Chapter 1 – Taken

Light woke up to darkness. After a moment he reconsidered, he had woken up blindfolded. His head hurt, like he had taken a hit. He could not remember what had happened. His last memory was walking home from school, and then… Nothing. As he was blindfolded and apparently tied to a chair, he must not have come to be here willingly. As a matter of fact, there was no scenario Light could think of off the top of his head that involved him blindfolded and bound to a chair. Considering that fact Light reasoned that he must have been kidnapped. He also couldn't think of anyone he had annoyed enough to drive them to kidnapping him, so this probably had to do with his father, a well-known detective with the police. It was unlikely that his mother, a housewife, or his little sister had been the cause of severe resentment for anyone.

At the sound of footsteps in the distance Light quickly relaxed into his bonds. Maybe he would be able to find out more by pretending to still be unconscious. The steps grew nearer and finally a door opened behind Light. As soon as they were in the same room, Light realized that two persons had just entered. He estimated them to be male because of their gait and the sound of their steps. A few seconds later his estimate proved right.

"The brat is still out it seems, I hope you didn't hit him too hard. We can't have him dying on us before the deal!" This came from the man in front of and slightly to the right of him. His voice was deep and slightly rough, like he smoked too much. There was also an accent that sounded foreign to Light, but that he couldn't place with only those few words for comparison.

"Of course I didn't, it's not my fault the boy's a sissy! Wouldn't expect otherwise, what with being a know-it-all and the pretty girly face." The second man sounded younger and subservient to the man who had first talked. He also seemed more the brawn instead of brain type, Light sneered inside his head.

"Well, if the deal falls through, and it probably will, maybe I'll keep him to work for me instead of killing him. Those scores he got seemed pretty good, he could be an asset if I can keep him in line." Light needed a moment to process that. They wanted him to work for them? Were they stupid? Why would he want to work for them after they had kidnapped him? For criminals!

"Well, I guess there's nothing lost if it doesn't work out. You can still whack him later." Once again, Light got the impression that Male Nr 2 wasn't very bright.

"That, or probably make use of his 'pretty girly face' and sell him to the next whorehouse. We do own a few of them, so making sure he doesn't run won't be a problem. I could also sell him to the highest bidder, but we might make more of a profit if we keep him." At that moment Light decided that working for criminals was probably better than being sold and becoming a whore.

"Whatever, just make sure this won't come back to bite us in the ass. Let's get on with this, I want to be rid of him as soon as possible. Won't do to have them find us after all." Stupid seemed to get antsy and impatient, maybe they hadn't covered their tracks well and Light could still get out of this. A second later his hopes were dashed once again.

"They won't, we have the backing of the organization after all. They won't even get close, and I made sure that they have no clues. Our mole in the department just called to tell me that." Light's blood ran cold. A mole? Even if he managed to escape, they might still get him. It sounded like they had more resources than he first imagined. These weren't your average run of the mill criminals out for revenge because of an arrest. These people had power and a widespread network if their words could be believed.

"Anyway," Man Nr 1 spoke up again, "wake him up so we can get on with this." Light braced himself for the light, but instead he jerked and gasped in shock when cold water hit him and ran over his head and soaked into his clothes.

"Well well, look who's awake." The male in command taunted at him. Light decided to continue to pretend he had been asleep since it looked as if they hadn't noticed he had been awake.

"Who are you? Where am I! My father is a detective and he'll find you!"

"No, he won't. Now be quiet so I can call your father. He will do as we demand or you will die." Light decided that the death threat was probably meant to scare him into submission and make him plead desperately with his father for his release. He also decided that he would not do so. Maybe it was his stubborn streak, but he was unwilling to do anything these people demanded of him. They had kidnapped him so they did not deserve his cooperation. If they weren't able to ensure their goals without his help then he would not do it for them. Criminals were the worst of society after all, they didn't deserve anything but being caught and then judged.

Detachedly Light listened to the man in charge list his demands to his father over the phone. Drop the investigation for now and in the future no persecution? No, Light would not plead. They deserved to be caught and tried. They seemed dangerous, and no-one should be exempt from justice. Justice was, after all, the most important pillar of society. He already knew they probably wouldn't kill him, so that made his decision even easier.

The cell phone was held to his ear, and he demanded not to give in of his father. He knew this would be hard on him, to think that he was the reason his son had been killed, but he hoped that they would be able to meet again in the future. For now, he could only give this bit of peace to his father, to not plead for his life but demand justice against the criminals. And also peace for his mother and sister… The punch, though almost expected, caught him off guard since he still could not see anything. Light heard the kidnapper hang up the phone.

"You deserve to die for that stunt, you little brat. Maybe you'll wish that I had killed you soon. From now on, you'll be working for me. I'll put that brain of yours to use." As he had thought, his gamble had paid off.

"Why should I? I won't be a criminal." Light figured that if he gave in too soon, they might know he was up to something. Not that they wouldn't expect that anyway. Well, Man Nr 1 anyway. Nr 2 may just be too stupid for that.

"You will, because if you don't do as I demand, if you run, if you make contact with anyone who knows you, if your family somehow finds out you're still alive, or if you try to go to the police, you will die. More than that, your family, the people you have told and their families, they all will die. Just because of you. If you refuse, I will sell you to the highest bidder with the sickest fantasies I can find, and you'll become their whore until they decide to kill you or sell you on. So you see, becoming a criminal is the best thing that can happen to you!"

Well, then, Light's plan to escape had just become a lot more complicated.

AN.: Well, at least I managed to get a new chapter up! And it's longer than the prologue, too! Hopefully, this will make the direction the plot is taking a bit clearer. Please review if you read. Any suggestions and criticism are welcome! Thank you for the favourites and the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!