A/N: HOLY SHIT, WHAT'S THIS?! An update you say? This is MADNESS! NO. THIS IS THE NEXT CHAPTER OF SLAVES OF PURPOSE!!! Dukki and myself FINALLY got around to messaging each other on MSN and wrote this chapter. I can't tell you how much fun we had doing this one. There is fluff in this chapter. It is not MelloXMatt. We'll get back to that later though, don't worry. I really hope you guys like this new chapter. REVIEW AND TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!! Reviews make us happy fangirls.

Disclaimer: We wish we did, but we don't own Death Note.

Chapter Nine -- Faith

Faith is a funny thing, Pip thought as she sat beside Matt in the tinted-window safety of the Eclipse. Hordes of people were crowded around the Kira's Kingdom station, as if expecting Kira himself to descend upon them and share his blessings.

"Che, fools," Pip thought. Her brow furrowed in mingled annoyance and disbelief as a young man was violently beaten back from the studio doors by a pair of police officers.

Matt took a long drag off his cigarette and flicked the dead butt out of the cracked window. They'd been sitting in the same spot for two hours, seeing nothing more interesting than a love-sick teenager strip and proclaim love for her savior. It was, to say the least, odd.

"Well, this is fun." he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Pip snorted. "Oodles of it." Her eyes followed passer-bys with little interest. "I don't see the point of staking this place out."

"Mello wants to have all his bases covered just in case."

The girl nodded, sighing. "I suppose." She respected Mello and his decisions, but still felt that her talents -- along with Matt's -- would be better served at base.

Matt rolled his eyes and gave the girl and small smile.
"Just be glad we aren't over at Kira's home. It's bound to be ten times worse over there."

Pip nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah, Mika and Kai probably aren't having an easy time of it." She fell silent; this felt like discussing the weather.

Matt nodded absentmindedly. This was all just filler conversation, and it was starting to become strained. Matt looked over at the girl and cocked a brow, finally saying, "Something wrong? You seem a little...off."

Pip shook her head. "No, I'm alright." She chuckled dryly, thinking better of it. "Actually, to be honest, I'm a little distracted."

"Really? By what exactly?"

A blush crept up the girl's neck, coloring her ears and cheeks. "Well, uh, you and Mello, actually." She stared resolutely at the dashboard. "I can't, for some reason, get that kiss out of my head," she added, grumbling.

Matt tried not to look too embarrassed. It had bothered him a little when Pip had walked in on him and Mello together, but he hadn't really thought too much about how she had felt about it.
"Yeah...listen. If you're really that bothered by that, I'm...sorry I guess. I don't really know what else to say." He pulled out his pack and stuck another smoke in his mouth.
Not wanting the remainder of the stake-out to be horrible awkward, Pip said, "Don't misunderstand me, I'm not jealous or anything like that. God no." She gave him a teasing little laugh, trying to cover for how stupid she felt. "It was just an odd thing to see after working with Mello for a year. No worries. And hey, maybe this'll help his stress levels at least a bit."

"NOTHING will cure his stress. Trust me on this one." He chuckled awkwardly. This was NOT how he wanted to spend the rest of this stakeout. He noticed a barely concealed yawn and turned to the girl, ruffling her short hair.
"Listen, try not to worry so much. Okay? Take a break, rest a little bit. I'll wake you up in a little while, you look like you need the sleep."

Pip shook her head, hair flopping into her face. "No, I'm alright," she said again. "I'd feel bad for falling asleep and leaving you with the work."

"Don't feel too bad, I'm quite used to it by now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She yawned again, eyes dipping closed momentarily.

Matt lit up and took a quick drag. "I used to work for a major shit-head before I found Mello again. Always made me do all the work while he took all the credit. I made him regret that later, though." He laughed quietly at the memory.

Pip chuckled. "And what'd you do to the poor bugger?"

He turned to Pip, an evil grin on his face. "I'd tell you....but then I'd have to kill you. I'll tell you this much though: he was afraid to fall asleep around me after that." The redhead tapped the side of his nose and winked, still grinning.

"Oh, you're horrible!" Pip laughed, giggling behind her hand. The look on Matt's face was funnier than the story itself.

The gamer puffed out his chest, looking proud as a peacock. "I do have my moments."

Pip rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe I will take a little nap. But roll down the window a little more, will'ya? I'm gonna suffocate from all your smoke."

