Ch. 11
Light had not seen them coming.
He'd been returning to his apartment after a long day at work, intent on having some dinner and relaxing with Mae, when a blonde haired man jumped out of an alleyway and blocked him.
"What the-" Light started. He was cut off when another man, this one with brown hair and red goggles joined the blonde.
Before Light could get a word out, both men cornered him, forcing him into the alleyway.
"Are you Light Yagami?" The blonde asked, as he and the brunette pushed Light up against a wall.
"Y-yes," Light answered nervously. "Who are you? I work for the NPA, you know!"
The blonde merely smirked. Then he glanced over at the brunette.
"It was easier to track him than we thought."
The brunette smiled back.
"Let's get this done with."
A punch to Light's face forced his head against the wall. Light grunted, but attempted to raise his fists to fight back. The two would have none of it, though. The brunette came up from the side and shoved Light to the ground and the blonde pinned him down.
"This is for what you did," the brunette said, as he kicked Light in the side. "to my brother," another kick, "to his baby," another one, "and to our family!" a final kick, this one to Light's groin.
Light let out a shrill scream from the pain of it. Another fist connected with his face, and he felt two hands take hold of his hair. One of the men lifted his head then smacked it into the concrete ground.
Then, both got up.
"Don't you EVER go near our brother again, or we'll make sure that next time will be far worse," the blonde spat.
Seconds later, Light heard their footsteps as the two walked away.
00
Matt and Mello walked in silence back to Watari's house. They'd done a good deal of damage to Light Yagami, and rightfully so, in their opinions.
Both thought back to that afternoon.
L had been in the hospital for two full days by that point, and was only then well enough to speak.
He explained how he'd come to carry Light's child, and how he'd been fired from the NPA. After that ordeal, he had gone home, turned off his phone and gone to bed.
In the days that followed, L had felt depressed. He'd tried to force himself to eat, vegetables and meat at first, but he couldn't get it down. He felt so upset that he would throw up even the smallest amount of food.
Realizing that his body needed at least some sustenance to survive, L had bought the packages of candy and sweets the Mello, Matt and near had first come across.
But he hadn't been able to eat those, either, no matter how tasty they were. Every time he tried, his stomach would hurt.
There was nothing he could do. He crawled into bed, taking several liters of water with him. It was the only thing that he could keep down, so he placed the containers and a glass on the floor and drank it when he was thirsty. He got up only to use the bathroom.
After three days without food, his body had started to grow weak. By five days, he could barely walk. On the sixth day, the coughing started. He was ashamed to admit that he hadn't left the bed since, and that the soiled mattress would probably have to be thrown out.
Everyone, including Near, was stunned. No one had ever expected that the great L could become so weak.
"I had never felt love before," L explained. "Not in a romantic sense. It is such a strong emotion, and it hurts so badly."
L had begun to cry after that, so his family encouraged him to stop talking. Watari dabbed tears off of his son's face while Near continued to hold his hand.
"L," Matt said, softly, "You know...love… it isn't always painful. Light's just a bad person, but there are good people out there, too. What I am trying to say is that you should not give up on it, just yet."
L said nothing. All he could think of was how angry he was, mostly at himself. Somehow the baby had survived. L had no idea how that had happened. The doctors seemed stunned, too. Watari seemed reluctant to question such a miracle and simply felt happy that his son and future grandchild would recover.
"There's something else we should discuss," Watari said, after L had gone back to sleep. "I do not think he should be left alone. Perhaps you three could help him move into my home. That way, I can keep watch over him."
"No," Near spoke up. "L would not go for that. He likes having his own space. But, he might be willing to allow one of us to move in. Myself, in particular. L and I have always gotten along."
Watari considered this.
"Near's probably right," Mello replied. "Plus, L can't lean on you for everything. He's an adult, father. Perhaps living with Near would be beneficial for them both. It would give Near more real world experience, and L would have a companion with a similar personality."
"I will mention it to L when he wakes up, then," Watari answered.
"Good. But in the meantime, we have something to take care of." Mello looked at Matt, "We'll be back soon."
00
As Light limped home, he thought over his current predicament. His first and foremost thought was what to tell Mae. He'd need a story that he could tell her, and tell the other officers if need be. Something believable, something that no one would really look too much into. Mentioning L or his adopted brothers was out of the question. It would surely lead to more problems and the truth about L's pregnancy might somehow get out.
Then, a thought crossed Light's mind.
A mugging. That made sense. He could state that he was mugged while walking home from work, and give a fake description of his attacker if pressed. Mae would believe it. Sweet, lovable Mae who never doubted him for a second. When he spoke to his coworkers he could give them a fairly generic description, making it hard to trace any potential suspects. Eventually, the case would be dropped, especially if Light didn't push the issue too much.
00
Mae was all over Light the second that she saw how badly injured he was.
"Oh, sweetheart, what happened?" She asked, as she helped walk Light towards the washroom. She could undress him and clean for any wounds there.
"I was walking home from HQ and was mugged," he explained. He watched as she pushed down on the lid of the toilet, and cringed as she gently helped him sit. "I tried to fight back but he was much stronger than me." Light gave her his saddest look.
Mae pouted sympathetically.
"That's terrible, Light. You're going to file a report, right?"
"I will," he answered, cringing again as Mae began helping him remove his shirt, "...But I need to rest first. It hurts all over."
"My poor Light. You're cut and bruised all over. Do you think you broke any bones?"
"I don't think so. The back of my head hurts."
"Hm." Mae softly touched his head, feeling for bumps or other injuries.
"Ah!" Light cried out, as she hit a particularly bruised area.
Mae sighed and got out a small flashlight. As gently as she could, she examined the area where Light had injured himself.
"You have a bump. You might have a concussion. Let me bandage your other cuts and you can lie down. I still have some painkillers left from my root canal, they will help your pain."
Light forced a smile, "Thanks, Mae. I couldn't get by without you."
Mae smiled back at him, her big green eyes twinkling.
"It's no problem at all, my love. Anything for you."
00
The painkillers calmed Light considerably, and allowed him to rest fairly well for the rest of the evening. By the next morning, he felt confident that he could make it through the work day, so long as there were no strenuous assignments.
Mae hadn't liked it, but she knew that she could not deter Light from going. He was very strong willed. He had promised to file a report about the attack that day as well, so she was happy about that.
As Light showered, Mae prepared his lunch for the day. When she finished, an idea came to her. She had recently gotten her first paycheck from her new graphic design job, and since Light had been mugged, it might be nice if she put some money in his wallet, so that he wouldn't have to worry about paying for anything that he might need. A little love note might be nice too, to remind him how much she cared for him. Maybe it would make him smile.
She set to work writing the note, and when it was finished, she took it, along with 2500 yen over to Light's wallet. As she opened to it place the items inside, she noticed something interesting.
All of Light's money was still there, as were his credit cards. If he had been mugged, wouldn't all of that have been taken?
'How very strange,' she thought to herself.