It's hard to believe that that Ryuzaki had beaten me. That's not to say that I didn't get to throw a few punches and swing a few kicks here and there but as much as I hate to admit, he beat me fair and square. I hated him for so long, he was the one obstacle in my way from achieving the perfect world with me ruling as God and yet something unwelcoming washed over me from the moment I met him.

He is peculiar, not like anyone I have ever met, he is mentally stimulating and in his own way, attractive. It must be his deep wide dark stormy grey eyes that distracted me of my thoughts of world domination because as soon as they met mine I suddenly forgot why I was at that damned place to begin with. It's not like me to be distracted from any task, I am and always have been better than that. I was always the top of my classes, even after the Death Note came into my hands I was always number one and even that annoying child Misa Amane wasn't able to distract me, honestly if it wasn't for the usefulness of her Shinigami eyes I would have gladly disposed of her long ago, but the moment I locked eyes with the infamous L I became somewhat off my A game.

The fact that one glance is all that it took from Ryuzaki. also known as L to those who don't know his other alias, to make me somewhat crumble really doesn't leave me surprised that I was lying there covered in both mine and his blood and sweat. It was a predetermined twist in fate, I suppose it does explain why I had no interest on going on dates with women unless it somehow aided me in my mission to execute someone with the Death Note, any normal man of twenty would drop anything to get in bed with famous pop star Misa-Misa but even after I first met her and felt nothing towards her except the realization she would be a help to my cause in creating the perfect world but the moment I met Ryuzaki I felt something, something that he must have be apparent to.

I doubt that before our fight that Ryuzaki had even fought any one before, it's any wonder that with the amount of sugar he consumes that he hadn't been plagued with Diabetes and rendered unable to physically defend himself but he sure put up a good fight and even after an hour I was still incredibly sore, I would love nothing more than to kill him with my own bare hands but with the amount of security cameras he had scattered all around this room, the fact we are cuffed together with a short length of chain and the feeling of not actually really wanting to do it, I doubt it would be something I would get away with.

I could hear him panting sluggishly and profoundly and I swear those hypnotic pools of storm grey were closed, something I have never seen except for the odd blink. I could almost feel his pulse vibrating down the chain, and I could taste his blood in my mouth, could I have really hit him that hard? I could feel my own heart pounding hard in my chest, the sweat rolling down off my face and onto the hard tiled floor beneath us, my hands were still slightly shaky I had doubted that we were going to be able to rise up off the floor without a third parties help and since we had been left alone while the task force went home to rest it would be a while before someone would notice our broken bloody bodies on the floor.

"Light?"

Ryuzaki's voice was faint and only pushed out by the exasperated slow pants.

"Yes?" I replied even though I had to use quite some effort to do so

"Are you Kira?" he asked

I was going to take some time to answer, I couldn't count the many times he had asked that question and the many times I replied with No, sure I was lying and I had no doubt that he knew it too. Of course I was Kira who else would be that great, who else could have pulled off what I had without being caught? It would take someone above a genius to do what I had done and since the only other person I knew who would have been clever enough to be Kira was in fact my dark haired, dark eyed rival that was lying just a couple of feet away from me then I was the obvious answer

"You tell me Ryuzaki, how confident are you that I am in fact Kira?" I asked evading giving him an answer

I could see the corners of his mouth turn up, another rarity but I had clearly amused him.

"I am 75% sure that you are Kira, but answer me something else Light, If you are in fact innocent of being Kira than why would have you gone to great lengths just an hour ago to try and kill me with the brute force of your attacks?"

He was too intelligent for his own good, I couldn't deny that I had hoped that I would at least been able to hit him once hard enough that it would cause fatal damage, but since that had become impossible in between Ryuzaki's painful blows I was going to have to convince him that I was merely aggravated by his daily accusations and not in fact trying to kill him.

"If I were Kira, Ryuzaki I would not need a fist or a foot to kill you, only a pen and the Death Note, that I can guarantee you"

It was strange, our relationship. We were, in honesty, perfect for each other. We had provided one another with something we have been unable to achieve before with anyone else, intellectual gratification. We were each other's equal, mentally anyway. Anything I could solve he could solve and vice versa even though he was a detective and I was only the son of the Chief of police we were on the same level as one another. As much as I hated him and wanted him dead, which with all my heart was completely true I also found myself not wanting that for him.

It was nearly a year ago that he had told me that I had been his only true friend even though he was sure I was Kira and was confident I would be the one to kill him we were still the closest thing to friendship either of us had. I had become attracted to him from the first glance, I couldn't understand how it was possible to hate and love someone with great passion at the same time. We were both cautious of one another and yet we also dropped our guards to be open to each other Ryuzaki and I…Well I must admit almost seemed like a dream.