Matt stuck his tongue out at the girl, but complied without further complaint. He leaned back in his seat and blew out a ring of smoke. "Have a good nap," he said softly before turning his attention once more to the doors of the station.

Pip was soon fast asleep, which was to be expected; she was always tired these days. They all were.

Matt sighed as he watched Kira's brainless fans show their support to the absent god. 'Bunch of idiots', he thought to himself. After a good ten minutes of the spectacle, Matt was forced to look away -- he was afraid his eyes would bleed if they took in too much.

He glanced over at Pip in the passenger seat and saw she was out like a light. It made him smile just a little. She looked rather peaceful in her sleep, more like the teenage girl that she was, and less like a haggard war refuge. As with Mello, stress fell away to innocence when she was asleep.

Before Matt could stop himself, he was reaching across the divider between the seats and brushing a lock of hair from Pip's eyes. As his skin made contact, he was struck with a sudden, wild thought: he wanted to kiss her. His eyes widened at the very thought. He couldn't do that....could he? More importantly, why? He knew instantly that it was mere curiosity. After all, Pip was cute, right? And there had been a moment or two of attraction between them.

The devil on his shoulder began to put in his two cents.

She was asleep, she would never even know it happened. Mello would never have to know either.

It was settled, then.

Acting quickly, he pressed a brief kiss to her delicately parted lips. The encounter only lasted long enough for him to taste mint.

Face burning, but with a smile on his face, he turned to continue watching out for anything suspicious happening outside of his own little world.

Moments later, Pip was stirring. She ran a sleepy hand over her face, touching her lips and making a noise like a yawning cat. With a soft sigh and a lick of her lips, the girl turned to her side, facing Matt, and continued sleeping. Her brow furrowed as she realized that her lips tasted like smoke. Smoke? That made no sense. This fact alone was enough to bring her out of sleep. Her eyes opened slightly, trained on Matt as he brought his cigarette to his lips for the millionth time.

Matt shot a look at Pip, the smile still on his face. He turned back to blow the smoke out the window.

"Do we have any water?" Pip asked. "My mouth tastes like one of your cigarettes or something." The girl made a face, propping herself up on one arm.

Matt blanched. Oh shi-
"H-here you go," he said, handing her a bottle of water from one of the bags. He couldn't look her in the eye.

Pip took the bottle, her fingertips brushing Matt's. "Is something wrong? Your face is red."

"Hm? Oh, I-I guess I'm just over-heating a little bit. Wearing a fur vest can do that to ya'." He scratched the back of his head, grinning nervously.

"Then why not take it off, dummy?" Pip teased. "And here, have some water." She offered the water bottle back to him.

Matt nodded and took off said garment and stuffed it in the back of the small car. He gratefully accepted the bottle and took a swig of the lukewarm water, glad for something to do.

Pip was watching him carefully. "Are you sure you're ok? If you're getting sick or something, Mello's going to want to know."

"Really, I'm fine." He turned back to the window. "Why, don't you check in with the guys and see how they're doing if you're not gonna go back to sleep."

Pip shook her head. "We're not supposed to contact them, remember? Just in case. Mello told Kai and Mika to contact us first, because the odds are in favor of something happening at Kira's mansion."

Matt could have slapped himself; how could he have forgotten that?! It was a mental slip that Pip was bound to notice. Why the fuck am I so nervous? he wondered.
"Oh. Right..."

Ok, something was definitely up. Matt was never forgetful. "Matt," Pip said, "what's wrong?"

"Umm," he sighed, "just a little...distracted I guess..."

Pip waved her hand in a series of circles -- a "yes, go on" gesture.

"...by someone..." His face was starting to feel hot. He couldn't believe he was weirding out like this.

Pip's eyes widened slightly. "OH, I get it. You were thinking about Mello? That must be why you're...flustered." She couldn't help but giggle, even if her assumption was off base.

Matt's mind went blank. She...thought he was...
Wow. Maybe she was being purposely oblivious. Either way, though, it didn't really matter.
"Yeah, sure..." the redhead started to play with his lighter, trying hard not to look in Pip's direction.

"Or am I wrong?" Pip guessed. "No need to get totally embarrassed..."

"Well, yes and no. I was thinking about Mel, but..."

"But...?" This conversation was like pulling teeth, but Pip felt that she had to know.

'Well, it's do or die time' he thought to himself. He took a deep breath and turned to the girl.
"I was thinking about...well...you actually."

Pip blinked once. Twice.
"Me?"

"...yeah."
He was so screwed.

