Flame Of Recca Fan Fiction ❯ Joker, unmasked ❯ Joker, unmasked ( One-Shot )

Joker, unmasked

Yo! Readers and fans of flame of Recca, this is only my second pathetic attempt at a fan fiction. Be gentle when giving your comments, after all, I am only a kid. (`^^; ) a short and sweet ficcy with almost no plot. Simply a telling of family history.

Standard disclaimers apply: flame of Recca does not belong to this pathetic little beginner of a fan fiction writer but great old Anzai-sama.

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Joker, a member of the great card family… a person who is carefree, jokes about, making people laugh. However, almost nobody knows who he really is behind all that face paint or occasionally mask. Ah, Joker, was proud to admit he has been the perfect example of that one particular occupation.

What a cunning person Joker is, unless one goes and thinks carefully, it is impossible to try to decipher this character, a comment from Kurei. The Joker card also means a way of snivelling out of trouble. A back-up plan. It can seldom foil your plans unless against you.

(^_^ Enough of this angsty <pun not intended > trash of analysing Joker's name ne? time to get on with the show.)

Koganei, a brat, also known as the young betrayer of Urha. He sure is a interesting fellow, thought joker. He he… he was still able to injure him to his condition after leaving Kurei's side.

"It's difficult playing bad guy, ne? Joker-san…" said the girl I saved not long ago. "I know that since you save my life, you're not a bad person…" boy, this girl is foiling my plans to pretend to be the bad guy. Thought joker.

"Err… miss, you must be joking… i… I am one of uraha, a bad guy, don't come near me…" stammered Joker, blushing a pink glow. And quickly ushered her to the corridor. Hoots of encouragement were aimed at him. Gosh, this girl can make me lose control of my emotions man… how can one puny little brat do this to me? Joker asked himself.

"Joker, why do you wear a mask?" asked the girl. This question took him aback. She sure asks strange questions.

"lookee ,ere, miss, have you ever seen a joker without a mask or at least without face painted? No right? Yep, I'm a joker, hat's why I wear a mask." Replied the joker slowly. It felt like explaining how cotton candy were not clouds we have in the sky to a child. Actually, that was not the real reason. His reason.

"You're lying…" said the girl softly. "That's not the real reason. However, if you do not want to tell me, it's okay. Really." Joker regarded the girl, she looked like 12 years old. Short neatly combed hair framed the innocent face. She was right. He was lying. But how can he burden other people with his problems.

You know the real reason why jokers conceal their faces? It's a secret. I can't tell you… I wish to tell you, but I can't. You are better off not knowing. Really, thought Joker.

"Hey, kiddo, let's just settle this mini dispute by telling you the answer okay? I enjoy concealing my eyes. They will tell others of my thought. Ever heard that eyes are the windows to one's soul? Yep, when I fight, I don't want others to know of my true emotions… it forms a weakness. Probably why Kurei wears a mask. It hides one's facial emotions… yep, that's right." Explained Joker. In fact, that was partially true.

"Oh, is that it. Okay…"said the girl rather not confident in his explanation. He sounded too willing to tell her the reason after trying to hide it for so. It is rather fishy. Joker sighed in relief. At least she had accepted his answer, dubious as she is, at least she had stopped questioning him… they went to the cafeteria to sit down and talk.

"Joker the match is over, ne? Why haven't you removed your mask yet?" asked the girl. Great, he is back to square one again. Thought Joker sarcastically.

"Fine, you really want to know? Follow me outside; I'll remove my mask there, in the forests." Joker giving in to her curiosity. Amongst the tree witness to his confession of his secret there was only another fellow human being. The one person he would tell his secret. An innocent girl who had unknowingly caught his heart.

Gods, I had escaped the clutches of many opponents, but this is one I had not managed to escape from. Her large eyes devoid of any idea how cruel the world can be. Yes, she had experienced killing people to spare her father from death, she had endured Gendo's torture. But it was nothing as compared to what he had experienced.

What had caused him to turn away from this world? He could remember from his first day in school to the fateful day of meeting Kurei. The nightmare in between. The days of torture, angst, questioning of his life and use. His death and rebirth as Joker. Grown to pretend to be a frivolous and flippant man. All 12years of his life that he was conscious of himself. Since he started school at 7.

