A/N: This chapter ended up being wayyy too long, so it's broken up into two parts. I'll have the next one up as soon as I can, but I wanna work on the next chapter of QotR right now. Thanks everyone who reads and reviews! I really enjoy your feedback.


Deep orange lights filtered through the boards against the windows, signaling evening was well on its way before the darkness would fall.

Dark eyes blinked agitatedly as the man shifted his chair, annoyed at the rays glare that was distracting him. Satisfied with the new position, he glanced down at his watch before looking back at the table he was sitting at.

There were all sorts of fun little gadgets and toys for him to play with. Guns, knives, bullets, powder, thick thread and needles, cellphones...wires...a bloody scalpel...battery packs... Along the walls around the building were crates and barrels of even more things that would turn the entire MCU's faces white. Diesel, gasoline, ammonium nitrate, amongst other things...each in different parts carefully stored until they were needed. They were necessary for what he had planned for the lovely city of Gotham. After all..he was only giving them back what they dished out.

All it would take was one wrong move or a henchman to do something foolish and the entire place would be blown sky high...

A soiled apron was on the floor next to his dress shoes. Grabbing a dirty rag from the corner of the table, he wiped the excess blood from his purple gloves, debating if he should just toss them or not. There were plenty of more pairs he'd stored away in the warehouse here...

A groan coming from the floor across the room made his eye twitch in agitation. There he goes again...

"Knock it off... Hey! I told ya not to move, Kilson!" The large man stilled on the tarp as the Clown Prince glared down at him from his seat. It was clear he'd been suffering for hours, but it didn't matter. "Ya want the voices to go away, don't cha?"

"Y-Yes boss..." Slowly Kilson nodded, letting his head fall back against the floor, trying his best to stifle the noises his body was trying to force out. Everyone knew what happened if you didn't listen when the Joker told you to do something...

The ringing from the inside of his pocket made him groan in annoyance as his head lulled from one side to the other. Didn't they know he was busy?

There were only a very...very few people who had this number. He constantly switched phones, making sure they were untraceable and the henchmen under his employment came and went just as often. They were only pawns in his plans after all. Very few could even make it for more than a few months working for him. The ones who could were kept until they messed up or deemed useless.

Grabbing the device from the inside of his coat and yanking it out, he pursed his lips together as he stared at it wildly, debating on throwing it or not.

Recognizing the number, he smacked his lips knowing he should answer it. After all, the guy on the other end had been given a very specific job for the day...and he was the only person who was able to last all these years.

"What Rocco?"

"Boss... We have a bit of a problem over here.." The man's voice sounded worried, making the clown more agitated than he'd already had been.

"Why? What's going on?!"

"There are three men in the apartment. I can see them through the window from over here..." Joker grit his teeth, seething inside. The beating in his chest quickened as panic hit straight to the gut, worrying if the owner was there as well. Work would have ended a while ago and she more than likely would have gone straight home to wait for him.

A trickle of sweat ran down the side of his forehead as scenarios played in front of his vision, each worse than the last. If something were to happen, this entire city would taste his wrath... Even Rocco for not intervening. It didn't matter how long he worked under him. A mistake like that wouldn't be forgiven...

Sensing the impending danger from the silence over the phone, the veteran henchman quickly spoke. "Don't worry, Boss! She's not there, hasn't come back yet..."

An internal sigh of relief made the muscles he didn't realize were coiling and contracting tightly finally somewhat relax. She wasn't there... The fact that Sakura hadn't come home yet was troublesome, but it was better than if she had.

'Dent? Or Choi?... This is most likely his doing. The Bat would have been by himself if it had been him and the others are far too slow on the uptake to figure anything out on their own. What could he possibly have found out that would lead him there? I was careful with the recording and everything else... How?... That little shit. Just like Jin, he's a pain in the ass...I'm going to fucking kill him.'

This was going to happen sooner or later, but couldn't it have waited until tomorrow? Even a few hours from now?

"Who is it?" He already had a feeling about who was snooping around, but figured he'd ask anyway.

