Author's Note:
I know I had to post this yesterday, but I love this chapter (Matt has this effect on me) and today's my birthday, so...
ENJOY! :D
Beyond hopped down the train, whistling a popular tune and winking charmingly at a group of high school girls, who blushed and giggled. He smirked, wandering out of the subway station and following the road signs to the address he was going to.
The big black duffel bag felt slightly heavy, making him hang toward the left side, weighing his left arm down and making him grimace at the pulling of his sinews. He switched hand, stretching the other and observing disinterested the red lines across his palm.
He finally made it to the house, and he walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell and waiting, switching again the duffel bag to the other hand.
The door opened after a few seconds – probably they were watching through the peephole, it was a smart thing to do after a kidnapping – and a serious Mikami stared at him, leaning his body against the doorpost to prevent entry, his glasses reflecting the morning light.
"What are you doing here?" the man asked, the voice hard and demanding.
Beyond took a moment to study the man, appreciating the lean contours of the body and the square set of shoulders. The tight white shirt the other was wearing showed off his toned chest, that while not muscular made Beyond leer at him. Mikami kept on watching him with mistrustful eyes, not moving a muscle. Beyond then noticed the stress lines on the other's face, the thin lips set in a straight line, and the more than usual disheveled look of his longish hair.
"Heard my nephew went missing at the hands of a child killer, figured I would come by and see if I could help."
"We don't need the help of a murderer" sneered Mikami, his posture defensive and tense.
Beyond stared in the man's dark green eyes, his face serious for once. "I think you need all the help you can get. Besides, we're talking about my family. Do you really think you can stop me?" he asked, walking up to him and stopping too close for comfort, their chests almost touching. He looked up at the doctor, standing on his toes in order to speak in his ear – the height difference sending sparks in his belly, because honestly, the man was hot -. "Want to try?" he whispered, his usual smirk creeping on his face.
Mikami stood still, seeming unfazed by the close proximity – Beyond internally pouted, he had really wanted a reaction from the other -. They stared at each other, dark green clashing against playful red, before the man sighed and took a step back, clearing the way.
"Light's asleep" he explained once he closed the door. Mikami eyed Beyond's duffel bag, a sneer on his face. "And we don't have a guest room."
"Are you offering your bed?" asked Beyond, raising his head with a grin on his full lips.
Mikami watched him with something akin to disgust. "As if I would sleep with a serial killer. Anyway, you're lucky we have an extremely comfy couch you can borrow during your stay here" he explained, turning his back on him dismissively and retreating to the kitchen.
Beyond eyed the other's firm ass for a second, before shaking his head and heading for the staircase, figuring the bedrooms were upstairs. He would try again to have sex with Mikami another time, now he had more important things to think about.
The only room with its door closed was clearly Mikami's, and the next one, empty, seemed to be Light's. The last one, in the farthest corner from the stairs, had his blinds half closed, leaving the place in darkness. Beyond entered silently, the rubber soles of his shoes not making a sound against the parquet. He knew immediately that that was Near's room, because he had noticed form his first and only encounter with his nephew his obsession with white. And white was the main theme of that place, from the wall to the ceiling to the toys and the clothes he could see from the half-closed shutters of the closet.
Light was standing out against the snowy sheets, the blanket tucked in under his chin. His caramel hair was spread like a halo on his pillow, messier than ever, probably from repetitive tossing and turning. Beyond had known that the man would be living a rough time, but he hadn't thought that it would escalate this bad. There were evident dried tear tracks on his sunken cheeks, and his usually natural tanned skin had a sickly pallor to it. Worry was etched in every line of his face, and Beyond didn't need to lift the blanket to know that his body was worn as well, probably from a temporary eating disorder.
The killer sighed, sitting down in one corner and shuffling a deck of cards he had found on the desk. This was a family matter, and no one would keep him from watching over Light.
He just wished he had been there for his nephew.
He had had enough nightmares to recognize one when he dreamed it, but the awareness of the fake scenarios in his head did not make the horror less real.
He felt he had been running for ages, the muscles in his legs strained with fatigue, searching for something that wasn't there. Around him was dark, dark, dark, shadows everywhere, monsters with bloody eyes leering at him and yelling obscenities, calling his name, trying to make him join them.
