~Redhead~
Lamia deliberately looked away from Saya in an ignorant manner, imagining that the woman didn't exist. Saya could see that the woman was doing this deliberately so wanted to make sure that she got her point across: she wasn't playing games today.
The blonde-haired Italian reached forwards and grabbed the back of Lamia's head - her hair being almost too short to grasp properly - and almost slammed her face into the table in front of her, but instead she leaned forwards and met the young woman eye-to-eye.
"Know that I don't intend to kill you," she spat viciously, her cold brown eyes almost visibly flaming. "N still needs answers from you about the Kira case, but that is not what I am interested in. Not only do I want to avenge many of the people you killed but I want you to feel the pain you made me suffer. Little girls like you need to be put in their place."
"Tch," hissed Lamia as she flashed a grin. "You don't know how to hurt people, Saya. You don't share the same hunger for blood as your father. Your leadership will be the end of your association!"
Without warning Saya brought her fist up into the woman's face. Since she already had one hand on the back of her head Lamia was forced to feel the full impact of the blow, and instantly her nose started bleeding. Saya pulled her head back and finally released it from her grip, slamming both hands down onto the table as she leaned in again.
"Si," she agreed. "I do not share my father's hunger for blood, but I grew up watching him break bones and remove limbs. I watched him kidnap children and return their eyes or fingers to their families. I saw so much violence that I became numb to it." The mafia boss held up a pocket knife which she flipped open and held up to Lamia's face. "So in case you were under the impression that I'm hesitant when it comes to torturing others until they break, I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Lamia's dark eyes narrowed as she looked beyond the knife and kept her focus on Saya.
"Fatti sotto," she challenged through clenched teeth. Saya frowned, her expression mostly void of emotion besides repressed hatred.
"As you desire," she responded, preparing to use her knife where it would hurt the most.
...
A dream.
"Come on, smart boy, what's the answer?!" jeered one of the bullies currently chasing a small boy with light brown hair.
The boy sprinted, panting heavily as he almost tripped over his own feet a few times. He was running down the street, brown eyes wide with fear. Rocks were being thrown at him, some managing to hit his back which was thankfully protected by his school backpack. He heard the mocking laughter of the boys fade away as he approached his home.
"Yeah, run away, ya little nerd!" laughed one bully.
"That's what you get for being so nerdy!" snickered another.
But the boys instantly gasped and ran as the boy's father stepped out of the house. His brown eyes locked onto the children as they sprinted, yelling to each other in fear.
The small boy ran to his father and hid behind him, clinging to his waist. "A-Are they gone, dad...?" he whimpered into his back. The father watched the other boys for a moment before turning around and hugging his son, stroking his head softly.
"They're gone," he told him. "Come on; let's get you inside."
...
Night had passed. Yoru was in his kitchen making himself a cup of tea. The teenager was still furious that his older brother, the world's greatest detective, was refusing to act in order to catch Kira. Why would he just sit back and let all of those people die when he could save them before Kira killed anyone else?
Lawliet had finally left his computer to come downstairs for a cup of coffee, stopping when he saw that his younger brother was in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Yoru," he greeted.
"Hmph," Yoru huffed, grabbing his tea as he stormed past him and into the living room. Lawliet watched him with a blank expression on his face. Obviously Yoru was still mad. It was understandable, for Lawliet knew who the true Kira was, and if Yoru came to the same conclusion then he would do everything in his power to deny the truth.
Lawliet remained in the kitchen as he drank his coffee, but then he heard the shuffling sound of a coat in the hallway. When he looked he could see his younger sibling putting on his black jacket with a white wool lining at the neck.
"Where are you going?" the detective asked, coffee in hand.
"I'm going to meet with Kage," Yoru growled angrily as he slipped his shoes on. "And don't bother asking about what her and I plan to do; it's none of your business." Not even giving Lawliet the chance to respond, Yoru swung open the door and stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him. Lawliet remained speechless and, deep down, worried; he had already figured out who "Little-Kira" was, but now his mind was beginning to wander...
...
Near sat on a laptop which was resting on the low coffee table, meaning that he had to sit on the floor to use it. All he was doing was revising the evidence he had against the shortlist of Kira suspects. Matsuda was on the larger computer in the corner of the living room, doing the same thing as Near. Mello had taken over the television and was sat with his arms folded, watching some crime drama, which he had no interest in, to pass the time. Drake was sat beside him on the same sofa, playing on a handheld console. Usually the faint sound of video game "pew" and "boop" sound effects would be heard coming from his device, but for once he had earphones jammed into his ears. The faint sound of the game could still be heard, showing that he had the volume turned up to the max.
