The streets were damp, dark, and dirty. Light wrinkled his nose in disgust as he picked his way through the trash, trying not to look like... well, like he was picking his way through the trash. He sucked in a deep breath and finally allowed himself to trudge through as if he didn't care, mentally wincing as he sloshed through a puddle of unknown substance.

The two men who led him through the grimy alleys were strange in their own right. The blonde, who introduced himself as Mello- though Light had heard the other quietly call him 'Mihael' as they spoke to each other, which was quickly admonished- was clad entirely in black leather and had been munching in a seemingly endless supply of chocolate the entire time. Where he kept pulling out fresh chocolate bars from was lost on Light, as the leather was skin tight, but he didn't really care to find out. The other simply went by Matt. He had short red hair that stuck out around the strap of a strange-looking pair of goggles. His striped black and white shirt seemed out of place in the dark atmosphere. Even more out of place was the ancient, bright red game boy he had never once looked up from, even while talking privately to Mello.

"So... Raito," Mello began between bites, "You never did tell us... why you're here."

Light hunched his shoulders and shrugged. It was stupid giving them the Japanese translation of his name, but he had used it so often before he became well-known that it just slipped out. "There's profit to be made in the underworld, isn't there?"

"If it's profit you're after, why not stick to the human black market?" demanded Matt, fingers all but a blur on the controls. Again, Light shrugged.

"Answer the damn question," Mello snarled. "You don't get involved in the underworld just on a whim. You got a reason or what?"

Light looked him up and down. The scars on his face and neck showed he was not born a werewolf, but there were no marks on his arms or hands. He hadn't fought back; hadn't even defended himself.

"And what about you? What were your reasons?" he wondered coolly. The chocolate froze halfway to Mello's mouth. His lips curled into a snarl, revealing a set of vicious, pointed teeth. Matt's fingers froze and he stared at Light with wide eyes.

"Mello," Matt said quietly, and the blonde's attention snapped to his friend. Then he pulled a gun from his back pocket, strode towards Light and pressed it to his forehead.

"Fine," he growled. "Keep your reasons to yourself. But you're going to have to prove yourself."

Light refused to flinch or even blink. No- damn. He did just blink. He wouldn't flinch, though. "How?"

Mello grinned a wicked smile made all the more disturbing by the pointed teeth. He took a bite of chocolate and chewed slowly, twisting the barrel of the gun against Light's temple. "You said you've got sixth sense, right?"

"Several types, yes."

"Including foresight."

"Yes. Particularly when it relates to the underworld."

"Anything special about to happen?"

"In approximately five minutes, a young vampire will be attacked by a drunk human male. Why is this significant?"

"Because you're going to stop it," said Matt, who had resumed his game. Mello's grin widened and he backed away a step, removing the gun from his temple and shoving it into Light's hands.

"And you're going to kill that human."

~X~X~

A pale form tumbled out into the dark alley. It crashed against a brick wall and sat up, thoroughly confused. Messy black hair fell over obsidian eyes that it tried to brush away, but they just slid back into place. It's first thought was not 'where am I?', 'how did I get here?' or even 'who am I?'- which all would have been appropriate as the creature could not recall the answer to any of these questions- but rather, I'm hungry. I wonder where I can get some food... maybe something sweet. Then the other questions entered his mind and he almost, but not quite, forgot about his first thought. He stood up on shaky legs, after taking a few moments to recall how to stand. He took one step and toppled over, falling headfirst against a dumpster. This, apparently, was going to take awhile.

He was glad, at least, that nobody was around to see him in this weakened state. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like someone would take advantage of him here rather than help him. Perhaps it was merely the dark, but the feeling was strong and persistent. He wanted out of here as soon as possible.

A gust of wind blew a crumpled flyer in front of him, and without thinking he reached out and snatched it up. It advertised a coming play, See Your Name in Lights. He stared at that middle word. What is my name?

He decided it would be better to make one up than go around with no name at all. He scanned the flyer but no word called out to him as a suitable name.

Maybe just a letter. I can say it's my initial.

He closed his eyes and ran his fingers around the page, stopping randomly. When he looked, his finger hovered above the large capital letter L. He shrugged. It was as good as any letter, he supposed.

A door opened and slammed closed, followed by the erratic footsteps of a clearly drunken man. L immediately shrank into the shadows, afraid of his own vulnerability. He closed his eyes tight and silently urged the man to go away and leave him alone. The loud crash of a glass bottle shattering against the bricks to his right informed him that his telepathic efforts had failed.

"Well, well, well. What we got here?"

The man stumbled forward and grinned nastily. L pressed his back against the wall and whimpered. Thoughts flooded his head that were definitely not his own- his own face dripping with blood, shirt off, rough hands pressed against milky smooth skin, how good it would feel to- no! Those were not his thoughts, he realized, but the other man's. He plans to rape me.

"No!" he yelled, trying to push the man away, but his arms were weak and the man just laughed, his breath rank with alcohol and rotting teeth.

