Valen paced apprehensively as she waited for Light. He was supposed to be coming over for a 'school project'. She rubbed her arms nervously. She had given him a false identity, for she was on L's investigation team, and couldn't afford to be killed. Light had found out about her big secret; she, too, had a Death Note. She was torn between the two opposing forces. Following Light around and killing those that got in his way was her pasttime after her day job of investigator. L had no idea, and she kept him ignorant of everything she knew. Oh, sure, she told him bits and pieces, but only after time progressed enough that it'd have minimal impact on Kira. But L was just as brilliant as Kira, and came very close to discovering the identity of him. She'd subtley swerve him off course, lest her 'investment' be lost. Valen was behind Kira the whole way, thinking that he had the perfect plan for this corrupt world. But she had distant relatives on the team, and they called her in for help. Besides, she thought that this was the best opportunity to find out who L really was. She didn't count on it being her long lost friend. Her shinigami, Shade, was watching her restlessness. When she had found his Death Note, it had absorbed into her body. That's when Shade showed up, gawking. Apparently, the loss of his Death Note was not a part of his plans. A family sitting on a bench eyed her warily, and she glared at them violently. They must have had something very pressing scheduled for the rest of the day, for they very suddenly got up and left. "You know, that male has quite a long life span. Do you think you could...?" Shade trailed off. Valen turned her baleful glare on him. "No innocents, Shade! Why do you keep asking?" They were waiting under a pavilion in a local park. Shade grumbled slightly, but didn't press the matter. "You humans are so interesting!" Came a hissing, amused voice. Valen stiffened, then turned around. It was the brown haired Light, looking oh-so casual, as he were meeting a friend. A dark figure landed behind him, and Valen greeted, "Hello, Yagami, Ryuk. What do you need from your 'humble servant'?" Her whispering voice was ever so mocking, to herself and others. Light appraised her. Ryuk gave a friendly wave to her. He normally didn't act so sociable to people, but she was just as much a freak as he was. Freaks stick together, don't they? Light got his irked look again; it usually came into play when he found out he didn't know something. "So you can see him? Good, that saves me a trip for my Death Note," he commented wryly. "Why don't we start out on how you got your Death Note?" Valen shook her head, biting her lip. "Light, just accept the fact that I have one and get over it. There's no way that I'm going to spill out my guts just because you asked. Though that does help alot," she bit out, looking much like a cornered wolf. "Do you want me to kill you?" Light demanded, getting straight to the point. Valen shook her head vigorously, causing her silver hair to cascade down her shoulders in gentle waves. "Then it'd be best to tell me." She was still silent. Light knew she wasn't going to reveal her secrets to him just yet. "Hm. Well, to gain your trust, why don't you become my partner?" he offered unexpectedly. "Did you just say...?" she started, but he quickly cut in, "It'll be simply platonic, nothing to worry about." his assurance sounded so confident, but she knew better. "Light, I can't. I've pulled you further into this too fast too far. I will keep helping Kira, have no doubts about that. But I will from afar." she declined regretfully. "Huh! I thought that childhood sweethearts were supposed to give anything up for their signifigant other. This isn't as amusing when there's no dramatics." Ryuk proclaimed, disappointed. "You're connected to L more tightly that I figured." Light murmured, ignoring Ryuk. "Oh, yes! You have no idea. I'm not bound to L directly, though. Just to two particular people on his task force." Valen backed away slowly. "I'm sorry, Light. I will protect your secret, don't worry about that. Good bye, until I find a more permanent solution for this." She ran down the street, back to the hotel. Slamming the door behind her, she plopped onto the sofa with a sigh. "Any leads?" L asked, not taking his eyes away from the computer screen. "Nope. Not one. I think I'm slipping in my old age." she replied, stretching. "This isn't good. It seems that Kira is thinking farther into the future than I thought. Valen, tell me, what are the chances of Light Yagami being Kira?" She thought about it. "It went from 10%-15% to 5%-3%. Yagami is also