The atmosphere was silent and tense. The harrowing screams from Lamia could be heard coming from the basement, although they were muffled. Both Near and Mello ignored the shrieks while Drake couldn't hear anything at all due to his earphones, but Matsuda seemed to feel the most unnerved. He found it difficult to work while hearing a young woman being tortured.
Eventually Matsuda turned around in his chair so that he was looking at Near. "Can't we get her to stop?" he asked. As soon as he spoke he heard Mello's response.
"Tch," the blond man huffed. "What kind of men work for you, Near? You must hire the weakest employees possible. Are they all rejects from professional companies because they are cowards?"
"Unlike you, I don't hire bloodthirsty maniacs," Near retorted simply, twirling his white hair between his fingers. He then responded to Matsuda without turning to look at him. "We have to wait until Saya is satisfied with Lamia's answers. By letting her get what she wants, she will do us a favour in return, and that favour is getting Little-Kira to reveal themselves."
"Hmph," Mello grunted, once again glancing at Drake. The kid was still paying no attention; in most scenarios Mello would whack the little console out of his hands out of frustration, but right now it may have been best to leave him be. So the young man continued to stare at the television with a dead gaze.
Lamia's screams seemed to die down after a while, but nobody knew exactly how long it took. Had she lost the energy to scream? Had she calmed down? Had she fallen unconscious? Had Saya finally stopped? It was difficult to tell. But Saya's footsteps could be heard returning to the main floor of the house, and into the living room she came. Everyone but Drake faced her.
"She has said enough," the woman spoke. "She has revealed what he intentions were, and she has made it quite clear that she has no connections to others who may have used the Death Note."
"Are you sure of this, Saya?" Near queried. Saya nodded her head once.
"She only wanted to wipe out her rivals," Saya explained. "She has no connections to Little-Kira. As for her Death Note... well, she went on and on about how the Shinigami took it from her."
"So she's no longer the owner," Near concluded, watching as Saya raised a brow in confusion. She didn't really believe that the Shinigami race existed. Nonetheless, Near continued to speak while tiwlring his hair thoughtfully. "It is quite likely that she will lose all of her memories of the Death Note, or she will be killed. If she is not dead in a few days... she's all yours, Saya."
Again, Saya nodded her head. "I will bring her back to my group," she announced. "It is only appropriate to seal her fate in front of her worst enemies."
"I couldn't agree more," Near murmured. "Well then, now that Mafia-Kira has been dealt with, I think we should finally put an end to Little-Kira's reign of terror."
"We will," Saya agreed. "I will contact my group tonight; we will make the final preparations for the showdown with Little-Kira."
"Will you be well enough for the confrontation?" asked Near.
"These wounds are nothing to me," Saya said before leaving the room. The tension seemed to leave with her, but silence followed her exit.
"Mello," Near spoke up after the brief pause, catching the elder male's attention, "go and check on Lamia to see what state she is in, and give her some water. She'll be needing it."
Mello let out a frustrated sigh and pushed himself off the couch, dragging himself reluctantly out of the room. He'd rather not be the one to deal with the redheaded woman, but then again nobody else had the stomach to fathom Saya's level of damage.
...
A knock on Kage's door was all Kage needed to hear. She recognized Yoru's knock and knew he was coming to visit today, so whipped on her long black coat and black boots. "I'll be back later in the evening, Raita!" she called out to her older sibling.
"Okay, be careful!" Raita responded from the living room.
"Sure thing," Kage practically muttered, opening the door and seeing Yoru standing with his hands in his pockets. He looked concerned but still managed a little smile.
"Hey," he greeted. "Tea room?"
"Yeah, sure," Kage replied, stepping out of her house and closing the door behind her. The walk into the city was going to be a very long one, so it was not surprising to hear Yoru speak up not long after leaving the farmland.
"Kage," he began. "There's something I've gotta tell you."
Kage glanced at her childhood companion with slight worry. "What's the matter?" she asked him.
"It's my brother," Yoru confessed after a sigh. "He's... well, he said he knows who Kira is. The current Kira."
