A/N: Sorry if you got two notifications for this chapter, there were some technical difficulties.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note.

I found myself sitting in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. It seemed like everything was a bright green. I glanced around, but didn't stand up. When I turned to face forward again, I jerked back in surprise at what I found. I was met with a big black wolf watching me with golden eyes. It was at least as big as me while we were both sitting. The patterns in its fur were a very faded shade of dark grey and barely visible unless you were looking close enough. I didn't get to see much of them though, since my vision refocused on the narrowed golden eyes that were giving me what seemed like a hateful glower. The canine's mouth opened slowly and a voice came out, loud and clear, as if it were from a human.

"Brat, what did you seek me out for?" The voice sounded female, but was still quite rough and guarded.

I blinked a few times, still in awe and had to lean back when I realized I had leaned forward with my interest. "WoahBeautiful." I whispered, lifting a hand and reaching out, but stopping and pulling it back a bit at her jerking away and snapping at it. "Sorry." I apologized quickly and shook my head, taking a deep breath and reorganizing my thoughts.

"You're different." She sounded bemused, but returned to a neutral stance and expression. "Why are you here?"

"Right. I'm here looking for answers." I said seriously, remembering my purpose in contacting her.

"Answers?" She scoffed. "What answers would you want from me?"

"Do you know why I can't remember anything about you or summoning you? Or anything about the Spirit Animal thing for that matter."

She seemed to be interested now. "You can't remember? At all?"

I shook my head. "Not since three years ago."

"I'm stuck in here, kid. Time doesn't pass like it does for you. I don't know when three years ago was. Refresh my memory."

"Uh, well, probably the last time I called on you?" It was supposed to be an answer, but sounded like a question due to my uncertainty.

"Oh~?" Her voice took on an eerie song-like tone. It didn't sound good, and the actual wolfish grin on her made me more uneasy. "The warehouse, huh? I loved chasing down the vermin in there. Such fun! It was the best time you let me have in a long time. I'm surprised you survived that! Want to do it again? Oh, I would love to taste blood again! Ripping them apart was so satisfying and their screams as I tore out-"

"Stop! Stop!" I cut off the raving wolf, feeling sick at what she was saying so excitedly.

"Hm? But I was just getting to the good part." She complained.

"No, no, that's okay." I said, swallowing hard, then continuing. "That wasn't what we were supposed to be talking about though."

"Oh, right. Damn, you're so annoying." She grumbled, then said, "I have nothing to gain from helping you with your memory problem."

I frowned, but nodded. "I understand."

"Youthat." I gulped, still feeling a bit sick.

"Same way as always. That damn bastard came and pressed the stupid rock to your forehead." I swear she smirked for a second. "But, jokes on him, that thing shattered into a million pieces, so next time, your body is mine so long as it'll stay alive. I'll use it to kill whoever wanders too close."

I think I'm actually getting used to how casually she talks about killing people. It's a bit familiar too, now that I think about it.

"Well, actually, there's a third question. Why do you like killing people so much?"

"Hm? Why?" She repeated, as if the concept was completely absurd. "I don't have a reason."

"If you don't have a reason, then it's kind of ridiculous how excited you get about it." She was silent, but her eyes were trained on my face, so I continued. "Actually, by the way you talk, I'd think you have had a bad experience with humans. Maybe it was because of this curse that prevents you from sharing space with other animals and causes your vessel harm." Her eyes widened slightly, so I decided I was getting somewhere with this. "You know, because that curse made the people containing you hate you, so you hated them back and took all that hatred out on anyone you could. It might explain the-"

"Shut up!" She snarled angrily at me. "You don't know anything about me! Don't talk like you don't hate me too! You've always wanted nothing to do with me, what do you gain from trying to understand me now?"

I didn't move, just smiled sadly and closed my eyes. "Sometimes people don't realize that the things they do aren't the things they want to do, but rather are based on what people have told them when they were too young to form a different perspective."

The snarling stopped for a second, but her voice rose once again. "What the hell are you talking about you ugly child?!"

I opened my eyes in shock as I was pinned by paws on my shoulders to the grass. My smile reformed as I met the wolf's franticly searching eyes. She was looking for a sign I was lying, but she couldn't find one and that's what made her scared. I know you shouldn't back a frightened animal into a corner, but I had no other way to deal with this.

"I believe I only hated you because I had been told repeatedly before and after that you were a terrible thing and I was cursed because of you. I apparently wasn't even four when I started learning about the family's secret, so I was too young to fully understand the concept of hatred. As I grew older, my ingrained feelings must've grown because you had harmed me and other people when you came out."

"Shut up! Stop it!" She jumped back, snarling and dropping to a warning stance.

I sat up and locked eyes with her again. "I know you used my body to kill people. I know you stained my hands with the blood of people I didn't kill myself. However, I don't remember the pain you've caused me. I know you've harmed so many people, but you know what?" I grinned and reached out to her. "I want to start over because I screwed up too. My name is Rin Kobayashi. It's nice to meet you."

