If You Were Dead or Still Alive {Mello}

[Sorrow]

{Continuation}

Little Hisaye now slept soundly as Good watched Mello. He seemed to have caught her slip ups and she felt a bit nervous. But she had taken the chance, she had jumped off the bridge. Now she just had to wait and see what happened, right? A nervous smile crossed her lips at the somewhat shocked individual. But his sudden cold look caused her to shrink back. Her arms brought Hisaye closer to her and her innocent scarlet eyes watched him. He was right, it was not safe to talk about this in an open area.
"I-is there somewhere y-you have i-in mind?" She asked quietly, "y-you're right. It's n-not safe to talk a-about this with others around."
She looked around, maybe somewhere in the library was closed off enough? Somewhere were people hardly went. It was a huge library after all.

Slowly, Good would rise from her seat and look at Mihael. What if he could be of assistance to her? But what if he reacted badly to learning the truth on Hisaye? She saw him to be a bit tempered and it made her more nervous about being alone with him. Looking up slightly at the blonde, she knew he couldn't be more then one inch taller then she. But it didn't matter if he didn't have height, he was intimidating enough.
"I-I'll follow y-you...w-where do y-you want to go? I-I'm sure there's s-someplace in t-his large library quiet e-enough..."
Good shifted her weight, looking down at her daughter. Hisaye was sleeping soundly, at least, Good guessed she was. The little girl didn't seem to want to sleep a lot. It worried Good because Hisaye was supposed to be at least 22 hours of sleep. She was just a baby, after all! Always so worried about her daughter...Good wondered what others thought about this. She blinked, realizing she didn't care. Good would do anything for Hisaye...anything.

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[Mello]

The icy stare from Mello showed no sign of melting, not while his eyes were on Good at least. As far as he was concerned, she had secrets from him which was reason enough for him to throw his attitude around. A touch of satisfaction rose into him as the woman seemed to shrink back from him, although it didn't even flicker in his expression. Every ounce of his intimidation remained as solid as possible, for Mihael refused to even think of what might happen if this situation spiraled out of his control. Woman or man didn't matter, just as long as his quarry was dancing in his palm. As she rose, there was another feeling he had that he may just be able to manipulate her just as planned, but that damn distraction threw itself in his way yet again.

Mello knew he could control a woman. Mothers, however, were another thing entirely. In most cases, the young mafia boss knew just how much of a catalyst for disaster an infant could be. Even the most docile, gentle females may just rip your face off if the maternal instinct told them to. While that fact rushed into him, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly in frustration. Hisaye was more of a trouble than he expected. If he dared to go too far with his questioning in a way that could put Hisaye in jeopardy, the protective nature of a new Mom may just throw the entire thing out of whack. It wasn't like he planned on threatening the child of course. Had it been anyone else, sure, but the familiar face was a more than effective guard for her. However, there was no telling whether or not Good was the paranoid type. Not yet at least.

A moment of painfully pregnant silence passed as the blond finished his troublesome thoughts. The tension in the room was enough to suffocate anyone. A craving for the taste of bliss upon his tongue began to drive Mello insane until he finally gave in. While he spoke, he reached into one of his pockets to receive a small bar of chocolate, just to serve as enough sweet indulgence to keep his bitter nature in check.

"There's a room for the archives in the back," he began in a low volume before taking a chunk of chocolate into his mouth. "Hardly anyone ever goes back there anymore, thanks to the Internet," The sound of his voice was more like a grumble than a whisper, but every bit of seriousness still marked his tone. The sweets were beginning to do its job, but Mello still refused to change his hard stare. He contemplated giving Good a chance to object for a brief moment, but then decided against it. It's only be a waste of his valuable time. The man turned in his proposed direction and led the way at a steady, yet strangely eager pace. "Come on,"

[Sorrow]

She kept herself calm on the outside but her insides seemed to squirm. His gaze was unsettling to the female whom held a phobia of males. She had Hisaye to protect if anything bad were to happen. Good figured that sooner or later she'd have to try and overcome the phobia. There were few males she had grown to like, L had been one of them. Matsuda was also a male that Good felt rather comfortable around. He was so goofy and funny, he made her smile. A soft smile came across her features as she thought about the funny detective. The one who, to others, was useless but to Good...she saw a lot of potiental in him. He was just young, that was all. Matsuda could be a great detective one day because he was confident and he really tried...

