XXVI – Green
Misa spent the rest of the evening singing along to her favorite artists and bands, dancing around the house and convincing herself to skip dinner again. Hungry was part of the ordinary for her just so she could afford half of a piece of cake every now and then when she would go out with someone. For some reason, the blonde couldn't stop thinking about Diego. The Italian was back after… how long? A year? To her, it seemed longer than that, but if he said it was a year, then he was probably right.
She thought about Anastasia, too… The woman was beautiful, so elegant in her white dresses and floral prints, and so, so thin. Considering she was a mother, Misa admired her for how good she looked. Many women lost their perfect shapes after pregnancy.
But it had been so long since the woman's disappearance, nobody seemed to remember her anymore. Misa sat in bed, watching interviews of famous people – designers, directors, managers, photographers – the heaviest names in the glamorous industries. Those were the people she always wanted to work with. She wanted to act and sing for them, to wear their creations, to advertise for their new collections. Sighing, she noticed none said anything about Anastasia's passing.
To Misa, it was painful and horrible. Anastasia had been big – she worked with Chanel, after all. Every aspiring designer dreamed of that, right? It was the crown; the highest honor they could receive. But now, about a year after her disappearance, Karl barely mentioned something about the flowery watches eventually becoming 'too mainstream'. Misa looked at hers, a pastel goth designed by Anastasia especially for her. The girl laid on her back, her head hanging off the bed. "It's not fair…" she whined.
At the same time, a really bad feeling seemed to enfold her like the sea waves. She thought about that last photo shoot with Anastasia, the one by the beach. Somehow, everything she remembered seemed to be covered in fog – everything except for the body. One of the other models saw something and before she knew it, everyone freaked out. She remembered the buzz in the media – 'unidentified body between rocks on the beach, discovered by model'. In her opinion, the dead should be remembered, not constantly debated in the media. It was a shame that unfortunate person had become a debate topic for about a month.
Tonight, yet another few deaths were discussed in a last minute report on the news. Something about a shooting at a tea house… Too bad. Misa changed the channel, trying to find a movie worth watching. She was in the mood for some drama, maybe a love triangle with a hint of darkness. She thought about a vampire movie, or maybe something involving a psychopath. Dying in love was the sweetest kind of death in her eyes. 'Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all. Let it cling onto your back and weight you down into eventual nothingness. Let it kill you and devour your remains. For all things will kill you, both slowly and fast, but it's much better to be killed by a lover.'
She didn't read much from Bukowski, but she knew that quote by heart. At one point she wanted to tattoo it on her back, or maybe on her ribs. There was something so tragically beautiful in it, her heart seemed to tear up every time she read it aloud. And the reason why her soul trembled with both excitement and anxiety was at least bizarre, if not downright irrational. Misa felt loved not as much here on earth, but somewhere above. She often joked about it to herself… Maybe Death loved her. Or Hades, or Lucifer, or one of their unimportant and bullied minions who had long forgotten their freer days.
Tonight though, she was enraged with her dark lover from another dimension. If he was showing his love for her though killing everyone she cared for, she no longer wanted that. Misa was at war with both God and the Devil. She blamed the first for being inexistent and wanted to yell at the other for taking away her parents, and then Anastasia, and now… The blonde was too afraid to even think it. What was that bad feeling, turning her inside out, making her think of Diego every single moment?
In a dark office with dark green wallpaper and some thin, golden lines, someone was smoking a cheap cigar, trying to pretend he was enjoying it. The man had lost his left leg and a few ribs in a horrible accident. A year later, he was disgusted by his burned skin so much, he refused to let anyone see it. He kept no mirrors in his home, a flat arranged underground with three possible ways of access. His employees only knew about one though – he had become much more cautious after the events that left him without a leg.
He had also lost his hair. Most of his body was still covered in very sensitive scar tissue, recovering much slower than he would have liked. Even so, for one occasion only, he decided to show himself. It was a woman – unarmed and completely defenseless, of course. He made sure of that.
She was British, so the man didn't expect much from her appearance. She wasn't there to entertain him that way, so he could easily overlook that aspect. On the radio there was a girl whispering and whining her life story in Spanish. The man had no idea of what she was singing, but he liked the song for the way that girl sounded numb, for the way her voice became a little hoarse along the guitar playing and the soft sound of some exotic drums. She sounded like she was about to cry through the speakers. The man found that relaxing, it soothed his anger and bitterness.
