The icy wind was chilling right down to the bones, tearing the white shirt and tossing around hair. Heavy, dark clouds moved across the low sky, passing each other, layering heavily, not giving any hope for sunlight. It smelled of moisture and nearby rain.

Shivering from the cold, Light looked around, trying to understand where he was. Everywhere, as far as he could see, was dry, burnt white ground. Not a single grass blade, or even a bush. There were some black, dry trees and their branches looked like dead arms, stretching up to the sky in a prayer. It was quiet, really quiet. The only thing Light could hear was the howling of the wind, gushes of which picked and raised up the white sand, twisting it into small tornadoes which immediately fell apart. From all of this monochrome, grey landscape spread the coldness of emptiness. Loneliness. Piercing, searing loneliness. Light felt uncomfortable. He wanted to hide somewhere and escape from the wind.

To the side a lone structure was visible, rising above ground level. A pile of huge rocks—dark grey, nearly black, strange and incorrect forms. It wasn't clear how they could appear there, because nowhere else in sight were mountains, ravines, or rivers—only a valley, emptied by the cold, with small hollows and low hills. It seemed like the stone blocks were put together in an uneven pyramid by the hand of some unknown god. They gave off even more chill. But it was the only visible place to hide, where he could escape the harsh blasts of wind and try to warm up a little.

Light headed towards the stones, carefully stepping on the cracked ground. Each one of his steps raised a small cloud of white dust. It seemed as if at any moment the ground could fall down under him.

A new gust of wind threw a column of white sand and Light jerked back, putting his hand up to shield his eyes. He then saw through the dust, there, ahead, behind the rocks, a crouched and curled up figure. He wouldn't mistake him for anyone. Still not believing himself, he ran forward, strangely falling into the dust, tripping over the uneven ground, squinting to prevent the sand and wind from hurting his eyes, but not letting his gaze move from the goal.

Ryuzaki sat in his beloved pose, leaning against the rocks, his outstretched arms on his knees and his face hidden between them. The dark, overhanging stone protected him only a little from the blasts of wind and the weak air flow which got past slightly moved his messy raven hair. Light ran up to him, breathing heavily and stopped in confusion. For a second it appeared like the figure in front of him was unmoving, that it was still, frozen in this cold desert and that if he touched it, it would crumble into dust, becoming just another part of the eternal, white sand. Tensing from fear, Light carefully touched the shoulder in the white, stretched-out shirt.

"Ryuzaki…"

There was no nightmare. The body of his enemy didn't crumble into dust, didn't drop like a lifeless doll.

Ryuzaki flinched and raised his sleepy face. He tiredly rubbed his nose on the arm, which was still holding his knee. Then he turned to Light, looking up at him with painfully familiar eyes, with those huge, black pupils and impossibly thin dark-grey iris.

"Ah, Raito-kun. Why did you come?" It was a quiet, calm voice.

Not a hint of surprise. Like they went apart only since yesterday, wishing each other good night. Like there was no horror in these past few days. Like there was no hospital bed in a hospital ward occupied with his cold, unmoving body.

Light felt stupid under the attentive gaze of the detective. Breathless from the run, disheveled, all covered in the white dust, crumpled shirt—he looked incredibly out of place and awkward to even himself, in the middle of this cold, empty plain, next to the cold tranquillity of L. His head pounded with the knowledge of this not being real, but he forcibly pushed it away, trying to stay here, near by him. He got down on his knees in front of L and put his hands on his shoulders, looking into his eyes.

"I was searching for you, Ryuzaki. What are you doing here?" Light's fingers felt the bony shoulders and how the muscles tensed at his touch. "Waiting." Still monotone calm voice.

Straight gaze, eye to eye. Light looked into the darkness of those eyes, feeling his self-control return. He felt like he lost something earlier, some parts of himself and now they were recovering, coming together like the parts of a puzzle and putting him back together. Giving him an opportunity to ask an obvious question.

"You are waiting for me?" Light felt his heart tighten with hope.

Just one answer…one word, "yes," and he was ready to stay here, in the middle of this freezing desert, next to his enemy. Stay forever, despite the cold. Sit next to, nestle up to, try to give some warmth and hide together from the wind under the strange, cold stones. Watch how the heavy, dark clouds flew across the low, grey sky, wait for the rain, which could possibly liven up this dead, dried-up ground.

Light wanted to hear an answer so badly that he nearly missed it.

"No," calmly answered a pair of thin lips. L glanced to the side, at Light's hands, which still held his shoulders. Looked up. "Waiting until you let me go."

Stunned, Light lowered his hands. Ryuzaki moved away a little, increasing the distance between their faces, which had been far too close merely a second ago. Just as usual, L brought his thumb to his mouth, biting down on his nail. Observing Light. Holding the pause. Light was silent.

"You understand what I am talking about, right?" Finally, Ryuzaki broke the windy silence.

It was so like him, to speak in clues, in unfinished words, words with double meaning. And wait to see if Light would see the truth behind the phrase. Light continued to be silent, hanging his head, not wanting to understand, not wanting to get drug into this word game. He didn't want to play anymore. For him, the time for games had ended. It seemed as if Ryuzaki had heard his thoughts. There was a sigh.

"Let me go, Light. Please." Just a quiet whisper. "Stop holding me back."

Light forced himself to raise his head and look at him, expecting for their gazes to meet. But Ryuzaki was looking away, to the side, at the cold plain, nibbling on his fingernail. He had this aura of calmness. Peace. Eternity.

