Night was meant to be a time of happiness.

Harkon scowled down at the report left by Light Yagami, detailing not only treason within his court, but a completely new threat as well, calling himself L and wielding the High King's sword. Why, then, am I given these troubles at sunset? He sighed. Better now, I suppose, then when I am already bitter. He had put Orthjolf to death immediately for his betrayal, and drank from the Bloodstone Chalice as he stood over the traitor's corpse. That much was dealt with, but it wasn't quite that simple. If Orthjolf had formed a conspiracy, there could be other vampires in his court continuing the plan. Or, there could have been other conspiracies, even ones that competed with each other.

"Serana," he growled, "Wherever you've been keeping the Elder Scroll, get it, and find a Moth Priest to read it. Take Light Yagami, perhaps Beyond, but no one else. I can't trust the rest of my court any longer." She silently nodded, and left the throne room. He tossed aside the parchment that was covered in Light's perfectionist handwriting, then slumped deeper into his throne.

A white light burst into life six feet in front of him, and took the shape of L's insignia. Harkon's eyes narrowed, and a distorted, synthesized voice began to speak. "Hello, Harkon. I believe you've heard of me."

"This is my castle. I will be addressed as Lord Harkon within it," he replied calmly, not wasting his anger on someone he couldn't even see.

"Lord Harkon, then. As I'm sure you can guess, I am L."

"I did guess. Why are you interfering in my work?"

"You ordered the slaughter of the Vigil of Stendarr. You had Rue Ryuzaki assassinated. You intend to blot out the sun. Do I need a better reason?" There was silence for a moment, then L continued. "There is, however, another reason. Within your castle, there is a man named Beyond Birthday, and I have made it my mission to capture and execute him. I'll make you a deal, Lord Harkon. Cast out Beyond Birthday, and I will postpone my judgement on you. By a month, perhaps? That seems fair."

"Beyond is loyal and valuable. You will not have him. Regardless, you are a detective. Your intelligence is not to be denied, but you are no Dragonborn. You are weak compared to the enemies I've defeated in the past few months."

"Not Dragonborn, you say?" There was another pause. "Perhaps we would do well to meet in person."

"I have no intention of leaving my castle to parley with you."

"That's not a problem. We can speak right now." the insignia fell silent and vanished, replaced by a dim violet portal, out of which stepped a figure in black, from head to toe. His robes were loose and flowing, with a hood that shadowed the top half of his face. The lower half was wrapped in a black scarf.

Harkon stood. "I should kill you right now!" he roared. "I should!"

"But you won't. So, sit down, before I Shout you back into that throne."

"Shout?" Harkon echoed. "You expect me to believe that?"

"FUS RO DAH!"

Harkon watched with eyes wide in horror, as the walls of his throne room cracked and groaned. The ceiling took most of the damage, as it was there L aimed his Voice. Dust and fragments of ancient stone tumbled down, briefly obscuring him. When it cleared, L was gone, but his voice remained. "My offer stands. If Beyond Birthday is exiled from Castle Volkihar, I will give you one extra month to prepare for your doom."

X

L crouched at the end of his bed in the Winking Skeever. Misa lay stretched across it behind him, toying with an ebony dagger fresh from Beirand's forge. She was wearing her dragonscale armour, but not the black cloak she had worn to retake Fort Dawnguard. He was wearing his full black robes, with the hood and scarf pulled down to expose his face. "Come on, Ryuzaki. Talk to me, how'd it go?"

"Harkon won't give up Beyond. It was foolish of me to try."

She shrugged, and he felt the blankets move under his bare feet as she did. "Look at it this way. Since Beyond isn't kicked out of Castle Volkihar, you'll know where to look for him."

"Good point, but I did think of that. I got impatient, and now I'm not thinking very clearly."

She sheathed the dagger as Light and Serana entered the room. "Hey guys," Misa called. Serana waved briefly in reply.

L uncurled from his crouching position, and stood before Light. "What the hell were you doing in Castle Volkihar?" Light demanded. "Are you nuts? Did you want me to fake your death a second time or something?"

