Restitution: Angels and Demons

by Author of Scifi

He was smothered in darkness. Not a sort of sharp darkness where you can define shapes, but a darkness that smothers you to death by the absence of anything and everything comforting.

I've seen a lot of similar oneshots similar to this with L and Light and L and B, but never with B and Light. Rather interesting concept, really.

I've really been wanting to do a Light and B oneshot for a while… and when I started this one I literally wasn't even thinking about it, lol. I opened up Word and I just started typing even though I meant to work on Beyond the Murder Cases. It must be meant to be!

That or I'm just crazy…

Yes, I'm just crazy.

Anyway, enjoy the randomness that I didn't even know I was going to write until after I started writing it.

There is also more violence in this story than in my normal stories, so... just a warning if you're one of my loyal readers/reviewers.

Restitution

Light's eyelids snapped open. Where was he?

He was smothered in darkness, for one thing. Not the kind of sharp darkness where you can define shapes; a smothering darkness, one that was almost humid with black, no definable shapes. It felt as if you were being crushed by the absence of anything and everything comforting. After he came over the initial shock, he realized he was lying on his back, tied to something, hands and feet tied to something. He tried to move them and yelped in pain. There were sharp little knives imbedded in the fibers. He whimpered as something warm and viscous crept down his arms. His own blood, judging from the sharp pains that originated from his wrists. If I move too much I might slit my wrists and bleed to death…

Instead of moving, he stayed perfectly still, and mentally checked himself. Everything seemed intact, nothing was broken. He could think clearly, but he was very hungry and his throat was painfully dry. He tried to swallow but found his mouth was ridiculously dry as well. Sweat dripped down his face even though the room was almost uncomfortably cold, making him feel clammy. Am I… afraid? The god of the new world?! His heart rate sped up considerably and his breathing sped up. Whoever it is that dares to imprison me shall face my… he yelped and shut his eyes as a blinding light suddenly filled his eyes. After laying there for several seconds, eyes slammed shut, he tentatively opened them.

He now saw that he was laying on an old, bloodstained, wooden torture rack. He gulped. Who would…? Surely not L! His other surroundings were rather Spartan. A single wooden stool stood beside him, almost like a mocking guardian. The walls were concrete, stained with red, the floor was old wooden planks that looked like they had never been waxed. A few jam jars were thrown haphazardly into a corner, small spots of dried jam visible on them.

Light turned his head and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a small table a few feet away from him. There were three knives on it (one was rusty, the other razor sharp and gleaming eerily, the other serrated), a scalpel, a small can of something and a box of matches. A familiar odor hit Light's nostrils. Gasoline.

Light jerked his head around, thinking he heard a sound. Had he…?

Kiiii….

Light panted faster and faster. What?

Rrrrr….aaaaaa…

Kiiii…..rrrrrr….aaaaa….

Light licked his lips and tried to shut out the incessant moaning. It was almost mocking, haughty, as if rubbing in his face that his identity was no longer a secret. Kiiiirrraaa… Kiiirrraa…

Light squeezed his eyes shut and willed the night to be over. It must be a bad dream, it must… mustn't it?

Warm, moist air that bathed Light's face. He winced and opened his eyes.

He screeched and started squirming and fighting against the restraints, but the only result was him cutting his hands and feet even more, staining the wooden rack with fresh blood. He stopped moving and stared at the person who was hovering above him with such a familiar expression; the blank, deadpan face of L.

"L? L? L?! What… why… you… this isn't like you!" Light barely knew what he was saying. All he knew was that L was standing above him, calmly watching as he squirmed and twisted helplessly, merely mutilating himself.

"No, this isn't like L at all. Is it?"

Light remained silent, mostly terrified, and very confused, but too terrified to even focus on his confusion.

He gasped as a hand with sharp nails slapped his face, leaving four streaks of blood on his face. "I asked a question. This isn't like L, is it?"

"No!" Light cried out, gasping, still shocked by the contact. Sure, he and L had fought before, but this was so different… no, it was so different it didn't even merit comparison.

"Then it is the job of the backup to do that which the original is afraid to do. Wouldn't you agree?"

"W-who are you?"

Another harsh slap. Four more red lines. "Did I ask you to say anything?"