"I am going to get up and I am going to pull you off the floor. We are going to the bathroom and we are going to clean ourselves up. I hardly think lying here feeling sorry for ourselves is going to help us catch Kira, if you are in fact innocent of being Kira than we need to start doing our jobs and catch him" Ryuzaki replied as if ignoring my statement

I couldn't see how it was going to be possible for him to be able to get up off the floor, but then again if you had seen the way he jumped from the floor to a chair and sit in the trademark crouching position for hours on end it would be a surprise if he were not able to gather the strength to not only get himself up but also peel me off the tiles.

I could feel the sharp tug on the chain a he shifted himself on the floor, he reminded me of a cat the way he pulled and jerked his body around, and twisting it into figures that I was sure was not even present in the Karma Sutra. He slowly began to rise, it was only when he was standing above me that I had seen the full extent on to how bad I had hit him.

The usual dark sleep deprivation shadows under his eyes were now a vibrant blue, blood was smeared over his nose and the left side of his cheek and his bottom lip had been split badly enough that blood had trickled out of it and dried all over his chin and neck. There were three large tears in his long sleeved white shirt and a small cut on his big toe, serve him right for never wearing shoes.

He reached out his hand to me that had a small amount of bruising on the knuckles. I struggled to raise my arm but forced it up so my clammy hand met his. I was sure he had bruised one or two of my ribs because when he hauled me up I felt as if I had been crushed in a vice.

"I think you broke my ribs" I said exaggerating the severity of the pain through clenched teeth. My face was throbbing and my entire body was aching

"That was not my intention but you only have yourself to blame Light, you should not have under estimated me"

He helped me to stand on my feet but I still slouched even with my arm wrapped around his lean shoulders. I cringed through the pain I was feeling in my sides and back. I thought Ryuzaki was badly beaten until I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection on the large mirror has we made our way into the bathroom.

I was completely shocked; I doubted any one would be able to recognize me. The area around my eyes and nose was puffed and bright crimson red, I had dried blood on a majority of my face and I was sure that my torso was in even worse condition.

"Can you lift up your shirt?" Ryuzaki asked almost sympathetically

"I don't think so, I am surprised I am even alive L, you completely fucked me up" I replied

I was pissed off, I wanted to throttle him for what he had done to me, on one part he was right I should not have underestimated him but on the other part he should not have pushed me to act out in violence. Although I had spent the last year killing people with a pen and a note book I was not the kind that would resort to physical violence and neither was Ryuzaki but he had proved his point.

Ryuzaki grasped hold of the bottom of my black long sleeved shirt and began to haul it up while holding me up with his other arm. The soft warmth of his touch grazing against my stomach sent a tremor up my spine which made my skin bunch up into small goose bumps. He was so gentle, it was surprising, Ryuzaki very rarely showed any reaction, he was always so blank looking, although everyone knew the gears in his head were constantly turning he always remained so emotionless I hardly expected him to have a soft gentle touch, almost feminine. He raised it up half way and paused, I could see he was trying to figure out how to get the rest of it up and over my head, I knew it would end up resting on the chain that joined us together.

"Light? Would you mind if I were to rip your shirt?" He asked

I shook my head slowly and softly, I had barely enough strength to talk let alone shake my head but he waited for my answer. He gently pushed me off of him, and held me in an upright position; his upper body strength was outstanding. He slightly turned me and allowed me to fall into him our chests pressing against each other. I could smell the blood and sweat on him, it was hard to distinguish which was mine and which was his but Ryuzaki smelled manly, strong and his heart beat was thumping against me hard, fast in a dancing rhythm.

He grasped either side of my shirt with tough grip and he ripped the black long sleeved shirt in two. He pulled the sides away and slid the shirt down over my arms and rested it on the chain. He examined me with his eyes. I could feel his cold hard stare on my flesh tracing my entire battered body with those deep seductive pools.

"It seems that you have received at lot more damage then I originally anticipated"

I waited for him to make a Kira remark something like "It is a good thing you only need your arm to be Kira" or something similar but there was silence as he traced over my wounds. He moved me again so the he could reach the toilet seat and pulled it down and eased me towards it, helping me to sit down. I felt a sudden sting in my sides that didn't feel like it was going to subside any time soon.

"Ryuzaki? Is there something you want to talk to me about, you have been acting odd, rather odder than usual. Normally when you ask if I am Kira your interrogations last longer than just the question are you Kira?" I said quietly with my head lowered trying to hold back the tears of pain from falling from my amber eyes

"It appears that I am feeling rather depressed, typically by now I would have had the case solved and at this point I am merely going on hunches and common knowledge and it is getting me no closer to solving this dilemma" He replied

He pulled a white fluffy hand towel that was folded in quarters from off of the medicine cabinet, turned on the hot water tap and placed the hand towel under the faucet assuring it was plenty damp before turning off the tap. I raised my head and looked up, I could see the steam rising up from the towel, I knew it was going to hurt.

