Rem closed her Death Note after writing the woman's name. Lily White; she went by another name but either one would do the job. The Shinigami extended her hand to brush her skeletal fingers through Misa's silken blond hair. She loved her and would do anything for her including killing that woman to hurt the two men who were hurting Misa.

Light Yagami did not love her Misa. The only reason Rem had not killed him was because Misa loved that wretched man with all of her heart. Misa saw him as a hero of mythic proportions for murdering the criminal who killed her parents. Light writing that particular man's name in his Death Note was pure accident; a cosmic travesty that their path's would cross in such a way. However in Misa's mind, he had done it for her, just for her specifically, and she loved him for it. Killing him was not an option because it would destroy Misa. Knowing how he felt about Lily White would devastate her as well.

L, that damned detective, had terrified and bound the woman she loved. Seeing Misa cry ripped her heart open. He would continue to torture her for who knows how long if Rem did not do something to save her. She would make him feel her pain by hurting the woman he loved.

Rem waited for her end to come. She knew what was coming because she had watched Gelus die. Gelus was the Shinigami who had saved Misa from certain death at the hand of a crazed stalker by writing his name in his Death Note. It was Gelus's notebook that Rem had given to her enabling Misa to become the second Kira, emulating her hero.

"Good-bye, Misa," Rem said.

"What do you mean good-bye?" Misa asked, looking around despite being unable to see due to the blindfold covering her eyes.

"I'll be leaving you now." If Rem could cry, she would.

"Rem? Rem! Where are you going?" she squeaked, panicked and afraid, more so than when she had been blindfolded and kidnapped.

"I love you."

Giving her life was a small price to pay to enact her own vengeance on the men hurting Misa. Light Yagami and L would know her unbearable pain when they experienced the broken heart of losing someone they loved.

Suddenly, Rem found herself in a dark place. Misa was gone. Was this what happened when a Shinigami dies? She had expected something different.

Suddenly, she was struck from behind across the back of her head. Her lanky, bony body lurched forward. She did not feel pain, but she did feel an unexpected rush of terror stemming from the murderous intent directed toward her.

Swinging her bandage ensconced head around, she saw him with her one good eye: Crow, the servant of Yatagarasu. Ryuk had warned her about writing Lily White's name in her Death Note. Crow meddled in the affairs of that one particular human, and Yatagarasu gave him extra leeway, allowing him to interfere with the Shinigami on her behalf.

The small figure standing in front of her appeared incapable of inflicting harm. Yet she found him imposing because his lethal attitude leaked from him in perceptible waves as obvious as the black leather crow mask on his face.

"Why did you bring me here?" Rem asked, angry that this was her fate instead of simply ceasing to exist. Her heart still ached for Misa. The love she felt choked her like a noose around her neck. She did not anticipate a slow miserable death.

"There's something I need to say to you before you are gone," he said. "It's about Lily White."

"If you brought me here to plead for her life, it's too late. Surely she's dead by now," she said, not remorseful in the slightest. Her only regret about dying was that she would no longer be near Misa. "I did what I had to do to protect Misa. You should understand, Crow."

"I do. That is why she will not die today. The sacrifice you have made was all for nothing," he informed her.

"What?" she gasped, her single eye widening.

Crow raised his cane close to her face. The shiny brass end glowed red like an ember in a fire. The brightness and heat intensified until it was blinding and hot as the sun. That heavenly luminescence would burn her to ash in a matter of seconds when he unleashed it on her full force.

"I'm dying too Rem because I gave my life to save someone I love. It's just a longer more painful process for me," he explained.

"I don't understand. She is already dead," Rem reminded him.

"Obviously you have forgotten the god I serve. Lily may die, but she will live again. You, however, will not. Farewell, Shinigami."

