"I want the Joker." Batman stood on a fire escape outside of a loud nightclub, holding a man in a suit over the railing.
Sal Maroni... The head of one of the biggest Italian mob families in Gotham, along with the Chechen...had started all of this madness. After the death of Gambol and Dent's relentless pursuit of the crime families in city, the heads had hired the clown to help them out in exchange of half of all their money. With Dent breathing down their necks, it was either give half up to the Joker or lose it all.
Maroni scoffed as he looked down towards the ground as his feet hovered in the air over the ledge.
"From one professional to another, if you're tryin' to scare somebody, pick a better spot! From this height..." The crime head shook his head doubtfully. "The fall wouldn't kill me."
"I'm counting on it." Letting go, Maroni fell straight onto the pavement feet first with a sickening crack as his legs broke.
Jumping from off the ledge, the caped crusader stood over the crumpled boss, glaring down at him.
"Where is he?!' Grabbing the man by his shirt, he pulled him closer, yelling in his face.
"...I don't know where he is! He found us..." Maroni wheezed as pain shot through his body from the fall.
"He must have friends?" Batman was becoming desperate to find the Joker. His rampage throughout Gotham had risen the city's murder rate multiple times over. Day after day, more people were being killed or targeted. The clowns broadcast promising more death everyday if the caped crusader didn't reveal his identity was getting to him...pushing him closer to the edge. How many more people would have to die for that psychotic clowns madness?
"Friends?...Have you met this guy?" The Italian looked at him like he was crazy.
A few times they had ran into each other, only when the clown LET himself he found. After he terrorized the fundraiser with his goons and threw Rachel out of the window, the Bat had no choice but to go after her. He wouldn't let her get hurt...She was far too important to him. Dent doesn't know it, but the brunette had promised to wait for him...for the day Batman wasn't needed anymore... With the Joker on the loose, it seems like that day won't be coming anytime soon.
"If Harvey Dent is the White Knight of Gotham, then Batman can be the Dark Knight. One can work in the light being the face of the city, while the Bat can work in the shadows... Either way, Gotham needs them both."
The words of the pinkette ran through his head. Was she right? Would there ever be a time when Gotham didn't need Batman? Or was it himself who needed him."
"Too smart for your own good..." The caped crusader muttered under his breath as the mob boss raised an eyebrow in confusion. Remembering what she said after he swooped in and caught her falling from the bridge, there was no doubt her memories were coming back. That was a problem itself, but nothing he could do anything about right now. Would he have to do something?
'She seems happier now than in the last few weeks...' It was odd how all these years nothing popped up until now... Something changed. A wildcard had been thrown into the hand.
Shaking his head as he gripped the front of Maroni's shirt, there was no time for that. Right now, the Joker needed to be stopped. If anyone would be able to do it, it was the Batman.
After making sure Rachel was safe, Bruce flew through the city, trying to track down the escaped maniac. He just had to find him... To stop all the senseless murders and violence... So Gotham wouldn't need Batman anymore with the White Knight Harvey Dent taking up the mantle in the face of the public. He was the true hero this city needs in the long run...
"SOMEONE knows where he is!"
Joker couldn't be found UNLESS he wanted you to...He's made that very clear. While soaring over the city from building to building, there was an explosion at the shipyard in the area.
Batman jumped down into the darkness, letting it conceal him as he made his way through the labyrinth of large storage containers as he got closer. Flames roared up into the sky from a large shipping vessel that was docked straight ahead. Furrowing his brows, he jumped up on one of the metal containers, looking around the shipyard, but didn't see anyone. They must be hiding, waiting to ambush.
" . .HAHAHA!" The laughter seemed to surround him, bouncing off everything and mixing in the the roar of the flames. Batman turned back and forth, not seeing anything besides the other ships and yachts that were docked around the burning vessel.
"Yoo-hoo! Over here! Hey Bat!" Turning towards the voice, Bruce's dark eyes widened suddenly seeing the maniac. The Clown Prince was standing on a sailboat, holding onto the mast and swinging around it with his hand in the air. Laughing... He was still wearing the costume from the fundraiser, jester mask back on his face.