His place wasn't with them, Light tried to tell himself, hearing their call reverberate in his bones, making his flesh shudder, echoing in his skull.
Kira! Kira! Kira!
They were calling him, worshipping his alias with tongues made of poison. He felt it, all around him, slowly destroying his soul.
His legs were barely supporting him, but he managed to keep running, running through the eternal night he was living in, feeling the urge to cry. He wanted to rest, to sleep, to forget everything and retreat inside his mind, and at the same thing he wanted to yell, to kick something, to fight, to kill.
He felt a weight in his hand, the soft palm against a leather hilt. Looking down, he saw a dagger, its blade shining and reflecting a light that wasn't there. It seemed to come from within, burning hot and scaring him like never before.
Light wanted to drop it. But he couldn't.
He hadn't control on his limbs, that were moving on their own. His legs moved forward, with calm and pondered steps, taking him closer to a goal, a purpose. He didn't know it, but he felt the urge to do it, a firm push under his sternum, leading him forward, towards something unknown.
His mind was screaming at him to turn around, to stop right there and just wake up.
But he was trapped in his personal hell, surrounded by darkness and yelling monsters, the cacophony of their calls making him dazed.
He stopped. Light was confused, because nothing had changed. Blackness was everywhere, but his arm was rising, the dagger glinting and rejoicing in its whispering voice, oily and malicious against his senses, and suddenly he was stabbing something on the ground. At the same time, a sharp pain hit his abdomen, almost making him fall down.
There was a strange sound, like something hitting a mattress, and warm liquid seeped in his hands, a spray hitting him on the cheek. He looked down. The dagger was embedded in darkness, but red was on his hands, so much red, so much blood…
It was like flicking a switch. Suddenly he could see, and the cry of despair and agony that left his throat didn't sound human.
Light collapsed, his hand letting go of the now slippery hilt of the cursed dagger, his hand trembling. Red stained white, filtering through cloth before joining the growing puddle under the body. Grey eyes were wide and empty, staring at him, judging him, accusing him. He felt like he was breaking, his throat full of tears but his eyes dry like deserts, the sharp pain in his chest growing and growing until he all he could feel was pain.
Near's body slowly disappeared, his edges turning to ashes. In a few moments, a pile of dirt was in its place, wet with blood.
Light stared, and stared, and stared.
You're just like your father, a cruel voice whispered in his ear.
Light screamed.
Golden eyes shot open, and Light lurched upright, his chest heaving and his limbs shaking. The remains of the nightmare crept at the edges of his mind, threatening his sanity, but he pushed them away, curling on himself and hugging his knees at his chest.
His mind was in disarray, but overall, he felt rested.
"Nightmare?" a voice asked, startling him.
His eyes found the black figure huddled in one corner, surrounded by what seemed to be cards' houses. The stranger got up, and flashing red eyes made him strangely relax.
"Beyond" he greeted, his voice raspy and low, while slowly standing up.
In silent agreement, the two exited the room and walked to the kitchen before talking again. A week earlier Light would have felt embarrassed, standing with his past lover's twin in a room with only his pants on, but his brain seemed to focus on more important things than decorum. He fetched a glass of water for himself, and sat down on one of the chairs.
"So, what are you doing here?" Light asked, looking up.
Beyond was looking good as ever, he thought. The man had always been attractive, with his curly dark hair and full lips, pale skin and mysterious reddish eyes. What a pity that he had become a murderer…
He just isn't L.
"Heard Nate disappeared. I wanted to help" explained the raven, getting up and rummaging through the fridge. He gave a hum of happiness, returning to the table with a spoon and a jar of strawberry jam.
Light watched him ate with a wrinkled noise, feeling his empty stomach roll at the display.
"That's disgusting."
"And so satisfying" grinned the other, licking his lips. "Who likes strawberry jam in this house, anyway? I know you don't, I remember your antagonism for things too sweet."
"Mikami" explained Light, putting his elbows on the wood and cradling his chin between his hands. He then saw Beyond's eyes shine mischievously. "Whatever you're thinking, don't do it. That man is a saint."
"Aww Light, always spoiling my fun!" the raven grumbled, pouting. "I just want to know him better, if you know what I mean" he said, wriggling his eyebrows.
