"Fantastic," Mello mumbled as he peeled the bandage from his face. Beyond's impatience proved to be a bit too overwhelming for Mello's taste. And Mello was the king of impatience. He sighed as he gazed at the new scar strewn across his eyebrow. As if he hadn't looked monstrous enough already. He closed his eyes and threw his head back. He hated his reflection, ever since Light took it upon himself to ruin it.
Maybe it wasn't just his reflection. Mello stood up, teetering on his heels. Beyond left early in the morning, claiming he couldn't wait for L to fall onto his lap any longer. Good riddance. Mello needed a break from the constant whining. Beyond's obsession with L was anything but pleasant. He would be complaining one moment, angry the next. And somehow, Mello was always in the way. If Matt were around, he wouldn't stand by and watch what Beyond did to Mello.
A pit formed in Mello's stomach. Matt would never come back, and Mello wasn't entirely sure if he wanted him back. Matt smothered his free will, constantly reminding Mello about morals. What did Matt know about morals, anyway? He always observed, never took part. Matt wasn't a murderer, unlike Mello. Matt only killed a few men, mostly because of defense. There was that one occasion, the only moment in Matt's life that he allowed his rage to consume him. Afterward, the goggles never left his face.
Mello glanced back at the mirror, staring at his reflection until he felt sick. Suddenly, the door swung open. Instinctively, Mello grabbed his gun and pointed it at the intruder. The gun slipped from his fingers. "Ho-how did you get in here?"
"It wasn't hard," Matt shrugged. "Seriously, I pretty much just walked in. Told the guys outside I was an old friend, thinkin' 'bout joinin'. You're surrounded by a bunch of idiots, Mel."
An unfamiliar trickle of laughter bubbled in Mello's stomach. He immediately suppressed it as his eyes wandered down to the gun in Matt's hand. "That's what I keep tellin' Beyond." He concentrated on enveloping his trembling voice. Reverting back to his confident self had become difficult recently, though. "You really gonna kill me, Matt? After I spared your life. Why are you even here?"
Matt shrugged and immediately placed his gun back in the holster. "Honestly, that was kinda just for the dramatic effect," he smiled softly. His eyes wandered above Mello's. Mello immediately covered the scar with his hand. His ex-lover had no right to storm in here, grinning like they were still close. They no longer recognized each other, but Matt seemed to ignore that notion.
"Why are you here?" Mello repeated.
"Isn't it obvious?" Matt cocked his head and approached Mello cautiously. Before Mello could avoid his touch, however, Matt grabbed Mello's wrists and drew him close. "I love you, Mel. I'm here to save you. What the Hell else would I be doin'?"
Mello tried to struggle from Matt's grip, but soon relaxed in his arms. Matt smelt the same. Mello smiled softly and pressed his lips against Matt's. "I guess I do need a bit of savin'," he chuckled when the kiss broke.
The throbbing pain above his eye woke him up. Mello snapped up, glancing over at Beyond's naked body sprawled across the bed. After he'd encountered Matt a few weeks ago, the taunting dreams tantalized Mello every night. This one, though, felt so real. He was sure Matt came back. He buried his cheek into the pillow. Their romance ended nearly a year ago, though. When he allowed Beyond to take him, Mello and Matt ended. They just didn't realize it for another few months.
He habitually traced Beyond's crooked spine with his index finger. The truth was, he despised Beyond, but Mello's feelings no longer mattered. He recognized the pathetic person he'd become, living in the shadows of a man so disgustingly terrible, but he stopped fighting it. Beyond placed a strange spell on him, full of an intoxicating lust that Mello couldn't resist. Mello pressed his lips against the nape of Beyond's neck.
"What are you doing, Mello?" Beyond groaned and turned over. "Is one night sleep too much to ask for?"
Mello's lips curled into a harsh frowned. His eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?" Beyond sighed. "Having one of your epiphanies again? I really don't care what you do Mello. I'll throw you out myself if you keep waking me up, though."
"Who the Hell do you think you're talkin' to?" Mello snarled, surprised by his own rage. "After all I do for you, you got no right to talk down to me. I ain't your bitch."
Beyond sat up, his eyes suddenly filled with a strange glint of empathy. "I'm sorry, Mello," he purred, wrapping his arms around the blond. Mello froze in his arms; Beyond always played sick jokes on him. "Really, I am."
Beyond's lips nestled on the crevice of Mello's neck. "I've just been so stressed out. You know, I just want to find L. That's it." Mello relaxed his frigid body and entwined his fingers in Beyond's hair. Before he could say anything, though, Beyond bashed Mello's head into the headboard. Mello cried out as Beyond dug his nails into his cheek. He tried to struggle, but Beyond's fist collided with the side of his head and Mello was out.