"I went there to show Harkon I could Shout, as well as try to lure out Beyond." he shrugged. "What's our next move?"

"You and Misa go to wherever you've stashed your Elder Scroll, and get it. Serana and I are taking her Scroll, to find a Moth Priest who can read them. After that, we have to find the third Scroll."

L nodded. "Once that's done, I can use my magic to contact you. We'll meet at… Sky Haven Temple, I guess."

Without warning, the wall of the inn was torn open, and Beyond Birthday jumped through, wreathed in flame. "I heard you were looking for me!" he cackled and grabbed the front of L's robes before he could respond. He continued to laugh, but L grabbed his wrist and teleported them both outside the city.

L drew Strunkriid in his right hand, and lit it with lightning. Beyond laughed as he drew his own weapon. "You're not hesitating anymore, that's good. Last time, you had no problem fighting me, but you didn't…" he was cut off as a lightning bolt forced him to dodge. "See? You're faster now."

L teleported behind Beyond, who laughed as he spun and swung his black blade. L ducked, and aimed the point of Strunkriid upward, aiming to pierce Beyond's skull, but his foe danced away, and laughed louder. He swung the white blade, launching another arc of lightning. He sheathed his weapon, and teleported into the air behind Beyond, who never heard the sound of his portals opening. "FUS RO DAH!"

They were rocketed apart by the force of the Shout. L was thrown higher, where Beyond hit the ground with bone-crushing force. "YOL TOOR SHUL!" L continued, engulfing him in flame. "FEIM! WULD!" He Shouted himself into the flames, found Beyond, and teleported out to safety before his ethereal form returned to normal. He faced the blaze, which was now close to twenty feet high, and drew Strunkriid to unleash another wave of electricity, which clawed through the fire and found its target.

X

Light and Serana watched the battle unfold, perched atop the city wall as Vampire Lords. "Light, have you ever been hit by that lightning? Do you think that could finish him off?"

"No and no," Light replied quickly. "Look."

Serana turned back to face the flames, and saw a figure stepping out of the blaze toward L. He was still on fire, but he wasn't actually burning. He called out, "Is that your best? You should have kept shooting those things!"

Light was overtaken by sudden, inconsolable terror. He looked down at Beyond, and saw what L had seen in High Hrothgar. He knew what was about to happen, Beyond would kill L, then come after Light and Serana. He would cut through them, laughing gleefully, and then…

Light flew, and summoned his Daedric sword in mid-flight, aiming it at Beyond's head. His target turned, and glared at him.

He was frozen in midair, unable to move, held there. Beyond's smile was gone, and he announced coldly, "That wasn't fair. This particular game is for two players only." He raised a hand, and shoved it at Light, somehow sending him flying back into Solitude. "Now, L, where were we? Oh, yes, I was about to kill you."

L teleported away, and tried desperately to make sense of what he had just seen. That wasn't any spell I'm familiar with. He didn't consciously block Light's attack, the protection was already in place, presumably from all angles.

"Wondering how I did that?" L whirled, and backed away, as Beyond continued, "It's my magicka, all of it, saturating the air. Since I don't store it in my body, I can form spells with it even faster, and if my reaction time is good enough, I can solidify it to block incoming attacks. Nobody's yet figured out how to counter it."

L teleported away, and raised his sword. Now that I know what to look for, I can sense it… the air around him is full of magicka. I can only think of one way to get past a defense like that. He brought his sword down, and Beyond expected another lightning attack, but it never came. Instead, deafening thunder shook the earth, and both of them were left with their ears ringing. He raised the sword a second time, and fired a blast of electricity ten feet wide. It tore up the ground as it passed, and slammed into Beyond's defenses. He held out a hand to guide his magicka, but by then, other attacks were already coming from all sides, which he noticed too late, since he couldn't hear them coming. He looked up, and saw L sending another attack from above.