"Come on, pretty little night king," he whispered, his words hot against L's ear. "Bite me. Fight back. It's no fun if you don't."

L closed his eyes tight and said nothing, drawing his legs close against his chest and shielding his face with his arms. The man growled in anger, grabbed a fistful of L's hair and spat in his face. His chapped lips crushed his mouth, tongue forcing its way in and exploring his mouth like it was his own property. L gasped for air, tried to wipe the feeling of violation from his mouth but then it was back again, making him gag.

He fell back against the rough brick and felt a calloused hand sneaking up his shirt, catching on his smooth skin. He tried to run away, but he was trapped between the wall and the dumpster, and the attempt only earned him a hard slap on the cheek and another rough kiss. L bit the inside of his cheek and tasted blood.

Oh please God no. The words came to his mind unbidden; he couldn't remember if he had ever believe in God or not but right now he would pray to anything that would get him out of this alley and away from the hand that undid the button and snuck down his pants. Another bursts of thoughts that weren't his own- how smooth his creamy skin was, how good is would feel to have L's perfect little mouth on his cock.

The hand from L's chest moved to undo his own pants and slide them down to his ankles. L struggled, but it was no use. He screamed, but the man just laughed, a cruel, broken sound.

"Come on, my sweet. I'll give you a lollipop to suck on."

L closed his eyes and turned his head, keeping his lips pursed together. The man stroked his soft, messy black hair with dirty hands, then grabbed a fistful of raven locks and shoved his face closer.

Footsteps ran down the alley, but they seemed a mile away. L didn't dare let himself hope that they would come for him.

With a snarl, a beast leapt out of nowhere and crashed against the man, knocking him away from L. The man's fingers twisted and pulled and then released as he was dragged further away, and L cried out in pain. The beast dug its teeth into the man's shoulder and he screamed. L found he took a perverse sense of pleasure from the man's tortured yell, even as he was paralyzed in fear.

A gunshot rang out, echoing through the alley in a deadly silence, and the man was quiet. L didn't dare open his eyes; he had no idea what was waiting for him. Someone else's thoughts intruded on his own.

-God, this pathetic creature is a vampire? I could almost feel sympathy for something so darkly... beautiful...-

There was disdain but no malice in the thought, and L thought it safe to risk opening his eyes. The most gorgeous man he had ever imagined stood before him, gun hanging loosely at his side. L didn't have much memory to base this comparison on, but that fact didn't sway his opinion. His eyes were narrowed with mild annoyance as he glared at a leather-clad blonde who stood up, shrugging off the bloody corpse.

"Was that really necessary?" he demanded. Yes, thought L. Whatever he did, it was completely necessary.

"You're the one with foresight, Raito. You tell me."

Raito? Was that Japanese for Light? L wasn't sure how he knew that. A redheaded boy stood half in shadow, punching buttons on a small red box.

"You might want to actually ask the vamp if he's alright."

Raito didn't move, only glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Mello approached slowly.

-I hate vampires. So arrogant. But this one seems different. I... I want to protect him, somehow.-

L would have to learn how to control this ability to read minds and intentions. He could use it to his advantage, to protect himself.

"You okay?"

L nodded slowly. What a dumb question. He was almost raped. Of course he wasn't 'okay'.

~X~X~

Kira: Aw, L didn't get raped!

Haydn: You wanted him to raped?

Kira: Yeah! Rape is fun!

Haydn: ...

Kira: Don't even think about it.

Ler: Geez, Tash, your first lime and it's not even a pairing!

Kira: Yeah, it's better than a pairing! It's rape!

Jael: I can't believe you're writing this.

Kira: Psh. You and Haydn are next.

Jael: Oh, God.

Haydn: ...

Kira: Everyone shut up! Let her write the next one. I want yaoi this time, dammit!

Ler: Tash, the people who live in your head are scaaary O.O

Annotations within the story: L didn't dare let himself hope that they would come for him. Kira: hehe... come for him XD Light: *facepalm*

~ So I hope y'all enjoyed my first fanfiction! Okay, so it's technically not my first. I've helped my sister write some of hers, but this is the first one I wrote all by myself. Please forgive any OOC-ness, as I am only on book four of DN and haven't actually met Mello or Matt yet O.O All I know about them I gleaned from other fanfictions. And yet, they're my favorite pairing right now XD

Flames will simply not be tolerated. If they are anonymous, they will be deleted. If not, I shall rally up my posse to flame all of YOUR stories, and send you a strongly-worded reply that is guaranteed to make you feel like dog crap. So don't flame :D

Like my sis, I'm horrible about updating. For the life of me I cannot put myself on any kind of schedule. As Ara says, 'the words come when the words come.' Well, they come even less often now, as some of them have to go to helping Ara write our novel :D I hope you guys will stick with me through my erratic schedule.

All my fics here and forevermore are beta'd by my lovely twin sister Ara, who requested I leave her fanfiction username out of this story, because my spelling is the worst you've ever seen, and hers is impeccable.

We're both review whores, too, so please, please, PLEASE, REVIEW! ~