Note: the DN fandom on FanFiction is so dead right now, where have you all gone?
I miss the time when it was so very much alive and kicking! Please, I know it's now 5 years after DN was released, but keep on posting fics, reading and reviewing fics, send messages to authors, anything to keep this alive! I've heard a lot complain of the lack of stories, but if you don't follow, subscribe, review and share your thoughts with authors, it won't do...
I won't stop writing, and probably not stop posting either, because I'm not here for the review count, but I miss sharing with my readers, really. If anything, I could just write on my laptop, work on my novel, and not on fics anymore, but then I would lose a huge part of what I love: knowing that you felt what I wanted to share as emotions, that I could make you smile or cry, that for a few minutes, you entered in my world... I just can't let this go (and I'll still be harassing you in my A/N when I'm 50 at that rate XD)

There is one or two chapters left to Lionheart and that's not an underestimation this time, it's for sure ^^

Matt's fingers were tapping the steering wheel nervously. He'd been very patient, everyday, just waiting here. Maybe it was the simple knowledge that any other day, Mello was unlikely to pass those doors that had him waiting calm and collected, but now he was seriously just wishing he could make the blond appear in front of the building.
Discharge and visiting hours would be over in a few minutes and he couldn't believe they'd take that long to let his boyfriend out.

Sighing, he exited his car to be able to unfold his legs, and lit a smoke, still staring at the hospital's entrance.
After the third cigarette, he bent through his open window to check the time.
Ok, so now it was officially past discharge hours. And he was worried.

Matt locked his car and headed for the glass doors.
"Hello, hmm... my friend Mihael Keehl was supposed to be discharged today, is it possible to know if his stay here has been lengthened?"
"Oh, you are Mr Jeevas right?" the brunette at the counter asked, recognising him.
"Yes I am." Matt didn't like the way she eyed him at all.
"No, he's been discharged actually... oh wait, he didn't sign the discharge, only the doctor did, so he must still be here. You can check him room, he should be there, but don't worry, discharge hours only ended ten minutes ago, he must be ready to go I bet."
"Thank you, I'll check on him." Matt gave her a forced smile. He didn't want to be rude since she provided informations, but he didn't like being checked out the way she did.

He crossed the corridors. Would Mello be mad at him for coming here? No, why would he? He had probably had all the time to think and calm down, and he had more than certainly come back to better predispositions toward Matt. And he would probably appreciate a ride home in Matt's car better than in a taxi.

"Mr Jeevas?" a voice called him.
Matt stopped and spun around, to see Mello's doctor.
"You're late if you came to pick up your friend, I discharged him this morning and he's gone since then." the man stared at Matt briefly, "Sorry..." he added, seeing the redhead's crestfallen expression, "Are you sure he knew you would pick him up? He had a taxi called for him, it was just before noon that he left I think."
"I was waiting for him since this morning but I didn't see him get out of the hospital... the nurse at the counter told me he hadn't signed his discharged, so I thought he had to stay here longer."
"He didn't? Well that's strange, I did see him exit his room with his belongings, I assumed he was going at the counter to sign it and leave and..." the doctor scratched his chin.
"Have you actually seen him leave the hospital, or at least reach the counter?" Matt's pulse was speeding.
"No, I haven't... follow me."

Matt fell into step with the doctor. "Marina, who was at the counter around noon today?" he asked once they reached the entrance hall.
"It was me, why?" Marina replied.
"You said to Mr Jeevas that Mr Keehl hasn't signed his discharge, but have you seen him leave?"
"No, I was pretty positive he hadn't left the hospital since you handed me his discharge this morning and I haven't seen him at all. Is there a problem?" the nurse was obviously uneasy.
"Well, you may have missed him and he left without signing the discharge, it's no big deal." the doctor turned to Matt, "I suggest you try to call him or... do you live at the same place? If so, you should go home, if not, well, try visiting him, I'm sure he's been home for hours now." he smiled to Matt in a reassuring way and headed back to the corridor.