"Choi, Nosh, and that Johnson guy. Same ones going around asking a bunch of questions." Of course it was...

"Kay..." Rubbing the throbbing muscle against his temples with a gloved hand, he sighed as he tried to calm the storm brewing inside. "Just swing by and get me. Looks like we're gonna have a little change of plans."

"Yes boss. We'll be right there... Do ya want me to take them out first?" This is one of the reasons he favored Rocco above the others. He usually knew what the boss had in mind and was able to go with the erratic flow.

"Nah... Don't wanna make a mess in her place. I'll get rid of them later myself. Choi deserves a, uh...personal touchhhh." A smile tugged at the corners of his scarred mouth as images played out in his mind.

"Gotcha Boss..."


"Tasha?" The dark haired man tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at the woman sitting across from him.

The pinkette stared out the window of the restaurant, lost in her own thoughts. The name being called out hadn't even registered in her head, no longer connecting it with herself. It wasn't something that familiar anymore, just foreign now...

Right now, she just wanted to go back to the apartment complex and hopefully see the person she really wanted to spend time with. It wasn't that her bosses company was bad or anything, just not what she wanted right now. The only reason for agreeing to go out on this little excursion was that it would probably be the last time...

Jack told her that they would be leaving in the early hours of the morning, there would be less people around that would get in the way. Batman wouldn't be prowling around the streets at that time to try snatching him up or anyone else that might be an issue. Everyone would be too concerned with the impending press conference by then and tonight would be a last ditch effort to bring down the clown before the caped crusader would reveal himself.

This was the most that Joker had told her about anything involving what was going on...

Laying in bed and tangled up in the sheets, he quietly told her about this little bit of information as he ran a hand through her hair. The muscles in chest had been so tense beneath her...she could tell he was stressed despite the confident front he tried to put up. All to really do was trust him and do what needed to be done.

After all, no one planned as carefully and strategically as the Clown Prince. The fact that the entire city was up in arms and unable to find or stop him proved that. There were still so many unknown variables and details, but she had to believe in him.

Even if the world knew him as Joker, he was still her Jack... Reckless and daring to a fault, yet brilliant enough to pull it off. There was still so much she didn't know about who he'd become or why, but it felt useless to ask. He wouldn't tell anyway.

"The more you know, the more danger you'll be in. Trust me..."

Sighing, the heavy feeling in her chest wouldn't disperse...the bad vibes resonating through her. Just like that time before... The instincts whatever Kami had given her weren't usually wrong, more so after the ability they blessed her with became useful.

The idea of being drug out of Gotham as the Joker stayed and did God-knows-what was really starting to get to her. What if something bad happened? If he got hurt and she couldn't even try healing him because they were so far apart? What if he died...

'He can't... He wouldn't... Jack is smarter than that...right? All these years he's been pulling the same shit, but I just feel this is on a different level.'

The thought of them becoming separated again just to cause chaos throughout the city felt so foolish. Did it really mean THAT much to him? Why was he putting both of them through this? Couldn't he just be happy with her? Wasn't that enough?

All she wanted to do was go away with him and live together like he promised... There wasn't a way to stop him from the things he did, that was just a fact of this new life that needed to be accepted. If Joker wanted to kill someone, he would. If he wanted to blow up a building, it was gone before the sun rose. Either way, she would stay by his side and try to get him to heal whatever damage he did to himself in the process.

Sakura loved him... It couldn't be helped. He was a part or her. The past, present, and future...no matter what form it took. Perhaps something was seriously wrong with her... Maybe there always was...

Knowing that he'd just slaughtered someone as he walked through the door of her home, she didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around his waist, just happy he returned in one piece. He's kicked in the door and cut her clothes off with a blade, running his filthy gloves over her body and she let him...even with the smell of iron and gunpowder clinging to him.

The Clown Prince has stained her pale skin with his own blood, covered her in soot, torn the clothes she wore in so many different ways... He'd dig his teeth into the pinkette's flesh, rake his nails all over and leave red trails everywhere they went and sometimes broke through a few layers...caused so many bruises with his incredible grip, tugged and yanked at the long pink locks in his hands, wrap those large hands around her slender neck as he pinned her down, taking her viciously like a wild animal...and there she was...coming for seconds.

