The truth hurts...so do flashlights

Disclaimer: If I owned DN, I don't think L would have been in it at all...Mello and Matt would have stolen the scene...and Aizawa would have gotten a haircut a lot sooner...and Matsuda would magically lose his shirt...every three seconds...

With the Afro...Aizawa:

Beep!

"Come on! It's me!"Aizawa shouted, slamming his fist against the solid metal door to the task forces main operation room. 'Why? Why me!? I always have trouble with the damn door...Hell, Matsuda gets in here faster then I do!'

Aizawa grumbled some swears as he dug through his pockets to see what he forgot this time. "Spare change?...nope. Badge? No...Hey! What the-?" Just as Aizawa found an old screw buried at the bottom of his pockets, the door slid open and Mogi and Soichiro barreled past him, guns at the ready and worried expressions plastering their faces. They didn't give any notice to the very shocked, and very clueless, Aizawa who stood like a deer in headlights holding the little metal object.

"Aizawa!"

Said man turned to the voice of his chief's son. Light, still handcuffed, was dragging a very still faced L behind him as he worked his way over to his father's friend.

"Light? What's going on?!" Aizawa asked. Light just looked at him with a horrified expression.

"Why didn't you stay with him!?" Light wispered harshly, before looking away and watching the doors to outside worriedly.

"Wha-?" Aizawa began, only to be cut off by L.

"Aizawa-san, where is Matsuda?"

"Uh, he-he's outside, giv-giving directions to some kids...Wh-why?" Aizawa was as lost as he was in the grocery store. What was everyone going on about?!

"N-" L began, but was silenced as a very worried looking Soichiro burst through the door. Aizawa looked at him, wondering why in the hell he looked like someone had been ki-

'Oh! no...' Aizawa looked at them, horrified about what they were about to say.

"Dad!" Light yelled, even though he was only three feet away.

"He's gone...They got Matsuda..." The oldest member in the room wispered, looking at the floor in shame. "Couldn't even see the van..."

Light looked horrified. "What?! You can't be serious!"

"They are very serious, Yagami-kun." L said, his thumb resting on his lower lip. He looked up at one of the many cameras surrounding them. "Watari? Would you please located the vehicle that left with Matsuda?"

The intercom system beeped into life as Mogi came in. "As you wish, L."

"Thank you," L said, then turned back to the group. "Mogi-san, did you find anything?"

The quiet man just shook his head, looking at his feet sadly. "His badge and gun are in Aizawa's car."

L sighed. "Yes, that's not surprising. He does tend to get easily distracted...Yagami-san, Mogi-san? Would you please try and hunt down the van? Watari is locating it right now, and it would be best if you two were out there to respond quickly."

The two men nodded and left quickly, leaving the two geniuses and a very emotional confused Aizawa. "Matsu...gone?" He asked, looking at L.

L nodded, dragging Light behind him as he went back to his computer. "It appears Matsuda has been kidnapped. For what reason, we don't know yet. Aizawa, did you get a good look at the people in that van?"

"No...not really, they were to far, and the only one I could see was wearing a dark blue baseball cap. He was white, and young, maybe Light's age, give or take a year." Aizawa supplied, inwardly killing himself with all manner of objects for not paying better attention.

"Well, it's a start." Light sighed, as he started to take notes on his computer, his fingers tapping away. "Anything else? Anything at all?"

"Um...I kinda noticed he had a weird accent...maybe an American?" Aizawa stuttered, feeling like he was being interrogated for kidnapping his teammate, not trying to help find him.

Light looked thrilled. "That can help us narrow it down."

L looked at his computer thoughtfully. "Yes..."

The intercom beeped. "L?"

"Yes, Watari? Have you found it?"

"Yes, traveling Southwest. Towards the airport."

"Thank you. Please have Mogi and Yagami-san informed."

"Of course." With that, the intercom clicked off.

L turned back to Aizawa. "Well, it looks like you're stuck here for now."

"What?!" Aizawa yelled. "Why can't I help Mogi and Soichiro?"

L looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "We do have a system, and unfortunately, I don't think you're partner will be able to make it tonight."

Matsuda:

"Ugghh..."

Pain...blurry vision...something black covering his eyes...something in his mouth...floor...moving?...Noise?...Voices?

"...gotten the other one..."

"...Kira...Proud?..."

"...Afro..."

Matsuda woke to the uncomfortable feel of laying on something hard and cold. His hands and ankles were bound, his eyes blindfolded, and his mouth gagged. For a moment, Matsuda struggled against the bonds, wondering what the hell was going on.

He remembered all to clearly when the hard surface beneath him was suddenly gone, then back with a vengeance. As Matsuda smashed his forehead against the cold metal, he decided with stunning wit that he was on the floor of a moving vehicle. Most likely a van from the way he was laying.

