A/N: READ THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE CONFUSED--- This chapter begins w/ Ryuzaki in the hospital waiting room. Light was rushed to the hospital in poor condition, and the doctors immediately began blood transfusions/surgery to remove the glass in his cuts & stitch them up. Watari is fine, but he still needs to be admitted to the hospital overnight. Ryuzaki doesn't know if the doctors have succeeded to save Light's life at the beginning of this chapter. Oh, and Ryuzaki filled out the paperwork. In case you're wondering.

With that said, enjoy! :3

P.S.---screamxaimxfire has received a cameo (as Amaya Shimizu) in this chapter for being the first reviewer for Ch. 9. Thanks to her and everyone who reviewed. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.

[Ryuzaki's POV]

Ryuzaki stared blankly at the white walls of the hospital, trying hard not to think about Light. His gaze was fixed on the clock, so startlingly black against the drab, endless white of the waiting room. He watched as the seconds ticked by…slowly, so slowly; mocking him. Each moment seemed like an eternity, infinite and impossible.

How long had he been here, waiting? And when would this ache, this horrible aching he felt inside—when would it go away?

He had never been an impatient man. And, he realized, he had never needed anyone before. Not like he needed Light right now. The boy had changed him, made him so pathetically dependant…but he didn't care. Not as long as he could have him back.

And how is it fair, Ryuzaki wondered, that Light should be taken away from me so soon? It was, in itself, a bitter irony; now that he had finally found someone he wanted to be with—and even more, someone that wanted to be with him—, the world had conspired to take that person away.

He thought of Light, broken and bleeding in his arms, wishing so desperately that he could have done something to stop it. He knew it was illogical to feel guilt for something he had no control over, but he couldn't seem to stop. Why couldn't it have been him? Why did Light have to be the one to---?

Light wasn't dead. He simply couldn't be.

Ryuzaki clenched his knees tighter to his chest, the silence in the room suddenly deafening.

"Are you okay?" A distinctly female voice asked.

Ryuzaki's eyes strayed from the clock, for perhaps the first time in more than twenty minutes, to find the person who had spoken to him. His gaze fell upon a teenage girl several seats down with shoulder-length brown hair, sheathed in black except for her red tank top. Her cheeks tinted, brown eyes dropping to her black converse sneakers in reaction to his unnerving stare.

No, he replied silently. I'm not okay. But he nodded nonetheless, responding with a soft "yes."

The girl smiled shyly, peeking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Waiting for someone?" She asked.

Ryuzaki brought a thumb to his lips. "Something like that."

The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hints of blond peeking out from beneath the brown. She didn't seem to take notice of Ryuzaki's strange habits, and he was surprised when she extended a hand. "I'm Amaya. Amaya Shimizu."

Ryuzaki shook her hand hesitantly, unaccustomed to such open courtesy. People generally seemed uncomfortable with his eccentric ways, as it was only human to fear what one could not understand. But this girl—well, it was refreshing, to say the least, and the conversation provided a most welcome distraction.

He took her offered hand and shook it awkwardly. "Ryuzaki."

His sleeve fell down to his elbow, exposing a row of shallow cuts on his arm.

"Oh!" Amaya exclaimed. "Shouldn't you be in the room down the hall?" She asked, referring to the ER waiting room.

Ryuzaki yanked his sleeve back up without responding. When he had first come to the hospital, the nurse had insisted he see one of the doctors. He'd repeatedly declined, preferring instead to bandage his own wounds. He hadn't bothered but with the worst of the cuts, exchanging his bloodied white shirt for a slightly less baggy blue one. His disheveled hair covered most of the cuts and bruises on his face, and his clothing hid the bandages. It didn't really hurt much, anyway.

Amaya's gaze didn't stray from his arm, a worried expression on her face. But she remained silent, and he was glad that she hadn't decided to press him further.

"I'm fine," he murmured, trying to avoid unnecessary concern.

"Ah, Ryuzaki-san?" A voice asked from the doorway. Ryuzaki turned to see a grim-faced nurse, and his heart skipped a beat. What is it? He thought frantically. Is Light okay?

The nurse motioned with her hand. "Please come with me," she said softly.

He stood up numbly, his mind a whirl of emotion.

"Bye, Ryuzaki-san," Amaya called behind him. "I hope your friend is okay."

Ryuzaki only nodded, unable to find his voice. I hope so, too.

He followed the nurse down the hallway, fighting the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. Please, he prayed silently, not exactly sure who he was addressing. Please let Light be alive.

The nurse stopped in front of a room marked 217, her hand pausing on her clipboard. "Yagami Light?" she asked, glancing up for confirmation.

Ryuzaki nodded, and the nurse flipped the sheets on her clipboard. Her eyes briefly scanned the page before turning to glance at him. "Doctor Kobayashi will be in soon to explain Yagami-san's condition." With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Ryuzaki alone in the hallway.

Momentary relief flooded through Ryuzaki. Surely that means Light-kun is alive? He hesitantly reached for the door handle, fear and uncertainty clouding his thoughts as he remembered the last time he'd seen Light. Light would be in pain, when—if—he ever regained consciousness.

He opened the door slowly, bracing himself for what he would see.

But there was nothing that could prepare him for this.

Light lay on the hospital bed, his right arm covered in a thick white cast. Gauzy bandages covered most of his skin, exposed flesh covered in scratches and bruises. His face was pale except for several deep red cuts and a purple splotch under his right eye, and thin, transparent tubes fed into his nose and arms. He looked so vulnerable, so fragile, ghostly white skin seeming paper-thin under the bright fluorescent lights.

Ryuzaki was silent, his face grave and his mind numb as he crossed the room. He curled into a sitting position on a chair next to the bed, hugging his knees tight against his chest, and reached for Light's hand. He could feel the stone walls crumbling down around him, the initial shock of numbness fading into something much worse.

"Oh, Light-kun," he whispered brokenly, a single tear sliding down his cheek. What was it about this boy that could so completely disarm him?

He closed his eyes, nothing but the steady rhythm of the heart monitor and the feel of Light's hand in his as warm tears began to spill over.

A sharp intake of breath pierced the silence, and then a soft whisper:

"Ryuzaki?"

A/N: Yaaaaay! I finally finished it! I'm so sorry, guys—it's been more than a week. Yuck. But, hey, Light's alive, right? And awake! (B/cz that was Light waking up at the end.) So, I hope you liked this chapter. If you'd be so kind as to review, I'd love it if you'd tell me who's point of view you prefer the next chapter to be in (Light's or Ryuu's, or even both). Thanks for reading!

Next chapter: Hospital fluff! :3