The door opened and a woman entered. He could feel her much too strong perfume filling the room, mixing with his own scent and the smoke from his cigar. She smelled of tea and jasmine, of lemon and something a little sweet. Breathing out a cloud of smoke and sighing, he turned on his chair and looked at her with cold, dead eyes. "Bianca, I suppose…?"
Obviously surprised, the woman swallowed her saliva heavily. The man saw it from across the room. She was certainly not prepared to see someone in his state, though she was trying her best to get over this aspect. "Yes…" she answered.
The man nodded as if to say 'I see', closed his eyes and sucked the smoke from his cigar. He looked at Bianca carefully, watching her from her platinum blonde hair to her black Oxfords. She was much too flat for his taste, her shoulders a little too wide, her ankles too thick. She was in some black dress pants and a loose white shirt, covering her body way more than the man was used to see women. She was obviously there for business.
"Well…?" he asked, gesturing with his right hand towards the couch. "Talk. Do something. I suppose you're not a statue." He was tired of hypocritical acts of shyness and shock.
The woman stepped forward, took his cigar from his mouth and pressed it on the ashtray. "You want me to say something? Fine. I don't smoke."
The man heard her accent, though it wasn't as thick as he expected. Smirking, his face became even more horrible, the scar tissue wrinkling strangely on his left cheek and neck. "Alright then, lemon pie. Let's get to the serious stuff. Why have you insisted on finding me?"
Bianca stood with both her hands on the edge of the man's desk. She looked at him with cold, green eyes. "I believe we may have the same enemy. Can I ask what happened to your face?"
The man sighed, playing with his scarred left hand. He had been smoking for so long, he still sometimes took his hand towards his mouth even without any cigar or cigarette between his fingers. It had become something like a reflex. "You certainly remember that day the whole world burned. I walked out of Hell." It was a way of saying – the shortest version of the story. "So…? My answer," he demanded.
"Revenge. My uncle burned, I am certain we had been scarred by the same man. I have done my research for a year," she answered after a moment.
"…If you expect help, don't. When I kill this man, consider it your revenge as well." The man sounded indifferent, his hand playing with another cigar.
Enraged, Bianca turned her back on him and paced the room. She walked to the door, but turned back once she realized she had no chance on her own. "Listen to me, and listen well. I am not here to beg for your attention."
"I could tell," he interrupted her.
"I want to make sure this man dies, that he will suffer. I want him to beg for his death, that's what I want. He compromised me and he compromised you. We have something in common. I want to work with you-"
Chuckling, he interrupted her again. "You? To work with me? Perhaps for me, you mean… Even so, you're far from sparking any interest in me and I doubt you have anything else to offer."
"I may not have the money, but-"
"Money, Queen Liz – money is everything. Money makes it happen, money is the power, money is the truest god this world has ever known. You don't have the money? There's no but after that. You have nothing."
On the verge of angry, bitter tears, Bianca threw herself on the couch. "Alright. I have nothing. Happy now?!"
"No, but it is a start…" he said. The man looked at her for a long moment.
"Take a picture, it lasts longer," she mumbled after a second.
"You're unattractive, I don't need pictures of you," he stated the fact once again. "I was just thinking…"
"Oh, so you can do that. What a surprise. Isn't money going to think, too?"
With a smirk, the man decided to let it slide. "You may not be as useless to me as I first thought. You can pass unnoticed through a crowd, right? You know, in a public place…"
Bianca nodded. She was curious how they could bring the Dragon down.
"Or… a hospital?" Once again, she answered him with a nod.
"What do you want me to do?"
"A few hours ago, my men chased one of his loyal servants. I have my reasons when I say the Dragon cares about this one employee. They saw him jumping off a bridge with his car and I suppose he will be taken to the regional emergency hospital. I want you to pose as that man's relative and bring him to me." He held his hands together, staring right ahead and planning his next move. The other half of his plan didn't work, but perhaps this woman could help him get the driver.
The woman nodded. "And if they don't believe me?"
"It's your job to make sure they do," the man warned her. "You either do it, or not. I will no longer tolerate failure."
The man was well aware he only had one chance to make it work. It was either success, or a complete disaster, especially since his mobility had been affected the previous time. He feared that this time, if he gave the Dragon another chance, he will no longer be able to get out alive. The man didn't want to consider that scenario, though he had his emergency escape plan ready this time. He will no longer allow the Dragon to surprise him and catch him off guard.
This time, there was even a chance that the Dragon will be the one caught by surprise. He was so worried about his daughter, he forgot to check if his driver was alive or if he had been found by anyone. After giving a declaration to the Police the way his lawyer advised him and betting on self-defense, he warned the Chief about the possible threat.