If anything, it was pleasurable...even if it sounded screwed up. It wasn't done to hurt her... If something didn't feel good, there was no hesitation on making it known. Jack would stop whatever he was doing and switch it up, taking care not to repeat.

Aside from their history, the things he did that were so contradictory to what the public perceived him as were what drew her in even deeper. The way he would run his hands through her hair, cling and wrap his limbs around her while they slept, the gentle caresses and desperate kisses... The way his dark eyes constantly watched and observed, always paying attention to the finest details of everything. Sometimes he knew she was pissed or annoyed about something before it even dawned on her that she felt that way.

"I know you better than you know yourself...literally!"

There was no denying that... Jack knew the previous life she had lived from start to finish, until that night that changed everything. There were memories in his head that were still lost to her and even though many had returned, the blank spaces were numerous...

Looking outside, she closed her eyes and tried to let herself relax despite the horrid feeling in her gut...

"Tasha...are you okay?" Blinking rapidly, it finally registered that someone was talking to her. Tearing away from the calming view outside the window towards the voice breaking the little trance she'd fallen into, the pinkette gave off a practiced smile towards the man sitting across the table.

"Of course! Sorry...I'm just feeling a bit tired. Haven't been getting much sleep lately.." It was only a half lie. Things weren't okay, not really...but it was true that sleep had been hard to come by anymore. Thanks to a certain killer clown that it.

Part of her had been surprised by the impromptu request to take a walk and grab a bite to eat with the billionaire. What did it hurt? This would probably be the last time to see each other again and Jack said he was going to be busy late into the night.

Despite the fact that it had been Bruce who moved her from Gotham years ago, she knew it was probably done with good intentions. It did cause quite the heartache now that the memories resurfaced, but there wasn't much she could do about any of it otherwise. It was clear from his actions and the things that were said that he did care for her...but he still was a large factor in the separation between her and Jack.

The only thing that she could do to the playboy was to give him a little taste of the hand that was dealt. After tonight, she would be long gone without a word or an explanation. No one who knew of her would have any clue as to where or why she'd disappeared. That was what Jack had to go through when Bruce had sent her out of the city with no memories intact.

The details weren't clear, but part of her knew he'd known what really happened. The fall hadn't caused the memory loss... No, no, no... Blurry and distorted images were coming and going as they pleased, but one stuck out. A younger Bruce Wayne shaking his head as he stood next to an old doctor.

They mostly came in the late hours of night when Sakura was in the Morpheus' unrelenting grasp. When her body was exhausted and mind could no longer stay active on will power alone. It was always a wonder how the Joker could do so much on such little sleep, it seemed as if he possessed an inhuman supply of energy.

The times he did sleep, she was never sure if he really was out of it or was just feigning until she went under herself.

It was during those times that the images would show themselves in broken pieces. Sometimes it was just voices of people echoing through the darkness, other times short silent scenes with mouths moving. A few faces were recognizable from past clips her head had played for her, some meant absolutely nothing.

...

"Mr. Wayne, I'm not sure what else we can do. The police said that her guardians are...deceased...and we don't know about any other relatives that could sign the papers. The administrator would love nothing more than to put her away after what Crane did... I think this would be a great opportunity...in more than one way."

"If there's no other way, doctor... Just do it. It's better than the other option. At least she could live like a normal person if this works... I'll take care of everything else."

...

"What about the boy? The nurses in triage say he keeps coming and asking questions. As far as I know, he's not family. A bit of a...thug...if my sources are correct. A punk from The Narrows. Gets in trouble quite a bit in the neighborhood..."

"A thug you say?"

"Yes. Shoplifting, fighting...has been arrested. His parents supposedly ran off from what I've been told. I had someone ask around since he's been sticking his nose around the hospital. He also has some...horrible facial injuries. Probably from a gang war or some initiation, maybe retaliation. Either way, bad news for sure. You know how that area is."

...

"The Narrows... It's tough out there."

...