The walls of shock magic converged around him at once, and L lost sight of him as he reappeared on the ground. He might not be dead from that, but if my theory is correct, he was at least struck by it. If he did survive, I'll need to try a new kind of attack. L sheathed his sword, and reached for the Daedric bow on his back.

X

"…can you hear me? Light?"

He opened his eyes, and groaned. Serana was crouching at his side, using healing magic in an attempt to wake him. "Where are we?"

"We're in the courtyard of the Blue Palace. L's lightning stopped flashing around a minute ago, and there's no more thunder."

He sat up. "We have to see what's going on. If he's won, fine, but if the thunder stopped because he lost, we need to stop Beyond from killing him, if at all possible." He climbed to his feet, and nearly collapsed from the pain in his skull. "Damn…" he shook it off, and followed Serana to the gates. He pushed them open, and took in the scene.

L had his bow aimed at a pillar of thick smoke which crackled with electricity, and Beyond was apparently inside. The Daedric arrow on L's string was shining white. "He's using his bow. That's a big deal."

"Why?" Serana asked, confused. "Isn't Strunkriid his most powerful weapon?"

"Technically, yeah," Light explained, and sat down, dizzy. "But he's had much more experience with a bow, and he favours ranged attacks. When he first got Strunkriid, his lightning attacks were attached to the blade, but now he throws as much electricity as he can at once, as a projectile. With his bow, he can use spells that are almost as powerful, but faster and more accurate. The only reason he doesn't do it all the time is because Strunkriid is way more efficient. He can use less magicka for a more powerful spell."

The smoke drifted away, and Beyond was revealed, still alight with thin arcs of blue electricity. He stepped forward, his grin completely gone, and drew his sword. L released the arrow, and Beyond stepped aside, just in time. The arrow shot past, and exploded in the distance. Spikes of ice thirty feet long extended from the point of impact, in all directions. Beyond glanced back, and saw the ice, but when he turned back, L already had another arrow ready.

"The weapon I've been using against you is incredibly powerful, but not focused. It's a thrown mass of energy, and I simply don't have the experience to change that. So, I'll still to what I know, that being a true projectile. A weapon that is fired, not flung."

L smirked, and continued. "The cloud of magicka surrounding you had no effect on my arrow. I expect that means it was moving too fast. Regardless of why, it simply means I now have a weapon you have to dodge. A weapon you actually fear." he paused. "How does it feel, to be on the receiving end of fear for once?" Beyond snarled, and disappeared. L eased the tension from his bow, and reabsorbed his magicka, then slumped forward. "Are you two all right?" He called.

"We're fine," Light answered. "He threw me across the city, but I think I can walk it off." He laughed quietly. "You scared him off, though."

"No, he could have killed me at any time before I thought of my bow. I don't expect him to fall for my trick with Strunkriid's thunder more than once, so I need to be ready for next time." L's bow dangled from his limp grasp. "He was faster than any human being should be… I figured it out, Light. He wasn't teleporting at all. He was moving about ten times faster than a Whirlwind Sprint. I don't know how he managed it, or how he avoided breaking every bone in his body as he moved, but I think it has something to do with allowing his magicka to float around his body."

He hung the weapon on his back, next to the quiver of Daedric arrows. "I'm normally able to absorb ambient magicka from the air. It's how I got my powers back after Alduin defeated me, but Beyond is different. He maintains complete control over his magicka, as though it were in his body, or being used in a spell. I can't take it away from him."

"But you did chase him away." Misa stepped through the gates, and gestured to where Beyond had stood. "That was just you, but with all four of us, or even just two at once, we could win."

X

L stood atop the College of Winterhold, and looked down on the almost-rebuilt school below. He had revealed his identity to Savos Aren and requested use of his training area. The snowy wind caught his hair and his robes, and tried to carry them as they continued east. He blinked the hair from his eyes, and frowned in the night.