Matt left the hospital and stopped in front of the glass doors. Lighting a cigarette, he tried to analyse all the informations at hand.
But no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came to his mind. He drove home. After all, that was the best option he had for now.
He had almost persuaded himself that he would find the blond on the couch, so when he opened the door and found an empty apartment, the panic was equal to his disappointment. Trying to calm down, he checked every room, but everything was untouched.
Of course Mello could come back anytime, Matt had left a double of the apartment's keys for him at the hospital, but it had been way too long since he'd been discharged.

It suddenly downed on Matt that this was an option Mello had talked about. He may not come back.
Matt felt like if all body heat escaped him all of a sudden. No, Mello wouldn't really have decided to leave him? It was just a threat, wasn't it? Just something he had said under the influence of angriness...

Matt ran to his car, not even waiting for the elevator.
He, or anyone, hadn't seen Mello leave the hospital. No matter what Mello had planned, even leaving him, Matt couldn't find an answer to that.
Hammering against the glass door, Matt stirred up the nurse at the counter from her seat. Shit, it wasn't Marina anymore, and he didn't feel like explaining things to the large black woman who was not impressed by his drumming on the doors to the slightest.
"I'm sorry Sir, visiting hours are over, come back tomorrow."
"It's an emergency, please, open!"
Somehow, the despair in Matt's eyes was enough for the nurse to unlock the doors.
"I'm sorry Miss, I didn't want to disturb you." Matt tried to regain his calm, and explained briefly the previous events, "Is there another exit to this hospital Miss?" he asked when he was over with the explanations.
"Well, yes, we have a back door for deliveries, you know, food, supplies... but patients don't use it, it's forbidden..."
"Could he have used it without anyone seeing him?"
"No, I'm positive that he can't have used it. It's locked, and the only times it is open, there is someone close since, as I said, it's mainly for deliveries so there are people working around, he would have been seen and not let out."

Matt huffed. He should have injected that chip. He had been afraid that Mello noticed, because a 3mm hole in your arm usually doesn't escape notice, and it takes a short week to heal. But he should definitely have injected that chip to Mello, not matter of it made the blond angry or not. He would have been able to track him, and would have avoided this mess.

He thanked the nurse and went back to his car.
Driving at breakneck speed, he got to the apartment again, just in case Mello had made it there in the meanwhile.
But when he was about to exit the elevator, he just had time to push on the door control button again, because in the slit of the opening, he clearly saw Jim leaning against the apartment's door, gun in hand.
The tall man was slow to react. Matt exited the elevator three floors down and ran as fast as he could, fear pumping in his veins, to go down the eleven floors left through the stairs. He'd be faster this way, and he could hear heavy steps running above him. Jim was after him but Matt had the advantage of lightness.

He made it to his car, and when Jim was finally on him, Matt aimed at him and shot. The tall man's body fell on the ground with a muffled sound, just as muffled as Matt's gun. The redhead had thought about every detail, unto the silencer. He somehow knew it would maybe come to this, and he didn't need to alert the whole neighbourhood.
He calmly went to the backseat of his car, grabbed a thick blanket, one that had been used to cover Mello when they had moved here, rolled the body in it, and managed after some difficulties to pull the dead man in the trunk.
He then cleaned the pavement from the blood the best he could, the rain diluting what was left after he was done.

It was lucky that it was so late. No one had witnessed what had happened. Not that it worried Matt. It wouldn't make a difference, to kill more people now. The initial rush of adrenaline gone, he felt nothing for what had just happened, if not just a slight tension.

Climbing the fourteen floors, weary as he reached the last, Matt unlocked the apartment's door. It hadn't been forced, Jim had apparently just been waiting outside.
Now, he regretted killing the man straight away. Did he have Mello? Where was the blond damnit?
Maybe he should have questioned him...
Somehow, happiness flooded him at the realisation that Mello more than surely hadn't decided to leave him, he was probably locked somewhere, and Matt just had to find him! Yes, that was it.