a part of the investigation team, you know. You've told him straight to his face that there's a possibility of him being Kira. If that were the case, then why hasn't he high-tailed it out of here already?" "Yes, your logic actually makes sense this time-" "Hey!" "and it is a valid point. But you didn't lower it to 0%." he continued smoothly, glancing at her languid form on his sofa. "I've told you, unless he's entirely in the clear, I'm not going to put him there. There's always a chance of him being Kira, but who am I to tell you if he's innocent or guilty? You're going to need more viewpoints than mine." L thought about that for a moment. Valen watched him expectantly. The silence stretched out for far too long. "L, what is it?" she asked him apprehensively. "Valen, you still don't remember anything about your past, correct?" he answered with another question. Oh, no. That can't be good. "No. Everything's blank up to us meeting at the orphanage. Why do you ask?" His brow furrowed. "L, what's going on? Something's bothering you, and I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong." she pressed worriedly. "Valen..." he hesitated, his normally stoic mask cracked, "I have very good reason to believe that Kira will kill you next. That, or coercion may be used to bring you to his side. You are a jack-of-all-trades, and he would probably stop at nothing to either eliminate you or get you to switch sides." She stared at him, hard. "What are you implying, Ryuzaki?" she demanded heatedly. "...Where do your loyalties really lie, Valenrya? Can I trust you not to fall in the face of temptation?" he elaborated. Valen jumped up. "How can you even think that I could betray you? L Lawliet, you're pathetic." She had called him by his full name, something she hasn't done in over ten years. He was unfazed. "Still, I need to know-" Valen stormed out of the room in a fury that quickly turned into delight. Once in the safety of her bathroom, she let out a little giggle. It was the perfect opportunity. She stepped into the shower, and a pen made it's way into her hand. A maniacal grin played across her lips. Oh, yes, now she'd be free. She'd be the one with all of the playing pieces. She'd no longer be the pawn for anyone else. She would be the master manipulator, the pawn-player. Everyone'd be a playing piece. Including herself. Her sleeve slid up her arm, and writing was soon on her pale flesh:
Aizawa Tsukomi, Five Twenty-Three P.M., suicide. He and one other relative of a female task force investigator break into her room and shoot at her. She disarms them, but they pull out knives. They cut her up severely, but not enough to quickly kill her. They realize what they tried to do to their relative and gut eachother in dispair.
Valen grinned tightly, locked her door, and waited patiently, sitting on the bed. The alarm clock turned to 5:23 P.M. Right on time, the policemen broke in the door. Aizawa and Tatsuki came in, guns at the ready. Their eyes were blank, and they fired. They missed, and she kicked the guns out of their hands. As written, they pulled out knives. She held her arms out expectantly. The pain was horrible, but it didn't last long, for the adrenaline rush numbed her. She heard footsteps, and stepped up onto her desk once they were close enough. She crashed out of her window in a shower of glass. Tumbling and stumbling, she pushed herself to absorb the adrenaline so she could reach her destination. A plain, neat-looking house was up ahead. The door opened as soon as she reached it, and she fell forward. She landed into the chest of a shocked Light Yagami. Tears fell from her eyes in sparkles, and blood splurted onto his white shirt. "Who's there?" his mother called in from the kitchen. "Nobody, Mom," he replied hurriedly, "The wind must have blown something into the door." He wrapped Valen in a thick blanket, both to keep the blood off the floor and to keep her temperature healthy. He hit against the door, as if somebody was attempting to get the attention of somebody inside. An aggravated sigh was heard from the other room. "Hold on a minute, I'll be right there." yelled. Light pulled the both of them behind a corner, and waited until she came to the door. He slipped the both of them past when she answered the door, and looked in the kitchen. His sister had her back turned, playing a video game. He was almost up the stairs when he heard her young voice call, "Hey, whatcha got there?" Valen gave him a final, pain-filled glance before going limp. She had given his leg a slight touch, signalling that she was faking. "Huh? Oh, this. It's a prop for one of those operas that the Theatrics group asked me to create." he lied conversationally. "Oh, wow! It looks so real. Can I touch it?" his sister asked excitedly. "No, sis. It's very delicate. Maybe when I'm done with it." he denied. "Oh, okay!" she replied brightly, then turned her attention to the homework she was supposed to be doing. Light made haste and took her to his room. "Valen, what happened to you?" he asked gently, setting her on the bed. "I did it. I cut all ties that I've ever had to the Kira investigation team. For now, and at a high price." she whispered painfully. Ryuk appeared, and Shade followed. