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Seriously, I've never updated this quickly. X3

Chapter 4. Candy

Light's P.O.V:

"Ryuzaki, I'll show you to the main office," I told him. He looked lost and confused, and I wanted to protect him.

I wasn't the first person to have such feelings towards someone. Everyone at Mansfield felt the same to an extent. We were all in pairs of two or three, it seemed.

Every man for himself.

It was an unspoken rule here, but we were all guilty of breaking it. Those who stand alone, fall alone. That's how we saw it. Thus, we made it our business to make ties that would bind us to each other. It was selfish, we knew. Human beings, mad or sane, craved something to cling to. We were needy.

I grabbed Ryuzaki's hand and led him down the hall. He was hesitant. He probably thought I was going to hurt him.

"Don't be frightened, Ryuzaki. I won't hurt you," I cooed.

He said nothing, but walked with me as I escorted him to the main office.

We approached the white door, and I stepped forward. The old wooden door creaked as I eased it open.

"You realize that you left him at the mercy of the others, don't you?" I scolded the nurses as we walked into the artificially bright room.

The Master, or the 'Doctor' as the nurses called him, glared at me.

"You realize that he is not your responsibility, don't you?" he told me, his voice dripping with annoyance.

"I'm not the one that practically left him for dead," I scoffed.

No one cared about us here. It was the unfortunate truth.

The Master said nothing, but it felt like his eyes were boring holes in me. It bothered me, yes, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let him know that.

"He'll be staying with me," I told them, my demand drenched with authority.

The Master adjusted his glasses, his lips spreading into a mocking grin.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"I'm the only person who has a room to myself. There isn't much space to put him anywhere else."

"…Fine. You'll have your way, Yagami," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.

I cringed as he said my last name. He was antagonizing me, I was aware.

"I always do, Namikawa," I replied smugly.

His mocking grin turned sour, and his glare became too intense for me to hold eye contact. I flinched and dragged Ryuzaki out of the office.

"He's unpleasant," Ryuzaki said as I led him to my room, to our room.

"That's an understatement," I replied.

We walked down two more hallways before we reached the correct door.

"Here's our room," I informed him.

I reached out and opened the door. I didn't lock it. There was no point really, seeing as I didn't have anything worth stealing there.

We walked in. It was a boring room really. There were two beds on either side. The walls were a dull white color, as were the bed sheets. The floor was concrete, and there was a small window very high up with iron bars so no one could climb out. It made the room feel like a prison cell. And lastly, there was a little closet that had shelves to put the extra pairs of clothes we were given.

I looked over to Ryuzaki. His eyes were mostly covered by his wispy bangs but I could tell they were at the floor. He was deep in thought.

I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you."

L's P.O.V:

His voice was benevolent, but I could hear another undertone. It seemed…possessive.

It was as if he'd claimed me.

His hand dropped from my shoulder, and he swept away my black bangs covering my eyes, his hand remaining at my face for just a little longer than it needed to.

"I usually sleep in the bed on the left, but you can choose which you prefer. I don't mind switching," he told me.

I nodded and made my way over to the bed on the right. I sat down and backed up against the wall, my knees coming up to my chest. My cheek rested on my knee, and I closed my eyes.

I tried to analyze the situation, but I couldn't think straight. It felt as if my conscious was on the verge of slipping from me again, but I kept in mind that fainting would only exacerbate the situation by putting me in even more danger.

I couldn't trust Light.

I couldn't trust anyone.

I had to constantly be aware of my surroundings, to never let my guard down around anyone in here, for it could easily mean my life.

There were two swift knocks at the door. Light and I turned to see a nurse coming in with a stack of white clothes.

"Here are your clothes," the nurse said. He put them on Light's bed and left as quickly as he came.

I rest my head on my knees once again.

"…Would you like to change now? I'll leave the room if you're embarrassed," Light said quietly.

"Embarrassed?" I questioned in a small voice.

"To change in front of me."

"…No, it doesn't matter."

