Wounded Part 6

Chapter 6: What Was Wanted

Rivera fell to the ground, exhausted and bleeding. Alice and L had been battling him for the past hour, and for reasons they couldn't fathom, the murderer had come to the local lighthouse. L's ankle was twisted and Alice had been stabbed, but it wasn't serious compared to Rivera.

"Victory at last." L sighed, pulling his hood down. Alice nodded and glared at their fallen adversary. L noticed something behind them flying towards Alice. He gasped slightly.
"Now we can focus on helping Mel--" Alice was pushed to the ground before she could finish.

WHAM!

She looked up just in time to see a motorbike crash into L, right where she'd been standing a second earlier. The impact sent him over the edge. Alice scrambled to her feet and ran to the railing, reaching for the falling young man. But it was futile; within seconds, he hit the crashing black waters.

"LAWLIET!"

Her scream, etched with pain, echoed through the entire bay. It only made Mello laugh as he flew back to his mentor's office, his large bat wings flapping rhythmically.

~*~

"Excellent work, Mihael. Four of my worst enemies are gone. But, you know the jewel of the crown is yet to be taken." Mello's mentor reminded him sternly. The blonde only smiled as he walked towards Rome, "I know. I'll wait for her to make a move. She's too weak-minded to confront me al--"

A furious shriek made Mello look up. A second later, Alice was on top of him, her arms around his throat and her tail wrapped around his torso. Mello growled and tried to shrug her off, but her grip was like iron.
"DON'T. Move. A. Muscle." Alice's cold voice blew through her jagged, bared teeth. Mello chuckled and asked, "What's wrong, pussy cat? Feeling kinda lonely since I SLAUGHTERED all your precious friends?"

"They could've been your friends, too." Alice growled, tightening her grip on Mello's throat.
"Friends are for weak people! And I'm strong, y'hear me?!" Mello growled back, more aggressively.
Alice sighed. She had to know. "What the hell made you hate us so much?" She asked, keeping a firm grip on him.

Mello hissed, "You met Lawliet." Then, his eyes glowed blue.

Alice felt her body turn to ice. She looked down to see her chest, torso, and arms glowing dark blue. A second later, Alice was thrown through the air.
She growled and grabbed a tree branch, yanking herself on it. She looked down to see Mello levitating towards her, an icy look on his face.

"We promised Harper to give you another chance. And guess what," Alice displayed her nails, "You squandered it." With that, she crouched down and threw herself at the boy, sending them flying through the air. He tried to punch and kick her, but Alice's fury made her quicker than usual. She howled and scratched her armor, cutting through the metal and just scratching the skin underneath. Mello managed a 'huh?' before falling on his back on the ground.

Alice jumped off him and allowed him to rise. Once he did, she showered him in punches. This time, he was more prepared and defended himself. Then, he grabbed her by the stomach and threw her like a baseball. Alice growled and landed gracefully on her feet. Mello growled and created a fissure under her feet. She leaped out of the way and kicked Mello in the jaw.
He slid backwards, never losing his balance. Anger burned in his chest as he yelled and threw his fist at Alice.

She grabbed him by the wrist.
His eyes widened.

Alice yanked him by the wrist and threw him to his knees. She grabbed his sand-colored hair and forced his face to hover inches over a puddle. "Look at yourself, Mello!" She screamed, "Is this really who ya wanna be?!"
Mello's eyes narrowed. His legs looped around her and sent her flying face-first in the dirt. Before she could shake off the dizziness, Mello's rough, unloving hand was in her hair, pushing her in the ground. With her cat ears, she heard him snarl, "I'm just always gonna be Mr. Screw-Up, huh?!"

Alice growled and slammed her head into Mello's chin. His grip on her loosened, and she quickly got up and kicked him in the chest. He fell flat on his back, and when he looked up again, Alice was holding her sharp claws over his throat. But her golden cat eyes had softened, "It doesn't have to be this way, Mello. My uncle...he--he uses people. Sure, he values you now. But the minute you're incapable of fighting, he's gonna throw you away like a broken chair!"

Mello growled, "Better to be valued a little than not at all."

Alice sighed in exasperation, "What are you talking about?!"

"L CHOSE YOU OVER ME!" Mello's eyes glowed again, and the ground Alice was standing on darted out of the ground. She yelped in surprise and managed to land on her feet. Mello got up and started yelling, "ALL MY LIFE, I'VE TRIED TO GET L TO SEE HOW HARD I WORKED! BUT NO! EVERY TIME I NEEDED HIM, HE DISAPPEARED! AND THEN, HE SHOWS UP WITH A BUNCH OF BITCHES!"

He punched Alice in the chest, sending spasms of pain coursing through her body. "HE CHOSE TO HANG OUT WITH A BUNCH OF CHICKS INSTEAD OF HIS OWN DAMN SUCCESSORS! I JUST WANTED TO HELP, AND WHAT DOES HE DO?! HE CALLS ME A FAILURE!"

He kicked her in the face, sending her rolling on the ground. "So don't think your uncle forced me into this. He makes me feel special. He makes me feel WANTED. That's more than L ever did. I killed L, and let me tell ya, I ENJOYED it."
He wrapped his hands around Alice's throat. Her own hands grabbed his wrists, struggling to yank them off. He easily threw the weakened girl head-first into a boulder. Alice panted and fought to stay awake, her large golden eyes regarding Mello with a look of pity.

"And now," He said, his eyes glowing again, "I'm gonna enjoy killing you." He brought his hands down, and a boulder hit its target.

~*~

A key necklace, now splattered with blood, clattered on the desk. Mello's mentor carefully picked it up, smiling darkly. "You've done well, Mello. Tell me, did you enjoy it?"
"So much." Mello grinned, "Like eating the world's biggest chocolate doughnut."

"Very good." His mentor nodded, "For you're going to keep killing, Mello. And you're going to keep enjoying it. Anyone who gets in my way, or messes with me...they will suffer."

Mello smiled darkly.