Caramel eyes shifter in front of his eyes while he smiled. "Then you have your work cut for you, my friend, because I've never seen Mikami being interested in anyone. A few night stands, sure, but nothing serious. The love of his life is his work."
"If you can't catch a man's heart, retreat a little and take his cock."
"So vulgar, Beyond. I should wash your mouth. There's a child in thi-" Light froze, eyes losing their mirth, smile falling from his face.
Beyond saw the change, and put down his spoon, sighing. "That's why I'm here, you know. I was telling the truth about that."
"What use could be a serial killer?" questioned angrily Light, eyes flashing, teeth almost bared.
The other remained unfazed, his expression serious. "Criminals can go where the law can't get. I heard about the black market theory – a good one, by the way -, and I can infiltrate the environment as soon as we have a plan and competent people backing us up."
"It was Near that came up with the idea" said Light, smiling softly.
Beyond chuckled. "Smart kid, that one. It runs in the family."
Silence fell, leaving the two in a companionable quiet.
"I'm glad you're here, Beyond."
The next day, at ten in the morning, Light called his boss.
He had to endure a tirade about not thinking about work right now and should be resting! before he could explain that he had called to know about any kind of update in the case.
Aizawa was tight-lipped about it, and Light knew immediately that something had gone wrong.
"Just tell me" Light eventually snapped, his tone almost demanding, laced with fear.
The Chief didn't even bother to put him in his place, relying the news.
Beyond, that was sleeping sprawled on the couch in the living room, was rudely startled awake by an enraged shout of "Bastard!", before a voice flew through the air and shattered on the wall, one meter from him.
He rubbed his eyes, blinking slowly, and took in the sight of Light, red in the face and with wild eyes, pacing up and down the room, muttering curses and insults under his breath.
"What happened?" he asked, not even trying to approach the fuming man.
"Your fucking brother happened!" Light shouted, probably waking up Mikami, judging from the sudden thud coming from upstairs.
"L?" asked again Beyond, not understanding. He stretched, suppressing a yawn and sliding to the floor in a languid movement, his body still too bleary to stand up.
"Yes, the fucker. He didn't take the case."
Mikami came down the stairs, catching the last couple of phrases.
"Your department asked L's collaboration?" he inquired, brushing his hair away from his forehead.
Beyond eyed him from the floor, filling his eyes with his figure, more naked that he had ever seen – now, if those underwear and T-shirt would just fall off….
"Yes, and the asshole refused. God, I really want to punch his face…" Light muttered, grinding his teeth.
And Beyond had a wonderful idea.
"Light, there's a gym nearby?"
Light was punching a… well, a punching bag. His knuckles hit the thing hard, making it swing away before coming back.
It was satisfying in a weird way, and took note to thank Beyond for the idea, the man being in another room of the big establishment.
He just shut his mind, losing himself to the familiar motions.
Right, left, right again, left. His arms were slightly hurting, but he didn't care. The world had narrowed to three points, his two hands and the bloody bag.
Sweat coated his arms, outlining his muscles, gained from hours and hours of hand-to-hand combat training learned in America as an obligatory requirement of police job. His sleeveless shirt clung to his torso, and his hair took a darker color near his neck.
He would have kept his furious pace, but a hand startled him out of his mindless exercise.
Beyond was behind him, sweaty as him, his knuckles red, but he was grinning widely, looking excited.
"I found out they have a boxing ring. Want to see if we're still good at the martial arts the Institute taught us?"
Three minutes later they had already gained a crowd around them. Not that they noticed.
Their eyes were trained on the other, carefully tracing his movements, their minds coming up with strategies and plan to be discarded soon after.
They weren't fighting. It wasn't about fight, about hurting the other.
They were dancing, avoiding the other, circling and jumping and throwing punches that never hit skin. Feet left the ground, legs were used as leverage to bring the other down, to near the other just to see him escape and appear, seemingly from thin air, behind him, and they had to duck quickly.
They were a perfect match, combining different styles into a deadly dance. They never hit the other, knowing that this was a friendly spar, but they both had the desire to win, the fire in their eyes, a feral grin on their lips.
It ended with a single mistake from Light's part, instead of a lack of skill or slower movements.
He simply stretched too much his abdominal muscles, and after twenty minutes of mock fight, he went down, a sharp and burning sting in his belly robbing him of his strength and making him cry out softly.
