Just as a little note, I'm aware that in the show the shinigami eyes don't literally change your eye color. I just decided to have them do so here simply out of artistic liberty. Meant to mention that in an author's note last chapter, but whoops! There's just way too much to keep track of now that we're nearing the climax of the story!

Thanks for all the support!

Chapter 37: Kenaz

Kenaz: signifies illumination.

Beyond sat at Light's side, watching over the teen as he slept fitfully on his cot in the infirmary. It had been almost a full day since he'd found Light, choking and barely clinging to life, collapsed in the alleyway between the science wing and the teachers' dorms. In that time, Light had done nothing but lie unconscious and squirm restlessly, most likely in response to whatever nightmares he was being forced to endure. He'd been given a light sedative, and was being kept unconscious for the time being. They didn't want to wake him up until he'd recovered enough to speak without hurting himself. They still weren't sure exactly what had happened, though Beyond had a good guess. That guess mainly revolved around the fact that after finding Light barely alive, Beyond had been unable to find L. The detective had vanished.

But he was getting ahead of himself.

It all began when he was on his way back to the infirmary, where he knew Near would be waiting for a report on what had happened in Japan. He'd been walking along, perfectly content to bask in the shadows created by the moon, when he'd noticed something strange. A tiny glint of scarlet had caught his eye. He'd frowned, pausing to look again. And once again, something had gleamed in the darkness, catching his attention. He'd made his way over to the glint, curious as to what could be causing such a strange reflection.

What he'd found…

Light hadn't been in good shape. He was stretched out on his back, chest heaving in desperation for oxygen, an ugly bruise forming around his throat. It was obvious that someone had tried to choke the life out of him, and had very nearly succeeded. And that red glint…

Beyond's eyes widened as he realized that Light was wearing the necklace he'd given him. The one that he was only supposed to wear if L caused him harm and he needed help.

After that, Beyond wasted no time. He soothed Light with comforting words, though he didn't think the teen was coherent, scooped him up into his arms, and took off towards the infirmary. Watari seemed rather shocked when he arrived with Light in his arms, the teen clinging onto the last threads of life. They'd had to move fast. Luckily, Watari was trained in the medical field, and despite the severity of the situation, he'd been able to save Light's life. It had been close. But in the end, Light had been forced to live on. And ever since then, he'd been kept soundly asleep.

"This should never have happened," Beyond whispered, fists clenching at his sides.

"Easy," Near murmured from his side, where he too had been watching over Light. He hadn't been nearly as diligent as Beyond in his vigil, but he'd been spending a good chunk of time in the infirmary while Light recovered. "Don't lose your head."

"You know that L did this, don't you?" Beyond hissed in a low tone. "From what you told me, it's the only explanation."

"We don't know that yet."

"Come on," he scoffed. "L rushes in here, irritable and angry as always, and takes Light with him. The two of them go back to their house, and a few hours later I find Light choking to death in the streets. And of course, when I go back to look for L, he's nowhere to be found. It seems obvious to me, at least."

Near looked away sharply. "You have a point, and I'm inclined to believe you. Especially after what's happened to Light in the past few days."

Beyond winced at the reminder of what the teen had been forced to go through. He'd thought, oh so foolishly, that Light would be okay while he went to Japan. But when he'd come back, after rescuing Light, he'd learned that the teen had been through hell. He'd had a panic attack, first of all, and had been thrown into a horrible fit after watching live security footage of the rescue attempt. As of yet, no one was sure exactly what he'd seen. But knowing L, and knowing that Light's family and other connections were now dead, Beyond was certain he knew what had occurred in that apartment complex. What had occurred because of his plan.

That's right—I can't let myself forget that it was my plan that led to this. I intended for L to kill them, even if I didn't foresee his violent actions upon returning to the orphanage. This was my fault, and it was L's fault. Both of us played a hand. But now…at least Light should be safe.

He looked down at the sleeping form stretched across the bed, expression twisting bitterly. You've been lied to so much. Deceived too often. But not this time, Light. Once this is all over…once L has been taken care of for good…I'm going to tell you exactly what happened here. Even if it means you decide to leave me behind forever.

"Beyond?" Near murmured, and he realized that he'd been silent for several minutes.

