I don't own Death Note

Chapter 49 Connection

I was blindfolded when I woke up and tied to a chair. Needless to say, the situation was horribly familiar and despite the fact I had agreed to this sort of treatment when Matt asked for my permission to inject the sedative into my arm, the adrenaline began to kick in. My heart rate increased, carrying the hormone throughout my body. The fight or flight instinct at its finest.

To put it in the simplest terms possible, I was on edge. So when I felt something touch my face, I kicked out blindly. The kick connected with a crunching sound and was followed by a dull thud. I smirked at the faint groan that reached my ears.

"Fuck…" the person whined.

"Suck it up, asshat," someone snapped back.

"I think she broke my nose," mystery man A observed.

"Matt?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah?" came the tired reply.

"…crap. Sorry about your nose," I apologized blindly, no longer sure where he was in the room.

"It'll be fine. I'm sure the sound of shattering cartilage was just my manly dignity being broken by your well aimed kick."

"Matt. Shut the fuck up and untie her," the unknown voice ordered.

"Yeah yeah, Mells."

There was rustling sound and I felt the blindfold getting removed from my face. I blinked at the harsh lighting until I managed to focus on Matt's grinning face. I winced when I saw the trickle of blood dripping from his nose.

"Don't worry about it," Matt said noticing my look of horror. He wiped his nose and examined the bloody sleeve. "Well that's a bit macabre."

"Stop bitching," the person I now knew was Mello ordered.

Matt waved him off. "Yes your majesty," he said in a servant-like tone and began to loosen the ropes around my torso. With Matt's head no longer obstructing my vision, I finally got a good look at Mello.

He was sprawled out on a couch, dressed head to toe in tight black leather. He still had the same short bob he had in the picture Near possessed. He and had a bar of chocolate in hand was in mid bite. A rosary was around his neck; ironic for someone who seemed intent on dressing the part of the Antichrist.

He stared at me haughtily. I raised an eyebrow at him. He ignored the gesture and sat up swinging his legs back on the floor. He continued to eat chocolate and looked at me through narrowed eyes.

"So this is her, eh?" Mello asked, sounding hardly impressed. "Whoop-de-fucking-do."

"Nice to meet you too," I muttered under my breath. I stretched as Matt pulled the last of the ropes away and begin winding them up. "Now where is my sister?" I asked more clearly.

There was a flash of defiance in his eyes. "You do no-"

"Mello," I said wearily, "I got enough of this from Near. I don't need you doing the same thing. Now where is my sister?"

This then prompted Mello to begin a large stream of swears that versatiley seemed to switch between English and American. As I was only proficient in American slurs, I heard little more than gibberish occasional punctuated by a well placed "fuck" or "damn."

"Matt?"

"She's this way."

"You're not going anywhere," Mello ordered, his features twisted into a snarl. Mello cocked his gun aiming it straight for my head.

"You're not going to shoot me; at least not somewhere deadly," I said calmly.

"Wanna bet, bitch?"

Matt had said the way to deal with Near was anger. That approach clearly wasn't effective here. Mello just took it in his stride. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak, only gave Mello more power.

He was still glaring at me, challenging me, with no doubt in his cold blue eyes. No fear.

No fear, huh?

I stepped forward slowly until I could feel the cool metal of the gun pressing into my forehead. Mello's eyes narrowed, but he didn't lower the gun.

"Yeah, I do," I answered quietly.

Mello continued to glare at me waiting for me to back down. I waited him out, careful not to show any reaction to the knowledge that the smallest movement from his finger could send a bullet speeding through my head.

I finally felt the gun being pulled back. Mello's expression was blank. He had something like recognition in his eyes. "Matt, take her to see her sister," he ordered.

"Thank you," I said in relief. Mello refused to acknowledge the reply. Instead he turned his back on me, apparently now occupied with something else.

Matt led me out of the room and down what I suspected was one of many corridors in what promised to be an extensive hideout. The entire place reeked of organized crime. It was dark; poor lightening seemed to be a requirement in places like this. I tried my best not to stumble, while Matt navigated through the dark easily.

Matt seemed tense and kept his hand close to his hip, where surprisingly enough, a gun was located. I wondered if it was worry for me that had him on edge or if the whole affair with the mafia regardless of my presence was out of his comfort zone. It was more likely it was me that was causing the tension and a fear someone would try something on me. Perhaps gallantry wasn't as dead as I thought.

"She's in here," Matt said softly, furthering my suspicion he didn't want us to be found right now.

"Any guards?" I asked.

"Yeah. One. We don't exactly figure she's gonna escape, but we don't want another repeat of what happened last time."

I winced at the thought of seeing Sayu cold and motionless, a rope pulled taut around her neck.