Soichiro's head lolled as his prison door opened. His vision faltered from the countless beatings; he was sure his eyes swelled shut. A familiar chuckle sent shivers down his spine as the door closed. "Sheriff Yagami, you're looking a bit weathered. How are you feeling?" Soichiro immediately sensed Beyond's pleasant mood, which meant twice the torment for him. Hands lay upon his knees. The stench of coffee and jam pierced Soichiro's nose.
"Answer me when I address you, Yagami. You know this by now," Beyond sneered.
"I'm feelin' fine," Soichiro growled.
"Really?" Beyond's laugh scratched Soichiro's ears. "Because you don't look fine. And neither does your wife."
A tear rolled down Soirchiro's cheek. The last he'd seen of his wife was when Beyond dragged her away, promising vengeance. Sachiko, fragile Sachiko, begged her husband to do something. But what could Soichiro do with his hands tied behind his back. He attempted to bribe Beyond, or trade his wife's life for his, but Beyond only laughed at the suggestion. From what Beyond told him, though, he kept Sachiko alive. Or maybe his words were part of the torment.
Soichiro had no clue where Beyond imprisoned his wife or Sayu. And, guessing from the amount of time that passed, Light wasn't coming back. Soichiro couldn't blame him; he nearly killed his own son. Maybe Soichiro deserved this torture, but neither Sachiko or Sayu did; they didn't deserve any of it.
A finger wiped his tears roughly. Soichiro bit his lip from the unbearable pain as Beyond dug into the bruises covering his eyes. "When I heard what you did to A., I figured you were a heartless man of little words." Beyond dug his nail into Soichiro's cheek. "I guess you're not as heartless as I assumed, but that's your disadvantage. A. should have ripped you apart. But, there comes a time for everything."
Beyond's nail sank deeper in Soichiro's skin and, suddenly, he yanked downwards, tearing open Soichiro's flesh. Soichiro groaned and hung his head, unsure how much more his body would tolerate. "Listen, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your daughter died last night. It was probably on account of the countless times one of her guards shot her in the chest. Probably. I mean, I told him to let her die slowly, but I guess he'd grown sick of waiting."
Just like that, one reason for holding on evaporated. Only his wife remained. But, the terrifying feeling that she wouldn't last much longer irked Soichiro. "You bastard," he growled. "A. Kinan deserved his fate; that's the difference between me and him. You deserve what he got. No, you deserve much worse. You'll burn in Hell for the agony you caused."
Beyond laughed callously. "Hell? The only true Hell that exists is our every day lives. Look around, Soichiro; they're full of death, destruction, sins, sex-" Beyond paused. "Hell, life doesn't sound too bad, does it?"
"It's not," Soichiro wheezed. "It's men like you who destroy anything beautiful in the world. Without you, humans could live in peace and the Hellish life you speak of would be closer to Heavenly."
"You speak like your son. His vision was to create an Eden utopia; the kind that could never exist, you know? Sin saturates human nature, and there's no escaping it. But, I could never resist a good adventure. And your son and I had a damn good adventure. At least, until he had an epiphany and decided he was too good for us."
So Light was trying to change. Guilt enveloped Soichiro's conscience. Beyond must have recognized it immediately because he added, "Light had a good mission, he just approached it wrong. If I had the analyze the situation, I would say it was either daddy issues or something traumatic scarred him. Alright, I know the truth; it's the latter."
Soichiro panted, trying desperately to maintain his composure. The new wound throbbed on his cheek as Beyond continued. "You see, after you're son decided to take on the world himself, he was captured and held prisoner for only one day. But, in that day, one of his captors proceeded to-" a small chuckle escaped Beyond's lips. "Fuck him until he couldn't breathe. Mello, the blond kid with the sour attitude, he and his friend found Light the next morning. Apparently, he was a disaster. Then, of course, someone killed his wife and kid. Want to know a secret?"
Soichiro couldn't bear to hear anymore. He tried desperately to drown the story out, but it tore his heart apart. If only he'd known what happened to Light; he would've helped him somehow. Light became crazy with vengeance, though.
"No?" Beyond sighed. "Well, I'll tell you anyway. I killed her. And burned Light's house to the ground. I was going to kill him, too, until I realized I could use him to get to Lawliet. And it almost worked."
Suddenly, something bashed against the wall. Soichiro stiffened in his chair, immediately recognizing Beyond's violent rage. He'd witnessed it several times over the past few days-weeks. Soichiro couldn't keep count. Without another word, Beyond left the room. Tears immediately streamed down Soichiro's cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Light," he murmured.
Just as the pain sedated Soichiro into a heavy sleep, a gun's explosion yanked him from the moment of peace. He struggled, forgetting his prison for a moment. As soon as he realized his hands were tied, he sighed and hung his head. Another gun shot. He glanced toward the window to search for the source, only to remember he couldn't see. Another shot, and another. Shouts echoed from outside. A woman screamed. What the Hell was happening?
A/N: Sorry about the whole Matt coming back being a dream heh...I know, what a tease! But I hope you enjoyed this chapter and there will be more to come soon. Reviews are appreciated, as always.