Pip was flushed pink, much like Matt. "W-what about me?" she said. Her voice came out as puffs of air.

Matt gave Pip a weak smile. "I was thinking about how you looked while you were asleep."

"And then you kissed me?"

Matt looked stunned at the sudden question, but nodded dumbly. No use denying it now. "How'd you know?"

"I could taste your cigarette." Pip found herself grinning. "I didn't think you'd be the type to molest a girl in her sleep, Matt."

The red head looked slightly offended. "I didn't MOLEST you. It was a kiss. That's all."

"I was teasing you," Pip giggled.

"Yeah, sure." Matt smiled at the girl, a little to happy with the turn of events to be upset with the teasing. This was going better then he thought it would, oddly enough. "So...now what?"

Pip shrugged, grinning. "Dunno. You're the one with a boyfriend here. It's more up to you than it is me." Internally, Pip was gawking at herself; when did she become a flirt? Maybe it had something to do with the way Matt's eyes reflected the soft glow of his cigarette, or the way his mouth turned up in sly little corners when he grinned. In any case, Pip could feel her pulse quickening as she savored the smoky taste still on her lips.

"Mello and I only just hooked up. I don't think we've even reached THAT point," he said, meaning the status of "boyfriend." Matt moved a little closer to the girl, a pleased look on his face.

Pip's stomach did a flip, landing finally in a fluttering heap. "Well, if you're sure, then maybe you should try kissing me again. I hear that it's much more enjoyable when both parties are conscious."

Matt leaned forward, his eyes half closed, and gently pushed away a strand of her hair. "I'd like that."

Pip closed her eyes, silently praying that nothing of consequence would happen in the world of Kira for the next ten minutes…

~*~

Mika and Kai had been sitting in dead silence throughout most of their stake-out. The only words to be spoken were Mika's failed attempts at conversation, each time to be ignored or shot down by Kai. It was beginning to get on the blondes' nerves.

"What's up with you Kai?" Mika finally asked. "You've been awful quiet."

"And you've been awful talkative. It's quite annoying."

Mika resisted the urge to punch the other man in the face.

Ever since the phone call incident back at the hotel, things between the two teens had been...tense. Neither wanted to be responsible for starting a fight, so silence was the only avenue. If anything, it made things worse. Mika decided to try again. "Maybe you should check in with Matt and Pip? It's been a while."

Kai put down his binoculars and cocked and eyebrow at the other boy.

"Why don't you?"

"Kai, you're being weird. What exactly do you think I'm gonna do?"

"Not sure, you've been surprising me lately."

Mika glared at the other man, his hands clenching into fists. "I could say the same thing about you too, Kai."

Kai chose not to respond to that statement. He told Mika to keep watch and picked up his phone. He dialed in Pip's number and waited for the girl to pick up.

Back in the Eclipse, Pip jumped a mile at the sound of her phone. "Damn it," she muttered, pulling away from the all-too brief kiss that she and Matt had shared. "Hello?" she said into the phone.

"Pip? How are things on your end?"

Pip glanced at Matt, already turning red. "Quiet. Nothing is happening at the studio, just the usual crazed Kira fans."

"Likewise, only I have less preferable company."

Matt could actually hear Mika's shouted retort to the comment, and he and Pip exchanged a look.

Pip winced for the sake of her friends. "Play nice, you two. We only have a few hours left to go."

"Yeah, I know it's just-HEY WHAT TH-!" The phone cut off with a strangled yell from Kai.

Pip pulled the phone away from her ear, speechless. Her heart pounded for entirely different reasons than moments before. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at Matt

"Shit." Matt quickly pulled out his phone and punched in Mello's cell number. That had not sounded good, whatever it was. He heard the phone pick up on Mello's end.
"Mel? We got a problem."

"I know, I saw the whole thing," came Mello's quick reply. "Get your asses back to base, NOW." Mello cut the connection.

"Did I just hear him say he 'saw the whole thing'?" Pip said.

Matt looked dumbfounded for a moment. "Yeah, I wonder-"
Then it hit him. He SAW the whole thing. That could only mean he had cameras in the car, which meant-
"We. Are. So. SCREWED."

Pip waved her hands frantically. "I don't care about that now! Take us back to base! Something happened to Kai and Mika!"

Matt put the car in drive and hit the gas. "Yeah, I know. Mello has cameras in the car, so at least we know what happened." He sped down the street as fast as he could. They were all screwed. Kira knew. The bastard must have known the whole time that a stake-out was taking place. That's the only explanation Matt could think of. But if that was true then....who had told him?

