"Ngh." It took so much effort to open my eyes. Everything was so blurry. I could see someone...with messy black hair. I inhaled sharply, but began to convulse, struggling to breathe. L! L! You're here! Oh, L!

Tears filled my eyes, but they didn't blur the fright in L's face and the other faces that hovered by, trying to calm me down. "Light," L murmured, a tear sliding down his pale cheek. I was starting to cry, remembering the fear, feeling the pain course through me once again.

Why did it hurt so much inside?

What happened? What was going on? Where was I? Why couldn't I speak? Where was my voice? Why couldn't I breathe? Why did it have to hurt so much?

Someone was telling me to breathe slowly, but it was hard to concentrate. L leaned close and kissed my cheek, whispering my name as nurses fluttered around. Eventually, I calmed down, and tried to even out my breathing. I could only take short, shallow breaths. Anything else hurt too much.

"Light," L repeated, reaching to hold my hand. I tried to squeeze it, but it was as if I had no energy left. I just couldn't move. "Everything's okay. Just relax, Light."

What had happened? Everything was so hazy, yet some things stood out in clear relief. Chikayo's green shirt...a piece of pipe...shouting...the smell of wet cement...

I tried to question L with my eyes, unable to make any coherent sounds. He stroked my hair gently, avoiding what appeared to be bandages around my head. "You and Chikayo were attacked after school. Chikayo's in hospital, too, he's doing okay so far."

He swallowed. "You have several broken ribs, a fractured finger in your right hand and you received a sharp blow to the head. You've got a broken nose, and there's a chip off your skull." His eyes filled with tears. "I was so scared I'd lost you. They intended to kill you both."

I wanted to comfort him, but there was nothing I could do.

"Chikayo has a fractured skull and a broken arm as well as broken ribs. He generally got head injuries, so there was some swelling in his brain, but the doctors are hopeful that he'll make a full recovery. He's been through a lot...and there will be some scarring." He kissed my uninjured hand. "I was so scared..."

I tried to clear my throat, tried to make a coherent sound, but all I could manage was a croak. Who had found us? Who...why...? How could this happen...?

L was silent for a moment, his eyes growing harder. "I'll do everything I can, Light. I will hunt those monsters down and I'll see that they rot forever in a cell."

"...N-no," I forced out. He looked down at me in shock. I couldn't explain this to him in the state that I was in. I tried to gesture with my hand, as if I were writing something down. L's eyes widened. He hesitated.

"Light...I can't..."

I didn't mean for him to write in it. I was going to. I was going to write my attackers a painful death. And...I couldn't let L write in the Death Note. I couldn't let him kill someone. Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe...heaven was worth trying to get into. I didn't want to deny him that.

"Your parents are here," L murmured, stroking my hair again. "They haven't left your side, but I finally convinced them to go and have something to eat."

"Mmn..." I closed my eyes, my body exhausted but my mind not ready to shut down. All I wanted was to sleep. If I was asleep, I couldn't feel this pain. I could let it all be a dream.

"Light." I opened my eyes, to see his face bowed, as if to hide how very vulnerable he looked right now. "Promise me, Light...that you'll stay here with me."
I squeezed his hand as tightly as I could, struggling as I had little strength in my fingers to do so, before I settled back and drifted off to sleep.

Stay with you, L? Always.

***

L and my parents rarely left my side. Matsuda visited often, just to chat, with Ryuk following him to the hospital. Nishi came in once to see me, and I could see that he wasn't doing too well, looking as if he hadn't slept and was more quiet than usual. I knew it was hard on him, when his boyfriend...Chikayo...wasn't allowed visitors other than his parents for the time being.

Mother didn't want Sayu to visit, felt that it would be hurtful to her to see me in so much pain. I agreed. I knew that Sayu had to learn about how harsh the world could be, but she was still my little sister and I wanted nothing more than to protect her as much as I could from it.

Early one night, I received a visit from Kairi. L had gone home to change and have a shower, leaving us to talk alone. She looked terrible, as if she hadn't slept at all, and looked like she were close to tears.

"How are you?" she asked softly, sitting in L's usual chair beside my bed. I smiled tiredly.

"Better than before," I answered. "I can only get better."

"Right...I feel so terrible about all of this."

"L told me...you were the one that found us. That you called an ambulance..."

"Yes," she nodded, eyes becoming moist. "I was staying back late because I was studying in the library. And when I came out, I saw...saw them leaving...and I knew. I ran over and found you both. There was blood everywhere..." She hurriedly covered her eyes with her hands. "I'm so sorry, Light."
"Why? Don't be sorry. I'm so glad you found us. We could have been dead."

"But...but it's my fault..." she managed, voice shaky. "Mitsu and I were talking about...about that night...when we found Chikayo...and Nishi. A-and Masakuni was behind us. Masakuni Nanba, Mitsu's boyfriend. He yelled at her, demanded to know what we were talking about, but he'd heard enough. He went to all his friends and told them about Chikayo...and about you. Because Mitsu and I were talking about Chikayo and you...how you two...And that afternoon...they came a-and hurt you both..." She dissolved into tears. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been talking to Mitsu about it. I should've looked around to make sure no one was listening..."
"Kairi...Kairi, don't cry," I urged, reaching for her hand. "Please. It doesn't matter, people would have found out eventually. I couldn't hide L forever. And Nishi was never one for keeping secrets about himself."

"Nishi...Nishi...I saw him..."
"How is he doing? I've only seen him once."

"He wouldn't be, considering his boyfriend and the guy he considers to be almost a brother is in hospital," Mitsu said, entering the room, clutching an armload of flowers. "How are you, Light? I wanted to see you sooner, but Kairi and I wanted to tell you together what we did."

"It wasn't your fault. It was an accident," I said, weary of trying to tell people that I was fine and that it was no one's fault.

At first I had been furious. But I'd calmed down. I could make this all better. I was going to kill Masakuni Nanba and the others who had harmed Chikayo and I. I was going to kill them slowly and painfully. They would regret everything they ever did to me.

The world should not have homophobic, close minded criminals such as them in the world. They were better off...eliminated. Proper justice would be served.

"Light...I'm so sorry," Mitsu murmured. I studied her closer. Her left eye was rather dark.

"Mitsu...did he hurt you?"

"It's just a bruise," Mitsu told me, flashing an embarrassed smile. "I tripped over and hit a table. That's all."

"He punched you," I realised. "He punched you when you didn't tell him about me or Chikayo."

"N-no! I tripped!"

"He hurt you!"

"No! He didn't! It's my fault!"