The everlasting silence made her wonder what was on his mind. Her scarlet eyes, momentarily, shifted down to Hisaye and saw some of her blanket had uncovered her feet. She repositioned the baby into a more comfortable hold and wrapped the blanket back around her feet. Good was tempted to kiss her on the forehead, but wondered how Mello would react to such a display of affection. So she merely gave the baby a loving gaze for a few mere moments before returning her attention to Mello. Her eyes were still friendly, soft, but not loving as they had been toward Hisaye. Good was a very kind female and was pretty much a pacifist. But if it came down to it she would give her life for her daughter. How could she let go of the only thing of her lost love she had left? No matter what Light said or used against her, she would never let him touch Hisaye. Actually, Good had been contemplating on telling someone who he really was. Though she had never felt malice before, she wondered if she felt a small bit of it toward Light. Or was it more of fear? Good did fear Light, she feared him with every fiber of her being. But did she feel malice toward him? Kira...the one who had stolen the one she had adored away from her...

Her features turned solemn and a soft sigh escaped her.
"L" she mouthed softly and shook her head, suddenly feeling a lingering sadness. She had cast off into her own world, her eyes glazing over with pain and grief. She forgot that Mello was even there until she heard him reach into his pocket. The sight of what he brought out made her grimace slightly. L had loved sweets and chocolate had been a sweet. She remembered when he had let her try some. Chocolate...the sweetest thing in the world to have ever touched her lips. It had been such a blissful taste but she had not tasted one ounce of chocolate again since his death.

"Alright," was her soft reply without any sign of objection. She merely followed him toward the archives room, her heart aching suddenly. She actually sort of felt like crying right now. Her mood had taken such a sudden shift. Mood swings...that's what she had learned they were called. The archives were not far away and there was a door to close for those who wanted to go in and study in peace and silence. It was a perfect spot...Good moved silently into the room and found a seat to sit in. Then she yet again waited for him to speak to her, and then she would answer any question he had.

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[Mello]

As Mello strolled into the room, he found his mind whirling with too many questions to prepare than be found possible to deal with. His expression remained fixed, as if frozen there for the rest of his life. Mentally, he made every attempt to cool his wits, assisted by the idea of this bringing him one step ahead of Near, and the sweet taste of his chocolate. This dealing with Good thing was indeed going to be a pain in his ass. Still, she was merely the medium he was forced to go through to get to the real enigma; Hisaye. Time and tolerance were the keys to getting his answers. Although the idea that L had allowed this seemingly random woman to see his face did truly intrigue him, she wasn't exactly going to be a thrill to interrogate. Had it not been for that major factor, Good wouldn't stroke him as the interesting type at all.

Mello entered the room with a nonchalant air, if only to avoid any suspicion at all. After all, a man and a woman entering an over wise empty room together was enough alone to attract a few curious glances. If it weren't for Hisaye's presence, he might have even felt a little annoyance at the potential thoughts of random onlookers. His footfall fell silent about two feet into the room. He sidestepped to allow Good to pass him, then shut the door will less sound than a small click. She took her seat while he found his own position, satisfying himself by leaning all of his body weight against the closed door. Perhaps it was an unconscious act of dominance, but it wasn't something the young man had thought about at all. Mello folded his powerful arms and locked his gaze expectantly on to hers.

Her silence pleased him, surprisingly enough. It probably meant that she knew that he wasn't willing to talk until she did. It made things so much easier now, lifting a small weight off of his broad shoulders. Even when it was his turn to talk, he was more than ready to be selective, silent, or even lie. There weren't any bonds that were keeping them from holding secrets from each other, so what's the big deal? Whatever smart or stupid choice she made was entirely her decision. As long as he got what he wanted, he really didn't give a damn. The sudden change in her expression though, perturbed him. The hard line that was his mouth tightened a bit. What could she be thinking about at a time like this? Sure, this did bring up memories of L, it wasn't reason for her of all people to get upset. If either of them were supposed to feel anything, deserved to feel anything, it was him. Suddenly, he glare grew into something disapproving, envious maybe. Mello came to a conclusion then and there. This woman was more than a member of the Task Force, something more than a possible suspect. What, however, was still a mystery.

