The morning after that Light dreaded never came. As they slept, their door squeaked open. Mello stood in the doorway clutching his loaded pistol. His men waited behind him. He stepped into the room, raising his eyebrow at the two men, half naked, in bed. He smirked as he thought of Beyond's reaction.
That bastard deserved to have his heart broken. Or, since Beyond's chest was probably empty, his pride damaged.
With one hand, he shoved a rag into L's mouth. L's eyes snapped open but before he could make a noise, Mello clasped his mouth with one hand. He straddled him, preventing L from moving. He motioned his men to do the same for Light.
Light struggled more than L.
In fact, he shoved his foot into one man's groin and punched another in the teeth. He tried to call out for help, but Mello leaped on him and shoved another cloth in his mouth. The two fell to the ground. Mello pummeled Light until blood streamed down his perfect face. He targeted the left side of his face.
Light glowered at him before he finally blacked out.
"That was easier than I expected," Mello snickered and tossed the unconscious Light over his shoulder. L remained stiff as a board as another man tried to lift him.
Mello rolled his eyes and tossed Light back on the floor. "You're all idiots," he hissed as he punched L in the gut. He scooped him up and threw up him over his shoulder. "Pick up Light. Let's go."
The whole mission had taken about ten minutes once they reached Old Town. L's knack for sweets gave their location away. Beyond knew too well. Mello found himself rolling his eyes whenever Beyond mentioned L. He always told intimate stories at Mello's expense, hoping to torture him. But Mello was stronger than that. At least, he used to be.
The bruise on his eye throbbed as he slung L's body on the back of his horse. L struggled, trying to shout through the gag, but barely a whisper came out. He gazed up at Mello, his eyes surprisingly indifferent. Mello scoffed, wondering what intrigued Beyond so much about the lanky, awkward thing.
The ride back only took a few days. The crew barely slept, unable to contain their excitement for the rewards that awaited them. Mello knew better, though. In the end, working for Beyond never paid off.
Fucking Beyond was even worse.
The sun set as they approached the town. They crossed through many new ally towns, which Beyond had gangs of men raid and take over. Mello hated the bastard the more towns he went through. The glory belonging to Beyond was corrupt and forced-something Mello knew very well.
But in all of Mello's hopes for domination, he never imagined pursuing it in the way Beyond did. In fact, Mello started to stray from the idea of complete control. He was content with his gang and Matt.
When they arrived in front of Beyond's house, he was already waiting on the porch with a disgusting grin planted on his face. "Well, L, it's been quite some time," he cackled as he approached Mello's horse.
Suddenly he stopped. His eyes flew to the top of Lawliet's head. He thought he'd miscalculated and figured L's death would come later on. But he was wrong. Ghostly numbers floated above Lawliet's head with something Beyond never saw before: A negative sign.
"Yo-you should be dead," he gaped.
Lawliet's only response was a muffled grunt. His eyes never left Beyond's, taunting him. In a wild fury, Beyond gripped the back of Lawliet's neck and slammed him to the ground. He yanked the gag from his mouth. "How did you do it?" he shrieked.
Silence surrounded him. The onlookers glanced at each other and took a step back. Beyond's fists curled into a clench. He threw a punch at Lawliet's face. Fragile Lawliet shuddered, but didn't speak a word. Beyond hit him again and again until his fists hurt.
"Tell me," he snarled. "How did you escape death?"
Lawliet spit in Beyond's face. Beyond recoiled and stood up. Without another word, he grabbed Lawliet's hair and dragged him into his house. Most of the survivors, including Sheriff Yagami, were stuck in the jail house. But Lawliet was Beyond's and Beyond's only.
Lawliet barely made a sound as Beyond dragged him upstairs. Splinters tore at his back, ripping at his skin. Upstairs, Beyond placed Lawliet on a chair and tied his hands with cool wires.
"Listen, Lawli," Beyond's voice became unbearably calm. Fury boiled in his stomach, but he knew he had to repress it. Lawliet didn't deserve death. "Tell me how you managed to survive past your expiration date."
Instead of answering the question, Lawliet asked hoarsely, "Can you see your own."
Beyond slapped him across the face. "If you tell me, I won't kill you."
Lawliet began to laugh softly. "You won't be able to kill me anyway."
Another slap. Beyond slammed the door and turned to Lawliet again. "I can make your life a living Hell. You know very well what I'm capable of. You will be begging me for death."
Beyond was having his fun upstairs with L. Mello turned his attention to Light, who was sprawled over the back of a horse, panting softly. The blood from the wounds dried a few days ago. His appearance almost made Mello laugh. Light, or Kira, once reigned the gangs and bandits with terror. He put them where they belonged; in Hell. But here he was, bent over a horse, bleeding and broken.
Mello smirked "Your sister's dead," he chuckled. "She kept crying before she died. She asked for you."
Light struggled to speak, only to receive a smack for his attempts. Mello peeled the gag from his face. "You look good, Light," he snickered.
"Matt asked for you," Light managed to breathe out. "He told L he missed you. We were supposed to meet with him at Old Town. Too bad you didn't run into him."
Mello's eyes widened. The words singed his chest. He couldn't stand the cocky bastard anymore. "I'll kill you nice and slow," he growled.