XLV –Slavery


A driver is a servant meant to drive their master from one place to another, faithfully wait for them to return and always at their disposal. A driver should only talk if the master is in the mood for conversation, or if asked something. A driver does not ask questions. A driver is, and always has been, nothing but a servant; and servants are meant to serve. Thinking, worrying, and speaking are to be done in their free time, if they have any.

Vitto had to learn that quickly. After only a few days, he didn't know who of the two was worse. Namikawa and Caterina were both taking advantage of him, humiliating him with every chance they got and enjoying it. They barely spoke anything meant for him to hear, which meant the Italian had to learn how to read their signs.

He had driven Namikawa to the Yotsuba headquarters about an hour ago, then took Caterina shopping. She was going to spend the money won from him – and on clothes, nonetheless! For years, Vitto avoided relationships because he hated the idea of wasting money on women's clothes. "She's gonna wear each once, or throw some away with the price tag still attached! I've seen this shit before… Fuck. I'll be here for ages," he mumbled to himself.

He took off, locked the car, and went to buy himself a cup of instant coffee from an automated machine. The day was horribly cold. He could feel his hands getting numb. Even so, he received orders to not keep the engine on. Vitto had to wait in the car and only turn on the heat ten minutes before Caterina was going to return.

His breath was almost freezing before fading away. Vitto was hoping it would begin to snow… It would have been a little less cold if it began to snow. Taking the plastic cup, he rushed back into the car. This was humiliating… Not even dogs were left waiting in the car!

But how many dogs did one carry in a car? Vitto saw three amstaff dogs taken by one man towards the back of the commercial center. Two others were going in. They were dressed in black, with hats shading their faces and tall collars. Vitto took his phone and called Namikawa. Perhaps this will earn him some gratitude.

"It is urgent, sir," he said as soon as the other picked up the phone. "Trust me. There is a black SUV two rows in front of me. There are three suspicious men here with dangerous dogs. One seems to be waiting for something or someone in the back with the dogs while two others went in. I ask your permission to go inside and make sure Caterina is safe."

Namikawa listened. 'Did you see their faces?'

"No, sir. They covered their faces." Vitto was already annoyed. He could feel a negative answer on its way. Namikawa didn't seem worried at all.

'Take the car close to the southern gate and wait.'

As soon as he hung up, Namikawa called Caterina and warned her about the situation. She rushed towards the southern exit, where Vitto was already waiting. He had to take off and open the door for her since there were bags hanging from both of her arms. "Hurry up, will you?"

Vitto threw her a dirty look, slamming the door shut as soon as she got in. Mumbling insults, he walked around the front of the car and sat in the driver's seat.

"Drive already!" Caterina yelled. Her followers were walking out of the building as well and her greatest fear was for them to be armed. "Go!"

Vitto started the engine and left in a rush, taking the turns so suddenly, Caterina and her bags tossed from one side to the other. If obedience won't attract the respect of his masters, then perhaps this will.

Caterina managed to put her seat belt on. Luckily, the car's inside was as clean as Namikawa's house, so she didn't have to worry about her things scattering around. In a very soft tone, quietly demanding that the man would turn his attention on her, she sighed. "Are you feeling sick, Vitto?"

Confused, the man shook his head. "…No, I-!"

"Are you sure? Are you aware of who you are?" she continued.

"Uh… yeah?" the driver answered.

"Do you remember your situation? Are you certain there's no need for someone to remind you how Ross would crush your legs and cut you open like a pig, hang you upside-down and watch you choke on your own blood as he's smoking a cigar and reminds you of how you betrayed him?"

Vitto saw her watching him with that look of superiority, with the venom of a reptile on her tongue and the flames of anger in her eyes. "…Yes, miss."

"So, you say that you do remember…" She leaned with her elbows over the shoulders of the passenger's seat. "I am positive Ross would be willing to make a deal, if I were to offer him a traitor. Padre said the worst punishment is reserved not for the murderers or the thieves, but for traitors."

Vitto felt his blood boiling. He was certain now that he hated Caterina more than he had ever hated anyone. "My so-called betrayal is the reason he's not raping you right now!"

"Is it, I wonder…? Are you positive it has nothing to do with your greed?"