He had fought here more than once. He had destroyed the iron gates on his first arrival when the sealed College had been under attack from a dragon, and then nearly brought down the entire College when he fought another dragon beneath the courtyard. It was here he had mastered the Thu'um, and met Kahliivnin. When he was half-dead and crippled from Alduin's evil Voice, he had come here and been healed. He had rallied the students and taken back the College from a small army of occupying Thalmor.

And within two months, he would be a teacher here. Compared to what he had been through, it was easier to deal with, but still, it felt surreal. The last time I taught was at Wammy's House… and now… one of my best pupils died, and the other is trying to kill me. He sighed. I failed my successors. All of them, except perhaps Near. And even he paid for my failure. He can't connect as a human being, he just sits with his toys and solves cases while he plays. It's my fault none of them will have a normal life. And now I have to actually kill Beyond…

He turned north, and drew his bow and an arrow simultaneously. He nocked the arrow, pulled back the string, and wrapped the arrow in his magicka. He let it fly.

"Ryuzaki?" Misa stepped outside onto the roof, holding a folded letter.

L lowered his weapon. "I'm still disguised as L, but I doubt anyone's eavesdropping…" he glanced at the letter. "It's bad news, isn't it?"

She sighed. "Pretty bad. Jarl Balgruuf sent a hawk carrying it." She handed it to him.

"I hadn't heard of that custom. I assume it's for emergencies…" He unfolded the letter, and winced slightly.

L, I hope I'm right about who you really are. I hope you didn't come by the High King's sword by some fluke, because Whiterun needs your aid. A bandit legion has gathered outside my walls. We are besieged from all sides, and they have almost knocked down the gates as I write. Their leader is already here in Dragonsreach, slaying my guards one by one. He's wearing metal armour, not fur like the others.

He read the letter, then crumpled it and dropped it at his feet. "Balgruuf didn't put a date on this letter, so it may have been sent hours ago, or days ago. We have to go, right now."

"It'll take weeks to get there, even if we take horses or a carriage."

"We can be there before sunrise if we go by dragonback. OD AH VIING!"

Misa's eyes widened as a roar answered in the distance. "A dragon?" L nodded, and she tried to suppress her grin as a shadow appeared through the snowstorm. It was lit by the blue magelight pillars of the College, as it landed atop the Arch-Mage's training ground.

"Drem yol lok, Dovahkiin. Why have you called me here?" Odahviing rumbled.

"Drem yol lok, Odahviing. I have called you because I understand Kahliivnin is busy as leader of the Dov. We need to fly to Whiterun."

Misa continued to stare up at Odahviing in awe, unable to think of anything to say. "Aam… I can oblige." Odahviing lowered his head closer to the stone roof, then glanced at Misa. "Who is this? I do not recognize her, and I hear no Voice in her throat." He paused, and took a closer look at her. "Krosis, kiir. Apologies, child, I was wrong. Your Thu'um is dormant and weak, but you may one day wield it."

"Misa has the Voice?" L asked in disbelief. "Is she Dovahkiin, then?"

Odahviing remained silent for a moment, listening. "Not as you are, no. She is different, more human and less Dovah. If she has a purpose, as you did, it is different. She is not dovahkriid, not a dragonslayer."

L sighed. "We can deal with this later. Misa, if you have a Voice, I'll teach you to use it, but not tonight." He climbed up onto Odahviing's shoulders, and beckoned Misa to follow.

She seated herself behind L, and finally managed a sentence. "This is so freaking awesome."

X

Dragonsreach was completely silent. Where once its torches had shone with warm and radiant light, now it was dark. The Jarl's throne, however, was not empty.

An arrow flew down from the sky, and pierced the heart of a fur-clad bandit outside the castle's gate. His five allies reached for their weapons and ducked behind the little cover available. It did them no good when Odahviing landed in front of the palace, cracking the cobblestones beneath his claws. He roared, and the black-cloaked archer on his back released another arrow, taking a second bandit in the skull. L stumbled slightly as Odahviing arched his back, and Shouted, "FO KRAH DIIN!"

The wooden bridge to the gate was vulnerable to fire, and collateral damage was pointless. The frost brought the remaining four bandits to their knees, and L finished those who survived.

