Hunter
Hello, fellow readers and writers!
I humbly present to you the fourth chapter of Hunter...
Augh. I hate writing so formally. It sucks. Anyways, I'd like to tell you all that since all my nice reviewers asked me to do a sequel, I'll do a sequel. I'm going to begin posting it after the next (and last) chapter of this fic. Well, the next chapter is kinda like an epilogue to this story and a prologue to the sequel, so please don't forget to read it! I'm already posting up the name and the summary of the sequel for you guys. It's my out-of-town preview!
Hunter II: Aftershocks:
Yagami Raito escaped from jail with Ryuk's help. He is in possession of a Death Note and only wishes one thing: revenge on those who challenged him. It is up to L to catch him once again. But this time, L has help from a lover and a friend.
Ah, and another news! I'll be posting a one-shot soon. The title is: A Very Death Note Christmas. It's a romance/humor fic for MisaL. Please look forward for that too!
Ah, something I need to say: this fic is rated M for a reason! There will be torture scenes and lemons ahead along with some curse words. If you feel like you are not up to it, then skip those scenes or just press the back button.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. If I did things would be so different...
Chapter 04: In the Eye of The Storm
.
.
.
Misa opened her eyes and saw the gray walls of the basement she was kept in. She sighed. Ever since her capture the only thing she wished for was to die. She had already lost her dignity, her pride and her hope. Misa brought her hands to her neck. The metal collar that had a chain that was linked to the wall was still there. The chain was 6ft long, allowing Misa some space. Her hands were also bound. Two heavy iron wristbands linked by a 2ft long chain. Her feet were thankfully unbound.
Misa was already there for three days. Her clothes were dirty, her hair was messed and Misa didn't bear any resemblance to the idol she once was.
'I wonder if anyone has already noticed I'm gone. Shiho-chan might have noticed... Maybe she warned the cops...' Misa thought.
A sharp pain on her right side brought her out of her thoughts. Yesterday Mello had broken one of her ribs during the "interrogation". Misa thought he would put the inquisition to shame. On the first day he was nice, asking questions and not punishing her for her silence. On the second day, the physical aggressions begun. At first he was content on slapping her or the occasional punch. But yesterday, he gave her full fledged beatings. Her cheek was swollen, her left eye was black, her lower right rib was broken and her skin was broken in several spots.
The door creaked open and Matt entered.
"I brought food, water and some bandages." he placed a tray containing the mentioned items on it.
Misa always thought why Matt didn't seem to hate her like Mello did.
"Sorry about Mello's behavior. He's just really angry. And it's not at you. I believe deep down he feels kinda bad for what he's doing to you." Matt said. It wasn't the first time he had apologized for Mello's behavior. In fact, every morning he brought to her medicine and bandages and they talked.
"I never asked for any sympathy. I recall coming here willingly. I knew what was on hold for me." Misa stared at him. He sat beside her and she begun to eat. She ate everything laid out in front of her. They always skipped lunch.
"Yeah... What is L like? You surely must like him a lot. You seem like a vain girl and yet you have sustained three days without crying or saying anything." He lit up a cigar.
"I love him. He is justice and I am a sinner. I atone for my sins by protecting justice." Misa said before drinking the glass of water.
"We're all sinners Misa-san." Matt let out a puff of smoke.
"I killed innocent people. And guilty ones too. All for a fake love and an unhealthy obsession with a twisted man who believed himself God." Misa said.
"Hmm... It is true that you're the Second Kira. But I heard that L only managed to catch Kira because the Second Kira was on his side." Matt smirked. He was getting more out of Misa with this small talk them Mello would ever get with his torture. Of course, Matt would never say that to Mello. Mello was his best friend and all, but it was refreshing to talk with someone different.
"Yes... I realized my sins in time. Can... Can you help me with the bandages?" Misa blushed a little before asking him.
"Sure."
Misa raised her shirt until it was just below her nipples and said:
"I have a broken rib. Could you please wrap the bandage around my torso? And please be gentle. I'll have enough pain when Mello comes in later." Misa asked him.
Matt blushed a lot. He was a male and he knew Amane Misa was beautiful. But having her bare back turned to him made Matt a little over conscious of the situation. Slowly he began to wrap her torso like she asked him to.
"So... Why was Mello so angry yesterday?"
"Ah well... He found out that L visited Whammy's orphanage to talk with Near about your case. You see the root of Mello's issues is Near. Personally I think it's ridiculous."
"Why is it ridiculous?"