Light nodded and passed me my clothes. I observed them, holding them with my thumbs and forefingers. Light looked at me a bit questioningly, but said nothing. I brought the clothes to my nose; they smelled clean.

I got up and pulled off my shirt without hesitance. Light briefly looked me over, but kept his eyes to the floor. How polite of him.

I wonder why he's in here…

Perhaps he has a personality disorder...If that's the case, then I should remain weary, for his kind personality could easily change drastically. Yes, I must train myself to expect the absolute worse, or I won't be able to survive here. It's as simple as that.

I slipped off my pants easily and stepped into the white ones. I pulled them up and frowned. They were too big for me. I fumbled with the string, my hands shaking as I tried to tie it tighter.

"…Would you like me to help you?" his soft voice cut through the silence.

I looked up to meet his wide honey eyes. He looked young, and so innocent. My throat tightened; the fact that he was here at Mansfield contradicted that thought. He was young, but not innocent. Insanity didn't pay any mind to age. That was the reason he was here.

"Yes, please," I said quietly.

He moved over to me and got on one knee, reaching for the strings of my baggy pants. My thumb moved to rest on my lip as the urge to move away irked me. I was almost afraid; afraid that his kindness was a complete façade that could shatter at any moment if I made one wrong move.

As if sensing this, he grabbed at the hand at my mouth and intertwined it with his. He watched me intently, and I returned the stare.

"I'm not like the others. You don't need to fear me," he said, his voice laced with sincerity.

"…How can I be sure of that?"

He stood up and came closer to me.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," he whispered into my ear.

His breath fanned onto my face and neck; it smelled like candy. How was that possible? I tried not to be too obvious, but I couldn't help but shamelessly inhale the delicious scent as he breathed against me, his hand on the wall by the other side of my head. I licked my lips. That smell awakened the hunger for sweets that I had forgotten about for a while. The last time I had eaten anything sugary was what, about 3 days ago? I could swear I saw the corners of Light's lips curl into the faintest smirk, but it was gone too fast for me to be able to say with certainty that I'd seen it at all. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks; he had completely noticed. How embarrassing.

But what I wouldn't do for any type of sweet at the moment...

His hand moved to my forehead.

"Your face is flushed. Are you feeling alright?" he said, 'concerned'.

He was messing with me….right? I couldn't be sure. But his smell, that sweet smell, was intoxicating.

"Maybe you should lie down," he said, guiding me to the bed. I nodded and sat down silently. He leaned in towards me, and I immediately felt my cheeks flush again at our close proximity. What was wrong with me? Maybe I was sick.

"Don't worry about a thing, okay? Just rest. No one will bother you," he said.

It sounded genuine, but I couldn't think straight with him exhaling the sugary scent all over me.

I wonder…if I were to kiss him, would he taste like he smells?

Light moved away then, picking up the stack of the rest of my clothes and putting them in the closet on an empty shelf. I was snapped out of my sugar-induced haze.

A new type of anxiety made itself known within me as I realized that I wasn't going to be able to satisfy my seemingly eternal craving for sweets on a daily basis. How was I going to last in this place?

The brunette then started walking towards the door. He turned back to look at me. His stare, it wasn't kind, nor was it threatening…it was mysterious.

"I'll be around."

With that said, he walked out and left me to myself.

I fell asleep quickly, all my stress leaving me in a sigh as I pulled the covers over myself and drifted off.

By the time I woke up, the window in the room was a portal for moonlight rather than sunlight to flood into the room. I turned over and sat up on the firm bed, only to hear what sounded like plastic ruffling amongst the covers. I looked around, and found a peppermint candy.

Where did it come from?

I dismissed the question quickly and unwrapped the treat, popping it into my mouth without a second thought. I rolled the candy around with my tongue, a smile forming on my face.

I closed my eyes, and for a moment, I was content.

Author's Note: I worked hard to finish this chapter quickly so you guys wouldn't have to wait! Seriously, my brother kept bugging me that he was bored but I didn't budge and continued to write! Lol. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! ^^

Please leave me a lovely review~ :)