Dissecting The Reaper

Chapter 5

His eyes glaze, trembling in the corner of my office. My eyes twinkle as I see the fear pool in his eyes with each tiny step, I take towards him. My scalpel is drawn, my thumb lightly scraping against the edge just applying enough pressure to seep a small amount of blood the opening. I paint my finger red and pocket my scalpel again. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you,"

"Y-You're not?" His eyes are narrow with dubious suspicion as he watches me every move with his observant gaze.

"I told you I was going to show you something, did I not?" I offer, putting my hand down to his level. "Perfect symmetry. That's something you want,"

He gulps, the gold in his eyes blinding me with a curious beauty. "Yes," he reaches out to grab my hand and once he does, I snatch his wrist roughly.

Tugging him towards me, I crash his small body against my knee where I've been calmly building up a soul charge. It shocks him from his stomach, sending waves of electricity around his body. As his mouth opens to emit a cry of anguish, I slip my bleeding finger into his mouth like a venomous predator, creeping on unsuspecting victims to gouge them with my chainsaw. "The stars you can see, aren't they perfectly symmetrical?"

He doesn't answer. When I experimented on myself years ago, I discovered a non-acidic toxin I could carry in my blood. It doesn't affect a person unless given a direct entry to the digestive system - it's why I stopped biting my nails in exchange for cigarettes. This toxin, when ingested, acts as a powerful anaesthetic. Essentially, I knock people out when they drink my blood. Without the energy and skills to fight me, Death the Kid slips nicely into my trance. He's just the perfect little experiment.

*

"Kid..." I wave my long hand in front of his face, seeing the cigarette between my fingers swish through the air, a little blurry. Like I'm seeing double. High on my euphoria and giddy in gleeful pleasure. A successful preliminary investigation. The anaesthetic is wearing off, he's groggily groaning past the bandages. "I think it's time to wake up,"

Flesh parts to expose that liquid gold in his iris dimmed by rings of crimson. Blood red veins pumping across his eyes, beautiful and bloodshot. Fear is there immediately, even numbed by the anaesthetic, his heart pumps so loud and fast. "Wh-What did you...?" He returns to slipping though the semi-conscious realm. I smirk.

"Calm down," I instruct. "I did what you wanted. I made you symmetrical,"

And I have. With my deep scalpel slices I altered his face, adjusting his skin to the perfect balance of weight either side of his face. His body, ridding it of any discrepancy between the right and left sides in size or colour or shape. I couldn't bring myself to silly such beautiful hair though, so I've left my experiment with the unique and enthralling three striped that line through his hair, his markings as a grim reaper.

I lead Kid to a mirror and watch him through it. Fear melts to curiosity, a fascination as he notes the subtle changes to his face and hands, the rest of his body concealed below the hospital gown. While I dislike plastic surgery, I love experimenting with alterations and how different I can change someone's appearance. Discarding the idea of emotional manipulation just for one second, I'm proud of my work.

"I look so different!" He gasps in abject fright, whimpering. I wonder why he isn't joyful, then I realise. I smile as I gently stub my cigarette out on the should of my lab coat, dissolving through the drivers until black ash acnes the whiteness.

"Don't worry, your dad won't notice," I assure, chuckling a little. "You don't look that different - I was careful to maintain your general impishness,"

"Dad will notice!" Kid swings himself around, force to catch his balance with his own feet. "I know you're a Meister Stein, but grim reapers have much better sight than humans! He'll know exactly what's been changed"

You idiot! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Of course, this isn't what I actually say, but what I scream to myself internally. My fingers grip the cigarette between them to hard it breaks, a flurry of loose, stringy tobacco and singing embers floating to the floor. How could I be so stupid?! I made alterations on a reaper without knowing the scope of their perceptions. I dig my nails through the flash of my wrist, waiting patiently to punish myself with drawn blood.

"What do we do?!" Kid asks, eyes swimming with panic. His head a scribbled mess of ideas he can't decide on.

"We hide you," I decide, palms sweaty with excitement. I wanted to stop being bored, didn't I? Nothing is boring about this. I love chaos. My control has slipped, by that only makes this more intriguing. "I keep you here,"