"It's all Mello's big denial. I think that deep down he's in love with Near. But Near keeps ignoring and teasing Mello because he's second place. So Mello wants to be first place because he wants Near to notice him. And that became Mello's obsession. And somehow in the way he forgot the true reason as to why he wants to surpass Near. I think that he only needs to remember that. Anger has been clouding his mind too much." Matt did the last knot on the bandages and tapped Misa's shoulder to signify he was done.
"Thank you. I know people do crazy things for love. Take my example. But... I thought Mello wanted to surpass L. And who is Near?" Misa turned to face him.
"When he says surpass L, read in surpass Near. Because Near still haven't found out L's name and true identity. Mello just wants to figure it out before Near. And Near is the fucking albino that Mello always rambles about. I should go. He'll wake up soon." Matt rose from his spot and dusted his pants.
Misa sadly smiled. The "interrogation" would begin soon, then.
Two hours after Matt had left, Mello arrived. He was dressed in his usual leather attire and he was carrying a chocolate bar with him and a evil grin.
"So... Amane Misa. Did you know that the human body can withstand loosing about 4 pints of blood before it results in death?"
"No..." Misa gulped. That did not bear very good things in store for her.
"So... I need a 2pt of your blood. And... you're going to give it to me. You see, you're not really cooperating and I know I broke your rib yesterday. I need you to heal that before we can progress to our next activities... And... L has just returned to Japan and he brought the fucking albino with him. I also heard he's looking for you. So... I want to give him a small gift..."
"Why?"
"I want to rush him. Rush is the enemy of perfection."
Misa was silent. Mello approached her and placed a small jar in front of her. He forcefully grabbed her arm and made a small cut on the middle of her arm. He waited until it bled out, filling about a tenth of the jar. Then he placed a band-aid on top of it.
"Now... Where else should I mark this petty body... I don't want to sever any major arteries, or that would end the fun!"
Next he cut her right leg, then on her stomach, then oh her left arm and he kept on cutting and placing band-aids until the jar was full. Misa was feeling a little light and dizzy at the end of it. She pitied Mello. He was just like her, sinful, broken, searching desperately for love, hoping that it would make everything alright. Except she had already seen her sins and she wanted to atone for them. Mello was still blind to his faults.
He noticed her look at him and he grind his teeth. He hated pity. He never wanted them.
"Stop looking at me that way, you whore!" He slapped her hard. Misa's head snapped to the right, her lip bruised. She straightened her head and looked at him. "I said, stop looking at me like that!" He punched her stomach and Misa curled up into a ball, coughing blood. He elbowed her back and Misa gasped.
"You know, I was planning to let you go today... But I changed my mind, you bitch! You selfish whore! First you screwed Kira. When it was obvious he would loose, you 'changed sides' and screwed L. You must be a very nice screw to make L go blind on his Justice and allow you to walk free." Mello yelled at her. He walked into the furthest corner of the room and brought a gray box with a glass visor, two buttons and some cables coming out from it. He wrapped the cables on her wristbands and then let out a sadistic smile.
"There's a reason why I chose metal wristbands. They are an electricity conductor." He pressed the left button on the box and Misa was electrocuted. It wasn't deadly. Just enough for her to feel unbearable pain. For the first time since she had been captured, she screamed. Misa could feel her wrists burning, could smell the sickening smell of the burnt flesh. She could feel the fibers of her heart twisting, her hair standing on the edge, she could hear her screams of pain and somehow through all the fuzziness that clouded her eyes, she could see a pained look in Mello's face.
'There's still some good in him... Kami... Why can't you just take my life?'
Misa fainted from the stress to her body. She thought she heard a small voice apologizing to her before she lost her senses, but it could be just her imagination.
L was taking a small nap. The last time he had some sleep was when he was in his secret place with Misa. He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to stay up and work. But his body and mind couldn't sustain the exhaustion any longer. Near had locked him in his room and refused to let him out until he had at least 8 hours of sleep.
The first thing L had done after he read Misa's letter was to call Watari and schedule a flight to Toko as soon as possible. Watari had said there were no flights available, so L rented a private airplane. He was ready to fly the small jet himself if Watari couldn't find an captain. L didn't change clothes or unpack. He was about to leave the orphanage when Near asked him if he could come too. L understood that Near's best friend was Mello and that Near would want to stop Mello himself. So L complied. The first thing they had done was get to Misa's apartment. When they arrived they found everything very neat and cleaned, as if the owner had taken vacations. The landlady said that Misa had paid for four months in advance and had asked the landlady that if she didn't return in four months, the landlady should rent the apartment.