~*~

When Matt and Pip arrived, the base was in panic. Well, everyone but Mello was panicked. The blonde was seated before three television monitors, paying close attention to what could only be Mika and Kai's surveillance tapes.

"Matt," Mello said the moment the redhead entered the room. "I need you to analyze these tapes for me."

Matt walked over to where Mello was a sat next to him. "Sure. Let me see."

Mello got to his feet the moment Matt sat down, instead leaning against the wall. "You're not even going to ask for an explanation of what happened?"

"Oh just tell them, Mello!" Icarus snapped.

"Yeah, I was hoping for a recap," Matt said, frustration bubbling to the surface. Mello was clearly avoiding him somewhat. It was confirmed, then, that the blonde had been watching Matt and Pip lock lips.

"We've been betrayed," Mello said with a snap of chocolate.

"W-what?" Pip said. "By who?"

Mello didn't look at the girl, nor did he reply to her. In fact, he was ignoring her altogether.

Matt's attention was on the surveillance tape. From what he could see, a group of Kira's guards had ambushed the two while Kai was checking in. One blow to the head, and both operatives were out like lights. How could this have gone so wrong?

"Who could have told him we were going to be there tonight?" the redhead questioned quietly.

Mello shook his head. He had no idea. "I have no reason to suspect any of you here. The only person that was ever under suspicion was in that car tonight, and the issue of his guilt no longer matters." So that was it, then. It was either Kai or Mika who was the guilty one. The answer was clear as day to Mello now. After a silent moment of looking at his boots, Mello pushed away from the wall and tossed his half-eaten chocolate bar into the trash. "Matt, analyze that tape. Get anything you can pull from it. Voices, faces, anything." With that said, Mello went into he and Matt's bedroom and closed the door, locking it.

JJ crawled over to where Matt was sitting and looked up at him with the most serious expression he had ever seen. "Do you think we'll be able to get them back?"

Matt nodded. "Let's hope so." Matt re-watched the tape, not really seeing much he could use. The guards had their faces covered and moved out pretty quickly. He could only hope that he or Mello would figure out something soon.

Pip sat down in one of the armchairs beside the window and put her face in her hands. This was a bad situation in so many ways.

Matt looked up at the others. They all looked worried; he didn't blame them. He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. He just couldn't think straight. This whole thing: the stakeout, the kidnapping, this thing with Mello, all of it was going up in flames. It was horrible, and he didn't know what to do about it.

After deciding that no good was being done by simply sitting on his ass, Matt walked over to the door of he and Mello's shared room and knocked. "Mel?"

"Buzz off," Mello replied.

"Come on Mel, open up."

"I'm working. Go away."

"Fine then, we'll do this the hard way," Matt muttered to himself. He dropped onto one knee and pulled up one of his pant legs. Strapped to his ankle was a small set of lock picks (for emergency uses of course). Taking out the ones he would need, he started to pick at the lock on the door as the teens that made up their small task force looked on.

Moments of minimal effort brought the clean click of the lock as it slid open.

"You're a bastard, Matt, and if you come in here, I will shoot you," came Mello's voice from inside the room.

Matt thought about the threat for a minute. "I think I'm willing to take that risk, Mello." He stood up and opened the door all the way and walked into the room.

Mello was sitting in bed, pistol aimed and face set in resolute frustration. "Tell the others to get to work and close the damn door," he barked.

Matt relayed the order to the teens and shut the door. He looked up at the blonde from under his bangs, expression defenseless.

Mello sneered. "Don't give me that fucking puppy-dog look, Jeevas."

Matt simply sighed and looked Mello dead in the eye. "What exactly do you want me to say, Mihael?"

"I want you to explain to me why you were fornicating while you were supposed to be focused on a mission that I assigned to you." Mello's voice was steely, cold, and angry beyond reason. If his gun had been loaded, shots would have been fired.

Matt looked at the angry blonde, deadly calm. On the inside he was freaking out, but he wasn't about to let Mello know that. "We weren't 'fornicating,' as you so boldly put it. It was a kiss. Nothing more, nothing less."

"It was a distraction. You let a whole fifteen minutes of activity go past without either of you monitoring it. I could care less who you decide to fuck, but the fact that you interfered with the mission, is un-fucking-acceptable."

"Liar. You had cameras in the car, if anything had happened you would have seen it too."