"N-no."

"Well, I'll grace you with an answer anyway. My name is… well, I have many, actually. You can just call me Ryuzaki."

Light shuddered. Was this man really L? What was that 'backup' business he was talking about?

"Who I am is much more complicated. I am a fallen angel. A demon constructed from forced morals and forced principals which are crushed and replaced by a kind of obsession that leads one to throw his own life away to hell. Or at least attempt to. I am he who follows behind the great Archangel, learning his secrets, and preparing an assault to wipe him from existence and seat myself on his throne. A demon who follows in the Archangel's wake, ready and willing to do the dirty work that the Archangel's clean hands refuse to delight in. Such as the torture, humiliation, and finally killing of the world's greatest hypocrite; the one who is Kira."

During this monologue, Ryuzaki hadn't even given the helpless man who lay before him a glance. Now he turned his burning ebony eyes onto him who lay helpless, and grinned sadistically. Light tried to turn his head away, but Ryuzaki's strong hand grabbed his chin and yanked it towards himself so Light could see him clearly.

"I am the Archdemon, the copy of the Archangel, meant to merely be a backup, but not content to resign myself to such a fate, I took matters into my own hands. I turned my hands red with blood, then attempting to erase my sin through fire, but failed utterly." Ryuzaki chuckled menacingly.

"Of course, all that was a grand metaphor. The Archangel is L, who of course is no angel, merely a human, and the Archdemon is me, who of course is no demon, but maybe a Death God."

"D-d-death God? Shinigami?"

Ryuzaki, deciding against slapping him again, nodded. "Why yes, Yagami Light. You are familiar with these beings, yes?"

Although Light was petrified, he knew that he had to think rationally. This man might not know that he is Kira; thus, it was important not to give away that he actually was Kira. "Wh-what? Why would I be familiar with them? And how do you know my name?"

"I'll answer your last question first. Now, it would seem that if I knew you were Kira, I would have obviously found out your name. Still, I originally found your name by looking at you."

Shinigami eyes?! This man has a Death Note?! "How?"

"Ever heard of Shinigami eyes, Kira?"

"No! Never!"

"I'm sure you have. You might as well stop denying that you're Kira, Light. I have video evidence."

"I'm not…!" Light's words caught in his throat. "Wait, what? How is that possible?"

"After L took out the cameras from your house, I took the liberty of installing one right near your desk. How I got in without anyone noticing is irrelevant. I had to know for sure that you were Kira before I decided to expend energy drugging and capturing you. I'll have you know that the man you've been around for the past couple of days have actually been me, and not L. L has been around here for a couple of miserable days, but he's going to live through this experience. You, however, will not."

"W-w-what?! How is L here? How did you switch his place?"

"Simple really. He's almost always alone at night now that you two are not chained together. Since I look so much like L, it was a cinch to get past security. After rerouting the security cameras' circuits, I slipped into his room, drugged him, brought him here, stole his clothes, and came back, assuming his place. The demon took the place of the angel; and no one in heaven noticed."

"But… but… I noticed nothing different the past few days!"

"That's because I'm am a very good copy."

Light was curious about this, but he had more important things to focus on right now. Such as if this man did have a Death Note, then he might be able to strike up a deal with him. Perhaps Light's forfeiting of his Death Note and all memories of it if this man just wanted to be the next Kira? If he didn't have a Not… well, he had Shinigami eyes. He must have a Death Note. However, he had to make sure that he actually had been filmed and it wasn't just a bluff. "I want to see the footage! There must be some mist-…"

B had already left. "Ryuzaki? Ryuzaki!"

He came back carrying a small TV and a remote. He set it down, plugged it in and played the footage. What Light saw made his stomach turn.

He saw himself passively, peacefully writing names in the Death Note, no change of expression whatsoever. It was almost as if he was merely writing math problems. He was almost sickened by the fact that he could slaughter so many people without the slightest qualms. His time as Light without his memories as Kira had given him a fresh new perspective. After the excitement of his first kill (Higuchi, the Kira Rem had chosen), he had become nearly revolted by himself. During his time as Light (without his memories) he had gained a deep loathing of Kira, and when he became Kira again, that part of Light still remained. Now, seeing how truly peaceful he was when killing, how truly used to it he was… he tasted bile in his mouth, a bitter reflection of his abhorrence at what he was now seeing.