"Don't make me repeat myself," the heir hissed. Now that they were alone, he had barely a need to control his tone. Every touch of suspicion, frustration, and burning curiosity flooded out violently at once. "Who the hell are you? Both of you," His fingers twitched with sudden impatience. This Good woman better not beat around the bush...

(OOC: This post is short and crappy. Sorry. I'm rushed and distracted at the exact same time.)

[Sorrow]

(ooc: That's fine :3 Mine's not gonna be too good, sorry. Dx)

Good gazed at him with her beautiful, innocent scarlet eyes that grew soft. His attitude suddenly didn't bother her. She felt...relaxed...but she didn't know why. It was strange...because Mihael was intimidating. But for some reason now she didn't fear him. It was like with L...she had been somewhat skittish around the others, but he had been different. Literally different. His stange ways had made her not see him like the others. All the others males...he was the 'different' and they were the 'normal' but she liked his difference. She respected it. Though many had found it annoying, she had said she adored it and even thought it was a little cute. Well, she didn't say it was cute...but she thought it was. But she had admitted she liked it. Maybe this guy here was the same way. She didn't know.

"I-I am not m-much of interest," she murmured, "I'm j-just a mother a-and a mourner to t-the loss o-f a l-loved one. But she..." Good looked down at Hisaye, "m-may be o-of interest to you, Mihael-san." She wasn't sure if it was wise to use his real name...hopefully her next words would shift him away from it. "Hisaye's f-father w-was someone I'm g-guessing you a-admired?" She didn't know if he admired L or not. "L Lawliet. B-believe it or n-not..."

There. She had said it. Now Good could only wait to see if he would explode, go into shock, or just accept this. He seemed like a pretty emotional person to her. A lingering nervousness came back but she was nervous for Hisaye. Good could care less about herself, she would have to protect her daughter. Looking down slightly at the girl, she realized Hisaye had awoken. Possibly when she heard her father's name? No, Hisaye was too young to understand. Or was she? Good would never doubt that a baby could be smart like others did. They just didn't have the essiental things to express it. Who knew? Babies were so innocent and untainted, maybe they were the least naive of everyone.

"Mm!" Hisaye began to squirm as if she were to explore with her eyes. Her vision was fuzzy and she couldn't get a good picture just yet. The child's eyes still needed a little more time and she'd be fine in about another week or so. She'd be able to reconize her mother's face by then. Her crimson optics turned toward Mello, stopping, and she held a dead stare at him. He was a fuzzy blob with things she didn't know were colors to her, was all. Yet her eyes seemed to just tear at him with their dead-look. Another smile spread across her face, breaking the expressionless look she had momentarily held. What sounded like a giggle escaped her and her arms moved with jerking movements out toward him.

She seems to like him. Good thought absently, watching Hisaye now intently. But that won't change a thing if he becomes a threat suddenly...
Her eyes instantly flicked straight back to him. Waiting. Wondering...

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[Mello]

(OOC: No worries. Looks fine to me. ^^

Mello rapped his fingers against his his arm in unbroken anticipation. Harsh cerulean eyes locked on those of gentle scarlet. His gaze welded itself to her expression, searching always for any telltale signs of something he should be alarmed about. His jaw was locked tight, as if daring to let something escape would send any chance of hearing the truth into hiding. Good did as he asked, but the successor was too focused upon her words to let any sense of relief sink in. The sensation of some beast clawing at his mind only grew harsher and harsher until almost every answer flew at him at once.

Good hardly had to finish her explanation before Mello's knees seemed to buckle beneath him. The wave of shock was enough to take every muscle in his body into the undertow, but somehow the will to remain standing miraculously overcame it. The stone expression finally shattered into a thousand fragments, leaving Mihael's face empty to allow room for an expression of true and utter surprise. And to think that she hadn't even mentioned Hisaye's paternity yet at this point. He struggled to grasp any reasoning behind her words. She had used his real name, his real, freaking name. Who was she?! Several theories came to mind, but Mello found one that made at least some sense. Good must've had the Shinigami Eyes, no doubt about that. It was just too far fetched to imagine that L would dare to reveal his existence, let alone his name to her. Therefore, he could only scramble for a reasoning offered by the Godforsaken case. Before he had fled Wammy's, he had managed to lay eyes upon the results of L's labor, so he knew all about what he very well might be dealing with. But if this woman had the eyes...

