Burn

by xLion'sRoarx

When BB, a dangerous criminal, escapes from jail and sets his eyes on Light, the entire investigation is thrown into chaos. The Kira case flies off the metaphorical tracks, and as Light's world comes apart at the seams, his own emotions bar him at every turn, turning calculations into reckless actions and throwing into danger everything that he has fought to protect. LxLight

9. Outcast

I'm so excited about this chapter! I love it so much, and I hope you love it too! Anyways, I got quite a lot of reviews on that last chapter, so thanks so much to everyone who left one. It's really awesome to hear some feedback!

There's quite a bit of non-con between Light and Beyond in this chapter. I don't think it's anything you guys haven't been expecting, but I still feel the need to put up a warning.

Chapter 9: Outcast

Mello awoke suddenly, body jerking up in bed. His head was fuzzy, to his confusion. He felt as if he'd been drugged. At that thought, horror flashed through him. Beyond… had he—?

"Matt!" He rolled over and shook the younger male. He too was fast asleep, too far under for it to have been normal. The teen shook his head groggily, turning over.

"L've m' alone…" he groaned. "Sleepy…"

"You've been drugged!" Mello snapped angrily. "Come on, wake the hell up you dolt!"

The words took a moment to register. But when they did, the reaction was immediate. Matt's eyes widened as he sat up. "Drugged?" he repeated, eyes still slightly hazy. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! Now get up, we have to go check on the others!" Mello pulled his boyfriend out of bed, fearing the worst. He seriously doubted that Beyond would go through the trouble of drugging them just to pay L and Light a casual visit. Matt stumbled after him as he pulled him down the hall to Watari's room. His fear grew tenfold when the inventor was nowhere to be found. "Damn!" He tuned and darted the other way towards Near.

"Watari!" Matt gasped, suddenly breaking away from Mello and rushing to the old inventor's side. The man was sprawled out just outside L and Light's room, completely unconscious. He showed no signs of waking up, even when Matt shook him. A swift press of two fingers to his neck told Mello that he was still alive.

"Stay with him," Mello ordered. "I'm going to get Near. Do not go into the room, no matter what you may hear!" Mello stepped over the inventor's body and crashed into Near's room. The white-haired male was just sitting up, rubbing his eyes blearily.

"Ah, Mello!" he greeted. "I appear to have been drugged…" He yawned. "Am I correct in assuming that you were in the same predicament?"

"Watari, Matt, and I were all hit with it," Mello responded. "Hurry up, we need to check on L and Light." He already suspected that Light wouldn't be in the room when they got there. But he had to say it, for the sake of his sanity.

Near seemed to comprehend the severity of the situation immediately, rising and darting out of the room after his blonde-haired companion. Matt had propped Watari up against the wall by the time they arrived. "Come on," he said. "Let's go in there."

Mello nodded, reaching to his belt and pulling out his gun, relieved that he'd had it clipped to his belt when he'd been drugged. He held the gun in front of him and tried the door.

Locked.

Growling, he drew a leg back and kicked the door once, twice, three times… and it burst open. Mello forced his way past the crumpled door, eyes flashing, gun aloft. The sight that greeted him was worse then he'd imagined.

The first thing Mello saw was blood. It was everywhere. There were smears of the stuff across the wall, splatters across the carpet and bed… it was horrifying. Mello didn't want to think about what Beyond had done to spill that much blood. He heard the gasps of the other two successors as they followed him into the room.

"Oh god," Matt whispered. "All that blood—do you think that—?"

"L!" Mello gasped, spotting the detective crumpled against the far wall. He rushed to his side and dropped to one knee, rolling the man onto his back. To his relief, it appeared that none of the blood was his. The only injury the teen could find on him was a lump on the back of his head.

"He's been drugged as well," Near murmured, pulling L's head into his lap. He ran his fingertips delicately over L's skull, eventually coming to a halt over a slightly swollen, painful looking bump. "He sustained a hit to the head," he noted. "Not severe, incredibly unlikely to have caused a concussion. No other physical wounds. Mentally… we have no idea. For all we know he just saw Light die."

"We have to wake him up." Matt shook him lightly, much like had had done to Watari. And just like with Watari, L refused to stir.

"Move him to the bed," Mello ordered. And for once, no one questioned him. Near and Matt worked together to lift L and bring him to the bed, laying him down as far away from the blood spatters as possible. They didn't want Light's blood to be the first thing he saw when he woke up.

"So…" Matt said after a moment. "Are we going to talk about what happened here, or…?"

"There is nothing to talk about," Near said, his voice tight. "Beyond won. He broke in here and took Light."

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "I can see that. But that's all we know. We have no idea if Light is even alive! I mean… look at all the blood. He could easily be dead!"

"Don't say that!" Mello hissed. "We can't think like that or we'll lose hope!" His eyes drifted to L's sleeping form. "And we especially can't think like that around him. He's just lost someone important to him, possibly the person most important to him! As far as I'm concerned, our first priority at the moment is making sure he doesn't turn suicidal."

"Good luck," Matt grumbled. "The guy has always been dramatic—this might just push him over the edge."

Mello didn't respond. Instead, his eyes rose to look at one of the various cameras lining the walls in different places. "Hey…" he said suddenly. "I want to check something out…"

†††

L came back to his senses quickly, eyes snapping open as he sat up. A gasp was torn from his lips as he looked around, seeking out Light. Where was he? Panic gripped him as he saw his three successors and Watari standing before him. Light… where was he?

"Light?" he asked weakly, voice too raspy for his taste.

He knew what Mello would say before he even opened his mouth. "He's gone, L. I'm sorry."

And just like that, it was over. Breath refused to come to him as he screamed, head dropping to his hands. He pulled at his hair, not caring when he felt the pain become blinding, because any pain would be better than this. He barely felt Mello's arms around him, nor did he feel Near gently remove his hands from his hair, or Matt rubbing his back. All he could feel was pain, because Light, his Light, had been taken away by that monster. His eyes raked over the bed. He could see the specks of blood spotting it, he could see the smears of the substance on the walls—but it refused to register in his brain. He refused to accept the fact that the blood belonged to Light.

"L…" Matt whispered. "I don't know if now is the time you want to do this, but… Beyond left the cameras running while he… you know. If you want to see…" He left the sentence hanging.

L didn't want to see what Beyond had done to his Light. He told himself that the bloodstains were all he needed to see to know what had occurred. And seeing would cause nothing but more pain… but he wanted to see so badly. "Show me," he whispered. "Play the footage."

Near nodded wordlessly. He snatched up the remote lying beside him and clicked a button. The computer screen that covered half the wall lit up, and the footage began playing.

L's eyes remained glued to the screen as he watched Beyond enter his room, drug him, and throw him against the wall. He watched Light get to his feet and retreat as far as he could, obviously terrified. Beyond approached with his knife. L gritted his teeth as Light flinched away from Beyond. If only he had managed to retain consciousness instead of being drugged! He could have helped Light! Protected him! But it was too late now, he thought. Beyond's threats and jibes at Light made L want to throttle the little bastard. But things didn't really get bad until Beyond stepped in and dared to touch Light.

The successors didn't try to hide their gasps of disgust when Beyond leaned in and kissed Light. What was worse was the fact that Light didn't even seem to be fighting him—in fact, he even bared his neck to the bastard. It was only when he suddenly threw Beyond off that L figured out that he hadn't been submitting—he was just frozen in terror. Then the fight began, and things went downhill. Light was obviously doing his best, and managing to hold Beyond off quite decently. But it didn't last long, for Beyond was clearly the superior fighter.