"Don't do anything rash, doctor. I want to give this girl a fighting chance to have a decent life. If he comes again, just make something up and send him on his way. It's better this way..."

It came and went as fast as it started. Each time only a small part would resurface, making her try to put them together to figure out what was being said as a whole. Every time it seemed like she was getting somewhere or close to finishing the picture, a pair of hands would violently rip her out of the God of Sleep's hold and take her into their own.

Dark eyes would stare down wildly, rough hands gripping her shoulders tightly as she would try to even out her breathing, confused and startled. It was frustrating being so close and yet so far from getting it together, only to get shaken awake by the man watching her sleep.

"Christ! You were mumbling some really weird shit...and that's coming from me!"

"Ah, ah, ah! Eyes on me...That's right... Come here, I'll make ya feel better..."

"I'm not gonna sit there and watch ya cry in your sleep. Ya know I hate it when you do thaaatttt..."

"Ya know, it's..ah...hard to sleep when you're making that face. I'm gonna have to smash that TV of yours if that shit your watchin' is givin' ya nightmares."

It always felt better not to be alone anymore. The memories weren't the most important thing, even if they told the story of what happened. Losing them in the past was right where it was meant to be...in the past. What was crucial was already there and that was enough.

"You do look tired. I'll drive you home, it's starting to get dark out." Bruce picked up his glass from the table, finishing the last of it. The shades of orange burned bright as the sun started making its way dipping closer to the horizon. The scene from window they sat near was spectacular, giving a grand view over the city.

"Thanks, Bruce...but don't worry about it. I'm going to walk home, there's a few things I need to do anyway." That was a lie...but there was no way she was going to let him drop her off outside of the apartment building in case Jack happened to be there. It would only anger him to see her getting out of another man's car.

"I insist... A woman shouldn't be walking around these streets with how...crazy...things are getting." The vein in her forehead throbbed at the words the billionaire chose.

'A woman shouldn't?'

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I'm not a fool, I know perfectly well what's going on out there." The bite in her tone was obvious, making the man across from her sigh as he ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Do you? Okay, okay...don't make that face, haha ... I didn't mean any offense."

Bruce sat there uncomfortably, shifting in his seat as green eyes narrowed in on him. Clearing his throat, he waved the waiter over to ask for the bill.


"Well?!" Rocco tried his best not to jump out of his skin at the loud growl coming from the man pacing back and forth across the floor.

"Not there either, Boss..." A chair was kicked away from the table towards the wall, it's leg breaking off from the impact. The men standing around flinched, holding their breaths and trying to keep a healthy distance, hoping to hold on to their lives a bit longer.

"Get your thumbs out of your asses and find her! Unless you want to be apart of decorating the warehouse? Hmm?! The walls are lookin' a littttttle bare these days!" Joker yelled into the phone on speaker, too angry to want to hold it to his ear.

A knife twirled between his gloved fingers, a habit he had when agitated. That was something the newer men hadn't picked up on, only seeing it as a the clown itching to kill one of them...not that it was far off. Being in his service for years now, Rocco had picked up on a few of the erratic quirks his employer had a knew what to do to not end up at the tip of that blade. For the most part anyway...

Everyone knew when the Boss had that tone, not to say or do anything unless told otherwise. Any fast movements or interruption would end whatever short career they had going for them in this line of business.

It had been six long years since he started working for the Clown Prince. Very long years... When he first met the man, it was before all the greasepaint and vibrant colored clothing and hair. Those days had been rough, but every year that flew by only had gotten worse. Men came and went quicker than you could imagine. You always had to be on your toes and listen very carefully.

One wrong move or saying something out of line and you could easily end up on the floor, clutching a slit throat...or worse. Usually worse...

Looking over to the large man sitting up against the wall groaning as he held his stomach, Rocco shook his head.

'Dumbass Kilson...'

The poor sap didn't even realize what the Boss had done to him. Not that he was all right anyway, the guy was completely mentally fucked in the head. Even if the Joker hadn't convinced him to let him operate, there wasn't a choice in the matter whether he realized it or not. By telling him the voices would go away if he listened to directions, it stopped the large guy from messing with the incision or doing something stupid that might ruin the plans.

