thick. Wavy. Golden brown. Shiny and smooth. Perfect.
Oki felt her skin crawl with envy. She would have sold her little sister to Yugoslavian mobsters to get such a mane.
She kept on staring at him. He was wearing expensive, dark clothes and had a leather backpack, which probably cost a fortune for the common folk. Another basic rich kid who would never be able to handle a proper conversation, let alone a carefully crafted shenanigan. Oki was starting to lose interest in the boy but surprisingly, he suddenly stared right back at her. His eyes said "I know what you are doing". He knew she had been observing him and now he was judging her. Oki wasn't used to such a predatory demeanor. This class was her territory, how dare he look at her as if he owned the place?
They looked at each other like angry puppies for two solid minutes until the teacher sent the boy to his desk. He never broke eye contact and Oki found herself excited for the first time in forever. Two things were now crystal clear to her :
1.) School had just gotten a lot more interesting.
2.) The boy's name was Victor Zsasz.
For the next few days, Oki went "full shinobi mode", as her father used to say.
Quiet. Alert. Vigilant.
She watched the boy's every step, every move and finally wrote down on a piece of paper her final report on the Zsasz case.
Victor Zsasz had two other names : Dimitri and David. He was born on January the 14th.
He was an ace student, always attentive and focused on his work. His books were impeccable and he wrote the lessons down carefully, his brows furrowed.
He had a thing for blue objects and owned at least ten blue pens, each one of a different shade.
His clothes were always dark and simple, nothing extravagant. He sometimes arrived dressed in a black suit that made him look like a tiny adult. He wore no jewelry except for a silver necklace that he kept on him at all times : the pendant was shaped as a hand, fingers pointing downwards, and had a blue stone in the center of it.
Oki had no idea what that weird symbol was supposed to mean and it was far too tacky for her taste but Victor had once refused to take it off before a swimming lesson and had given the teacher a very nasty look. He obviously cared a lot about that necklace. Oki wrote "In case of conflict, steal the necklace and then, blackmail him". She knew what blackmailing was. He father did it all the time with his clients. That's how he got his money.
Speaking of family, Victor was an only child. He had a mother, a father, and a Bubbe, which meant "grandmother", who lived with them. Most of his family was abroad but Oki didn't know in which country.
Oki had seen his mother once. The woman had come to pick her son up on a friday night at exactly 5:17 pm. She had the same radiant hair as her son, and her curls cascaded down her back like an ocean of gold and bronze, catching the light with every tiny movement. She had the softest voice and spoke in what Oki would later understand was Yiddish.
Victor spoke several languages himself. English. Yiddish. And a third one that Oki would not have been able to name to save her life. Truth be told, spying on a conversation was not the best way to really get what people were saying to each other or to determine what language they were speaking in the first place and granted, maybe Oki should not have shamelessly spied on him while he was in the teacher's office, speaking with his dad on the phone. But again : standard rules did not apply to the little girl or the rest of the Akamura clan. Rules didn't matter : results mattered which is why Oki liked stalking people. It was the most effective way to know secrets and therefore, ergo as her family doctor said, to get what she wanted. She loved secrets. And she most certainly loved getting what she wanted.
After numerous days of trying to determine what exactly he had been talking about with his father in this mysterious language of his, Oki made a decision : Shinobi time was over. The moment had come to confront the target and to decide if said target was to become a friend or a foe. She waited for the following Thursday and went to Victor's desk first thing in the morning. Steady as a rock, she stood in front of him.
-Hi, she said sternly.
The kid looked her directly in the eyes. Again. She didn't seem to scare him at all and it was almost vexing, in a way. Everybody was at least intimidated by her but he wasn't. No, he was just sitting there.
-Hello, he answered.
-I'm Oki and I was spying on you the other day.
He didn't even react. Now that was completely infuriating. Oki gritted her teeth and insisted :
-What was the language you spoke on the phone with your father?
Victor's face hardened and he suddenly looked much older than 8 years old. He still wasn't scared but something in his expression had changed and Oki unconsciously wondered if she should be scared. He stared at her for a long, long moment and answered calmly:
-Russian.
Now was the time to make a decision. Oki tilted her head and gave him a small, confident smile:
-Cool. I speak english and japanese.
-Cool.
-My name's Oki.
-I know. Mine is Victor.
-I know. Do you want to be my friend? Oki asked bluntly.
-I don't see why not.
-Excellent, Oki said, mimicking her father's expression.