The moment Beyond slammed Light chest first into the wall, it was over. He had no doubt cracked, if not broken, a rib. The idea was only enforced when Light attempted a punch, only to cry out in pain as he raised his arm. Beyond cackled, and soon had him pinned again. He slammed Light back into the wall again and again, and L didn't even want to think about how much pain his lover must have been in. He cringed as Light's screams racked his brain. It wasn't long before the teen was obviously teetering on the edge of consciousness, but still fighting. He attempted one last move—an elbow to Beyond's chest—but it was already too late. One more slam, and Light went limp. The murderer released his prey, and his body slid to the ground with a dull thud.

"No…" L whispered.

Beyond wiped blood from his face as he looked up directly into the camera. "L," he purred. "I know you're watching this. Your little successors too. Are you impressed? Do you realize that your affections have condemned this boy to death?" He knelt beside Light, rolling him onto his back. "I'm going to kill him, L. I am going to kill Light Yagami. I'm going to torture him, slowly, and in every way I know how. You saw the body of Higuchi. You know what I'm capable of." He reached out with his knife and flicked Light's bloodied hair from his eyes. The blade caressed his jaw, tracing up to his nose and around his bruised lips. "I'm going to break him, emotionally and physically. I'm going to do everything you never got the chance to do. I'll violate him in ways you've never imagined, and I'll make him beg for it. By the time he dies, he'll be on his knees for me whenever I ask it of him!" He laughed, the vile sound echoing around the room. He pulled Light up to him, claiming his lips with his own. "He's beautiful," he commented softly. "I can see why you're so fond of him. I could take him right here and now, you know. I could sheathe myself in him while you're in the same room, feet away." As if to illustrate the point, his fingers pulled at the button on his pants. "…But I won't. Because I want to wait until he's tied down and helpless to do anything to stop me." He lifted Light's form and threw him over his shoulder. "I'm leaving with your boyfriend," he said shortly. "And I can promise you that even if you manage to find him, he will never be the same. You should have said your goodbyes when you had the chance, because you will never speak to Light Yagami again." And with that he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. Then Mello spoke. "That… was repulsive."

Near's nose crinkled with distaste. "Indeed… the idea of Beyond being with Light in any way at all is simply revolting."

L hugged his legs to his chest. Light… what was Beyond doing to him this very moment? He was no doubt already at the murderer's mercy, tied down, alone… scared. He didn't want to imagine what Beyond do to him. "Light," he whispered.

"We have to do something to get him back," Matt whispered. "He won't hold out long against Beyond. Not against someone so well versed in torture."

L buried his head between his knees. "We won't have long. Maybe two days. Maybe two hours. It all depends on what Beyond does to him. I believe he will hold out against the emotional trauma especially well. But the physical torture, especially that of a sexual nature… I am not so sure he will last more than a day at best. And I have no doubt that that is the torture Beyond will focus on in the beginning, just to begin forming cracks in his resolve."

"You really think he'll go as far as sexual assault?" Matt questioned, eyes wide. "He's never done anything like that in the past."

"He's doing it now," Mello said shortly. "If you can't figure that out from the video then you're just plain stupid."

Matt blushed furiously. "Sorry, sorry! I guess we should inform the task force and show them the video, yeah?"

"No!" L snapped. "If we show them the video, Soichiro will go into hysterics! He won't allow himself to rest until he catches Beyond, and I am certain that it will lead to the loss of his life. All we can tell him is that Beyond has taken Light, and that he is being kept alive as bait for me. We will tell him nothing of torture or his intent."

There was a moment of silence. Then, "Okay. We won't tell them." Near's fingers twitched as he struggled to avoid reaching for his finger puppets. He'd always had the habit of playing with them when he was nervous.

"Watari, call Soichiro Yagami and tell him that his son has been kidnapped. Tell him nothing else, only that we will all discuss it in the morning, and until then the successors and I shall be working tirelessly in an attempt to find him."

"As you wish, L."

†††

Beyond stared down at the caramel-haired beauty lying on the metal table before him. He had stripped the former god down to his boxers and was in the process of wiping the blood from his wounds. Beyond felt almost bad about what he had done, especially now, when he had the time to fully examine the full extent of his injuries. He'd really outdone himself. But it had been so exhilarating to hurt the boy, to slice him open and taste his blood, that he hadn't known how to stop. He'd even lied to L, told him that he fully intended to kill Light. While it may not have been true, Beyond took great pleasure in the knowledge that L would believe him fully. His eyes slipped closed, one hand increasing pressure on Light's chest until he groaned in his unconscious state. Even now, in this weak, bleeding state, the teen was gorgeous. Perhaps he was even more gorgeous when he was bleeding. Beyond dabbed at a still bleeding cut on Light's cheek as he smirked. Oh, this boy had no idea what was going to happen to him. No idea what he was capable of. If he thought he was in pain before… it was nothing compared to what Beyond would do to him now. It was almost a shame that he wouldn't be allowed to kill the teen once he'd had his fun.

Careful, now, Beyond reminded himself. You can't hurt him too badly… you might get carried away and kill him.

There was a sudden gust of air behind him, and the hulking figure of a shinigami appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Hey, kid," Ryuk greeted lazily. "So, have you given Light his memories back yet? You're not going to do it without me, right? I wanna see what happens!"

"Oh… all in good time," Beyond responded in a murmur, cloth still pressed to Light's cheek. "I'm not in any hurry. I still want to have a little fun with him, after all. And I can't do that if I give him his memories back too soon."

"Won't Light be mad at you once he remembers?"

"Probably."

"And you don't think he'll just kill you the instant you give him those memories back?"'

"No, I don't think he will… no matter what I do to him now, I'm too valuable for him to throw away. Think about it from his perspective—he's been forced to work with Misa this whole time, and then, suddenly, another genius drops out of nowhere with the full intention of serving him. I'd take the genius over Misa, wouldn't you?"

Ryuk shrugged. "Not up to me."

"And I'm not just a genius…" Beyond went on. "I have the eyes, Ryuk. I have the shinigami eyes, and I have L's real name." Beyond began to wipe the crusted blood from Light's arm. The cut there was quite deep, and it would probably require stitches—not that he was getting any. Not yet, at least. "I admit, it's entirely possible that he'll punish me for what I plan to do… but look at him, Ryuk!"

The shinigami shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I get it! You like the kid!"

"He's perfect!" Beyond snapped. "How am I supposed to resist? It would be worth it… every cut, every bite, every mark… it would all be worth it, no matter what he did to me once he regained his memories." He dabbed at the blood oozing from Light's arm; raised his other hand to tangle in the teen's sweat-dampened locks. "I can't just let him go, unmarred and whole, when he could be writhing beneath my blade… I'll give him his memories back after I've had my fun."

"Are you at least going to tell him the truth about who he is?"

"No, no! That would ruin everything! I'll let him think I intend to kill him, to use his death to hurt L. It will make his pain so much more thrilling if he thinks all this will end in his death. His expressions of agony will be so much more exhilarating if he thinks he'll die without seeing L again…"

Ryuk raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay! But he won't be happy about it once he regains his memories. I've seen the kid in a rage, and it isn't pretty."

"I can deal with his wrath," Beyond responded in a murmur. "As long as I get to play with him a little before I give him back the notebook."

Ryuk shrugged, clearly uncaring. "Whatever. I'm going to go find Rem—I think she drifted off towards Misa's place. Are we done here?"