"No," Light answered firmly, straightening.

It was uncomfortable to sit on his knees so he changed the position, sitting down on the ground and pulling his knees to himself. Ryuzaki glanced at him and moved his gaze away again, looking for something at the horizon.

"You don't have a choice." He said calmly, still thoughtfully biting his thumb. "You can't keep me."

"I will."

"You don't have a chance."

"I don't care. I won't let you go."

"This is hilarious, Raito-kun." Ryuzaki finally turned to him, his gaze fixated on him now, as if looking into his soul.

He slowly moved his hand away from his mouth. And just as slowly, not looking away from Light, stood up, just as usual standing with a hunch, hands put away in his pockets. Still controlling with his gaze. In his movements, his actions, his dilated pupils, which made his eyes completely black, Light felt a hidden threat. Growing frustration. Light also stood up, accepting the silent challenge, feeling how the tension between them grew. Like the air is thickening and there could be some electricity sparks in it. He recognized this feeling. Their eternal animosity, their eternal irreconcilability—an eternal rivalry in everything. They stood at the distance of a step, the wind tossing around their hair, tearing their clothes, howling and burying them in clouds of sand and dust. They didn't look away from each other. It seemed like one more moment and they'd jump each other.

"Think of yourself as God… Kira?" Ryuzaki's voice was still even, calm, but his eyes—hatred. Hatred towards the one who once again was in his way. Destroying the plans. Not letting him go.

"I am God, L." Mockingly smiling at him, Light answered. He was tired of playing hide and seek. There was too much at stake. He was ready to flip his cards. "God of the New World."

He made half a step forward, getting closer. Ryuzaki watched him silently, waiting continuation, not making any attempts to step away. Light made another step, coming nearly right up against him. Now there were mere centimeters between them. Faces nearly touching.

"Only you know that, L." Light held his breath. "Without you the world is too boring for Kira."

He fell silent, breathing out that confusion, looking into those dark eyes and waiting for an answer. But Ryuzaki was silent, not looking away. Then Light carefully hugged his enemy, pulling him close. He felt how L flinched at the unexpected action and buried his face in the thick, black hair, breathing in that already familiar scent of vanilla. Crossing the entire sky, lightning flashed, hitting the ground somewhere not that far away. The thunder hit so hard that it felt like the dried up ground wouldn't hold on and would start to crack, sliding apart with ugly cracks. Another strong gust of icy wind threw up a whole cloud of white dust. Light stood, holding Ryuzaki close, who still hadn't even pulled his hands out of his pockets and thought that no force would make him step away.

"I am ready to give up my whole world just so you come back." He whispered quietly in L's ear. "Kira is ready to give up. You win."

Ryuzaki shrugged, freeing himself from the embrace. He moved away slightly, so it was easier to look each other in the face. And looked sadly at Light from underneath the messy bangs. A memory stabbed Kira like a needle, he already saw that gaze, back then, on the staircase. Gaze which for some reason aside from sadness and regret, held guilt. Ryuzaki was saying goodbye? He was… saying goodbye again? As if proving the suspicion, L pulled a hand out of his pocket and carefully touched Light's cheek with his finger. Almost gently. Almost guilty.

"I have nothing to give for the whole world. Forgive me."

He took a step back, increasing the distance between them. Then another, and another. With horror, Light understood that his enemy was walking away. Slowly leaving him, leaving him alone on the cold, uncomfortable plain, full of loneliness. Loneliness from which there was nowhere to hide from.

Understanding of what this place was came by itself. They were in his new world. A world created by Kira. Filled with the ashes of those who had died by the hands of the new God.

Another step back. L turned his back to him, ready to disappear.

"Ryuzaki, come back!" Light rushed after him, trying to grab him, trying keep his friend from leaving, the only person close to him, but another powerful thunder strike shook the ground, and his bony figure suddenly crumbled into a cloud of white sand, which was immediately pulled up with another gust of wind.

Light woke up from his own scream, gasping for air, on a pillow, which was wet from his sweat. For a few minutes he just laid there, recovering from the nightmare, going over the details of the dream, coming back to reality. Suddenly he jerked up, trying to find his phone in a panic, with terror realizing that in his deep sleep he could've missed a call.

The phone was found under the pillow. With relief Light saw that there were no missed calls. That meant that Watari didn't call. That meant that the worst thing hadn't happened yet. The messy detective was still breathing in his deep sleep.

Yesterday, when late in the evening Watari asked Light why he wasn't going home, Yagami honestly confessed that he had nowhere to go. He couldn't and didn't want to be with other people, didn't want to answer their questions, to talk to anyone. The elderly man, sympathetically looking at him, suggested he stay at the headquarters. Light accepted, even if above all he just wanted to stay beside his enemy, beside his possible, but not quite, friend. But to confess all that to Watari was above his willpower.

He didn't dare to go into Ryuzaki's room last night, the one which they shared some time ago. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to withstand the feelings of guilt, loss and loneliness, which kept crowding his thoughts with that place any time he thought about it. And that's why he went to another place which was familiar to him—Misa's former room, which also carried memories, but wasn't full of the feeling of loss.

But right now, after the nightmare he had endured in his sleep, it was necessary for Light to feel Ryuzaki's presence. To touch something that his hand has touched. Dip into the memories.

And he, after quickly washing, then squeezing a phone in one hand, headed for L's room