She gave me a look like I was insane, but I honestly probably was for thinking this could work. She cautiously sniffed at my hand, and I thought maybe she would agree to start over for a moment. Unfortunately, that thought disappeared when I was on the receiving end of one of her bites. I yelped, but didn't try to yank my hand away, as that would no doubt make it worse.

"Don't screw with me!" Her muffled voice shouted. "You ignorant brat!" With that, she let go and ran off.

I sat in surprise for a minute, but then smiled and dropped my hand to my lap. "Maybe some other day. I'm not giving up that easily."

I closed my eyes for a second, but the next thing I know, I'm waking up in my bed at home. I shifted, but flinched at a pain in my hand. I groggily put it near my face to inspect it and ended up sitting up so fast I fell off the edge of the bed I had been hanging half off of. I scrambled to look at my hand and confirmed that there was, in fact, the bite mark from the wolf. It was even bleeding a bit, so I had proof that the wolf can hurt me in that place. I sighed and got up to grab the first aid kit I had become quite acquainted with lately. I started by cleaning and bandaging my hand, then moved to replace the bandages on my stomach. After finishing, I decided to call the cafe and tell them I couldn't work there. I couldn't work until I sorted this out. Who knows what would happen if a customer pisses me off. I don't understand how the whole switching thing works, but until I do, it's important to keep people at a distance. Or, at least until I get that wolf to agree not to kill anyone.

"Fu-" I cut my shout of surprise short by biting my cheek and rushing out of my room to see who had knocked at the door so suddenly. "Who is it?" I called, cringing at the slight pain on the inside of my cheek.

"It's me. Could you open the door?" The annoyed response caught me completely by surprise.

"Light?" I asked, unlocking the three locks on the door and opening it just slightly to poke my head out. "What're you doing here? How did you find this place?"

"I asked your mom." He said, giving me a suspicious look. "What happened to your hand?"

I glanced to notice I had my bandaged hand visible. "I just got bitten by a flighty dog, that's all."

"What're you doing hiding behind the door then?"

"Uh, I'm not wearing a shirt." I said sheepishly. His face screwed up and settled for being curious, so I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him in. "I just changed my bandages." I explained, hurriedly closing and locking the door behind him.

"That's still not healed?"

I laughed nervously, running to my room to grab a shirt and pull it on as I walked back into the main room where I had left Light. He glanced around, but settled for taking a seat on the couch. He had his back to me until I told him I was decent.

"Are you sure you shouldn't go to the hospital for that?" He frowned at me.

"No!" I said a bit too quickly. "I mean, uh, I can't. I screwed up, but I'm pretty sure it's not infected or anything so it'll be fine."

"You know that's not what any medical professional would say."

"Oh please. They get paid for the people they take care of. Besides, I hate hospitals." I had to try hard to focus my vision on him as he wasn't looking at me, but I felt dizzy and a bit off suddenly.

He sighed and shook his head, but changed the subject anyway. "Well, you've been a bit strange lately, so I decided to check in. You look a bit stressed, but other than that, you seem fine." He stated while studying my face.

I grinned and sat down beside him on the couch. "You know, it's kind of cute that you're so worried about me." I was teasing him, but I couldn't stop myself from going on. "And when you go out of your way to clear your busy schedule and come over here to check on me, it's really" He trailed off when he saw it. "Is this a new one? It's a lot bigger than when I saw it."

"I rubbed vinegar in it and it grew and everything was bloody in the morning."

"Why would you do that?" He sounded pissed, but it only threw me into a fit of giggles. "This isn't funny."

"I know," I sniffled and noticed I was crying now. "You're so worried about someone like me. God, I don't deserve you as a friend."

"Well, you're right. It doesn't look infected." He ignored me and put the gauze back in place. "You should still get it checked though."

"I don't care. Maybe it'd be a good thing if it got infected and I died."

"You're an idiot." He retorted. "You can't just give up like that. Whatever happened, I'm not going to leave just like that."

"Then you're the idiot." I grumbled.

"Like you always say, that just means we're well suited friends."

"I don't say it like that. That sounds lame."

"Where's your ice?"

"Just grab something from the freezer." I waved him off and shivered despite the fact I was drenched in sweat. "Why do you want ice anyway? It's so cold in here."

"It's not cold, you just have a fever."

"No I don't."

"Do you want to go to the hospital and check?"

"Okay, okay. I have a fever, so what?"

"So it's not normal for a nineteen-year-old."

"I'm not a normal nineteen-year-old." I grumbled.

"I know." He rolled his eyes.

I pouted. "You don't."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You wouldn't understand." I turned on my side so I was facing the back of the couch.

He sighed. "You must be delirious from the fever. Maybe I should take you to the hospital or call your mother."

"Don't. Just leave me alone." I said, turning to give him the most serious expression I could manage when I had trouble focusing on his face.

"What? It's dangerous for you to be alone when you're like this."

"Stop it." I muttered under my breath, then raised my voice considerably to bordering hysterics. "Stop it! Get out! Leave me alone!"