"I no longer require your assistance. Besides, you may not want to see what is about to happen."

"Fine by me. See ya." There was a gentle gust of wind as the shinigami launched himself up and through the ceiling and disappeared, his wings pumping the air powerfully.

The instant he was gone, Beyond's lips curved into a sinister smile. He reached for the leather straps fastened to the table and began securing his prisoner in place. "You won't kill me for this," he murmured. "In fact, I expect you to thank me. After all…" he leaned in close, lips brushing Light's cheek as he spoke. "You need to be punished, don't you? For falling in with L… for siding with the enemy. According to your logic, criminals deserve to be punished, right? So who better to punish you for committing the crime of aiding L? It should be me… I should be the one to punish you. I'm the one that loves you most, after all." His work done, Beyond leaned back and observed the bound teen. "Don't worry… I'm going to take care of you. I'll shatter you, yes, but it will be for your own good… you'd want it that way, if you had your memories. You'd understand that you deserve punishment. You'd understand why I need to break you before I can give you your memories back…"

Yes… Beyond was going to break him. And when he lay before him, trembling in fear and begging for death, Beyond would give him his memories back.

And then he would work with Kira to kill L.

†††

When my eyes opened, the first thing that registered was pain. It pulsed through my head in a dull throb, making it hard to think as I slowly returned to my senses. As I shifted, a sharp jab of agony in my chest reminded me that Beyond had severely injured it—a rib or two was probably cracked or broken. My eyes raked down my form. I was in only my boxers, restrained by leather straps across both wrists and ankles. One additional strap wrapped over my hips. I turned my attention to my surroundings. I found myself in a room seemingly made of nothing but stainless steel, like some sort of twisted walk-in freezer. The metal table I was strapped to was the only thing in it other than a large cart that held what I could only assume were various tools of torture. This wasn't looking good…

"You look like you're in a bit of trouble."

"Beyond?" I rasped. My voice was weak. I licked my lips and tasted blood.

"Not quite."

I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, and the next moment someone was standing beside the table. I recognized him immediately—he was very young, wearing a black tank top and blue jeans. He had no shoes, much like Near, and his hair, while black instead of white, was styled in much the same way. His eyes were incredibly orange, with a small rim of yellow surrounding the pupils.

"You…" I was cut off by a fit of coughing. "You're that kid! The hallucination!"

"Is that what L told you?" the boy asked. "That I was a hallucination?"

I didn't respond to his question, instead demanding, "What did you do to me in the hospital? What did you say?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were there with me in the hospital! You said something, and then I suddenly felt better! What did you do to me?"

"I did nothing to you."

"Then why the hell am I seeing you again?"

"You called to me," he responded evenly.

"Called?" I echoed.

"Yes. I heard you scream." He hopped up on the edge of the table, seating himself so his legs swung off the edge. "I thought that you might be about to die, so I decided to appear to you. It would be inconvenient for me if you were to die, you see. I have become quite interested in you."

"Ah… that's flattering, really, but I have L—"

The child's eyes flashed. "You misunderstand. I am interested in you in much the same way Ryuk is. Purely for entertainment's sake."

"Ryuk? Who is that?"

"Ah, I forgot… you haven't regained your memories yet."

There was that phrase again. Regain my memories… what did it mean? What memories did I have to regain? "I don't know what you mean."

"No, of course you don't. But you will, in time."

I got the feeling that I didn't want to know what he meant.

The kid's eyes narrowed, and he leaned in, lowering his voice. "I will tell you this, Light Yagami. You are about to experience the most hellish thing a human being can experience. But you will survive."

"How do you know?" I asked, voice weaker than I liked. Beyond had seemed quite set on killing me—there was little doubt in my mind that I'd end up dead by the end of whatever he had planned.

"I just know." The boy's eyes darted to the space just above my head.

There was a sudden commotion outside the door, and I heard a few muffled voices yelling back and forth.

The boy got to his feet, standing on the table and tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, as if looking at something that I could not see. "We are about to be interrupted, I'm afraid. I'd hoped to get to speak to you for a little longer—there are quite a few things we must discuss. But alas, it seems that your captor has arrived, and I must depart. No matter, I suppose. I wouldn't have been able to stay even if Beyond decided to stay away for a few minutes more. There are things that I must attend to, you see, and I only came here because your call led me to believe that you might have been on the verge of death. Now that I have assured your safety—or at least, assured that you will not die quite yet—I must leave."

"Wait!" I called out, pressing against my bonds. "Who are you? How did you even get in here? Are you really just a hallucination?"

The boy stared back at me with brilliant yellow eyes. "It is not my place to alter the path you walk, Light. At least, not now. But do not fear—we will meet again. And when we do, you will understand."

"But—!"

I heard the door creak open. My eyes darted over to the doorway, and by the time I looked back, the child had vanished. Who the hell was he? My attention was drawn back to the door as footsteps moved closer, entering the dull light given off by the single, bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

"Beyond?" I rasped into the dim light. There was a shadow standing a few feet away from the doorway, a shadow with slouched shoulders. I very much doubted that it was another hallucination.

That shadow moved further into the light, and I saw him—tall, slouched over, with shaggy black hair and brilliant yellowish orange eyes. I remembered L telling me about those eyes, and of how Beyond had decided to hide them with contacts all those years ago. Clearly he'd abandoned said contacts in favor of embracing those monstrous, inhuman orbs. "You guessed it!" the bastard crowed. He slammed the door behind him carelessly, making the whole place rattle. He clearly had no idea that I'd been talking to someone. "You've really stepped in it this time, kiddo! You have no idea what I'm going to do to you." He approached slowly, his fingers reaching out to run across my cracked lips. I immediately attempted to move my head away, but I found that he possessed near inhuman strength—I couldn't seem to pull away. "You're going to be punished," he whispered. "I'm going to punish you… and then I'll get to see my god."

I shuddered, not understanding. "Whatever it is, just get it over with! I can take whatever you throw at me!" I couldn't. We both knew this.

"Let us test that theory, then." Beyond wheeled the cart over to rest beside me. He ran his fingers over the objects sitting on the top, touching each and every one of them in an overly meditative fashion. When he drew his hand away he was holding a scalpel, his lips stretched back to reveal blindingly white teeth. My breath increased in speed. I hoped he couldn't tell.

"Already scared?" he taunted, brushing the scalpel over my bruised chest. He paused just over my heart and pressed down lightly. Damn, the thing was sharp! It sliced through my flesh like paper, spilling fresh blood down my chest in beads. I realized suddenly that the blood that should have been crusted on my flesh was gone—Beyond must have cleaned me off while I was unconscious. I gasped as Beyond dug the blade further into my flesh. But it was nothing compared to the pain that was already coursing through my chest, so I didn't cry out. Beyond frowned, seeming to realize the same thing.

"Shame," he sighed. "I was hoping to be gentle at first, but it appears that you're already in too much pain to care about a little cut…." He pressed the scalpel against my shoulder and pressed down again, just as lightly. I expected him to stop with a light cut, but he continued pressing, harder and harder, digging the blade further and further into my shoulder. I barely bit back a yelp as he pressed with surgeon-like precision. It was painful, yes—but it was a dull pain, nothing like I would have expected. I remembered reading that when the human body was suddenly injured, sometimes adrenaline played a role in numbing the pain. The only downside of that was that the instant the adrenaline faded, the pain would hit me more than ever.

Beyond paused, the scalpel buried dangerously deep in my shoulder. "Now…" he purred, "does that feel okay? I didn't cut too shallowly, did I?"