I tried to protest further, but it was getting too hard to breathe. My eyes watered with the pain, as I tried to breathe slowly and lightly. "Kairi," I breathed. "Tell me the truth."

"Light, I've told you the truth!" Mitsu snapped. "He didn't hurt me. You should be worrying about yourself!"

"Mitsu went to see him...to demand what he did," Kairi told me, against Mitsu's protests. "He punched her and told her that you deserved what you got. That there...shouldn't be people like you running around..."

"Mitsu..." I sighed. "Why? Why didn't you just leave him alone?"
"Because Chikayo is my cousin, and because I love you, too! I've always loved you, Light, you know that. I'm not just going to step aside and let people hurt you, especially not that pathetic piece of worthless shit named Masakuni Nanba!" Mitsu rolled her eyes at Kairi. "And he didn't punch me after that. He pushed me first. He punched me after I threw a rock through his car window." She couldn't help but giggle a little at that. I shook my head in wonder. I really couldn't understand Mitsu at all, sometimes.

"Knock knock," someone sang lightly.
"Miss President," I smiled, spotting the familiar girl at the door.

"Hi, Mr Yagami. It's great to see you're doing well," Arisa beamed, her panda bear in one arm and a box of what appeared to be chocolate in the other. "I just visited Mr Karasuma."

"How's he doing?" I asked, accepting the gift of chocolate. I would give it to L, who wasn't acting like himself lately. "I forgot, he's allowed to have visitors now."

"Well..." Arisa trailed off, stroking her panda bear. "He...he looks different."

"L said that he'd have scarring, but that's all I've heard. I haven't been allowed to get out of bed, but I think L is actually paying the hospital to force me to stay here," I said, only half-joking. I looked down at my hands. "What kind of scarring does he have?"

"Half of his face was dragged along the bitumen," Mitsu told me, sobering. "His nose will have a little hook in it where it was shattered, but all along the right side of his face...The doctors were considering doing some skin grafts to cover the scarring...but Chikayo doesn't want them to."

"What? Why not?" I asked. Chikayo had always been proud of his good looks. I couldn't picture him with any gashes or scars over half of his face.

"I don't know," Mitsu shrugged, at a loss. "He won't talk to anyone. It's driving Nishi crazy, and Lani..."
"Maybe it's best if Lani doesn't see him all covered in gauze," Kairi commented softly.

"He's just...not very happy at the moment, that's all," Arisa finished.

I looked up at the ceiling, wishing I could see the stars. I wanted to see Chikayo. I wanted to tell him that it was all going to be okay. Because when I got out of here, I was going to make sure this never happened again. To us, or to anyone. The Death Note would ensure it. Chikayo didn't have anything to worry about. Not anymore. Because those that had hurt us...that had hurt my precious Chikayo...they were going to pay.

***

"Why did you throw them at her?" I asked, turning my gaze to him. Chikayo didn't reply. I hadn't expected him to, despite how much I wanted him to. All he ever did was glare at everything and everyone. He'd thrown Arisa's gift of chocolates at her and roared at her to leave, very unlike himself. What had happened to my Chikayo? My beautiful lover, who never shouted, who was never violent, but whose strong hands would pull my hips closer as his lips caressed my own, speaking only words that made me feel alive. He was the first human I had ever felt anything for. He'd shown me how precious life was to him, how he cherished the people close to him. And he'd shown me how to open my heart, to learn how to love my new family. My stupid, childish uncle Matsu, my know-it-all, stubborn Light who was like a brother to me, and L, who was as odd as I was, and never judged me at all, when all my life I had been judged. I wanted to protect my family more than anything. I had felt so helpless when I had received the call from L, telling me that Chikayo was in hospital after those monsters had brutally hurt him.

That was why I hated people. Because they so easily and so selfishly hurt others. Animals were not so manipulative, they did only as their instincts told them. They did not judge so cruelly. You could never trust a human.
"Chikayo. You're being an ass." I strode from my corner and stood beside him, looking down at his once handsome face. Of course, when the wounds would heal, I would only find him more beautiful. That's what made me so odd. Because I was strange enough to find piercings, scars and tattoos as attractive. They showed that someone had endured pain and had overcome it. That I found attractive. And it was my oddities that Chikayo had found so alluring about me.

"Chikayo." No reply. "Chikayo. I love you." Still more of that hateful silence. I reached down and ran my finger along the shape of his left brow, which was mercifully unhurt.

"I think I'm going to explode," he murmured, hands shaking. I searched his eyes, trying to understand. "I feel like...I'm so full of hate...that I'm going to explode because of it. I just want to kill them...for what they did to me. For what they did to Light."

"Leave it to me," I whispered, reaching down to kiss his soft lips. He had loved the feel of my piercings, had sucked on them for long moments, as his hands would rub my thighs. I had never had a boyfriend or girlfriend quite like Chikayo, someone who cared more for me than they did about themselves. I had never felt so protective, had never loved so fiercely before.

"Nishi."
"Mmn?"

"You know...I love you, right?"

"Yeah. I know."
"Good," he breathed. I held his hand until he fell asleep.

***

What had woken me? I could hear angry whispers at the foot of my bed.
"Just give me my Death Note back," Misa was demanding. "If you're too week to write their names down, I will!"

"Light is no longer Kira. He has accepted our legal system, and through that, I am going to hunt these animals down and make sure they rot in hell," L growled.

"I can make sure they really do rot," Misa retorted. "Those monsters deserve to die! What good is putting them in gaol, huh? They wouldn't get a life sentence. Don't you even love Light?"

"Don't you dare accuse me of not loving Light," L spat, furious. I had never seen him so angry before. "I am doing what is right. Light understands that."
"Don't you want them to die like I do? Just give me my Death Note so I can put their names down!"

"Why haven't you asked Rem to do it?" L challenged. "You know she'd do anything for you. Why do you need your own book back? Rem could even let you use her own Death Note."

"Because I want to protect Light! I want to carry on what Kira started! I want to make this world a safer, kinder place where we can all live in peace!"

"That is what our legal system is trying to achieve! It may have glitches and it may not be perfect, but we need to respect it and not let some stupid, uneducated fool like yourself decide that she knows better and should rule!"

"L...Misa..." They turned to look at me, startled and a little guilty.

"Light!" Misa burst, a bright smile blooming on her flushed face. "I haven't seen you in so long! I would have been here the moment you got here, but I didn't get told you were in here until yesterday night, so I thought I'd come see you this morning."

"Thanks, Misa," I said with a small smile, but helpless to hide the worry as L strode out of the room, a dark look upon his face. "How are you?"
"How am I? How are you, Light? Are you in much pain?"