The man gritted his teeth. The tone of her voice made him despise her more every second, so calm and soft, in complete control, mocking him constantly. Vitto breathed deeply several times in order to calm down. They were crossing a bridge and it made him think about making an escape. Sadly, Vitto couldn't swim… That thought slapped the previous out of his mind. He wasn't desperate enough to kill himself trying to kill Caterina.

The young woman was leaning in her seat now. When they reached a certain crossroad, she signaled Vitto to turn right. Caterina was hoping she would find Misa at the same address. "Stop behind that blue car and wait." She took off as soon as Vitto stopped the car and went to check the names list at the entrance.

As soon as she heard the intercom ringing, Misa went to answer. "Is it you, Mr. postman?"

'Even better. Open up, Lolita – I've got some news. You're going to love it!' a familiar voice answered her. The blonde tilted her head.

"Who is it from? Misa doesn't know you!"

'Come on, baby doll. I ain't got the time for a tea party like Anastasia used to arrange.'

Misa unlocked the front door and let Caterina into the building, then rushed to put on a pair of shorts. It was rude to greet people in your underwear – even she knew that. There wasn't that much of a length difference between her shorts and her underwear, but they were labeled as half a point more decent.

Caterina took the elevator. It only took her a minute to reach the blonde's door. "Hello. I'm sorry it's been such a long time."

Naturally, Misa jumped and hugged her briefly. "I've missed you! Sour as a lemon, but you're so kind inside!"

Smirking, the Italian hushed her and pushed her back inside, closing the door. "Don't let anybody hear that. I've got an appearance to keep, as annoying as it may be."

"How have you been? And where! Oh, tell Misa everything – every last little thing, every single tiny microscopic little thing~" she began singing. "Do you know the film? It's so romantic and tragic, I know it by heart – the songs too! So, do you have someone? Are you better than the last time? Say something!" Misa chuckled as she paused a dark animated film on her TV.

Caterina laughed a bit and left her boots by the door. Her day has been nothing but usual – her boyfriend was at work, her driver probably hates her more than the previous day, and she nearly got murdered. Possibly, but still – it made her feel luckier for getting away. She'd have to deal with that later, though.

"Yes, I do have someone, and I'm much better than last time. By the way, doll, I owe you for that night when you let me stay over."

Misa waved her hand. "Don't worry! You saved Misa from the burglar and that's fantastic! It's like in the movies, except we didn't make out after that." She cringed. "My, Misa would never do that with a girl!"

"Regardless, I'm here to offer you a contract. How is your modeling career, by the way? Anastasia would have wanted me to ask." The thought of her mother brought a small smile in the corner of her mouth and tears in the corners of Misa's eyes.

"I miss her so much! Misa loved her, even if you didn't!" When she saw Caterina frowning slightly, she remembered the real topic. "I've posed for several magazines, but it's only short time jobs, you know? Misa gives an interview, poses for a few hours, and that's it."

Caterina nodded. "I see. Well, I'm offering you a contract for a month – for now. If all goes well, it can be prolonged. That means you could get a contract without a time limit," she explained once she saw Misa's confused look. "You will be filming a few commercials for different brands part of the Yotsuba group, pose for weekly magazines and advertisement posters, banners and so on. What do you say?"

"…Misa doesn't have to pose naked for that, right? Misa doesn't do nudes."

"Heavens, no!" the Italian laughed. "You will be dressed by the sponsors – different blouses and shirts, skirts, pantaloons, dresses…"

Misa squealed with joy. "I'd LOVE that! L-O-V-E it! Sounds fantastic! I can't wait to get started! When does Misa sign?"

"We'll keep in touch," Caterina assured her.

"OH! Speaking of heavens and gods, have you heard of Kira? He's SO cool!"

Once she saw an occasion, Caterina mocked her again. "How do you know Kira is male? Maybe it's a she."

"What?! No way!" the blonde freaked out. "He can't be! Kira's going to be a god, not a goddess!"

"There were many cases of women posing as men until they get the throne. Kira is a neutral name, you realize – neither male, nor female."

Misa pouted. "I don't believe you! On the internet, it says Kira is a man!"

