The putrid smell invaded Light's nose. His eyes flickered open as he tried to figure out the source, only to realize it was he who stank. He wrinkled his nose, wishing for a shower. Dried blood, which had leaked from his nose, clung to his chest. Although he knew he should've been in pain, Light felt euphorically numb. In fact, his whole body surged with a familiar tingling and coolness. He glanced at his arms, searching for the source of the injection. Sure enough, a tiny hole burrowed into his forearm.

Maybe compassion existed in Mello. Light nearly chuckled at the thought; Mello was no better than Beyond. They both gained sick pleasure from other human's pain, whether or not they gained anything from it. Mello used Light as a dummy simply because he could. Or-

Light's thoughts trailed off to the night he escaped Mello's gang. He never meant to hurt Mello; the kid simply got in the way. Maybe he deserved it. After all, he captured Light and left him in that closet to suffer and die.

To be violated.

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Pain began to sting at his body; the morphine was wearing off. Light cried out for help, not knowing particularly what it would achieve, but he shouted until his throat burned.

"Lawliet," he moaned softly.

He saw Lawliet's face perfectly: His pointed chin, those bagged eyes, his thin lips. Remembering how he felt against Light's skin sent shivers down Light's aching spine. "Lawliet," he called again, a bit louder.

Delirium from the pain set in long before Light noticed. The left side of his face burned horribly. He must've looked terrible-like Mello. A strange pang of guilt hit his chest. But why should he feel sorry for him?

His breath chilled when Beyond stepped in. Blood dripped from his hands as he staggered towards Light; a crazed expression plastered itself on his face. Yet, Beyond managed to grin wickedly through his obvious rage.

"Do you know what I found out?" Beyond didn't wait for an answer. "Mello told me he found you and Lawli in bed together. Hah! Could you imagine a funnier situation? You and Lawli together. What makes you better than me, hm? Who do you think you are, Light Yagami? You won't win against me. And now, I can kill anyone you hold dear with a snap of my fingers. Snap! Hah, made you fucking jump."

"Wh-what are you talkin' about?" Light struggled to say. Beyond and Lawliet knew each other, but Lawliet refused to reveal how. The way Beyond spoke of the matter, though, seemed to imply-but no, that's impossible. Lawliet would never.

Beyond growled, clamping his hand around Light's neck. He spat as he snarled, "Don't play dumb, Light Yagami." His breath stank of alcohol. "You slept together like everything was fine and dandy, completely forgetting about all those people who cared so much about you. OH! No, I guess they don't because they wanted you dead. And guess who else did? Lawli. My Lawli."

Light's fingers trembled. Beyond had to be lying. Lawliet could never...

"I let you into my damn home and took fucking care of you. Remember that? I helped you out in your time of need, and how do you repay me? But don't worry, Light Yagami, I'm not going to kill you. No, you deserve life, since it's oh-so-fucking precious to Lawliet that he almost had you hanged. Don't you have any sense of self-worth, disgusting scum?"

Lawliet would never...

"He used to cry at night, always calling out your damn name." In a mockery tone, he started wailing, "Oh Light! Please come, Light! I'm sorry, I miss you. I feel like I'm choking."

Beyond grabbed his own neck, miming as if he couldn't breath. A haggard laugh escaped his lips as Light's eyes grew wider. "You look like a puppy dog. Little Light the puppy dog, hoping to save his old friend. Awwwww."

With an open palm, Beyond smacked the wounds on Light's cheek. Light cried out; the morphine's effects definitely faded. "What do you want from me?" Light panted softly. "I done nothin' to you."

"You did everything!" Beyond cried out. "He thinks about you, and I can't even faze him. But after the work Mello's done on you, bet Lawli won't be able to look at your angel face anymore."

Light struggled as Beyond pressed his hand against his mouth. "I know you two have a secret. So tell, tell, tell, Light Yagami, and I'll spare you. How is Lawli still alive?" Even if he could speak, Light refused to answer. His neglect towards the question obviously infuriated Beyond by the moment. The madman kicked him square in the chest, sending both Light and the chair toppling backwards. His entire body landed on his tied up hands, causing a petrifying cracking sound.

"Whoops!" Beyond cackled. "Can't do much without those, can you? I'll be back in a few hours. And you better be ready to tell me."

With that, Beyond disappeared from the room, leaving Light trapped on the floor. He attempted to roll himself and the chair over, but any movement shook his broken hands into a frenzy of pain. He bit his lip as he tried again, only to hear another crack. He cried out, suddenly wishing to die. He hadn't felt like that since...

Horrifying memories of gigantic, hairy hands groping every crevice in his body shot into his thoughts. The man's stink filled his nose. Light never experienced such a disgustingly real memory. Panic rose in his body as he experienced the trauma over and over.

"Please," he begged to the empty room. "For the love of God, stop!" He wanted to die-he couldn't go through the pain again. The emptying anguish nearly destroyed him the last time.

Suddenly, a gentle voice whispered, "I'm right here." Light stopped squirming, recognizing the voice immediately. But how? Darkness crept on him as he somehow drifted off.

Matt leaned on the bar stool, facing the crowd of eager faces. They all expected him to recite a glorious speech about freedom and how the country would be saved by bandits. But he couldn't lie to them. Beyond's innate skills to manipulate and plot already outnumbered most of the men Matt rounded up. Beyond plus other bandits meant complete and utter failure.

But someone had to lead these men. Someone had to fight for any piece of goodness left on this Earth. Matt wiped sweat from his forehead as he scanned the crowd. No one uttered a word as he opened his mouth.

"Many of you will die," he started off. Murmurs roared through the men surrounding him. "But sometimes, we gotta make sacrifices. Y'all can't be afraid of death 'cause the people we're fightin' ain't afraid to kill you. You gotta accept that sometimes, for the greater good, lives gotta be taken. And if it's your own, well I think y'all should feel honored. Now what I'm askin' may be a suicidal mission, but it's for your towns, your lands, and your families. Go back to your wives and children if you can't accept the sacrifice. Pray that tomorrow your home won't be invaded next. But don't accept this job with any hesitation because you don't wanna die with any regrets."

The men exchanged glances. Some stood up and left before Matt could continue. He wished he hadn't asked men to sacrifice their life. If he could, he would go in alone, fight the battle, and die in the process-maybe even die a hero. But he needed them.

The barman cleared his throat suddenly. "Sir, what you're askin' us to do is crazy."

"I know," Matt sighed.

"But, hell, what've I got to lose? Not like I got much of a family anyways. I see people come and go all the time 'round these parts, with their smiling faces. And I provide them with consistently good service. I ain't gonna risk this bar or my town. I'm with you, partner."

Somehow, Matt's spirits lightened. "Thanks," he smiled softly. "Now if I can get all of 'em to feel the same."

Suddenly, as if someone snapped them awake, the men began to shout how they were willing to die. Many of them, although fear sparked in their eyes, held broad, proud smiles upon their faces. They stood up, cheering and whooping. Chills shot down Matt's spine. Maybe there was a chance after all.