"The doctors say I'll be out of here in no time. My ribs will take a little longer to heal, but so far I'm doing fine."
"And what about Chikayo?"

"I'm not allowed to get out of bed at this point, except to go the toilet, so I haven't seen him yet. But apparently he doesn't want any visitors."
"Oh."

"So..." There was no use trying to avoid it. "You want your Death Note back?"
"Yes. I want to get revenge for you," she nodded.

"Thank you, Misa. But I'd like to do it myself."

"Well, I guess that's natural."

"But L won't give me my Death Note, and I'm not going to ask him. It'd hurt him. Instead, I want you to do something for me, Misa."
"Of course," she smiled.

"I want you to ask Rem for some pages out of her Death Note. I want you to give these pages to my friend, Enah, you met her at my wedding. I don't think L is going to trust me to be alone with you after this. Enah always carries a folder of papers, so it won't seem so odd to L," I explained. Misa nodded.

"What do I tell Enah, though?" Misa asked, frowning.

"Buy me a journal as a gift, and run into her. Tell her that you have no time to visit her and that I've mentioned that I'd like to see her. Put the pages from the Death Note into an envelope and slip it into the front of the journal. Enah wouldn't see anything odd with a letter." I brought my knuckle to my lips, thinking. "I'll have to make sure Enah doesn't give me the journal from you in front of L. If he knows it's a present from you, he'll want to investigate...But he'll trust me to be alone with her. I'll send him home for spare clothes for me to wear or something when she comes to visit."

"Sounds like a plan, Light," Misa smiled. "I'm glad you're okay." She reached over and hugged me, taking care to be gentle. Inwardly, I smiled. I was fortunate that Misa was so willing to do whatever I asked of her. She was just a mindless pawn. When Misa pulled away, something occurred to me. I was going to be Kira once again, by killing these people. And I was manipulating the people around me, in a way to get past L who was standing in my way like before.

I respected that L didn't want to go against his beliefs about justice despite how much he wanted these monsters dead, but I wasn't going to let my justice bow down before his. Not now. I had to kill them. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. L would find out eventually what I had done, but I would deal with that later. For now, I had to rest. And while I rested, I would wait. The time would soon arrive when I could once again bring justice to the world.

***

I had been anticipating Enah's visit, and was glad when she had finally arrived. I had to make these deaths inconspicuous, and I wasn't as creative as Enah when it came to killing people. She was under the impression that it was just a game so far, was unaware that this paper was going to bring about my desires. I was careful not to let her touch the paper, if she did, she would be able to see Rem, which was something I was not ready for Enah to see. Eventually, she was going to figure out that these people were dying the way we had written them down and I would have to explain to her. But for now, I was going to leave her oblivious to it.

The best way to seem innocent was to be innocent, and L could find nothing suspicious about Enah if she was unaware of what she was doing. I didn't want L to know.

Eventually he'd figure it out, in fact, l probably already suspected that I had made arrangements with Misa. I didn't want L to taint his hands. If he had a shot to get into heaven...I wanted him to go there.

I looked down at the page taken from Rem's Death Note, a surge of pleasure coursing through me.

Dosan Abumura, suicide.

Chuemon Jimyuin, slips in the bathroom and hits his head against the bathtub, killing him instantly.

Fusamura Kato, chokes on food four days after he learns of the death of Dosan Abumura.

Hirokazu Nomimura, falls off a balcony after he learns of the death of Fusamura Kato.

Katsumi Saito, drowns a month after learning of the death of Hirokazu Nomimura.

Kuzunori Tokukaji, is hit by a car three days after learning of the death of Katsumi Saito.

Masakuni Nanba, jumps in front of a train and dies.

These people would die all at different times, nothing suspicious at all about it. They were all accidents, really. No cause for concern. The world had no need for monsters like them.

Enah already supported Kira, which meant her sense of justice was aligned to mine. I knew her, and she would not become selfish and use a Death Note for her own means unless it was vital. Enah was intelligent, and trustworthy, but perhaps too intelligent to be able to manipulate.

When she left, L returned, and he noticed the new diary. I acted cool, informing him that Enah had given it to me, not giving him the details of who had actually bought it.

"The doctors say I can come home soon," I told L, noticing that he was awfully quiet. He hadn't really spoken much at all since I'd been in here. I fiddled with my wedding ring, feeling guilty, yet hiding my thoughts from my face like I had when I had been Kira. I could not allow any sign to L that I was thinking of the Death Note. But, I was still L's husband and I couldn't bear this silence. "L...Is everything okay?" I asked quietly.

"Everything is fine, Light," he answered automatically, fingers toying with his own wedding ring.
My heart pounded in my chest, my palms becoming clammy. My voice shook. "You always say everything is fine. But what about you? I want to know if you are okay," I pressed.

"I, Light? You want to know if I am okay?" L's eyes narrowed. "I am not okay. I have not been okay for so long I cannot even begin to remember when things were okay."

I bit my lip, eyes filling with tears.

"People have hurt you, Light, and I can't do anything. I am powerless to give you want you want, I cannot have them killed. My justice can only take things so far. And you're pushing me too far, I cannot bear it. You want to take revenge and I want you to have that with all of my heart, but I cannot let you. Everything would be so much easier if you weren't Kira. If you didn't have this perverted sense of justice."

My throat developed a lump which I could not swallow away. "Is that it?" I asked, trying to give a snort, but I was on the verge of tears, my nose moist so all I could give was a sniff. "You wish I was different? So I'm not perfect enough for you?"

"That's not it at all," L murmured, eyes turning to mine. I could see my weak face reflected in them. I tried to create a hard mask to hide behind, one he could not penetrate through.

"Then what is it, huh? You want me to totally give up everything I believe in, don't you? If that's not it, then what the fuck is it?" A tear slid down my face. "You're a total jerk, you know that? These stupid fucking people could do this again, and there are others just like them out there. If I had continued as Kira, I could have created a much better, safer, kinder world than this one you're trying to defend!"

"Light-"
"FUCK OFF!" I shouted at him, gesturing wildly to the door. "Get the fuck out and don't fucking come back! I'm not going to change and you don't have any fucking right to tell me to!"

"LIGHT!" he bellowed, kicking the chair away. "I've tried so hard to ignore this, but I can't give in, not to anyone, not to you! I know what is right and I know that I love you more than anything, but I can't let you do this! Letting you do this is proving Kira is right, and if stopping you means hurting you, you should know that I'm hurting myself a thousand times more by doing so!"

