Beyond Darkness

ACT 9: Water

Authors Notes: Heh, so I got my first negative, non constructive review on this the other day... but it was by someone completely immature (so I found out later after talking to them) so I really could care less... however it will change one thing about this story... and that is the fact I will continue to write even faster just to spite! 'Because I am also childish and immature' PLEASE NOTE there is a difference between being an ass and a critic, and I wont take you seriously if your an ass... ^^ Now to everyone else who has been wonderful and supportive you should know my next two acts (9 and 10) will be coming out in relatively quick succession because I know exactly how I want them! XD I will stop boring you all now!

L's POV:

I do not know how long I have been laying here however I imagine it has been somewhere between three to five days. I have barely been able to keep my tired, grey eyes open for longer then an hour and my condition is anything but stable. All I can do is lay hear at the mercy of my captor, though he has been anything but cruel in the last few days.

At some point the younger raven went out and retrieved medical supplies, which I am sure he stole from a near by hospital yet I cant help but be grateful for any care I can get at the moment.

I have no idea what is wrong with me, only that I am sicker now then I have ever felt in my life. Perhaps this is kira's doing? No, I am positive that however Yagami is doing his his killing, he has to know someone's name and face so this cant be because of him...

Its not long before my failed successor slowly pads along the wooden floor and sits down next to me once again. One look at him tells me he wants to ask me for permission to do something he is sure I will not appreciate or like. For someone who looks and even acts so much like myself Beyond Birthday is every bit as readable as an open book, at least he is for someone such as me. Those blood red eyes dance and swirl with each and every emotion that comes over him, making his thoughts and feeling known without him ever having to form a single word.

"Lawliet..." He whispers, putting his hand on my forehead and sweeping back my now damp with sweat hair, "Are you feeling any better?"

Closing my eyes for a moment I sluggishly shake my head, even this slight movement making every part of me tired and sore. I know there is something that the young genius wants to say and I know it has nothing to do with how I am feeling.

"I know you don't like it when I touch you..." He whispers, almost sounding shy which makes me all the more suspicious as to what he is planing. "But may I bathe you... I will be gentile..."

Actually that sounds very appealing to me right now, I have spent unknown hours sweating and vomiting, unable to get up out of bed without collapsing in a heap on the hard wooden floor. I have even urinated in the bed while unconscious, and even though my captor cleaned me up and changed the sheets I still feel dirty. I also have grown slowly accustom to laying in the younger males arms and while It is true I do not want his hands all over me, when he is being gentile the warmth of his body is soothing against my weak form.

I nod my approval and Beyond gives me a small smile, slowly running his thumb along my cheek. He seems to be getting more and more worried about me by the day. The antibiotics he has been giving me have had little or no effect and nether has any of the other medication. I think he is starting to believe that whatever is ravaging my body is completely out of the murderers control...

"I can try to carry you to the bathtub, or if your comfortable hear I will just give you a sponge bath..." He offers, his voice low and smooth, "It is up to you Lawliet..."

"B-bath..." I rasp after a moment of thought. I want to be submerged in cool, soothing water.

Carefully the wild eyed boy scoops me up bridal style and makes his way down the long, dark hall to the bathroom. I cant help but notice that there is nothing in any of the rooms down the hall other then the kitchen, which is some what disorganised but fairly clean and the lounge room which has a long, plane brown, old lounge chair and a lap top along with a pile of papers and a small, flat screen TV.

As soon as we are in the cool, white and blue bathroom my captor sits me down next to the bath and starts running the water, checking to make sure it dose not get to hot or two cold for me. I cant help but slump against the tiles. I can hardly hold my head up I am so weak.

"Hold on..." the younger whispers and lifts my chin to look me in the eyes. "I will get you back in bed soon I promise..." with that the Beyond turns off the tap and scoops me up, lowering me down into the now full bath tub.

The water is perfect, just warm enough to be comfortable but still soothingly cool against my tender, aching muscles. I quickly relax back into the water, closing my eyes and enjoying the pain relief the water brings me.

Beyond squats down next to the bath and picks up a sponge and dips it into the water before squirting some liquid soap onto it. The delicious smell of strawberries takes over the small room rapidly as he calmly and tenderly puts the soapy sponge to my chest and slowly rubs small circles over my skin.

At first it is a little unnerving to have him touch me like this but it eventually becomes reassuring. My head lolls back against the tiles as he starts to work on my neck, my whole body slowly loosening and becoming entirely relaxed.

The younger male cleans every inch of me painstakingly, lovingly. I know he is trying to make me enjoy every second of this and its working. I feel almost guilty for enjoying his touch so much after all he did but he can be so gentile on my exhausted body.

I almost fall asleep there in the bath when he tilts my head back, pouring water and shampoo into it and starting to massage my scalp. It feels so good I let out a soft moan. My head is throbbing so badly that the pain relief it brings me is greatly appreciated.

"You like having your head rubbed?" My captor whispers and continues his delicate massage; long, spidery fingers kneading small circles over and over again, until the soreness fades entirely.

I nod in response and close my eyes, enjoying the pleasing feeling until he finally washes the suds from my dark mane. This is not the same man who captured and imprisoned me in the basement, I just cant believe it is him any more... My mind tells me that it is the very same Beyond but no... Its just not the same. The person so carefully caring for a near dead detective who has probably been replaced by now could never do what that murderer did to me.

Finally I open my eyes again when the younger raven pulls the plug, the water roaring loudly as it rushes down the pipes. Its almost sad that it is all over now but I suppose it would not be healthy for someone as sick as me to spend to long in the cold.

"Lets get you dry..." B whispers and slowly works my body over with a deep blue towel.

This time I really do fall asleep, just long enough for the murderer to slip out of the room and change the bed sheets. I only wake again when he goes to pick me up. At least I can look forward to a clean bed now...

Soon I am laying back in the warm, queen sized bed in the bland old room. Perhaps my life with him will not be so bad, even if I can never escape this place, at least he has decided to take care of me now.