Complete Combustion

X. Pathos

"We look at each other

Wondering what the other is thinking,

But we never say a thing."

Ants Marching by The Dave Matthews Band

"You know Jew," Cartman began, after having taken a huge drag on his cigarette. "you should feel kinda honoured about getting to live here."

Kyle looked up from the boots on his lap with a frown.

"Honoured to share a house with you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Even Hitler would grow sick of your Jew jokes." he added sarcastically.

Suddenly a wave of darkness shrouded Cartmans face, and it seemed he had completely forgotten about the cigarette stump between his fingers, as he was staring stiffly at Kyle.

"I swear to God kike, if you speak bad about the Führer I'm gonna break your fucking Jew neck, castrate you and feed your balls to the other prisoners in soup." His voice was low and threatening and his eyes piercing.

Kyle eyed him angrily.

"Really, Cartman? Do you expect me to adore and worship the guy who ordered me to be stuck here with you in this crappy camp?" Without noticing himself, Kyle had raised his voice slightly. "If that's the case, you ought to know the truth. I hate this fucking place, I hate you and I hate the god-damn idiot you call your Führer." There. At least Cartman knew how he felt now.

In the blink of an eye, Cartman had gotten up from the couch, and in three steps he went across the living room and grabbed Kyles collar roughly, pulling him up from his chair.

"I'm serious." He spat, ebony eyes boring straight into Kyles emerald ones. "I don't give a shit if we sleep together, or if I'm gonna have to live without sex for a few months... You don't speak ill of the Führer." His voice was now reduced to a low hiss full of hatred. "Get it?" He shook Kyle violently as if to emphasize his point.

Kyle met the cold look in Cartmans eyes with a look of pure defiance. He glared right back at the furious Nazi without cringing. Cartman might be a tread, but loosing in an argument about Hitler was just a total admission of failure seen from Kyles point of view.

"Well, I'm serious too. You can beat me if you wanna, I don't give a crap." Cartman looked absolutely furious by now, and Kyle knew his next words probably weren't going to be his smartest move ever, and that he ought to keep quiet, but it would really be worth it.

"all I know is..." he said provokingly, firmly ignoring the warning look in Cartmans eyes, his clenched teeth and his fist gripping tightly at his collar, "...that Adolf Hitler is a fucking wackjob who deserves to die right here in his own camp!"

A split second later Cartmans fist collided with Kyles jaw with a loud slam. Kyle winced and staggered. Little dots of yellow and green danced on his retina, and his vision was blurred by the pain for a few seconds, before the world came into focus again. He saw Cartman standing leaned over him, so he had probably fallen to the floor, after the blow.

Right, the world was now sharp and bright again, and he felt the wooden splinters from the floor dig into one of his cheeks. So he was on the floor.
Cartman had sat down next to him, and looked a little uncertain what to do next, with his eyes flickering from Kyles face to his hands, and back again.

Kyle managed to sit up slowly, while feeling his jaw with one hand. It definitely hurt, but it wasn't broken or anything, so Kyle quickly decided the snappy comment he'd reeled off about Hitler was one hundred percent worth it. "You hit me." He stated coldly, not really knowing how to react. If he made a fuss Cartman would probably repeat the action and Kyle definitely didn't want him to do that. Insulting the Nazi one time was a self-declared success, but doing it twice was certain death.

Cartman shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "Well, you deserved it Jew." He starred at Kyle without saying more.

Kyle sat still for a moment.

"You know, it's not like I'll take back what I said"

"Whatever you dumb shit. At least you know who's in charge now." Cartman replied in a chilly tone.

Kyle glared at his opponent for a long moment, before answering with an unnatural thoughtful and calculating calmness in his voice.

"Because I certainly didn't know that before..." He mumbled slowly. "Because you haven't told me anything."

Cartman raised an eyebrow with a blank look on his face. Kyle quickly interpreted the expression, and knew that Cartman had no idea what Kyle was getting at. Even Kyle hadn't known what he was getting at until a couple of seconds ago, when he had realized, that this situation was the perfect set-up for asking Cartman if his father was Himmler. He wouldn't be ruining the good terms they were on, because Cartman had just managed to do that himself by punching Kyle.

Kyle took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the accuse he was about to throw at Cartman. He'd probably earn another punch for being a "nosy little hebe" or something alike, but regardless of that he still intended to hear Cartmans version of Ikes story.

"Do you care to elaborate?" Cartman asked simply.

"I just think it's weird that you managed to get into the Totenkopfsverbände, you look so young. I just wondered."

"Really?" Cartman replied mockingly, and got up from the floor. "I'm sorry Kyle, but I don't really give a fuck what you wonder about..." He was about to retreat into the bedroom, when Kyle rose from the floor as well, asking him "please listen for once", in an exacting tone. Cartman spun around, and put his hands on his hips in dismay.

"Cartman... I..." Kyle half-yelled, but realizing the clamouring voice wouldn't be an advantage, he lowered his voice, and began in a restrained voice. "I didn't ask to offend you. I just need to know who I'm living with." he began trudging up and down the floor, while he spoke.

"I know you don't care but it would just make things easier for me." Okay, this wasn't the right way to appeal to Cartman, Kyle thought, and Cartmans drumming fingers on the table, and the condescending look he sent Kyle confirmed it. He needed to switch tactic.

