Author's Note: Assef's perspective of the moment in Tainted Perfection; Blood Stained Vengeance wherein Assef ripped off a young boy's ear to defend his sister's honour after she was attacked.
Once again, this deals with severely dark themes. I do not agree with the thoughts being expressed in this story, and I do ask that anyone who may not feel comfortable with reading dark and violent topics make the choice not to read on. Please curate your online experiences in a way that is safe for you.
I do not own the Kite Runner or any characters, events, or topics that take place within the novel. I do however own my OCs and anything pertaining to them.
With that said, please enjoy! Comments and reviews are always welcome; I look forward to hearing from my readers!
I fished a handful of Rupia out of my pocket, gently placing it into Saria's open palm. "This is for you," I told her kindly, "Go and find yourself something in the market." She nodded, curling her fingers around the coins and dropping them into the pocket of her dress. I gestured around me, letting her know where I would be should she have need of me. "I'll be, well, I'll be around here if you need me. I'll meet you back here in about an hour or so and we can go home. Sound good?"
She nodded again. "Thank you, brother. I really do appreciate it."
With that, she was off, her golden curls bouncing on her shoulders as she skipped through the crowded marketplace. I watched her go, laughing to myself at the irony of how good and innocent she looked. She was the perfect depiction of sweetness and all things pure, at least, to the outside world. Only I knew the truth of her mind, the darkness that lurked in her soul. And how could I not, when she was, in all ways, my other half?
I wandered through the market, hands in the pockets of my jeans. I wasn't interested in buying anything - none of the toys or games being sold by the vendors held any interest for me. Besides, even if I had wanted to purchase something, I'd given most of my money away to Saria. Not that I was complaining about that, far from it. The smile that I envisioned my precious beloved granting to me when she returned with her newest purchase was worth all the money in the world.
As I walked through the streets, I found myself smirking at how the other children of Wazir-Akbar-Khan flinched away from my very presence. How they stopped their games when I passed, whispered under their breath to their friends. How the older boys and girls tugged on the sleeves of their younger siblings and ushered them away, despite the little one's protests.
They feared me, and with good reason. None of them were safe from my rage. Thinking of the stainless steel brass knuckles that sat in the back pocket of my jeans, I was enamoured by the memories of previous Just Becauses that I'd gone on with Saria. It was a bonding method that my sister and I had devised when we were children. I don't remember when we first went on one, but we were young, perhaps too young to be out alone, but that was of no matter. What I do recall is the way Saria's blue eyes, so much like my own, glinted with a twisted happiness as her tiny hands violently slapped at the poor misfortune we had cornered in an alleyway.
That person - a boy with an oddly shaped nose and a crooked smile, whimpered and cowered on the dusty ground as my sister reigned down blow after blow onto him. I joined in, too, my fists delivering punishment for an unknown crime. When we were finished, leaving our plaything curled in a sobbing ball, Saria turned to me. I remember her taking my hand, looking up at me, curiosity evident on her face.
"Why did we do that?" I remember her asking. She sounded confused, but no less enthralled by our actions.
I shrugged. "Just because."
"Just because," Saria repeated, rocking on her heels. She stepped forward, wrapping her arms about my waist. When she pulled away, she was grinning. "Just because. I like that. I liked this. Can we do it again?"
I'd agreed, of course, anything to see her happy. And thus it became a game for us, a bonding exercise that made us feel powerful. That took away the monotony and pain of our abusive household. We were in control, we were powerful. At home, we were obedient, pre programmed robots, but out in the streets, we ruled. We were the Gods of Kabul - and the other children soon came to know that fact most intimately.
More time passed, and I found myself wandering towards the barracks. These were yet another favourite haunt of Saria and I - hidden from the rest of the market, they provided us with somewhere we could chase unsuspecting victims. I crossed over the road, making my way across the path. As I neared the barracks, I noticed Farsef Sajihdi, brother of Aarash, an irritating bastard that often made it his purpose to annoy me every single class we had together. While I hadn't interacted much with Farsef himself, I was expressly aware that he was just as bothersome as his worthless sibling.