"What are you up to now, clown?! I'm taking you in. Do you think you can get away with what you just did?"
"Yeah." Joker let go of the mast, jumping down with his hands up, like he just finished a grand performance. He bowed low, pulling off his mask and standing tall with a terrible smile on his scarred face. Looking at the mask in his hand, he shrugged and tossed it over his shoulder into the the dark water.
"Where are your men?" Batman glanced around, waiting for them to try to ambush him. He didn't sense anyone around though... Why would the clown show himself like this without backup?
"They've been working so hardddd. Let 'em cash in on their vacation time. Ya know this city really needs to evaluate their benefits packages they give to alllll the hard working people in Gotham... Otherwise it wouldn't be so easy for me or the mob to recruit them. Everyone's gotta make a living after all!" The clown spread his arms out, raising an eyebrow.
"Cut the crap! Everyone knows most of your men are mental patients and escapees from Arkham and prison... You pick up anyone off the streets and have them do your bidding!"
Joker craned his neck to the side, eyes looking at him wildly. "Ya know...even schizophrenics need ta eat! Haahahaha!"
Batman growled out as he ran to the edge of the dock and flew forward, jumping onto the sailboat. He flipped, rolling over as he landed and jumping to his feet.
They stared each other down, as the clown smiled, looking down at a watch on his wrist. Just what was this psycho planning?
"What are you up to now? Did you bow that ship up just to lure me out into the open?" Bruce couldn't figure this guy out. Nothing he did seem to make sense. They were so unorthodox and ludicrous, but he always managed to pull them off. No one was able to predict the next move..
"Now why would I go and do a thing like that? We just had our date at the fundraiser! They say you should wait at least two days before calling. Otherwise you look desperateeee!"
Batman jumped up, throwing a quick right at the clowns head. Dodging it with a laugh, the maniac pulled a knife out, swinging the blade wildly. A punch in the gut threw him against the mast, but he got right back up, lunging with the knife at the caped crusaders midsection.
'This psycho's aiming for the spaces between my armor!'
As the blade tried to jam itself into the spot between the plates covering his torso, Bruce sung his arm down against the clowns forearm, blocking the direct attack. Sending a boot into the criminals abdomin, he slid across the floor of the sailboat.
"Ohhahhha!" Joker stood up, seemingly unfazed by the dark knights attacks. "I just got rid of one of the Chechen's biiiig shipments of the drugs he loves .Much! Remember what happened last time he moved Scarecrow's merch?"
'The Narrows...' Last time Scarecrow's merchandise got out, they targeted the worst part of the city that was known for drug use and crime...
"I already put Scarecrow out of work! He's in a padded cell right now."
"Is he?" The clown spun around, arms stretched out. "Do you really think you can trust Godon's unit? HA! The entire police force is corrupt!"
"You always come a runnin' to the rescue! Always doing Gotham's finest dirty work for them! But ya know...as soon as they don't need you anymore...They'll cast you aside."
The Clown Prince cocked his head to the side with raised brows, sucking his bottom lip in between his teeth. "Like a leper! To them, you're a freak. Just like meeee!"
"Shut up. You're just trash who kills for money!" Who did this man think he was? He knows nothing...not about him or his relationship with Gotham.
Batman looked at the clown curiously as he froze. The manic smile he always wore faded as his jaw shifted. His dark eyes, wild eyes shifted as his face twisted into a scowl.
'What's he doing?'
"RahhHH!" The clown ran at him quickly and the Bat's eyes widened as something hard hit him in the face. The edge sail whipped against him as he flew passed it and crashed into the metal railing on the side.
'When did he pick that up?!'
"Aaaghhh!" The wind was knocked from him as a lead pipe smash into his ribs, cracking under the pressure.
"Rghh! RaHHH!" The clown growled like a wild animal, furiously beating him with the pipe.
The caped crusader tried to block with the hard covering on his arm, but the maniac twisted the pipe in his hand, swinging it against the side of his head.