The little girl elegantly sat next to Victor. He was looking at her in silence and she caught him smiling when she took out her pencil case. It came directly from japan and was decorated with little dogs called Shiba Inus. Those were the fluffiest dogs in the whole world and Oki was ready to personally headbutt anyone who thought otherwise.
-What ? She asked.
-Nothing. I like your pencil case.
It didn't sound like a mean joke but she frowned nonetheless. She looked at his stuff, ready to make some snarky remark about his lack of taste but remained silent. His own pencil had little sharks on it.
-You like sharks? She asked.
-Very much, yes.
-I like snakes. And we should go to the aquarium. Have you ever been?
-I go every two weeks, my father takes me.
-I'll go with you next time.
It was more of an order than a proposition. Victor nodded and gave her a small grin.
-What? She repeated, already tired of always having to ask what was on his mind.
-You're funny. You look like a posh puffer fish.
-And you are rude.
-I'm just saying. You puff your cheeks a lot.
-I do not ! Oki exclaimed with genuine horror.
-Yes you do.
-NO I DON'T !
-You two, quiet!
The teacher gave them the most severe look she could manage and Victor regained his calm composure but not without flashing Oki a smug smile. Oki later came to realize that Victor was very often smug or mocking. He seemed to find many things amusing, especially when those things involved a classmate tripping down the stairs or suffering from food poisoning. He had a very dry sense of humor that Oki found absolutely delightful. Moreover, adults seemed to find Victor just as creepy as her which was a bonus because as everyone knows, birds of a feather flock together.
They soon formed what Oki considered to be an extremely dynamic duo and started ending up in the headmaster's office at least twice a month. But whereas Oki always arrived with bruises and scratches caused by their juvenile monkey business, Victor was spotless. Surgically clean, and completely unflappable. The headmaster had tried everything : yelling, threats, emotional blackmailing...but Victor Zsasz was so detached that it was bordering on apathy and reprimanding him was like screaming at a brick wall. The boy just sat there with his big brown eyes and shiny locks, waiting for the scolding to end. He wasn't impressed. Victor was often precise, cunning, creative, energetic, and even goofy at times, but he was never impressed, except when he and Oki went to the aquarium or when Oki made him origamis.
Oki was proud to call Victor her friend. Actually, she was pretty sure she had found the best friend ever.
They had it good for the rest of the school year and two years after that. Then, the Change happened and everything came crashing down.
It was January and Oki had been dying to return to school after Christmas. She had gotten a book that no child should ever have had the right to own : The ancient Chinese art of fireworks. Her grandmother had bought it during a trip to Beijing and offered it to Oki, knowing damn well her granddaughter would soon jump from theory to practice.
The Akamura family had very special standards when it came to education. Politeness and manners were essential but the whole concept of "legality" was considered absolutely overrated. Oki knew her father was up to very shady business. She didn't mind. Didn't care. As long as she remained cordial and well-behaved -at least in front of the family-, he would let her build as many fireworks as she seemed acceptable. Hell he would evenlet her make a homemade molotov cocktail if she said "please" and "thank you".
Oki had tons of plans and she wanted Victor to know all about it. She was planning on becoming an expert on the matter and he was going to help her.
But when Victor arrived to school that day, Oki immediately noticed that patches of his hair were missing. Entire patches. She had to refrain from touching his scalp and asked him what had happened.
-They fell out, he answered flatly.
His voice was dark and raucous. Had he been crying? Victor did not cry. Never, ever, ever. The boy must have sensed Oki was silently judging his attitude, because he glared at her. His dark eyes were red and puffy -so he had been crying- but he was obviously daring her to say even one more word on the matter.
She didn't.
But others did more than just asking questions.
It didn't take long for Victor to become a laughing stock. As weeks then months went by, he started losing more and more of his beautiful hair, the chocolate curls falling like dead leaves. Oki secretly kept one. As a souvenir.
Eventually, the inevitable happened : Victor came to school completely bald. The dark circles under his eyes were a proof of how little sleep he had gotten in the past few days and he was walking with his head down. He was mortified. Burning with shame and embarrassment. Oki could feel it in her bones and it was a horrible experience. She had never understood what empathy meant before that day and if this pain was what Victor was feeling, she wanted it to stop. At any cost.
The little girl was never a religious kid but that night, right before bed and out of sheer desperation, she decided to ask God a favor. If God was real he would help Victor and fix what was wrong with his body, because Victor was just a child and children were not supposed to hurt that much. He had not done anything wrong except for a few bad jokes. So she prayed and even said "Amen" even though she was pretty sure she had messed up quite a few times during her improvised praying session. It didn't work. Nothing happened. Victor's hair did not grow back, the circles under his eyes grew wider and darker, he remained miserable, and Oki stopped believing in any higher power. There was no God. And if there was one, he deserved to die, because he was useless and useless things were meant to be destroyed.