"I hate you," I growled, staring at my knees. I was like a caged bird, and he had clipped my wings. He was choosing his justice over me. Over what I wanted. Their deaths and he knew they deserved it, but he still insisted that it was wrong. What were the lives of those pathetic excuses for people?
"Well, I love you," L spat back, striding to the door and slamming it shut behind him. When he left, there was an awful silence. I broke down into tears, sobbing into my knees, eyes clenched shut at the pain caused by my shaking body and sore ribs.

L had never shouted at me like that before. Had never raised his voice, and I had never been so hurtful to him. I wanted to call him back, to apologise, but I was too much of a coward. I cried myself to sleep, wishing L was different. Wishing he had the same kind of justice that I did.

***

"Light!" Matsuda beamed, Ryuk hovering over his shoulder. L held my elbow as he settled me onto one of the kitchen stools. Matsuda made to give me a big hug, until L gave him a warning look.
"Careful, Matsuda. He's still sore," he told the excitable detective.
"Right," Matsuda grinned, giving me a gentle hug. "We missed you so much, Light! It's so empty and quiet without you at home."

L gave a small smile.

L and I had been quite civil to one another since our fight in the hospital. Neither of us had apologised for what we had said, or had even made any mention of the argument at all. I hated fighting with him, and just wished none of this had never happened. Wished there weren't people like Masakuni Nanba in the world.
"Where's Nishi?" I asked, as Matsuda gave me a glass of water. I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy being pampered like this.

"Nishi? Oh, he's probably with Chikayo at the hospital," Matsuda shrugged, a brief worry line appearing on his forehead, but quickly being replaced with a smile. "It's pretty cute. I think they're going steady."

"You give me the word Light, and I'll get rid of those..." Ryuk saw L's sharp look, and quickly changed what he was about to say. "Uh, I'll get rid of those rotten apples in the yard. I've been getting stomach cramps lately, so I haven't been eating as many."

"Have you seen Chikayo?" Matsuda asked me. I shook my head, sipping my water. Chikayo didn't want to see me, which hurt, but I could understand. We had gone through an ordeal, and he'd come out of it pretty badly. He was scarred for life, so I could see he would be upset about it all. I was just another reminder of what had happened.

"Misa stopped by this morning, to see if you were home yet," Matsuda explained, wiping down the kitchen bench. "I told her you wouldn't be here until dark, and you'd probably want to sleep and have some peace and quiet when you got here. She was very thoughtful, she made two apple pies for us...except one's gone missing," he frowned. Ryuk gave a guilty giggle, making me snort with amusement. "So, I've made pasta for dinner, if you're ready, Light," Matsuda smiled. He was so bubbly and happy to have me home, I couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm not hungry, Matsuda, so please don't save any for me," L told him. "I'm going upstairs to do some work." He made to leave, but I reached for his hand, pulling him back.
"No. Please...stay," I flushed, not wanting things to be so empty between us. "I'm pretty tired, I might need you to help feed me." What a lame excuse, and he saw through it. Yet he stayed.
"Of course," he murmured, before hesitantly reaching up to brush my hair out of my eyes.
"I think I need a hair cut," I tried to smile. "It's getting pretty long."

"No, I like it this length," Matsuda protested, putting on his favourite pink oven mitts Nishi had given him for his birthday.
"It keeps getting in my eyes," I told him, whilst looking up at L. "I've never had it this long. And I'd only need a trim, that's all." L moved his face closer, and kissed my forehead, before trailing down to kiss my lips. It felt so good...so right. So normal. I had missed this. We hadn't kissed at all since our little fight. I kissed him back eagerly, my hand tightening around his wrist, pulling him closer. He kissed me gently until Matsuda had served dinner, and stayed to feed me the way he often had when he was in a doting mood. Perhaps we could overcome our differences...I knew that we would have to sort things out eventually, but not now. Not tonight. Tonight was ours.

L cradled me that night, moved as slowly and carefully as he could. It was hard to ignore the pain and enjoy the love we were sharing, but he was doing his best and I could hardly believe how I had managed to have someone as caring and thoughtful as L Lawliet. When he was spent, he helped me find a comfortable position to sleep in, my sore ribs making it difficult to move at all.

"L...Did you bribe the hospital to keep me there for so long?" I asked, as he stroked my arm.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Light," he murmured, a smile on his lips.
"So...did you?"

"I'm not going to lie."
"So you did?"
"I'm not going to lie," he repeated, amused.
"You did, I accused.
"I didn't say that," he snorted, kissing my temple. "I'm not telling you anything."
"You did," I smirked, as he brushed my hair with his fingers. "I can tell."
"Oh, can you?" he smiled, in a voice that made me doubt myself. I hated not knowing, but I dropped the subject. We lay in a comfortable silence, and I began to drift off to sleep when he spoke. "Light, I should tell you that I've taken up a new case."
"Mmn?"
"It means I will have to fly to the US for a few days, and I thought I'd go to England and visit Whammy House, the orphanage where I grew up."

"You're...leaving?"

"Not for long," he reassured me, kissing my temple. "It was a short notice event, so I'm very sorry I wasn't able to tell you sooner to get you used to the idea. I'd love for you to come with me, but not in the state that you're in. I'd also be too busy working to enjoy anything with you, and I would like nothing more than for you to see where I grew up."

"When are you going?" I asked, dread welling up within me. I instinctively clutched tighter at his chest. L paused.

"In a week. It was very short-notice."

I buried my face into his hand, covering my eyes with it, not wanting to show how weak I was. How could I stand it here without him? How could I tell him that I was glad I had spent so long in hospital, because I wouldn't be out here, in the open, where I could be attacked again. I was afraid of the idea of walking down a street, and I was beyond glad that school was now over, having been in hospital during graduation. Luckily I had already finished all of my exams.

"How long will you be gone?" I whispered. He nuzzled my neck, trying to comfort me.

"Two weeks in the US, hopefully I could shorten that, and spend five days or so in England."

"I'd like to travel the world," I mused, trying to distract myself from the tears of unhappiness of his news.

"I want to show you the world, Light," he murmured, kissing a lock of my hair. "One day, together, you and I will go every where. I want to show you everything."

I gave him a trembling smile as I teased him. "I hope this is a one off time, and you're not planning to go and see some boyfriend every few months."

"Well, I hope this boyfriend you speak of enjoys threesomes because I do not intend leaving Japan without you after this one time." He kissed my cheek. "I love you, Light. And only you. That's why I married you, my love."

"And I love you."

"You better," he growled playfully, capturing my lip between his own.