Odahviing watched as L kicked open the doors, and fired a glowing white arrow into the gloom. It struck the wall above Jarl Balgruuf's throne, and lit the entire hall with magelight. L drew a second arrow, and turned, but too slowly. Beyond grabbed the ebony arrowhead, and glared into the shadows of L's cowl.

"Well, here we are." he grabbed the front of the Daedric bow, and ripped it from the hands of its wielder. Balgruuf watched in disbelief, tied to his throne and gagged. Beyond drew his black sword, and raised it against his unarmed foe's throat. "Honestly, I thought my little trick would work better, leaving Balgruuf on his throne. I expected you to put an arrow in his chest, thinking he was me."

L made no answer, so Beyond continued, "I notice you're not carrying your white sword… Why is that, I wonder?" Still no answer. "Aside from the fact you're here, at my mercy, this was a well-made plan. You wanna know how I can see through it?" He grinned, and L blinked. "Your eyes are visible through that mask. Everything else is covered, but not your eyes. Since when does L Lawliet have golden brown eyes?"

He reached forward with his left hand, and pulled down Misa's hood. As the scarf over her lower face fell away, Beyond saw she was smirking. "I told Ryuzaki I could handle this. He gave me his bow, and told me he believed me."

"So it turns out you were both wrong." Beyond laughed.

"You'd be surprised."

His crimson eyes widened, and he turned to his left, facing Ryuzaki but still holding his blade against Misa's neck. "How the hell did you get in here?"

Ryuzaki was dressed in the same black cloak as Misa, but he was wearing it over ordinary clothes. Strunkriid hung from his hip on a belt of wool. He wielded a dimly glowing Bound Bow, and an arrow of the same ethereal light was nocked and pulled back, the head aimed at Beyond's throat. "I can't move at the same speed as you, if that's what you're wondering." he pulled the string back a little further. "If you make any sudden moves, this arrow will hit you. Step away from her."

Beyond's grin returned, but he lowered his sword and stood back. "Now, this is the L I grew up to fight. This is the real L. I was wondering what happened to you here."

"I settled into using brute force as my only tactic. It was effective enough, and you'll find out why if you don't cooperate. Drop the sword." Beyond did as he was told. "Good. Now-" L cut himself off, and loosed his arrow, but Beyond had already fled.

"I can't believe that worked so perfectly." Misa stooped to pick up the black-and-red bow. "You want this back yet?"

"Keep it… and this didn't go perfectly. The sword Beyond dropped was fake." L glared down at it. "I can tell just by looking at it, this isn't even ebony. It's steel painted black, so he either wasn't carrying the real thing, or he had it concealed. Perhaps he figured out how to teleport objects, and that was his plan, but I can't say which is true."

He stepped over the weapon, toward the door. I probably can't use Strunkriid here without destroying buildings, he reminded himself. It shouldn't be a problem, though. Until I figure out how to use Strunkriid properly, it won't be of any use in a battle I can't win with a bow and arrow.

He stepped outside, but jumped back when Beyond appeared at the other end of the bridge. His crimson eyes were narrowed, and his grin was gone. "What now? I can still dodge your arrows."

L's hands were at his sides, he didn't have enough time to ready an arrow. He dropped the bow, and it faded out of Mundus, back into Oblivion. "I'll be honest, BB," he began, using Beyond's childhood nickname, "I intend to kill you. But… it shouldn't be done here. There are people all around us, innocent civilians who have nothing to do with the two of us."

"Screw that." Beyond glared at him. "You wanna fight me without collateral damage? Take one shot at me, with that bow. If you don't draw blood, we fight on my terms."

"Your terms?" L summoned his bow again, and aimed it at Beyond as he nocked an arrow. "I think you're missing something, Beyond. Even if you survive my arrow, when I have time to pour all of my power into it, you can't actually force me to draw my sword."

He drew back the arrow, and purple-tinged lightning began to crackle along the shaft. Arcs of lightning danced away from the arrow, roaring with thunder.

