Innocence (MelloxNear) (Death Note)

Chapter 14 | Unrequited Second Thoughts

I know, this update is shit. I know, it took way too long to update. And I know I'm a horrible person. Love me. 

-

You never walked away

I told you 

-

It was only a matter of time before Beyond requested Matt's assistance. Honestly, the redhead had been expecting the moment his current partner in crime summoned him. It wasn't as though it came as a shock, as it was particularily difficult to plan a strategy when you had no idea who you were working with. Really, it wasn't a hidden catch; It was common sense.

Over the restless nights after he had accepted the deal, Matt had barely had a wink of sleep, as his mind was too busy contemplating whether he was truly doing the right thing. Of course, his heart always intervened, saying he should do anything to get the man he loved. He was the one that had backed Mello up in a fight, the one who had hacked the security system just so Mello could sneak out and buy chocolate. He was there. Near wasn't. And it just wasn't fair.

And now, contrary to Matt's screaming and arguing, Mello was gone too. He had left that very morning, hopping on a flight to Fuck-Knows-Where island, where the best dish they served up was Betrayal with a side of Fuck-You-Matt. According to his blonde friend, he had been invited to help L work on a case, thanks to his "Oh so special skills.". He gloated for so long, and fantasied his experiences out loud for so long, a migraine didn't begin to describe the throbbing in Matt's head.

The abandoned apartment block where Beyond had specifically said they'd meet certainly lived up to it's name. Cracks littered the peeling plaster that now dotted the walls in no particular order, rather than being smeared along the entire stature. The windows which were not bordered over were smashed to miniscule pieces, the stray shards nowhere to be seen, probably dangerously swept along in the wind. The poor soul who ended up breathing in the crystalites would be in for a nasty shock. The cieling was caving in, easily smashing through the rotting wooden floor, and even the vermin that used to reside there had vacated the premise in fear of their lives.

"When he said abandoned, he could have at least picked something apart from a fucking death trap..." Matt muttered to himself, kicking a stray rock in boredom. Contradicting what he had originally thought, an ancient apartment really was just that. Much to his dissapointment, it was not an exciting, thrill-filled adventure. It was just a ruined building. A really uninteresting building, may he add.

"Well, that's no way to treat a perfectly good place to hide a body, now is it?" An eery, monotoneous voice spoke from the shadows that cast themselves along the concrete floor. The sudden voice caused Matt to jump, though he kept his cool relatively well, par the miniscule high pitched squeal he released upon hearing such a creepy and strange assertion. However, it wasn't just the tone, it was the words themselves. He hadn't agreed to kill anybody! He just wanted a slice of vengeance, not a fully fledged homicide!

"You must be..." Matt began, voice trailing off as he caught a glimpse of the man he would newly be associating with. His skin was pale as snow, more sickly looking than pure, the mortal opposite of Near's flawless porcelain. It was uncertain whether Matt was facing an insomniac, or a man who wore too much black eyeshadow below his eyes, when he saw the bags under Beyond's piercing crimson eyes. He was hunched over, much like he was constantly crouching, and one couldn't help but pity his spine for all of that constant pain. His hair was an inky black, a layer of grease coating the top of it, the shine less than appealing to the eye.

"Beyond Birthday, at your service. But from now on, address me only as Ryuzaki. It would be highly embarressing to be arrested for such a rookie mistake as revealing you are in contact with me, correct?" There was something about the way he spoke... That slight sarcasm hinting his accent that was completely overshadowed by the rest. It was a strange thing to have noticed something so small, but Matt couldn't help but relate this man to L. Having only heard snippits from when the man spoke to the Wammy's kids over a filtered laptop and a single letter screen, Matt had a vague idea of how he acted.

"You're much different than how I expected you..." Matt admitted, biting his lip upon realizing how rude that comment must have sounded. Stand up to street thugs, sure. Stand up to Watari, fucking go for it. But stand up to a psychotic murderer that could make sure his body smelt like Herbal Essences and could put it as close to a police station he wanted to without being caught, that wasn't a good idea. It was better for him if he just stuck of "Ryuzaki's" good side, which so far, he had failed to do. Or at least he thought he had.

"If you were anticipating a fourty year old man with a paedophilic prison record, then yes, that's me." Seeing the look of contorted horror on Matt's face, the killer rolled his eyes. "Kidding." The redhead's heart pace had picked up frantically before he confirmed it was indeed just a twisted joke, but continued to race faster than an Olympic Swimmer on steroids, thanks to the immense creepiness and overall abnormality of the statement.

"So, why is it again you wanted to get rid of Near?" Ryuzaki asked, the prior events forgotten. The gamer flinched slightly when the conversation took a 360 flip, but took it as a blessing that he would be able to move past that comment. He pondered it for a moment, wondering what the best way to phrase it would be. An irritable Ryuzaki was left to sit in the painful awkward silence, where he could practically hear the gears of Matt's brain chiming away at full throttle after not being used for years.

"He took Mello from me... I'll never forgive him." Matt growled, fists clenching in anger. Ryuzaki let out a hum of aknowledgement before padding away slightly and motioning for the redhead to follow. A tugging feeling went through Matt's gut, telling him to turn back and abandon the plan, who knows what he would have to do if he stayed. But he couldn't. All the pain he had to go through... He couldn't forget about it and pass it off as a bad dream.

"Your intentions are good, but when it comes down to it, I doubt you'll be able to pull the trigger. You're too weak. But regardless, you'll have to do." Ryuzaki spoke, seemingly to himself, before yanking open the crumbling door, an unhealthy sound coming from the piece of wood and the walls surrounding it. He swung inside, leaving Matt to decide on his own accord whether he would take the risk of being crushed by a falling building. "Fuck it." Were his thoughts as he followed behind the black haired man.

The dark corridoor was eery, each footstep made echoing darkly, adding to the creepy feeling of the ever lasting hall. Matt's breaths had calmed since before, but a part of him still wanted to leave. He had no choice but to ignore that instinct, since he had forgotten where the exit was in his haste. So if he was murdered by Ryuzaki, he would have called it.

"In here." He heard the man in question mumble as he stepped into yet another room. A strange smell greeted Matt, as he crumpled his nose in distaste. In all his years of Wammy fights and all the entrails of that, he knew that it was blood he was intaking. But who's blood could it have...

Matt let out a strangled cry as he saw who inhabited the room, with their vital organs sprayed everywhere, and who sat barely breathing in chains against the wall.

"Mello!"