"The internet says many things," she decided to end the argument there. "Give me your number and I'll call you about that contract."

"Right!" Misa ripped off a page from her diary – a wash-out pink with neon pink hearts and black and gray skulls on the top – then she wrote her phone number with a glittery purple gel pen. She wrote her name as well. "Here!"

Caterina found every detail about that page absolutely disgusting. All, except for the scent. "Is it… grapes?"

Misa nodded. "Misa's second favorite. The first favorite Misa absolutely adores is red and smells like strawberries!"

With a small smile, she folded the paper in four and slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans. "Thank you. And please – be careful with your praise for Kira. Some might not encourage it."

"Why not?!" she whined. "Kira is a hero!"

"Well, some might regard him with some hostility – not necessarily reject Kira, but… You know how Padre was – he rarely trusted a person hiding their face and identity. There are many people who think the same. You shouldn't state your love for such an unpredictable character in front of others. You never know how they might interpret this."

"But… Kira doesn't hurt innocents, right? There's no reason to be afraid!"

Caterina tried to hold back a laugh. Misa was so dense sometimes… "I'm not talking about fear here. Many are waiting to see if Kira can be trusted or not – they don't have enough information on Kira. That's all there is." In truth, many were against him, and even more were afraid for themselves or for those close to them. "Just remember – avoid talking about Kira at your workplace, alright? Don't talk about it at all."

The blonde nodded. "…Sure, Misa can do that."

"Wonderful. Now please, excuse me. I've only stopped by to ask about the contract. Take care!" Caterina walked towards the door. "Wait for me to call you."

"Misa will! Bye-bye!" she giggled, closing the door behind the Italian. For a moment, a thought crossed her mind and intrigued her – Misa was older than Caterina, enough so she could be called a woman, while Caterina wasn't even old enough to open her own bank account. Even so, the other looked much more mature than Misa… She couldn't decide if it was tragic or beautiful, but if it seemed so interesting to her, it was probably both. Smiling brightly, she turned off the lights in her house and continued watching the animation film.

In the movie, the main character was to finally get married to the dead bride, when the bride's evil ex crashed the party. Misa knew the next scene was going to be the duel between the good groom-to-be and the bride's ex fiancé – and also her killer. It was one of her favorite scenes, making her hold her breath every single time.

Vitto drove Caterina back home. He led her inside, already aware his punishment for earlier will be to gather everything from the car, place it back into the paper bags, and carry those into the girl's room. The man couldn't understand why Caterina got her own room,when Namikawa was treating her pretty much like his wife. He didn't associate the word 'lover' to a lifetime partner – Vitto would rather think of a temporary companion, someone to help the time pass and brighten up the mood for a night, a week, or a month.

Obviously, in Vitto's understanding, Namikawa shouldn't be discussing business and important decisions with the 'lover'. However, despite all this, he did – Caterina heard everything from him. That meant their relationship was on a higher level, so… why would they sleep in separate rooms?

What he didn't know was that the masters of the house were asking themselves the same question, each waiting for the other to hint towards a natural change or to ask openly for it.

After the driver was done carrying Caterina's bags, he parked the car in the garage and returned into the living room. He was waiting for Namikawa to ask him to go pick him up from the corporation's headquarters, but when his phone rang, he was very surprised to hear a different voice.

'Unless you want Ross to find out about your little hideout, you will listen to my instructions precisely.' Vitto froze – pale as a real vampire and stiff as a corpse, he clenched his fist around the phone.

Kitamura's assistant was smoking a cigarette, playing with it between her long, thin fingers. "Do you hear me?" She leaned against the wall. The woman was standing on a balcony, respecting Kitamura's new order of smoking only outside the house.

'Yes…!'

"Good. Have you heard the name 'Yagami' before?" she continued. The assistant was gorgeous, as Itachi noticed every time he looked at her. She had a pair of incredibly long legs, of perfect shape, and straighter than the blade of a sword, tensed up by a different pair of stilettos every day. Whatever she might wear, Kitamura's eyes always found the roundness of her ass mesmerizing.