The last thing they needed was for that messed up schizophrenic to try opening up the wound and sending the whole warehouse sky high. Just the thought of it had Rocco on edge... If anything, the Boss should have him tied up somewhere, but sometimes it seemed that he liked the thrill of putting everything on the line. He had more knowledge about explosives than anyone else in their line of work, so maybe he knew nothing would happen until he wanted it to.

That was one of the frightening things about the Joker. Everything worked on his time and the way he wanted it. Plans always seemed to go off without a hitch and none of the henchmen ever knew what was going to happen unless he told them anything, if at all. No one was ever really in the loop or had any say...it was always the Boss that controlled all variables down to the smallest details. Everyone played to his tune and he always held the puppeteer strings tightly around his gloved fingers.

"Fuck!" Joker growled out, gripping the cellphone tightly enough that the screen threatened to crack under the pressure.

It wasn't exactly clear what the Boss wanted with this woman, but he couldn't help feeling sorry for her. He'd seen her twice so far and it was a miracle she'd been in one piece still.

Was she the daughter of a mob boss? Maybe an associate of someone? A woman he'd slept with on a whim? A person he'd ransom off or use as leverage in an upcoming plan? All scenarios seemed a bit unlikely, but it was all so confusing.

She didn't seem like someone who dabbled in the underworld, but looks could be deceiving...

"Anyone touches the, ah, pink haired chick...ya die." That's all the Boss said before they entered the building where the fundraiser was being held. Everyone look at each other from behind their clown masks confused, not knowing what the hell he was talking about, but having just enough brains not to question his words.

It wasn't until Rocco had walked through the guests, ripping off their masks that he understood what he meant. The woman really did have pink hair...and she was beautiful... Stunning you could say. It really was a stark contrast to their boss in every way.

A sigh from one of the men made everyone who had any sense left among the henchmen freeze on the spot.

Dropping the knife onto the table with a thud, the room went completely silent aside from the nervous breaths the men tried to hold in as the Joker turned on his heel. Dark eyes stared around wildly as his head cocked to the side, looking in the direction of the group the noise had come from.

Rocco silently thanked whatever God there might be that he had decided to stand near the boarded up window with some of the older guys and nowhere near anyone dumb or new enough to cause a problem. Even if he wasn't near them, it didn't mean they were safe...not at all.

The corner of the Bosses mouth twitched as he took a few steps forward. The scar on the one side that rose higher than the other and curved into a twisted half smile jumping as the muscles in his face moved.

"Well, well, well..." Walking up the a handful of the men that stood ramrod straight, he walked past each one, moving too close for comfort as he peered into their faces. "Someone have something they'd like to sayyy?"

No one was dumb enough to utter a word. He was in one of his moods and there wasn't a single man in this building, new or otherwise, who wanted to play the games the boss had in mind. That temper of his was truly something to be feared. If it wasn't the erratic behavior that terrified everyone, it was the games he played.

After making his way down the row, he turned on his heel, stopping in front of a short dark haired man.

"Hmm? Dannnny?" Joker's head turned to the side, faded green hair falling against his white painted face. "Wanna, ah...say somethin'?"

The henchmen looked on, some with a slight sneer, others too afraid to even look in their direction.

"N-No...Boss." Danny stuttered, not daring to look into the Clown Prince's eyes.

If Rocco wasn't scared of the consequences, he would have laughed. Danny always had the cockiest attitude out of the flood of new guys that just came in. Bragging and blowing any money he made on booze and prostitutes. To others in the streets, it seemed too wild and dangerous working for the Joker and most of the men employed were seen as either brave or completely mental.

"N-No? No?!" Joker moved closer, dark eyes wide as he mocked the henchman.

Danny took a step back and a gloved hand lashed out, grabbing the back of his neck and making sure he didn't go anywhere. Usually these type of guys fell on their instincts to either run or became too scared to move a muscle. Clearly this one was of the former.

"At-ta-ta-ta... Where ya think you're goin'?" A smile spread across his mangled mouth, speaking in the sing-song voice that was always followed up by something terrible.

