The elusive man slipped from Light's scarring grasp. Drifting, through time, through his own body, Light ambled limply away from his spot in the vast, echoing room, drenched in artificial light. Legs shifted, moving faster, ears grew deaf to pleading calls, arms swung tightly at sides, a face, tainted black from lurking shadows steeped itself unwillingly in crystal fear, pain, hate, sorrow and joy, plumetting from sore eyes, as deft, yet slow, fingers attacked the crystals with vicious ferocity. The dank sludge of his own malice now consumed his entirety, rendering limbs limp, thoughts absent, as his stinging heart splintered horrifyingly painfully, into infinitesimal shards, scattered across the floor, still longing for life, only sinking slowly into the black tar of the smirking shadows.

Numb.

Nothing.

Acid rushed throughout, burning, blistering, the stained muse, felled by pure hands that felt so impure. A door smashed open, vivid images ruminated in Light's thrashing mind.

Care, hate, contentment, unrest, pain, pleasure, lust, unwant, gleamed through an empty expanse of synapses.

Love.

Light felt his legs betray his own godly form, bringing him to his knees, such a position only the filth lining the streets took hold of. Lights face grimaced into contorted positions, not touching the true root of the feelings crushing his frame.

'I...I want to die! Please!'

Light's mind was retching disfigured words into his broken thoughts.

'But why? This was your goal, this is what you wanted. A perfect world, free of crime? Is that not what you told me?'

Light had not the slightest clue that his breath stopped short of his paling lips, his chest heaving with sobs that were no longer accompanied by tears. Lungs ceased to function, leaving a gagging sensation to caress a heated chest. Light was choking, he didn't want to breath any more, not without the one person he loved, then mercilessly slain with no emotion.

The voice, not his own, but the answering echo, was undyingly familiar. It's tone, it's pitch, it's smooth quality, the voice of dreams was answering.

Things were gently fading into an uneven and tedious slumber, lazily pulling a scattered Light with it.

Completely immersed in nothing but tantalizing harmony of dereliction, grief and sorrow that surrounded, the voice of dreams cried out in sheer delight, enjoying how the jesting was forcing a small, crushed man into a shivering ball. Light knew this voice...

He didn't want to, but he did...

'Kira...?'

'Yes, Light?'

'Will you...?'

'No.'

'Please..!!'

'It was your own desire, revel in your self created woe and wretchedness, writhe before me.'

'...'

'This world was your desire, do not let it fade, do not let it pass through your own debased fingers.'

'I can't keep up this charade! Why do I need to live!? This world can rot in it's own odium!'

'Fool.'

A clammy body splayed it's self upon an unforgiving floor as it thrashed in it's sleep. The floors smashed wave after wave of ear-shredding sound against the unprotected walls as feet slammed quickly in search of a fallen friend.

A garbled declaration filled the tense, cold air when the inane, black haired young man burst through countless barriers of feelings. A slight touch provoked a startled Light from the unpleasant nap that plagued his unholy body.

"M-Matsuda..." Light managed to gasp, leaning into the comfortable grasp that enveloped his shoulders.

'Fool.'