Beyond stared back at the arrowhead, and replied, "You hate to lose. That means you'll want to win fair and square. You won't break the rules if you've already agreed to them."

L sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that. It means you still look up to me in some small way."

He let the arrow fly.

Misa stepped into the sunlight behind him as he did, and gasped in shock with him as Beyond snatched the arrow out of the air, grinning. He examined the crackling bolt of lightning caught in his fist, and chuckled dryly. "Quite the opposite. I pity your stupidity and predictability." L's bow shattered into transparent purple fragments, which tinkled like shards of glass as they hit the wood at his feet. "Now… draw your sword."

L reached toward his hip, and Strunkriid hissed as it slid from its white sheath. He held it in a typical one-handed battle stance. Beyond leapt forward, faster than L could consciously see, but he managed to block the incoming black blade without realizing what he had been afraid of.

"Is that fear in your eyes? Again?" Beyond's grin lessened. "I had been ready for disappointment when I lured you here, but this is just pathetic." He pushed forward. "It's about time I ended this, but I want you to make it entertaining for me before I kill you."

The pressure on Strunkriid vanished without warning, as did Beyond, and L heard a scream of agony behind him. He turned, and saw Beyond grinning from ear to ear, with Misa impaled on his sword. He twisted the blade ever so slightly, drawing another scream from her, then he planted his foot on her belly and shoved her off of the sword. She crumpled backward onto the bridge.

L let Strunkriid fall from his limp fingers, and Beyond turned to face him. "You dropped your sword… does that mean you surrender?" he asked mockingly.

His only answer was a roar of blind fury. The city beneath their feet trembled at L's Voice, and the sky above Whiterun darkened ominously. Unnatural thunder rumbled, and hellish fire began to rain down on the city. Beyond glanced up, then back at L, his grin completely gone. His eyes were wide, and he subconsciously stepped away, but it was too late.

L's hand wrapped around his throat, and he blinked in surprise. When he opened his eyes, he and L were both hovering over Jorrvaskr, and the momentum caught up with him. The air was ripped from his lungs, and he choked, unable to hear L's snarl as he threw Beyond downward with all of his unnatural might.

At the last second, Beyond formed a rudimentary shield with his magicka, saving his own life as he shot through the roof of Jorrvaskr, which caved in from the impact. As quickly as he could, he got to his feet and began to run. It's a fluke, he thought to himself, it has to be! He just caught me off-guard! He prayed he was right, as he threw open the doors of Jorrvaskr, and narrowly dodged a fireball from above, which would almost certainly have done no damage. He looked back at L, still floating somehow over the destroyed Hall of Companions, and jumped from the walls of Whiterun.

X

Misa woke with a gasp, having woken from a horrific nightmare. Beyond had been standing over her, grinning down at the dagger in her chest. He had been laughing, she had been screaming, but just before she woke, the dream went soothingly silent, and Beyond vanished in flames.

She sat up, noticing she had been wrapped in fur blankets. The black robes she had been wearing were gone, and the dragonscale vest underneath had been cut open over her belly. She gingerly touched the freshly healed scar just above her navel, expecting pain that didn't come.

She looked around, and stood. She was alone in a cave about twenty feet high, and the walls were lined with cave paintings of mammoths and fire. She glanced outside, and saw a ten-foot-tall bonfire, quenched by the pouring rain. Lightning flashed, and as the camp outside was briefly lit by it, Misa made eye contact with a giant, seated miserably in the rain.

She yelped, and stepped back. The giant raised an eyebrow, then rested its chin on its palm. She noticed that the creature was somehow dry, despite the storm, but she didn't bother to wonder why. She found her swordbelt, and buckled it on, then moved toward the entrance. The giant glanced at her again, grunted in acceptance, and went back to its resting position. She stepped outside, shivering at the sudden cold of the rain.

"Good morning." She spun, and saw L standing above the cave entrance, soaked. "How are you feeling?"

