Author's Notes;;

I had to make a change to my last Author Note in Chapter 24…I you re-read it, I thank you but it is not necessary as I re-state here: This is not the last chapter, I realized it would make more sense if I, ah, dragged it out a bit more so to speak.

Lady Kiome;; I'm glad you found it as well, thank you SO MUCH for the review! ^-^
Yuka-Chan16(x2);; Katsucon is in Washington, DC, Valentine's Day weekend. And yes…the handcuffs, I thought that would make people laugh. :D
Freakitten;; Well, after this is Tortured Moonlight, AKA Twisted Midnight from Light's POV.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I was married. I. Was. Married. Holy Hell, I was married. It was…weird. I didn't feel married, as my gaze hit the cuff clanking against the gold and silver bracelet that the Oracles had given me, but I was married. What was marriage supposed to feel like, anyway? I was fairly certain that, married or not, the knot of worry in my gut wouldn't go away as I heard Light knock on the room next door to us from its normal door. I flipped the monitors back on, glad to be alone in the room once more, and place the headphone over my ears as I watched Takada nervously get the door.

I noticed a package on the bed that I hadn't seen before and looked over at it briefly before pocketing it. It had been from Aizawa, apparently he'd managed to get Rem's remains. That was a blessing, at lease. I turned back to the monitors to see Takada still staring at Light in a state of being dazed. "Light Yagami…," she said, eyes wide at how he was standing there when he was supposed to be dead and looking oh-so-gorgeous and she was drinking in the sight of him. "Wh-but how…I mean to say…you…you're dead."

"Takada-san," he said, eyeing her in an appreciative manner that made me jealous although I knew it was all an act. "All this talk of Kira has brought me back…my true purpose will be fulfilled once more with your help." He held out his hand to her and she took it gently, obviously not really understanding.

It was Mikami who seemed to grasp Light's meaning, "Kami! God!" He fell to his knees and bowed reverently, forehead touching the carpeted floor of the hotel room and Light's smile broadened. "That's…why I can't see…your name? You…are Kira." When Light merely nodded his acknowledgement Takada fell to her knees as well. This was a gamble we were taking, we didn't know how much Meadra and Gook, as Shinigami, knew. Armonia wasn't exactly the trusting sort and we were going to try and use that to our advantage. "Kira…please, with you by our side we would truly be…a force to be reckoned with."

I shivered as Light stepped fully into the room and the door shut on its own behind him, closing him off from the hallway and I pressed that button. Now or never, I thought as I watched him, knowing he had less than five minutes to get those notebooks. "I need a notebook of my own." He took a seat on the bed as if he were royalty and beneath sitting on chairs. "No, you two need to keep your own note books. I need a Death Note once again, and seeing as I lack one it would be difficult to help you as I should."

Mikami turned to Gook and said, "Please…I know you have another one…this…is everything to your cause. You would have three Death Note holders in our world once more, your King's plan, and we would have our leader. Don't you see…Kihiko was meant to meet his end so we could be reunited with the true Kira."

Eventually, Mikami's words rang true and Gook took the Death Note at his side and placed it on the bed beside Light. The latter played his part well, touching the note book and then looking at Gook as though he could suddenly see him. "This…is truly the best." He opened the notebook and asked, "There are two of you…there must be another Shinigami in here, am I incorrect?" Takada nodded and touched Light with her own notebook and I checked the clock; less than four minutes left. He looked at Meadra and smiled at her, walking over to her casually and looking at. "Good, this is…good. Better than good, two Shinigami and three Death Note users. We will not fail to the legal system this time, not with so many great minds aiming towards a common goal."

"Who will you kill first?" It was Mikami's voice and Light looked at him, his hand tightened around the Death Note and Mikami repeated his question.

"Let's not be so hasty, I need to wait until at least tomorrow before I, myself, use the Death Note, it would only draw suspicion to this area." I checked the clock, less than three minutes, and Light was speaking again. My heart froze and I wondered if he meant any of the words coming out of his mouth, or if he really was just that good at acting… He knew I was watching…didn't he? I was married to him…and I'd known he was a monster before I had agreed to it. But he was different now, or that was what I told myself, it was what I had to believe. My hand went to my stomach once more and my resolve hardened, he would never leave me or the babies…not for a simple book, anyway. But that was part of why I'd asked him to do this…I had to know he was over it, the power-trip, that he would be what I needed in…a husband.

Less than two minutes and I knew he was tracking down the time as well, and he sat down once again. "Rise, both of you, we have plans to make if we wish to reign over this world. Let me see your notebooks…" And they each willingly gave their books into his hands and I took a seat in the chair and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding as he began to flip through them. "Your killings seem…very sporadic and not having much to do with each other, nor do you two seem to have common goals or interests, or even ideals or types of criminals you kill. That…should stop." And then there were sirens and Light stood up, backing towards the door and Meadra snarled.

"The newcomer has betrayed us," and she ripped out her notebook and wrote 'Light Yagami' in it and I sighed with relief. Light stood there, completely nonplussed, as he ripped the cover off of two of the Death Notes in his hands in one swift motion despite the outraged cries of the three in the room. After the forty seconds were up he clutched his chest, his eyes rolling to the back of his head and he fell, face forward, onto the carpet and my world stopped. I didn't know if he was alive or not, if he was faking or…no, no no no! The door got kicked in by a police officer and I kicked down the join adjoining my room to theirs and Light sprung up, grabbing the Death Note out of Meadra's outstretched, grubby fingers. "Nooooo!" she screamed as Mikami and Takada were placed in hand-cuffs and Light walked towards me, trembling slightly, and he threw the two remaining Death Notes down at my feet.