After a moment of shock, his expression stiffened and he stood up. "Fine. Call me if you ever feel like telling me what's going on with you." He said coldly and left.

I wonder if he's acting or not. I don't know. It's hard to tell when I can't see his expression well. Actually, it's hard to tell even when I could see it. Either way, he left the apartment and I still feel a bit flushed. He didn't give me that ice, did he? Oh well, I'm too exhausted to stay awake anymore anyway.

After drifting off, I found myself feeling much better and opened my eyes to a slightly familiar clearing in a forest. I looked around, but wasn't as surprised when I turned back to see those gold eyes again. The wolf looked absolutely livid, in a stance like she was about to attack and a snarl on.

"What the hell are you doing back here?!" She snapped at me, sounding just as furious as she appeared.

"Huh? I didn't consciously come back here, you know." I told her, confused.

"Dumbass!" She shouted. "You have a fever, don't you?"

"Uh," I had to think about it, but nodded. "Yeah I think so, why?"

"That's because you came here!"

"Why did that make me sick?"

She gave a low, irritated growl, but sat down and opened her mouth again. "Humans aren't meant for this place. It's toxic to them. It might kill you."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" I asked, looking around in confusion.

She hesitated, but replied with, "This place is meant for me alone. This place is the reason your body was damaged considerably whenever you summoned me. You are sent here, but you are unconscious during the time you spend here because your soul cannot be here unless I am, hence pushing your spirit out."

"Oh! That doesn't make much sense, but it does explain the sudden fever."

She seemed to realize something and her anger was replaced with pure shock. "Actually, you should've been in critical condition with the length of time you spent here last time. You only had a fever?"

I nodded, giving her a questioning look.

"Your heart should've been ripping itself apart."

"Why does it do that?"

She closed her eyes and lifted her paw high. I watched her do this with a confused expression until she brought it down on my head hard enough to make me lurch forward a little.

"Ow!"

"Would you focus?!" She snapped, then settled back down and answered me. "But, the strain this place puts on a human body through the effect it has on the part of their soul that is connected to the body and comes here is what causes the heart to work three times as hard as it should and not realizing the overexertion until I leave control of the body." She sighed. "It must have something to do with the long time that part of your soul spent unconscious here. It was unusual and I attempted to rouse you, but nothing worked."

"Wait, so what you're saying is my soul was split up every time you were summoned?"

She nodded.

"And the part connected to my body was here for three years?"

"I assume it must have been the entire time you spent in a coma." She confirmed.

"And you're saying you have a theory that my body built up a sort of resistance to the harmfulness of this place because of that?"

"More or less." She sighed heavily, seeming reluctant as she averted her gaze. "I suppose I could attempt to heal your body instead of helping destroy it. You are possibly the only vessel able to handle my presence."

I blinked a few times, wondering if she had actually said that. "Are you saying…?"

"No. Do not misunderstand." She sent me a fierce glare. "We are not friends. I do not like you at all, you just might be useful to me."

I took in her words with a nod, but couldn't resist the grin that spread on my face. "It's a start."

She scoffed, but didn't reply. Instead, she turned to leave.

"Hey, wait. You can heal me?"

"It is an ability I don't usually use. It isn't regeneration, so it just heals wounds very quickly. Now get out of here before your condition gets worse."

"Uh, how?"

"Just wake up."

I was about to ask how I do that, but she was already gone. I sighed and tried just pinching my arm. Surprisingly, that worked and I woke up on the couch with a start, then rubbed at where I pinched my arm. I sighed heavily again, but then I noticed the bandages were falling off my hand. I unwrapped them and was about to put them back on, but when I looked, the bite marks were rapidly growing faint. I watched with my mouth hanging open for a few minutes until there was no trace the bite marks were there aside from a very faint scar.

"Is this what she meant?" I mumbled, then threw my shirt off and peeled the bandages away from the healing stab wound. Sure enough, it was very slowly fading into what appeared to be a large scar.

Shrugging with a smile, I put my shirt back on and got up to go eat something. Who knows if I still had a fever, but it didn't feel as cold now. I must've been asleep for a long time, since it's already dark out, but I still feel really tired. It must've been because when you sleep with a fever, you don't actually rest at all. I can hardly remember what happened before I fell asleep. I think Light came over, but there's a good chance it was only a hallucination. I'd have to call him later and confirm it either way. The guy was probably studying like crazy, which reminds me that I actually have to go back to school tomorrow. They seemed to think I would be able to handle the work involved in the year I should be in by now, but I'm not so sure. I'm starting to think my mom pulled a few strings and was just trying to get me to graduate sooner. She was friends with one or two of the school's staff.

"Well, I guess I could go to To-Oh like I had considered before. However, from what little I have gathered…Being a person working for the law was really only to get revenge on those people though. There's no point in that now." I cringed at the memory. "But, it is the only thing I've got. That place is so expensive though." I groaned, flopping back on the couch, but cushioning the back of my head with my arms. I sighed again, giving up and deciding to head to bed now that I've eaten.