Beyond stopped, giving him a look, before shushing the people around them away, giving Light privacy and time to recover.
"You won" Light said, still on his knees on the blue mat, his chest heaving with fatigue. He swiped the sweat from his forehead with a hand, grimacing at the wet feeling on his skin.
"We're even" Beyond rectified, and his piercing gaze left room to no arguments.
That evening they gathered around the kitchen table. It was time to decide what to do.
"We can't search for Near alone" stated Mikami, his glasses perched on his nose.
"I haven't been able to gain anything from the data, and Beyond here doesn't specialize in detective work, if I remember correctly" Light waited for Beyond's nod before continuing. "I'm too involved in the case to have a clear and unaffected view. We will need something new, that hasn't heard the case's details before. And we need them now. My son doesn't have too much time. Hell, I don't even know if he's alive" he dictated, closing his hands in fists to hide the trembling.
"We need L" said Beyond quietly, earning a frustrated golden gaze.
"L already rejected the case."
"L didn't know you are involved" insisted B, twirling a silver knife between his fingers. "I know my twin, and I was there when you left. If you call him, he comes running. He was smitten back in the days, and I bet my eyes he still is."
Light eyed Beyond, noting the confidence in his posture and the lazy smirk on his lips.
His pride was screaming at him to look for another solution. To admit his need for L's help was a failure.
But his son was more important than all of his pride, more important than the questions L would ask him.
He didn't say anything. He got up and went to take his laptop.
While Mikami fetched some sandwiches for the three of them, Light turned the computer on, feeling Beyond's watchful gaze on his face.
"How will you contact him?" he inquired, his fingertips tracing the blade's edge.
"I will have to hack into Wammy's… well, I think it's L's now, satellite. It isn't too hard because most of the world doesn't even know it's there, so the security is not too tight. I've done this before" explained Light, his fingers flying familiarly on the keys in front of him, the light of the screen turning his golden eyes to a disturbing shade of grey.
"I didn't know that" Beyond blinked his eyes, interested. "I admit I'm not really interested in technology, but I know the basis. What will you do from there?"
"Well, every server that hooks that specific satellite has its information stored under the form of codes. I just need to find the code of the main server at Wammy's, and follow it back to its location."
"Brilliant" the other breathed, grinning up at Mikami when the other man put a plate in front of him. While he munched on the bread – with strawberry jam! He was going to marry Mikami, he decided – he focused again his attention on Light, who hadn't touched his meal, still working furiously through streams of code. "And then? You will need to hack into Wammy's server, right? That will be hard, since it contains the orphans' files. I don't think the old man would let precious info be stolen easily."
"You're right" Light grinned, his eyes dancing, enjoying the activity. He had always loved this part of the technology. "Wammy's server is one of the most protected in the world. I'm a damn good hacker, and I don't think I would succeed. But I don't need to."
Beyond blinked, lost. "You don't?"
"No, I don't" the grin on Light's face was giddy. "Never underestimate an old director's laziness. Roger never changes the password. It still is the same one they gave me when I was still there."
"Matt, want to go outside?"
"Matt, could you please pay attention to me?"
"Maaatt, Mattieeeeeeee"
"MAAAAAAAAAATTTT"
"Mello, I swear, if you don't stop screaming right now I will hide your chocolate stash. You will never find it again."
That shut the blond up. For a minute.
"Matt, I'm booooored"
Matt lifted his eyes from the screen, ready to retort. His blond roommate was hanging upside down from the desk, his yellow air drifting through the air.
"Jesus, read a book or something" Matt snapped, reaching out blindly towards the cigarette pack, extracting one with his nimble fingers and bringing it to his lips. A snap of his lighter and a cloud of smoke entered his lungs, making him sigh in contentment.
"How disgusting!" the annoying voice exclaimed, making him roll his eyes. "Now the room is going to stink!"
"Open the door."
"But I'll have to get up!"
Matt chose to ignore the last comment, setting his eyes back on the files he was downloading. It was almost done, and in a few minutes he could terminate the connection. He was quite anxious. The more time he spent connected to the server he had hacked in, the more the possibilities of being caught were rising.
With a gentle chime, his laptop ended the download, and he cut off the connection, feeling pride swell in his chest.