I let out a light hiss through gritted teeth, squeezing my eyes shut as I felt warm liquid dripping down my flesh, falling in droplets onto he previously clean table. I shook my head from side to side, though I wasn't sure if I was responding to his question or protesting what he was doing.

"Good, then…" he went on. He tightened his grip on the scalpel. Then, horrifyingly, he ripped it downwards in a short, quick slash. I felt my flesh tear beneath the blade, felt it flick down from my shoulder to the sensitive flesh of my upper arm, ripping through muscle as it went. Don't scream! I ordered myself. Don't scream, don't scream… I can't let him win! It was horribly difficult to hold it back, but I choked back the strangled noise just as it was about to burst forth, biting into my tongue until I tasted blood.

Beyond, of course, was determined to win. He withdrew the scalpel and held it before my eyes, forcing me to watch as my own blood dripped from the instrument to my chest. "Beautiful…" he whispered. "Doesn't it make you shiver?"

He pressed the scalpel to my other shoulder, pressing in sharply. I kept my teeth firmly clenched as the murderer flicked the blade down, forming a mark completely identical to the one carved into the opposite arm. The pain was growing sharper and sharper. My arm was on fire, all of the previous numbness fading away far too quickly for my liking. If he'd drug the scalpel just a few inches lower, it would have made contact with the brutal slash from the previous night. Still, despite the pain roaring through me, I would not part my lips. I would not scream. I would not give in. Briefly, my mind flickered back to L, and I felt my heart crack as I realized what he must have been going through knowing that he failed to protect me. But my train of thought was scattered as Beyond raised the scalpel once more and slashed it down across my chest with a flick of his wrist, sending a jolt of pain lacing up my spine.

"Is it not enough?" he murmured, flicking the scalpel back across my chest again, and then again. With each pass he cut deeper, pressed harder, and it became more and more difficult for me to control the scream bubbling in the back of my throat. He scored a line of slashes neatly across my skin, each one moving with almost surgical precision from collar to stomach. But even as the blood dripped in sickening rivers down my stomach, gushed from the deep wounds gouged down my arms, pooled on the table below, I would not cry out. Beyond seemed dissatisfied with my lack of noise. "I haven't heard any of those delightful sounds yet, Light. That makes me very unhappy, you know."

A jolt of horrible agony shot through me as he brought his torturous scalpel back down, the delicate blade flaying open the flesh and carving into sensitive nerves. My world blurred as Beyond raised is free hand so I could see it. Eyes never leaving my face, he brought his palm down on my chest, applying gentle pressure. Despite the gentleness that touch displayed, it threw me into a new realm of pain. Beyond's fingers curled into the wounds littering my skin and pressed down hard. This time there was no containing my yelp as Beyond clawed into my split skin without mercy, tearing the wounds open agonizingly, sending impossible amounts of blood flowing down my chest. I was struck by the brief realization that if this went on, I would fall unconscious or go into shock—the human body could only take so much blood loss, after all. When Beyond drew his hand away, it was covered in blood. I could barely focus on him as he raised his hand to his lips and sucked on a few fingers, removing my blood from his stained skin. "Mmm…" he moaned, seeming to savor the taste. "You truly are delicious…"

I struggled not to gag, or make any kind of noise. In my mind, emitting even a single sound meant that I'd lost, and consequently, that Beyond had won. But the pain was becoming sickening. My stomach turned, my vision was going white—and worst of all, my whole world was beginning to blur more and more.

"No?" Beyond asked, looking disappointed. "No more than a yelp? If you won't scream, then I'm just going to have to find another way, you know." He dropped the scalpel back onto the table and opened one of the compartments in his infernal cart. When he pulled out something resembling a blowtorch, I wanted to cry. The murderer held the tool up, a grin on his face, a grin that only increased when I subconsciously strained against my bonds in an attempt to get away. I stubbornly kept my teeth gritted, lips sealed. "Now, now, we wouldn't want you to bleed out!" Beyond chastised. "You should thank me for cauterizing your wounds!" He turned the blowtorch on with the flick of a button, and even from a few inches away, the heat was blinding. He held it so close to my skin that I could feel it beginning to burn terribly, and I felt the little control I had slipping. "Just scream, Light…" Beyond urged. But still, I would not cave. Seeing this, Beyond's eyes narrowed. "You'll regret it," he whispered dangerously. With that, he harshly shoved the white-hot flame against my flesh.

This time I couldn't hold back a horrible scream, an ear-piercing, endless sound that refused to end as Beyond passed his infernal flame up and down my lacerated chest. I felt the flow of blood slowing almost completely as my wounds were burned closed, the scarlet liquid turning disgustingly thick and sticky before slowing to a slow, sloppy drizzle—but above all else, I felt pain. Terrible, unending pain as the flame seared my chest, dipping to my arms. As the flame left one wound and moved to another, the lingering flickers of agony seemed to grow in intensity, worsening as time went on. Logically I knew that Beyond had saved my life—I would have bled out in record time if I'd been left with so many deep wounds. But my logical mind was locked behind bars of white-hot agony as the agony began to fill my head with fluff. Just as I would pass out from the pain, the torch was brought away and the worst of it was immediately gone. I choked and gasped for breath. I refused to look down at my chest and stomach. But I knew that if I dared to glance down, I would be met with the terrible sight of my wounds, burnt and oozing scarlet, and my blackened flesh where Beyond had intentionally strayed from the lacerations with the full intent of causing me as much pain as possible.

Beyond tossed the blowtorch back into the cart carelessly. "Is that all you can take?" he asked, a vicious grin on his face. "Is that all it takes to make you scream?" He shook his head, a sinister grin on his face. "I'm disappointed that L would love such a fragile creature."

I glared up at him through glazed eyes. "I'm not as fragile as you think," I spat, anger clouding over my better judgment. "It doesn't matter what you do to me, L will find and save me, and I'll hold out until he does!" I hoped so desperately that it was true. But another part of me, the less selfish part, didn't want L to find me—for if he did, then he would no doubt be forced to deal with Beyond. And if that happened, he might get hurt. I'd promised that I'd save myself so l wouldn't fall into danger…but lying here beneath Beyond's knife was making me more and more skeptical that I would get the chance to escape. Beyond was a genius—if he wanted someone to stay put, he knew how to make it happen. And even if the opportunity to escape arose, I very much doubted I would have the strength to run for it. Even after just this short time, I felt dizzy and lightheaded. I didn't think I'd be able to pull it together long enough to escape.

Beyond cocked his head to one side, fingers running through the blood pooling on the table. "Will L save you? Will he?" The man reached back to the cart and pulled out a long coil of leather. A whip. No way…was he seriously going to—?

"I'm sorry to dash your hopes, Light, but after a few days, you're not going to want L to save you." Beyond took a few steps back, coiling the whip in his hand.

What did he mean? Did this have something to do with Beyond's insane ranting about my memories? I swallowed hard, very much wishing that I could just close my eyes and wish it all away.

Beyond lashed out with the whip. It struck the table just beside my head, startling me severely. "Beg for me to stop," Beyond snarled. "Scream, beg! Give in to your punishment!"

I sealed my eyes shut immediately. I would not give him the pleasure of seeing the fear, the pain in my eyes. Even if I had already lost, even if I was going to die in this place, I would not let him win.

Crack!

