XXX – Setting the Stage
Living with the Snake for a few days, Bianca had grown more comfortable around him. Although there was a king-sized bed in the room where she was allowed to stay, the man never slept there. Creeping into the room and staring at her while she slept or invading her privacy when she changed? Sure! Actually touching her or trying to share the bed? Not once. From this point of view, Bianca thought she should feel lucky, though privacy was a word the Snake didn't know.
Either way, him being so unattractive with his scars and missing leg and her being 'too flat', with 'too big' shoulders, and a nose 'like a tea pot' made her feel a little less uncomfortable. The man was a mystery – perhaps his traumatic experiences shaped him that way? Regardless, Bianca knew he had saved her life some time after she had passed out. The woman had no idea exactly why he helped her, but she was too afraid to ask.
Waking up early, she hoped to get some privacy before the Snake woke up. She went to the bathroom with a change of clothes and filled the tub with water. It had been a while since she was able to relax for half an hour and clear her mind.
Around the same time, Light saw Caterina in front of the school. It seems her father had hired another driver to take her to school, though he couldn't see the replacement's face.
"How are you?" he asked once Caterina caught up with him. "What happened yesterday?"
"Oh, that's right. You called, didn't you?" She seemed to be still a little sleepy. "I forgot to call back."
Ryuk was floating backwards before them, studying Light's new friend. She looked troubled… How exciting!
"Why didn't you pick up?" Light asked her again.
"Yes, about that… Bad timing, to be honest. I was talking to someone over dinner." Caterina sighed. "I can't believe just how desperate some people can possibly be! You remember Shin, right? We talked and you got all jealous over that," the girl began, only sparking Ryuk's interest even more.
'Is she your girlfriend, Light? You never mentioned you had a girlfriend!' the shinigami almost sang.
Annoyed by both the memory and Ryuk's remark, he nodded. "Yes, what about him? Were you dining with him now, like colleagues?"
Caterina laughed at his tone. "Something like that. Before you kill him though, it didn't go the way you think it did. Actually, I may need him…"
"Oh, so now you need him, too!" Light growled as Ryuk laughed beside him.
"Please! Why are you so jealous all of a sudden? I need him to get me some information. He's been offered money to bring me to someone and I think we both know who is most likely behind this," the girl clarified.
"What if he's lying?" Light asked. He didn't like Shin before, but the more he heard Caterina talking about him, the more his dislike was turning into hate.
Carelessly, the girl shrugged. "Then I'll find out and bang!" She held her index and middle finger forward and her thumb up, pretending to be firing a gun towards Ryuk.
"Why even bother? You're so well-guarded, nobody could ever get close enough to hurt you in any way," he pointed out.
"Because!" the girl protested. "I miss going out without five bodyguards following me. I want to go shopping and talk to people and try things on – it's no fun buying everything online. I want to find another tea house like the White Elephant with that chill atmosphere. Don't you understand? I feel like a bird in a cage, I'm suffocating!"
Light sighed heavily once she was done. "I understand that, but it's just temporary."
"Yes, until you-know-who is…" The girl used her thumb to point towards the ground. "…Why did you call, anyway? We agreed to only call if something urgent comes up."
Ryuk was floating behind them. 'Are you going to tell her here? Aren't you worried you will be overheard?'
As expected, Light ignored him. Instead, he took out the note Ryuk had spotted in the basket. "Last night, my mother said the nephew of a neighbor sent us some red apples. I checked and that neighbor has no brothers or sisters, neither does his wife, so he couldn't possibly have a nephew. This was at the bottom."
Caterina read the note. "This is getting on my nerves," she growled. "Did that guy hit his head, or what? Is he going to become a priest next?"
'Who is she talking about?' Ryuk asked as soon as the girl closed her mouth. 'Light?'
"I don't understand it," Light addressed Caterina.
"Red apples are generally associated with the apple Eve gave to Adam before they both fell. That's the only reference I can think of. It's probably a warning," Caterina explained with a sigh.
"…To stay away from you. Am I right?" he asked just as they were entering the building. Of course, Light let her walk in first.
"I suppose… At least Padre will agree to that," she mumbled, walking up the stairs.
'Light…?' the shinigami called behind him. 'Light!' It flew before him and even hung upside-down. 'Hey, Light!'
Once in the classroom, Light sat in his usual seat and tried to pay attention. It was a little difficult to ignore Ryuk all day long, though he knew very well he could not afford the risk to answer him.