"Try and deny that evidence, Kira. All of those names were written before the criminals actually died. The first person's name who you wrote down died exactly forty seconds after you wrote it down; at least as exact as nothing but .0s out to the millionths place. Find a way to talk your way out of this."

"I-I…" Kira could find nothing to say. Light, however, wanted to break down and cry and apologize for his deeds. However, he pushed that side of him away and steeled himself in the persona of Kira; he would need it if he was going to survive this. Taking a deep steadying breath, he managed to let out what he hoped was a menacing chuckle. "Why yes, Ryuzaki. I am Kira. Don't you think it's a bit dangerous to have a god chained up like this?"

"First of all, you're tied up," said Ryuzaki with a slight grin as he shut off the TV. "Secondly, I know exactly how the Death Note works. Without it, you're nothing but a person who inherits the empty title of 'Kira' who hates himself deep inside, but often shuts that part out so you can continue your 'divine' work."

"You must have a Death Note as well, since you have Shinigami eyes."

"No." B looked Light up and down. He had to admit he liked… no, liked was too friendly a term… respected Light; even tied up and helpless, he attempted to bluff his way out, and despite initial displays of fear, which were perfectly natural, he was conducting himself much the way B would have if he had been in Kira's situation. Of course, B found the Death Note much to revolting to consider using it. It completely transcended all laws of nature. B figured that if you killed with your own hands, then the playing field was roughly even and the murder was justified. One reason why he found guns disgusting as well and opted to use knives. "I do not."

"How? Where's your Shinigami?"

"I've never had one."

"Then how do you have…"

"I was born with these," he said, pointing toward his ebony eyes, which now glinted with a slight red tint.

"How does that even work?"

"I don't know. I don't care. All I know is that it's a curse that makes me want to claw my eyes out."

"A curse?"

"How would you like to see the date of everyone's death? To see when your loved ones are going to die? To constantly be confronted with the fact of death? And not be able to do a thing about it?"

"It must be terrible."

Ryuzaki caught himself before he elaborated on how terrible it really was. What am I doing? Why am I telling Kira this? He's here to be broken, tortured, and killed. Of course, the reason was that, despite his attempts to hide it, B did realize he was human, and he had human feelings. It just felt good to actually be able to tell someone about his eyes and the pain they brought him. He growled at himself, angered that he had allowed himself to fall into the trap of his emotions.

"Nowhere near as terrible as the last few minutes of your life are going to be."

Ryuzaki shut off the footage and walked over to Light, sneering. He knew that Light, who had recently obtained his memories as Kira, would be having serious internal doubts about if he should continue as Kira or not. From what Ryuzaki had observed of Light, he knew that the Kira side would certainly prevail under normal circumstances, but not without a struggle. One reason why B had decided to infiltrate L's headquarters and go to all the extra trouble of disguising himself as L instead of merely drugging and taking Light away on the day he was destined to die. He wanted to get to know Light personally so he could figure out the most effective method of mental torture. The other reason was to prove to Light how similar he was to L and also to rub in Light's face that he was not a god; he could be fooled.

"Light… let me ask you something. What makes you more morally qualified than anyone else to be Kira?"

Light was surprised by the question. What? Why is he asking this? "The fact that my sense of justice is developed, I am extremely intelligent and I am strong enough to not be sucked into the allure of god-dom. I'm doing this merely to make the world a better place, and if I become a god by doing that, so be it."

"A god? You consider yourself… a god?" B's chuckle made Light wish he was alone again, back in the smothering darkness. "Yes."

Ryuzaki walked over to the table and picked up the shiny, non-serrated knife. He let it glint in the light then turned toward his victim. "If you're a god, then why are you afraid of this?"