"I was born into a family of rather high social standing. In fact, I am a distant relative of the present shogun. However, because of my strange ability to be able to talk since very young, my family shunned me. They should have been glad, for I was a genius. No, they thought I was a monster. A demon, to be exact. When I entered school, my teachers regarded me as their pets. My classmates were jealous of me. in year 2, my parents passed away in a car crash. They fell off a cliff. I wasn't too upset a bout it, but my relatives thought I was happy that my parents were dead. Seriously, I wasn't. they left me to my own defences with my parents leaving only about 15% of me in their will." Said Joker in a monotone voice. His eyes were shrouded in his reminisces. He removed his mask. Grey eyes.

"I spent the money carefully and managed to support myself through year 3 to 6 but when the time came for me to enter middle school, I had almost finished all the money. That was when I started to work. After all, I had to support myself. I found myself a part-time job as a clerk. That is thanks to my ability and good results. That time I was on a scholarship program. It lifted a huge burden on my shoulders. However, the job only served to bring more trouble." Continued joker. His misty grey eyes were beginning to cloud into a mysterious hue.

"My boss was ran a business selling weapons. Halberds, swords, ancient katanas and wakizashi. Hey, talking about katana, I think Raiha got his from there. Ah…he sold all sorts of weapons ranging from for display to for usage. I helped him do the accounts for a meagre amount of 1000 yen per hour. It wasn't a tough job, after all, my mathematics was pretty good. Then came the fateful day. A plump woman, with squinty eyes and wearing a purple dress entered the shop. She wanted to sell this madougu I have today. Obviously, my brainless person of a boss did not know that it had powers much more than what he knew it had. She asked for 15000 for this baby… obviously, my boss, looking at this prune-like thing did not want to pay such a high sum for thing he thought would not fetch much money. Ah.. Yes, at that time I was a 15-year-old teenage boy." Joker took a break. And shifted his mask beneath his arm..

"he refused and started bargaining. I spotted the thing sort of like send a mental hint to me that it wanted me as this master. I told the lady I wanted the madougu. She eyed me carefully before naming a specially discounted price of 13000 yen. For me, she said. I ran to the atm machine and withdrew the asked amount to pay the lady. She whispered into my ear that she saw potential in me and didn't want it wasted. So I took it. For the first few nights, I had wondered what special powers it had. Until that day in school, I just happened to see my teacher holding a scroll. Apparently now Recca's ninja-crazy history teacher. I saw my madougu's stats. Beautiful. That was when I started using it. Of course it didn't take very long for my boss to find about the special powers. He wanted the madougu so much. Honestly, she is truly a babe. He sent assassins to kill me and get the madougu for him. After that I never trusted anyone again. From starting to quit school to completely breaking out of the outside world. The madougu hunters did not leave me alone, but I finished them off one by one. That was until I met Kurei, then I had a purpose in life." said Joker. His hand caressing the girl's face gently.

"but, Joker, what does that have to do with your mask?" she asked.

"kid, this mask is my way of breaking away from this cruel world. I started wearing this garb and this mask after I tried to drown myself in the river, an old lady found me, gave me a new reason to continue living. Live Joker, not for Anyone, but yourself. Do everything you do, for yourself. Live to enjoy life. Even if the heavens fall, the earth will still be here to catch it. So, live. That was what she said. And I believe her words." He murmured softly.

A burden off his chest. Now, he knew there was someone, to share the burden of this secret with. Thank you, he thought. A silent thanks to the old woman and now this young girl who had saved his life.

Live. A simple word. Can save a person even on the edge of insanity. To bring him life. To help him regain his mind.

This is the story if Joker, unmasked, his feeling, emotions and thoughts. Tank you very much for listening to my ramble. ^^;

Author's thank you words:

Hey people, I know this story is lame. Heavens know that. Okay, me too. If you wish to be reading more of my ficcies, please give me more comments, and I will continue writing, otherwise I don't see the point in continuing to write when nobody likes it.