"Alright then, Yagami?" the teacher called. "Please recite this line for us."
"Sure," he answered as he stood up and found the page in his textbook. "'Having finally made his dream a reality, he was overwhelmed – both by the magnitude of his achievement and by the joy and happiness that it had brought him.'"
"That was very well done, but I'm not surprised, of course. Absolutely flawless, very good! Well then, we'll leave it at that for today!" The teacher began gathering his papers, textbook and pens – just like everybody else. Light was hurrying to write another name or two before it would become too suspicious.
Soon enough, he joined everyone else and gathered his things. Ryuk stood up and stretched, holding his shoulder. 'I thought it would never end…!' he sighed. 'How do you do this every day? It's so boring here! Eh! Where are you going?' Realizing he was being left behind, the shinigami caught up with Light. 'Hey, Light! Are you listening to me?' it continued to ask, feeling terribly bored and left out completely. There was no fun in being ignored for six hours.
"Don't talk to me!" Light eventually mumbled in a low voice. "Unlike you, people can still hear me when I talk out loud."
After being called boring the hundredth time that day, Light continued to ignore the shinigami. He turned down a guy in the tennis club before he could even finish addressing the invitation, then kept going on his way. More than ever, Light was motivated to go home.
'You don't have anything to do. Aren't you just going to go home and hang out in your room, as usual?' the death god asked. Perhaps there was a chance he didn't know Light's plans and he really did have something better to do.
"What are you talking about? Of course I have something to do," he answered in a low voice, as usual. "Yes… Something very important."
When he got home, his father was not there. Light didn't worry though – his father was rarely home before 5 p.m. He began growing suspicious when he noticed the hours passing by and his father was still absent.
Little did he know just how much of a problem that day will become. The Police Chief was attending an ICPO meeting along with one of his youngest subordinates. The main discussion topic was the number of sudden heart attacks suffered by some of the most notorious criminals – most of which had no known heart conditions that could have explained their deaths.
"There are other criminals whose deaths are unaccounted for."
"In which case, the death toll could be well over one hundred!"
"Good morning, Chief!" Matsuda greeted his superior in a hushed voice. "They started the meeting without you."
"That's fine", the man responded, "I had to take an urgent call from headquarters."
"In any case," someone said through his microphone, "These were criminals who were probably facing execution sooner or later. Perhaps we shouldn't-!"
"Why should it matter whether it's a criminal or someone innocent?" someone in the front punched the desk. "The last time I checked, murder was still murder!"
"It's still too early to consider these a homicide," the man from before joined in again, the one who spoke right as the Chief was finding his seat.
The debate degenerated quickly into a rather heated argument. Of course, no one had any idea why were criminals suddenly getting heart attacks all at the same time. Some even rushed to accuse the FBI or CIA. Some even argued it would be pointless investigating this case, considering they didn't even know where to start.
"If that's the case, it seems we'll have no choice than to bring in L!" the one who appeared to be leading the meeting said and as soon as he spoke, everyone went quiet.
"Ah, Chief… what's this L he's talking about?" Matsuda leaned over and asked in a whisper.
"Right, I forgot it is your first time attending this conference. We don't know L's real name or whereabouts. In fact, we still don't know what he looks like. However, he's managed to solve every case he's ever taken on – and he's tackled some of the greatest mysteries this world has ever known. He hides in the shadows, but he's the best of the best. A last resort – our trump card."
Just as remarks about L's pickiness when it comes to the cases he wants to solve were being shout, someone walked in from a side door. He was tall, completely dressed in black, with a trench coat and a hat hiding any possibly recognizable features. The man was carrying a laptop.
"Gentlemen, L has already began his investigation into these incidents." Needless to say, everyone was shocked. "Please be silent," the man demanded. "L would now like to address the delegates."
'Greetings to all of you at the ICPO. I am L,' a robotic voice said thought the speakers.
At the same time, the Dragon was meeting up with his daughter and the boy who claimed somebody had offered to pay for his services. All of them knew the gravity of the situation as they sat around a table at the restaurant on the first floor of the hotel where they lived. Caterina was on her father's right side as Shin sat across from them both.
"Normally, I would not allow my daughter to handle anything of such importance. Not yet, that is…" the man spoke, occasionally watching Caterina. "However, this may be a good occasion for her to learn something. I am assuming you already know the risks."