"If my daughter was the target, I will advise you from father to father to try and keep your son as safe as possible. I believe by now, it has become obvious the teenagers are spending most of their free time together, whether or not we agree to this," he addressed the man before him, who was frowning and staring blankly ahead, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"Let me ask you once more, sir. Why exactly do you believe your daughter to be a possible target?" G. Amadeo had been a name many in the Japanese Police remembered after the mysterious disappearance of files related to the yacht murder case. He had been suspected of having cold-bloodedly slaughtered his wife and butler, which also drew everyone's attention on the man's impressive fortune. There were many who said he had no way to explain his constantly flourishing business or where does he get the money to invest in everything, but whenever the investigation seemed to be close to some evidence, the files would suddenly vanish.
The Dragon knew very well of the Chief's suspicions. "First, because of my status. I have rivals and enemies who would kidnap and blackmail for money." He didn't say it, but the psychological blow would be their most desired result. Who were they? For once, the Dragon wasn't sure. He suspected Ross, with who he had been making some very profitable exchanges lately, but it would be quite difficult for him to spy on his daughter from across the Pacific. "Second, because of what I heard the attacker say. Your son and my daughter heard him, as well as some other victims."
The Chief couldn't stand to look this man in the eye. There may be no solid evidences, but his instinct and experience were enough to accuse the one before him of corruption, blackmail, and even murder. "…Alright, then we can offer you protection as witnesses in this case, with at least two policemen guarding your residence and surveillance of the area." Though as expected, the Dragon refused.
"I appreciate it, but I assure you, Chief – I have everything handled. I am simply informing you of my personal supposition. I can tell from experience your son could be seen as a target as well because of his close friendship with my daughter." Starting to lose his temper, the Dragon couldn't wait to leave the Police section and join his precious Caterina.
"Will you sign that you refused protection?"
Already annoyed with how superficially the Dragon thought the other was treating a very real and very dangerous situation, he took out a fountain pen and signed. Of course, he skimmed the paper before doing so.
It wasn't often when the man doubted Light's judgment, but he could not completely ignore the suspicions of the Dragon. In truth, he feared the situation was bad for his son as well, though he wouldn't believe it. It was something too horrible for a father to suspect his son might end up in the middle of a clash between powerful, corrupted men with no morals or sense of the law. In the happiest scenario Light could end up hurt or in the hospital. In the worst… Clenching his fist, the father was determined to use his authority as the man of the family. His son had to distance himself from that girl, pretty as she was, before it would be too late.
All this time, the teenagers were waiting, making conversation for the sake of passing time. Caterina was still scared of everything that happened, even if she tried to deny it. While the Dragon was discussing with his father, Light bought her some hot chocolate from the coffee automaton at the entrance.
"Are you alright? You're not hurt, right?" he asked in a low voice. In truth, they were both tired.
"…I guess," she mumbled, taking the hot plastic cup with her both hands. For a moment, her fingers touched his. Her hands were frozen, yet again.
"Are you cold?" Light asked. It may not be a very bright, conversation-worthy topic, but at the time it seemed any topic will do as long as it offered them a distraction.
She shook her head. Attempting to take a sip, Light saw her frowning quickly and pulling the cup away from her lips. It was unusual for her to be so careless…
"You're not like that. What's on your mind?" he asked.
"…Nothing, just…" Sighing, she shook her head. "No, it's nothing. Makes no sense, anyway," the girl mumbled.
"No," he insisted, "It must matter. Come on, talk about it. You'll feel better after that, I promise," he attempted to convince her and smiled weakly.
"I just feel like I'm being hunted, you know? First it was my mother. Now that they found out about me, they try to get to him through me. Through me and everyone else around me…" she sighed. "This will end up badly."
Light began to recognize her again. The girl was more alike to the one he met when she returned to Japan. "Is it about the one you said could have gotten away?"
Caterina glanced behind them, making sure nobody was listening to their conversation. "I could bet. He must hate us now, if he even survived… Or maybe he's long gone, if you get me, but he's got someone trying to avenge him."
Light frowned. "Is he home tomorrow…?" he asked, glancing quickly towards the office where their fathers were discussing.
"No, I doubt it. He still has business to discuss with an associate's son. He will be around, but not in the apartment. Why…?"
"We need somewhere safe to talk. I figured if he's not there, we could have this talk quietly."
Caterina nodded. "We'll have time tomorrow," she agreed.
The Dragon was done with the declarations a few minutes later. It was already past midnight and everyone was tired. It wasn't everyday a casual date ended with a shooting, though the darker version of Light didn't mind it. The event could open a door the Dragon had been trying to close for a while.
