Chapter 23

Echoes Of The Past

Eito and Leitangi go to their secret home. They go inside and go deep down into a basement. Eito puts the suitcase with Takara down in a big cage. Eito goes inside the cage and locks it behind him. Leiji and Leitangi walk up to the cage.

Eito unzips the bag and Takara pops her head out and gasps for air. When Takara's eyes get used to the lighting in the room, her eyes get big. All the memories from her life come flooding back. She slowly looks around and sees that the basement has not changed.

"Welcome home," Eito says with an evil smile.

"I- I thought Neji killed you," Takara says with a shaky voice.

"You thought! Your little friend there can never kill me. I'm invincible!" Eito yells out with an evil smile.

"But he scanned you! H- he checked for a heartbeat! He knew you were dead!" Takara says. "Why does this seem so familiar? This obviously hasn't happened but why do I remember this?"

"You see, I was dead," Eito says. "But Leitangi found me. He took Hiroshi's heart and gave me his heart so I was revived!"

"Why revive you instead of Hiroshi?" Takara asks.

"It was time for Hiroshi to go," Eito says. "It's my turn to take over control!" Eito laughs. "Now Tak, let me tell you a little story. When you lived here, we always made sure to have some of your DNA. When you escaped, we waited to make you think you were free. After a while, we tracked you down with your DNA and found you at the Cloud Village. We didn't even try to get you there because of Ay. Yes, we're scared of him, but only him! When you went on your own, we knew it was time to strike. Your first night at your apartment, Leitangi spied on you and waited outside of your apartment. We were trying to find out the perfect time to snatch you up but that pink haired girl was there."

Takara thinks back to her first night at her apartment. She remembers thinking she saw Leiji or Leitangi outside of her apartment.

"I remember Tak looking over and I had to hide," Leitangi says. "When Tak went back inside, I was relieved. I was close to being caught."

"We kept an eye on you the whole time," Eito says. "You were never alone. When that Hyuga brat left and you went to take a nap, I knew this was my chance to bring you back home. I snuck inside after he left and waited for you in your shower."

Takara sighs. "Why do you want me so bad?"

Eito laughs. "Oh Tak... Stupid little Tak. You can ask all you want, but you'll never get answers."

"Takako Uta," Takara says. "How did you meet her?"

"I'm afraid I don't know who you're talking about," Eito says.

"Takako Uta, my mother. The woman you sent 10,000,000 to. It doesn't ring a bell?" Takara asks.

Eito gives Takara an evil look. He then takes Takara by her neck and throws her against the basement wall.

"How the hell did you find out?" Eito asks.

Takara starts shaking and feels blood on the back of her head. "I- I... I thought you always watched me, shouldn't you know?"

Eito then smacks Takara across the face. Takara grunts.

"Don't be a smart aleck Tak!" Eito shouts in her face. "Apologize."

Takara looks down, annoyed. "Sorry."

"What was that? Is that how you apologize to your leader?" Eito asks.

"Sorry, sir," Takara says, still annoyed.

"That's right Tak," Eito says. "Tak, if you escape again, I will hurt your innocent father, your sick mother, your baby sister, and Neji."

"Don't touch the ones I love," Takara says in a deep, serious tone. "How do you even know about my mother being sick, and the existence of my sister?"

"I'm not answering any of your questions." Eito says then pushes Takara on her back and he puts his knee on her chest. "Oh man, doesn't this look familiar? You thought you were all high and mighty thinking you and that Hyuga brat could kill me." Eito laughs. "I should break your back and see how you like it!"

Takara starts to cry. "What if Neji hasn't come by my house yet? I just… want to die- but I can't. God Neji would be so devastated. Try to survive for Neji. Plus, my dad and little sister, especially my dad, he would lose his mind. It can't take that long for Neji to realize I'm gone, right? Oh God, what if Neji is working for Eito? No way, there's no way… Neji is too sensitive."

Leitangi comes inside the cage and locks it behind him. Eito flips Takara onto her stomach. Leitangi holds Takara's hands down so she can't move. Eito sits on her legs to make sure she can't move at all. Eito then cracks his knuckles and chuckles. He then starts to punch Takara's back causing her to scream.

"Again!" Leitangi says excitedly.

"Why not?" Eito asks then punches Takara's back harder which causes her to scream louder. "One more time for good measure." Eito then punches her back once again. Takara just starts sobbing.

"Y- You... You made your point! Please stop!" Takara cries. Takara sees Leiji walk away. "God, what is he doing? What is he gonna use on me?"

"You don't order us around," Leitangi says.

Leitangi stands up and Takara tries to sit up but falls back down due to her back. Eito flips Takara over on her back. Eito then lifts up Takara's shirt just to have her stomach exposed.

"Looks like you still have that X scar, huh?" Eito asks. "I think your scar would like another friend."

"N- No…," Takara mumbles.

"Has that bruise gone away yet?" Eito asks.

"No," Takara says while holding back tears.

"Interesting," Eito says with a sadistic smile.

Eito then gets off Takara and goes to a wooden chest in the cage. Eito opens the chest and puts on a glove with sharp spikes on it. He puts it on and goes to Takara. He sits on top of her and punches Takara's stomach with the spiky glove. The spikes aren't that long. Naturally Takara screams and she coughs up blood and starts to cry.

Eito gets off Takara. Takara slowly tries to stand up but she falls on her hands and knees while breathing heavily. She looks up at Eito. "A- Are you... trying to... k- kill me?"

"No, not yet," Eito says. "You were gone for 4 years so we have to punish you every single day for 4 years, and then we might consider killing you."

Takara then coughs up more blood.

"Stand up, Tak," Eito says.

"I- It's hard to, my... My back hurts... so bad," Takara says.

"Aww, I don't care," Eito says.

Eito goes to Takara and grabs her by her neck and stands her up on her feet. Takara leans down and has to hold herself up by holding her knees. Eito then goes back to that chest and grabs a baseball bat. He then immediately swings the bat into her face causing her to bleed more. Takara then closes her left eye from pain.

"That should leave a bruise," Eito says. "Maybe the bruise on your thigh won't feel so lonely."

Takara looks up at Eito with pure anger and with blood on her face. She wipes away the blood from her mouth. "Yaketsuku, what happened to him?"

"Oh, that brat who saved you?" Leitangi asks. "I had the pleasure of killing him."