Matt grabbed food, drinks, cigarettes, ammos, two laptops and various batteries, and once again went to his car.
He left the city, and once in a desert area, he opened the trunk to check on what Jim had on him that could help him find Mello. There wasn't much more than cigarettes, an engraved red metallic lighter and a cell phone. Better than nothing.

Soon the phone was linked to one of the laptops, and Matt was checking all the incoming and going calls in the memory, as well as the numbers stored. Mello's old number, the doc, and four names. All the calls emanated or were directed to the doc and one of the four names: Seth.
Matt had no difficulties retrieving the informations concerning the holder of the line contract, and Jim's. Same last name. Brothers, father and son? Whatever. Matt had an address, and he would obviously start with this.

It had been three hours and half, almost. Matt was holding on energy drinks, forcing food in his stomach so he would be able to do whatever he'd had to do at that point. Even if he was really worried over Mello, there was no need to starve himself, it would do no good to his condition.

The door of the house he was watching finally opened, and a man got out. Matt squinted his eyes and there was no being mistaken, the guy had a clear resemblance with the one he had just killed. Brothers, maybe, but same family for sure. This one was shorter though, not that Matt minded. It was less impressive.
The other started his car and followed the little muddy road that rejoined the main one before speeding up, Matt on his tracks, all lights out.

The man quickly noticed he was being followed, and stopped. Matt grabbed the gun he had ready on the passenger seat and exited his car, aiming at the man before the other had the time to do the same.
"Hey, you're not a cop are you? What's wrong with you man?"
Matt scrutinised the other's face briefly, seeing better under that streetlamp, and found out that he was scared. Good.
He leaned against his car, still pointing the gun.
"Do you know a Jim?" he asked nonchalantly.
"That's my cousin... who the fuck are you?"
"And do you do the same job as him?'" Matt stayed unphased. He wanted answers, he wasn't there to satisfy the other's curiosity.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Seth, my question was perfectly clear." Matt lit a cigarette with the red lighter, his eyes not leaving the other man.
"Hey! Where did you get that? And how do you know my name?"
Matt smirked. He got the effect he wanted, and knew that if Seth had recognised Jim's lighter, then they were more than certainly close.
"I got it on your cousin's dead body. Now answer if you don't want to end up in my trunk just like him."
"Wha... fuck, what? He's dead? Who are you for God's sake?"
"Gimme your phone." Matt asked.
"Everything you want, I don't have much money on me but take everything, I don't care! Just... please I have kids!" the man carefully handed the phone, taking a step back as soon as Matt had it in hand.
The redhead flipped it open and, keeping an eye on the man, checked the contacts list. Jim, Mello, the doc... He didn't need to see more to know that Seth was in the same boat.

"It looks like you're in a deep shit, Seth." Maybe it was the energy drinks, but Matt felt powerful right at that moment, holding a life at the barrel of his gun.
"Tell me what you want from me, please! I'll do what you want, I promise!" the other was almost crying. Did they really hire such pussies in the Mafia?
"Ever heard of Mello?"
"Of course, it's the boss! I mean... it was..."
"Explain." Matt spat. Just uttering the name was enough to pain him right now, he needed to find him.
"Jim said he k-killed him last week and it's true that we haven't s-seen him since them..." Seth stuttered, his eyes not leaving the gun in Matt's hand.
"So... according to you, Mello's dead... how cute." Matt's eyes were cold as ice, and the man cringed.
"He's not?"

Matt smirked. "The one that's dead for sure right now is your cousin. And I'm quite tempted to charge you in that trunk of mine too right now.."
"NO! Please! What do you want from me?" the man was on his knees, begging.
"I guess I could use you alive." Matt gave him a disdainful look, "Lead me to the Mafia hideout. You drive in front of me, and if you do anything funny, I shoot you, understood?"
"Ye-yes Sir."
Matt went back to his car and both cars drove slowly, until they reached what looked like an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere.