Le Gasp! I'm alive after all!! I humbly kneel before all those who've been patient, and not so patient, with me. This chapter isn't much, and I know it's not the greatest, but it IS furthering the plot(I never would have guessed it). Oh! And I'm going to revise all previous chapters. I cringed when I re-read them! So, with my utmost apologies and without further ado, here's Chapter Nine!


Taste

Guilt; It was a feeling he'd left behind long ago and still it seemed to eat at him. No matter how many times he told himself he was doing the world a good thing, he never quite convinced himself. Sure, he'd caught and convicted dozens of thousands of criminals that brought misery to those innocent. Now though… now it felt like it was all a waste.

The very sensation of the world crushing down on him was ever so present, stealing the breath from him and making his knees shake in anguish. He had tried so hard to help this world…And now look what it had done for him in return.

Nothing.

Now his world was lost.

Memories, fresh and painful, came rushing back as he sat in the hospital room next to his caretaker. L flinched at the pain and steeled himself not to be affected by the past. Deciding to study the room around him once more, he swept his gaze over the dull brown of the cement walls and nearly fell out of his chair when he saw the figure in front of him.

Lifeless coal eyes glittered with what could only have been hate when they met bright crimson orbs. L lept from his seat before he knew what he was doing, only registering that this was the monster that had taken everything from him and that he wanted it all back.

With what seemed just a flick of his wrist, the monster sent L flying backwards into the chair he'd just been occupying. The creature smiled smugly and jerked his thumb towards the sleeping old man next to him. "Shush now, Lawlipop. You wouldn't want to wake the poor old man would you?"

L stood, narrowed his eyes and spoke with as much control as his voice would allow. "What have you done with him, Beyond?! I know you have him and I want you to give him back to me!"

Beyond ignored L's demands and rolled his eyes. "Did you like the little poem I left for you? Sort of an 'IOU'. I knew you'd want at least something in return for the loss of your precious Light."

L growled at being ignored and slowly stepped toward his nemesis. "Beyond, I swear on my life that if you've hurt him.."

Beyond crossed his arms and looked thoughtfully towards the ceiling, making sure to keep L in his peripheral vision as he did so. "To tell you the truth, he's probably in excruciating pain right about now.." He stopped to look back at L as he stepped even closer. " but, if you use that brain of yours to solve the riddle.. Well, you might be able to save him. Maybe even from himself."

Right when L opened his mouth to demand a logical explanation, the maniac disappeared from right in front of him. L did open his mouth, but only to gape at the impossibility of what he just witnessed. Beyond had just disappeared into thin air. No cloud of smoke, and No magical closet. There was no trap door, L knew for sure, the floor was as solid as the cement walls. L considered mulling it over, but resolved that it would only give him a headache. Pulling out the note that Beyond had left for him, he knew he would need all the brain power, and sugar, he could get. Sighing in exhaustion, L found himself looking back at the insipid brown walls that surrounded him. Putting a hand to his temple and squeezing his eyes shut was the only way to keep the tears from surfacing. It wasn't Beyond's visit that caused his waver in control; It was the thought that the pale brown of the hospital walls paled in comparison to Light's blazing honey eyes. His heart clenched painfully in his chest at the possibility that he would never see those gorgeous eyes ever again.

Light hadn't been gone for more than a day and L was starting to feel as lifeless as the hospital lights made him look. With Light in his life, things had actually been…. Happy, and colorful. Without Light, L knew, life would return to being how it was before him. Life would be….


.......Revolting. Light sat the apple down in disgust and turned toward the kitchen window with impatience. He was painfully hungry, and yet every piece of food in his master's house tasted so terrible he thought he'd throw up the second it touched his tongue. It confused him, and he'd caught himself turning to ask his Master why it all tasted bad, only to remember his Master had gone on an errand. Cursing to himself once again, he caught his reflection in the dusty kitchen mirror that hung next to the sink. He saw the chestnut hair, the smooth looking skin, the seemingly flawless face, and the burning amber eyes. Light narrowed his eyes at the reflection, pondering the possibility that it was his face glaring right back at him.

Nothing seemed right about the person he saw. No matter how much he tried to flash a charming smile, it would always come out wrong. Every smile and every simple gesture he tried looked fake in his eyes.

It made him sick.

What kind of person was he? Was he a kind, caring person?.... Or had he been...

Evil...

The word came to his mind like the whisper of an old memory, lodged somewhere between the past and present, waiting to be discovered once more. Light struggled to follow it back to its origin, but a dull ache in the back of his mind pushed him away. Suddenly pain seized his torso, making him gasp and fall to the gritty linoleum floor. It was a pain that matched that of before he'd woken to his Master. It felt as if he'd swallowed glass; his insides were on fire, the flames slowly crawling towards his throat where they began licking greedily at his mind. Insanity took hold of him in that moment, and eyes wild and tinted red, Light rose to his feet. His mind was lost to him, all rational thought thrown out and pure predatory instinct was the only thing he knew. With unnatural speed, he raced toward the door leading out of the apartment and tore it off of its hinges.

It took only seconds for Light to reach the street and he was searching for what he craved most. He attacked the first thing that came within ten feet of him; a middle-aged man carrying a brief case. Pushing the man into the closest alleyway, Light savagely dug his throbbing fangs into the man's neck. Ignoring his prey's whimpers and pleas, he drank deeply, desperately trying to satisfy the craving. He could taste the sin in the man's blood, sharp and bitter on his tongue. He could see all the things he'd done wrong: stealing from those in poverty, murdering an ex-girlfriend, and so many other disgusting things. The images were so vivid, Light almost believed they were his own memories. It would have made him cringe, but he was far too thirsty, and so he kept drinking until no more blood came from the wound. Light dropped the body just as the man's heart gave one last pathetic beat.

After the fresh blood made it's way around his system, Light's mind regained some sanity. The glazed look in his eyes, more red than brown, remained though, and he licked his bloody lips clean until not a drop was left.

A sharp, but sweet smell penetrated his foggy mind and as he turned toward the unfortunate soul who'd come across him, a hungry smirk broke across his face.

"Light? Is that you?" The small voice quivered.

Without saying a word, Light stepped forwards and descended upon his new prey.


So there it is ladies and gents! Please, please, please review and let me know your thoughts! Maybe you're wondering who's the unlucky person who ran into Light?? Hmmm? Any guesses? Or.... maybe not... xD

You guys are great and I luv you all! x3