*It's about time that we caught up with Brandon, isn't it? Remember him? ::shaking head:: I can only hope that by the time this story is over, he'll have found some way to forgive me.
For Brandon, waking up in a dark enclosed space was almost as disconcerting as the pain that was radiating through his jaw. The man had experienced a number of bad hits since joining the turtles' inner circle, but the last blow from Daichi had to be the hardest he'd ever been struck.
And that's saying a lot, he thought ironically. Years of sparring and Taekwondo, but nothing else touches that hit.
Brandon had come around to find himself lying on his side on the damp floor with his hands bound behind his back and no memory of anything that had happened between getting knocked out and arriving in this strange place. Fear had been his automatic reaction after confusion, but he'd fought to calm himself down.
They'll come. The guys will get me out of this, I know it. It's only a matter of time.
Brandon writhed his wrists uselessly, just to find out if there was any room to squirm within the iron manacles. He wasn't surprised to discover his hands weren't going anywhere, but he still groaned in frustration against the duct tape plastered over his mouth.
How did I not hear those guys coming? Geesh, you'd think that the guys never taught me anything. Not that hearing them would have helped matters much. I couldn't have even taken Daichi, let alone the rest of them. But I might have been able to yell, or at least set off my…
His watch. Brandon had just realized that he couldn't feel the timepiece on his wrist.
Well, it doesn't matter. The guys can still track me through my implant; they just have to figure out what's going on.
Brandon heard the scrape of a metal door grating against the floor, and instantly stiffened. There were two voices at the head of the room, both speaking in Japanese. An overhead light clicked on, revealing a storage closet for the first time.
Not understanding anything is going to get old quick. How would they like it if I only used Spanish to talk to them? It's tempting. Brandon's heart rate quickened as he heard someone walking toward him. It's too much to hope that they'd leave me alone until the guys can spring me, isn't it? Then again…they must have some ulterior motive for taking me to begin with. So help me, I'm not going to be bait.
Brandon rolled his eyes at the ceiling. Like I have some choice in the matter? They can do whatever they want to with me, and that includes setting a trap. Anxiety surged at the realization that Daichi could be planning to use him against the turtles that way. If they got hurt because of me, I don't know what I'd do. But they're smarter than that, he encouraged himself. Donny will be prepared, just like always. I have to hang on until then.
A dirty shoe nudged his ribcage, and Brandon met the eyes of one of his kidnappers. He saw no hint of malice, surprisingly enough, but only curiosity. As Brandon stared at the stranger, he was startled when the other man grabbed a fistful of his bronze hair and jerked his head off the floor. The aggressor uttered a couple of sharp words, yanking him by one of his arms so hard that it felt like he was going to tear it from the socket.
Brandon didn't dare struggle as the curious one caught him by the left side. There's no point in fighting. It would only get me hurt at the moment. I'm lucky Daichi didn't do worse. I wonder where the big guy is. I'd imagine he'd want to be front and center so he could gloat over me.
The world rocked back and forth dizzily as the two men carried Brandon out of the cramped dark closet, into a more spacious dark room. I guess they don't care for lights too much.
Brandon heard a cavernous echo when the metal door closed, indicating the true size of the new room. I wonder where they've brought me. It feels colder in here than it should be – it was still summer the last time I checked.
A deep voice addressed his captors from the shadows, and Brandon resisted the urge to cringe. He recognized the voice by now. Daichi spoke one more unintelligible word that sounded distinctly like a command, and the two men dropped Brandon into a lone chair that was positioned under a small light.
Brandon set his face like flint as the men twisted his arms behind his back, removing the manacles so that they could bind him to the hardback chair. It's kind of surreal to be on this side, he thought ruefully. The only time I've ever seen Daichi is in the middle of a fight. I never wondered what he might be like at rest.
One more order from Daichi appeared to dismiss the men. His jailers backed away into darkness, leaving Brandon alone with Daichi. The young man tried to shift his wrists instinctively inside the painful position in which they were locked, and to keep his face impassive at the same time.
The large man was staring down at him, clearly trying to intimidate Brandon. Not gonna work, man. I've seen you get your tail beat down by the turtles too many times, and it's about to happen again. I hope you've taken out an insurance policy since they saw you last. No way will they go easy on you again.
Daichi continued to hold Brandon's gaze, until the gesture began to feel less imposing, and more as if the man was perplexed.
"Why do they choose you?" Daichi asked finally. "Why here?"
Brandon tried not to convey the confusion his questions raised in his own mind. It was clear Daichi meant them to be rhetorical, because he hadn't even removed his gag yet. As the Asian man stroked his chin in thought, Brandon laughed inwardly.
He could hurt himself if he tries to think too hard. This guy is not the sharpest tool in the shed.
It wasn't until Daichi bent closer to him under the light that Brandon realized the man was injured. Daichi's face was a mass of small cuts, and he possessed an impressive bruise over his left eye.
What the heck? He didn't have those before. Did he get into a fight with his own men? That doesn't make sense.
A smile curled on Daichi's lips, and it was the first expression that succeeded in making Brandon truly nervous.
"You must wonder why we take you," the man said.
Daichi's English was better than Brandon had expected. I didn't figure I was being invited to a party, he thought with annoyance.
"You have much to say, but later," Daichi pronounced carefully. "Right now, you listen."
Brandon steadied his gaze, trying to communicate disgust with every fiber of his being.