He stood in front of a large wall, one hand resting on his hip. The other hung loosely by his side, and in it, I noticed a small, black and green kite. Farsef's gaze was focused downwards, his eyes locked on something on the ground. Wondering just what he could be looking at, I followed his gaze. There, I saw her, and my blood reached boiling point.
She lay upon the ground, face-down. Her face was buried in the dirt, her hands thrown out in front of her, in an attempt to defend herself. I looked from her, to Farsef, and back to her again. It didn't take a genius to realise what had happened here - what this bastard had done. My mind darkened. My body reacted involuntarily. A yell of untold fury bellowed from my lips as I surged forward.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO MY SISTER?"
Farsef nearly jumped out of his skin. He looked around frantically, as though trying to locate the source of the noise that had so terrified him. By the time his eyes focused on mine, I was directly in front of him. He took a step back, terror emanating from the depths of his very core. Frightened, babbled words of excuse tried to come from his lips, but I was beyond caring. Beyond the point where I felt anything towards this boy other than unbridled, twisted, contorted rage. He had put his hands on Saria. He had dared to touch her, to harm the most important person in my life. And now, he would pay for it. Dearly.
I shoved Farsef backwards, with enough force to knock him off of his feet. He staggered, tripping over himself, and landing on the ground. The kite fell from his hand, rolling away and dropping into a small puddle. Farsef lay on his back, eyes wide, a dazed expression on his features. But I didn't care about him. There was someone far more important who needed my attention.
Turning my focus to Saria, I crossed to where she lay upon the ground. I bent down, taking her under the arm, and gently lifting her back to her feet. She swayed, rocking from left to right. Her eyes were watery - tears of both pain and fury. Her dress was muddied, bruises coating her arms. Glancing down, I noticed a rip on her tights, and saw that her knee was bleeding, dripping onto her black shoes.
If I thought I was angry before, now I was fuming. She was hurt. My Saria was in pain. My Saria was bleeding. This was one of the most awful, disgusting things that I had yet seen in my life. Every time she was hurt, it ripped me into two. I placed a hand on her cheek, tilting her head up. She looked me in the eye, and I brushed a few strands of hair from off of her sweat covered forehead. "Saria," I whispered, compassionately.
Her voice trembled as she spoke, raising a finger to point at the worthless scum laying in the dirt, condemning him to the most gruesome fate with her next word. "I… I bought a kite with the money you gave me," she said, "and I went to sit on the wall there." She gestured to it. I nodded, and she continued to speak. "And Farsef came over, just right up to me, and started being a little prick. So I told him where to stick it, and then… and then…"
She struggled to get the next words out. I gently took her hand in mine, silently telling her it was okay to continue speaking. I wanted to hear every sordid detail of what had been done to her. I wanted her to share her pain, so that I could correctly avenge her.
"He tried to grab that kite from me. So I told him where to stick it and… and then he tried to tug the kite from me. So I tugged it back and then he grabbed my arm and just… just threw me off the damn wall. I mean, look at me, Assef! You see what he's done to me?!"
I did see. I saw it all, quite clearly. My suspicions were correct. Saria's injuries, and her words, were the judge's gavel, coming down to sentence Farsef as guilty. I turned, looking at the boy, who had stood back on his feet and was now creeping away, trying to remain quiet as a mouse so as not to get my attention. He'd picked up the kite, which belonged to my sister, and was attempting to leave with it. It was that sight, coupled with the image of Saria's blood-soaked leg and indignant face, that spurred me into a rage so powerful I knew I would not be able to contain it.
This snot-nosed, pathetic little creature had assaulted my sister. Had laid his worthless hands upon the most sacred, perfect being to ever walk this earth. He had tried to steal from her, which was a crime in and of itself, and when she refused to hand over her property, his reaction, his base impulse, had been to grab her. To throw her to the ground as though she were little more than trash. Nothing made me angrier than that. Nothing ever filled me with more hate than Saria being treated with less than the deference that the rest of the world ought to bestow upon us.