The man was aware he owed Light for the simple fact he tried to shelter his daughter and comfort her when he himself could not. He also knew Light will try to take advantage of it. Even so, he had so much on his mind, the man decided he will deal with this problem later. For now, he had to drive to his apartment, make sure they had the most trustworthy guards keeping them safe, that nobody knew their true identities at the reception and that he will get enough rest to be able to negotiate with Reiji tomorrow morning. His companies were hanging by a thread because of flagrant incompetence and corruption.
What the man didn't know was how some ghosts were coming back to haunt not him, but his daughter. That night, Shin received a very tempting offer while waiting for the bus that was to take him home. A tall, slender guy looking perhaps a few years older and hiding most of his face under a hood approached him.
"Hey, man, got a smoke?"
Shin shook his head. "No, sorry."
"Y'er Shin, right?" the stranger continued. "I got a message for ya."
This caught the student's attention. "From who?" But instead of an answer, the stranger showed him a stack of American dollars. Shin's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen so many dollars stacked in front of him. His skin began to crawl in temptation, even if he knew it was not the right thing to do.
"Someone wants a girl y'er talkin' to." Putting the money back under his shirt, the stranger took out an amateur picture of Shin and Caterina talking in class. "Bring 'er to a certain bar and that's all. Y'er getting' paid an' outta there."
Shin took a step back. "What will happen to her…?"
"Nothin', man, I swear! Someone just wants to talk to 'er, but daddy doesn't like 'im. So, y'er in, or nah?"
Shin looked where the stranger kept the money. That was a hell of a lot! Way more than he had ever seen… And he desperately needed the money, but… He couldn't just take Caterina to some bar and leave her there, right? She could get raped and killed, and then he'd be an accomplice. It wasn't right to do that, but then… He could use the money to lift himself and his brothers from their poverty. With sweaty palms and a cold chill down his spine, he swallowed his saliva and tried to look away. But God, so much money! More than he had ever seen…! Who would pay so much to have Caterina delivered like some package? His skin was crawling with blame and temptation.
"I-I-I c-can't! I'm sorry, I don't know you, we never talked!" Panicked and with his heart beating much faster than he would have liked, Shin took the bus home. The moral implications were slowly killing him. What would happen if he did accept the offer? On the other hand, there was the law. If anything happened to Caterina, which certainly would, he was an accomplice. Or even worse! Someone who was offering a stack of American dollars for this sure could offer the same to the police, or a judge, or whoever else could fabricate some evidences to get him in jail.
Even so, the money would still be there for his brothers to use… Even if he does end up in jail, he could leave the money to his brothers. But they were six years old, for God's sake! How could two children take care of themselves, even with the money?! No, this wasn't an option. They were too small to make it on their own.
What should he do…? Shin couldn't stop thinking about that image. A stack of American dollars, so thick the guy could barely fit it in his hand. How much was that? Hundreds? Thousands? He couldn't even imagine how it must feel to hold such a sum of money, cash, right there in his hand.
Then, there was Caterina… Perhaps if he told her and got to talk to her father, he would pay him for that information. It must be important, but… what bar was that guy talking about? If he said any name or address, Shin hadn't been paying attention. But why would anyone want Caterina so badly? Was it something personal, or someone becoming obsessed with her beauty? In his mind, both made sense. Everybody knew the rich had enemies, while the girl was pretty and could easily catch the eye of someone with bad intentions.
For the rest of the night, Shin couldn't sleep. His brothers ate and went to sleep, he checked the homework he gave them the day before and left them some new exercises for tomorrow. It was important they both knew how to read by the time they went to school and could write quite well. It would give them a good start, something Shin didn't have…
He sat on the floor at the round table they found a few years ago and decided to keep as their own. Holding his head in one hand, Shin began to think about the possible reasons, about the implications and possible rewards he could ask from Caterina's father. Still, he lacked consistent information. He couldn't just go there and tell them someone asked him to bring the girl to some bar. There had to be over a hundred in the area. It would be a shot in the dark…
But Shin wasn't the only one depraved of any sleep that night. Just as he was laying in his bed, the Dragon heard his phone calling. Judging by the time, it must have been an emergency, so he picked it up. Not yet fully awake, the man waited for the other to speak. He waited for a few long moments, hearing nothing but the constant breathing of someone and some low music being played in the background.
After listening closely for a while, his eyes widened in horror, quickly turning into rage. It was religious music, usually played at funerals. He knew it too well, he always listened to the music when he attended a funeral. To him, it was wonderful how it seemed to comfort the cries of everyone around, heard or unheard. Now though, it was a threat – an act of defiance, so obvious it was humiliating.