"L killed Light's family," Beyond murmured distractedly, anger cooling as pity flooded his senses. "That's why he went insane. Just watch…when he wakes up, he'll tell you the truth."

Near didn't attempt to protest. "I suppose we'll see when he wakes up. Watari is going to take him off the sedative in a few days, right? We'll know for sure once that happens."

Beyond dipped his head. Near may have been skeptical, but he knew the truth. There was no other reason for L to run away.

"I think I finally understand," Near spoke up suddenly, eyes fixed on Light's squirming form.

"Hmm? Understand what?"

The teen's expression turned pensive and regretful. "You told me once that Light was a pawn, being manipulated and toyed with by his master. I didn't believe you. I thought that even if L was somehow toying with Light, he was still killing criminals and acting out of his own accord. I thought he was just as evil as L. But if you're right, and L did all of this…"

Beyond chuckled humorlessly. "Not the hero you thought he was, eh, snowflake?"

Near shook his head.

"You still want to be like him? You still want to prove yourself better than him?"

"I don't need to prove that anymore," Near responded quietly. His eyes never left Light's form. "Just being here with Light…taking care of him after he's been so brutally mistreated, even though I despised him until now…it proves that I'm better than L. And as for being like him, consider that dream dashed. I never want to be like that monster. I'd much rather be like myself."

Beyond smiled, this time with genuine approval. "You finally get it."

Another nod.

"So are you going to help me take him down? This act of violence can't be dismissed."

"I know." Those crystalline gray eyes flashed with determination. "I can no longer call L our ally, not after all that he's done. I will help you bring him down."

"Thank you," Beyond said. "With your help, we can end this."

Near looked away guiltily. "Listen, Beyond…"

"What is it?"

The teen cleared his throat awkwardly. "I need to apologize."

"What for?"

"For letting this happen to Light. You made me promise before you left that I would keep an eye on Light. You made me promise that I wouldn't let anything happen to him. But despite that promise, I let this happen to him. He had a panic attack. He practically went insane. He nearly died." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Beyond."

He sighed, shaking his head at the other male's show of repentance. "I'm far too much like L," he admitted. "But there's no conceivable way I can hold all these things against you, even while he would. I know that you broke your promise, but I also understand that there was really nothing you could have done to keep it. When I asked you to protect him, I never foresaw that any of those unavoidable things would happen to him. That panic attack couldn't have been avoided considering the circumstances, and his consequent fit of insanity was the same. And no matter what you did, L would have taken Light back to his home, and he would have attempted to kill him. In the end, there was nothing you could have done." He reached out a hand and sealed it to Near's shoulder comfortingly. "This wasn't your fault. If anything, it's mine, and it's L's."

Near stared up at him with relief. "I'm glad you understand."

"A promise means nothing if it's impossible to keep," Beyond responded sadly. He turned his gaze back on his fallen friend. "If L and Light had just realized that from the beginning, all of this could have been avoided."

The white-haired teen was silent for a moment later. Then he rose, leaving his chair and bowing slightly. "It's time for me to go. I'm going to go oversee the search for L, so long as you don't need me here."

"Go," Beyond said. "The best thing you can do right now is lead the search and track L down. Good luck."

Near dipped his head thankfully before turning and exiting the room swiftly. But then he paused at the doorway, looking back to Beyond. "Beyond."

"Hmm?"

"I…I'm going to ask you one last thing, and I want your honest answer. Can you guarantee me that?"

"Depends on the question, snowflake."

His expression twisted. "Light's family, Kiyomi Takada, and the task force have all been slaughtered as a result of the plan you concocted. You told me that L would save them, that he would put himself in danger for Light's wellbeing, show himself as Kira. But considering what I've seen in the past few days, it's become painfully clear that that isn't true—and there's no way that someone as smart as you could have made the mistake of thinking that it was."

He knew where this was going.

"Beyond…you planned this."

It wasn't a question.

"You planned this to get L away from Light, didn't you? You knew this would happen."

Not all of it. I didn't expect L would hurt Light like this. I should have known.

"Tell me if this was your true plan, and then I will leave you alone."

He remained silent.

"Was it, Beyond? Did you plan this?"

Again, for a moment, he was silent. But there was no point in hiding it now—Near already knew. And so he looked over his shoulder, usual grin absent, and spoke. "I did."