The sadness Oki felt soon turned into anger and frustration. She was losing him, Victor was slipping away and she missed the fun they used to have. He didn't even want to go to the aquarium anymore. Oki bottled up her feelings as she always did until one of the kids at school, a certain Bradley Decody, said that Victor had it coming because he was "a nasty jew".
Oki didn't consider if what she was about to do was right or wrong. She just waited until lunch break and pushed Bradley down the stairs. Classic payback.
The boy didn't complain. He had not even seen who had pushed him down the stairs. Oki knew better than getting caught.
Things got worse, and worse and worse. Life isn't kind, nor is it fair, and Victor eventually lost his eyebrows and eyelids. That's when all Hell broke loose for him.
People started calling him "Eggface", "Baldy" or "Cristal Ball". Started throwing ink at the back of his head during class, laughing openly as he tried to wipe the black off his naked skin.
Oki could see how hard Victor was trying not to snap and had no idea why he was playing so nice and tolerating this sort of disrespect. Victor was proud, there was some regal dignity about him that made his patience even more incomprehensible.
He was trying not to blow up and though Oki had never seen him throw a temper tantrum she had the feeling it was not a pretty sight. Maybe it was the reason why he was trying so hard. Maybe he knew exactly how things would end up if he unleashed the animal inside.
Oki understood. But she wasn't good at comforting people. Actually, she was pretty terrible with words, so she showed him support the only way she knew : by treating him like nothing had changed. She ate with him during lunch break, as usual. She let him borrow her pencils and papers, as usual. She started going to the aquarium with him again, as usual. But despite her efforts, he wasn't as cheerful as he used to be. He needed something more than "the usual". And after weeks of ruminations, she finally came up with what looked like an idea.
-Do you think you're ugly? She asked.
They were sitting in the park next to her house. Oki's parents never let her far from their sight but Victor's seemed to be far more liberal when it came to monitoring their 10 year old boy. Victor froze and looked at her, then shrugged.
-Yes, he stated matter-of-factly.
There was no pain or bitterness in his voice. And maybe that was the worst part of all this mess. Victor didn't sound sad or like life had wronged him in any way. He was not angry anymore, he was resigned. Oki opened her little red bag and took something inside.
-Why do you have that in your bag? Victor asked, incredulous.
He looked genuinely intrigued. Oki looked at the blade she now held and answered.
-This, is my father's razor.
-I can see that. Still doesn't tell me why you have it in your bag. Are we cutting off someone's ponytail today?
He sounded rather pleased with his idea. Oki remembered that before his "change", he always talked about his most wicked plans with a very pure, joyful enthusiasm. Oki showed him the blade. It glistened underneath the sunlight, shiny and smooth.
-I don't think you're ugly. You're very cute. Now, I don't want you to be my boyfriend, don't get the wrong idea. But I think you are going to be super cute when you grow up. Like my cousin Tian.
Victor just blinked and kept on staring at her.
-I know people call you a freak. But friends support each other, right? So if you're a freak, I'm a freak too.
Victor's eyes widened when he understood what she was about to do but he did nothing to stop her. Oki held the the razor high and very slowly, started shaving her left eyebrow. Victor giggled uncontrollably.
-You look so weird !
This was the most cheerful he had been in months. Oki started laughing too and raised the blade for another round. Precisely at that moment, she heard her mother yelling. Or rather, screeching like a Banshee.
-OKI ! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
Japanese could be a rather abrasive language when spoken above a certain number of decibels. Oki's mother had a high-pitched voice that made Victor grit his teeth. The woman grabbed Oki's wrist and shook it violently until the child dropped the razor.
-ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND?! AND YOU!
She turned to Victor and pointed at him, hysterical.
-You ! You made her do this didn't you ?! You are a . Do NOT come close to my daughter ever again do you hear me ?! EVER!
Victor didn't say anything. He just sat there, numb, as Oki's mother dragged her daughter away and towards their house. As she dragged his only friend away from him. He could hear Oki kicking and yelling in japanese. She was not crying, but Goodness gracious, could she scream. Victor remained in the park for a solid hour, processing what had just happened. Then, he took his bag and went home. For hours he remained completely silent and when he went to the aquarium the next day, he felt like drowning into the silent waters of the shark tank.
He didn't feel at home in this world anymore.