A/N - Yay a new chapter :3 this one should be a lot better than the last.

I've started working on a visual novel with someone, they're doing all the coding and magical stuff that makes the game work and I do all the writing :3 I'm so excited :3

I managed to finish watching Toradora in two days :L and I also got the box set for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood :3 

This chapter has also ended up being slightly longer than previous chapters - I hadn't realised until I finished writing it XD I had so much fun writing it :3 

Chapter Seventeen

I try to struggle against the person but it's no use, they're so much stronger than me.

"H-how d-do you know a-about the Life N-note?" I choke out when I manage to rip their hand from my mouth. Their other arm tightens around my waist and I try to get out of their iron grip.

"You work for Near right? You're L's little sister, everyone at Wammy's knows you're the one with the Life Note. L shared that little information with us when he died."

"A-are you Mello?" I ask, my voice trembling. I continue to struggle in a pathetic attempt to break free.

"Congrats, you guessed correctly. Now it's my time to guess, Near told you about me, didn't he?" Mello says snidely into my ear. I nod. "Are you going to do as I tell you? If not I'll have to put a bullet in your brain."

He wouldn't kill me. No way. Why would one of L's successors kill L's sister? I can't take that chance though. He knows I work for Near, and chances are I'm intelligent like L, so Near could easily beat him to Kira.

I nod again. I feel weak having to obey orders. I regret not choosing to stay in Japan and talk to Near through hacking his computer and sending notes to him like I did with L.

"Go get your Life Note and then you're coming with me. We're going to catch Kira together." Mello orders and releases his grip on me. "Don't try to run away. I will find you and I won't hesitate to end your life."

I nod again before running to my bedroom. I slam the door shut and sink to the floor, tears finally overflowing from my eyes and running down my cheeks. I cover my face with my hands and sob quietly.

Stupid Life Note!

"Don't go with him! He's dangerous!" Ari screams at me and I ignore her as usual.

"This stupid Life Note has put me in so much trouble." I turn to glare at Ari, tears still pouring down my face. I probably look so ugly right now, but appearance is the least of my problems right now. "It's your fault some stupid psycho is in my apartment threatening to kill me. Why me?! Huh?! Couldn't you fix this stupid ass Shinigami problem yourself! You can't be killed because you're a stupid god! Why risk my life, an innocent human's life, to get revenge for a petty fight!" My chest rises and falls rapidly as the anger I've been holding in finally escapes. I stand up and wipe the tears from my cheeks harshly with the back of my hand. I storm over to my drawers and yank my Life Note free.

I grab a bag and shove some necessities from it, hopefully Mello doesn't care about me packing some clothes and toiletries.

"This is your fault." I growl to Ari as I leave the room.

***

Several hours later, I find myself locked inside a room within the Mafia's base. It's incredibly dirty and I swear there is mould growing in the corner of the room. There's barely any light so I can't really see.

There's minimal furnishing, just a bed, desk and chair. I'm fairly certain they gave me a desk so I can use the Life Note. So far, they haven't taken my Life Note from me, so I presume they want me to use it. Otherwise they would have snatched it and left me behind at my apartment.

I sit down on the bed and notice that the mattress is lumpy and hard. There is no way I'll be able to sleep on it.

There's a brief knock and the door is thrown open, the handle slams against the wall and I flinch at the unexpected loud sound. I look at the doorway to see Mello, a boy clad in leather who has his blond hair short. He doesn't look like he fits within the Mafia, I'd expect him to have short hair, tattoos and a few scars here and there.

"I have a list of the criminals you need to bring back. We can't have Kira think that something happened to you, he may grow suspicious so you need to continue what you usually do." Mello slams the sheet of paper on the desk. "We presumed you needed faces so we provided them." And with that, he leaves the room.

I stand up and walk over to the paper nervously. I pick it up with a shaky hand and glance at the sheet.

A list of names next to pictures fill the page. I pick up the pen and pull the Life Note out of my bag and begin resurrecting the recently killed criminals.

After I'm done I close my Life Note and let my head sink to the desk. I let out a sigh.

