Temptation

After L is struck by a heart attack, he's almost certain that he's about to die…and Kira was about to win…but then, something strange happens. A demon stands before him, and offers him his life back…in return for his soul. "So, Lawliet, do we have a deal?"

"Everyone, the shiniga-" suddenly, L felt his own flesh and blood turn cold, as his heart came to an unwilling halt. It was as though everything was simply draining away. Breath turned to dust in his lungs and his mind just seemed to stop. He felt his whole body loose its power as he fell from the side of his chair.

He could no longer hear the screaming of the Task Force Members. All he heard was muffled cries and panic. Light Yagami reached out to catch his body before his head collided with the marble floor beneath him.

And right then…right then, he saw it. That smirk of victory. That leer of vicious success. All he saw in the young man's eyes was pure evil from the depths of Hell. Light was Kira. Light had won. I knew it…I knew I wasn't wrong…but I…

He felt his eyelids close into a dark and lonely abyss. His blood stopped running. His mind stopped thinking. His ears stopped hearing. His eyes stopped seeing. His heart stopped beating.

But…I lost…


L felt his body become weightless as he stared out into oblivion…nothing but darkness…a vortex of loneliness. "So…this is what dying feels like." It felt like nothing…like a lucid dream of space, set hundreds of miles away from earth…floating…with nothing left to loose. It was rather frightening, though at the same time, it felt comfortable. "It's a wonder how I ended up here. I've been so blind…blinded by what, false hope? No. Hope is merely a masquerade for the weak. Even I'm not that senseless…and I'm not senseless. I know I'm not…I'm L. I'm the man who died fighting for justice. My death shall not be in vain. I am L Lawliet, special detective, almost undefeated. I am justice."

"That you are." A voice echoed in the back of his mind. L turned around to see nothing but darkness…however; the voice went on in his head, like a blind conscience. "You are L Lawliet, the greatest detective this world has and will ever know. I've been watching. You are a rather fascinating man, I must say."

"I suppose I should have seen this coming." L sighed. "Just what exactly are you? Where are you? Are you some sort of spirit in my mind?"

L heard the voice laugh a dry and joyless laugh. "Not exactly, no. I am neither an angel, nor a devil. I am not considered good, or bad. I am a demon." L thought for a moment, though, said nothing of it. "You don't seem so surprised."

"I've come face to face with a shinigami, Mr Demon." L smiled innocently enough. "Nothing surprises me these days." At that moment, L saw a single streak of light run down the hall of darkness. Within the streak, stood a tall man with coal-black hair and skin as pale as paper. He wore a suit of pure black and white gloves that covered long slender fingers. His eyes were a magnificent gleaming red which was practically the only colour that lit up the atmosphere.

Once again, the demon let out a haunting laugh that sent shivers down L's spine. "Fine, I'll get right to it then. My name is Raven; I come from a world known as 'the place of immortal souls', or 'the Demon realm', as it was. My purpose in life is to collect worthy souls, and frankly, I've become rather interested in yours."

"…I see. And what is it exactly that separates my soul from others?" L asked.

"My, my, you're a curious one I see." Raven let out a chuckle similar to one of a shinigami. "Your soul radiates strength and courage that is usually lacking within humans. I'd sure love to get my hands on a soul like yours…"

"Then why don't you just take it?" L asked simply. "I'm already dead. I have no use for it."

"Ah, but you see, that's why I'm here." L saw Raven's sharp white teeth as he gave a large grin. "In order for me to take your soul, I must send you back to the human world. In other words, if you give me your soul, I'll give you back your remaining lifespan."

L took a step away from the demon, only to feel as though he were getting closer. "I would be without a soul in the human world. What shall happen if I refuse?"

"…You'll stay here, and drift off into the darkness for eternity. There will be no running. There will be no light. It's simply darkness."

L thought for a moment. It was obvious that this demon wasn't trustworthy. The way he talked with such maliciousness…then again, he was a demon after all…the thought of going back to earth without his soul was rather haunting…though, if he were to return now, it would mean he could continue to hunt for Kira…and that's all he really wanted.

"Oh, one last thing." Raven hummed, holding up a sharp pointed finger at L. "I am to be by your side until the day you die. This is how it works. A demon takes a human's soul and sends the human back to their life. The demon must then stay with the human until said human dies. The demon can then leave and return to the realm."