Then, his screen went dark. On it, green lines of code began to appear.
"Fuck!" he shouted, almost dropping the cigarette. He began to type furiously, overlooking the concerned questions of his roommate. The code multiplied, strings of it beginning to connect and complete themselves. "Fuck! I've been hacked! The Institute's server should be secure!"
"Language, young man" said a voice, coming from the laptop speaker. It had a perfect British accent, if not a bit rusty. Slowly, the screen came back to light, shoving a man sitting on a table in what seemed a kitchen. The golden eyes of the stranger were laughing. "A beautiful child like you should not say such foul words. And to answer your question, the Institute's server is secure, to all the ones who don't have the password."
Matt blushed hearing the praise, feeling keenly the absence of his beloved goggles. Before he could answer, a blond bullet threw himself on the bed next to him, starting to shout questions. "We say what the fuck we want, you fucker! And who the hell are you?!"
The man frowned. "Now, that was just rude " he reprimanded, obviously displeased.
"I apologize for my friend here" Matt stepped in, ignoring the glare from Mello. "What he was saying is: Who are you, sir? And how you managed to get the password to the server?"
"Now, that's a polite young man. I will answer your curiosity" the man grinned like the cat that got the canary. "The most charming director in the world, Roger, is too lazy. He hasn't changed the password in ages. I suggest you correct his mistake, someone more malicious than me could have taken precious info" he seemed to look meaningfully off the screen, then laughed and dodged what seemed a piece of bread. "So, former residents know the password, and this goes back to me. You can call me Kira" the man finished with a winning smile.
Matt blinked, his green eyes widening, his expression reflected on his friend's face. The blond started firing questions at once. "Kira? The Kira?! The one who was leading the Competition with L?!"
The man, Kira, opened his mouth to answer, when a voice cut him off. "I thought you had a goal, Kira" the stranger said, rounding the table and coming to stand near to the former second ranked genius, his red eyes peering at the teens.
Matt paled, taking a drag of smoke to calm himself, while Mello got red in the face. "T-That's-" the blond stuttered, his blue eyes widened with fright.
"Beyond, you're scaring the children. Go harass Mikami or something" Kira said, pushing the dark haired man gently away. Beyond got the creepiest dreamy look on his face, and, after a parting grin to the scared teenagers, walked out of the webcam's range. Matt felt sorry for that man, Mikami. "Ignore him, he likes to scare people."
"He's a serial killer" stated Matt flatly, smoking his cigarette. Mello remained silent, still scared.
"And you should not be smoking. What are you, thirteen?" inquired Kira, dodging the statement about his associate.
"I'm fourteen."
The man's eyes softened, gaining a pained expression. "I have a son two years your junior. And he's the reason I've hacked into your laptop. Sorry, by the way. None of your data will be damaged. Anyway, I need you to contact L."
"Why should we do that?" answered Mello, his blue eyes narrowed.
"Because I need him. Now."
"Hell no" Mello replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
Matt looked in the eyes of Kira, his own green orbs searching. Then he decided.
"What you need to tell him?"
L was almost putting a forkful of cake in his mouth when yelling voices reached his ears.
"We shouldn't do what he says! Who knows what he really wants to do!" said a voice, which he identified as Mello's.
"He seemed honest. And worried" answered another voice, clearly Matt's.
"So you're going to trust a random stranger because he seems worried?! You're too trusting, Matt!"
"I trust my gut's instincts."
Before Mello could speak again, the doors opened, and a slightly out of breath Matt entered L's chambers.
"Explain the reason behind your presence here" commanded L, chewing around his mouthful.
"A man hacked in my laptop. Said he was Kira, and to repot to L this exact sentence: L, get your ass in Japan right away. It's about the Child Eater case."
L's heart skipped a beat, his breath leaving his chest in a gasp. Still, his expression remained blank.
"Tell him the creepy part!" urged Mello, clearly worried.
Matt took a breath, looking into L's eyes with unsure green eyes.
"Beyond was there."
The cake's plate fell to the floor, shattering and covering the carpet in frosting. L's eyes widened, and his hand went immediately to an intercom on the desk.
He turned around and pressed the button, speaking into the microphone.
"Watari? Prepare the jet, we're going to Japan."