He brought the knife down, pressed it lightly into the spot a few inches above the sternum right in the middle of the collarbone, and quickly yanked the knife downwards, cutting Light's shirt, then slitting the sleeves. B flipped the knife expertly and caught it with his other hand, then used his free one to take off Light's shirt. "If you're a god, why do you fear pain?" B gently dragged the knife up Light's stomach, then shoved the point under Light's chin, forcing Light's neck to arch painfully backwards. B kept the knife there, grinning as he heard Light's nervous panting and saw sweat dripping down his face. "You didn't answer my question. You're morally better because you have a sense of justice and are smarter and stronger than normal people. By that," he accentuated the word 'that' by shoving the upwards just hard enough to break Light's skin, "logic I could be Kira. Why are you morally superior to anyone? Than say, to L? No, wait. Give me a satisfactory answer to this and I'll let you go without harming you further. Why are you morally superior to me? The Archdemon." B took the knife out from under Light's chin.

Light was shaking. He felt warm drops of blood running down his sternum. So far, this crazy man hadn't done anything that bad to him yet; but he had a terrible feeling things were about to get a lot worse. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really realize why he was truly morally superior to anyone. What did make him better? He started shaking uncontrollably. But.. but those criminals deserved to die! "But… I only kill criminals!" he blurted. "Surely you realize that…!"

"Wrong answer." B thrust the knife through Light's bicep and twisted the knife harshly to left, then right, back and forth, three times. Light screamed as he felt his muscle being torn apart. He arched his back and tensed every muscled in his body, which just caused the pain in his arm to multiply dramatically.

He fell back onto the rack with a muffled muff . Tears of pain, rage, and terror ran down his face in rivers. With a sickeningly sweet smile, B yanked the knife out of Light's arm and trailed his free hand gently down from the large, painful wound to Light's wrist. He leaned down near Light ear and whispered, "Try again. Next time it's your leg." He stood straight and slouched slightly, perfectly still. He looked so much like L, from the his passive demeanor to his wild hair to his eyes that Light almost believed that he really was L, playing a dreadful, dreadful trick on him.

Light gasped as another wave of pain assaulted him; in all his life he had never been in more pain than right now. He whimpered as he felt the knife point slip a few centimeters into Light's leg. "Now, if I just stabbed your leg's flesh, it wouldn't hurt so much… however, when I hit bone it will get very, very painful. The knife slipped about a half a centimeter deeper into Light's leg. Tears still spilled and Light was desperately trying not to move so he could preserve his gravely injured arm. "I was making the world better! I was killing criminals! Crime rate has dropped I am god stop it please!" Light's words blended together and became an incoherent rush of sounds.

B sighed. The sigh itself wasn't disturbing; it was how calmly he sighed. It sounded as if he was sighing simply because he was exasperated with an unruly child or he was annoyed that a waiter had gotten his order wrong. He didn't sound or look disturbed at all about what he was doing; he didn't look like he was enjoying it either. It was almost as if this was just menial task that had to be done, like taking out the garbage. Light felt the knife tip hit bone. There it stopped. "One more chance. Why… are… you… morally…. superior… to… me?" Each word was accentuated by B adding slight pressure onto the knife. Light shuddered. The feeling of metal against his bone didn't hurt, it just felt… strange. "I…I guess there is nothing…" Light almost choked on his words, "that makes me morally superior to you…"

"That's right. You're just a normal human being. You feel love, hate, sorrow, and, most importantly…" B smirked slightly at Light. "Pain." He thrust the knife down into the bone as hard as possible. The knife was a specially designed titanium knife, almost as hard as diamond. It slipped into the bone with little coaxing. Then B started to rock the knife back and forth deep in the bone. Light screamed a bloodcurdling scream that B was sure L heard. Light's back arched and he yelled louder as the pain escalated when B reached the very sensitive marrow inside the femur. It felt as if someone took an ice cold claw, so cold that it burned, and was raking at Light's femur from the inside. B continued this for about ten more seconds, splintering the femur, then yanked the knife out and stared at Light, passive as ever, as Light's arched back relaxed and landed back on the board with a muff. No sounds came from Light. He had blacked out. How dull. B grabbed a towel from under the bed and lovingly wiped the blood off of his knife. Setting down the knife and taking the scalpel, he carved a 'B' into Light's chest, just to give him a little hint about who he really was. He set the scalpel down and left the room, heading over to where L was being held.