"He's really trying to beat me to death this time!' Usually when they fought, it wasn't this brutal. Even when knives and guns were pulled out...
Reaching down, the bat hit a button on the side of his waist. Blades shot out at the enraged criminal, knocking him back.
Joker stumbled back as he looked down at his side. A dark blade was lodged into him, going through his vest. Blood came from the wound, staining through the green fabric.
"Hohahaha! Ya got me!"
The Bat jumped to his feet, swinging his leg at the clowns other side. He didn't want to kill this man...just immobilize enough to take him in.
Pulling the blade out of his side as he moved out of the way, he tossed it over the side and into the water.
"Batsy wants to play games, huh?"
Flipping into the air, it was now of never if he was going to stop him. It was almost impossible to find him...and here he was standing.
Throwing a kick to strike the clown on the head, the lead pipe struck him right in the face. Crashing into floor by the railing, his head spun as the man jumped on top of him.
"We really should stop all this fighting... Otherwise we're going to miss the fireworkssss!" The pipe was pushed up against his neck, blocking any air getting through.
A loud explosion went off in the distance, making Bruce's dark eyes widen looking up as the man above him cackled. Police sirens went off in different sections of the city as smoke rose above the buildings.
"What did you do?!" Adrenaline coursed through him as he knocked the criminal off to the side. Looking around to the direction of when the sirens were converging, smoke billowed up into the night sky.
'City Hall...'
The clowns manic laughter made him turn back, the smile on this man's face was infuriating. Taking a step forward, another explosion went off.
"No!" If another explosion happened in the same spot, the police and fire trucks...and curious bystanders that arrived at the scene would be in trouble...
Turning back, no one was there... The spot he had stood was empty. The laughter had stopped, but he hadn't realized it over the noise from across the city and the sirens wailing.
The Joker escaped again...
"Heh...Nobody's gonna tell you nothin'! They're wise to your act. You got rules...The Joker? He's got no rules. NOBODY'S gonna cross him for you! You want this guy? You got one way, but you already know what that is? Just take off that mask. Let him come and find ya..."
Bruce growled out as he stood up, not wanting that to be his only option. There had to be another way... Would the clown stop even if he did reveal his true identity to the public? Probably not... He didn't want to give in to a terrorist.
"Ha! Why don't ya let a couple more people get killed while you make up your mind!"
"Anndddd...she's out."
Joker shifted on the couch, carefully laying the pinkette down onto the cushions. The emerald green dress was beautiful...but inconvenient. Aside from the top half of her body, he could barely feel the rest.
'Maybe it was a bit, uh, much...' Standing up, he grabbed the bottom of the frilly outfit and lifted her legs up onto the couch. They had laid together for a while, but there was no doubt she was exhausted from fixing up the bruises and wound from the Bat.
Staring down at her and cocking his head to the side, he ran his tongue along the corner of his mouth. It was amazing... She was able to heal... Part of him suspected it after seeing her arm. There was no way a cut like that could just vanish.
It was kind of her to heal him, but it wouldn't become a habit. The ability was useful, but he wouldn't take advantage of it. Unless it was necessary, she shouldn't use it... Just using it had drained her body to such a degree. Maybe it was because it had been the first time after realizing it? Perhaps she could learn to control it...
'I'd rather Sakura use it only on herself if possible...'
The Clown Prince didn't mind pain. Everyday was painful and he had the endurance of a hundred men. He can take it...
Looking down at the pinkette, he crouched down, dark eyes taking in her delicate features. She was even more beautiful than the images in his head. It almost seemed unreal that they were both in this apartment together.
For seven long years, he thought she died because of his negligence... Falling from the fire escape and bleeding out on the pavement...Had died all alone. That had been an unbearable thought. They'd spent almost everyday together, had done everything together... And in her last moments, she had been alone...
It would have been devastating, but if he could have at least been there to say goodbye...at least have been there so that she didn't have to leave this shitty world alone...
Sakura was there by his side in life, he could have at least stayed by hers in death.