"Lawliet?" I breathed, stifling a painful yawn.

"Yes, Light?"
"Would you recite poetry or something until I fall asleep?" I asked, eyes drooping. L kissed my forehead.
"Of course," he smiled, pleased that I would ask. I settled back in his arms, closing my eyes, and let him talk until I fell asleep.

***

"Good morning, Light," Ryuk smiled at me. I smiled back, and reached into the fridge, when I remembered something.
"Hey, Ryuk, what happened to my car? Is it still...at the school?" I never wanted to go back there and get it. Ryuk looked rather guilty.
"Uh, yeah, it's here. Matsuda drove it home."

"What's wrong?" I questioned, dread welling up within me. "What is it?"

"Well...let's just say Sparkles got a makeover," Ryuk tried to joke. I stared at him in horror, before I dropped the milk and dashed to the garage. I flipped on the light, my heart thumping painfully.
"No," I breathed, wanting to cry. My car had been vandalised, its headlights smashed out, scratches gauged into the paint and huge dents everywhere, as well as some smashed windows. Worse, was the spray paint that declared "Faggot" along the side. I began to walk around it, taking in the damage. When I reached the back, I doubled over, convulsing with unshed sobs. They had painted "I take it up the ass", with an arrow to the tailpipe.

"Light, are you okay?" Ryuk asked, worried. He patted my back in a comforting way, but there was nothing that could cheer me up now.

"It...isn't fair," I whispered, hot tears trickling down my face. Why did this have to happen to me? What the hell did I do to deserve this? If they had known I was Kira, would they have done it then? Or would they have been too frightened of me? Of my power?
I probably would never know, I could not ask them, because they were already dying. Their names were written down. Their deaths...what they got...they didn't deserve the kinds of deaths I had given them. They deserved to be tortured first, to suffer.

"Light?"

I looked up to see Nishi looking for me in the garage. He strode over to me and sat down beside me, thinking I was alone. "I'm going to the hospital to see Chikayo, want to come?"

"He doesn't want to see me," I mumbled, burying my face into my knees.

"Screw what Chikayo wants," Nishi replied, frowning. "He needs to see you, to see that you're okay. Same for you, I think."

"I can't. Not today."

"It doesn't have to be today. But soon, before he leaves hospital."

"I'll think about it," I mumbled. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve. "So, you two are going out, then?"

"Yes."

"That's great. You're opposites...but you match. You're made for each other."
"You make it sound as if we're going to be married, Light. Of course I love him, but things can always change."

"Right," I nodded, toying with a loose thread on my shirt. I gave him a watery smile. "But for you, I hope things don't change. You both...need each other."

"You haven't seen us together, you don't know what kind of relationship we have," he pointed out.
"I know...but I know what you two are like."

"You're full of crap, Light."

"Light?" L called, stepping into the garage, lines of worry on his perfect face.

"I'm over here," I replied, standing up. "How much would it cost to fix?" I asked, gesturing at the car.

"It doesn't matter," he murmured, hugging me to him. "I'll get you a new one. You can have any car you wish, it's your choice this time."

"A new car?" I repeated. "But..."
"This one can be fixed, but wouldn't you rather have a different one? This one will always be reminding you of what happened."

"No," I said, shaking my head and stepping away. I put my hand on my beloved car. "The Thing is a part of our family. We can't just get rid of it once its been abused like this." I looked up at L. "You didn't get rid of me when I was in hospital, did you? And I'm going to heal just fine, so The Thing is going to be alright too. It can be fixed."

"Light...I remember when you first lay eyes on it. You hated it," L smiled, amused. "And now you're trying to convince me not to throw it away."

"I always knew Light was off his nut," Ryuk chuckled, following Nishi around the garage.

"I don't know much about cars, but I imagine repairing the damage of this would be expensive," Nishi remarked, kicking one of the wheels. "A new spray job. New windows...new lights..."

"But we can still fix it, right?" I asked, needing this confirmation that everything was going to be okay. Nishi gave me a smile.
"Sure. I was only saying it would be expensive." His eyes flashed to L, smile broadening. "Not that money would ever be a problem for you, right?"

"Money would never be an issue when it comes to family," L assured us, patting the roof of the damaged car. I gave a relieved sigh and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you, L. I promise that someday I'll pay you back."

"Light, my money is your money. If you want an island, I'll ask you if you want a tropical one. You can ask for anything and I'll do what I can to give it to you."

The Death Note flashed in my mind.
"Within reason," L added, eyes watching me carefully. I snorted with amusement, hiding the small disappointment I felt. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered now was that my car was going to be fixed.

***

"Make sure you call me as soon as you get off the plane," I warned him, talking a mile a minute. "Make sure you eat with your mouth closed, and don't go licking your shirt if you spill food on it. And don't forget to dress properly for the weather. I've spoken to Watari and he's promised to remind you not to eat seafood until we find out what kind of fish you're allergic to. And make sure you try and have some green tea without any sugar every day. And don't drink any of the water there, buy it bottled, and make sure the bottles aren't already opened and just refilled. Oh, and brush your teeth every morning and night, and use the bottled water for that okay?"

"Light, you don't need to worry so much," L smiled, brushing my hair behind my ear. "I've been all over the world. This is just another business trip, you know."

"I don't want you getting sick, or hurt, or lost, or..." My mind swirled with the endless possibilities of how things could go wrong. L distracted me by kissing me gently.

"Don't fret. Please, I'm the one who should be worried, leaving you all alone with Matsuda to keep an eye on you. Nishi's bound to convince Matsuda to let him do something stupid and with Ryuk distracting everyone...I can only hope the house is all in one piece when I get back," L chuckled lightly. He continued to hold me until he was one of the last to get on the plane. I considered saying something or doing something to stop him from catching his flight, but I wasn't the kind of person to be so selfish.

"Be safe," I murmured against his lips.
"I was going to say the same to you," he breathed in my ear. "I really don't want to go."

"The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back," I told him, giving him a childish shove to the gate. "Say hello to Mello, Matt and Near for me, okay?"

"I love you," he smiled.
"And I love you," I promised, waving goodbye. "Miss you already."

He laughed and was gone. I strode over to the window, looking out at the plane, wondering if I would be able to see him through one of the windows of the plane. I waited long after it had taken off, as if waiting for L to jump off and come running. I pulled out my phone, wishing he were able to call me already, and stared in surprise. My background had changed. I usually had it as one of the defaults, but it seemed L had changed it to one of our wedding pictures, where we were exchanging our vows. I smiled down at the image, blinking away tears.
We had never been apart for so long and it was killing me each and every second.