He slowly approached me with it and I gritted my teeth hard, it hurt like hell because he had previously hit my jaw with such force I was sure I would have a cracked wisdom tooth. He placed the hot wet towel on my chest, just above my right pectoral muscle, it must have been badly bruised because it felt as if I had been hit with a ton of bricks, and Ryuzaki certainly didn't restrain himself when we commenced our battle. I can barely remember what it was even over, we must have been arguing about something in order for me to get angry enough to actually duel with him; I would have never imagined laying a hand on Ryuzaki, especially since we had a tight bond.

"Ryuzaki, we will catch Kira, I promise you. He stands no chance against us and I think you know that. Things may seem impossible now but you'll see it will all work out. I won't leave you alone you know, I will be right here" I replied

He smiled. I couldn't help but smile back at him. It was strange even though his face usually remained impassive unless he had found a large piece of cake to enjoy or hadn't put enough sugar in his coffee, his eyes at this time were full of expression, and they were telling me happiness.

He moved the damp towel from the bruise onto the next; I felt the hot sting and then calm as the warmth began to ease the ache. The sound of rolling thunder in the distance made us both look up to the ceiling, this was perfect. Other than sweets the one thing Ryuzaki loved was the rain and I knew that this was going to lift his spirits and he would be the normal Ryuzaki who I had come to know and even admire. Within moments rain began to fall heavily on and around the building, the large raindrops descended heavily and quickly on the roof and echoed through the room. He smiled again and took a silent deep breath. I watched his chest rise and fall.

"Thank you Light, I feel reassured and pleasant now" He finally replied

I looked up to his face, I almost felt obligated to wipe away the dried blood that he had smeared on his delicate insipid skin, how could someone who basically lived off of sweets and hot drinks be in such great health? How could he have a body like an athlete and a silky smooth skin complexion? I started to wonder even through his annoying habits, biting his thumb nail, sucking on the very tip of it when he was thinking, even the way he sat annoyed the hell out of me I couldn't help but speculate if I thought he was perfect, or perhaps just perfect for me.

I couldn't imagine it really, what would my father say if he I was in a relationship with a man and Ryuzaki at that? what would people think if they knew my arch nemesis and somehow best friend was the obstacle in achieving the perfect world and in fact my lover? What would happen if I ended up killing him and living the rest of my life in my perfect world without him? Would I even be able to live with myself after that? There were too many questions that concerned me, there was no way that we could be anything other than friends and enemies, and there was no way…

I would have kept that thought up if he hadn't dropped to his knees in front of me, resting himself between my open legs and looking up into my eyes as he rested the towel against my jaw. It was driving me crazy, how could I, how could Kira be so vulnerable? How could I have a weakness like this? How could Ryuzaki, be the one thing that disabled me? Made me feel destitute, made me question everything, made me think things that I have never thought about anyone, not even a woman before. Was I gay? Or was Ryuzaki the exception? Could I really see myself kissing him? Hugging him, holding him instead of a woman? What the fuck was wrong with me? I couldn't let him know what I was thinking even though I was sure that he could see it in my eyes the impure thoughts I had towards him.

"If you were Kira, I don't think I would be able to be responsible for your death, Light. I would have to leave that to someone else because I would not be able to handle such a thing, that is of course if Kira permits me to live that long. I am 90% sure that Kira will see me dead long before any plans for your death but in case I am incorrect I hope you will not rely on me to conduct your execution, it is something I cannot allow myself to do, I hope you understand"

What? Was Ryuzaki really serious about what he was saying? Even though he knew damn well I was Kira he was not going to kill me? That can't be, I knew Ryuzaki, and I knew him better than anyone else. I have spent the most time with him and listened to him, talked to him, watched him. He was no different than I was he was intelligent, strong and determined. Why would all of a sudden he be so bold as to say he would not be in charge of my execution if I were to announce I was Kira? I knew Ryuzaki and I knew Kira's demise was important to him so why suddenly the change of heart? Did he feel the same for me for what I felt for him? surely Ryuzaki didn't feel like that, he never even mentioned a woman or even took the time to talk about sex or love and I was sure that he had never been in a relationship of any kind so why would he feel any sort of loving feeling towards me?