The assistant knew he analyzed her every day for the past three years. She had refined her appearance and her gestures from a young age, hoping her early developed body and her symmetrical, harmonious face would help her out of poverty. She wasn't wrong. "Mr. Kitamura would like you to send a threat message to the Yagami family. You can leave it anonymous, or sign it yourself. What you must write is that Detective L should give up supervising anyone bearing the name of Kitamura. Do you understand?"

Her employer was pleased. A widower for the past four years, as soon as he was done mourning, Itachi hired himself a personal assistant. The girl was just eighteen years old then, but she was dedicated and hard-working with the finesse of a geisha, the body of a goddess, and the will of a warrior. "What did he say?" he asked from an armchair, back in the room.

"He is afraid of exposing himself in front of L during the Kira investigation, sir."

The man nodded slowly, a gesture that could be translated as 'Ah, I see…'. "Ask him to leave it anonymous. It shouldn't be so difficult to do that."

The woman told Vitto the instructions. He was to leave the threat in the post of the Yagami house, then call back and confirm the delivery by tomorrow morning. "Make sure you won't be late." She hung up before the driver could ask anything else.

His situation had her thinking… In less than a week, Vittorio became someone's servant. How awfully dramatic – and how ironic! She sighed. "Poor soul… He did everything he could to become a master, then fell and became a servant again. Do you believe in destiny, sir?"

Kitamura remembered how he began working for Ross years ago, trafficking young women and drugs. He did everything in his power to climb up to a comfortable level on the social ladder and also into the business world. "No… What I do believe is that every man crafts their own destiny. It would have been even more ironic if Vitto went back to serving food and drinks and washing dishes for hours on end, if you ask me. He's lucky he could find himself the job of a driver; it's rather clean work."

Kana nodded. Even so, she couldn't help but feel disappointed by Vittorio. Secretly, she had been thinking to leave Kitamura and contact Vitto. It would have been easy to make him fall in love over his head. Vitto had been richer than Kitamura until not too long ago, and he was also younger… But after his terrible fall, Kana was glad she didn't make the move.

On the next morning, Light was the first to check the mail. It has become a habit since Ivan Frost had first contacted him. However, today it was his turn to reach out to Frost – there was a threatening message among the water and electricity bills, one that was meant to catch his father's attention and reach L through him. Light slipped it into an inner pocket of his coat along with his keys, so L won't suspect anything.

As usual, Kira went to school, and then rushed to the missing board bench where he had been leaving messages for Frost before. He sat down and waited.

'Are you sure about this?' Ryuk asked.

Kira was throwing quick, subtle glances behind each shoulder and to the side, checking out every place from where he could be seen. He also made sure to hold the folded paper in one hand, in such a way it would be visible from all around.

"What choice do I have? This is getting serious…" he mumbled in response.

'There is someone leaving the park there on the side alley to your far right. They've been watching you…'

"Man or woman?" Kira asked. "It's the least you could tell me."

'…Woman,' the shinigami laughed. That surprised Light. 'She's making a call. There's also a man on the bench in front of you, behind that tree.'

Light thought it clever. The bench he had to take was the only one from which he couldn't see the man if he sat there while he could see Light with the help of any glossy surface. The man had a glass bottle in his left hand filled with coke. "The same effect as a dark window…" Light mumbled to himself.

'What was that?' Ryuk didn't understand.

Light sat up and sighed. With a relaxed pace, he began approaching the stranger sitting in that strategic angle. "Excuse me, sir… I'd like to have a word with my new… employer, so to say." He then continued walking as it nothing happened. Light knew there was no chance for him to see Frost for now – the man probably didn't trust him, but that didn't exclude the possibility of a phone call. Or just another letter… That would have taken them longer, though.

But Light was in luck. He didn't even have the time to leave the park when his phone rang. "Good morning, sir. If I am correct, it should still be morning in Moscow."

'Good afternoon. What is the emergency? I believe it is a pressuring matter that pushed you to ask for this conversation…' a robotic voice asked. It made Kira smirk. The man was very, very careful.

"Of life and death, to be precise. It also happens to involve a certain detective, and a very dangerous investigation going on."

A few moments of silence went by the two of them, as each waited for the other to continue. 'Details,' the Russian sighed.