I took a train home and set about doing what I had been planning to do during L's absence. I moped.

"Oh, Light," Matsuda sighed, making himself some ice-cream, "Why don't you go out for a while? Distract yourself? L will be back before you know it."

Matsuda was easily distracted, as Ryuk took a large bite of Matsuda's ice-cream when he wasn't looking. Nishi stomped down the stairs as per usual, wearing a black top hat, tight black jeans, what appeared to be a black coat that generals wore, complete with the war medals and the gold epaulets, with a black umbrella hanging off his arm despite the weather being perfectly sunny.

"Nishi, are you going out?" Matsuda asked, as his nephew grabbed his wallet off of the kitchen bench. Nishi nodded, questioning with his eyes.

"Why don't you take Light with you? I was going to do some housework and I don't want Light just moping around by himself."

"Why don't I just take along a pet goat and be done with it?" Nishi complained. "Everyone will stare at me if he tags along."
I snorted, wondering where Nishi got his sayings and logic from. He thought I would be the one to draw attention? I wasn't the one who wore all black except for bright green converse and hair fluffed up all over the place with bright patches of blood red.

"Come on, Nishi. Be nice," Matsuda scolded him. Nishi rolled his eyes and turned to me.
"Excuse me, Light, but would you like to go clothes shopping with me?"

"You know, I'd love to." Not really, but perhaps I could get a laugh out of this.

"This is going to be the most depressing shopping trip ever," Nishi grumbled, leading the way. We took a bus to a busy part of town, and we strode down a crowded street. "See?" Nishi hissed. "Everyone's staring at me because of you."

"What? Am I really that uncool?" I teased, crossing my arms. He led me into a gothic looking shop, full of clothes, posters, ornaments and cd's. Nishi strode up to the counter and leaned against it, beginning to talk to the cashier there, whom he seemed to know well. I hung around by the cd's, but I was unfamiliar with most of the bands, though after living with Nishi who loved to blast his music, I was sure I might recognise some of the songs.
For what was probably the millionth time, I checked my phone. Still no messages from L.

"Mr Yagami? What are you doing here?"

I jumped with surprise to see Arisa standing behind me, clutching her panda bear tightly. She smiled up at me. "I would never have expected to see you here."

"I would never have expected to see you here, either," I told her, clutching my heart, my lungs aching where I had inhaled sharply.
"Miss Minase and I are going on an outing today," she explained, eyes turning to some of the jewellery on display. "This is one of my favourite shops, I get some of my Lolita dresses custom made here. I did not know you were into Lolita, Mr Yagami."

"Actually, I'm here for my friend, Nishi," I told her, pointing him out.

"Oh, look! Miss Enah is working here today! She always gives me discounts," Arisa beamed, waving at the girl at the counter, whom Nishi was chatting to. I did a double-take.
"You're right! That's really Enah! I didn't recognise her, I'm so used to seeing her in her school uniform," I said, as Enah waved back, her lips perked up in surprise. Arisa and I headed up to the counter.

"Hi, Enah."
"Hello, Miss Enah!"

"Hey, you two. Fancy seeing you here, Light," Enah smiled.
"You know him?" Nishi asked, wrinkling his nose. Enah nodded.
"How do you two know each other?" I questioned, as Arisa began to browse through the assorted dresses in the shop.

"We used to date, and I swear Nishi doesn't shop anywhere else," Enah snorted, tapping her lip habitually with her pen. "It's an odd day when he's not here."

"Yeah. I get frequent buyer points," Nishi told me dryly, before rolling his eyes at Enah. "Uncle Matsu wanted Light to get out of the house, so I dragged him along with me."

"How come?" she asked, twirling one of her red bangs around her finger.

"L's gone to America for two weeks," I sighed, checking my phone just in case.
"He won't stop doing that," Nishi complained to Enah.
"Has Chikayo gotten out of hospital yet?" Enah asked me. I shrugged, pointing at Nishi.
"I don't know. Ask Nishi. Nishi's going out with him, after all."

"This whole time we had friends in common," Enah mused, resting her chin on her palm. "I knew Chikayo was into guys."

"You and everybody else except me," I muttered, toying with one of the studded collars for sale. "I haven't even spoken to him about it yet. He doesn't want to see me."
"I was going to visit him today, and take you with me," Nishi told me, eyes serious. He flashed Enah a grin. "He's moodier than you are, sometimes."

"Hey, you jerk," Enah laughed, punching Nishi's arm.

"I guess his ass makes up for it," Nishi told her, giving a mock sigh. "Just like your chest did."

"You really have to balance the bad with the good, don't you?" she grumbled, an irritated smile on her lips. She shrugged. "I wouldn't pin Chikayo as your type, Nishi. Though he's got a great body."

"Yeah, you should see it without clothes," Nishi told her, a suggestive tone to his voice. I grit my teeth, sick of the conversation about Chikayo and his sexuality. How could I have not known this whole time? I was such a stupid idiot.

"Mr Yagami, what do you think?" Arisa called from the dressing rooms, spinning around in a black and white dress. I almost missed the familiar panda bear in her arms, as he blended almost perfectly in. I walked over and examined the dress.

"It's a nice dress and it fits you well," I noted, "though I'm not that good at choosing clothes for girls."

"Do you think Miss Minase would like it?" she asked, frowning as she looked down at herself.

"Mitsu? Sure, I guess. Why, were you going to get it for her? It's not her size though, and she usually wears more casual stuff."
"No, that's not what I meant," she flushed. "I just wanted to wear a pretty dress, that's all."

I felt a grin slide across my face as I folded my arms. "Where is Mitsu? Didn't you say you were having an outing today?"

"Our outing is tonight, which is why I'm here, looking for something nice to wear."

"Ahah. And where are you going?"

"We're going to go to an art gallery in the afternoon, and then we're going to see a kabuki play at the theatre. After that, we'll go to a restaurant and have dinner..." Her face was lit up as she related the activities. It was strange of Mitsu to go to night out like this one, unless she was trying to impress. I was sure Mitsu got bored of art quickly, and usually was content with just a stop at a coffee shop or a fast food place for dinner after a night out with friends. A restaurant? Was Mitsu afraid Arisa wouldn't like a normal night out? Was this...a date?

"So...Arisa...how long have you liked Mitsu?" I asked, grinning. Arisa's eyes shot up to my face.
"It's-it's not like th-that! It's just an outing, just as friends." Her voice dropped on the last part, as if in disappointment.
"You know, it's strange of Mitsu to go through so much effort to plan a date like this one. Normally she'd spend time going shopping or going to movies, though she does like kabuki."