Before Rem could utter the word 'no' resting on her tongue, there was a flash of light snuffing out her existence in this and any other world.

~~~\\/~~~

No comforting white light enveloped her. No burning flames of hell seared her eyes or body. The illumination of either otherworldly realm would have been welcome in this darker than dark place. Her parents were not waiting for her with open arms for a sentimental family reunion in the afterlife. Nothing but darkness, cold, and isolation greeted her.

Lily recognized this place. She had here here before. She wanted to scream for help, but she feared no one would come.

"You need to come back," a gentle, familiar voice coaxed her. "It's not your time yet."

Lily inhaled, a deep wheezing breath, when her heart began beating again. Her eyes popped open to meet a pair of bottomless black orbs.

"Welcome back," Itachi Okada greeted her in his human form. He was sitting on the floor where she lost consciousness, holding her in his lap.

Multiple deep lines were etched into the fair skin at the outer corners of his eyes that was once smooth and flawless. The folds of skin from the edges of his nostrils down the corners of his mouth had deepened giving him an aged look. Itachi Okada no longer appeared to be a twenty something year old man. He looked to be every day of forty and possibly then some.

"You're aging like a human. You really are dying," Lily murmured, pressing her palm to his cheek.

"I was never meant to stay with you forever," he rejoined.

"You can't die. You're the only one who's been there for me since my parents died," she said, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I know. I shouldn't have allowed you to become so dependent on me. I have already stayed with you longer than I should have. I gave you this for when I'm gone." He grasped her shoulder where he had implanted the three feathers.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, a searing pain coursing through her shoulder as if he had touched her with fire.

Lily stood up with his assistance, going into the bathroom. Pulling up the sleeve of the t-shirt, she examined the 'tattoo' he had given her. One of the white feathers had turned black, looking more like a typical tattoo.

"These are three lives?" she inquired, dropping the sleeve.

Itachi Okada shrugged. "Kind of. They can also be likened to wishes as well. The life you save does not have to be your own, but it does take away one of the feathers. Be careful. You now have one less chance of surviving another unexpected, supernatural brush with death."

"Supernatural brush with death? Like surviving a heart attack after my name is written in a Death Note?" she questioned him. "Who did it? Ryuk?"

"No. Misa Amane's Shinigami, Rem. Unlike Ryuk, Rem is capable of love. She sincerely loved Misa and was completely loyal to her. She perceived you as a threat so she tried to get rid you," he explained. "She gave her life to protect Misa."

"Shinigami's can die?" Lily never imagined a Death god could die. It seemed like a cruel celestial joke. But she was learning not all unearthly beings were immortal or invulnerable.

"A Shinigami can die. If they fall in love with a human, then write down another human's name to save them, that Shinigami will die. They've broken two of the Shinigami rules. Falling in love with a human and misusing their Death Note for personal gain."

"Is that why you're dying?"

"Mmmm," he hummed thoughtfully searching for the correct words to explain it. "Not really. It's more of a life for a life. An equivalent exchange kind of thing. Comparing myself to a Shinigami is like comparing apples and oranges."

"Funny you should use that analogy," she mumbled.

"What do you mean?" he asked, the furrows on his forehead folding together like an accordion.

"Nothing."

"You are free to use these gifts however you choose. But remember, everything has a price."

Lily sighed. She was painfully aware there was a price to be paid for saving a life. Her eyes scanned his tired, haggard face. A higher price for some than others. She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Itachi Okada. Thank you for being the friend...the father...I needed," she whispered. Her arms tightened around him, squeezing him like she would never him go. "I love you."

~~~\\/~~~

"I love you, too," he responded, burying his face into her hair so she could not see his tears.

Itachi Okada had a secret. He was a reincarnation of her father, Daichi Sugiyama. As much as he wanted to confess his true identity, he could never tell her or risk cursing her. He had been sworn to secrecy by Yatagarasu who had given him a second chance, to avenge his wife and save his daughter.

After his death, Daichi had found himself in a barren pit of isolation. He was angry, frightened, and confused. He had died with too many regrets, too much rage, and too much unfinished business. The main reason he could not go on to the afterlife yet was his daughter Sachiko. She had been left in the hands of a monster.