Shin seemed more confident than he had been when talking to Caterina, but on the inside he was just as nervous – if not more so. "I don't know if Caterina has already told you, but this is rather important to me. I cannot afford going to jail or dying. I hope I am making myself clear."
The Dragon looked at him with small, cold eyes that sent a cold chill down the boy's spine. "It is not my concern. You will pay for any mistakes you do. In other words, if you do everything as planned, you should be able to go on with your life as before."
Enraged, Shin looked at Caterina. "You promised me he can guarantee this." Although mad, the boy was trying his best to sound calm.
"And my father is more than capable of that. I never said anything about his will." The girl was much calmer. She had taken the time to think everything through and knew Shin had no way of backing out now.
"Why are you the one mad about the situation?" the man asked, clearly annoyed.
After a moment, the boy looked up with desperate eyes. "I have children to care for. They depend on me entirely. I cannot afford to leave them on their own, not at this age."
Already spotting an opportunity, the Dragon nodded. "I see… If that bothers you so much, I can take them in the moment you make any fatal mistake. They will be raised better than in a public institution."
Thinking for a moment, Shin began to calm down. "I don't want my brothers to wind up as criminals."
"They will not," Caterina answered him instead. "My father has done this many times before. The children he took in are now bank directors, politicians, presidents, managers, generals… Of course, a few ended up as cooks, drivers, or bodyguards, but only out of their own will."
"What about me? What if I succeed in this mission?" the boy asked. He was interested in the money he would get, but didn't know how to ask.
The Dragon smirked weakly. "How large was the stack of dollars you were offered?"
Shin held out his hand and showed its approximate size from memory. "The guy could barely hold it. It was something like this…"
"How many brothers do you have?" the man asked next.
"Two. They are twins, six years old," Shin answered.
"I will pay you three times as much as you can hold in one hand in $100 bills," the Dragon promised him. "Of course, for that you will need to come out with your hands clean. Don't make any mistake that could cost you the rage of anyone or catch the attention of the police. You will be paid when it will be clear you have done your job perfectly."
"When will that be?" Shin asked.
"Depends. A month, at most," Caterina clarified. "If anything happens there, the money will remain in a bank account for your brothers. By the time they grow up and become capable of using them, the sum should be even larger."
Nodding, Shin tried to calm down. "…When do I go, then?"
"Tonight. With a bit of luck, they will approach you again with an even better offer," Caterina assured him. "Remember - take the money, ask everything you would need to know and pretend to go along. Everything you can take from them you are free to keep and use as you wish." It had been the girl who had thought through the situation and came up with the plan. "That's all."
Nodding, the boy stood up, bowed his head in respect and fear, then turned around and left the restaurant. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark curls, pushing them back from his forehead. He was more than nervous – but if getting this job done meant receiving so much money, he was willing to take it. How difficult could it be to just get in, talk the details, walk out and then tell Caterina everything? Besides… even if he failed, he could die in peace knowing his brothers will have the chance to a better life than what he could have offered them.
Shin went towards the station where he usually took the bus home. It was in the outskirts, on the edge of a bad quarter where the police rarely ventured and cabs refused to take orders. The quarter was nowhere near as poor as his, but it was populated by gang members, criminals, drug dealers and whatnot. It was still plain daylight, but the boy hoped he would be approached again. Patiently, he sat down and waited.
Well aware of the dangers but also of the safety it offered, Light was venturing into the same quarter. He had found an abandoned building what didn't look to be owned by any gang and decided to claim it as the hiding place of the Death Note. Ryuk was confused, but that wasn't anything new.
'What are we doing here, anyway?' the shinigami asked. 'I don't understand why we're sneaking around this dump. Tell me!'
'Isn't it obvious?' Kira answered him through his mind, "You told me that everyone who touches the Death Note will be able to see you. I can't afford to carry something this dangerous with me anymore. Up until now, if my family ever found the notebook, I thought that I could tell them I was keeping records of various criminals in preparation of becoming a detective one day, but I'm walking a very fine line right now." Working with a bunch of chemicals and applying everything he had studied in Chemistry and Physics class, Light was using his genius to secure the Death Note. "I don't want to think about it, but if I make one mistake, I might end up killing my own family."
But Kira wasn't the only one laying himself a safety net. The devil knows a lot can happen in one year, and for the Snake, it sure did. Having been left alone in Japan and without the threat of the Dragon, the man had managed to buy some of his rival's men. He was surprised, to say the least. Many of them had really high ranks, to the point where he even bought himself a live transmission of an ICPO meeting. This was also the reason Bianca was able to bathe without interruptions – the man had something far more interesting to watch.