"It's...not a date," she near whispered.
"Do you want it to be?" I asked, watching her closely. She nodded slowly, up and down.

"I'm sure Miss Minase didn't mean it as a date though. I'm sure she meant as friends," she tried to tell me. "I just want her...to like me. I have admired her for so long...and now she's paying attention to me..."

"She's always noticed you, Miss President."

"Not the way I wanted her to," Arisa pointed out, burying her face into her panda bear. "I always wanted her to confide in me, to be close friends...and I heard stories about how her last boyfriend hurt her after he hurt you and Mr Karasuma...I was so angry when I was told. I wanted to protect her from him, though there is nothing I could have possibly have done. And when I'm around her, I get so nervous...so scared and I can't think of anything to say. I just pretend she's not there, because she makes me so speechless and clumsy..."

"Sounds like you're in love," I smiled.

"In love, Mr Yagami? But girls can't love each other that way, can they?"

"You're speaking to a guy that married another guy," I reminded her, amused. Arisa bit her lip.

"Mr Yagami, I'm scared. I don't want to ruin things between Miss Minase and I. And what if I can't think of something to say? She'll think I'm a freak. An idiot. A socially unacceptable being. And what if she finds out how much I admire her? She'll no doubt cast me away and never want to see me again. Not that she'll ever have to, now that we have all finished school."

"I think you should give Mitsu a chance," I told her gently. "Let her know how you feel. She wouldn't have gone to all this effort to plan a date like this if she didn't like you at all. And this kind of date is screaming romantic, if you ask me, which really isn't something Mitsu would plan for a normal date." I leaned forward, so only she could hear. "In fact, I'd say Mitsu is more of a seme than anything else, if that's okay with you."

Arisa flushed, smiling to herself. I headed over to the dresses section and went through them before selecting a gold one. "Why don't you try light, happy colours?" I suggested. "Sometimes black can get a bit depressing. Plus, gold will make your skin look nice, and make your hair look glossier. Also, your bear is cute, and you wouldn't want him to become invisible by blending into your dress, you should make him the focal point."

L was always happy when I wore golden browns which accentuated my hair colour, and I had always been proud of the way I wore clothes. As a child, I had pored over books and played tennis, and Sayu had played with her dolls. She had always come to me to help pick out an outfit for them, and I supposed Arisa was just a bigger, cuter doll to dress up. I really was gay.

While Arisa changed into the dress, I went back over to Nishi and Enah to wait. Enah was helping Nishi select a new tongue bar, while talking about a party.

"Apparently, Akihide's going to be there with Osamu. I always thought they should just get over it and make up," Enah commented.

"Yeah, I guess, though I don't think it'll last long," Nishi frowned. "There's too much that's happened since they broke up that it's not going to work."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, everyone knows Akihide was spending way too much time with Fusashige, and I thought it was common knowledge that Osamu was getting around after they broke up the first time."

"Let me guess, you were one of the guys who pounced on Osamu when he and Akihide broke up?"

"I led the pack," Nishi said proudly, with a devious grin. "And it was so worth it. One of the best fucks of my life." He held one bar up to the light, smirking. "Osamu seemed to like it too, because he came back for more."

"Aw, Nishi," Enah complained. "I don't want to hear that."

"Huh. Well, you know how possessive Akihide gets, which is why it isn't going to work."

"Why don't you take Light to the party?" Enah suggested, gesturing to me. "Isn't he supposed to be getting out of the house?"
"Light wouldn't know what to do at a party. He'd just sit by the food table looking awkward. He's a married man, Enah, not some single little trick who's looking for fun."
"I'd love to go," I said pointedly, grinning. Just to annoy Nishi. "When is it?"

"Great!" Enah beamed. "It's tonight."
"He can't, not dressed like that, he can't!" Nishi protested. "He'll ruin my image! He's already done enough damage, following me in here."

"That's Nishi's way of displaying his affection," Enah commented, amused.

Nishi put his hands on my shoulders. "Look, I love you like a brother, Light, but there is no way I'm letting you make me look uncool." He dragged me by the collar to one of the racks in the store and pulled out some dark shirts with chains attached artistically, swear words printed everywhere with buttons and zippers sewn in the oddest places.

"Hey! There's no way I'm dressing up like this for a stupid party," I protested, eyes wide with horror.

"I'm not letting you go dressed any other way," Nishi said firmly. He held up a leather vest and I could see a vision of Mello diving for it.

"What if there's people I know there? They'll recognise me and laugh."

"Then we'll paint you all up so no one would even dream it could be you," Enah told me, now getting in on Nishi's scheme to dress me up. "And besides, I doubt there'd be many people you know there."

"What...what kind of a party is it?" I asked, as Nishi put his top hat onto my head.

"It's a...cross between a rave, a Lolita gathering, just a normal social get together...Just a dress to impress sort of a thing," Enah told me. "It's an artistic experience."

"You know, I always knew you were into the Goth thing, but I can't imagine you going to a gothic sort of party like this," I told her. Enah only smiled.

"I might have some shirts that would fit him," Nishi murmured. "I was thinking a long ruffled and laced shirt with a printed vest."

"How about a sweater and jeans?" I interjected hopefully. "You know what, I don't think I want to go anymore. I've changed my mind."

"No way," Nishi declared. "You're going. I'm having way too much fun dressing you up in my mind."
"So long as you're not undressing me," I muttered darkly. "Let me remind you that you've got a boyfriend in hospital, so you won't be getting any hanky panky at the party either."

"Light! What do you think?" I turned to see Arisa dressed in the knee-length dress.
"Wow, Arisa. You look like a princess," Enah enthused. Arisa spun around, letting the gold material shimmer and sparkle in the light. "You should put your hair up with it, we have some gold ribbon by the counter if you want some."

"Are you dressing Light up?" Arisa asked, becoming excited.

"Hopefully," Enah told her. "I think black, dark red and gold colours would suit him the best."

"Yes, with a ruffled shirt," Arisa nodded.

"I have tons of ruffled shirts that he can go through, but you're forgetting the most important thing," Nishi told them.

"What's that?" I asked nervously.
"The pants," Nishi answered. "You want something that grips your thighs, yet is loose on your lower legs and accentuates your ass." He pointed to his own jeans. "See? I've got the illusion that they fit nice around my legs, but the folds from the bottom give the illusion that my legs are really long."
I wasn't sure exactly what the hell Nishi was on about. There was no way pants could be that important.