L then returned to HQ and instantly began browsing through all the security cameras in Tokyo searching for the last place Amane Misa had been. It was Tokyo Tower. She exited the place with Matt, blindfolded. They entered a red car. L followed the car's path through traffic cameras, until it entered a tunnel. The red car didn't exit on the other side. When Rem, whom was behind L seeing everything he was doing, didn't see the car exiting, she lost her temper for the first time in a long, long time. She trashed the room, throwing things all around, breaking things, punching the walls, yelling, crying and cursing in a language L didn't understand. L allowed her to put it all out, just watching everything from his chair. Even Near didn't complain when she destroyed his castle made of dice.
They spent the next days searching anything and everything with all of Mello's known aliases and even his name. They searched several hideouts but didn't find the place where Misa was held captive. Misa's manager had called and L had asked her about them. Her manager informed that they had been stalking Misa for several days. But apparently, from her words, the last time she saw Misa was when Mello went to see Raito, which meant that Misa had been protecting him by not keeping in touch.
Then L called the maximum security jail where Raito was being kept. If Mello went to see Raito then maybe Raito could give him a clue. But he had refused to speak with L. Even with him and Near doing work, they hadn't arrived anywhere. L also notified the police, but there wasn't anything they could do that L and Near couldn't. L slept his 8 hours of sleep and then joined Near.
"What are you doing?" L asked. He usually did all the work on the computer while Near only processed the information by playing on the floor. Except this time, it was Near who was in the computer.
"Looking for properties under my aliases. Maybe Mello could have used my name." Near said.
"That's a valid theory. We searched everything under him... We even looked on Mihael Keehl." L frowned. He didn't want to give up on Misa, but things were difficult. He was sure that she had already given up on herself. He just wished that she could last longer. But he was beginning to lose hope. Mello was the sort of a person to let anger drive him, and when it did, he could be sadistically cruel.
"Don't worry. Matt's with him. Matt won't let him do anything he might regret later. And, deep down, Mello's a good guy." Near reassured L.
Then it struck L.
"I'm such an idiot. Of course we couldn't find anything under Mello's aliases. They are all odd names that you would remember because they are so different. Mello, Mihael Keehl... but Matt... Matt is such a common name that nobody will give it a second thought. Even in Japan it doesn't sound so weird. Look for places under Matt's name, Near." L quickly spoke.
"See...? I told you your brain wasn't working because you needed sleep." Near said.
"Shut up and type!" L growled.
Watari's W appeared on the computer next to Near's.
"Master L. A young man in a black motorcycle wearing leather has just dropped a box in front of our HQ. He wore a black helmet at all times."
Leather. The only person who wore leather in Japan's hot summer was Mello. L and Near quickly went to the door of the HQ to see what was in the box. When they got there, Watari was already there. He had opened the box and from the look in his face he didn't like what he saw. He quickly hid whatever was in the box behind his back.
"Watari. What was in the box?"
"Ah... Nothing, Master L. I still have to run some tests..."
"Whammy. Please show me. I need to know." L firmly said. Watari knew he was serious if he was calling him by his real name. Near just stood there, curling a strand of his hair with his finger. Watari sighed. He showed a glass jar closed with a black lid. Inside of it was a wine colored liquid.
L had already seen many things in his career. He had already seen kidnappers sending body parts of their victims to the victim's families. He knew Mello was doing that to make him rush his investigation and end up doing something reckless and screw up. He didn't need Watari to run tests on that blood. He knew exactly who it belonged to.
"She's still alive, L. There must be about 2pts of blood there. The human body can loose up until 4pts of blood and still survive." Near said. He wanted to tranquilize L.
"I know, Near." L took the glass jar and stared at it. At first he thought that loving Misa would be a weakness. But, staring at her blood in a glass jar made L feel a cold blue anger towards Mello. An anger that he had never felt before. It made his thoughts sharper and his will stronger.
"Near, let's head back to the computers. We'll continue our search for properties under Matt's name. Watari..." L didn't know what to do with Misa's blood. Watari however, understood L and nodded. He would find out what to do with the girl's blood.
L walked back to the computer room with Near following him.
"Why are you so intent on helping me, Near?" L asked. He was curious. Near was always alone and he never seemed to care about anyone or anything. Why was he so intent on helping find Misa, someone he never knew.