It was with this thought in mind that I knew I must punish Farsef, and do so severely. I turned to Saria, who was glaring at Farsef's retreating form, her upper lip curling in a menacing snarl. I didn't need to be a mind-reader to know what she was thinking. To know the one thing that was on her mind. She wanted blood, and I would spill it for her.
We lunged as one, cornering the Sajihdi boy before he could move another step. He whimpered, trying to get away. Before he could do that, however, I threw myself forward. My body slammed into his, knocking him down and into the dirt. He struggled, arms flailing, pathetically slapping my hands and trying to push me away. But it was of no use. I was too strong for him to make even the slightest movement. With my left hand, I grabbed the collar of his coat, lifting it up, and slamming him down onto the ground. His head bounced against the dirt.
With my other hand, I reached back, grabbing my brass knuckles from out of my jeans pocket. I didn't even need to look to see what I was doing, slipping them onto my fingers as though I was slipping on a glove. I drew my fist back, looking the boy right in the eye, and punching him square in the nose.
There was a loud crack, and Farsef howled like a wounded animal. Blood rushed from the open wound. He raised his hand to his face, covering the bridge of his nose. No matter. That would not stop me. I hit him again, this time in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped, letting out a desperate, keening wail. I hit him again, and again. Behind me, Saria let out a peal of beautiful laughter.
"That's it, brother!" she cheered, hopping up and down in excitement. "Break his fucking jaw!"
For the first time since I'd begun my assault on Farsef, I was hit with a wave of remorse. Not because of my actions, not at all. The creature deserved every punch. But it was Saria that he had hurt, and here I was, taking away her opportunity to deliver her own brand of retribution. I felt a pang of shame. Had I bothered her? Had my actions caused her any upset? How I would loathe myself if that were the case.
I turned to her, giving her an apologetic smile. "How sorry I am, my darling sister," I told her softly. "Here I am, having my fun and not giving a second thought to you, Farsef's actual victim." At the mention of his name, Farsef whined again, and I kicked him in the chest. He whimpered. I focused my attention back to Saria. "Forgive me, Liebchen. I've been caught up in the moment."
With that, I extended a hand to her, beckoning her forward. "Come here, let's see you punish him too, hmm?"
Saria cheered in delight, surging forward. I caught hold of Farsef's hair and turned him towards her. She lifted a hand, balled it into a fist and viciously punched him in the mouth. He gasped, coughing, his head snapping quickly to the side. Another laugh escaped from Saria's mouth, and she whacked Farsef in the nose, right above where I'd hit him already. The boy howled in agony. Saria brought her leg up, kicking him right in the stomach. He doubled over, and she kicked him again.
I joined in with gusto, my brass knuckles imparting a much needed lesson. At one point, as Saria was aiming to kick Farsef again, the boy backed away from her, scooting across the dirt, tears wetting his blood-coated face and dribbling onto his chin. His right eye was swollen and puffy. His left eye, at its normal size, turned to us, pleading and desperate.
"Please," he begged, throwing his hands out, "Please, please, no more…. No more. I can't take it… please…. I just want to go home… I want to go home… Please…"
His begging only spurred me on to cause more pain. What right did he have to expect mercy? What right did he have to ask to leave? After what he had done, his punishment was not nearly over. Not by a long-shot. I had to do something to truly drive the point home. To truly make him regret this sin for the rest of his days.
Beside me, Saria yelled in righteous fury and made to swing at the boy again. But before she could do so, I lunged, getting to him and pulling his head up. He looked at me with terror on his face. I caught him by the right ear, pulling it away from his head as far as I possibly could. Opening my mouth, I viciously bit down, tugging on flesh and cartilage. Farsef's screams of pain became utterly animalistic. He tried to push me away but I wouldn't be moved.