Near watched him in with strange stillness. But then he was nodding, murmuring, "I understand." And then he was leaving, turning for the door and slipping through it without so much as another word.

†††

Light's world was slow to come back to him.

It felt like it took days to happen, but in reality, he wasn't sure if it even took an hour.

As he slowly began to wake up, he realized with a jolt that he wasn't in pain. Or rather, the only ache he felt was coming from a ring around his neck, and even that wasn't very sharp. He must have been given something for the pain. Wait…what had happened to his throat again?

It took him a while to remember. But when he did, a different kind of pain started—and this one was pounding outwards from his heart. It was the kind that no medicine could ease.

He remembered the attack. He remembered attempting to reason with L, then becoming angry and yelling at him. He remembered a hand closing around his throat, and his world beginning to fade before he managed to escape and take off in the direction of the infirmary. And he remembered collapsing outside the alleyway, Beyond finding him just before his time ran out for good.

L…he'd killed his family, and then he'd attempted to kill him.

Light's chest ached at the thought of it.

"…can't seem to find him," a low voice echoed in his ears. "We've tried hard, but the bastard always seems to be one step ahead of us. We're not sure where he's gone."

"That's unfortunate," another voice murmured. "And the search of his house? Have you completed it?"

The first voice reported, "Yes, we have. We found nothing. If the Death Note was in his possession—and we know that it was—he took it with him when he ran."

Light frowned, shifting lightly. Were they talking about L? Had he run away? Had he left him here alone? Another pang of bitter sadness assaulted him at the thought of the dark-haired detective.

The voices were whispering again. "Is he awake yet?" It was the second voice.

A deep sigh. "No, not yet, but Watari took him off the sedative a few hours ago. He should be waking up soon."

"It's about time," the second voice said. "He's been out for nearly five days."

"It was all we could do to help him heal. You saw how badly L damaged his throat. If we let him wake up any earlier than this, he would have strained himself and delayed the healing process. This way, his throat is well on its way to healing."

"You're right about that, at least."

Light shifted again, a tiny groan escaping him against his will.

The voices fell silent immediately. Then, "Mello, leave us."

"You got it. Call Near up when you hear what happened."

There was a hum of affirmation, then the sound of a door opening and closing. The next moment, a weight was settling at his side on the cot. It felt very familiar, this situation. Now, who was it sitting beside him? The voice was so familiar…

"Light?" that soft voice whispered. "If you can hear me, I need you to open your eyes."

For a moment, he wanted to refuse. His eyes were ugly, evil, tainted. But then he remembered that L wasn't here to judge him. And so sadly, awaiting a horrified gasp from the person beside him, he opened his eyes.

There was a deep moment of silence as the two stared at each other, Light's eyes adjusting to the sudden light. When he finally managed to focus on the person before him, he let out a tiny gasp of surprise. That's right…I remember…

"Beyond," Light whispered, staring into the reddish orange eyes that now matched his own.

If Beyond noticed the eyes, he didn't react. "Princess," he sighed with relief. "It's good to see you awake."

He stared up at him, still attempting to comprehend the situation. "W-what—?" He cut himself off in a fit of coughing, realizing too late that his throat was still damaged. "What h-happened?" He started coughing again.

"Easy," Beyond soothed. "I wouldn't be trying to talk just yet. You nearly died. Again, I might add. You really have a habit of getting yourself into life-threatening situations."

That's right…Light remembered again the way L's hand had sealed around his neck.

"Don't push yourself," Beyond said comfortingly, "but there are a few things that we really need to know.

Light gave a small nod, showing his agreement.

"Good…" The man trailed off, placing a gentle hand on Light's shoulder. It wasn't threatening or condescending as L's touch had been just before their fight, and it instantly relaxed him. "Now…this may be a bit stressful for you, and I'm truly sorry that it has to be this way. But princess…can you tell me who did this to you? I just need a name for now. The explanation can come later."

He wanted to lie. He truly wanted to help L get back on the right path, even after all the man had done to him. But now…it was too late. The detective had chosen his side, had proven his evil—and now he had to pay, just as he had made all the other criminals pay. And so with a heavy heart, he parted his lips and whispered, "L."

It was a single syllable, but it was more meaningful than he knew. Beyond nodded slowly, a sad expression on his face. "We suspected as much."