By the time he got back, she was already gone... They had already taken the body away. All that was left was blood and people gossiping about what happened. Those people were getting entertainment out of his own heart being torn apart... He remembered their faces and what they said... And the way they looked when he found them later that night..
A chuckle left his lips as he reached forward, moving the pink stands from her face. They were just as soft as he remembered them when he use to run his hands through her hair.
After that night, he contemplated blowing his brains out day after day. What was there left? Surely Sakura would want some company in the underworld...but she never would have wanted him to hurt himself.
Jack could still remember sitting on that crate in the abandoned warehouse a few blocks from the building that had been torched the week before. The same one he had found the pinkette hiding in multiple times..
A cigarette between his lips from a pack he found on someone he killed earlier, Jack held the gun to his temple as he took a deep drag, inhaling the smoke. Without hesitating, he pulled the trigger.
Click.
'Not this one either...'
There was a single shot somewhere in there. Russian Roulette was better played with two people, but this was fine. Ashing the cigarette onto the newspapers next to his boots planted on the cement on both sides of the crate, he took another long drag.
'Just like life...a drag.'
Putting the cold metal back against his temple, he was hoping this one would finally be able to relieve the pain of living. Death was easy...it was life that was hard. His calloused finger curled around the trigger, pulling it hard.
Click.
"Goddammit!" That was the seventh time. The last one would be it. He'd put the bullet in there himself, but didn't know which time would prove fruitful.
Putting the handgun back to his head, he closed his eyes. Images ran through his mind...What a pathetic life. The only reason to keep going on before was the prospect of staying with his best friend.
'No...she was far more than that.' They were going to leave Gotham together..get married...live peacefully without anyone trying to hurt them anymore.
A smile pulled at the scars around his mouth remembering how angry she would get when he would sneak into her bedroom usually bleeding or beat up from doing something stupid. Stealing food or cigarettes from the stores outside of their neighborhood, getting into scuffles with thugs in the area, beating the snot out of someone who thought they could mug him...things to take his anger out on from the way the rest of the city seemed to abandon The Narrows and everyone in it.
"Jack...you're always hurting yourself. Can you try to be more careful? At least for me? If something happens to you...I don't know what I would do... You know I love you, but if I have to bandage you up one more time, I'm seriously gonna slug you."
Opening his eyes, something on the ground caught his attention. Putting the handgun down on the crate, he slowly stood up and took another drag from the cigarette between his mangled lips.
Crouching down, his head cocked to the side as he read the bold words on the newspaper.
GOTHAM ENTERS NEW ERA
Raising an eyebrow, he read the article, taking every word in.
It said new Commissioner was working hard cleaning up the streets of Gotham, carefully taking on the mob and trying to shut them down street by street. A long with the police force working hard under him, a caped vigilante was helping take out criminals left and right. The crime rate was at an all time low because of their efforts, making the city a safe place to live. They didn't recommend anyone following in the caped crusaders footsteps and to leave it to Gotham's real heroes, the men in blue. The article thanked the Gotham Police for all their hard work.
Jack stood up, spitting on the newspaper.
'Crime was at an all time low?! The police were working hard?! What city did they live in!' The cops rarely showed up in The Narrows and if they did, it was never to help.
'How many times did they help us! They took me in and left that fucking Todd stay home and drink! Where were they when Sakura was getting killed? Who let him run away for money after they arrested him for show?! All they do is sit on their asses and collect money from the fucking mob!'
"Forget about it, Jack. They don't care about us. We're just Narrow trash to them. We'll get out of here someday, that'll show them! Hahaha! They can't do anything if we leave the city..."
Grabbing the gun, he angrily aimed towards the article on the floor, seething.
BANG. Click. Click. Click. Click.
Panting with sweat running down his pale face, he lowered his shaky hand, staring down wildly.
Gotham was a safe place to live now? Crime was at an all time low?
Running a hand through his dirty blonde hair, a growl echoed through the empty building. Now he was out of bullets...
"Ha...haha...AHAHAHAHAHA!"
If he hadn't been thinking about Sakura, that last bullet would be lodged into his skull. If it wasn't for her, he would be lying dead on the floor of an abandoned warehouse...