"Definitely don't want that," I said shakily. "Mind if I borrow your gun?" Matt gave me a skeptical look. "It'll make me feel better," I explained. He sighed, but handed me the gun nonetheless.

"Thanks," I muttered. The weight of the weapon was comfortable in my hand despite the bad memories that came with it. I successfully managed to block the look on Light's face when he screamed in the helicopter. Instead I recalled the delirious time where L had offered me a gun while rescuing me. I had refused then. I had accepted when L had offered me it in the helicopter. And now I was requesting a gun. Things had changed a lot.

Matt cracked the door and carefully pushed it open. Surprisingly, it didn't squeak or betray our presence. Which means the guard was oblivious to our entrance. Meaning we heard every sick word coming out of the bastards mouth.

"…you're a pretty little thing, aren't you bitch?"

Sayu began to shake violently, the gag muffling what sounded like whimpering. His hand crept up her thigh and the shaking intensified. Tears began trickling out of the corner of her eyes.

"I don't see why I can't have a little fun with you…"

"Get your hands off her, you fucking bastard," I snarled dangerously. The gun in my hand somehow was aimed at the meaty man without me noticing it.

"Rei…" Matt said in warning.

I ignored him, focusing instead on the guard. He stared back at me, stupid smirk on his face. He seemed confident I wasn't going to shoot.

"Or what? You'll shoot? You don't have the guts."

"Rei," Matt said a bit more urgently this time.

"Wanna bet, bitch?" I said back, echoing Mello.

He moved, reaching for Sayu again.

"Rei!" Matt shouted.

I fired, watching in satisfaction as the guard staggered, clutching his now bloody ear.

"Next time it goes through your thick skull, got it?" I barked. The man nodded dumbly. "Get out." He scrambled for the door and fled. "Here," I said, holding the gun back out to Matt.

"I thought you were going to kill him," Matt said quietly.

"So did I," I answered softly.

I shook my head, clearing it and moved to remove the gag from Sayu's mouth.

"Rei? What are you doing here?" she asked hoarsely through tears.

"Does that really matter?" I asked jokingly. "And look at you! You look so old! You're twenty now, right?"

"What's going on? Why am I here? Why are you here?"

I sighed. "Look Sayu. This has to do with Kira alright. Dad is going to be here to get you soon, but you can't tell him I'm here, okay?"

"Why not?" she asked in obvious confusion. "We were all so worried when you were suddenly gone…"

"I'm catching Kira, Sayu. Dad and Light aren't going about it the right way, and they won't listen to me. I have to do it my way. You want Kira caught don't you?" Grudgingly, she nodded. "Then don't tell them I'm here."

"Okay," she agreed.

"I'm going to put the gag back on alright? Just hang in here for a little while longer, okay?" She nodded. "I love you, Sayu. Mom and Dad too."

"And Light?"

"…yeah," I answered softly. "And Light."

I replaced the gag and left with Matt, feeling Sayu's trusting stare following me.

"So what the fuck took you so long?" Mello asked delicately.

"Rei shot Brick in the ear," Matt explained easily; flopping down on the couch Mello had occupied when I first woke up.

"Was that his name?" I asked in disgust.

"And where the hell did she get the gun?" Mello asked venomously.

"I let her borrow mine," Matt answered pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. He was hardly perturbed when Mello grabbed the lit cigarette from his lips and ground it on Matt's forehead. Instead, he just pulled out another. I had a feeling this was a common occurrence.

"Before you give Matt another burn," I interjected, "he was molesting Sayu."

Mello raised an eyebrow. "And the fucker is still alive?"

"Why? Surprised Kira's sister has a mercy streak?" I questioned bitterly.

"Surprised Matt still has hi-"

"Mello! There's a lady present!"

Mello snorted. "I know, man. I'm looking at him. I mean her. Pansy-ass. Letting a fucking girl take your gun. Maybe she should just keep it. She's putting better use to it then you have."

"Fine," Matt said good naturedly. "She can keep it."

"Matt, you're keeping the damn gun. You're gonna get raped without it."

"I'm not gonna get raped. Between the two us, you're the most likely rape victim, Mells."

"I think you mean, 'I'm the most likely rapist.'"

"That too, but seriously Mells, if you were in jail, you'd be someone's wife within minutes."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean asshole?"

"It means, if you drop the soap, don't pick it up."

"You litt-"

"You both know I'm still here, right?" I asked in dry amusement.

"…"

"Fuck."

"I'll take that as a no," I said suppressing laughter.