"It is quite complicated to talk over the phone. Tomorrow, from 11 am. to 2 pm. I have some cancelled classes and unimportant consultations. My level is above the average, so I am willing to skip. I wish to meet with you, sir, or if that is too much trouble, with someone who you trust to understand the message and report it completely and accurately. It would be in our best interest if the conversation won't be transmitted in real time, or recorded."

Ryuk leaned closer to Light's phone. 'How brave of you! Or should I say reckless?'

'You'll better be worth my time, Yagami…'

"I believe I will, sir. With all my respect, it is getting in the way of my plan with all the death threats and police investigations…"

The Russian began taking him seriously. '12 pm. A driver will pick you up from your school.'

"Actually, I think that might be a little too unusual. It's going to draw some attention, which neither of us needs. Rather, I will send you a precise meeting point on this number. Can't hurt to be overly precautious, right?" the teenager laughed right before the Russian ended the call.

In less than a minute, Light already sent the location to Frost. It was a crossroad between a tight one-way street and an alleyway, quite far from his school. It made Ryuk wonder about his choice. "I can leave as soon as the clock strikes 11:00. I will need to take bus number 8 and get off at the second stop, then walk through the quarter. It is far enough from any road that my father frequents, away from Sayu's friends and favorite meeting places, and it offers me plenty of options in case anything goes wrong."

'What, are you just going to run through the streets?' the shinigami wondered.

"Not any streets. You'll see – tight, twisted, with countless crossroads. I can lose my track very fast. Then, the specific place I chose for this meeting has another advantage. There is a small universal store on the other side of the road, on the corner, which offers me a good view of every direction from which they could come. Also, because it's a stuffy place, they won't realize where I am until I step out."

'Oh,' it chuckled, bearing its uneven teeth, 'You seem to know that quarter very well.'

"Not just that – I know every single corner of this town. I did grow up here, after all…" Kira grinned. He had to wait at a traffic light in order to cross the road, so he slipped the threat into the Death Note. "And once I find out who did this…" His grin spread over his face like the darkness in which the city was slowly sinking.

In the mean time, the guilty went to pick up his master from the corporation's headquarters. His eyes were still gleaming with hatred, no matter how much he tried to hide it, so as soon as Reiji was in the car, he let it burst. Vitto began driving in the wrong direction, quickly leaving Tokyo behind. "Don't worry, we're just taking a shortcut…" he tried to say through his teeth.

Reiji's calm was beyond irritating. The Italian found it another show of pride, another way to humiliate him, so he began taking tighter curves. He was speeding up the highway, gritting his teeth and clutching his fists around the wheel. "Say something, goddamn it! SAY SOMETHING!"

Even so, Namikawa only sighed at first. It took him another few seconds to answer, but for Vitto, they seemed years of silence. "What do you expect to gain out of this?"

Vitto pulled the car off the highway and onto a secondary road. "Me?! ME?! What do YOU get out of this?! What do you and that fucking child get out of torturing me like this?! You make me carry your bags, I have to wait in the car with the motherfucking heat off! With the engine off! No heat, no radio, no nothing! What the bloody hell do you think I am? A fucking slave? What do you two assholes get out of this?! You treat me like garbage! Worse than dog shit – you step all over me! My dignity? My condition as a human? It's all gone! Are you the devil's servants, or what? I haven't had one fucking day off in over a week! If the princess wants something at 3 in the morning, I have to be ready – well, excuse my pathetic ass, how the hell should I know?!"

The Italian stopped the car on a road cutting fields in half, in the middle of nowhere. He pulled out a gun and turned to face Reiji, his eyes red and glossy and his veins pulsing on his neck. "SAY SOMETHING!"

Even so, Namikawa simply shrugged as a tiny smile was tucking at the corner of his mouth. "I believe that is the description of a life in servitude, yes. Now, what seems to be the problem?"

Pissed off, Vitto loaded the gun. "I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND! I asked for your respect! I was alright working without a salary, I was fine being a driver – should be easy, right? Turns out it's not! Not for fucking royalty!" He tried to shoot, only to break the back window.

