Poco again! Wow, so many nice reviews! Thank you all. You make me enjoy writing this! I'm so happy you like it.

So now we're getting into the body of the story. Don't worry, L will show up soon enough. One thing I'm not sure about...I've read the manga over and over, but never once have I found Ryuuzaki/L's real name. I'll use "Lawliet" for now, because that seems to be prevalent on but if anyone can tell me where I can find out...maybe my scanlations are just bad.

I think this chapter is a little longer...I think. So, enjoy! .


My eyes widened slightly as the white appeared to be closing around me. I could almost feel it on my skin, and then...

"Hey." I heard myself groan. Augh, I felt like someone had reached into my chest and turned me inside out.

"Hey, you. Get up!" repeated a slightly bored-sounding voice. I opened my eyes...(the word 'again' crossed my mind, though any reason for that thought was rapidly escaping.) I was draped rather uncomfortably across what might have been a desk, looking straight up at an utterly unenthused young woman.

"Finally," she muttered. "Sorry. I'm not usually so rude to newcomers, but it's late, and you're all over my work..."

I looked down to see my naked body covered in graphite from a notebook I had fallen on.

"Well?" Asked the girl. I hadn't noticed her move. She held up a towel, and I gratefully climbed down from the desk and wrapped it around my waist. I never was very fond of showing myself to strange women. She took me firmly by the wrist, then, and led me toward the door.

"Hey, where...?" I asked, slightly stunned by the speed at which things had transpired.

"Wammy's. He'll want to see you, he likes to meet all the newcomers." The girl explained calmly, still a bit bored--or was it tired?

"Wammy?" I pressed her a bit.

"Yes. He, Lawliet and I all arrived pretty much together," she said as we exited what I presumed was her home. I shivered at the indignity of having to walk along a public street wearing nothing but a bath towel. She dismissed it as the cold, or pretended not to notice, it didn't matter which, simply continuing with her story.

"At first, we thought we were the only ones, but we discovered others scattered about the city. It was Wammy's idea to start an academy"

She turned a corner, the glare of a lone streetlight catching her bright white hair. White hair--how odd. She was unusually tall as well, and her long steps were getting more difficult to keep up with.

"I've always thought it was strange," she added, rounding another corner and half-dragging me behind her. "It's such a big city, but it's so...deserted."

One last corner, and then I could see what must be our destination--An old building with the lights on. Sure enough, she approached it and knocked on the door.

"It's Rem," she called. "I found another one."

"Bring them in," said a man's voice, warmly. The girl--Rem--opened the door to reveal a grandfatherly old man sitting behind a large oak desk.

"Welcome," said the man. "I am Quillish Wammy, the head of this academy."

He spoke these words as if they were important, when I suspected we both knew they meant little more than the second-place ribbon in a two-person race. Looking me boldly in the eye, he began the inquisition.

"What is your name?" I had to search for a moment for the answer to this, which struck me as odd. Shouldn't I know my own name?

"Light Yagami, sir."

"And where do you come from?"

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

"I...I don't know." I didn't know anything--who I was or where I was or what I was even doing here, but I'd be damned if I would let a strange man know all of that.

"You don't know anything, then, do you?" He asked sympathetically. Shit. As if reading my mind, he assured me,

"No one does. This is a city with no memory. We are all no one here. Light Yagami, was it? Let's get you some clothes. I'm sure the ghosts running the tailor shop won't mind if we borrow some things. Once you're dressed, come back here and I'll provide you with quarters and you may begin courses here."

"I never said I wanted to attend!" I thought, but stopped myself before the words left my lips. The truth was, I did want to go here. Much as I hated to admit it, I doubted I could survive for very long in this deserted place all on my own, and it wouldn't do me any good to estrange myself from the 'others', whoever they were.

"All right, sir. I'll do just that"

"Good. Have Rem guide you to the place. She seems to be doing a fair job of that so far."

Almost as an afterthought, he added,

"Oh, and none of this 'sir' buisiness. Simply 'Wammy' will suffice."