"Mello is... my only friend." he paused. "I want to stop him and his foolishness." Near didn't want to tell L that Mello was the only person he actually cared about and loved. And that he felt guilty because he never told Mello what he felt and kept always torturing him, wanting to keep Mello's attentions on himself.
L knew Near wasn't telling the entire truth but he appreciated the youngster's help. It was good, because Near was to be his successor and this way he could see the way the youngster worked and he could even train him himself.
"I see... I would have done the same for my friend. But he didn't want to be saved." It was true. L had wanted that Light, his first friend had never recovered his memories and that he could have just convicted Higuchi as Kira and end it all, but Light had chosen to continue with his insane dream.
"I will save Mello." Near said. L looked at the young albino and for the first time, he saw fierceness.
L and Near returned to the computer room. They began to work in silence, until Near spoke:
"I also want to help. People like us, we don't have a nice effect on people... They all tend to think of us as freaks and creeps. It is rare that people like you and me find women, specially women like Amane Misa." Near wisely said.
L knew Near was right. He was lucky to have Misa love him so unconditionally. And he was going to save her. At first, L wanted to save because he liked her and because she was his friend. He never was intending to act on his feelings. However, hearing Near's words changed something inside of L. L wasn't a idiot, he always took the opportunities life presented him with. And he would not let this one pass. Even if he didn't know if it would work, he would try.
For him.
For Misa.
For them.
Misa had already lost count of the days she had spent under captivity. They all had blended into one long painful blur. The only thing she remembered was the pain. Dull pain, sharp pain, hot pain, cold pain. Misa only wished to die, to end her suffering. After the electric shock, he dunked her head into the water until she almost drowned and then he took her head off of the water. After that came the acupuncture, then he broke all of her fingers and after that she began to lose her sense of time and it all became one blur of pain.
Misa was barely the woman she once was. She was dirty, her hair was cut short, her clothes were so torn that they barely covered her. Her eyes were glazed and her fingers were so broken that she couldn't even hold anything. Mello entered the basement holding a dull iron sword and a Bunsen burner.
"Hello, Misa-san. Your darling L has already begun investigating some of my safe houses and it is just a matter of time until he reaches this one. So this is my last idea. And if you don't talk, I'll kill you." He announced.
His words reached Misa's foggy brain and she asked:
"L... He's... coming for me?" She managed to ask. That gave Misa the hope and the strength she was lacking.
"Unfortunately, yes." Mello said as he turned on the bunsen burner and approached the end of the sword on the fire. He waited until the iron acquired a pinkish tint and then touched it on Misa's thigh. Misa screamed with the pain of the hot iron against her skin. She could smell the sickening scent of burnt flesh invading her nose. After her skin was with 3rd degree burns, he repeated the process on her arm, then her breasts, then her calf and he did it again and again until Misa was covered with dark red marks where the hot sword touched her skin.
"Are you still not talking, bitch?" Mello asked.
Misa didn't say a word. He frowned and put the sword aside and grabbed her arm, making sure to place his hands on where it was burnt. He twisted it behind and began to pull until he could hear a small plop where her shoulder dislocated.
"If you don't talk, I'll rip your limbs out, and I'll begin with your arm."
This time Misa uttered some words and they were not what Mello was expecting to hear.
"I understand the pain of loving and not being loved back." she cried.
Mello's hold on her arm loosened. He never wanted her pity. He never wanted her to understand him. He wanted her to hate him, hate him for what he did. It would make him feel better with himself by doing that. Make him feel a little less remorse.
"First... First I loved Kira... But he never loved me back. To him I was only a tool he could use and then dispose of. Then I loved L. He... He was kind to me when others weren't. He saw me when Kira didn't. But he also didn't love me. I understand your pain. And I also understand that I will die here, by your hand. I... I just wish that somehow in the future... You remember to atone for your sins. I atone for mine. And as a fellow sinner, I hope you can find atonement for yours." Misa closed her eyes, expecting her arm to be torn off, but instead he let her arm go.
Mello was expecting to feel anger towards her, but instead, the only thing he could do was remember something.
It was Christmas at Whammy's orphanage. Near had received a toy robot that he had wished from Matt and Mello, whom had given Near another toy was angry that Near seemed to like Matt's present better. He took the toy robot from Near's hand and began to examine it. He held the toy robot by it's arm, just before Near's reach.