"But it was YOUR job!" Mello shouted, getting to his feet. "If you want me to do all the work while you make a pass at Pip, get the hell out of here now."

Matt was silent. There was really nothing more to be said. Matt knew he was in the wrong, he knew he should have been paying more attention. But they were both angry now. And people say things they regret when they're mad.
"Fine then," was all Matt said. He turned on his heel and walked out the door. He stalked past the teens and left the hotel room entirely.
He had to get out. He had to get some air.

Had to get away.

Mello was left staring, eyes wide and owlish. He flinched as the door slammed. Matt had... left? No. HELL no. Didn't that moron understand an empty threat when he heard one? "Well fine," Mello snapped under his breath. "I don't need him." The bedroom door was closed again.

~*~

Kai couldn't see. He couldn't move, either. Everything was black.
"Mika?!" He called out desperately. He heard nothing in response. He started to panic; what the hell was going on?! He heard a door open and shut somewhere and he called out again. A vindictive laugh answered him.

"I'm afraid your friend Mika isn't here anymore." That voice...it was so familiar...

"Welcome to my home, Mr. Kai. I do apologize for the brutish delivery, however."

Kira. That was Kira's goddamn voice.

Light Yagami walked a vulture's circle around the chained boy. Kai's hands were tied above him, hanging from the ceiling, making him completely vulnerable to any of Kira's...pursuits. "I'm afraid that you will not be seeing Mika for quite a while, but I will be more than happy to keep you company, provided you give me what I want." A hand was lightly brushed against Kai's cheek.

The prisoner flinched at the feeling of the false god's cold touch.
"S-stay away from me! Let me go!"

Raito laughed lowly. "Oh come now, Kai-san, nothing is that easy."

Kai couldn't keep from shuddering at Kira's voice. He was afraid of what this man could do to him. He was helpless, completely at the mercy of a murder.
"W-what do you want from me?"

"I was hoping you would ask that question," Kira chuckled. From somewhere on his person, the god revealed a short knife, and used it to slice away Kai's shirt. "The only thing I want, the only thing that will save your life, is Mello's name." The knife was pressed to Kai's chest -- a threat.

A hopeless sob escaped the teens mouth. Oh G-d, he was going to die. He bit his lip as he felt the cold metal on his skin.

"P-p-please, I don't know. No one knows." His lean body was shaking badly now.

"Who does?" Kira insisted. He smirked and gave Kai's nipple a tweak with his fingers.

Kai shouted and tried to pull away. He didn't want to be touched by this...this MONSTER. "I. Don't. KNOW."

"What about this person named Matt? Does HE know Mello's name? Come now, Kai, be a good boy, and I'll let you down from these chains."

Tears streamed down Kai's face from underneath his blind fold. "No you won't. As-as soon as I tell y-you, you'll kill me. I'm not stupid!"

"If you DON'T tell me, then I will kill you AND this young man called Iggy. My lover tells me that the two of you are close. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Kira laughed quietly.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" He thrashed about; trying to kick at where he thought Kira was standing.

"Then tell me how I can get to Matt!" Light shouted, far from Kai's weak kicks.

Kai bit his lip until he tasted blood. He couldn't tell him. He couldn't. But Iggy was at stake... He said...no. He couldn't do it. If he had learned anything from Mello it was not to surrender, under any circumstances.

Kai didn't say a word.

Light scowled. This was not good. He needed that damn name! In a flare of rage, the god brought the knife up over his head, ready to bring it down on the man.

"Kami! Kami! We got a connection to the boy's car!"

Light whipped around, knife hand falling limp. "What?" he barked at the soldier standing in the doorway.

The soldier took a step back, eyeing the scene. "We, uh, managed to get a connection to the computer in Matt's car. We're tracking him now."

The god's face stretched into a maniacal grin. "Perfect. Send out all the men you need to catch him."

With a deep bow, the soldier dashed away, ready to follow orders.

"Hear that, Kai?" Light said, lifting the boy's face. "Maybe one day soon, I'll be able to taste this lover of yours for myself."

Kai spat in Kira's face. "I hope you rot in Hell you son of a bitch."

The man chuckled. "You are by no means the first to wish that fate upon me." Kira dropped the knife beside him and reached around to undo Kai's blindfold. "There now. That will make this MUCH easier." Before Kai could spit again, Light punched the prisoner solidly across the face.

Kai groaned as blood dripped from his nose. His head dropped down onto his chest and things began to fade back into black. "You....won't win..." he slurred as he passed out. He could only hope that he was right.