"W-we?" Light managed in a low rasp.

"I've teamed up with Near, Matt, and Mello to take down L," Beyond explained. "He fled after he attacked you, Death Notes in hand, and he hasn't been seen since. We can't find him, but we think we may be able to lure him out if we…"

Light raised a brow as the man trailed off, but he suspected that he knew what he was really thinking. We think we may be able to take him out if we have you to use as bait. "It's okay," he rasped weakly. "You c-can use m—"

"Shush," Beyond urged quietly. "We don't have to talk about this now. Just relax, and we can discuss our plan—and everything else that's happened in the past few days—later. All I needed to know was the name of your assailant."

Light shook his head. "N-no," he managed, throat protesting his every word. "L, he…he k-killed…"

"He killed your family," Beyond finished for him. "He killed your family, he killed Takada, and he killed the task force. He killed everyone you cared about in Japan, and then he came back and tried to kill you in a fit of rage."

The teen could do nothing but dip his head in resignation. It was all true. L had taken everything from him, and then he'd fled like the criminal he'd become. Or maybe, the criminal he'd always been.

"It's okay," Beyond whispered. "We're going to find him and bring him back. He'll be judged fairly for what he's done, as will everyone else that's been involved, and he'll never hurt you again."

Light's gaze locked onto his hands, lying firmly on his lap. He didn't want to meet Beyond's eyes. "T-there's more," he forced out, well aware of how bad he sounded.

Beyond said nothing, just watched him silently.

"M-my eyes," Light stuttered, desperate to tell his story. Someone had to know—and after all that had happened, he wasn't surprised to learn that he trusted Beyond enough to make him that someone. "I made a p-promise to L that I w-wouldn't take them, and then…and t-then…"

The older man shook his head. "You don't need to tell me this. Please rest."

"N-no!" he insisted. "M-my eyes, I tried to t-tell you…!"

Beyond's hands rose slowly to cup the sides of his face, forcing him to look into his eyes. He gently tilted Light's face from side to side, carefully observing the teen's newly acquired eyes. Then he sighed, shaking his head, but refusing to release Light's face. He kept the teen looking directly at him, never allowing his gaze to drift from his own.

"B-Beyond?" Light rasped.

The man stared at him seriously. There wasn't a hint of his normal exuberance and eccentricity. "Your eyes are beautiful."

Light stared, his mouth falling open in shock.

"You don't need to tell me," Beyond repeated. "I know why you took the eyes. I understand, princess. And I know that those eyes are a symbol of your devotion to your family. Those eyes mean that you loved them enough to give half your life for them." He released Light's face, bringing up a finger and poking him in the nose playfully. A tiny smile graced his features. "Never be ashamed of those eyes. No matter what promise you made to L, you were right to do what you did. Do you hear that, Light? You were right."

He was…right? No…but L had been so angry!

"L has always been angry," Beyond murmured, seemingly reading Light's thoughts. "And this time was no different. He was upset with you because he was selfish, and he wanted you all to himself. The fact that you loved your family enough to die for them angered him. It made him jealous. And so when you see those eyes in the mirror, you should never feel guilty for what you did. You loved your family—and those eyes prove it."

Light felt his eyes watering before he had a chance to stop them. He clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip to stop a whimper from escaping. But of course, it was useless in defending him from Beyond's keen gaze. The man saw everything—he always had.

"Come here," Beyond sighed, leaning in and pulling the damaged teen into a gentle hug.

Light restrained himself for as long as he could. But Beyond looked so much like L, felt so much like L, and in a matter of moments he was reduced to a sobbing mess in the arms of the man he'd once considered his enemy.

Beyond never tried to push him away, not even when the hug became crushing. "It's okay," he whispered, pressing his chin to the top of Light's head. "No one will judge you here. Cry all you want."

He didn't want to cry. He wanted to be strong. But in the end, he was just as weak now as he'd been back before he met L. He'd thought that he'd grown. He'd thought that he'd become so much stronger, so much more capable of handling himself. But now, faced with this pain, he was no stronger than a child. And it crushed him. It crushed him so completely, so terribly, that he could barely breathe.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed that way. Eventually Beyond crawled onto the bed, kneeling in front of him and allowing Light to hug him as tightly as he wanted. It felt so familiar, so similar to the man Light used to love—but it just wasn't the same. And it wouldn't be the same, never again. L would pay for what he'd done, and Light would be left without him. He knew that now. He knew it was the right thing.