"It's just a silly toy that I can easily break, see?" Mello broke the toy robot's arm. For the first time in his life, he saw Near cry. And Mello hated himself for making Near cry. Mello felt like crying himself. So he took the very expensive chocolate bar Matt had given him and shoved it in Near's hand, along with the broken robot. Near stared at the chocolate bar and then stared at Mello.
"It's your favorite brand." Near said. He was confused. Mello never shared his chocolate.
"I'm sorry." Mello said and then he fled, still grasping the toy robot's broken arm. It was the first time Mello had ever apologized.
Mello reached into his pocket and took the broken arm from it. He looked from the broken arm to Misa, in the ground and Mello remembered why he was always so angry. He was always angry at himself, for always screwing up when it came to Near. For always yelling that he hated him, instead of trying to befriend him. Near was always alone and Mello could have been his friend. Instead he always tried to make Near's life hell.
Tears began to fall from Mello's eyes. And he sat down on the floor next to Misa, crying. Letting out all the rage and hate he felt for himself. Misa crawled towards him and hugged him with the unbroken arm. Mello cried in Misa's shoulder until his phone rang. He composed himself before answering.
Mello, L's people are getting over there as we speak. You have one hour. Hurry.
It was Matt. And Mello looked at Misa.
"Listen to me. L will arrive in one hour, please make it until there. I'll atone for my sins. And... And then I'll go tell Near my feelings. Amane Misa, if... If one day, you ever need me, for anything, just... just send a letter to 7493, April st. in London. Address it to Mihael Keehl and I'll receive it. And leave a contact number that I'll contact you. Thank you." Mello told her. Misa gave him a small smile and nodded before closing her eyes. She was exhausted and quickly succumbed to sleep.
Mello walked into his bedroom and left on the pillow a bar of his favorite chocolate brand and the broken robot's arm. Near would understand his message. After that, he took all of the essentials and got on his motorcycle and went to join Matt.
L was angry. There were about fifty properties under Matt's name. Many of them were empty lots, some were abandoned safe houses and none of them had any signs of Misa.
"Calm down. There are still ten to go." Near said.
"The more time we take, the closer Misa gets to dying!" L snapped at him.
They were in L's Bentley, driven by Watari. Behind them was a police car with Matsuda and Mogi in it. Watari stopped in front of the warehouse they were going to investigate. Matsuda, Mogi, L, Near and Watari exited the cars.
"This is a good spot to torture someone." Near stated.
The warehouse was close to the port, and it was away from any places where people would usually go. It meant that Misa could scream all she wanted and nobody would hear.
Matsuda knocked on the door three times and after the third time, the door opened itself. They all cautiously entered, Mogi, Matsuda and Watari bearing guns, while L and Near followed behind them. The place had a large room and there were two doors. The one closest to them, had a key in the handle. On the large room there was a table and on top of the table, there was a empty wrapper of a chocolate bar.
"Mello was here." Near stated. The wrapper was of Mello's favorite brand.
"There are tire tracks of a motorcycle." Mogi said, examining the floor.
"And a place to store helmets." Matsuda said, looking at the walls.
Watari opened the door with the key in the handle and looked inside. Misa was there, on the floor, still asleep.
"Master L! Amane-san is here!" Watari called. L ran past Watari and kneed beside Misa. She was covered in a gray blanket. L removed the blanket from her and Matsuda gasped at her state. L's heart clenched painfully at the sight. Watari also kneed beside her and checked her vitals. "She's still alive, but barely. We must get her to a hospital now!"
Mogi quickly called an ambulance and L pushed Misa's hair behind her ears, showing her face.
"I'm so sorry for taking so long..."
While everyone was busy with Misa, Near went to investigate the other room. He found a bed there, with something on top of the pillow. It was a bar of Mello's favorite chocolate brand, uneaten and the broken arm of his toy robot. Near picked up the arm and remembered the first time Mello had ever apologized.
'He's... apologizing?' Near sighed. Somehow Mello came to his senses. Maybe Amane Misa would tell him how.
The ambulance arrived and Near shoved the chocolate and the broken arm into his pocket. This was meant for his eyes only, and he would keep it that way.
Misa opened her eyes. A white light shone high above her. She quickly closed her eyes. That light hurt her eyes. Then the hospital scent invaded her nose. She tried moving her arm and her fingers but all she could feel was numbness, no pain. Misa opened her eyes again and this time she blinked until she grew used to it. She looked to the right side and to the left. On the left side, on a chair there was a white haired boy. Only him. No L and no Rem.
'He saved me... But he didn't actually care...' she thought.