"Also, the texture is important. Leather always gives a good impression, but you don't want leather with a printed vest, or wool. And only if you're talented can you pull off ruffled white shirts with leather pants, and trust me Light, you couldn't even dream of hoping to be able to do that."

"You know, there must be something good about finding your own gender attractive," Enah commented to Arisa. "You just dress yourself in a way that if you saw yourself walking down a street, you'd want to bang yourself." Arisa blushed, catching my eye.

Nishi proceeded to drag me around for the rest of the day, trying to find the right kind of pants for me. I thought his obsession for trying to dress me up was just ridiculous, but amusing, so I continued along, letting him have his fun.
Before we went home, Nishi and I went to the hospital. I was nervous, unsure of how Chikayo would receive me. Nishi pushed me through the door of his room, insisting that it was good for our mental health to see each other. Chikayo was lying on his hospital bed, looking out of the window, not hearing us come in. There were some bandages around his head, and his right arm was in a cast.

I let Nishi stride before me, and he jumped on Chikayo's bed, surprising him. Nishi gave a delighted grin and crawled over Chikayo to kiss him gently. I was sure if there were any nurses around, he couldn't have jumped so childishly and roughly onto the bed. No, knowing Nishi, he would have done so anyway, and just made fun of their disapproval.

"How are you?" Nishi asked, in a voice so soft that I was stunned Nishi could produce a sound so gentle.

"Bored," Chikayo replied, reaching forward to brush his lips against Nishi's again.

"Well, lucky I turned up then. I brought you a present, too," Nishi told him, gesturing to me. Chikayo's head turned, and we stared at one another. The bandages covered the left side of his face, hid his eye from the world. I slowly walked forward, watching his one eye examine me closely for signs of what had happened. My bruises and scrapes had healed, my finger was not bandaged up anymore and all that remained was a small scar where my head had been stitched together from where my skull had been chipped. My nose had healed fine and my ribs barely hurt anymore.

"Light," he breathed, when I reached his side. I reached forward and ran my fingers through his hair, wanting to cry. How could anyone hurt someone as beautiful as Chikayo? As kind, as thoughtful, as fun as Chikayo?

His eye turned to Nishi, glimmering with tears, but his lip set in a scowl. "Why did you let him come here?"

"Because you needed to see him," Nishi snapped back. "You needed to see that he was okay for yourself instead of asking everyone. And the same for him."

"I didn't want him to see me like this," Chikayo growled, turning his glare to me. "Get out."

"No," I answered, reaching to grab a handful of his shirt, determined to never let him go. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry this happened, Chikayo. I tried to stop them..." I blinked back tears.

"You should have just called for help. What the hell did you think you were going to achieve, running into the fray like that?" Chikayo barked. "You had to go get yourself all bashed up too. But look at you. You're all okay. Not a scratch on you. But then...That night...you were all covered in blood...It was all over your face."
I watched him, watched how he turned white. "That's all I remember. I just remember the bell ringing, and then you were running towards me, and then I just saw you, all covered in blood. I don't remember anything else, not how it started, what they did to you. When I woke up, I was convinced you were dead."

"It's all okay now," I told him, in a whisper. "They're all dead." Not all of them, but their names were all written down. It was only a matter of time and they would all be eliminated. I had to tell him. He had to know that we were safe from them.

"It's not okay, Light!" he burst, trying to draw away from me, but gasping in pain. "You think it's all okay? Didn't anyone tell you? I can't feel my fingers in my right arm! How could I ever play tennis again if I can't hold a racquet? I'm right-handed! I'll have to learn how to use my left! And they can't tell if I'll have full movement in it while it's still in a cast! I might not be able to use it at the elbow at all! I'll be friggin' disabled!"

I stared, stunned, at loss for something to say. "No one told me that," I finally managed.

"No one knows, except my mum and Nishi. I don't want people feeling sorry for me." He wiped his one eye with his knuckles. I reached over and cupped his cheek, gesturing to the other.

"How is your face under there?" I asked.

"It's all...gauged," he told me, sighing and closing his eye, resting his cheek into my hand. "They were going to take skin grafts from my leg to fix it, but I didn't want them to. It's just making scars somewhere else. I don't care about my face anymore. I care about my arm."
"When your cast comes off, that's when we'll deal with your arm," I promised, letting my thumb stroke the skin beneath his eye. "Right now, we need to fix us, okay? I don't want to lose you. I'm sorry...I didn't let Nishi push me in here earlier."

"I'm sorry I never told you about me, Light. I just couldn't..."
"Forget about it. It's not a big deal. What's important is that we both don't have to hide anything from each other ever again, right?"

"Yeah," he smiled weakly. "Thanks, Light...For trying to help me that day..."

"Yeah, I tried to help you, but it kind of backfired," I snorted. Chikayo chuckled breathlessly, and reached for my hand, squeezing it tightly. I was filled with relief. I had my best friend back.

***

I know, it's been forever since the last update, and I've forgotten all of my excuses why. ^.^"

Forgive me yet again? Oh, and there's been a count. From updates 1 to 7, there are over 218 kisses. How many kisses have you got in your fanfics? Go through your fanfics and count how many kisses there are, and with all our kisses, we'll kiss the victims of gay bashings better.

Now, on to...DUN DUN DUN!! AUTHOR'S QUESTIONS!!

1. L and Light had their first official fight. Aren't I a naughty author, ruining relationships like this? Comments, anyone?

2. Are the wounds of the bashing realistic? I've never had a broken arm or fractured skull before, but I have had a fractured rib and hell do they hurt!! o

3. Heh heh. Arisa loves Mitsu. Is Light right in his suspicions that Mitsu may like Arisa in return? Comments?

4. L's gone away to America. What trouble do you think Light can get up to while he's away, and take a guess at who is going to be sleeping over Light's house!! ^w^

5. Comments about any of the OC's like Nishi? Hehehe. Goat.

6. Who thinks L bribed the hospital to keep Light in longer?

7. Who's happy that Sparkles (A.K.A.; The Thing) is going to stay? If not, what kind of car should Light get?

AND FINALLY, a question for you all to think about....

Is Enah going to become...the next Kira??

Oh, and P.S., I've received a few requests as to lemons between certain characters, and I did have a short bit from Nishi's point of veiw, so I'm open to writing one and just slipping it in somewhere. It could be Nishi and Chikayo, Arisa and Mitsu, or whoever. Even Matsuda and Sparkles (haha, thanks to ZenaSilverWing for clearing things up. Matsuda is a 'carsexual'). So, choose the two characters you want and majority rules. Oh, and if I can't help myself, I'll just write other ones as well ^w^