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" Ryuk asked, curiously sniffing at her blood. "Go ahead, have a taste. It's not like I'm going to be needing it soon." she breathed. His long tongue snaked out an poked her bloodied belly. He sputtered and tried to wipe his tongue clean. The sight of him pulling his tongue out and out while scraping it was comical, causing Valen to chuckle lowly. Then she started coughing. Light helped her into a sitting position, and made her face away from him. He got up for a minute, then returned to his spot behind her. He assisted her with taking off her shirt and started cleaning the gashes and cuts with antiseptic. She hissed in pain, but did nothing to hinder him. He wrapped up her torso, then turned her around again. "All right, now it's time to work on your arms." he tried to soothe her, but the pain was too much. She only whimpered slightly, for a full-out scream would give her away to his family. "Good thing I convinced L to remove the cameras and taps, huh?" she commented. Light laughed at her attempt at hiding her pain. Shade was murmuring into her ear, comforting her in any way he can. "Light," shouted up, "Misa's here to see you." "Damn," he muttered, "Now's not the time." Valen cracked open an eye. "Did you say Misa? Don't worry, we know eachother. She practically worships the ground I walk on." she assured him lazily. "Send her up," Light called down. There was a flurry of footsteps up the stairs, and a familiar blond girl appeared. "Light!" she cried, and almost jumped onto him. But, just in time, she noticed the bloodied form laying behind him. "Misa," Valen called in a sing-song voice, "come here, my darling. How are you?" Misa's blue eyes widened infinitismally, and she rushed over to her side. "Oh, Valen, no. Not again. Who did this to you? I swear, I'll kill them!" Valen patted her on the head. "Ah, lovely, lovely Misa. I missed you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who did this. But it doesn't matter, because my hero Light saved me. Isn't that romantic?" Light looked at her sharply. What was this? Was she trying to weasel him out of the farce of a relationship that Misa kept forcing on him? Her expression betrayed nothing, even though there was a humorous sparkle in her eye. Shade was looking irritatedly at Ryuk, whom was holding his tongue outstretched with a crestfallen expression. "What's wrong this time?" he asked acidly. Ryuk returned his tongue and said, "Her blood tastes freaking awful. It looks like human blood, but it tastes like shinigami. Could she be...? She's half shinigami!" Everybody stared at Valen. She shrugged helplessly, ignoring the pain. "No shit. Well, it'd explain a lot." she mumbled, dazed. "Could that be why you can't remember your childhood?" Misa wondered. Shade was grinning madly, and was just about dancing around the room with Ryuk. "But isn't it wonderful that he stole your heart, too? There's no one better I'd rather share you with!" Misa gushed. When her attention was distracted, Valen gave Light a horrified and mortified look. Shade had stopped dancing and was looking on with a slightly disgusted expression. Ryuk was completely oblivious. "Oh, yes," Valen said slowly. "I couldn't have wished for anything better." Misa didn't hear, for she went off on one of her tirades on how devoted she was to Light. Something glinted in his eye. Dread filled Valen. It was the look he got when he decided to eliminate someone. Misa was like a little sibling to Valen, no matter what delusions she had about the three-way between her, Valen, and Light. There was no way that she was going to allow Light to kill her off. "If any harm comes to Misa, I will kill you, Light Yagami." a ghostly, velvet voice came from behind Misa. A pale figure arose, and the yellow eyes that glared out seemed fathomless. "I know the date of her death, and if she dies before then, I will write your name in my Death Note." That voice seemed so familiar... Memories bubbled over into her conciousness.