'Saved me again...'
"HOHAHAHAHA!" Gotham was hilarious! A big, terrible joke... Was this really how they saw themselves?
"I'll show them who they really are..."
Joker grinned looking down at the pinkette sleeping. She probably didn't even realize how many times she saved him...
Noticing a shiver run through her body as the bare skin above the lace on her chest pricked with goosebumps, he sighed standing up. Snatching his coat from the back of the chair, he laid it over her as she sleepily shifted on the cushions.
"That's better!" It looked good on her. Purple and green always accentuated the color of her hair, they were her favorite colors growing up. His was always red.
Satisfied, the clown kneeled down as he stuck his arm out, feeling around under the couch. Brows raised as he felt what he was looking for.
Leaning back, he drug out the rolled up papers from under the furniture. Scooping them into his bare arms, he carried them to the table and dropped them on the surface. They were necessary for his next course of action...
After the leaving the fundraiser, there was still a lot to do. The way Batman had thrown himself out of the after that woman was curious... No one chases a woman so desperately the way he had without there being some backstory. Does Dent know?
"HAHAHA...I sure know how to put the fun in fundraiser..."
The Bat's "heroic" rescue gave him and his men enough to time to move on to the next part of his plan. It was too easy to draw the caped crusader out by blowing up one of the Chechen's large shipment of drugs on a vessel docked at the shipyard. He knew after throwing his little bunny out of the window, he would be searching for him.
Sure enough he came... The cops were easy to handle, but he needed the Bat to be across the city as his men stole all of the blueprints that were locked away safely in town hall.
Instead of just taking a few, he had his men take them all. Otherwise it would be give Gordon a clue about what's to come next. Well, even if they knew WHERE something might happen, they wouldn't be able to grasp WHAT was going to happen.
"HAHAHOHAHA!"
Unraveling the papers, he took a few knives out of his pocked to hold them down. Pulling a chair over and sitting down, he looked at each sheet carefully, images forming themselves in his head.
"Ladidadidaaaa..." The important ones were here, the other ones carefully hidden in a warehouse where no one would find them, even if they tried.
With the wreckage and fire burning everything, the police probably would even realize what was gone or just assume they burned away with everything else.
'Wouldn't matter anyway.'
Dent's office, Arkham Asylum, the MCU were among the blueprints he carefully looked over. Information was important. Sending in a henchman to survey a building was a rookie mistake. The men under him weren't in their right minds anyway, couldn't comprehend the fine details.
The last time he'd been in Arkham, it was believed that he was caught because the henchman had gotten the details of the building completely backwards. No... As if the Joker would allow something like that to happen. All the details were handled by him personally. It didn't matter what they thought of him, either way they just saw a psychotic freak.
How many times did they let him know what they thought? Or how they felt? When they think no one is looking, cops show you who they really are...
Grumbling, Joker looked down at his bare scarred chest.
'She doesn't care...' From the look on the pinkette's face, it initially reminded him of how everyone reacted. In prison, in Arkham...where ever he had put on their stinking uniform. They all had the same face. Disgust and fear, always turning away faster than you can blink.
It wasn't disgust on Sakura's face, she was upset. Upset he got hurt again and again...just like when they younger and she'd bandage him up. He could have done it himself, but he liked it when she would fret over him. It meant someone cared. His own mother wouldn't even take the time or effort to do it, even when he was a little kid.
The way the pinkette would drag out her kirst aid kit she stole from the nurses office at school and would lecture him was a fond memory. No one else ever took the time to carefully clean him up and cover his wounds. Not only that, but she would change them and check up on it. She always kept a file in her head of every time he was hurt, so when she went to clean it again, there was no lying about it.
Turning in his seat, the Clown Prince looked at the sleeping woman on the couch. Did she really understand what she was getting herself into? He was a dangerous criminal now, not the blonde haired boy she use to fret over. The whole city was after him...
'She doesn't care...'
Did she truly understand those words?