"Not afraid, are you? That will change." Daichi chuckled. "Stay with me, and you will long for death."
I think I prefer not being able to understand him.
"This is the start of the finish for all of you," Daichi continued.
He could still use a few more lessons on threatening someone in English.
"Make no mistake, James, you will die," Daichi said casually. "But not before I have what I want."
The Asian man leaned so closely to him, Brandon could feel the heat from his breath.
"You will tell what I want to hear. You will answer me, or suffer far greater. I learned much from my Master."
This is about me talking? That's so not happening. Brandon scowled openly at Daichi with his eyes, and the man smirked back at him.
"It is much greater pleasure to break someone who is strong, than the one who is weak. I will enjoy it very much."
Where do they get these lines? Is there some villain's handbook lying around for them to pull threats from? The next thing he'll be telling me is that he has ways of making me talk. Moron.
Daichi ripped the duct tape off his mouth faster than Brandon could blink. He tried to bite back the cry of pain it elicited, but wasn't successful.
"It is clear you underestimate me," Daichi stated. "Most people do. But this time Takashi will get to see the truth about me."
"From prison?" Brandon croaked. "You must have some miraculous powers."
"Not unlike the Shitenno?" Daichi challenged.
Brandon shut his mouth and refused to rise to the question. Daichi crouched to his level, resting a heavy hand around Brandon's back.
"You can speak now or later, James. Either way, you will tell everything."
Brandon held his eyes unflinching. "No…I won't. There's nothing you can do to make me help you. Nothing."
Daichi's smile widened. "I am not sure of that, and you should not be either. If Takashi were here, he would say it makes no sense to begin so late. But I am not Takashi. I am Daichi, and I have much to prove. You are going to help me."
Brandon started to shake his head, and was surprised when Daichi caught his throat in a vise-like grip. Strangely, the man released him after only a few seconds without air.
"We start with one, James. Why do the Shitenno choose you?"
Brandon's eyes narrowed defiantly. "Esta loca en la cabeza, idiota. Mis amigos van a hacer dano." (You're crazy in the head, you idiot. My friends are going to hurt you.)
Daichi laughed. "This is easy one, James. It gets harder from here."
"Usted esta perdiendo el tiempo, pobre excusa para un guerrero. No voy a hablar." (You're wasting your time, you lame excuse for a warrior. I won't talk.)
"You do not amuse me, James. But then, I have not much to laugh for in the last year and a half. You will regret refusing."
Brandon was halfway through the action of rolling his eyes when Daichi's backhand whipped his head sideways.
"You will not disrespect me, James, else you are a fool. You belong to me, and you will do as I say."
"I don't belong to you, and hitting me won't change that," Brandon shot back. "Did you really expect it to be that easy?"
Daichi suddenly grinned once more. "I did not, but I thought to give you fair chance before we do things my way. Takashi-sama treated the Shitenno gently, different than I would have. With you, this is going to be enjoyable."
"Says the giant thug," Brandon muttered.
Brandon had a split second of warning before Daichi drove the full force of his fist into his stomach, allowing him to instinctively tighten his abdominal muscles and release a rapid breath to prevent himself from being winded. By the way Daichi's brow furrowed, it was clear the man was surprised.
He figured he'd hurt me more than that.
"You have learned from the demons," Daichi asserted.
Brandon's eyes flashed with new life. You'll learn a few more things this time too, I guarantee it, he fumed silently.
Daichi looked amused once more. "You wish to speak, James, I see it. Do not hold out on me."
"You've got your terminology crossed," Brandon snapped.
From Daichi's blank look, he could tell he'd stumped the man.
"The Shitenno aren't the demons," Brandon clarified for him. I shouldn't be altering the perception that's already in place, he thought at the same time. I won't be the one to tell them that the turtles aren't possessed by the Guardian Spirits of the Earth.
"You speak of the Shitenno as if they are the evil ones," Brandon went on. "But that's the opposite of how things actually are. They're responsible for defending people from the likes of you. Who're the real demons, Daichi? Who made it their lives' work to profit off the suffering of innocent young women? The only thing the Shitenno are guilty of is shutting down your rotten slave trade."
Daichi chuckled, much to Brandon's surprise. "The Shitenno will pay for that interference, and many more will suffer because of them."
Brandon refused to ask what Daichi meant by that. "Why come here now, Daichi?" he asked boldly. "What are you doing in the United States? Do you think you have a chance of catching or killing the Shitenno on your own? You're fooling yourself."
Daichi hovered within inches of him, and Brandon forced his body to relax, lest another blow was coming. Brandon exhaled softly as the man dropped the hand with which he'd drawn back to strike him. The air had no sooner left his lungs than Daichi's fist flashed toward him, catching him in the right eye.
Amidst the burning sensation that made it impossible to see, he felt Daichi lingering over him.
"You brave now, James, but that will change. I have plans for you."
It would have been impossible to describe how cold the statement left Brandon feeling.
"I will not keep you waiting," Daichi said. "You will find I have not much patience."
Brandon tensed as Daichi rose to his feet, and called out in Japanese to someone else. Two more men appeared so quickly that he had to think they'd been waiting nearby for this purpose.
Daichi nodded at the warriors and shot Brandon another smile. "It is time you met everyone, I think."
His breath caught in his chest as the warriors lifted him from the chair, and pulled him in the direction toward which Daichi was leading into the darkness.
This isn't going to end well.