"Are you feeling better now?" Beyond asked quietly, long after Light's sobs had faded into light sniffles and choked whimpers.

Light nodded against his chest silently, but he still held tight when Beyond tried to lean back. The older man sighed, obeying his companion's silent request to remain close. It was obvious that he needed the physical contact.

"Hey," Beyond whispered, breaking the silence. "I know you don't want to hear this right now, but Near is going to want to talk to you about what happened. We're going to confront L, but we need evidence. You can be that evidence, so long as you're willing. Will you—?"

"Now," Light rasped.

"Hmm?"

"Now," he repeated. "L-let's do it now."

"You want to talk to him now?" Beyond sounded surprised. "Are you sure you're up to that? You're still stuttering, and you don't look well."

Light nodded fiercely. "I n-need to do this. L…he k-killed everyone I c-cared about. He d-deserves to be c-caught."

Beyond's gaze was painfully sympathetic. "If that's what you really want, then I won't protest. But if you're up to it, I'd like to bring you a computer. You can type out the main points of the story instead of speaking it, that way you won't damage your throat. Is that okay?"

He nodded. Anything, so long as he was able to share his story with Near. No matter what conflicting emotions he felt for L, one thing was for sure—the detective needed to be brought back. He needed to be judged for his actions. And to do that…

Light pulled back, staring up at Beyond with the eyes that had cost him half his lifespan. "I'll tell him everything."

†††

Hours later, Beyond and Near exited the infirmary and left Light to rest. The teen had kept his word, spilling every bit of his story and sparing none of the details. Now, thanks to him, they had all the evidence they needed to convict L once they caught him. And at this point, even Light seemed to understand that this was the only way.

"It's funny," he'd said—or rather, typed—eyes fixed on the blankets covering his lap. "All this time, I knew that something was changing. In the beginning it was about making the world a better place, but the further we went, the more obsessive he became. He was killing people who didn't deserve it, people who'd committed crimes not deserving of death. And the whole time, I knew there was a dangerous pool of anger within him, but…" He'd stopped and shrugged, a watery smile on his face. "Well…I suppose I never thought he'd be so angry as to lash out at me in such a way. I always thought I'd be able to calm him down and help him understand that what he was doing was wrong. But as time went on, I should have seen that he was just getting worse. Towards the end we'd work for days on end, killing anyone and everyone that L deemed a threat. I'm not even sure how many people we went through in one day. I…I should have seen it coming. There were so many signs, so many things that I missed or chose to ignore—and I just let him go off to Japan, putting aside my unease and convincing myself that he cared enough to keep my family alive." There'd been a bitter laugh, weak and halting. "Look where that got us."

Beyond closed his eyes sadly, leaning his back against the closed infirmary doors. Light was asleep now, having slipped off shortly after finishing his story. Now it was just Near and him, both standing outside the infirmary and taking in all that they'd been told.

"I never knew it got that bad," Near commented in a low murmur. "It sounds like things were truly terrible for the two of them near the end."

Beyond chuckled, "I don't think Light knew either. Hell, I don't even think L knew just how much he was slipping."

"It's terrible." Near glanced back through the window of the infirmary, no doubt making sure that Light was still sleeping. "What are we going to do?"

"You're our leader, snowflake," Beyond pointed out. "You're the one that makes the plan. But if I were you, I'd go with something along the lines of luring L out and capturing him. We just need to decide how we're going to make that happen."

The teen looked away, a troubled look on his face. "That may pose a bit of a problem. I can't think of how we should lure him out, or even where we should plan to meet him."

Beyond shrugged. "If you ask me, you should just call him out again, but more personally this time. Find a way to contact him and tell him who you are and what you want. Challenge him directly, insult his pride and call him to meet you on whatever battleground you choose. After that, you can have him apprehended. That's it. Game over."

"Do you really think it will be that simple?"

"No, of course I don't. But it's a good starting point, don't you think?"

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Near's lips. "I suppose you're right. I'll meet with Mello and devise a way to contact him. I'm sure Watari will be able to help us in that regard."

