The Bane of Our Existence [The Dark Knight Rises]

14: As You Wish, My Dear

                Bane ate in silence, the pain obvious when he was not wearing his mask, and yet he endured. Time and time again he proved just how strong he was, and Bría was more and more envious. She had so many questions, but she did not wish to bother him in his moment of peace. It was the first time she had seen him do anything that was human, for all other times he was something else entirely. Whatever this League of Shadows was, she suspected it turned men into something else entirely. But then again, from what she had learned about The Pit, Bane had probably never seen humanity before.

"What is the League of Shadows?" Bría asked, the name of it nagging her, she knew it meant something, but what?

"It is a guild of assassins," he cringed when he spoke without the mask, as it was clearly painful. "We restore balance throughout the world."

"And Gotham has corrupted that balance, and must be erased?"

"Correct. You are a fast learner."

"The child, did she become part of it?"

"That is enough for today, Bría," Bane told her, putting down the tray of food. He grabbed the mask from beside him, and went to replace it.

"Wait," Bría said, unsure why she stopped him. She reached her hand out and touched Bane's, not letting him replace the mask just yet. She knew that he was in pain, no matter how much Fentanyl she had given him, and that the mask was the only true relief, but she wished to look upon his face just a moment longer. There was something so human about him in that moment, something that she wanted to remember. That no matter how dark she would become, she would still be allowed to be good. The League of Shadows believed what they were doing was good, purging the world of unworthy cities like Gotham.

Was evil something learned? Or was in inside of us? Or perhaps evil was only a point of view.

Bría wondered this more and more.

"What are you doing?" he asked at last.

Bría blushed, but did not try to hide it this time. Her growing feelings for Bane were going to show at some point, and it was better to have it all laying out on the table than to hide from it. Even without the mask, Bane showed no reaction if he did not want it to be seen, there was nothing in his eyes or expression that showed what he was thinking. Still, Bría studied every part of him, and then she released her grip on his hands.

"I just wanted to see the man underneath the assassin, the mercenary, just a little longer," she told him. "We become what the world makes us, but underneath it all we are just people."

"Do not mistake me for a man, that part of who I am died a long time ago," Bane was warning her, telling her not to adhere to her developing feelings for him.

But then he did something she did not expect. Bane lifted his hand from the mask and brought it up, cupping her cheek in his massive grip. There was no mistaking what she was feeling, the electricity that was pumping through her, where his hand was on her. Her breath began to shake, and yet she was too frozen to do anything else. She begged her muscles to move, to do anything, and yet it was as if she was in a dream where everything was happening around her and she had no power to even move a muscle.

The words tumbled out of her mouth, as nothing more than a whisper, "please."

Although she could not move, she had unknowingly inched closer to Bane. Only a breath away from him, her perfect lips so close to his scarred ones. Bría did not remember the last time she kissed a man, long before her time in prison. The memories of faces that came and went in her life did not resurface, for none of them mattered. Before her, in the present, it was all that meant anything.

Bane leaned back, withdrawing his hand from Bría's cheek and replaced his mask, slowly, steadily. His hands clasped the back, and then he was covered once more, the face of a man hidden behind the assassin. He placed his hand back upon Bría's cheek, his head cocked to the side ever so slightly.

"The face beneath the mask is only a deception of what I truly am, do not let it fool you. Do not think that I can be anything other than the assassin. The bringing of justice to this city," he told her, then removed his hand. He rose from his seated position on the cot, and held his hand down for Bría to take. She did, rising up with his assistance though she did not need it. Everything was out on the table, and though nothing had happened, Bría felt lighter than ever.

"Help me embrace the dark, Bane," she said, still holding his extended hand.

"As you wish, my dear."

Hey guys! I'd love to know your thoughts on this story! It's so much fun to write, and I'd really like to have some input! Another shout out to Frost101 for always commenting, I can always rely on you!