It was eventually decided that Matt would keep his gun, and I got one of my own with strict orders not to shoot, 'except if the fucker really deserved it.' I was given free reign of the base, and Matt even encouraged me to walk through it a few times with the gun on my hip to establish dominance over the underlings. When I told him that sounded a dog would do, Matt only laughed and answered with a vague, 'Exactly.'

I followed Matt's advice, though I did change into more casual clothing as the clothes I had been wearing were more suited to an office and thusly made me a target. By the third time I walked through, it appeared that my reputation of shooting people in the ear had passed through because no one dared to even look at me.

After that, I found my way up to the roof, enjoying how warm it was despite it being October. I wrapped my arms around my knees, tucking them up in a comforting a manner. How L would. I rested my chin on the tops of my knees and looked up at the stars.

I closed my eyes. My father was coming tomorrow. My father was coming tomorrow, and he would never know I was here.

I heard the sound of someone sitting next to me. Someone who smelled like chocolate. I didn't bother opening my eyes.

"Don't think I haven't noticed how you refuse to talk to me straight on," I said.

Mello ignored that remark. "What the hell are you doing up here anyway? Sulking?"

"Maybe. Though I didn't expect you to come up here after me. I expected Matt, if anyone." Mello didn't answer. I cracked open an eye. "Matt made you come up here, didn't he?"

Mello sighed wearily. "Shit, I'm no good at stuff like this." Mello paused and I waited for him to continue. "We're moving your sister tomorrow."

I nodded. "I figured you would do something like that. No use in risking the rest of the base, right?"

"Forget this delicate crap. Why are you sulking?" Mello asked, annoyance dominant in his voice. "Because you shot at some asshole?"

"That's part of it," I admitted, curling up even more. "Before this case, I wouldn't even touch a gun, let alone shoot someone."

"I don't believe that."

I blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I don't believe you wouldn't shoot someone. Are you trying to tell me that if someone was about to kill your sister you wouldn't pull the trigger?" Mello asked in disbelief. "Don't kid yourself. You're not as noble as you think and I know you're not weak. We all can kill. That's a part of human nature. Don't blame the case for something you always could have done." Mello paused before adding, "Besides, you didn't even kill the fucker."

"You're right," I agreed. He seemed shocked that I conceded so quickly. "I'm surprised to hear something so philosophical coming from you. I was given the impression you were little more than a gun happy genius with a short fuse."

"Did Near tell you that?" Mello asked, bristling.

"No. He didn't. He likes you, if you couldn't tell."

"He's an asshole."

"I know. I slapped him."

"Then we have something in common."

"Are we getting along?" I asked.

"Fuck. I think we are. You're not exactly what I expected," Mello said pulling out a chocolate bar. He took a generous bite.

"And what did you expect?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Not a little girl for one thing."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm twenty-three."

"Seriously? Shit. You don't look older than me."

"And how old would that be?"

"L didn't tell you?" Mello asked through a mouth of chocolate. "Did he not trust you?"

I ignored the confrontational tone in his voice, something I was sure Matt did daily. It just seemed to be part of Mello's personality to bait whoever he was speaking with.

"Maybe. I'd like to think that wasn't the case at least." I leaned back, looking up at the sky again. "But I think it was more that it wasn't his secret to give. Wammy's House wasn't just about L anymore by then."

"That sounds like L." Mello shook his head. "I always knew he would get himself killed. I just never expected Kira to be the one to do it."

"Did you ever meet him?"

"Once," Mello answered, crumpling the wrapper of the chocolate bar and launching it over the edge of the roof. "Told me a story. About B," he clarified. "I think he was warning me about what could happen if I wasn't careful. Guess he forgot to consider that I wouldn't care," Mello added with a harsh laugh.

"Maybe he just believed the best of you," I suggested.

"Yeah. The idiot probably did. It's probably that sort of idealistic thinking that got his ass killed."

"I'd like to defend him, but you're right. It did. And now he's dead and now I know my brother is a murderer."

"…it doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"Life never is."

~Author's Note~

I expected a lot more antagonism between Rei and Mello to tell you the truth. I very surprised that the chapter turned out this way. I guess that's just a part of the mystery of writing eh?

When I write Matt and Mello, I basically think of Hyde, Eric, and Red from That '70s Show. If Hyde and Eric were one person anyway. And smoked. And if Red was blonde and dressed head to toe in leather. And said fuck a lot.

Thanks for all the reviews!

World without L is just a word: I'm so glad you think I've got Near right. I'm not as familiar with Near and Mello. Rei is actually very slap happy. So Matt didn't get slapped per say…just kicked in the face. Whoops? I'll try to keep surprising you.

AlbinoButterfly: Wammy's House terrifies me as well. I would give anything to have grown up there, but I'm not exactly stable in that retrospect.