Seconds later, I pulled away, Farsef's right ear between my teeth. I dropped him to the ground. He curled into the fetal position, looking up at me in surprise. Desperate gasps escaped his lips. He mouthed something incoherent. I removed his ear from my lips, dangling it in front of him like a carrot to a mule.
"Since you think it's acceptable to take something from my sister," I scolded furiously, "why should I not take something of yours in return?"
I held the ear aloft again. Behind me, I heard a delighted gasp from my Saria. I stepped over Farsef, tossing his ear a few feet away. It landed in the gutter. "Now, stay away from my Saria or this'll seem like a gentle ear twisting compared to what I'll do to you."
Saria giggled. It was a sound more beautiful than any other in existence, second only to her most lovely voice. I turned. She was standing there, her hands covering her mouth. I raised my hands, sheepishly laughing.
"Yeah, Liebchen, I know that sounded like a pun, but I didn't mean…" I walked back to her, grinning ear to ear. Saria swayed from right foot to left, her body depleting. All of the energy that she'd gotten from punishing Farsef had been used up. Now, I could tell, she was feeling the after-effects of her own suffering. I needed to tend to her, immediately.
I pulled her into a quick embrace, and then, holding her at arm's length, I said, "Come here, Saria, let me look at you." Inspecting her head to toe, I checked her injuries. By far the worst of them was the cut that marred her knee. Luckily, though, even that wasn't too awful, though. "They look superficial, at least," I mused, "no scars but you'll no doubt have some nasty bruises for quite some time. I'll put some cream on them when we get home and we'll see about bandaging up that knee of yours. We'll stay indoors for the next few days, just while you heal."
Saria nodded. She took my hand in hers, our fingers intertwining as perfectly as always. "I think I've had enough fun to tide me over for this weekend, Assef," she said.
"Okay, then. Let's—" Right before I could lead her away, a thought occurred to me. I stopped, looking down at my sister. "Oh, wait, Saria. Your kite—" I made to pick it up, but Saria stopped me. I furrowed my brow. "Do you still want it?"
She shook her head. "It's too broken," she whispered. Hanging her head, she murmured guiltily, "I'm sorry, Assef jan. I didn't mean to waste your money. I—"
I cut across her. The idea that my darling would ever blame herself for this afternoon's transgressions was unfathomable. "Hey now," I cooed, pulling her into an embrace. "None of that, sister. It's not technically my money, is it? Nothing to feel bad over. If you don't want it, you don't want it. Besides," I glanced back at Farsef, crawling in the dirt, "I think the fun you and I just had counts for a million kites, wouldn't you?"
Saria beamed. I pressed a gentle and loving kiss to the side of her head, and, wrapping her arm around her shoulder, began to lead her down the road. "Alright, then. Now, let's go home and I'll see to it that your injuries get treated, okay, Sar?"
We walked away, taking a shortcut through the barracks so that my Saria didn't have to walk through the market with those injuries. I kept my hand locked in hers, protectively holding her close. I would allow no more harm to come to her, no more.
I looked down at her, watching her silently walk beside me. What did she think of my actions, I wondered. How did she feel about me biting someone's ear off? Certainly it was the most horrific act of violence that I had ever perpetrated in front of her. I hoped she knew that I did it for her. I hoped she knew that this was, as always, yet another expression of my unconditional, eternal love for her.
Because I would do it again, and do so with a smile on my face. I would continue to shed the blood of thousands, until the day came when the world knew how special my love was. Until I could give her the perfect life, the perfect world, that we so desperately yearned for.
She deserved no less.
Thank you again for reading! The next chapter deals with the fallout of Saria's first violent outburst towards Adia. It's not actually scene from Tainted Perfection, but is an extra, added bonus scene from Assef's perspective. Look for that, coming soon!
As always, please feel free to leave your thoughts, I appreciate all of my readers! Thank you all again!