I screeched as a stripe of pain tore across my stomach, the lash of the whip cutting through sensitive, burned flesh and previous cuts. Another carved across my chest, then my arms. I could feel blood beginning to well up in the shallow slices. I was painfully lightheaded—I must have been about to go into shock, or fall into unconsciousness. All rational thought was soon torn from me as the whip continued its savage routine, beginning its relentless work slashing across my upper body. When I felt the whip lash dangerously close to my groin, I gave in.

"Stop it!" I snapped viciously. "Don't go any further!"

Beyond raised a brow. "Are you begging?"

"No, just…!" I trailed off, knowing that saying anything more would be begging.

He shrugged, feigning indifference. "Then I won't stop." He brought his weapon back. To my relief, the lash landed on my thigh. He slowly began to work over my legs with savage intent, blood dripping from them in streams in a matter of minutes. No matter how much I tried to keep myself from screaming, it wasn't enough. At least once every few lashes my control slipped, and I couldn't help but cry out. So often, in fact, did I scream, that it was a matter of minutes before my voice became raspy and weak. With every noise I made, Beyond offered either a degrading comment or ordered me to beg, and I could tell that he was taking great pleasure in what he was doing. His teeth glinted in a savage smile, and his expression grew more and more elated with every lash of the whip. As his elation grew so did the strength with which he lashed me, and he soon succeeded in his goal of making me scream unendingly. Before Beyond managed to work over half of my second leg, my voice gave out completely, moving to desperate moans and whimpers that I couldn't control. When he finally finished working over my legs, I thought for just a moment that he would stop—but he was merciless in his torture, and a heartbeat later he turned the whip back on my damaged chest, then on both arms. It wasn't until I was completely covered in lacerations that Beyond finally paused and put the whip down, reaching for a canister of something I couldn't see. I heard the sound of a cap being unscrewed. Beyond moved to my head and waved the canister under my nose.

Salt.

"Normally I don't like using salt," he sighed. "It fouls the blood, you see. And you taste so good, I almost don't want to do this… but I just have to hear more of those thrilling noises you make when you're in pain! So I think I'll stoop to extremes just this once." He held the canister over my bleeding stomach. "Besides, you haven't begged yet, so how bad could my methods be?" I tensed involuntarily, knowing full well what was about to come.

The first granules of salt hit my wounds, and immediately I hissed painfully. A moment later a fountain of the offensive spice was being poured over every inch of my lacerated body, tearing scream after scream from my throat, which was becoming far to hoarse for words. I thrashed weakly against my bonds, succeeding in throwing off a small amount of salt—but overall all I managed to do was shift the granules further into my wounds, increasing the horrible agony tearing through my body. I can't beg… I can't beg! Beyond clicked his tongue sadly, shaking his head. "Am I finally getting to you? Are you ready to beg me for relief?" He leaned down close to my face, fingers pulling at my hair playfully. "I can rinse all that off, and we can do something else," he suggested.

I knew full well what the bastard had in mind. "No way in hell!" I managed through the agony. He shrugged and poured more salt onto the wounds. I couldn't take much more… how much pain could one person take before they blacked out? It was apparently a hell of a lot more than I thought it was. Just when I thought I was about to black out, the flow of salt stopped, and the canister was thrown to the floor. White granules scattered across the floor in a captivating spray.

I would have been relieved had the salt not still been covering my body. Beyond reached out a hand and lay it lightly on my stomach.

"Don't you dare!" I spat, knowing full well what he was planning to do.

He smirked. Both hands came down on my stomach, rubbing the salt into the wounds. The scream that forced its way from my throat was animalistic in nature, my limbs jerking weakly against restraints. I was more than aware how pitiful I must have looked as my eyelids dropped to half-mast, lips parted in an attempt to draw in breath. Another screech tried to escape, but all that would leave my lips was a strained whimper. Beyond never ceased his infernal movements, grinding the salt further and further into the burning wounds. The moment he thought he wasn't getting a good enough reaction from one part of my body, he moved to the next, and the next, and the next. Finally he stood before me, his merciless work complete. He used a finger to pry open one of my eyes, gazing into the hazy depths. Funny… I hadn't even realized I'd closed them. For a moment, I felt relief course through me. I hadn't begged. I hadn't let Beyond win. It was over now… right?

Evidently not. Without a word Beyond reached for a bottle and unscrewed the cap. For a heartbeat I hoped it was water to wash away the salt, or to drink. But I barely had time to notice the red and white label before he poured it over me.

It only took one moment of pain for me to figure out that the liquid he'd just doused me with was rubbing alcohol. It hurt, but it was minimal compared to the salt, so I didn't even make a sound. Luckily for me, he only took one pass with the liquid before stepping back to admire his handiwork. "L would be proud," he announced. I was too far gone to comprehend his words. He leaned over me, lips hovering over mine. "You look delectable like this… flushed, in pain…" I didn't have the strength to protest as he kissed me, just as brutally as the time before. His hands brushed once more over the cuts, locating a nipple and pinching it sharply. I moaned weakly into his mouth. "You're sensitive," he purred, the bottle of running alcohol slipping from his fingers to spill out over ground. He slipped his hand behind my head and propped me up just enough so that he could gain easier access to my bleeding lips. I barely felt his tongue force its way into my mouth, licking at the backs of my teeth and exploring every crevice. His fingers found the hem of my boxers, and a spike of fear drove its way through me, just managing to shake me of my stupor. I attempted to move my head away, but Beyond simply held me in place more firmly. "Don't try to move away from me," he snarled, pulling back to strike me across the face. Where he'd struck burned terribly. "You will lie here and be as submissive for me as you were for L!"

The thought made my stomach turn. If I'd had anything in my stomach, it would have exited via mouth. But I hadn't had anything to eat since the previous morning, over twenty-four hours ago, so all that rose in my throat was bile.

"Do you understand me?"

I kept my chin defiantly raised, refusing him a response, almost praying he'd go back to torturing me rather than committing an act so vile as to kiss me.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and I knew he was angry. The thought was almost ironic, seeing as I was the one strapped down to a table, bleeding and burnt. "You won't last long," he snarled viciously. "You will break. They all do." He leaned back down and reinitiated the violent kiss. I pressed my lips stubbornly, refusing to allow his vile tongue to enter my mouth. "Now, now," he muttered, "don't make me do things the hard way…" I felt his tongue press demandingly at the crease between my lips, but still I refused him. A growl of irritation rumbled low in the murderer's throat as he reached a hand down, smashing his palm into my stomach and grinding down as hard as he could. Immediately my lips parted in an agonized gasp, and in the same second I felt him enter my mouth without hesitation. Despite my best attempts to expel him, I could do nothing but lie in silence, stifling the occasional pained groan as he rubbed along my damaged skin. I forced myself to ignore the hand playing with the hem of my boxers—I refused to give him the pleasure of showing any reaction to his movements. It seemed like an eternity had passed before he drew away—and when he did, blood was the only taste I could register in my abused mouth. My lips hurt… they would no doubt be swollen. Beyond lapped at my neck. "Bare your neck to me," he ordered softly, dangerously.

I immediately shook my head in response. Beyond didn't hesitate to twist his fingers through my hair, slamming my cheek into the table and holding me there forcefully. He leaned down, and I felt him grin against my skin as his lips ghosted over my throat. He fastened his teeth to one point, biting and sucking harshly before moving to the next point, and the next. There were no words to describe the disgust that filled my entire being with every lap of his tongue, every place he laid a hand on my lacerated body. My neck was already covered in L's love bites, but this was entirely different—the marks Beyond was leaving on my skin felt intrusive, wrong. I knew that it wouldn't be long before he entirely covered the remaining unmarred flesh in large, purple marks. The thought was sickening.

