Inherently Evil (A Hiei Story)

Chapter 18: Bartholomew

Hiei could sense his own apprehension as the door closed slowly behind him when he stepped inside Bartholomew's cell. It was dark and cold. For a moment he stood unsure of what to do. But before long a flame appeared on the wall over his right shoulder. Then another one sparked a few feet over and so on until the entire cell had been illuminated.

It was a large round pit with a narrow ledge along the wall. Several guards stood upon it, lining the room. They were at attention, their eyes focused on the center of the room. They paid him no attention; he had to admire their dedication.

However, Hiei's eyes darted in the same direction. There was a single pathway that stretched across an open expanse and connected to a small pillar in the center. It was barely a foot wide and looked as if it could collapse at any moment.

There was a dark figure huddled there on the other end. He was on his knees, head bowed. A guard stood behind him, arms folded behind his back. Hiei advanced down the narrow stone pathway to get closer. A few loose chunks of stone broke away as he walked. He strained to hear them it the ground; he never did.

As he got closer he could see that the figures arms were bound to his body via straight jacket. The straps were of chain and thick woven cloth, enchanted no doubt. He was also bolted to the stone pillar with heavy black shackles. His hair was unruly, long and dark, hiding most of his face. When Hiei stopped before the kneeling man he could see what looked like a mask covering his mouth, preventing him from speaking. Bartholomew.

For a moment Hiei stared at him in silence before looking up at the guard. He was tall and strong, probably the strongest physically of the whole bunch. The guard didn't acknowledge him at first but eventually looked down. They seemed to have a silent conversation before the guard pulled something off his belt. It was a small rod that extended to three times its length. The guard hooked it to the straps of Bartholomew's mask. It came undone. He pulled the rod and the mask away.

Bartholomew kept his head down; his long greasy hair hid any expression on his face. Hiei was content with the silence, for the moment. Slowly however, Bartholomew opened his eyes. There was an odd feeling in Hiei's chest when he saw their vibrant teal color. Jamie said Nunnally looked like her mother but she had her father's eyes. Hiei stood there, slightly annoyed at that fact, a rationale he couldn't explain.

Bartholomew seemed to be staring at nothing, his eyes listless. Then Hiei noticed a slight twitch in Bartholomew's face. Without moving, his eyes shifted upward quickly, peeking through his thick hair. The dark circles under his eyes gave them an even more grim and hollow appearance. He stared at Hiei for a long while, his eyes narrowing slowly.

The corner of his mouth turned upward. Bartholomew whispered, "You smell...familiar...". His voice was deep and raspy. He hadn't spoken in so long the action seemed to exhaust him.

Hiei said nothing as he stared down at him. 

After a moment Bartholomew's head titled slightly, trying to get a better look. He inhaled through his nose before his expression grew darker but somewhat curious. "You have their stench; it's disgusting."

Hiei was slightly taken aback. If his assumption was correct, Bartholomew had pieced it together effortlessly. "Even after all this time?" Hiei didn't attempt to keep his thought hidden. He was curious to know what power Bartholomew possessed or if he was just that astute.

"It lingers," Bartholomew stated simply. "It must make you quite miserable."

"I'm rather content, actually."

There was a dark expression on his face. Then he closed his eyes and inhaled, deeply this time. His eyes shot open, a piercing gaze in them. "You also smell like...her. It's such a putrid odor."

It didn't take much thinking for Hiei to know what he was referring to. "Hmph. Honestly I've come to notice she generally has the aroma of freesia and daisies. Even I'd hardly call that putrid."

Hiei could only describe the sound that came from Bartholomew a chuckle. "She's like a cockroach. They all are. They're disgusting, vile things." He spoke with such conviction. "One can beat them, stab them, even try blowing them up but even that doesn't work."

The last part struck a nerve. Blow them up? Hiei was incredibly suspicious of that statement and admitted to himself, shamefully, that he felt uneasy with those fierce eyes glaring at him. 

"It's almost comical that she couldn't just die as easily as her mother did. But I'm tiring of such a joke." Bartholomew tilted his head slightly, leaning as far forward as he could manage. "You'd be surprised by how satisfying it is to just give in to the monster," he paused for a moment and smiled, "Hiei".

Instinctively Hiei shifted away. How did...? but he couldn't finish his thought.

Bartholomew chuckled a deep throaty chuckle. "You're such a foolish child." Then he was serious again. "Did they call you that? A monster?" He waited for an answer but Hiei remained quiet. "I see."

"Don't lump me in with you. I never found the same satisfaction in it as you have." Hiei had composed himself.

"So you did give into it." Bartholomew smiled briefly before his expression turned into disgust once more. "But now you prefer to spend your time lying with them. What a terrible trade off."

Hiei laughed. "You're the only one here that knows that trade off; I lie with no one."

Bartholomew snarled and lunged forward. The guard never moved; he knew Bartholomew wasn't going anywhere. "That wasn't my choice!" He hissed. "That whore used her damned spells on me. She made me her dog."

"The life of a dog was much too good for you."

"Her death was too good for her." He snapped. "I only wish I could have made her suffer more. That's why I took my time with that little wench. And I'll happily do it again."

Hiei felt his hand twitch. He had to restrain himself from acting rash. "That wench is your daughter."

Bartholomew jerked forward again. "That's just a word. It means nothing. This time I think I might rid her of all her power by skinning her alive, one limb at a time. I think I'll start with her face, reminds me too much of her bitch mother. I wouldn't mind letting you have a go. You can give in to the monster properly."

Hiei was beyond annoyed, no, angry despite his better judgement. "I'll pass. In fact, I'll be standing between you and that sadistic fantasy of yours. However, it would appear that you're first obstacle is this pit."

Bartholomew grinned, his smile wicked, teeth sharp. "I'll enjoy the warm-up."

"I look forward to it." Hiei turned his back to leave. The conversation hadn't quite gone the way he expected. He let Bartholomew get to him more than he thought he would. His earlier comments, like knowing Hiei's name and blowing things up, were still weighing heavy on his mind.

"Before you go, tell that fool Jamie I look forward to seeing him again."

Hiei kept walking. He could hear the guard strapping on the mask again. The pit was silent after that. Only Hiei's footsteps made noise, echoing off the walls of rock. He was pissed but there was no way he would let Bartholomew see that.

He crossed the narrow bridge to the ledge. One of the guards banged on the door and it opened from the outside. Hiei passed through the doors and they closed behind him with a creak. Jamie was leaning against the wall, eyes closed and arms folded across his chest.

For a moment he stood quietly, turning their talk over in his mind. Eventually Hiei spoke, "somehow he knows." His words were harsh, he was surprised at how angry he was.

Jamie opened his eyes and gave Hiei a curious look. "Knows what?"