Author's Note: "I value every view I get, so I feel genuinely bad when I post a short chapter. You don't really get that with most author's on here.. Here's today's second chapter to make up." - A rather relieved Alex Lawsford


"C'mon Ryuuzaki" Akane was almost dragging him now, the childish man going by the name of Ryuuzaki was being dragged to a pretty small looking house by a girl who couldn't have been any older than him.

"Yamaguchi-san, where exactly are you dragging me?" he asked sticking his finger in his mouth.

"Ryuuzaki, you do know where you are.. Right?" Akane stopped

"You said we were in the Rukongai Inuzuri district"

"Yes, but do know where that is?"

L, or rather, Ryuuzaki was confused. He had never heard of a place called the Inuzuri district before. "We're in Japan, correct?"

"...No"

"Hmm? Isn't the word Inuzuri Japanese?"

"Ryuuzaki we're in a place called the Soul Society!" she snapped at him causing Ryuuzaki to jump "So-sorry, the Soul Society is, well, a society of souls. This is where the souls of the dead come after they pass on"

Ryuuzaki stopped thinking when he heard the phrase 'pass on', he muttered to himself for a few seconds and tried to make sense of the situation. He could remember something, a orange-haired man, a shorter black-haired woman, the word Shinigami and the mention of a Soul Society but that was it.

"I knew it" he muttered

"I know it's a lot to take it Ryuuzaki-kun.. But don't worry, it's not like you don't have a place to stay."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone in the Rukongai sticks together. When you appeared here I was told to take you in, you'll be living with me and the family that originally took me in. Oh, if it's okay for you that is."

"Thank you" Ryuuzaki said, it was starting to get dark and he felt like he could trust this girl for some reason. It was as if there was no hint of evil in her. "Lead the way, Akane-chan"

"Yay!" she jumped "That was the first time you used my name Ryuuzaki!"

"Uh..."

"C'mon let's go!" Akane grabbed his hand in joy and pulled him towards the house in front of them. The house was small, almost like a large shed in Ryuuzaki's opinion. Akane knocked on the door with her free hand heavily and an old man opened the door smoking, he looked happy when he realized who was at the door.

"Huh? Oh, 'kane-chan"

"Ide-san~ I got him, this is Ryuuzaki. Apparently that isn't his real name though"

"Oh, mysterious fellow huh?" the old man laughed and gestured the two in

"Thank you.." Ryuuzaki quietly said feeling awkward

"I'm homeeee~" Akane called

"Shhh, 'kane-chan" the old man whispered "Matsuri is asleep"

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry Akane~" A voice called from a corner of the room "Ide don't scare them like that"

"Matsuri-san, hi" Akane said cheerfully, an old woman walked over from the corner of the room to greet Ryuuzaki. Matsuri and Ide were an old couple as far as Ryuuzaki could figure and they were the ones who took Akane in.

"Ryuuzaki-san was it?" Ide asked "Heh, when I first saw you I figured you were Akane's boyfriend, heh heh"

"Ide don't be so mean" Matsuri joked

"I'm just joking"

"Hmph" Akane seemed to have gone into a bad mood "Anyway, is Kurou-chan here?"

"Who's Kurou-chan" Ryuuzaki asked, his eyes danced around the room trying not to look directly at anyone

"He's my little brother, well, in the same way Matsuri and Ide are my mother and father. He was here before I was."

"He's sleeping as usual, all that boy does is sleep and eat. I wonder how he stays so thin?" Matsuri asked moving over to a small stove.

"The wonders of youth" Ide followed with a chuckle

"Here Ryuuzaki, come have dinner with us okay?" Akane said tugging his shirt, Matsuri pulled a tray out of the stove and placed it on a table next to where Ide was sitting, Akane tugged him again.

"It's okay.. I'm not hungry" he was a little bit

"Don't worry about that, Soul's like us don't really get hungry" Ide said sipping at a glass bottle filled with water "Hey, Kurou-kun! Dinner's ready"

"'kay" a young sounding monotonous voice called from a small room, a little boy with jet black hair came out. In terms of physical appearance he looked a lot like Ryuuzaki. He even had his back slightly hunched, almost as if he was mocking him.

"Kurou-kun, this is Ryuuzaki" Akane happily told him "He'll be staying with us"

"'kay"

"..."

The boy continued eating in silence until he had finished, as soon as he did he picked himself up and left without saying a word.

"Is he okay?" Ryuuzaki asked Akane who devouring the food in her bowl

"Mmmphpmpph mph Kurou-chwan mphm (Yeah, that's just how Kuro-chan is)" she replied with her mouth full, it made Ryuuzaki smile for a brief second.

"Akane" Matsuri frowned "Don't talk with your mouth full.."

"Sorry~"

"So, Ryuuzaki, have you managed to remember your real name yet? I believe it takes some people a while to remember things after arriving here. I mean, you did just die" Matsuri asked

"Uhm.. Wel-" L's black pupils dilated and he felt an immense pain in the back of his head, everything went black.

xxx

Ryuuzaki could hear multiple voices talking to him but when he opened his eye all he could see was darkness, he felt as though he was floating. The voices were familiar but he couldn't recognise them. They mostly sounded like grown men calling out his name.

"Ryuuzaki!"

"But, Ryuuzaki shouldn't we-"

"Hey, Ryuzaki"

On the other side of him was the voice of a younger man and a young woman calling the name 'Hideki Ryuga'.

"Ryuga?"

"Hideki Ryuga? Hi I'm-"

"Ryuga over here!"

Ryuuzaki thought to himself, was he Hideki Ryuga? And why did these voices sound so familiar? There was another voice calling to him, the voice of an older man with a faint English accent. The English man called to him, he kept repeating the letter L and the word Lawliet.

"L"

"Lawliet.."

"L"

"Lawliet? How odd.."

The letter L filled Ryuuzaki's head. He clutched his forehead and screamed, it was as if something was pushing it's way out of his head.

"What does Lawliet mean?"

"Why L?"

"What has this got to do with me?"

Tears streamed down his face as the voices faded away, as they disappeared an odd feeling came over him. He muttered to himself again "L... L Lawliet? Is that my real name?". As he said this the darkness around him became light and the familiar voice of Akane appeared in his mind.

"It's okay, you're safe here."

"Don't worry Ryuuzaki"

"Inuzuri means howling dog!"

Ryuuzaki, or rather, L Lawliet smiled to himself. The light around him began to fade, his surrounding became a small room with two beds and plain walls. He was lying down on one of the beds, it seems he had awoken. He felt a light pressure on his chest and as he looked he saw Akane resting her head on him, she had fallen asleep. "I guess she must've stayed here with me.. Did she move me?" he thought to himself, he stroked her head like a kitten and lifted it. L got out of bed and attempted to lift Akane to the bed across from his which he assumed was hers. However L was weaker than a child it seemed as he couldn't lift the girl. He thought about dragging her by her ankles but decided on rolling her into the bed he was sleeping in. He managed to roll her into the bed without waking her or dropping her onto the floor, proud with his work L pulled the covers over her and smiled. He turned around to go to the bed behind him when Akane turned and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"L Lawliet~"