Here Comes The Rain
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or any of its respective characters. However I do own Layla Levandi and the situations seen here. Please do not use her without my permission.
When Mello first lays his eyes on Sayu, he hates her. It is not a simple kind of hate, like one has for an annoying rival, or a fly that buzzes irritatingly around one's ears. It is a hard kind of hate, something that eats at Mello's very skin.
He hates her big brown doe eyes and her long brown silken hair. Mello practically seethes when he lays his eyes on her pale skin, the light freckles that dust the tip of her nose. But what makes him enraged are her lips, beautiful, pale lips, the lightest shade of pink.
They remind him of a kiss, a kiss that haunts his dreams and memories like a phantom. That memory leaves him waking in the night, gasping and grasping for what he knows he cannot attain.
But now, he stares down at those lips in disgust. He bites into his chocolate bar and chews, bittersweet tastes flood his mouth and he spits down at Sayu's feet.
She stares up at him, her mouth forming frantic Japanese. Tears stream down her pale cheeks and Mello scoffs cruelly at her.
He feels Rod Ross standing by him suddenly, the stink of his cigar lingers in Mello's mouth and he scowls.
"What do we do with her?" Rod asks, his voice deep and booming.
But, Mello is unafraid of this man. Rod is merely a puppet, easy to use. He may act tough and rough but Mello can still recall the utter fear and shock when he threw Top Cat's head in Rod's lap.
The memory makes him smirk and Rod glances at him.
"Keep her tied." he says casually, forcing himself to take his eyes off Sayu's pale pink lips.
He will call Yagami himself, and he smirks imagining the man's utter fear when he announces that he wants the notebook in exchange for Sayu's life.
But then, he is looking down at Sayu, looking at her pale lips and that hatred bubbles in his chest.
Mello leans close to her and she shivers. The small delicate shudders that ripple through her skin cause a wave of jasmine to flutter up his nostrils and he shoves her away.
God, the scent of jasmine...
Flowers in the summertime.
Wammy's
Layla.
The memory of the name causes Mello to let out a strangled snarl as he stumbles backwards into Rod's chest.
"You okay?" he asks, staring down at Mello with a hint of surprise.
"Fine." Mello spits, "I'll be down shortly. I just...need to think."
Then, he is walking back up the stairs, Rod and Sayu gazing at him full of confusion.
When he reaches the top of the stairs he begins striding down the hallway, past the lounge and bar, past all the other mafia members and into a small bathroom.
For once, Mello welcomes the scent of bleach. It is heavy and thick, enough to wash away the pungent smell of Sayu Yagami's pale skin.
He reaches out a gloved hand to turn on the hot water and sighs when vaporous puffs of steam filter past the running water, fogging up the cracked mirror.
Mello stares into his reflection, and forces himself to remember the person he left behind.
"Mello wait!" Layla says.
He is so close, so close to the gate that will separate himself from her, separate himself from all of them. He has been praying with every step that she will not find him.
He forces himself to stop, but he cannot bring himself to look at her, his dearest friend. He knows what he will find hidden in those grey eyes, how she will look at him, utterly desperate for him to stay.
Then, her fingertips are touching his shoulders, past his heavy denim coat. They are flecked with speckles of paint and Mello fancies that he could count each one of them.
"Don't go." she says, and Mello feels her press herself against his back.
"I have to." he says thickly, "I have to...for L."
Her pale fingers reach up to graze underneath his jaw, and Mello cannot ever recall feeling so utterly torn between two people.
The heady scent of jasmine is on her fingers, perfume she uses on her fingers to wipe away the scent of paint.
"Layla." he says, trying to sound strong. "It's raining. Go inside."
"I want to go with you." she says, and Mello squeezes his eyes tightly shut.
"No. This is for me. No one else."
"But, Mello belongs with me." she says softly.
"I can't," he hisses, rain splattering down on the two of them and Mello feels her shiver against him.
But he forces himself to turn around, to gaze into her eyes before he separates himself from her forever.
Then he is kissing her.
He does not know what he's doing, he's never kissed anyone in his entire life. But his lips feel achingly natural against hers, the pale way her silken skin slides over his. The smell of her jasmine scented hands on his cheeks.
When he finally brings himself to pull away she is gazing up at him through heavily lidded eyes. They beg him to stay and for the briefest moment he wants to. Drop everything and stay in the arms of the Estonian girl he has known since childhood. But then he remembers, L is dead. L is gone, and only Mello can avenge him.
He squeezes her hands a little roughly and he backs away from her trying not to let the shards of glass in his eyes show.
When Mello remembers where he is, the shards of glass are still there and he thrusts his head back, blinking sharply.
He thinks of her every day and Sayu...Sayu reminds him of her.
She disgusts him, but not as much as he disgusts himself for leaving.
But it is better that way, better that Layla is safe and far away from Mello and his sins.