No, she was still Sakura, even if she had been imprisoned in her own mind. The woman he had been following this whole time hadn't really been her. As he watched her, it was obvious. The person he knew would never let some guy bang on her wall and say nothing. Wouldn't let a friend have her meet up with a complete stranger and let them get away with it. Wouldn't let the world push her around the way she was letting it.
If some stranger in clown makeup had shown up unannounced after leaving dubious threats, his Sakura would have smacked him over the head with a bat. Little by little as he pushed "Tasha" closer to the edge, he could see Sakura fighting to get out. That was one reason he blew up the bridge, aside from not leaving room for an easy escape. He needed to drag her out before it was too late.
Tasha wouldn't kill his Sakura... He would drive it out first, then kill it.
When the bridge collapsed in the explosion, he wasn't sure what she would do. If she curled up into a ball and cried, it would be clear that Sakura really was gone. When the pinkette jumped up and started punching him in the face, he'd been ecstatic.
It had proven that the fiery fighter was still in there. That there was still hope...still a chance. The only thing that hadn't gone his way was when she jumped from the ledge. Then again, his Sakura wouldn't let someone get her into a corner without doing something either...but she would have fought him tooth and nail. Not have chosen death...
'I guess the Bat CAN come in handy sometimes...'
Words can't express the relief he felt seeing that dumbass swinging by and grabbing her before hitting the rocks at the bottom... He would have been horrifies if she killed herself just to get away from him.
For seven years the Joker had beat himself up, feeling as if he killed her for money. Even if it wasn't his own hands that did it...
Staring at Sakura's face, a strange thought surfaced. It hadn't been until that bastard Jin started using his ability on her that things started to change. Had it been due to his little "gift" and searching through her brain that the original had started to surface? It made sense... He had to have delved deep if he knew who Jack was and had been able to recognize his bare face, when even Sakura herself couldn't
"HAHAHA!" It was like when you pick up a stone from under the water at the edge of a lake. You pull it up and the dirt from under it starts swirling and mixing into the water. Guess there was some good that came from his appearance.
Joker turned back to the blueprints on the table. Despite looking at the building plans, there was something nagging in the back of his head. It reminded him of something that damn blonde said before. The doctor had wanted to give him medication that would practically erase his mind... Was it possible to reverse amnesia besides hoping for it to come back naturally?
'No... I don't want to push it... The important parts are there now...She's here now. It'll all come back. I don't want those doctors touching her anyway...'
Something was still nagging him, but he couldn't exactly put his finger on it.
'Perhaps I should pay that stupid woman a visit...'
It only took a few minutes for Arkham to be thrown into utter chaos. One stab wound to have all the patients fighting and throwing things. The guards and orderlies had tried to restrain the patients, but were overcome when the mentally unstable pulled hidden blades and other weapons the he'd given them before dinner.
The residents of Arkham went out of control, ripping everything apart. Pills and papers were strewn over the cold floors of the asylum. Blood splattered all over the walls and windows. Doctors and nurses lying dead in a pool of their own fluids as they were paid back for the kindness they showed a thousandfold.
There were some hiding in rooms, desperately hoping to be overlooked. Joker didn't reveal their location spot to the other patients as he walked by, seeing a young couple that worked there, in one of the dark offices as he walked down the hall, a trail of bloody footprints behind him.
His eyes were accustom to the dark already, more so from being locked up in this hell hole. Poking his head into the doorway, he watched as they held onto each other tightly.
"Boo!" The frightened woman cried out as the man shifted, trying to hide her behind him. They were both trembling as he stepped closer, gripping the handle of the large butcher knife in his palm.
Blood dripped from the edge of the blade. The clown was covered in it from all the fun he was having around the hospital. To these brats, he probably looked like something from their worst nightmares.
Standing in front the couple who were backed into the corner of the room, he looked down at them, his dark eyes watching their reaction. The redhead had her arms wrapped around her man, nails digging into the front of his shirt as she buried her face into his back, sobbing pitifully.
The blonde man gritted his teeth, desperately trying to keep the woman behind him from the Clown Prince's view. Anyone could see he was scared...terrified, but he was trying to protect the girl even though he knew they would both die anyway.