"Morning," she replied numbly. "I feel pretty good, if I got this scar where I think I did." she fingered the ridge on her skin, still expecting the searing pain of the wound to return at the slightest touch. "Where are we?"

"Bleakwind Basin. A camp belonging to the giant behind you. You've been unconscious for almost three days." L brushed the drenched hair from his eyes, and jumped down to meet her. "I carried you out of Whiterun, since the bandits still held the city. Your condition worsened yesterday morning, since all I had to heal you was a Shout I haven't truly learned. It wasn't enough, so I went back to Whiterun and recovered the arrow containing my magicka, then healed you."

"I was out for three days?" she asked incredulously.

"I assume you were in shock." he glanced down at the scar. "Does it hurt?"

"Not at all." she smiled slightly, then remembered something. "Last thing I remember, it looked like the sky was on fire or something… did I dream that, or did you do something?"

He looked away. "I… lost control. I didn't even mean to Shout, I just roared… but…"

Misa blinked. "You? Lost control? What, did he mind-control you or something? You did mention something about Illusion spells…"

He faced her, and cut her off. "He impaled you, Misa. He put a sword through you, then he looked at me and smiled." he turned away again, and muttered, "He was proud of it."

Misa's eyes widened as the words left his lips. "You went berserk, because he attacked me? And you've been in countless battles with Light, but you've never lost it when he got hurt?"

"If someone were to impale Light, I would tear them limb from limb, but I would do so with absolute calm and composure." What I intend to do to Beyond is far worse. "But you're healed now, and Odahviing freed Whiterun in my absence. The sooner we can leave this camp…" L nodded toward the giant, "and give this poor fellow his home back, the better. We should fly with Odahviing to Dragon Bridge, we're supposed to meet Light and Serana there?"

"Why Dragon Bridge? They never mentioned…" she trailed off, suddenly deep in thought.

"They found the Moth Priest, and led him to Dragon Bridge for his safety. According to the message Light sent me, the Volkihar captured him, and are trying to do it again."

Misa nodded. "Thank you. For saving my life, I mean." She turned, and looked closer at the giant. The rain was hitting an invisible ward above his head, and spilling down around him. "Ryuzaki, did you trap him in there?"

This immediately snapped L out of his thoughts. "Sorry," he replied quickly, and waved a hand to dissolve the barrier. "The three times I tried to reason with him, he just yelled and swung his club! You needed a warm place to sleep, and he wouldn't share, so…" he gestured for the giant to take back his home, and repeated, "Sorry." The giant grunted in anger, but knew better than to attack again, after having been confined for two days. "He used to have more room, but when the storm hit, the rain leaked through the ward, so I applied more magical power to a smaller area."

"Okay, one other question… why have you been standing out here in the rain, when you could have sat in the cave or under a ward?"

"I like the rain." he shrugged. "I tried sleeping, but I couldn't, so I came out here." he reached into the enchanted pouch hanging on his belt, and withdrew a scroll, which he unfurled and handed to Misa.

She examined the foreign markings, and was startled to find she could read them without trouble. "Fus ro dah?" she read the first three words aloud, and a breeze from her throat shook the parchment. "What does it mean?"

"Force, balance, push. They're Rotmulaag, Words of Power for a Shout. Next time Beyond comes at you with a sword, I want you to be capable of breaking every bone in his body. With this, you'll be able to."


A/N: OK, bhark3 here to give some news. Thing is from what I know, the original story that Nick made had seven chapters, right? Here's the thing. Due to reasons outside of our control chapters 6 and 7 are lost. The other problem is that it appears that half of chapter 5 is also missing. I'm not sure whether it was a short chapter to start with or if something happened but that is what has happened. Meaning that during chapter 5 you'll see a A/N like this one somewhere in the middle. From that point onward, all content written while be content I have created.

In comparison to Nick, I'm a horrible writer. So if you don't like my writing style then I'm sorry but that's how it is. I ask that you give me a chance. I'll see you after I do my part of chapter 5.

'Till then.