'Van...okay, that helps...but why? How? When?' Matsuda wondered, thinking as hard as he could. 'Did I get drunk? No...I was out with Aizawa getting supplies for Head Quarters...fell asleep...then...'

Suddenly, something hard slammed into the side of his head. Matsuda bite down on whatever filled his mouth, groaning in pain.

"Well, look at that! Sleeping beauty woke up!"

"Stop that!"

"Be quiet pipsqueak!"

Matsuda listened with interest, trying to figure out who these two arguing voices were. The first was male, voice full of rage and sarcasm, the second a female with a soft and stubborn whisper.

"Both of you, knock it off! How would Kira feel, knowing those doing his bidding are nothing but bickering children?!" A new voice stepped in, full of power and control. Obviously the leader.

Matsuda froze. 'That voice...John...oh, shit!' The memories came back in a flood, ever little detail coming back to him like a slap in the face, as if to tell him what a fucking idiot he'd been. Every little mistake, every fucking one, could have been avoided, should have been avoided! Matsuda clenched his eyes closed tightly(which was totally pointless, due to the blindfold), then gave himself one good head bang off the floor before just letting it rest there.

Add a headache to his problems...

A cold hand wrapped itself in his hair, then dragged Matsuda's head off the floor so quickly that Matsu gave a muffled scream in pain.

"What's wrong, 'Matsuda'?" John hissed, practically pressing his lips into Matsuda's right ear.

If Matsuda had the ability to talk, he would have been cursing his luck and begging death to take him then and there.

He'd. Been. Such. A. God. Damn. Idiot!!

He should have been smarter, should have had Aizawa stay for backup, should have brought his gun, his phone, anything that would have helped him! All he had were the clothes on his back, and the lack of a brain in his head. He should have just let Aizawa deal with these guys...

'NO!' Matsuda thought angrily at himself. 'No, then Aizawa would have been taken instead of me. It's better this way...Aizawa's got a wife and a kid. He has something to live for. All I have is my damn goldfish, and he's as good as gone...I suppose it's a lot better that it's me.I'm not that important...'

Matsuda's pity party was cut short when his face was slammed once more into the floor. He banged his nose hard. Hard enough to make it bleed, but not enough to break it. Hey, the little things count!

"Listen to me, you little fuck. This really ain't the time for you to be daydreaming!" Someone, not John this time, hissed in his ear. This was the male who'd been fighting with the girl.

"Anger, please let go of our guest." John obviously hadn't gone anywhere. "We do want to have some fun with him, do we not?"

Matsuda froze. 'Fun?! What do they mean?' Matsuda felt his body tense up when something came towards him as the van turned. A sharp crack to the head informed him the damn flashlight hadn't gone far either. Someone grabbed it and took it away from the bump now growing on that side of his head.

"Matsuda, we're going to be playing some games. You like games, don't you?" John asked, running a hand down Matsuda's cheek. Matsuda couldn't help but flinch at the intimate contact. They weren't going to...were they?

John continued, still rubbing Matsuda's cheek. "We've been dying to play this game, but we had to wait for just the right person to come along. And lucky for you, you happened to fit! Doesn't that make you feel special?"

'Um...no!'

"This is a game of endurance, Matsuda-san. We're going to see how long you can stand up to us and refuse to release the task forces location and members. Have you ever watched Fear Factor, Matsuda?"

Matsuda figured he wanted an answer, and just subtly shook his head. He noticed someone was still holding his hair as he did this, pulling his hair in return.

"Oh, to bad...You'll be getting a good close up view of how hard that show really is. For now we'll keep it a surprise! Isn't that exciting?"

"We're almost there. Better start getting ready, you guys, we need to be fast." The boy from the drivers seat spoke up.

"That's fortunate! You did good time, buddy. Anger, would you do the honors?"

With that, the damn flashlight had yet another date with the back of Matsuda's skull.

A/n: Oh, the glorious job of the flashlight. It gets to date at least a part of that glorious body...sigh, now of only the whole thing were for sale...anyway...I wonder if I'll bring the flashlight back throughout this thing...I've grown to love the damn thing(You are only in your second chapter and finding favorites in objects?!)

Okay, I wrote the line that L says to Aizawa at the end of his bit, and even I wanted to strangle the damn little guy for it. I feel bad for writing it like that, but I can honestly see L being a bit of a jackass and saying that like it was a very obvious thing...which it kinda is.

So, we learn about the plans of our kidnappers! Isn't that nice! I'm telling you now that I'm nearly 100 sure that there will be no rape (Yeah, Matsu!), but I think that a few of you will be wishing that's what had happened after I get through with our beloved puppy dog. I'm going to owe him a lot of cookies...

I could always try and dress up as him for Halloween! Then I'd feel a little better...

Anyway, I love you all, and wish you a happy Thanksgiving from here in Canada!

-M-