"You're Mello's albino." Misa said to the boy. He sat in an unusual way, like L, and he was curling a strand of his hair around his finger.
"Ah... My name's Near." he introduced himself and Misa gave a yellow smile.
"You wouldn't give your real name to the Second Kira, would you?" She sadly said.
"My name is Nate River. But I like to be called Near. Yes, giving my name to Kira would be foolish, but... L trusts you. And if he trusts you, so do I. And I see you can keep secrets. By your condition when we found you, I safely assume that you didn't tell Mello a single thing."
"I... I said to him what he needed to hear." Misa said.
"Please elaborate." Near asked.
"My words reminded him why he was angry. I told him to atone for his sins, like I did mine." Misa smiled to him. It was obvious that the boy cared for Mello and was anxious to hear about him. Maybe Mello's love wasn't so unrequited.
"He... He left me an apology." Near muttered.
"I'm sure you two will meet again... Someday. Is... Is L angry at me?" Misa asked him. She and Mello had bonded. Maybe... Maybe she could bond with Near as well.
"No. Why would you think that?" Near asked her, puzzled.
"He's not here. Neither is Rem. I told Rem to always follow L." Misa explained.
"You have come out of surgery three days ago. And L hasn't slept since before we found you. The doctor sent him home to sleep or else he wasn't allowed to stay with you anymore. And your Shinigami friend can't enter this room. She has a bad effect on the electronics in this room. And the things go crazy when she enters. She is very frustrated over this." Near explained.
Misa grinned at this. She still had hope. He had stayed with her! He was concerned with her! Maybe he even liked her! Were the happy thoughts that crossed Misa's head.
"He was very worried. And when Mello sent us the jar with your blood in it, I was afraid that L would want Mello's head in a silver platter." Near told her.
"He never stopped talking about you. Every single time he talked about a 'fucking albino'. But once, once he called you sheep. It was when he found out you were working with L. He complained about you always winning a handicap." Misa told him.
They continued talking for more time, until the nurse entered the room with Misa's lunch. Misa tried to grab the fork to eat, but her fingers were bandaged and she couldn't move them. The nurse had already left and Misa was helpless. After several failed attempts, she heard a sigh to her left. Near scooted his chair next to her bed and picked up the fork.
"Don't tell L that I did this." he asked.
Near fed Misa and Misa blushed. The boy was a good person, he just had a difficult time expressing his feelings. Maybe Misa could help him with that. The afternoon was spent with Near asking Misa how she stole all those items and Misa explaining it to him. She was getting to the scroll part when Rem appeared outside the window.
"Rem!" Misa exclaimed. She waved at Rem weakly and smiled at her. She saw then that her whole body was bandaged. It was probably because of Mello's burns. Rem smiled back and placed her hand against the glass.
"I see Misa-san is finally awake." A voice that Misa both dreaded and hoped to hear came from the doorway. Misa didn't turn to see him. She kept staring at Rem. She didn't turn when she heard the chair to her right being dragged to stay close to her bed. Nor when she heard the small sigh coming from it.
"L. I'll be taking my leave now. I'll come visit you again tomorrow Misa-san."
"I'll see you tomorrow then, Near-san."
After Near left, the room was silent for awhile. Misa was facing forward, but she still kept L out of his eyesight. Until he spoke.
"I understand if Misa-san is angry at me for taking so long to find Misa-san..." L said. He tried to keep his sadness from his voice but Misa detected it. She turned to face him and did not like what she saw.
L looked even worse then he usually did. His hair was messy, but it had a certain style, now it was plain wild. His shirt was not pristine white and it was wrinkled. His eyes were pinkish and the bags under it were worse, he was skinnier and paler then usual. Misa forgot all about her fear and it was all replaced by pure concern for him. She stretched her bandaged hand to touch his face and asked:
"You look terrible! Have you been taking care of yourself properly? Have you been eating, sleeping, showering at all?" Misa asked.
"Aah... I'm not sure. I remember eating something while you were in surgery and the doctor sent me to sleep this morning and I don't remember showering for some time..." L thought. He was so concerned about Misa that he hadn't seen time pass.