"Good…" Beyond murmured. His breath rolled across my throat. "I could take you now… I could finish stripping you and have my way. But instead, I think I'll leave you now, suffering. I know how much it hurts…" He ran his fingertips across my chest, dipping to rub circles on my lacerated stomach. "It'll hurt like hell, but it won't kill you. And if I leave you here, anticipating my next move… then when I return, you'll already be ready to crack before I take a blade to your bruising flesh. You'll break eventually, my Light. You will beg me to stop." The murderer shot me a vicious smile, fingers plucking at my waistband. "Oh, but how it hurts me to wait…" he whispered, eyes half-lidded, glazed with what could only be described as sadistic lust. He finally drew away from me, pushing his cart of instruments too far away for me to even hope to reach. "I'll see you in a while, Light! Behave yourself, now!"

He whirled around, flicking my blood from his fingertips, and headed for the door. He paused, fingers grasping the handle, and shot me one last look, his eyes brimming with anticipation. He opened the door, looking very much like he wanted to return to my side and go back on what he'd said. But then he turned and stepped out of the room.

The door swung shut, and he was gone.

†††

The next time I was woken, it was by Beyond holding a bucket of water.

"Light!" he called in a singsong voice. "I'm back!" He rested the bucket of water on the cart of tools, wheeling it back over to me and reaching for a rag. He swiftly dampened the cloth, reaching down to begin cleaning the blood, salt, and iodine off my chest. It stung—but I couldn't even consider it painful after the agony I had endured the night before, so I didn't make a noise. There was a terrible ache emanating from my ribs and lacerated body, and I could feel the dull throb emanating from my lips and head. My thirst had grown severely, but I was too nervous to be hungry.

"What are you going to do?" I demanded after a short while of him doing nothing but cleaning my tattered body. "What torture have you planned for today?"

"So eager to get started?" he asked, amused. "You will see what I have planned for you."

He adjusted the straps over my legs so they were spread as far as possible on the narrow table. Immediately the implications of that simple action had my stomach leaping into my throat. He couldn't possibly be preparing to…

I wouldn't let myself finish that sentence. Beyond tightened the straps over my wrists and hips until I had no hope of moving even an inch. He withdrew a large knife from his belt, holding it up to the light so that it sparkled menacingly. "Today I will torture you in a different way," he purred, fingers dancing over my skin. I gulped nervously.

"What do you mean?" I knew perfectly well what he meant, unfortunately.

He laughed, eyes half lidded. "I think you know exactly what I mean, little one." He slashed once with his blade, and my boxers fell away. I gasped at the indignation, the shame. Beyond, still fully clothed, climbed onto the table and straddled me, face inches from mine. "Are you ready to be a good little boy for me?" He pushed my chin up with ease.

"Go to hell!" I spat, trying to preserve what little dignity I had left.

It had been the wrong thing to say. His brow furrowed, lips pursed as he regarded me. "You will obey me," he said flatly. "No matter what I ask of you, you will obey."

I gritted my teeth and glared up at him defiantly.

"Part your lips for me," he ordered. Just as the time before, I refused to do any such thing. Beyond dipped his head so his lips brushed my ear as he spoke, his hot breath feeling sickly and disgusting against my skin. "Would you rather return to our previous activities?" he whispered, his palm resting lightly on the burned skin of my stomach. "If you like, I could pick up that blowtorch again, or any other number of the thrilling little devices I have in that cart. Or…" His other hand, the hand not resting on my stomach, cupped between my legs in uncharacteristically gentle gesture. "…We could skip the foreplay and get right to the main event. What do you say, Light?"

For a long moment I remained frozen. The horror of Beyond touching me in such an intimate way overwhelmed all aspects of my mind, and for a heartbeat I found myself unable to do anything at all. This… was bad. Very bad. A part of me was still hoping that L was about to burst in and stop this from happening. But the more logical part of my mind, the part being overwhelmed by disgust and fear, reminded me that it was next to impossible.

"Well?" Beyond whispered. "Make a decision… or I'll make one for you."

I didn't have much of a choice. Slowly, fighting down bile, I allowed my lips to part for the monster leaning over me. He grinned toothily, eyes glittering in the dim light. "Good decision," he praised. He lowered his head until his lips barely brushed mine. He hesitated for a few, agonizing moments, and I knew that the bastard was teasing. But unlike L, Beyond's teasing wasn't pleasant in the least. All it was doing was building up an unpleasant knot deep within me, sending the numbing poison of dread lacing throughout my limbs. Then, in a moment that lasted far too long, Beyond thrust his tongue into my mouth, leaving no room for doubt as to what he wanted from me. He lapped insistently at the inside of my mouth, and it took everything I had to keep still and unresponsive. As he forced the kiss upon me, he reached down and palmed over my chest, pinching a nipple between two fingers and applying painful force. I couldn't stop a soft whimper from leaving my lips as Beyond latched his mouth onto the juncture between neck and shoulder, mouthing over the other discolored marks. I felt him grin against my lips in response to the small noise.

"Don't hold anything back," he whispered. "I want to hear you moan, hear you scream…" He bit my lip harshly, drawing blood. His hand had moved slightly lower on my chest, dipping to the center of my stomach. His hand dipped even lower to stroke up and down my thigh teasingly. I gasped despite myself, the light touches beginning to invoke an unwilling response in me.

"D-don't!" I gasped. "Please, don't do this!"

Beyond's grin only grew. "Are you begging?"

Breath caught in my throat. No… no, I wouldn't beg!

He just laughed at my lack of response, fingers dipping lower still. He played with the head of my slightly hardened cock as his lips sucked on the marks he'd left the night before. "Does it feel good, Light?" he asked childishly. "Do you want more?"

I shook my head, denying my body the pleasure it sought from the situation. "Get the hell away from me! Stop doing that!"

"You're growing hard," he noted evilly, fingers moving nimbly up and down the shaft. "Are you sure you want me to stop?"

I attempted a response, but a swift stroke of his hand tore all coherent thought from my mind. Another stroke had me writhing beneath him, movements small and jerky due to the bindings. It was then that I realized why the strap was across my hips as my body acted against my will, attempting to jerk upwards. A distressed sound escaped me as that familiar coil of heat began to build, overshadowed by an intense feeling of disgust. No, I tried to tell myself, stop this! Stop reacting to him! But my body didn't seem to be listening to me. With every soft touch I felt myself growing hard, felt my body arching up minutely towards my captor. Beyond laughed softly at the reaction as his lips broke away from mine, dipping down to seal around a hardening nipple. His hand left my groin, moving further downwards to push at my entrance.

I let out a choked sound of surprise, jerking weakly away. "No—!"

"What?" he growled darkly. "Not so eager at the thought of me topping you instead of your precious L?" His teeth bared in a snarl as he spoke. "Submit to me and I'll make this as painless as possible. Continue to deny me those appealing noises you want to make and I'll fuck you dry."

The threat startled me beyond words. I opened my mouth to protest, but found myself completely silent. Beyond took silence for agreement. He reached over to the cart and pulled a small tube from the top. I recognized the stuff from my first time with L. There was the sound of the cap being snapped open, then a vulgar, wet sound as Beyond coated his fingers in the stuff.

"Do you want me to prepare you?" he asked hotly.

My teeth clashed together angrily. If I said yes I was submitting. If I refused, I wasn't giving in—but it just would cause me more pain seeing that he was going to do it anyways. Still, I refused to give in so easily. "I don't want you to lay a hand on me, bastard!"