Joker raised the knife as he smiled down at them, enjoying their reactions. The blonde put his arms out as he used his feet the push the two of the against the corner as much as possible.
"Kill me, go ahead! Just leave her alone! Please!"
The Clown prince stared down at the man, seeing the defiance in his dark eyes. What made him think he wouldn't kill the redhead if he asked him? If he offered himself up, what makes him think someone who's suppose to be mentally unstable would keep his word even if he gave it? Fool...
"Please! I'm begging you! Just don't hurt her!"
"HAHAHAHOHAHA! You got yourself a nice guard dog there little lady! He's even willing to die for you! How sweet!" The woman's hands trembles violently around his chest, too scared to say anything. "What are you two suppose to be? A hospital fling? Not the place to bring someone for a hot date buddy!"
"N-No...I got a job here because she...works here..."
"How cute! I could throw up..." Crouching down in front of the couple, he reached forward, quickly poking the woman's hand with the blade as the man tried to swat at him. It wasn't enough to go through, but a bead of blood ran along her pale skin. Instead of pulling back, her grip tightened. "Looks like she doesn't want to let go of you. I guess I'm gonna, uh, have to cut that pretty little hand off!"
The blonde snarled at him, face twisting as his outrage took over his sense. "Don't you fucking touch her! I swear I'll kill you if you do!"
Joker leaned back, looking into the man's dark eyes with his own. Images crossed his mind as the couple trembled. This man reminded him of his old self...it was annoying.
"Oh the old familiar places..." Lunging forward, he grabbed the back of the man's head and pulled him forward. Taking the knife, he roughly stuck it between his lips with a snarl.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the woman's shaking hands as her nails dug into the man's as she cried out desperately.
"Please...please...don't hurt him!"
Cocking his head to the side, he stared into the blonde's face, his own dark eyes baring into the ones looking back into his.
Pulling the blade out of the man's mouth, he put it between his own fingers and slashed the skin on his thumb. Grinning, he ran the bleeding digit from the top of his cheek and down across his mouth and up the other side. Now he was smiling too.
"HahAHAHAHhahaHAHA!"
Standing up, he walked across the room and grabbed the door handle. Stopping he looked back at the horrified couple. Running his tongue along his scars, he admired his artwork on the blonde's face.
"Don't let them get to her...or you'll wish I had killed you."
Locking the door behind him, he closed it quietly. Not that anyone would hear it over the screams and laughter. His little bomb had was set to off soon and would blow the side of the building to hell, allowing all the patients to be free. That was the reason he allowed himself to be locked in this shit excuse for a hospital in the first place. Gotham deserved to see what this place was really like. They just throw anyone in here and leave them to be forgotten. Plus, he could use some eccentric henchmen. The ones the mobs hire just aren't as fun.
Walking down the hall, the office to that annoying Doctor was open. Stepping into the room and closing it, her eyes looked at him in disbelief.
"I did EVERYTHING you asked of me!"
"Yes, yes you did. Good job!"
The blonde doctor wailed as she struggled against the ropes around the chair. The room was starting to fill with smoke as men burst through the door, laughing. They were covered in blood, knocking stacks of papers off the desk.
"Hey, hey, hey! This is a private session! Get the hell out!" Realizing who was talking to them, they quickly backed off. They ran through the door they had just come through, locking it behind them. Even among the most simple of patients, they all knew of the infamous clown.
"Now, Doc... Where were we?" Picking up a clipboard and pen, he stared at her expectantly.
"Are you going to me too, Mista J?" The blonde stared at him intensely. It made his skin crawl. What was she expecting? A hospital romance of some fucked up sort?
"Nahhhh. You're more useful aliveeee." He wasn't going to kill her...yet. If he needed to get back into Arkham or ended up back here, it would be useful to have someone here. You never know when you needed information or needed to break someone out.
"Really?! I knew it! I did everything you told me to, pudding. I promise, I won't let you down..."
Joker furrowed his brows, definitely sure this woman was insane. How they let someone like her be a doctor is beyond him...
