Illusions and Lies (A Super Smash Brothers fan fiction)

CHAPTER FIFTY THREE: TO LIVE AND TO LIE.

Warnings: This chapter contains mild blood and gore. Read at your own discretion. 

Some months ago...

The Headmaster's hand collided with the side of Roy's face, shocking all of his thoughts out of his grasp. Immediately following the slap, pain erupted across his cheek. That was going to bruise later for sure. He cringed away from the masked figure, like that would make the anger practically radiating off of them go away. 

"You fool." the Headmaster snarled. They gripped Roy's collar and forced him to look directly at the cold mask covering their face. "Do you realize what you've done?"

"I'm- I'm sorry!" Roy sputtered. "It was a mistake, I promise it won't happen again!" 

"You're right. It won't happen again." the Headmaster laughed cruelly and let go of him. "After all, none of your "friends" are left here for you to spill confidential information to. I ought to have you killed for slipping up like this, but you're an essential part of my plan. As much as I'm loath to say it, I still need to keep you around. So, consider yourself warned. If you so much as show any hint of weakness or blow your own cover like this again, you're dead. I do not care if doing so would harm my end goal. I will not tolerate failure from an agent of your station." 

Roy fought to keep his tears at bay. It's not like he wasn't used to harsh words or physical punishment, but it had never been this intense before. He'd never screwed up this badly. The Headmaster had never needed to get angry with him, and Roy had been exempt from a lot of the stuff that the others went through simply because of his status as a spy. 

"Do you understand?"

He nodded, vision blurring with tears. 

"I said, do you understand?" the Headmaster repeated, hitting him again for good measure. Just like Roy had watched him do countless times to the others.

"Yes, sir!" Roy spat out, desperately reaching for any emotion that wasn't sadness, disappointment, fear, or whatever he was feeling now. 

It turned out that he reached for anger. 

Present day...

Roy smirked as he spun his sword around in his hand, studying the blood staining the blade. "Oh dear. I'm afraid the blood doesn't go with your outfit as well as I thought it might." 

The wannabe mugger gurgled out a groan and flipped him off. Roy's smirk widened and he crouched down next to the dying man, laying his sword across his lap instead of sheathing it just in case. 

"What's the matter? Upset that I ruined your robbery?" Roy reached out and rested his free hand on the mugger's face, putting on an air of delicate concern. His voice sharpened dangerously as he kept speaking, though he continued the upbeat facade he was putting on. "I'm so sorry, my friend, but you should have thought twice before trying to steal from me."

He quickly had to withdraw his hand, as the mugger twisted and tried to bite him. Roy withdrew any remaining pretense of friendliness, replacing it with a cold glare he'd had plenty of time to perfect ever since his friends abandoned him to the Headmaster's mercy. 

Heh. Mercy. Not a drop of it existed in that man's bloodstream. He could pretend all he liked for his daughter, but Roy knew the truth. 

Vincent was a coldhearted bastard deep down. Then again, so was he. It made sense. Roy had learned from the best. Nobody could accuse him of not taking his teacher's words to heart. 

Roy gripped the mugger's hair and jerked his head back to expose his throat, just like he'd done countless other times. He laid his blade across the man's throat, relishing in the fear that crept into the man's eyes as he watched him prepare to deal the killing blow.