He froze, eyes narrowing. His fingers were pressed flush to my entrance, rubbing teasingly, but he didn't push in. Instead, he did the opposite—pulling away with a jerk, wiping his fingers off with one of the various cloths sitting on the table.

He turned his back on me and rummaged through the drawers of the cart. He blocked my view as he withdrew several objects from the cart and placed them on the tabletop beside my waist. "Oh, Light, what have I told you about behaving? Your punishment might just be more than you can take…"

"Punishment?" I croaked, fear lacing through me.

"You refused me," he said coldly, all traces of passion gone. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but you leave me no choice." I heard something clank against the metal table, and suddenly something was being held so that I could see it.

Oh.

Oh no.

"Let me explain to you how this is going to work," he said coldly. "I am going to fuck you, Light. But first you'll have to be punished for denying me." I felt the thing he was holding nudge at my entrance teasingly. "I am going to force this deep, deep inside of you, until all you can feel is pain. I will destroy you, take your pride, and then, when you can take it no more, when you think that you would rather die, I will make it worse and worse until you lose your grasp on sanity. I will ruin you for your precious L! You'll never be able to be with him again without thinking of me!"

"Is that all?" I attempted to sound confident. It didn't work.

He shook his head cruelly, eyes flashing. "I will break you, Light… before the end of today you will submit without question." I felt the toy he was holding nudge threateningly against me. "At any time you feel so inclined, I encourage you to beg me for mercy. The instant you beg, this all ends."

I was a heartbeat away from begging him right then and there.

"Oh, but…" he went on, stopping me before I could speak. "Keep in mind, the second you beg, I'll replace this little toy, and then we can have some real fun." He leaned over me, twisting and turning the object over and over in his hand. The other hand shot up to hold my head in place as he instigated another violent kiss. "So…" he purred. "Care to start begging now?"

"I'll never submit to you!" I spat.

"You will give in by the end of today," he said shortly. I could feel the disgusting toy probing at my entrance. Beyond had done nothing in terms of preparation, and a shudder of disgust and horror ran through me as I realized just how much this would hurt. It was then that I got an understanding for just how large the thing was—much larger than any normal human. For a heartbeat I allowed regret to flow through me. If I just begged now, I could end it before it even began! But then the thought of Beyond filling me consumed my mind, and I shook my head violently. I refused to let that happen. I couldn't betray L like that!

"Oh, and just for fun…" Beyond reached over and snapped a cock ring onto my arousal. "You won't be deriving any pleasure from this until I say you can."

Once again I was tempted to beg. I could feel Beyond's eyes on my face, clearly anticipating the moment I broke and begged for him to stop. But I wouldn't break, not yet—and so I steeled myself, locking my eyes on the ceiling and vowing to remain unresponsive no matter what the monster did to me.

Beyond shrugged, clearly brushing off my stubbornness. He grabbed hold of a thigh with one hand, and pushed the toy in hard with the other. I gasped as the tip of the thing pressed into me, just enough to cause discomfort and draw a small amount of blood. The edges were jagged—an alteration Beyond must have made himself. I would be badly cut before the end of this. Beyond laughed at the look of discomfort on my face, pushing harder, and harder, relishing every cry and moan that escaped my lips. Surely it's nearly in, I thought, convincing myself that there couldn't be much more to take—I already felt like I was going to burst! But a glance down told me that I had taken not even half the toy. The jagged plastic tore mercilessly at my insides, and for the first time I thought I understood the feeling of being torn in half. This was beyond painful—it was cruel, it was brutal. Warm trickles of liquid ran down my thighs, and I didn't even want to think about how badly I'd been torn.

"Does it hurt yet?" Beyond whispered, giving a particularly hard shove, forcing the repulsive thing further inside. It hurt, yes… but the pain was being lessened by the blood that flowed freely from my tattered insides. Unfortunately for me, that only smoothed the toy's passage further inside, and Beyond continued to torture me in that most vile way, moving excruciatingly slow. It was so deep inside… and then it brushed up against something inside me, and a desperate moan was torn from my lips. Beyond gripped my cock, increasing the painful pleasure.

"You just have to beg," he whispered. "It will all stop if you beg…"

I refused to. I could still handle it! The thing brushed against the spot inside me once again, and my body immediately threw itself upwards against its bonds, attempting to get at that spot again even as a wave of disgust filled me. But the instant I moved into the punishment Beyond pulled away slightly, just enough so that on the next thrust the thing brushed just lightly enough at that spot to be maddening. Blood dropped onto the table in beads, drying in trails as it dripped down my thighs. A moan wrenched itself from my unwilling lips. Beyond, smirking at the noise, pushed down harder and harder until pleasure once more gave way to pain. The object was still barley in contact with that deep, deep spot, keeping me in a constant state of pleasurable pain. It was only increased by Beyond's fondling and sucking at my neck, and his other hand stroking teasingly at my cock. In a sudden jolt he shoved the thing hard against the spot that was so pleasurable. I cried out desperately as it pressed hard on the spot, the pleasure blinding. I wanted so badly to come, to get it over with and rid myself of the humiliation.

"Beg."

Another brutal thrust.

"Beg."

Beyond's lips curled in a snarl as the room remained free of begging. He'd expected me to break by now—and to be fair, I'd expected to have broken by now as well. My captor pulled the toy almost entirely out of me in one, swift action. For just a moment relief filled me as the pain fled—though consequently, the pleasure was diminished. That's a good thing… I reminded myself hazily. I don't want to feel anything because of what this monster is doing. Beyond's eyes never left my face as in another swift action, he rammed the toy back into me as hard as he could. The noise that escaped me was somewhere between a scream and a moan, pain and pleasure mingling and becoming one as Beyond withdrew the toy, shoved it back in, withdrew it, shoved it back in, again and again in an endless pattern. He kept up the ruthless rhythm, alternating between maddeningly gentle and agonizingly brutal, shoving the thing in impossibly deep one moment and deceptively shallow the next. It was disgustingly pleasurable, and while every part of me screamed its revulsion, my whole body still trembled and shook in the throes of pleasure. Beyond kept up his infuriatingly random movements, shoving the toy fast then slow, deep then deeper, over and over again. The coil of heat within me was growing painful. I wanted it to end…

Beyond, sensing how dangerously close I was to cracking, snapped his head down and sealed his teeth to my neck. He bit until the skin split, then began sucking relentlessly like some sort of demented vampire, savoring the taste of my blood. One hand darted to my cock, increasing the pressure painfully, while the other shot up and pinched a nipple between two fingers, twisting and kneading in an action that shouldn't have been as pleasurable as it was. I felt betrayed by my body, and it was the most disgustingly wrong feeling I'd ever been forced to endure.

"Beg!" Beyond ordered through his death grip on my neck.

My lips parted, and for a moment I fully intended to beg. But I caught the words on the tip of my tongue and swallowed them back down violently. "N-no…" I stuttered. "You'll… h-have to do better than t-that…"

"I see." His eyes were narrowed in irritation. "There is another way to make you break." He leaned over to the cart and retrieved a small rectangular remote-like object, a dial fastened to the top. The grin he shot me was nothing short of predatory as he purred, "Don't you just love the high-tech nature of sex toys these days?"