L was huddled in the corner of a shed, hands tied behind his back, feet bound by chains. His shirt and jeans was dirty and torn, his hair had lost its sheen and was limply hanging. His face was streaked with brown and red, and he had numerous cuts all over him; most of those had been inflicted when B had initially dragged him up a rocky slope to his hideout on the outskirts of Japanese society. Since then, B hadn't talked to or even looked at L. He had left a pan of clean water in the room just so L wouldn't die, and there was an unused bucket in the corner, but those were the only luxuries afforded to him. L had no idea who had taken him or why, and that fact must have frightened him more than anything. Now he turned his blood and dirt streaked face toward B. "You," he croaked, then he coughed and said more strongly, "You."

"Yes?" purred B.

"It's… you."

"You've said that three times now, L. Don't you have anything better to say?"

"What was that screaming?"

B sighed and shook his head slightly, amused. Considering L's situation right now, the revelation that his murderous, crazed successor was still alive, and the fact that he was tied up in a dark, dirty room in the middle of who knows where, and yet he still only worries about others… touching, Lawli. "That was me torturing your lover."

B wouldn't have thought L's complexion could have gotten any paler, but at that statement that theory was proved wrong. "My… lover?"

"Yes. Light. Or Kira, if you prefer."

L grunted and shifted into a position where he could look straight into B's obsidian eyes. In those eyes he saw a disturbing image; himself. The fact that he was looking at himself through the eyes of one who looked almost exactly like him disturbed him beyond any similar feelings he had ever felt before. "Why?"

"Why?" B drew out the single syllable, and added a slight purr at the end. "Because he's Kira. He needs to be shown that, one, he is not a god, two, that he can fear, and three, that he is no better than those he is killing and he deserves to die. I pushed him a bit too far too quickly and he passed out, so I decided I'd come pay my dear little Lawli a visit." The grin on his face was sickening.

"You're a monster, Beyond Birthday. How you ever became my successor, I'll never know."

"First of all, because they knew I had the potential to eventually be you, L. I am you, L. I have become you."

"You are possibly the farthest thing away from me there is. You hold human life in almost contemptuous disregard. You have no inkling of justice. You have stained your hands with innocent blood, and for what? So you could prove you're better than me." L spat at B's feet.

With that same, sickening grin, B knelt down, caressed L's cheek then gently grabbed him by the chin. B brought his lips close to L's ear and whispered, "Yet for all that, when I switched your place, no one noticed. I make a pretty good copy of you, L. Perhaps I even surpass you. The demon has surpassed the angel, the original has fallen and the copy has risen. I am a better version of you, and you are a worse version of me, despite all our superficial differences."

L jerked away from B and shuffled into the corner. "No," he said firmly. "You and I are not the same."

B inserted a blood and dirt strewn finger into his mouth and sucked it absent-mindedly. "Well…" he said around his finger, "I don't really care if you admit to realizing it or not, because you know it's true. I was just coming to say 'hi' before I went back and finished Light." With that, B turned and left L lying in the dirt. Before he closed and locked the door, he said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill or torture you. I do respect you, L. This was just the most convenient place to store you while I did my work with Light. Once he's dead I'll release you."

Light's awakening this time was much more unpleasant. Firstly, he was aware of a sharp, intense pain in his thigh and a duller, hot pain in his arm. Then the pain escalated and he could feel both acutely. He whimpered and squeezed his eyelids shut, praying for the nightmare to end. Then he remembered… Ryuzaki. He felt a strange pain in his chest that hadn't been there before. Groaning, he looked down at his bare chest to see a 'B' carved in it. Disgusted, Light set his head back down and yelped as the slight movement jarred his shredded arm. Wait… B? He said his name is Ryuzaki… Light slowed his breathing and tried to bear the pain, but it was just too much…

He winced as he heard a door open softly, then close. "How are you feeling?" came the mockingly concerned voice of his tormentor. Light ignored the statement, in pain, enraged, but most of all… afraid. Since when is Kira afraid? Light dismissed the prideful thought with a mental shrug. Did he really care about that anymore? He was going to die a painful death; he might as well accept it. Attempting to muster up a calm voice, but failing, and speaking in more of a croak/squeak, he said, "Just kill me…."