The phone on the table started to ring, making the Clown Prince's eyes widened. Letting go of the man, he turned away as he walked towards the sound, distracted and forgetting about the little inconvenience.

Danny let of a sigh of relief, letting his shoulders drop an inch as a small laugh left his lips. The men standing around him quickly moved away, not wanting to even be in the same vicinity as the fool who angered the Boss.

Rocco watched the Clown Prince carefully as he reached into his coat as he got closer to the table and reached out for the phone with his other hand. Shaking his head, the veteran henchman would have said a small prayer for the stupid boy if he actually cared.

The laughing stopped as a bullet pierced the dark haired man's skull, his eyes wide in shock as he stumbled back and feel to his knees. Blood ran down his face, dripping down the front of his shift, mouth agape not realizing what just happened. It was so fast that none of the other men had even realized the clown pulled out a gun until it was too late.

The only one who did was Rocco... He had worked for the Joker long enough to know that something as simple ass a phone call, no matter how important it was, would make him forget about someone's indiscretions towards him.

Tapping the buttons on the phone agitatedly while pursing his lips, the Clown Prince held the phone to his ear this time, too annoyed to bother putting it on speaker.

"What?!" Picking the knife up from the surface of the table, he started twirling it between his fingers again. His brows furrowed, cocking his head to the side listening to the muffled voice on the other end.

"Oh, goodieee. Go to 2nd and Treemont and wait till we get there." Without another word, he hung up the phone. A smile spread across his mangled mouth as his dark eyes watched the blade move gracefully around his gloved digits.

"Alright boysss... Time to, uh, get to work."


"Dammit..." The soles of her feet were aching from the heels she'd been wearing far longer than she would have liked. Normally by this time, the pinkette would be home and have long already taken them off by the door.

As far as Sakura could remember-or finally remembered-she never really liked wearing something like this. However, it seemed necessary to add to the formal attire that was expected at Wayne Enterprises. Unlike the other women employed throughout the building, the heels she wore were much smaller in comparison, but were still a nuisance. These days, she barely even cared about that. It just seemed so...inconsequential.

It didn't matter... After today, she more than likely wouldn't take a step through those doors again if everything went as planned. Just the thought of it made her stomach twist into uncomfortable knots. What was going to happen? How? What about afterwards IF everything goes as planned?

Too many questions and absolutely no answers...

It was frustrating how Jack wouldn't tell her barely anything, but understood why... Even if it was annoying. He wanted her to trust his judgement and not to interfere, which could happen if he told her he was about to do something that would undoubtedly end up with him getting killed.

"Hahh..." Pinching the bridge of her nose, the pinkette couldn't help worrying about him. Much more than she did about herself. The point of taking her out of Gotham was to keep her safe...that meant that whatever Joker was planning was dangerous enough that he didn't even want her in the vicinity. The scenarios playing in her mind made the weight on her shoulders multiply with every terrible image.

Sakura grimaced as the pressure on the soles of her feet increased with every step against the pavement as she walked block after block, just wanting to get home. The urge to just kick them off was overwhelming as she debated just going barefoot the rest of the way.

Turning the next corner, her brows furrowed at the sight on the street as her steps slowed part of the way down. Usually she didn't take this way home, but it was the easiest route back to the apartment complex from the restaurant instead of coming from work.

The street was full of row homes, the area being more residential unlike the last few blocks that were packed to the brim with businesses and stores. That wasn't what struck her as odd though. It was the small row of vans and trucks lined up along the curb with large men carrying crates from inside two of the homes and loading them up.

The feeling in her gut told her just to turn around and get the hell out of there. Sometimes, instincts were all that a person was left with and curiosity did not seem too friendly right now. This was a very unusual sight, especially for this part of Gotham. These men were preparing to transport something and she didn't want to know what it was. Drugs? Weapons? All of the above? It was definitely not just someone moving out.

"Let's go, sweetheart." A deep voice spoke from behind, making her twirl around in surprise. Two men were standing there, completely towering far above her head as they looked down at her curiously.