Silence. Pure and utter silence. At least, that's how it became in Mello's mind for at least one brief moment when Good revealed her- No, Hisaye's secret. The room around him seemed to spin for a moment as the majority of the blood rushed out of his face. His eyes widened to a point that seemed perhaps a bit painful. L, L Lawliet, The L was her father. It didn't seem true. It couldn't be true. Yet, every time Mihael looked into the child's face, that was who he saw. The infant embodiment of his fallen idol was staring him straight in the face and that was exactly why. Hisaye was L's daughter. Mello had no time to recover before he noticed that the girl had awoken and was now giving him that specter of a stare. Those empty, haunting eyes pierced him in a way that he was all too familiar with, and for once doubt failed to grip him. Of course, that was only for the moment that she held that expression.

Then, the illusion was gone. Hisaye's now childish expression had snapped Mello back into the real world. And now that he was back down to Earth, there was reasoning to be done. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, raising a hand to his temples as he did so. Using two fingers, he rubbed at one of them, attempting to ease the threat of an oncoming headache. The cool leather of his gloves offered some comfort.

"That's impossible," he insisted. "Do you think I'm stupid?" he voice raised now from a low growl to a harsh accusation. Mihael's teeth grounded together between words and he opened his eyes to glare even more intently than before. "I doubt you even knew L that well to be making a claim like that!" Mello wondered just how true that statement was. L never loved anyone, as far as he knew. L respected, but never loved, did he? Sometimes he even wondered if L had any feelings for himself, Matt, or even Near, other than that of a distant mentor. That man was impossible to read. There was no way of knowing how he really felt about anything...

"Besides," he roared on, although he did feel a touch of doubt in his previous thoughts. "How am I supposed to believe you? You know L's real name, let alone my own," Mihael was too mindlessly aggressive at this point to even consider demanding to be called by his alias. "Which means, you must have those damned Shinigami Eyes, because those are two things I know that L would never say. And if you do have those eyes, how do I know that you're not the one who killed L?"

(OOC: Wow, Mello's being particularly nasty today.)

[Sorrow]

(ooc: Evil Mello xD)


The first thing that had come from him was utter shock and/ or surprise. He had caught the fact she had used his real name. It seemed to her he almost fell down because of it. Of course, who wouldn't? He'd never introduced himself to her. Never gave her his real name to call him by. For her to just know it must be strange. How much of the Kira case did he really know? What could she tell him about it? Was it wise of her to tell him about it? Let alone for him to know just how involved in it she was? Good blinked softly, knowing she had taken the chance that she would regret this. Chances were, though, he wouldn't even believe her. She would have to try and explain all of this as best she could.

"A-actually, I think y-you're rather s-smart," Good murmured. "B-but it is true. A-ask anyone i-in the task f-force if you must. I-I wouldn't lie a-about such a thing. W-what a huge disrespect to L t-that would b-e. I h-hate lying, so w-why would I b-be hypocritical and d-do so myself? Also w-why would I claim t-this true w-when I'd be fully a-aware of the dangers m-my child would be in? S-she is in the d-dangers because it IS true." She didn't know how much she knew about L. She only knew probably what the others in the task force knew. Because even though he loved her, why would he tell her information that would put him in danger? So, how much did Good REALLY know about him? She wasn't sure of that.

"I k-know his n-ame because I w-worked with h-him. I saw h-his face," She touched beside her eyes. "I-I've been w-with the f-force since t-the third Kira appeared, a-and then he was a-apprehended. L-like I said, a-ask anyone." She flinched a bit, "I-I would never k-kill him! I-I dislike killing, i-it's wrong! It's w-why I wanted t-to help in the f-first place. I've h-had a Death Note s-since I was 16...a-and have never o-once used it. It's e-empty."