Near has to be wondering where I am. I hope he is a least worried about me. I've never not turned up without telling him first.

I just hope someone comes to rescue me or something, I can't stand being stuck here. I don't feel safe at all. I can't escape because they'll kill me without hesitating and there's no way I'll be able to protect myself from that.

I wish I hadn't contacted L, if I stayed quiet then I wouldn't have been brought into this mess. I'd still be bringing the criminals back to life in my little apartment in Japan. I miss Japan so much.

I suddenly feel the desk becoming wet and I lift my head in confusion. I touch my cheek gingerly to find it wet beneath my fingertips. Why am I crying?

I wipe the tears away quickly when I hear a knock at the door. It opens and I try not to jump out of my skin too much, I can't let them see how scared I am because they'll be able to manipulate me.

Mello leans against the door frame and eats a chunk of chocolate from the bar he's holding. "Did you bring them back?" He questions, his tone demanding. I try not to cringe at the way he eats his chocolate and give him a small nod in reply. "Good."

"Why do you want me hear?" I say after I've gathered enough courage to speak. "I'm not doing anything other than what I normally do. You don't get any benefits from having me here."

"We have the Life Note and the Death Note. We're pretty much invisible now against Kira. We can kill and bring back whoever will like." Mello says arrogantly as he struts further into the room, my eyes not leaving his body.

"Why me though? Anyone else can use the Life Note. I don't have to be the one to write people's names in. So why didn't you just take it and leave me behind?" I ask. I try to hide the shakiness in my voice, but I know I failed. I curl my hands into fists and try to force my body to stop shaking. He won't kill me. He won't kill me. I have to believe that. If I pose no threat, then surely they'll keep me alive. After all, they can use me to get to Kira. If they tell him they have me then I don't doubt that Kira will jump at the chance to see me and kill me. He's waited over five years to kill me.

"You're L's sister and you work for Near. You must be intelligent. You can help me beat Near and Kira." He says, a smirk stretching across his face.

"And you believe that I'll just do what you say?" I snap back in reply. "I work for Near, and Near only. If you had stayed at Wammy's and were there when I arrived then this situation may be different. My instructions from L was to help his successors defeat Kira, and since you weren't there then I have no desire to help you at all. As far as I'm concerned Near is L's successor. You could be anyone, you might not even be Mello. You could have captured the real Mello and are posing as him."

His eyes narrow at my words and the smirk falls from his face. He suddenly appears to be angry and I try my best to not shrink away into the chair. I can't show my weakness. I can't let myself be manipulated.

He walks closer to me, and I stand up in an attempt to escape, only be pinned to the desk, his hands either side of me. I look up at his face, which is too close to mine and I try to shrink back as far as I can.

"You will help me, whether you like it or not. If you don't want to then I'll happily kill you." He threatens. He's not joking or lying.

"You can't kill me." I whimper. I curse internally at how weak I sound. Mello laughs and stands back.

"True. But I can hurt you." He threatens.

"What do I get for helping you?" I ask, if I'm going to help him I might as well try to get something out of it.

"The satisfaction of beating Kira."

I shake my head. "Come on. Near's paying me to help him. You could at least give me a better room to stay in; if not then some freedom. If I help you I don't want to be treated like a prisoner."

"Fine. You can walk around the base. Don't get into any trouble and don't go snooping around. The others won't hesitate to kill you if you get in their way." Mello warns before he leaves the room. I stand there, a happy grin stretched across my face.

A/N: I hope I got Mello's personality right... I had to do research on his personality because I didn't really pay attention to him while he was in the anime. All I managed to find was that he's arrogant and I already knew that he dislikes Near and wants to beat him. So please correct me if I got anything wrong. 

As usual, vote, comment and share this story with your friends! 

Today's question: favourite band/artist? 

I guess my favourite band is Paramore, I've liked them for years (since their second album) and I still like them now, except I'm not particularly keen on their new music. I also really like Taylor Swift and 1D (don't judge). 

Also, what did you think of the chapter? I'm quite happy with it :3  

~ Alice 

P.S this got to #477 in Fanfiction but then it went back up #908 :( Oh well XD