Yatagarasu took pity on him, granting him a rebirth, transforming him into a whole new creature. Therefore, a man became a lesser god, a servant, allowing him to return to his daughter. She would never know her father had come back to her. Sometimes a blessing comes with a curse.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he held his daughter, possibly for the last time before he died a second death. His days were much fewer in number now if he had any left all. He wanted to tell her the truth, that Daddy was with her. To keep his vow and protect her from further misfortune, he continued to pretend to be Itachi Okada, a benevolent, divine stranger who had accidentally stumbled into her life to become her guardian angel.

~~~\\/~~~

"Lily?" L called from the other side of her bedroom door. The door knob jiggled and clacked when he attempted to open the door.

Lily gasped, opening her eyes. She was hugging nothing but air with tears streaming down her face.

"Lily, open the door!" L demanded, banging on it.

"Just a minute!" she exclaimed, dashing into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face to wash away her tears. The coolness soothed her stinging eyes. Patting her face dry with a towel, she rushed to the door to open it before L beat it down.

"Why was the door locked?" He entered the room and closed it behind him, locking it again.

"I was trying to take a nap. I'm really tired so if you don't mind..." She tried to push him toward the door, but he did not budge an inch. He might look like a pushover, but he was anything but. She could feel L's large, observant eyes on her. He was staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "What?"

"What the hell happened to you? You look like death warmed over," he muttered, placing his hand on her cheek. "You're so cold. Are you okay?"

"As a matter of fact - " Her words were cut off when his mouth covered hers. Lily sighed, sinking into his arms that enveloped her and melting into his body. Soaking in his warmth, reveling in his kiss, she suddenly felt more alive than she ever had before.

"I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you," L whispered in her ear, coming close to squeezing the life out of her again he held her so tightly.

Lily decided against telling him she had just come back to life. Some things he did not need to know for his own good. Hopefully neither one of them would have to know the pain of losing the other. She was tired of losing the people she loved.

"L, how do you feel about me?" she questioned him, giving him a peck on the lips.

"What do you mean?" he returned, genuinely befuddled.

"I mean...I love you...and?"

"And?" He had no idea what he was supposed to say.

If she had to drag the four letter L word out of him, she would rather him not say it at all. One day he would say it to her on his own. Knowing he sincerely loved her without doubting his emotions or being suspicious of ulterior motives was better than hearing a meaningless phrase over and over.

"There's something I need you to see," L said, taking her by the hand to lead her out of the room. "About an hour ago Misa Amane started acting weird. She was talking to herself, calling out the name Rem. She began crying and hasn't stopped yet. I want your opinion on the matter"

"Rem," she muttered. She knew why Misa was crying. How can she make an analytical mind understand the illogical concept of a Shinigami?

L pulled Lily over to the computers, cuing up the video of Misa. She dropped heavily into the chair, gaping at the screen. Her belly tightened, heat and nausea flooded her system when she saw the woman tied up like an S&M wet dream in a straight jacket and metal straps with futuristic blinders over her eyes to block out her vision.

"What the hell is this?" Lily demanded. "Does she really have to be tied up like that?"

"I didn't ask you criticize my restraint techniques. Listen," he instructed her, turning up the volume because Misa was speaking in a whisper.

Then Lily saw the Shinigami the woman was speaking to. Rem was tall and skinny like Ryuk, but literally all bone. She resembled a skeletal mummy with large, sharp protrusions of bone jutting from her shoulders and hips. Her arms were like backbones including the projections called a spinous process extending from each disc. Her hair looked like white dreads with purple ends. Purple lines extended down from her purple lips and disappeared under her hair toward her ears on which hung large gold hoop earrings. She was not absolutely repugnant like Ryuk.

"Misa is speaking to a Shinigami," Lily told L, preparing herself for his dubious rebuttal.

"A what? Are you feeling well? Is this some sort of joke?" he inquired irritably.

"A Death god. They're attached to the Death Notes," she tried to explain.

"I'm calling a doctor," he muttered, picking up his phone in his strange, prissy way between his thumb and forefinger.

"No, don't," she snapped, slapping the phone out of his hand. "I already have a psychologist."