Beyond dipped his head in agreement. "Good. If you don't mind, while you do that I'd like to stay here. I'm sure that L will be wanting to rescue his lost princess, if not just for the purpose of ending him permanently, and I'm not taking any chances on letting that happen. I'll watch over Light until the threat has been neutralized."

"That's probably for the best…even though L tried to kill him, he most likely still feels some form of attachment to him. He'll want him back." Near pushed himself off of the wall he'd been leaning on and started off down the hallway. "I need to leave. Good luck!" he called over his shoulder, walking in the direction of the dorms. He was going to speak to Mello, no doubt.

That meant that Beyond was on his own. The man gave a brief glance through the infirmary window. He longed to go back inside, to sit at Light's side and make sure nothing happened to him. But he knew that after being forced to bare his soul in front of both him and Near, it would be best if he had some time to himself. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on him to make sure L didn't come back.

Until Light was completely safe, Beyond was determined to never leave his side. No matter what happened, he would not let him become another one of L's victims.

At least…not any more than he already had.

†††

A long way away, L stood on the roof and stared up at the stars.

The detective had taken shelter in one of the many abandoned farmsteads in the area, taking a car and fleeing with only a bag containing bare necessities. Although it was poorly lit and falling apart, it was the best he could do under the circumstances. Now he stood on the roof of the rickety house, feeling the old, rotting material cave slightly under his weight. This wasn't safe, he knew. Beyond, Near, Mello, and many more would be looking for him after what he'd done.

His heart clenched at the thought. He clamped his teeth down on his tongue, an attempt to distract from the emotional pain by embracing the physical. Light…he couldn't stop thinking of their disastrous encounter. He couldn't understand it. He was utterly perplexed trying to figure out why Light had been so upset with him for saving him. Why had he provoked him, driven him to attack?

If he hadn't provoked me, I never would have lost my temper, L thought bitterly. Honestly, what the hell did he think he was doing? What I did was for the greater good, why couldn't he see that? I freed him from the darkness, and in return he broke his promise and halved his lifespan. It's obvious now that he cared about his family more than he cared about me. But now I've taken his family from him. I've set him free! He must see that it was all for him!

Above him, the stars glittered tauntingly. Why can't he understand? L thought mournfully. He should be thanking me for helping him struggle free from the source of his stress. The roof cracked slightly beneath his feet, and L swiftly shifted his weight to another spot. It wouldn't do to go falling through the roof and hurting himself. He doesn't understand. But if I can just get to him, I know that I can make him understand. I'll rescue him from his worry, from his stress, from his heartache, and I'll explain everything to him. I don't care how long it takes, I will get him back and make him see how I've helped him. I'll rescue him from the monsters that have taken him under their wing.

He bristled at the thought of other people attempting to help his Light. They had no business being around him. They had no right to help him. L was the only one who had that privilege. I'm the only one who loved him enough to save him from his family, and I'm the only one who loves him enough to save him now!

But now it was too late—at least, for now. After he'd regained his senses, he'd known immediately that he had to run. When Light reached wherever he was running to, the people there would no doubt send someone to question him. Beyond had been waiting for something like this to happen for years. If he found out, he'd take him into custody and never let him go. He'd take Light into custody and never let him go. The thought made him so furious that he saw red. The thought of Beyond attempting to get close to Light…it was nauseating. He would payfor this.

I'm the one in the right, L told himself bitterly. Light was the one who broke his promise and took the eyes. He halved his lifespan. But even so, I'm willing to forgive him so long as he apologizes and means it. I'll get him back. I'll get my apology. I'll make him see that I'm the one that's saved him.

No matter what happens, I'm going to save him.

Even if that means putting him in the ground with the rest of his traitorous family.

†††

After that, Light slept. He wasn't sure how long it was, or how many hours at a time he was forced to relive the past few days within terrible nightmares. All he knew was that every time he awoke, he spent a few minutes thrashing about in a panicked fit before Beyond appeared to remind him of where he was and what was happening. After he managed to regain his cool, it only took a few minutes for him to slip back to sleep, and the terrible process simply repeated itself. And so for however long it was, be it days, weeks, or even months, he found himself submerged in a miserable haze. The only time he emerged was when he was forced to eat or hold a short, painful conversation with one of the successors or Beyond himself.