"I wasn't angry at you before, but I am now, L Lawliet! You fool! I let Mello kidnap me, hoping that he would loose his temper and that he would kill me, possibly one of the few people who actually know sensitive information about you so that it would be one less person in the world to know your secrets. I was electrocuted, had my blood sent to you in a jar, nearly drowned more times then I can count, my back is filled with little holes because Mello turned me into his personal porcupine, my fingers are all broken and I can't hold anything, I can't even eat! I've suffered starvation, thirst, my skin is with 3rd degree burns all over, my beautiful hair is short, I've lost weight, I've lost my honor and my dignity and all that for you! Because I fucking fell in love with you! And now I learn that you haven't even cared for yourself! That's the least you could have done for me, you insufferable, narrow-minded jerk! You are only allowed in my hospital room once you have eaten, drunk, slept, showered and have your daily dose of sugar! Any less and I'll tell Rem to write your name on her Death Note! And I'm serious! Get out of here and only return once you've met my specifications!" Misa yelled at him. Her yelling made that many of her closed wounds on her back reopened and she yelped in pain.
"I'll call the nurse on my way out..." L hesitantly said. He had never seen Misa so angry in his life. And he knew Rem would be dying to kill him because the only reason Misa had suffered what she did was because of him.
"You do that, you asshole!" Misa said between coughs.
After she was patched up again, the nurse entered and said:
"Amane-san, you have two more visitors... They said their names are Mihael and Matt."
Misa's breath hitched. She was scared, but she also knew they wouldn't harm her. She had befriended her captors. Matt never harmed her, Mello did. And Misa forgave him. She took a deep breath.
"Please send them in." Misa asked.
"Yo, Misa-chan!" Matt greeted her when he entered. Mello was silent.
"What are you two doing here?" Misa asked. She thought they were crazy by showing up like that.
"We wanted to visit you for awhile now, but L was always here and when he wasn't, Near was. So we kinda had to wait for them to leave. We heard your beautiful voice screaming with L. I'm sure it was the first time someone yelled at him like that." Matt cheerfully said. He seemed to be having loads of fun.
"I wanted to see if you were okay, after everything I put you through." Mello said.
"He's full of crap, Misa-chan. He just wanted to see Near again." Matt sat where L had been.
"He understood your message, Mello." Misa told him what he probably wanted to hear the most.
"I'm glad. I think I'll be chasing criminals that L can't get to. Like politicians and people that the law can't reach. Or people that have escaped the system." He said.
"I'll be rooting for you, Mello."
"Hey, Matt, let's go. Whammy's coming. You know how to find me if you need to, right, Misa?"
"7493, April st. Addressed to Mihael Keehl." Misa said. Mello smiled at her and he and Matt left.
Watari entered the hospital room.
"Watrai-san, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Misa asked.
"I... I am aware that you have set Mihael back on the right track, Misa-san. And I want to thank you. These orphans... They are all like children to me. I was always concerned for him... And... Thank you." The elderly man was very emotional and Misa smiled at him.
"He... He is similar to me... We both have done bad things in our pasts and we both regret it and we are trying to do something to make up to it."
"Well, Misa-san... You are not going to atone for your sins by being dead. I think that could be considered as running away. Just a small food for thought." He smiled at her.
"Ah... " Misa went to sleep thinking about Watari's words.
The next morning, when Misa woke up she heard Near talking to someone.
"You're not passable yet."
"But I showered, ate and had some sleep."
"You still look like crap."
"But, Near..."
"She'll send the Shinigami after you. And you know she's been wishing to kill you ever since Misa-san was abducted. It's your funeral."
Misa heard some muttered curses then the door opening and closing. She opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"Is he better, Near-chan?" Misa giggled.
"Near-chan?" Near asked.
"Of course! You're like Misa's kawaii otouto! You can call Misa, Misa-nee-chan if you like!" Misa smiled at him.
"Hell no." Near deadpanned. Misa pouted at him.
"Misa's hungry. Will Near-chan help Misa again?" Misa asked him. Her stomach growled to confirm her words. Near sighed and took one of the apples that were in a nearby basket and began peeling the apple. Then he cut it into pieces and gave each one of them in Misa's mouth.
"No fair!" L slammed the door open and entered the room pointing to Near.
L was still paler and skinnier then usual, but his clothes were clean, his hair was back to it's usual shape and his eyes lost the pinkish tint of lack of sleep.
"L!" Near exclaimed.
"What's wrong, Ryuuzaki-kun? Misa can't eat because her fingers are broken so Near-chan is helping Misa!" Misa innocently asked.
L took the knife and the apple from Near hand and pulled him out of the chair. He dragged Near outside the door and said, before shutting the door in the youngster's face:
"Go play with your toys!"
He locked the door and sat on the chair Near was occupying. Misa opened her mouth to say something but he quickly cut her off.