Namikawa held his wrist in his hands, with the same small, mocking smile on his face and the same frustratingly calm expression. "Sadly, Vittorio, you must have forgotten your nature. You are nothing but a pawn, and a pawn never moves backwards into safety. Pawns only move forward – either to attack, to intimidate, to distract the opponent, or to be sacrificed for their king's sake. Or for the sake of a queen, of a madman, of a tower, or even another pawn. You may feel glorious stepping forward, but your nature remains the same."

"…Devil," Vitto spit into his face, which eventually angered Namikawa. "You're the fucking DEVIL!"

Reiji forced the gun out of his hand, then began to unbutton his sleeves. He threw his coat off on the back seat, then stepped off and pulled Vitto along. "That was a formidable mistake that you've just made…"

Waiting for Reiji to return and already worried because of how late he was, Caterina called him a few times, but he did not pick up. After almost an hour, he called her back and the way her blood began rushing through her veins and the slight tremor of her hands surprised her. "Are you alright?" she asked, before even hearing his voice first.

'Yes, I am quite alright… aside from a couple bruises. Sadly, my suit is ruined, but I'm doing alright.' There was also some kind of noise in the background.

"Well, where are you? Why aren't you home? It's Vitto, isn't it? He did something stupid, as usual…" Caterina had ordered a meal from a fancy restaurant, but it had gotten cold. She was on one of his couches, on the one where he set her down when she felt sick from finding out about Vitto's drinking habits. "What's with that noise?"

'I will be home in a little bit. Don't worry, everything is under control. I stopped to wash the car after a little… accident. But don't worry, everything is fine.'

She frowned. An accident? "Did Vitto hit a stray dog? If you say it's fine, then it couldn't have been a person… right?"

'Actually, I am the one who drove over him…'

"Over a dog?" For once, she couldn't follow.

'Over Vittorio, my darling. He's still alive, but he can no longer walk, or drive, for that matter. I am going to call Ross for negotiations – I'm shipping him to the United States, so I was wondering if you can contact the King to make sure everything follows through on the other shore of the ocean. Sweetheart? Are you still there?'

Caterina still couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Wait, y-you did… what?! But why? He's reckless, alright, but to turn him over to Ross? That's just cruel."

'I've… Well, I might have lost my temper and a few fists for a couple of minutes. More like an hour, but what matters now is that he is alive, which means we can still make Ross pay generously for him.'

The girl was shocked. She could hear the noise fading as, she assumed, the car had been washed and dried, then polished… "Namikawa, you're putting him in hell, or worse. He won't just die, he'll be tortured for weeks or months before Ross gets bored of him."

'I know. But we can ask Ross to end his obsession with you. Earlier today, you could have been in trouble – there's no one else who could have been behind that incident. Please understand, I'm doing this for you. I'm sure your father would have done the same-!'

But before he could finish, she snapped. "Padre would have captured Ross and tortured him instead. He would have killed Vitto quickly because he's a pain to keep alive, but that would've been all! …Namikawa, I'm sorry, but I can't agree to that. Please, just come home. Kill Vitto, if you want, then dump his body somewhere, but don't contact Ross. He doesn't have to know. If Ross finds out you already damaged Vitto to such a degree, he will take it as an insult."

Namikawa nodded, slowly returning to his usual state of mind. His hands were bruised and his knuckles skinned by Vittorio's teeth. He took a couple of deep breaths, as the prisoner was still terrified in the trunk of the car. "Alright, my dear, but I'd rather let someone else deal with these kinds of details."

'Kill him. End his suffering. Then return home, darling – we'll figure out the details after we eat. I'm going to reheat the food.'

The man nodded. In truth, now that the anger was no longer clouding his mind, Namikawa was realizing that he had put himself into a completely new situation. He didn't assist his father at similar times and he was hesitant when it came to actually taking someone's life. He wouldn't have bat an eye sending Vitto to a passionate sadist, but his hands were sweating and his spine was freezing just from the thought of taking a life – even if that life happened to be of a vermin.


Author's Notes:

Chapter proofread by AbandonedSock, like always.

I've been thinking lately that I have many original characters and that maybe some of you could become... confused. Or just have a difficult time getting a clear image in their mind through the series. And so, I could post some character sheets soon enough. If you'd like that, of course.