'Who the hell are these guys?' Was she in trouble for seeing them moving whatever it was? Aside from the men doing there job, there wasn't a soul outside on the block, making her all the more nervous.

"Come on!" A bald headed man grabbed her forearm, pulling her around as they headed towards the vans. Panic set in as she flailed, trying to get out of his hold. The heels got caught in a crack in the sidewalk as she tried digging them into the ground to get some leverage, making them come right off as she stumbled.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" A large guy hissed as he ran over, looking around wildly. It sounded like he was trying not to get too loud, turning his head with a worried expression.

Sakura's eyes widened, recognizing him right away from the terrible Misfits tattoo on his neck.

"Y-You!" His gray eyes widened as he looked around again. The last time they ran into each other was in The Narrows when he was piss drunk and harassing her...until he saw the pink locks from under her hood...

'These are Joker's men...' A part of her relaxed despite their appearances, knowing that if they were trying to take her somewhere, it was on his orders.

The man's face paled for a second and his words from back then ran through her head... The way he had been practically pleading to not tell his boss that he'd been haggling her, even if he was drunk. Jack wouldn't have cared either way what state he was in.

Turning towards the bald man, he smacked the hand away that held her arm in a vice grip. The pinkette moved it around, annoyed at the way he'd been trying to tug her around like a rag doll. Not only that, but the heels she couldn't stand were now ruined... Laying forgotten on the sidewalk with one of the heels broken off.

"Are you fucking stupid or somethin'? What the hell are ya doin'?" Hissing at the two men in disbelief. "You tryin' to get us all killed?" Looking around again, his lips pursed together as a worried look was etched into his rough features.

"No... We-"

"Just fucking forget it. You better watch yourselves..." The gray eyed man motioned with his hand for her to follow him. "Come with me, please."

Shifting from one bare foot to the other against the hard ground, the pinkette bit her bottom lip feeling uneasy about all of this. Why wouldn't Jack just come and get her himself?

Seeing that she wasn't moving, the man turned back with a look of pleading in his eyes. "He's waiting for you..."

With a sigh, Sakura reluctantly followed him as the two men walked closely behind her.

'Do they think I might make a run for it?'

Walking passed a few of the vans, she took a peek at some of the men loading up the crates. Each one of them looked rugged and dangerous in their own way. If it wasn't the expressions on their faces as they moved, it was the prison tattoos visible from where the sleeves of their jumpsuits were rolled up. Some looked younger than her with a shaved baby face, but looks can easily be deceiving. Others looked like they just crawled out from hell, scars and markings on their faces and necks. What an ominous bunch...

Padding across the hard ground, Sakura became more nervous the further they went, walking alongside the worn vans. Stepping in between the henchmen as they worked going back and forth to the open doors of the vehicles, she couldn't help wondering why the plans had changed so suddenly... Did something happen? Then again, the Joker was known for doing things on a whim...

Going pass one of the vans, a gloved hand reached out from behind one of the open back doors, wrapping itself around her mouth as she went to scream. The pinkette froze as an arm wrapped around her midsection, pulling her into the back before she even knew what was happening.

"Shh. Shh. Shhh!"

Green eyes opened wide as she felt herself being lift up off the pavement and pulled backwards onto a tarp in the back of the van. Fingers scratched at the purple leather glove held against her mouth, breathing harshly from her nose as the man drug her further in, holding her tightly against him so she'd stop trying to get away.

Leaning her head back to look at the man roughly tugging at her, hands grabbed at the exposed wrist below where the glove ended, wanting him to let go.

Looking up, Joker was staring down at her wildly, dark eyes seemingly pitch black in the shadows of the van. The white greasepaint was cracked and missing in some places where the muscles in his face creased up often around his cheeks and forehead. The red paint on his lips and scars were just as erratically drawn as ever as he smiled, looking far more menacing in this lightning than she'd ever seen before.

"Uh... Hiiiii..." The words were drawn out as he licked his bottom lip, making her chest tighten as she watched him.

Whether it was just a quirk or not, seeing him do that always just did something to her...