Growling loudly, the man turned off his phone and smashed it against the wall. The device left a few cracks on the wall, falling to the floor in pieces.
When Caterina heard the noise, she woke up and ran into her father's room. She entered hesitantly, her heart skipping a beat or two. She saw him at the edge of the bed, holding his head with his hands and trembling with fury. "…Padre?"
At first, he didn't answer. When Caterina approached him, he sighed. "Someone wants you alive and me, dead…"
The girl sat beside him and leaned over his hunched back, rubbing his shoulders and arms with her hands. "I know. I've been wondering when will they threaten you, too."
It didn't come as a surprise. During the past year, he kept Caterina closely by his side. He showed her everything he had been protecting her from. The girl began to understand the ways of the people in his world, the ghosts the police could only dream of catching, the powerful and wicked, rotten to the core and in love with blood and money.
"I am tired, my love… I am aging," he mumbled in a low voice. "They are all younger than me, I must be the last of my generation," he continued. The man saw the shadow of his girl shaking her head. He looked at their pitch black shadows in the dimly lit room, spreading out on the floor and on the wall before them.
"You're not that old yet. You still have power, authority. Everything you own…"
"Can't buy me youth," he concluded after a short moment of silence. To this, she only sighed. Her father was right, all the money in the world couldn't bring him his years of power back. He may be in good health, but that was not going to be enough for long. "Caterina, the light of my eyes… I want you to meet someone."
His words burned in her mind like red coals. She knew why he wanted her to meet someone and she could bet it would be a man, older than her but still relatively young, probably eyeing her with lustful eyes and a gross grin on his face. Caterina feared this moment would come, but she had convinced herself her father won't do this to her.
Slowly, the girl stood up and walked to the door, not even turning to look at the Dragon. "Don't you dare… Don't you dare force me into this!" she said between heavy breaths, trying hard to keep her self-control. When she walked out, Caterina slammed the door and the Dragon could hear her running to her room.
Sighing, the man ran one hand through his hair. This was turning into his worst nightmare. He had no one beside him, his daughter was a target, his enemies were spinning a web around him and he could no longer deny the burden of his age.
Turning on his laptop, the man looked through the surveillance cameras. Everything there was silent, only the heavy rain was pouring down. His guards were still there, watching out for anything that seemed suspicious. Some were smoking, some were talking. They certainly didn't expect the Dragon to watch if they were on duty at that hour. Two of them were playing cards.
The Dragon left the laptop on and laid in bed. He had to find a way of solving all of these problems before others will arise.
Author's Notes:
I just found out this morning that my fabulous beta reader Eat4Fun changed their username, so from now on we're going to get used to our favorite AbandonedSock. That being said, let's move on to the references.
Misa is talking about Karl Lagerfeld (and at times, Caterina too) - for anyone who doesn't know his name, Google it. I am certain you know the guy, you've seen him before.
There is a song by Kerli called 'Death is in love with me' and it kind of reminds me of Misa and Jealous. I'm not saying Jealous kills anyone, just that she suspects her supernatural lover getting a little possessive. If there's any character in Death Note who would have some romantic dark fantasies about vampires, gods, demons and what not, that's Misa.
Bianca's nicknames are either a reference to her perfume (lemon pie) or to her origins and accent. By Queen Liz the man with scars on him mocked Queen Elizabeth II of England, and UK, and every other territory still depending on the crown. That was just a joke, hope I didn't offend too many Brits - but seriously, the least they could have done was getting their arse off some obviously, clearly, visibly Spanish territory. Okay! Rant over, movin' on!
I know for some countries (India, for example) arranged marriages are normal. In Europe though, they are frown upon and usually associated with either the noble families in the past, or gypsies. Considering the Dragon and Caterina are European, I figured she would be against the idea. Not that Light would have anything to do with her reaction...
Now about our stingy little problem (you will see what I mean) - anyone else besides Jupiter's Bull who thinks Diego should die? Or do you want to keep him alive? You know, Bianca has no experience, she hasn't killed anyone, she could easily make some mistakes... Just saying that it's not too late and the question is still valid. As for her boss, I'll let you guess. :D
And just because it happened before - if you get confused or need a reference sheet or character list or anything like that, please ask for it. If not, at the end of the story (when all is done and you will see who survives and if Kira rules the world and all that) I can make a profile of every OC or re-interpreted character, kind of like the 13: How to Read, but with the differences from canon. I just can't wait to bring L and Ryuk on the scene~