"No one besides me will be able to see you?" L asked. The demon nodded. "You're rather similar to shinigami then."

"Don't compare our race with those…things. They're savages. Gods of death and disease…despicable life forms." Raven uttered bitterly. L smiled and scratched the back of his neck. The demon cocked his head to the left and smiled. He extended his left hand and whispered, "So, Lawliet, do we have a deal?"

L stared at the hand hesitantly; before he disregarded every morel he knew and took the hand.

"You may feel a slight searing pain."


The heart shall beat without a true pulse, the brain shall think without true thoughts, the bones will move without a purpose, the eyes will see without seeing anything at all, the ears will hear only what is known, the skin will feel without the will to, the mind will wonder only to wonder back…

L Lawliet, your soul belongs to me…

And until you die, I guess I belong to you


"I'm afraid Mr Watari has passed away. I'm sorry for your loss." The doctor spoke with an even tone as he handed each of the Task Force members a form which stated the cause and time of death.

Aizawa shook his head. "He was…a good man."

"What about Ryuzaki?!" Matsuda demanded to know, standing from his seat in the hospital waiting room.

"Oh, he's still out cold, but he's breathing." The doctor said, adjusting his glasses. "He should be fine. Hopefully he will be fully recovered by the end of this week."

Light's eyes widened. Wait, what?! But…Rem killed him! He should be long dead by now! How can this be? It's impossible…though…I never found Rem's notebook, so I couldn't check whether or not she'd actually killed him…damn it! It's not over yet…

"Your friend's a lucky guy. He survived a fatal heart attack that could have very well taken his life. His heart's pretty strong for an average man." The doctor explained.

"Well…that's a relief." Aizawa sighed. "At least we've still got Ryuzaki."

"That was way to close." Matsuda sighed, sitting back down in one of the chairs.

"We need to be more careful." Light warned. "I don't know if that was Kira or not, but if it was, we really need to start taking things seriously."

"I doubt it was Kira." Mogi stated. "If it was, then Ryuzaki would be dead for sure."

"It'd be interesting to see if it actually was Kira." Soichiro commented. "That would mean L somehow managed to survive Kira's wrath."

Light shook his head. "…I feel bad for Watari. He was no more than a man caught up in the Kira case…it's not right when innocent people like that have to suffer the rage of Kira. Damn it…"

"…Hey, don't worry Light. He didn't die in vain." Matsuda comforted. "Oh god, I can't imagine how Ryuzaki's going to act when he finds out."


L woke up to the sound of a beeping heart monitor. His head was spinning and he felt as though he was going to pass out again. The lights in the hospital room shone bright in his eyes. It took a while for him to adjust. The darkness had been a little more comfortable. "You're finally awake."

L turned his head to the left to see Raven, now in plain sight. His eyes were a dark blood-red colour and his hair black hair was like the feathers of a bird…the feathers of a raven. Aside from his eyes, hair and shark-like teeth, Raven was surprisingly humanlike. He wore a silver chain around his neck which hung a golden symbol which was shaped like an eye. "You really are a demon…"

Raven smirked at L's blankness. At that moment, L noticed a familiar black book sitting upon the bedside. L's eyes widened. "Isn't that…"

"Rem's death note. I found it before I claimed your soul." Raven uttered. "Since demons aren't exactly permitted to keep a shinigami's death note, I'm giving it to you." L picked up Rem's book. Curiously, he flipped to the last page that had writing on it. Just as he suspected. 'Quillsh Wammy' and 'L Lawliet' were both written in chunky bold writing at the very top of the page. L closed his eyes and placed it behind his pillow. Watari…I'm sorry…

"How does being alive again feel?" Raven asked wickedly.

L stared up at the demon who stood by his bedside. "I'm not sure. I don't feel like I've really returned. I almost feel non-existent." L frowned.

"That's normal." Raven stated, smiling his purl-white teeth at the detective.

"I'm not sure I like it…it's almost as if I'm just a thing. I feel kind of nauseous…I hope it doesn't last too long. I can't be expected to catch Kira under these conditions."

"Oh, Sir, you're awake." A nurse stepped into the private hospital room. "Um…who are you talking to?"

"Myself." L said simply.

The nurse stared at the young patient with a little concern. "Oh…okay. Sir, you just recovered from a heart attack. I think you should go back to sleep."

"I will in my own time Miss." L uttered. "I need a moment to think."

To be continued (if it works out well)

Comments are lovely!