"I find it strange that you would say that" I replied to him

"Why? Do you think that I lack a heart? If someone else, even someone on the task force had turned out to be Kira I would have no issues in arranging the execution, even if it is Misa I would still not hesitate but I find myself in a conundrum Light, you are the first friend I have had, even though I am positive you are Kira and I am confident you intend on killing me with the Death Note I still hold a warm feeling for you with in me. There is something that is almost unsettling to me that you would play such a major role on decisions I make here on out, I am used to only looking out for myself and now I seem to be being forced to take your wellbeing into consideration"

Most people assumed Ryuzaki was crazy, the way he looked, the way he dressed, the way he sat, the fact he barely wore anything on his feet. He was far from but I had to question his mental stability, he seemed so hell bent on helping the Japanese police catch and convict Kira nothing had ever shook him and yet here he was face to face to me and confessing he was feeling uneasy about me being in his life.

Knowing that once he discovered that I was Kira and that he would not take part in my death made me feel a change of heart; enemy or not, I couldn't kill Ryuzaki.

I knew it was time, he had tried since the day we met to get the truth from me and it was time he got it. I wanted a flawless world and I had done an amazing job, crime rate was down 70% and things were starting to look a whole lot brighter. I knew that once I told Ryuzaki the truth one of two things would happen, he will simply ignore what I tell him and will continue the investigation looking into anyone else who may have played a part in the Death Note or the deaths, or he will have me arrested in which case my work will still continue as I have Misa willing to do the dirty work for me. I swallowed hard and counted to three silently in my head

"I do not know if what you're saying is honesty or if you are only saying this to try and fool me but I believe that you will not be a part of my execution, Ryuzaki, I am Kira, you have be right all along"

I almost couldn't believe I said it, I would have never told him when we first met, never, I would have taken the Kira secret to the grave but I had just told the one person that I trusted the biggest secret I had, a secret that would most likely be the death of me.

Ryuzaki dropped the warm towel to the tiled floor beneath us, he lowered his head and stood up, he reached into his back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a key, unlocking the cuffs around our wrists, he dropped the key and the handcuffs to the floor, a chink and a clang echoing through the room as the metal met the tiles. He didn't say a thing instead he silently walked out of the bathroom and out into the conference room. I had to wait to follow him, to prepare myself for yet another bout of pain when I got up. I listened and I could hear the rain become loud and quieter again, Ryuzaki had gone outside, I had to follow him. I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth whilst I pulled myself up off of the toilet and traced Ryuzaki's footsteps

I walked out onto the terrace that came off of the conference room. There he was standing in the rain, I could see him shuddering and instantaneously the cold hit my bare torso. It was icy and made my skin crawl.

"L!" I called out to him

I had no idea what he was going to do, I had no clue if he was going to yell and scold me or give me the silent treatment until the point of my detention. I decided the only way to find out what he had planned was to ask him, cold or not I had no choice.

"Ryuzaki, L, I am sorry I lied to you, but you have to understand I was only trying to make this world a better place. I won't lie I liked the power and I liked the feeling of being God. I understand if you have arranged for my arrest but before anything happens to me you have to know I am not going to kill you and it is not a hoax, I am not trying to fool you"

The rain was hitting my skin hard and I was trying to ignore the agony. I couldn't tell what he was thinking or what he was feeling but the sight of Ryuzaki dripping wet and shivering pulled at my heart.

"L, could you say something, anything please" I found myself begging him, something I would have never done, I doubt even if I had a gun pointed to my head and a finger pressing on the trigger that I would beg even then

"Answer me something Light, Do you find yourself in love with me? Is that why you finally confessed, or is it because you don't believe you will be punished for your unspeakable actions?" He asked me

"I expect to be punished Ryuzaki, I have no doubts about that, I told you the truth because of what you said, You had said that you could not bring yourself to be responsible for my execution as I cannot bring myself to allow you to find out I was Kira all along from anyone else but me. You are asking me if I find myself in love with you and as much as I have tried to convince myself otherwise the answer is clear. I am in love with you, I have been since the day we met" I replied

He raised his head and looked at me, I placed my hands against his cheeks and drew him close to me, the pain had suddenly disappeared, I pressed my forehead against his and the rainfall trickled between us.

"I need you to do something for me Light, and my request is not negotiable" He said to me

"Anything"

"I want you to stop being Kira, I want you to burn the Death Note and anything else that will link you to being Kira, the others already believe that you are innocent and do not think anything more of it, it is only I that had my suspicions. You need to dispose of everything and anything you can think of that might or could incriminate you, do you understand me?" He asked

I nodded, I had no choice. Ryuzaki was throwing me a lifeline and I had to take it. Regardless of what I wanted this world to be I wanted L more and if he was going to keep me safe and even love me than I had to be smart about it, I had do as he requested.

"I promise you I will destroy everything pertaining to Kira" I replied

"For once Light, I believe that you are telling me the truth, I hate to admit it but perhaps there has been an occasion where I have been wrong, I don't like being wrong Light, but I am more than glad that I was"