His short periods of wakefulness were no more peaceful than his nightmares. Whenever his mind fought its way to the surface, it was plagued with terrible memories. All he could think about was L, and the way he'd betrayed him and attempted to end his life. And in the brief moments where he managed to fight down such awful memories, he was only assaulted by the laughing, smiling faces of his family. It didn't take long to drive him to the precipice of insanity. After the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth time reliving the deaths of his family and that cold, heartless hand around his throat, he felt his mind teetering on the edge.

Beyond was the only thing keeping him grounded. Light didn't know how he did it, or even why he did it, but he was always there. And as Light awoke now, for the umpteenth time that day, he was there waiting.

"You feel warm," Beyond commented quietly, cool fingers brushing across his forehead. "You're not getting a fever, are you?"

Light hummed, shaking his head from side to side. His throat was almost completely healed, but his many days of being unable to talk had fostered a new habit of silence.

"You can speak, you know," Beyond told him. "I know you don't want to, but it's dangerous for you to keep silent for so long. You'll shut yourself off from the rest of the world and become just as secluded as…" He trailed off, but Light knew what he'd been about to say. Just as secluded as L. "Never mind that. You need to get used to speaking again."

Light's head lowered slightly. He wouldn't meet Beyond's gaze. He didn't want to speak unless he was speaking to L, condemning him for everything he'd done.

There was another soft sigh. "What are you going to do if you find L again and can't speak to him because you've lost your voice? You need to make sure that doesn't happen, right? So speak."

"I don't want to," Light muttered, the words causing only minimal pain. He was shocked to hear the raspy, weak quality his voice had attained over the past several days.

Beyond visibly relaxed the instant the words hit the air. "Well that's too bad, princess. You have a responsibility to make sure you stay here with us. You can't go letting yourself fade away."

"Isn't that what I've been doing since the beginning?" Light murmured. "Fading away, bit by bit, until nothing remains?"

"I'm not going to let that happen," Beyond insisted, his voice growing hard. "I won't let you slip away from us."

Light smiled wearily. "Beyond," he rasped, wincing slightly as he spoke. "You've been so kind."

The man returned his smile with a confused frown. "Yes, of course. I told you, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You won't be his next victim."

"Why? Why are you doing this?" It was the same question he'd asked L. Perhaps he could actually get an answer out of Beyond.

"Why?" Beyond echoed, puzzled. "You want to know why I've been kind to you?"

He kept his eyes lowered. "There has to be a reason. There has to be a reason that you're caring for me even after everything that's happened."

The man stared at him, momentarily stunned. Then his gaze softened, lips quirking upwards into a gentle smile. "That's easy. I care about you."

"Yes, but why? There must be a reason."

That smile fell slightly, and those kind eyes flickered with dark emotion. "Princess…"

"I need to know!" Light rasped out, voice rising slightly in aggravation. "Please, Beyond…tell me."

Beyond fixed him with a conflicted gaze. "I'm really not sure if that's a good idea."

"I need to know," Light insisted. "When I asked L why he did what he did, I never got a response. So now, even if it's not the same thing…I need you to tell me why."

That was all it took to melt Beyond's heart. Light watched those reddish orange eyes go from conflicted to affectionate in a heartbeat, and it reminded Light hauntingly of the way he used to gaze at Sayu, with eyes full of love and pride. "Okay," he whispered, reaching out a hand and brushing Light's hair aside. "If you really want to know, I'll tell you."

Light leaned forward in anticipation. And then…

"Once upon a time—"

"Seriously?" Light chuckled weakly. "Again with the fairy tale?"

Beyond blinked, seemingly taken aback. But then he huffed out an amused breath, and murmured, "I suppose you're right…there will be no more fairy tales now. Only the truth." He shifted from the chair and seated himself on the edge of Light's bed. "Now…a long time ago at this very orphanage, there lived three close friends. They were three of the brightest minds in the world—and their names were B, L, and A."

So here we are, with Beyond finally about to fess up to whatever went down all those years ago…are you guys as excited as I am?

And just in case you didn't catch it, Beyond is planning on coming clean about his part in the plan to Light. That'll sure be an interesting conversation to write.

If you enjoyed, don't hesitate to drop me a review!