"Don't…ever ask me to do that again…" he said, falling to his knees and wrapping his arms around my legs and I could feel he was shaking slightly as he buried his face against my hip. My hands found his hair and I sunk down next to him, my lips finding his gently. I knew what he was referring to; he never wanted me to force him to choose between me or power again, because that was exactly what I had done, inadvertently or not.

"I won't," I said, "I had to know…I had to be sure…" I pulled away a bit and grabbed the Death Notes from the floor and looked over at Mikami and Takada. Apparently they had kept their memories, having touched each other's Death Notes, and for that I was grateful.

"You better be fucking sure, Ryuuzaki…" he said, glaring at me and I laughed. He blinked, confused by my reaction and I just kept laughing, clutching the sudden stitch in my side.

"Oh…" I finally said, "Believe me… You'll be fucking sure I'm sure tonight when we go home." I grinned as he blushed, kissing him on the cheek before standing up and putting the note books in my pocket and then offered him a hand up which he took. I took his hand, my right to his left, and I could hear the clink of metal on metal as we walked through the threshold of the doorway back into the room we'd booked and there was a sudden flash of light and we were suddenly in that purple room again. I' was moderately surprised to see Ryuk there and I looked through the open doorway, pulling Light behind me and we each took seats at the rectangular table across from Evandra and Aaron.

There was another figure at the table and he looked human, save for the pointed ears, and he smiled joyfully at us before digging into his food. I looked down and noticed it was steak and I took a tentative bite when Evandra gestured we join the meal. I watched as Light began to eat as well, both of us a bit wary considering what the last encounter with 'divine sustenance' had resulted in, but it was difficult to deny the powers that be their wishes when they could make one's life oh-so-difficult. "I'm impressed," Evandra said eventually. "You two, once you got over accusing the wrong people," she glared at me and I shrank from those eyes, "You set things right there relatively quickly. Your next stop, of course, is the Shinigami Realm. Armonia has surely gone into a semblance of hiding now, and if he hadn't yet, he will as soon as word reaches his ears of your accomplishments in your own world. As such, tomorrow morning I want you to come back here." Her gaze turned meaningfully to me and she said, "I understand you have a request of our resident blacksmith, Gerald?"

I turned to the man with the pointy ears, slightly surprised, and nodded. "We'll talk that over after dinner, lad," he said, diving back into his own steak and I turned back to Evandra.

"Actually, part of my request is for you as well…" She looked at me oddly and I added, "I was wondering if you could make more of those bracelets." She nodded at me and I understood, it would mean my remaining question or favor, but we didn't really need the bracelets, right? Right. "Nevermind. Tomorrow, we'll come back tomorrow." Suddenly I was anxious to be out of there once more and I put my fork down, appetite ruined. When the others finally finished eating Light and I followed Gerald into the hallway and I presented him with Rem's remains. "I need a weapon." He studied me a moment and then nodded, "So…tomorrow then?" I asked, wishing he would give more reassurance than just a nod, but it seemed to be his way and I eventually gave up, hearing him laughing behind me. Light looked like he wanted to ask me some questions but I gave him a look that said 'later.'

"Aaron, Evandra," he said, studying them carefully and their eyes fell on him. "I wish to use one of my…favors. A detailed map, if you would, of the Shinigami Realm and a compass that would work there." Evandra smiled knowingly, but Aaron's face remained impassive. Light smiled and said, "Let me guess…tomorrow it will be ready?"

"Very wise words," Aaron said; they were the first words he'd spoken since our arrival, which I thought was a tad strange. Then again…everyone had their off days. Eventually we made our way back to the portal and through it; stepping into the hotel room and noticing people swarming about and I checked the clock. It was as if no time had passed in what had certainly been hours to Light and myself, but in the Human world had been merely seconds.

"Well," he said as we stepped fully into the room over the remains of the door I had kicked down, "I'd say that was…enlightening."

"Yes," I agreed, exchanging a look with him. "Let's go home…we need to get ready for tomorrow. I feel rather like a puppet attached to strings and as much as I want to cut them, it would be wrong. I know that saving the world is the right thing to do, I just wish I had some choice in the matter."

"We do have choices, believe me. If we didn't then you would have been stopped when you'd tied me up at Whammy House." I cringed, I still felt guilty about that, and he waved a hand as if telling me he was over it…and maybe he was. "Then I had plenty of opportunities where I could have used the Death Note…and plenty when I wanted to. It…draws you in, well, maybe not you…you might not be human enough," he smiled, showing me he was joking. "It certainly knows how to get my attention. But then I thought of you…and I chose."

I gave his hand in mine a gentle squeeze as we walked towards the elevator and I pressed the call button, not quite feeling like taking the stairs this time around. "Leon…" I said as we stepped in, the soft music of Bach reaching our ears and he looked at me. "Thank you." I wrapped my arms around his neck, "For your choice." He smiled back at me, finally understanding, and kissed me. This time, as we kissed, I let the knowledge that we were a married couple flood my mind and I felt elated at the thought, butterflies in my stomach and everything. It had been our marriage that had saved his life, I had known and planned for that, and it was our marriage that I embraced now as more than a necessity, but as something I truly wanted. The doors opened and I ignored them and they closed once more, and still I clung to him, kissing him as if…if I stopped, he would disappear.

When we finally broke for air he said, "I'm not going anywhere…Ryuuzaki, at least not without you." I nodded and pressed the button again and the doors opened. Hand in hand, bracelet to bracelet and cuff to cuff, we walked out onto the street and into the waiting car and headed home.

A//N

:)

I like that chapterrr.

You should review! :D