Burning Caramel

Chapter 18

Sounds met Sora's ears, laughter, clinking chains, and then there was the feeling of being bound to a stiff surface. A pounding in her head kept her from staying unconscious, feeling a tenderness in her skull that made her wince at the thought of it being touched.

A clamoring nearby has her cautiously opening her eyes, only to find that there was no easy escape from this. The room was filled to the brink with the escaped villains from Tartarus and others who had seemingly grouped with them after the prison break.

A figure moves in front of her and then laughs. "Oi, Lookie here. It seems that the princess is awake. Aye beauty, the boss will be 'ere in a moment and ya better be ready fer him," a man with broken teeth, blotchy skin, cobalt blue hair and psoriasis tells her, his fetid breath making her cringe.

"Good Lord... You really need a shower and some mouthwash at least, How long have you been holed up for?" The spicy girl gags. The man in front of her turns scarlet with anger, reaching out to slap her. But the very moment that he comes into contact with her skin, Sora discharges electricity through her skin, shocking him like a human taser. 

"Ah! Bitch!" He shouts, making those around him laugh as the force of the slap had turned her head to the side. Sora looks up from underneath her lashes, danger flashing. 

"Don't touch me," she warns him, the irritation clear in her tone. The man scoffs and leans in towards her to intimidate her. At that moment, the door opens and the hulking figure from her deepest nightmares steps through the door frame, causing Sora to fight sucking in an involuntary breath of anxiety. 

It was him. The man of her darkest nightmares,  Remnant. His yellow mask of horror still retained what looked like old, flaky bloodstains as his head turned towards her. Sora felt her stomach turn sour, the urge to vomit overwhelming as he looks her over and grins, the part of his face that was not covered in a mask covered in a sick grin.

"You've grown," the male says, his eyes appreciatively raking over her form. 

The near lecherous stare made Sora shudder as he comes closer, running his eves over her torso and up until he reaches her face.

"I thought I told you not to leave a mark on her," Remnant growls, glaring at the now nervous men behind him. 

"Ya didn't see er boss. We had to hit er to keep er  subdued. She woke once and busted the windows outta the car we drove er here in," the man from before says in a nervous tone. 

"And yet you still marred her face," the other male growls, capturing Sora's chin with his fingers as he tilts her head to see the bruise she carried on her cheek.  The male flinches visibly, his demeanor very obviously nervous. After a harrumph from The Remnant, he turns to face her. The man was younger than she thought looking to be only around 30 or so. 

"I apologize for the rough handling. So incredibly hard to find good help these days," Remnant sighs, his blue eyes raking over her disheveled appearance. "But it looks like you fought them pretty well. So.... How about it? How about Joining me? I think we could make a fantastic team given some proper training," Remnant offers her a sly smile.

"After what happened, to me, to my parents.... After you murdered them and tried to murder me as well... And you want me to join you... Look-" 

"Takumi. Adachi Takumi," he grins at her inquiry. 

"Fine, Adachi Takumi. Are you sure you aren't completely and totally insane? You kill my parents and kidnap me, then expect me to work with you?" Sora stares at the idiot, noticing that he had a lot of scars, likely from the fights he had been in prior to being arrested for murder. 

The male looks at her, his lips pursed in irritation now. "Kid, I lost my sanity long ago," He shakes his head. Sora looks away at his words, rolling her eyes. 

"I won't join you.  Not even if you decide to torture me," She speaks up, her eyes meeting his in a defiant flash of wisteria. 

The man bites his lower lip in agitation. "We shall see about that, little girl," he chuckles, getting up from the wall he was leaning on to cross over to her side.  "Let me tell you something I have learned over the years. Everyone, and I do mean everyone has a price. Something they're willing to give in for. It only matters WHAT yours is, not how I get to it. Am I clear enough for you?" The words chilled her.

In other words, if she didn't take his side, he would make her take his side through whatever means necessary. And Sora was sure she would be absolutely devastated at the events, but she could not give into the man who had had such a heavy toll on her childhood either. 

She knew she had sent out her signal before she was abducted. If anything, the people at Ryukyu's agency would be looking for her and have a good starting point. Luckily, the gps chip in her clothes felt like it was still in place and they may have an easier time finding the girl. 

At least, Sora hoped. 

Adachi stares at her while the wheels roll in her head, grinning as he surmises that her situation was hopeless. The concrete room and walls were only half of what was keeping her prisoner. And Adachi Takumi knew he had her in a position she could hardly refuse. Whether she wanted to or not, Sora was going to have to stall for time. 

"Why would you even want me to join you?" Sora finally asks under Adachi's watchful eye, sucking in a shuddering breath of air. What she was about to do was both very brave and stupid at the same time. Her words had caught the male's attention.

"Because you have potential. More so than that of your parents. They backed out and since they could've told everyone, I just had to kill them. It was perfect you see. I was going to kill all of you to keep my secret, but then that stupid fucking hero showed up. What's his name? Oh, right, Erasurehead. Yeah, he stepped in and put his nose where it didn't belong.... You could've been my prodigy, but they took you to be raised as a HERO."

Listening to him talk reminded Sora of another Villain, knowing that a lot of them held similar ideals. It was terrifying just how similar. But as Adachi gives her a once over and another approving stare, she shivers. 

"Your time is running out, little Taser Hero," He reminds her. 

Sora closes her eyes to think. It was on the spot, but she did in face have one plan. But if it failed, then the time she had left wouldn't matter anyway. 

So Sora closed her eyes and said a prayer.