A Hero and a Villain

Scene 7: One Weird Villain

[Shinso]

He was somewhat asleep when the villain returned.

Hitoshi yawned as he heard the clacking of footsteps coming down the hallway. The moment he opened his eyes, pain laced down his arms and up his spine. His wrists were on fire, and it felt like the joints were being pulled apart at the seams. He winced at the slightest bit of movement.

He tried his best to stop moving, looking around in confusion. Then he remembered where he was, and what happened. He wasn't the best at keeping track of time, but it had been at least two or three hours since the villain left.

At last, Reaper came into view, a red canister in one hand.

At first he looked at Hitoshi, his eyes widening, and quickly set the canister down, almost dropping it in his haste. Hitoshi raised an eyebrow curiously at his reaction. Reaper rushed over to Hitoshi, unsheathing his katana and slicing the chain in two with one clean pass. He caught Hitoshi bridle style, bringing him down hard on one knee before he slowly stood up. He carried Hitoshi over to a wall and carefully laid him down, producing a roll of bandages from his coat. He gently lifted Hitoshi's arms, and Hitoshi finally realized why he was so freaked out.

His wrists were raw and bloody, the skin torn from the friction against the chains.

Reaper didn't say a word, proceeding to tenderly clean and dress the wounds with various medical supplies that magically appeared out of his coat. Hitoshi stayed quiet as well, feeling awkward. He was still half-asleep, so he was slow at processing everything.

When Reaper was done, he leaned back and released the breath he had been holding. His expression softened and he whispered, "Are you alright? Does it still hurt?" Hitoshi slowly shook his head, and Reaper sighed in relief, "Good. I'm sorry I left for so long." "Did you really have to leave me up there all night long, blacky?" Hitoshi said jokingly. Reaper chuckled, the mood lightening, "Yes, yes I did."

Hitoshi smiled slightly, Wow, he's just like any ordinary guy. How did someone like him become a villain?

Reaper finally stood up, watching Hitoshi carefully. But Hitoshi made no move to escape, still extremely sore from being suspended mid-air by his arms for several hours.

Seeing as much, Reaper walked back over to the canister, picking it up and unscrewing the black cap. The smell wafted across the room, immediately waking him up. Reaper whistled, "Ah~ The sweet scent of fresh gasoline. O' how I missed thy luscious embrace~" Hitoshi gave him the look and he smirked, lowering the canister, "What? Is a villain not allowed to like the smell of gasoline?"

Hitoshi sighed, shaking his head disappointedly, "You have got to be the weirdest villain I have ever met." He stopped for a moment, still as a statue, then said, "Then again, you aren't much of a villain, are you now?" Reaper glanced back as he drizzled the gasoline over the pile of bodies, "Really? What makes you say that?"

Hitoshi relaxed against the cold concrete wall, thinking. "Well, you have quite the reputation in the criminal underworld, but as far I know, you haven't killed a single innocent. I'm not saying that you never have before, but you just don't seem like the kind of person who would do that on purpose. Not to mention you protected me, a Hero, your enemy, when you could've just let them kill me. I mean, what kind of villain does that?"

Reaper scowled, "One that's extremely good at acting. Who's to say that I'm not just trying to gain your trust so that I can use you later?" Hitoshi gave him a knowing look, "As a guy who's ability is to brainwash people by getting them to talk to me, I'm pretty sure I know when someone is being genuine or fake. Even supposed acting as fluid as yours is bound to have flaws."