'The difficulty of this case lies in its unprecedented scope – and make no mistake, we are facing an atrocious case of mass murder, one that is unforgivable. This case cannot be solved without the full cooperation of the ICPO, that is all of the police organizations you represent throughout the world. You need to make the decision to fully support the investigation as is needed. Also, I will require additional cooperation from Japan's National Police Agency,' L's robotic voice demanded through the speakers.
Surprised, Matsuda and his superior stood up and the Police Chief took the freedom of asking the question on everyone's lips. 'Why Japan in particular?'
'Whether the guilty party is an individual or a group, there is a strong possibility that they're Japanese,' the robotic voice answered. 'Even if they're not, we can be sure they're hiding in Japan.'
Bianca came in, fully dressed and with her hair dry. She couldn't believe the Snake had left her alone for more than half of the day – it was a premiere in the past week and her feminine intuition warned her it will most likely never happen again. At the same time, the woman was aware there had to be a really good reason for this, which judging by their situation, had to be some grave problem showing up. When she walked in, the blonde saw what the man was watching on his TV screen.
"What's that?" she asked. It didn't look like a movie and it didn't have the logo of any TV channel on it. Immediately, the Snake hushed her.
'…you ask?' the robotic voice continued as the Snake growled. He had missed a few words. 'I think I will be able to provide you with the proof of that after I directly confront the culpit.'
Bianca sat on the couch beside the Snake, leaving a safe distance between them. "What are they talking about?"
The man frowned. "…There's this organization killing off criminals, starting with the most renowned. It's like they are following a hit list. Their method is a sudden heart attack and nobody knows who they are, or how are they capable of killing this way and work so accurately and so clean… The police has no clue. So far, I thought it was some secret operation to frighten the outlaws, but I was wrong."
"You mean Kira?" she asked again, this time receiving a nod in response. "Who are they talking to? The guy hiding his voice…"
"That's L," the Snake answered. "The guy hides himself so well, I have no idea who he is. Nobody dares to confront him – not even the most powerful of us. Trust me when I say, the Italian Mafia steps out of his way when L decides to take a case. The FBI treats him as their superior. Whoever he is, the guy is good… He must have sold his soul or something. He's almost like a ghost."
"So… why is this on TV? It doesn't sound like a public transmission."
"…Is your mind blonde as well?" the man rolled his eyes. "I bought it! Live, right now."
Frowning, Bianca threw him a furious look. "Well, bloody hell, forget I opened my mouth to ask!"
Turning towards her, the Snake watched her with murderous eyes, glossy from the alcohol constantly in his veins. "Don't forget that you had one job. One! And you fucked up! I lost two men this morning to the Police because of you. Don't you dare raise your voice at me, woman!" he hissed, breathing heavily like a psychopath about to eat her alive.
Frightened, the woman remained still on her seat. She had no idea of the costs of her failure… but was it really that bad? After all, she had killed her target. The moment she remembered it, all of the color on her face paled away. 'You will pay for me, just like V. paid for Anastasia…' Diego's words had been echoing in her mind day and night. 'You will pay…'
Standing up all of a sudden, Bianca looked around in confusion. Where could she go? What could she do to get away? After a moment, she leaned against the man's desk. She was chewing the inside of her cheeks to blood, feeling her heart trembling in anticipation.
The Snake looked at her with precaution. "What are you doing?"
"…You said you lost two men, right?" she mumbled.
"Exactly. So what? Are you going to call a priest and turn them into martyrs?"
Frowning even more, the woman kept looking down. "How?"
"Arrested. Heavens! I said that before. Are you deaf or something?" The Snake poured himself another glass.
"Are you certain it was the police?"
After a moment of thought and a sip from his drink, the man began to consider the idea. "What are you insinuating?"
"…Nothing, I just think you just might have underestimated the Dragon. Before you call me a dumb blonde again, let me finish," the woman continued before the Snake could interrupt her. "You said it yourself – the syringe had been burned to ashes. You destroyed the surveillance footage, bought the cab driver, the hospital director was already on your side from the beginning and so were the security guards on duty that night. What could have led the police here? It doesn't make sense to me. Not except if it wasn't the real police, but the men of the Dragon – in which case, you should take care he doesn't buy or torture the two until he finds out something."