Kage's eyes went wide with fear, but luckily Yoru was not looking at her as he paced casually. Even Light, who walked beside Kage (albeit the fact his feet didn't touch the ground), looked immediately concerned.
"He said he knows who Kira is," Yoru repeated, "but he won't reveal their identity to me. Not only that, but he's waiting for Near to get to Kira first. He's such an idiot... He's going to let so many people die just because he can't be bothered catching Kira himself!"
"L knows it's you," Light whispered to Kage, despite knowing that Yoru could not hear him. "He won't tell your friend because he doesn't want to hurt his feelings. He knows that Yoru would deny the truth and react emotionally, so he's letting Near get to you instead. Although I still do not know who Near believes is Kira, even after keeping my eyes on him." Kage did not react at all to his words, which Light expected in the current situation. "I'd advise you to kill L, but no doubt that would only make you a more obvious suspect. Even Yoru would be willing to believe you're the killer if he loses his brother after revealing this information to you. I can only suggest this: Near will most likely invite you both back to his undercover house. There he will confront the pair of you again, and he will most likely decide that you are Kira. If so, stall. Stall and perhaps even try to convince him that it is Yoru somehow. Better yet, Near might believe that Yoru is Kira. Let him believe that, if that is his conclusion. But, before he makes either accusation, you should look for that Death Eraser. Use one of your spare pages from the Death Note, or even the Death Note itself if you can find it, and bring me back. I'll get you outta this mess; I'll be able to make both L and Near believe you are innocent."
Bring him back? She had already been thinking about doing that...
"Kage?" Yoru spoke up, grabbing the girl's attention.
"Sorry," Kage apologized. "You sounded really angry just then; I was waiting for you to calm down."
"Well, what do you have to say about this?" Yoru huffed. "My brother - L the world-famous detective - is refusing to go after Kira. Has coming back from the dead damaged his brain? Has his brain decayed? Because that man does not feel like the Lawliet I used to know!"
"I'm sure he has his reasons," Kage assured. "Your brother is known for working in mysterious ways. He's smart, Yoru; have faith in him."
Yoru listened to and absorbed Kage's words before nodding his head, having calmed down slightly upon hearing what Kage had to say. "Yeah," he agreed. "Yeah. You're right. My brother's smart... he's not stupid. He must have some motivation."
Indeed he did.
He wanted to spare Yoru from the painful truth.
...
Mello headed down into the basement, seeing the blood-covered Lamia slumped back in the chair. Her eyes were closed, but upon hearing Mello's entrance she let them open painfully. Mello's icy eyes gave her a wide and cold stare as he momentarily stood still, but then he approached darkly. He slammed the glass of water onto the table before her, but her tied hands prevented her from reaching for the drink. The sight amused Mello greatly, but he did not smile.
Lamia stopped trying to grab the glass, slumping back again as she glanced to the side. "What do you want...?" she grunted. Mello only frowned at her.
"I was sent to check on you," he answered. "I don't want anything." Lamia let out a weak and quiet huff through almost-smiling lips.
"You're their dog..." she mocked, only to have her face grabbed by the man harshly. She winced in agony due to the cuts and bruises upon her cheeks, which had been inflicted by Saya.
"You're in no position to talk down to me," he hissed. "Look at you. You call yourself a mafioso, huh? You're one of the weakest leaders I've ever seen. You deserve no respect from anyone - not even your own associates."
He pushed her face back, pulling his hand away, not even looking at the blood which had rubbed off on it. Lamia scowled but her expression was one of growing weakness. Saya had succeeded in coming close to breaking her.
"And... I suppose you know about being a mafioso... do you?" she breathed.
"More than you," Mello shot back.
"Ha... I can tell you used to work in this field," Lamia analysed. "That's why they need you to deal with me, right...? Because you're the only one who can beat someone like me..."
"I'm pretty sure even that little shit Drake could beat you in a fight," Mello scoffed. "You're weak, Lamia. You break easily. You confess easily. You're found easily."
He was about to go on, but a tear in Lamia's eye caught his attention. A sign of weakness... but a sign of acceptance, too. She knew everything he said was right.
Mello didn't focus on her sorrow for too long, shaking his head and stepping away. "Have fun trynna drink that water; they'll probably send me down here again shortly, anyway." With that, he marched out of the basement. He wasn't truly comfortable being around people like that; they reminded him of his own mafia days.
And because of his own experiences, he almost felt sorry for Lamia.
Almost.
~End of Chapter~