"We need to talk, and I'm only leaving once we do so. I... I am very angry at you Misa-san!" L curled his long slim fingers around Misa's broken fingers.
"I was afraid that you would." Misa sighed.
"You idiotic fool! If by protecting my secrets, you are going to end up like this, then I don't want you to protect them! You should have come to me and we would have solved this together! Misa... I... It's painful for me to see you like this, specially when the reason is me! You infuriating woman, I fell in love with you! And I will not let you die! Do you hear me?" L said, looking straight in her eyes. Misa had a hard time believing her ears. It seemed like something out of one of her dreams.
"Am I still asleep...?" Misa asked.
L smiled at her. He got up and leaned before her, with his face lingering inches above hers. He closed the small distance and kissed her. Misa hated having her fingers broken for many reasons. She raised her arms and touched his cheek with her fingertips. She kissed him back leaning forward. L's hands dived into her hair, tangling into it. The monitor showing Misa's heartbeat began to beep faster and louder. The doctor entered the room, worried. L retreated, leaving a flushed Misa. He was blushing himself.
"Young love... But you'll have to wait until she's out of the critical condition she's in. Amane-san sustained several injuries and she must heal a lot before she's ready to experience such high emotions."
L couldn't stop the small smile from spreading on his face. Things could only get better from now on.
It took two months until Misa could leave the hospital and L was always there with her. When he wasn't, Near was. Misa and Near had become friends and Near had given in to Misa's desires and began calling her Misa-nee. At first L was jealous of their relationship, but when Misa told him that Near loved Mello and Mello loved Near, L had stopped.
Three weeks after Misa finally got out of the Hospital, an important case showed us in America and L had to go there to solve it.
"When will you return?" Misa asked. She and L were having dinner at Misa's apartment. L had still to find a permanent residence for him in Tokyo. He kept the HQ for investigations, but he wanted a nice apartment where he and Misa could live in and even begin a family.
"As soon as I can. We'll see each other everyday." He said. L go up from the chair and cleaned the table while Misa did the dishes.
"Seeing you through a computer screen is not the same as having you here in flesh and bones." she complained.
"Why is that?" L asked. He was still as dense as ever and couldn't understand most of Misa's small innuendos.
"Well... We can't do this..." Misa slowly approached L, unbuttoning the buttons of her shirt, slowly revealing the black lace lingerie that was under it. L smirked. He knew what Misa wanted. He would be more then happy to comply.
L closed in the distance and kissed Misa ferociously. She eagerly answered. Slowly L begun leading them from the living room to the bedroom, discarding Misa's shirt on the way. When he got to the edge of the bed, Misa pushed him until he was sitting on it.
"Tonight, just enjoy the show." she whispered in his ear. Slowly she began to unzip the back of her skirt and let it fall to the ground, revealing herself. Then she discarded her bra and panties, standing in front of L, completely bare.
L admired her body and he always considered himself lucky to have her, even if her body was covered with the scars of the time she spent with Mello. L worshiped all those scars because each and every one of them represented Misa's love for him. L took off his shirt and Misa sat on his lap. He began kissing her neck, licking and sucking, leaving small love bites. Misa made small mewling sounds because of his ministrations. Misa began unbuttoning his pants, and when she was done, L rose and turned, placing Misa on her bed and stepping out of his pants. He also took off his boxers and began crawling on the bed, over Misa until he standing on top of her.
Her small hands reached to grab his already erect member and slowly began stroking it, sending waves of pleasure to L. He returned the favor by placing his two fingers inside her, making her moan. L was always surprised by how wet Misa always became when they were having sex. Misa's hands sped up and L felt himself beginning to loose control. He took his fingers out from Misa and she moaned in complaint by the loss. He took her hand away from his member and he intertwined their fingers. He entered her and Misa moaned in pleasure and he grunted. He began slow, but Misa moaned for him to go faster and harder and soon he was banging her so hard that she was screaming with pleasure. Misa always liked rough sex and L couldn't say he was unhappy because of that. They came together and L extracted his member from her and laid next to her, panting.
"So... When are you coming back again?"
"I have a better idea. You're coming with me."
Misa smiled. She was happy. So happy that she almost thought she didn't deserve it. Almost.
This one took a little longer to publish, but it was beta-ed!
I give my thanks to Markus Ramikin who helped me and gave me awesome suggestions!
I'll be posting the epilogue chapter soon! Please look forward to it!
Read & Review!
Rinna.