With a smirk, the Snake drank a mouthful of his liquor. "…You're not a dumb blonde, you are a pathetic, scared, stupid little blonde. Are you scared the Dragon will find out about you? So what if he does?! So far, you're nothing but a burden! You keep whining and whining like the little British bitch you are. I'm sorry, princess – this isn't Buckingham Palace. If you want me to care about your worthless life, you better come over here and get on your knees! …You're useless in any other way."
Enraged, the blonde picked up the gun on his desk and pointed it towards his head. With a trembling hand, she made sure her aim was accurate and moved her finger over the trigger. "Shut up! …Shut the fuck up! I'm not your whore, you…!"
Glad to see her react that way, the Snake grinned. "Say it!"
"You… disgusting piece of shit! You're disgusting! Uglier than the devil! You make me nauseous!" Tears threatening to spill any moment were clouding her vision. "I can't believe I pitied you, y-you monster!" Bianca held the gun with her both hands, both trembling too much for her to take aim.
Still, the man was smirking. He stood up on one leg and opened his arms. "Come on, pull the trigger. Do it! Kill me. You are nothing without me, lemon pie. Nothing! But you are always free to try."
Lowering her gun, the blonde looked at him carefully. "…Free? Will you let me leave?"
"Sure I will. How do you imagine me limping after you?" the Snake grinned, leaning on the arm of the couch and taking a jumped step towards her.
"But y-you… You say I am a burden. Why didn't you just let me die?!" Bianca cried out, holding back up her gun and pressing it against the Snake's forehead.
Slapping the gun from her hands, the Snake grabbed her both wrists and threw her against the wall behind them. "Because I thought you might have some gratitude to show! Now make yourself useful and bring me my lunch!" the man growled. "…Disrespect me once more and you will wish I had left you to die," he grumbled as he limped back on the couch and let himself fall between the pillows.
Holding back her tears and feeling her anger spinning into a ball in her throat, the woman stood up without another word and went to talk to the cook. It was stupid… So stupid, she couldn't believe she actually did it. Threatening the Snake could have meant suicide.
Caterina was just getting a taste of the same feeling as she was pacing the room, sitting on her bed upside-down and admiring her nails and bracelets. She kept looking at the clock, waiting for Shin to give her a sign. Had he met with the devil's minion yet? Was he even going to live long enough to tell her the details?
Sighing, Caterina sat down and called the only person in the world she knew could make the time pass faster. The girl was watching the city lights from her favorite leather armchair – identical to the one she had at the first hotel where she lived in Japan.
'Yes…?' Light purred through the speaker.
"What's up and isn't in your pants?" the girl asked on a plain voice.
'My hope you wouldn't be in such a mood. Who do you want me to lay to sleep for you?'
Caterina rolled her eyes. "Listen. Can you come over? I've done something and it might have been a mistake."
'…How bad can it possibly be?' Kira asked after a moment of thought.
"You know I don't know any gray and you know the situations I usually live through." Although she didn't want to admit it, the girl was afraid. The thought of Shin turning his back on her for a better offer was terrifying and so were the other possibilities. It might have felt good to finally do something on her own, but at the same time she was afraid of the consequences. Shin was a poor card to bet on.
"I will be there in half," Light assured her before hanging up. Before she called, he was just explaining Ryuk his brilliant strategy in hiding the Death Note – in case anyone found it, the Note would be destroyed before his secret would be spoiled.
'What was that all about?' Ryuk asked as Light was looking up online a few phone numbers of taxi companies.
"What do you mean?" he returned the question.
'I don't think that was a very appropriate talk. And what was she saying about that mistake?'
"We sometimes talk that way," Kira shrugged. "Caterina has a very simple view of the world, much like my own. There is good and evil, there is life and death, there is power and weakness – this is what she meant by 'no gray'. Now, this is only a theory, but I believe her mistake is related to Shin or rather, to trusting him with a life-threatening move."
The shinigami was thrilled. Not only were the two in a complicated relationship – now, the girl was getting herself in a risky situation, which could affect Light as well. This was sure getting more interesting by the hour.
Author's Notes:
Hi! No, I'm not dead yet and yes, the story is still ongoing. As usual, the chapter had been proofread by my faithful beta reader, AbandonedSock.
Sadly, Misa won't show up for a little while, but I am planning her next scene. Also, let's keep in mind that Bianca deserves her moment of fame and trouble and right now, she's rather vulnerable. Honestly, I am still sad over Diego's passing and I don't like the way he went down, but hopefully he will be remembered.