"Okay look Herr Cartman!" Kyle began, angrily turning toward Cartman. "You obviously don't care about me at all." he pointed a finger accusingly at Cartman, as he slowly approached him. "And it's fine. It's FINE! How do you think it feels to be locked away in a camp in Poland?!" There. Anger, that was something Cartman understood, and he would be able to reach Cartman if he kept going like that. The strange thing was, that the anger he was supposed to feign grew more and more real with each word. His words became more and more frank as well. "How do you think it feels, never knowing where your family is?! Because I don't! I haven't seen my mum and dad since February, I'm in a place where people are apparently eaten by dogs or shot down, and to top that off, I'm stuck with a selfish bastard who won't tell me anything about himself. JUST OFFER ME SOME STABILITY IN MY RUINED LIFE ALREADY!"

"Fine." Cartman mumbled in a flat voice.

Kyle gaped at him, feeling a little scared of himself. He hadn't realized up until now, how many feelings he had been bottling up, and to what extend the loss of his family, home and everything he had known had bothered him. He cast a cagey glance at Cartman, and found himself surprised with the look he found on the other boys face. The look in his eyes was dejected and even regretful if that could be possible.

"I'll tell you, because..." He hesitatingly scratched his neck, eyes racing from Kyles face and back to his feet. "...everybody else knows." He said with a bit more self-confidence. "So if you knew it wouldn't be a problem." He swallowed and let out a deep sigh. Kyle watched him cautiously, as he plodded across the floor and sunk onto the couch, patting the seat next to him. Kyle sat down next to him.

"It might be a shock to you, but my father is actually Heinrich Himmler." He looked at Kyle as if he waited for him to react. It took Kyle a moment to understand what reaction Cartman expected of him, because Cartman after all didn't know that Ike had already told him. He nodded silently, hoping that Cartman would find this reaction believable. Apparently he did, because he kept explaining.

"...Yeah it sound pretty out there, right? But it explains why I'm 18 and in the SS-corps. My father can get anything he wants for me, because of his position. I got a crash course in military work, and was sent here, because I wanted to. Being in the camps is considered a more attractive job, because it keeps us from having to fight the French and the English, you know. Keeps us from the real military work."

"If you don't like military work, why did you even decide to join?" Kyle asked.

Cartman let out a harsh sneer. "Because I like power, obviously."

"Why?"

"Well... because it's nice, being able to control other people. That way you never have to watch your back."

Kyle nodded to himself. "I see." he muttered. "Heinrich Himmler..." he mused. "Do you see him often?"

"No." Cartman replied gruffly. "See, the public doesn't know about me, and by that I mean the media. Of course nearly the whole camp knows, because how else would you explain being able to get into the SS in such a short time, so I had no choice but to tell my colleagues. And rumours spread quickly, you know."

Kyle nodded to show he had paid attention. He was intrigued by the information, and couldn't risk discouraging Cartman, by looking uninterested.

"That is, the whole camp think they know everything. They know I'm the son of Himmler." Cartman said irritably. "But the don't know why he keeps my existence hidden from the public."

"I don't know..." Kyle deliberated. "Unless it were because you were a bastard child." he added bluntly, not oblivious to the sudden discomfort on Cartmans face. He watched as Cartman blinked and shifted uncomfortably in the couch, as beads of sweat slowly formed at his hairline. The stocky SS soldier didn't utter a word.

"That was right on, wasn't it?" Kyle asked slowly, with an oppressing feeling in his stomach. He had bawled out his thoughts without considering his situation, and his conjecture had been right. Cartmans resentful face also told him, that he hadn't actually intended to tell Kyle the truth.

Cartman nodded looking perplexed for a brief moment, but the look was quickly replaced by a cold, stand-offish attitude. "Yeah, you're right. Congrats on figuring out, Jew. It's not as thought it's a big deal," he snapped, voice thick with resentment.

Kyle decided now would be a good time to change the subject. "So what about your mother. Is she well-known as well?"

"No." Cartman replied curtly, and seemed to calm down. "She just a normal citizen..." Tough Cartman seemed believable on the surface, Kyle couldn't help but think there was something he didn't tell him. His voice had this trace of hesitation, like he held something back, and Kyle was growing impatient.

"Is she a hooker?" he asked straightforwardly, deciding that rather than acting guilt-ridden, for having been too blunt with Cartman, he'd rather risk hurting his "feelings", and at least get to know the truth.

Cartman bit his lower lip, carefully avoiding Kyles searching eyes.

"So what if she used to be one?!At least she is not a greedy, stinking, kike like you." he snapped, stressing the words to describe Kyle. "Even if my family is fucked up, and I never see my dad, and my mum's a prostitute, so what? We're still better than you fucking kikes! If it weren't for you people, there'd be jobs for everyone, so my mum could get a better one, but no..." he drawled, rolling his eyes, "you fucking parasites just sponge on all the good jobs. Before the war, my mum couldn't get a job at all, but now..." Cartmans eyes had become narrow slits, glaring directly at Kyle. His shoulders quivered with rage, he had his fists clenched. "Now you Jews are stuck here in Auschwitz... and if you are not here it's Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka or Sobibor. Since the war started, my mother hasn't needed money. Heinrich sends her money to spend on herself and me every month, even after I've turned 18, and he's got me one of the currently most prestigious and safe jobs in Germany. Me and my mothers lives would to suck and we had no money at all. Don't you realize Hitler has given me new possibilities?" He sighted. "The war has made everything better."

A/N:

A lot of new things are explained in this chapter, and I kinda surprised myself with Cartmans story at the end of the chap. It just sorta came to me, and I hadn't got it all planned out, like I usually do when I write.

I really haven't got much to say about this actually, so I'll just ask you nicely to please review, and thank you for the awesome reviews I got on chap 9 :3

On another note, did you all see the new episode of South Park? :3 In my opinion it was pretty great, but I needed sum serious Cartman x Kyle. Hopefully there'll be more of that in the next episodes XD