B smiled. This was the point he had wanted to get Light to. He had wanted to get him to a point where he would just resign his life and admit defeat, once every ounce of pride was wrung out of him due to pain and the realization of his faulty cause. B wouldn't mind killing him now. However, the numbers floating above his head said he wouldn't die for another twelve minutes. B nodded. Fit in with his plan. B shuffled up to Light. "So… you admit defeat?"

Light struggled not to cry. "Yes."

"B has defeated Kira?"

In Light's fuzzy state of mind, the significance of that statement was lost on him. B had referred to himself as B and not Ryuzaki. "Yes."

B set his hands on the edge of the rack and whispered, "Say it again."

"You… you have defeated me."

"Again."

"You have defeated me…"

"Again! Shout it to the heavens, proclaim it with all the shame that comes with it! You… are… defeated!" With a flourish, B reached over, grabbed the serrated knife and shoved it through Light's abdomen. Light gasped and convulsed, causing the pains in his arm and leg to escalate to new proportions. He forced himself to stay still and gasped as the serrated points of the knife sliced and jarred his entrails a lot more than the straight knife would have. B yanked it out, and when he did, Light could feel the jagged edges ripping him up. I'm really going to die. B's voice dropped to a deadly whisper, and he said, "Say it. Again. Summon up all hate, sadness, and pain. Shout it to the heavens so that the angels can hear it… shout it to hell so the demons can hear it, and rejoice at your coming to join them. Shout it so that your lover, Lawliet, can hear you." Of course, at this point, Light didn't care about L's real name. "Do it."

Light, tears streaking down his face, blood soaking his jeans and painting his abdomen red, yelled, "You have defeated me!!" exerting all of his energy into that one action, not only to appease B but also to provide some sort of very temporary relief from his pain. With that, B nodded. "L could never defeat you… but I could. Light, I am your better, and L, I am your better. I have defeated angels and demons, and have destroyed Kira and his rival." With that, B grabbed the can of gasoline and poured it on Light, causing all of his wounds to sting immeasurable. Then he grabbed a match and lit it, smiling unfittingly sweetly. "Let your ashes consecrate this altar."

Then - a swift blur of motion to B's neck. He crumpled and an identical hand reached out, caught the match and snuffed it out. The identical hand was attacked to an identical body, who unchained Light and knelt by his side. "Oh Light, what has he done to you…?"

Light had lost massive amounts of blood and wasn't thinking straight. In fact, he could barely feel the pain anymore. He felt as if he was looking at this man through the tunnel, and his oxygen starved brain couldn't figure out why his torturer was releasing him, good as dead though he was. He was even more surprised when the figure lifted him up and carried him out of the hellhole that had been his home for a few hours.

L carried Light out of the door, not even sure why he was doing it. Light is going to die, why am I moving him? He shook his head. This situation defied logic; he wanted himself and Light to be alone so they could talk in private. L bit his lip and walked through the door that he had left open that led outside. He ran... he just ran, Light in his arms, down a shallow sloping hill, along a dirt road, until he found a gorgeous looking lake on the edge of a deserted park; apparently it was early morning, and most people were either at work or school. L walked into the water and held Light in it, knowing the cool water would sooth his pain slightly.

Light's eyes fluttered as he felt something cold and wet slithering around and into him, due to the cuts on his body. It felt good, though… his eyes opened fully and he saw L. "L… why…" he coughed, and blood flew onto L's face, who made no move to wipe it off. "Why…?"

"Shh.. shh… no, no… Light, that wasn't me, that was B. He was one of my successors."

"Successor…" Light's voice trailed off. "I'm going to die."

"Yes." L, of course, saw no need to sugarcoat things. "Are you Kira, Light."

"Yes…" Light was too delirious to try and make up a defense.

L nodded. "L… how did… youfind…" his words slurred together.

"B was holding me too, but he had my hands bound in ropes and my hands bound in chains. I managed to snap the ropes, then I used a piece of wood I found to make a makeshift lockpick. I came to you as fast as I could but… it was too late by the time I found you…."

Light nodded. "I suppose… this is how I'd want to die… in my best friend's arms… even if…" his eyes closed and his breathing stilled. Somehow, he managed to finish the sentence. "…you're… my worst… enemy." With that, Light died, bathed in water in blood, being held by an angel.

And as B watched the scene, he nodded and smiled. He wouldn't have wanted Light to die any other way.