"Ryuk? Ryuk! Where are you, you dumb shinigami! I'm lost!" A little girl cried, skipping amidst the piles of bones and skulls. Ryuk took her here often, to this world she didn't know. She had lots of fun here, but he always seemed to traipse off into another direction while she teased the other shinigami. She felt something wrap around her tiny body, and she was pulled into a cave. It was another shinigami, a ghost-white one. He had light grey hair, and had a mummey wrap covering his right eye. The visible eye was ochre yellow, an his long arms seemed like spinal cords with hands attached. His mouth was purple, and was turned in neither smile nor frown. "Who're you?" she asked politely, not knowing if she should trust him or not. "I'm Rem. You shouldn't shout like that. You sound human, and some shinigami attack first and ask questions later. Who are you?" She smiled the moment she heard his voice. "Hello. I'm Valenrya. Thank you for telling me. I just wish that idiot Ryuk wouldn't leave me all alone like this." Valenrya folded her arms and sat on the bony ground. She picked up a skull, glanced at it disinterestedly, then threw it over her shoulder. Rem sat in front of her and waited for her to speak. "Do you know why the shinigami keep running off at a moment's notice?" she asked curiously. Rem nodded. "One of the shinigami, Gelus, died just recently." he answered. "How? I thought that shinigami couldn't die!" she gasped. Rem's lips twitched; it was the closest thing to a smile she'd seen on his handsome Death God's face yet. "No, only the King of Shinigami is even remotely close to immortality. One of the known ways to kill a shinigami is for him or her to fall in love with a human and take action to extend that human's life. That's what Gelus did. I'm going to take his Death Note to the human he sacrificed himself for. It's only fitting, after all." Valen lowered her eyes. "Oh, I remember him. He was the one that looked like a mismatched doll, right? He always used to look so sad, but he was really sweet. I'm sorry. It must be hard. I mean, you guys live so long with only eachother, and you'd be so used to them always being around. But then they disappear. I'm so sorry." Rem tilted his head and gazed at her speculatively. "Valenrya, you have a date of death. Only humans have those. But you're in the shinigami realm, so you can't be human. What are you, if I'm not being rude for asking?" She smiled and shrugged easily. "I don't know. Nobody does. And no, you're not being rude. You've been the soul of courtesy so far." was her response. Rem looked puzzled. "Did you originally come from the human world?" he asked helpfully. "No, I don't think so. I don't think that I came from here, either, though. It's so confusing... I remember being in an orphanage in the human world, and Ryuk was always there. He'd take me here for extended periods of time." Valenrya replied doubtfully. He thought for a long moment. "How long are the intervals that he'd have you here for?" Valen considered it. "Well, so far, it has been two intervals of about... five human years. Give or take a few years. Why?" she asked anxiously. "Valenrya," he said softly, "you've stopped aging because you've been here so long. You're supposed to be a young adult in the human world. Here, you have the body of a ten year old. It isn't healthy for you. Your mind will be that of a ten year old for the rest of your life. When Ryuk returns, tell him to take you back. Your body will age properly, and maybe you can come back once you reach your real age. If you're grown up, then you won't have to worry about not aging. But this is not good for you at all." She lowered her gaze again. "...How long will it take for me to reach my proper age?" she murmured quietly. "Not long at all. Once you reach it, you'll be stuck at that age for awhile. But I'm not absolutely sure, for I don't know exactly what you are." he answered, his soft voice imprinting on her brain. They turned to less serious topics, and Rem kept her mind off of worse things. "Ryuk should be here soon," Valen proclaimed, breaking a short period of silence. Rem nodded. "It was nice meeting you. You make pleasant company, though you tend to ask too many questions. I'd like to have another meeting with you once and awhile." he stated honestly. She smiled, then turned it into a grin. "So do I. We have a lot to talk about, don't we?" she agreed. "Yes." Valen laughed a silvery laugh. "Well, then, we have no choice, now, do we? It's only fitting, after all." He graced her with one of his rare smiles. She heard the tell-tale sign of Ryuk, wind howling through trees. She saw him float over and grumble, "Well, atleast she's smart. If she'd stayed outside, I might have had a fight on my hands." She turned back to Rem, but he had disappeared. "Ryuk," she sang, "How do you feel about a little trip to the human world...?"
Valen emerged from her lost memories, and hissed as the pain resurfaced. She turned her black-and-blood gaze to meet yellow, who returned the gaze with surprising intensity. "Rem.....?"