Throwing the clipboard onto the desk, the Clown Prince turned away. The bomb would be going off soon and he needed to get going. This office was on the opposite side of the building so the damage wouldn't reach this far.
"W-Wait, where are you going?" The blonde yelled as he gripped the door handle.
"What does it look like? Im checking myself out of the hospital."
Harleen struggled against the ropes, making the chair along the floor. "No! Wait... Take me with you! Let me go with you, Mista J!"
Looking at the blonde like she was crazy, he sighed deeply. Not this again... Couldn't this chick take a hint? Why would he want to drag around some crazy chick who was infatuated with him?
'She'd probably try molesting me in my sleep...'
"Listen, pumpkin... I'd love to take you with me, but where I'm going is too dangerous for a pretty little lady like yourself. You need to stay here for I come back. If the cops find out you missing and hadn't been killed, they'll assume you were in cahoots with the whole plan then you can kiss your job and freedom goodbyeeeee." This should do it...
"I need to stay here for when you come back? You don't want me to lose my job? I knew you cared, Mista J! You always try to play so hard to get, but I knew I'd grow on you eventually! Ok, I'll do exactly as you say.. Promise you'll come back, alright? You mean the world to me..." Her smile was unnerving...
Turning the handle of the door, the clown laughed as he stepped out.
"Don't worry, doc. I promise I'll come back and SHOW you how much you mean to me!"
Joker jumped in his seat as two arms wrapped around him from behind. He was so engrossed in the blueprints and his own thought, he didn't realize the pinkette woke up.
"What are you doing?" Her soft voice tickled his ear as she leaned in.
Grabbing the knives off the table, he tossed them onto the chair, not wanting her to look at them.
"Nothing much... The less you know, the better dollface. Otherwise, you'd be an accompliceeee." He didn't want to burden her with his stunts. Not only that, but the more she knew, the more at risk she was.
Sakura leaned down, putting her chin on his shoulder. Her silky pink locks fell onto his scarred chest, ticking his pale skin. He shivered at the close contact. How long had it been since someone was this close without a blade sticking out of them?
"Okay... I trust you. I know you have your reasons, Jack..." The clown stilled as she ran her hand over his bare chest. What was she doing? His dark eyes watched her hands roaming over his skin, making his heart pound violently inside.
"Sakura..." The pinkette ran up his chest and neck, he was too shocked and at the same time excited to move.
"Hmhmhm..." She hummed as he tilted his head back, looking up into her green eyes. A small smile played on her pink lips as she ran her fingers into his messy hair. His eyes closed as she played with the faded green strands, before raking her fingers along his scalp.
"I remember you use to like this..."
Turning around, he grabbed the woman behind him and tossed her onto the blueprints scattered over the table. Her eyes widened as he leaned over her trembling form, panting.
"Careful kitty cat...This dog's hungryyyyy..."
Sakura stared at him, not saying anything. Was she having second thought? Part of him felt hesitant now... Did she realize what she was getting herself into?
Reaching up and grabbing the sides of his face, she pulled him closer. Soft lips kissed the mangled scars on his face before gently touching his lips.
Joker snapped, hungrily attacking her mouth as he leaned over her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.
'Damn dress..' No one could feel anything with that in the way...
Hearing her heavy breathing and pants, he groaned against her, running his mouth along the smooth skin of her neck.
Leaning back, the Clown Prince looked down at her flushed face. Does she realize the consequences of her actions?
"This is your last chance, dollface... Once you go forward, there's no going back.." His dark eyes studied her face as she stared up at him, raising an eyebrow. "You know everyone's after me. I'm the most wanted man in Gotham...I'm a criminal..."
Her green eyes widened, not saying anything as she looked up at him. His chest tightened in uncertainty. Was she finally having second thoughts?
'What's going on in that pretty little pink head of your?'
Grabbing his face, Sakura ran her thumbs from the center of his lips and up along his scars, his dark eyes staring down wildly at her.
"I don't care...That doesn't matter to me Jack..."
"So be it..."