My heart leapt into my throat. Oh god, he couldn't possibly be about to—

I screamed involuntarily as the toy began to vibrate slightly. It just barely brushed against that something inside me for the nth time, driving me to strain towards it in vain. All of my restraint was beginning to melt away; even my disgust was being curbed as I strained to just make it stop. Beyond let out a low chuckle. He sat back, twisting the dial on the remote, and the vibrations grew ever stronger. The murderer hadn't allowed me to move any further towards the object, nor did he allow it to pull out of me. Instead he held me in a maddening limbo, forcing me to feel all the pleasure I wanted so badly to quell. He held still for what felt like hours—but I knew it had been no more than a minute. Beyond went on that way, increasing the vibrations ever few minutes until I was a flushed, sweaty mess, unable to contain my moans.

"Ahh, Beyond…" I panted after I felt that I could take no more. "Ple—" I cut myself off. No… I c-can't…

"What was that?" he whispered, leaning closer. He shifted my body slightly, the vibrations increasing as the toy hit me at a different angle. "Did you have something you wanted to say to me?"

I tried to hold out. But Beyond shifted me in just the right way, and my resolve crumbled. "Please!" I gasped, writhing painfully against my bonds. "Please, please, just stop this!"

He grinned toothily. "Interesting proposition. But you've been so naughty today, resisting me… maybe I should just strap my little toy here and leave for a few hours. I'm getting rather hungry, after all."

The thought of being left this way overpowered any remaining shreds of dignity. "No…" I begged breathily. "Please, no…"

"Do you want to say that again?" he prompted, clearly enjoying his victory immensely.

"Please…" My voice was weak. "Please stop…"

Beyond seemed satisfied. He clicked a button and the vibrations stopped. He yanked the object out of me in one, smooth motion. A glance down at it told me that it was covered with my blood. The instant it was out the pain returned full force—the pain of being torn mercilessly, the pain of being held from release—it was too much. "Please!" I repeated, pain evident in my voice. "Please!"

Beyond let out a laugh, unstrapping me and dragging me onto the ground, forcing me onto my back. He unzipped his pants and positioned himself over my mouth, knees resting on either side of my head. "Suck," he commanded.

For just a moment I was tempted to refuse—but then my eyes found that horrible toy, still resting on the metal table, covered in blood, and I knew that I couldn't let him use it on me again. Beyond's cock was nudging at my lips, and I made my decision. I barely kept back a surge of bile as my lips closed over the head, tongue twirling over his arousal as I sucked it further and further into my mouth. I stopped only when he hit the back of my throat. Beyond shuddered as my teeth scraped lightly at him. I dared to relax my throat just enough to coax him in further, hoping that if I pleasured him sufficiently he would end this swiftly. It seemed to work—his expression transformed to one of pleasure and intense lust. He pulled out of my mouth almost completely, then slammed back in, nearly making me gag. He repeated the process only a few times, clearly eager to get what he wanted. He gave one last thrust, shoving his cock to the back of my throat and ordering, "Lick me."

Overcoming my disgust, I obeyed without so much as a complaint, laving my tongue up and down the murderer's length. Beyond's hands pinned my shoulders to the ground as he pulled himself out with a wet pop, reveling in the sight of my saliva dripping down the hardened flesh. "Good," he murmured, eyes half-lidded and passionate. "Good. You've learned your lesson, haven't you?"

I forced myself to nod.

Beyond pulled me onto my knees with powerful arms, whirling me around and forcing me to position myself on hands and knees. The position was humiliating, and if I hadn't already been through hell, I would have refused. But I was so tired, and I couldn't face that damned toy again…

"I was going to be nice to you and use lube for your first time with me," Beyond purred, "But you've been such a bad boy, I think I'll just take you like this. Do you want that?"

Bile was rising in my throat again. But still, I forced out a minute nod. I didn't want to make him angry… I couldn't make him angry…

Beyond lowered his lips to such harshly at the back of my neck. His hands sealed over my hips, and he pushed in with one, strong thrust. My eyelids fluttered in pleasurable disgust as I felt him fully sheathe himself—I felt the release I craved just within reach, and I strained towards it, struggling to ignore the fact that Beyond was the one pressing into me from behind. If I just closed my eyes and imagined it was someone else, that it was L, it made the situation just manageable enough to be bearable. But Beyond was definitely not L, and every move he made just served to shake me out of my fantasy and remind me that this wasn't a daydream, it was a nightmare, and I couldn't wake up.

Beyond was not gentle. He grabbed me by the hips and fucked brutally up into me, his rhythm never faltering, never ending, and never slowing. He was inhumanly harsh in his force, his hips meeting mine with sharp slaps of flesh on flesh. His teeth were gleaming, gritted in the dim light. I could tell that after torturing me for so long, he was eager to get on with it. His motions were almost rushed in their ferocity, in the way he so clearly sought to use me as his toy.

I could feel the exact moment he lost control—when he lost all rhythm and settled for thrusting in a blind frenzy, finally burying himself within me to the hilt and allowing himself to release deep inside my battered body. He left his softening cock within me as he reached to the cock ring, slipping it off. He had barely touched me before I came with a cry, white liquid spattering over his hand.

Beyond collapsed immediately afterwards, chest pressed into my back, arms around me. For a haunting moment I was reminded of L—the way he'd held me after sex, as if I were the most precious artifact in the world. But then Beyond was pushing off of me and pulling out, teeth bared in a savage snarl. "I hope you've learned your lesson," he snapped. His voice was wavering. He was just as tired as I was. "You have, haven't you, Light?"

I barely managed the nod.

"Good little submissive," he whispered, hauling me to my feet and dragging me roughly back up onto the table. He closed the leather straps back over me without a word, and I realized with horror that I wouldn't be able to even attempt to clean myself up. Beyond backed away, clearly unsteady on his feet. "I advise you rest, little one. This is only the beginning, after all." The monster grinned savagely. Then he turned, and with one last demented laugh, strode from the room.

I blinked, looking down at my body as he left. My body was marred with cuts and hickeys, but the most revolting feature was definitely the thick, white liquid that was dripping down my legs to join the blood on the table. I remembered with some satisfaction that I'd dirtied Beyond's hand, and that he would have to shower to remove all traces of me from his flesh. For a moment I felt almost smug—but then I realized just how foolish that was, and I was hit by a sudden wave of disgusted depression. The reality of what had happened was just hitting me, and I was beginning to feel violently ill.

"L," I choked out, turning my head away from the door just in case Beyond happened to come back in. "L…" just saying his name at least brought me some modicum of comfort as I imagined his dark hair, his obsidian eyes, his gentle touch…oh god, I missed him… I had no idea how long it had been since I'd seen him, but I missed him ever so desperately… "I'm sorry…" I felt so weak, so useless. I couldn't even stop Beyond from having his way with me. Was I even worth it? Was I worth L risking himself? The sense of euphoria had long since died down, leaving me with the overwhelming feeling of shame and humiliation. L… I had betrayed him. But what else could I do? Beyond would have his way no matter what I did. So why should I go through so much pain when I could spare myself by just giving in? I shook myself. If I started asking myself that, then I would give in, and he would win. I would be as good as dead. But I knew, deep within my heart… I knew that no matter what happened, Beyond would find a way to win, a way to force me to submit. I wouldn't be able to hold off for long against the torture. Beyond was too merciless, too cruel. He would win. He would always win.

"I'm sorry, L," I whispered, tears welling behind my eyes. Hot, salty liquid dripped down my cheeks, joining the vile mixture of liquids already staining the table. "But I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out."

Wow… that was disturbingly fun to write. I actually didn't think I'd be able to get this edited and posted in time, seeing as it's the Fourth of July, but I actually finished way early. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and leave a review if you did!