"That's who I was calling. I read your file," he reminded her.

"I'm not crazy."

"Are you sure?"

"Are you crazy?" she retorted acerbically. "I'm sure you've seen some weird shit. Hang on, and I'll prove it to you.

Lily returned her attention on the screen. She swallowed repeatedly to dissolve the lump that formed in her throat as she watched the Shinigami write her name in the notebook which had induced the fatal heart attack she suffered. Her hand went to her chest, massaging the area over her heart.

"Good-bye, Misa," the Shinigami said, her voice deep but vaguely feminine.

"What do you mean good-bye?" Misa's head wagged from side to side as if she was looking for the Shinigami, although the blinders blocked her vision.

"I'll be leaving you now."

Lily began to tear up. This conversation was agonizingly familiar.

"Rem? Rem! Where are you going?" Tears leaked from under the blindfold.

"I love you." Rem disappeared. No light show, no thunder, no drama. Just gone.

"Oh, my god," Lily gasped, covering her quivering lips with her hand.

"What ya watchin'?" Ryuk asked from behind her.

"Jesus Christ!" Lily screamed, jumping up from the chair.

"He can't help you now," the Shinigami laughed.

"What is wrong with you?" L asked, staring at her apprehensively. He reached for his phone, patting the desk in a blind search for it while keeping his eyes on her.

"I'll be right back," she murmured, running to her room. Retrieving the Death Note, she brought it back to L.

Ryuk was still standing behind her chair where she had left him.

"Here. Touch this." She held out the notebook to L, chewing her lower lip in anticipation of what would happen next.

"I don't see what - " L snatched the notebook away from her. "Whoa! A Shinigami!" he screeched, falling out of his chair. He stared up at the Shinigami who bent over him to get a better look at the unusual, abnormally wide-eyed human lying on the floor.

"This is Ryuk. Light's Shinigami." Lily presented the Death god to him in an unnecessarily formal manner. "Ryuk, I'm sure you have already met L several times, he just didn't know it."

"Why can't I see the other one? Rem?" L picked himself up from the floor, dusting off his behind as if to rid himself of the embarrassment suffered by his extreme reaction to the Shinigami.

"You have to touch her Death Note," Ryuk explained, startling L again by speaking.

This time his response was less violent. He flinched away and blinked before regaining control of himself.

"Where is it? You have to have it," Lily said.

"How can you see her?" L questioned her.

"That's a story for another day." She did not feel like getting into the much longer explanation of Itachi Okada whom he had met before.

L went to his room, bringing back an evidence box. Ripping off the lid, he rifled through the contents, withdrawing a plastic bag containing a black leather bound book with symbols or a foreign language presumably spelling out Death Note on the cover. He pressed a button on his keyboard, rewinding the video. Reaching into the bag, he gingerly touched the corner of the notebook.

Lily watched him as he saw Rem for the first time. It never ceased to amaze her how his already big eyes could open even wider. She contemplated if there was a possibility they could one day open so wide his eyeballs would fall out. If he received too many more surprises like this one, it could very well happen. Those inhumanly large eyes turned to gaze at her.

"You knew about this? You've been able to see them for a while?" he asked her.

"Not for too long, but I think I'm getting used to it."

"Getting used to it? How have you not lost your shit?"

Lily laughed, loud and hard. She adored his forthrightness. He did not normally curse either so she knew he had to be really freaked out.

"It's not easy. Believe me," she sighed, casting a sidelong glimpse at Ryuk.

L grabbed her, kissing her forcefully on the mouth. The kiss was possessive but not domineering seeking to control and overpower her. He was conveying his love, expressing a desire to give her comfort and seeking his own from her.

"You're amazing, and I love you," he panted, breathless from the kiss or maybe from an impending anxiety attack.

"Oh, now you say it!" she snapped indignantly. "I swear L, you have to be the most infuriating human being I've ever known!"

"Takes one to know one," he retorted, pressing his lips to hers gently.

"Ew!" Ryuk muttered. "You humans can be disgusting."

"Get lost, Ryuk," she commanded him.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He immediately took his leave.

"I have a meeting with the Task Force in an hour," L told her.

"What are you doing for the next hour? Oh!" she squealed when L picked her up into a Princess carry. To look at him she would have never guessed he was strong enough to pick her up.

"I'm sure we can think of something."

An hour of intimate private time with L. Wishes do come true.