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[Mello]

Mello's teeth continued to grit together until it pained him. His now hostile, calculating expression bore down into her like a temperamental dog staring down an invading feline. The muscles in his arms remained tight and prepared, as if ready to lash out again at any second. Chocolate couldn't even sooth the irritated nerves now. What reason did he have to believe anything she said? So many parts of him just wanted to write her off as an obsessive and part of him wanted her to be Kira even, but he knew that the first theory was impossible now. Good had let too much out for that to be suitable anymore. She knew L for sure, but just how irked him. Still, as much as he violently fought it, Mello had a sinking feeling that part of him wanted to believe that he was hearing the truth in full. Why was pretty obvious.

If she wasn't lying to him like so many people are doing nowadays, then there was something left of L Lawliet with the living, other than himself and Near. There was a strange twinge of emotion he didn't dare to name whenever he found his gaze drifting back to Hisaye's face. Mihael knew well enough that the resemblance to his late mentor was the reason, but that doesn't mean he has to appreciate it. Maybe, just maybe, if Hisaye was the child of L, then perhaps that annoying emotion may be fully justified. But just because L had loved Good, doesn't mean that Mello has to like her. In fact, so far, she was just pissing him off.

The interrogator made a face at her first comment. To him, it sounded like she was trying to kiss his ass. That slid off his shoulders rather quickly as he moved on to rip apart the rest of her words. First of all, it sounded like she was more than ready to prepare an alibi for herself. Then, it scattered into a self-evaluation rant that Mello rather not hear. It was only after Good mentioned Hisaye's safety that he felt some actual evidence fall into place. She was right, it'd be stupid to lie about something like that. Unless, of course, Good was affiliated with Kira and was using that story and information as bait. If that was true, Mello had a sinking feeling that she had succeeded.

When she mentioned killing, Mihael couldn't help but curl his lips into a skeptic smirk. "Yeah, killing isn't right," he began. "But it gets real easy after you keep telling yourself you need to over and over again," A bitter taste rose into his mouth when he realized that he did know what he was talking about. He quickly changed his train of thought. "I can't exactly believe your story unless I see those blank pages," The smirk vanished instantly. "Well, most of your story at least,"

Without thinking, Mello found himself moving closer to Good and Hisaye. For the second time today, he found himself caught in a swarm of fading memories. He stopped more than an arm's length away from mother and child, softened his gaze ever so subtly, and looked down at the infant. His voice automatically dropped from a sharp hiss to a gruff murmur. "It is the truth, isn't it? This girl can't be anything other than L's daughter..."

[Sorrow]

His gaze made her shrink back and her body shiver. Good had no idea what "sucking up" was. She just knew she was supposed to agree - it was how she was taught. And if she had said something that could seem like an insult and offend others, she was to repair it. It was merely the way she was. She had never even heard the phrase called sucking up before in her life. To keep from crumbling into a hysteria of shuddering and shivering, Good looked down at Hisaye. Her peaceful face soothed the nervous woman. It drew a soft smile to her lips and she shifted her arms so she held Hisaye more comfortably. The little girl was staring up at her, smiling. As if she were proud of her mother for speaking up. Good felt happy that her daughter was proud of her...

His mention of killing made her look back at him. She had a slight look of defeat in her eyes, wondering if she'd ever get to him. Then he mentioned her Death Note and she nodded. Under the black part that rested atop her shirt was where the Death Note was. Usually Good kept it under both articles of clothing but not today. He was coming closer and she wondered what for. To get a better look at Hisaye or to get her Death Note? He was coming to see Hisaye. Good let him see her as he was suddenly not as threatening looking as he had been.

"Mn." Hisaye seemed to answer him. The little girl's eyes shifted toward him, staring at him. Another smile spread across her face, showing how her mother's innocence had seeped into her genes. Then the smile would disappear to the emotionless stare that he would be accustomed to. Then she curled up to her mother, gripping her mother's red shirt and blinking. The fabric...she stuck it in her mouth for a split second. Then spit it out. A look of disguist crossed her face.

Good had actually found that amusing. She couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. Then she quickly stopped it and reached for her Death Note. Taking out the white book, she looked at it. Then opened it up with one hand while cradling Hisaye in her other arm. She began to flip through it and prove that she had never written in her notebook.

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